₦airaland Forum

tbaba1234:
This cracked me up!!

The writer is deluded . This sort of tweet made me abandon twitter since 2012.

BascoVanVeli:
3 man shortlist was the least he deserved. Salah could score 100 goals and still never get his hands on the epl title. Moses changed football.

The award is not about trophies won for a European team. What if no African won the league for a top 5 European league club , will the award be cancelled for the year under review?
Did Mustafa Hadji, Kanoute, Adebayo, Aubameyang, Yaya Toure( 2012), Victor Ikpeba win any league at their crowning moment?
Please let's educate ourselves before over analysing.

It's even laughable that some analyst believe there's an anti Nigerian sentiment from within the continent. How delusional can one be? This is an event a Nigerian company have sponsored for the past 10 years and counting. An event which have been held in Abuja back to back since globacom took title sponsorship.

How there can be anti Nigerian sentiment for an event we own, host and sponsored is just laughable.

Moses neither made the BBC top 3 shortlist nor the CAF top 3. How can these two bodies be wrong at the same time? Isn't it time we look at the thing critically and find answers we seek?

Moses wasn't even the best right back in London for a guy who changed football.

BascoVanVeli:
LOL saying it in front of an oracle adds nothing. Salah has been on fire lately but Moses should have been on the shortlist.

He was on the 5 man shortlist.

BascoVanVeli:
I personally think it is a disgrace that those clowns at CAF should be ashamed of.

It would have been daylight robbery if Moses was announced as the APOTY. I can say this before any Oracle.

tbaba1234:
Tammy Abraham is looking very very poor.. We might have missed a bullet there.. or many Swansea are just bad.

I have always been surprised how much people here over rated this guy. When I argued against the hype, some thought I was just anti foreign born. Thank goodness a fresh pair of eyes have come to terms with what I've been saying.

BascoVanVeli what are your thoughts on the APOTY shortlist?
We almost had a bet about Moses and Salah a couple of months back.

All these for just a 50000 laptop? Even inmates at Guantanamo Bay detention centre don't pass through this.

Time for Forgiveness to light a cigar
.......................
After playing for Holland, I’m ready for Eagles — Owobowale

https://bc.marfeel.com/statics/i/p/punchng.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/17011422/Segun-Owobowale.jpg

Can you introduce yourself to our readers ?
Thank you . My name is Oluwasegun Owobowale , I ’ m half Nigerian and half Dutch. I ’ m 20 years old and I live in The Netherlands . I ’ ve played for ADO Den Haag but I ’m now playing for NEC Nijmegen in the Jupiler League, which is under the Eredivisie. I ’ ve also played for the Dutch national youth squads at U - 15 , U - 16 , U - 17 and U - 18 levels .
You were an unused substitute in NEC ’ s recent 6 - 0 defeat of Dordrecht . How is the season so far in the Eredivisie?
The season has been good . We are currently in the first position in the league and we are showing the fans some good football with our style of play .
Do you think NEC can gain promotion to the Eredivisie ?
Yes , I think so . If you look at our team , we have the biggest chance to win the league and gain promotion to the Eredivisie again . Team chemistry is good , everyone can find each other on - and - off the pitch. And we have good players and talents like Arnaut Danjuma Adamu Groeneveld , who is also a Nigerian talent, Ferdi Kadioglu , Frank Sturing and others .
How many games have you played so far and are you satisfied with your playing time for Adrie Bogers ’ side?
This year I ’ ve played just one game . And I ’ m happy with the chances I ’ ve got because I just came from the under 21 s . So , now every chance I get , I have to show the coach and the rest of the staff I can be an important member of the team .
You joined NEC from ADO Den Haag , where you started your career ? Can you tell us about your time there ?
Yes , I joined ADO Den Haag when I was 13 years old . When I was 16 , I signed my first contract with ADO . At the age of 17 , I played my first minutes in the Eredvisie against Cambuur . Later that year, I played against PSV with players like Memphis Depay and Georginio Wijnaldum. I had a good time at ADO , but I wanted to play more because that ’ s good when you are young . So , I left ADO and joined NEC Nijmegen . But I learnt a lot at ADO and made a lot of good friends . So , I will always remember that club ; sometimes I still visit the club to watch my friends play .
How close are you to Tyronne Ebuehi , who plays for the Super Eagles and ADO ?
Yes , Tyronne is a friend of mine . I played with him in the youth teams and in the first team ( of ADO ) . I don ’t see him a lot now but we speak with each other through our phones . And I always support him when he ’s going to the national team ( Eagles ) .
Growing up , who was your role model?
My first football shirt was that of Rivaldo , my mum bought it for me from a shop . But when I got older it was Robinho . But today it is ( Cristiano ) Ronaldo , because I like the way he puts everything he can in his dreams to be the best. My Nigerian role model has always been Obafemi Martins, what a striker he is ! I even tried to do a somersault like him ( laughs ) .
Did you do the somersaults successfully ?
No, I always landed on my back . So , I stopped trying them when I scored . I didnt break my back , so that ’ s a good thing .
Why your preference for Martins amongst Nigerian players ?
I prefer Martins because I always watched Inter Milan ’ s games . And he was scoring everyday, again and again . His first touch is always goal bound. And his celebrations were incredible . I also trained with Kenneth Omeruo in my time at ADO Den Haag .
Playing against the likes of Depay and Wijnaldum must have been memorable .
Are you hoping to play in England like them some day ?
Yes , that ’ s my dream , to play in the biggest league, like Mikel ( Obi ) , ( Austin ) Okocha , ( Joseph ) Yobo and ( Nwankwo) Kanu .
What role did your parents play in your career ?
Since day one, they played football with me; my dad is a big fan of mine . They always supported me, brought me to away games , and tournaments out of the country . They were always there for me and they still are . So , I always thank them for what they did for me . I think it’ s important that parents always support their kids ’ dreams .
You have a Nigerian dad. Is your mum Nigerian too or Dutch ?
Yes , my dad is from Nigeria and my mum is Dutch, that ’ s why I live in Holland right now . It’ s the same as Tyronne .
Why did you decide to play for Holland at youth level ? Did you get the support of your parents ?
I only had one choice because the Nigerian team never called me up for their youth teams . So , I decided to play for the Dutch squad and I played at the big tournaments . Yes , my parents always told me, “ you can choose what you want, and Nigeria will come , so it’ s your decision . ”So , if Nigeria or Holland pops up to ask me where I want to play , I would have to make a hard decision.
So , it was a hard decision picking Holland?
No, it wasn ’ t then because I had only one choice , but if both national teams will come my way now, then it will be the hardest decision to pick one.
Are you still open to a call - up to Nigeria ?
Yes of course ! I will be honoured to play for the Super Eagles .
Tyronne has been part of the Eagles set - up . Has he told you about the team ?
Yes , he told me that it is a good team with fresh , young players and a good chemistry. And that they are ready for the World Cup !
How often do you follow the Eagles ?
I watch every of their game I can , if I can find it on the internet .
How did you feel when they beat Argentina 4 - 2 with all their superstars?
I was happy for the team , Tyronne and the country because we all needed this win . This was a lesson for all of us. If you want something , you can achieve it.
What’ s your impression about the squad especially with players who have dual nationalities like you , like Tyronne , Leon Balogun, Victor Moses , Alex Iwobi , Troost -Ekong and others?
I think it’ s good to have different kind of players in a team . So you get different types of football tactics in a team , so you can play in different ways . And the young players can learn from the older players .
If you get an invitation to the national squad , what can you bring to the team ?
I can bring speed , power , technique and dribbles .
You were part of Holland’ s U - 17 team that lost the final of the Uefa U - 17 tournament to England on penalties in 2014 .
How did it feel getting so close and losing?
I felt so bad because we were so close ( to the trophy ) as a team . We did not lose one official game that whole year. And then you lose the finals with penalties , then you feel robbed .
As a left - footed player, you can play at left -back, midfield and forward positions. How did you attain the versatility ?
I ’ m fast and strong , that ’ s why I can operate as a defender or a defensive midfielder , but because I ’ ve always played as a winger, I can also make defenders have a bad day because I defend and attack . How I knew I could play in so many positions ? Honestly , I didn’ t know until my trainer said , ‘ hey , Segun , just try left- back once .’ And it all worked out well .
How much of Nigeria do you know in terms of the language, food , culture , music and more ?
Well , I know a lot of the food, because my father brought the ( Nigerian cooking ) skill with him ( to Holland ) . For the music I really listen to it every day , Wizkid , Davido , Iyanya and P- Square and much more . The language is one area I can improve on because I only know some basic sentences like ‘ how are you doing ?’ , ‘ what do you want to eat . ’ And yes, I visited Nigeria before to meet my family and have a taste of the country . That was in 2008 , but I ’ ve got family members all over the world , so every two years , we visit another country to see them all .

http://punchng.com/after-playing-for-holland-im-ready-for-eagles-owobowale/

Hilarious

Accept my sincere condolence TheGoodJoe. Sorry

Discrediting players based on age is quite petty. Emphasis should be on performance not age.
The Swiss grand master Roger Federer at 36 played his best tennis at the Aussie open and Wimbledon. As a matter of fact, he won the Wimbledon without dropping a set.

In athletics, current world 100 meters champion Justin Gatlin is no spring chicken.

How about basketball? LeBron James is 32 and still looks unstoppable. I watch him power through games and dominate much younger players with ruthless abandon.

Stated above are 3 physically demanding sports. One may even argue these sports are much more physically demanding than football, yet the best in these sports aren't teenagers.

I don't know why people insist we must go to the world cup with an U23 team. Not when the last 4 world cup finals have been contested by older and experienced teams.
Anyone in doubt should check the average age of world cup finalists between 2006-2014

Discrediting players based on age is quite petty. Emphasis should be on performance not age.
The Swiss grand master Roger Federer at 36 played his best tennis at the Aussie open and Wimbledon. As a matter of fact, he won the Wimbledon without dropping a set.

In athletics, current world 100 meters champion Justin Gatlin is no spring chicken.

How about basketball? LeBron James is 32 and still looks unstoppable. I watch him power through games and dominate much younger players with ruthless abandon.

Stated above are 3 physically demanding sports. One may even argue these sports are much more physically demanding than football, yet the best in these sports aren't teenagers.

I don't know why people insist we must go to the world cup with an U23 team. Not when the last 4 world cup finals have been contested by older and experienced teams.
Anyone in doubt should check the average age of world cup finalists from 2006-2014

BascoVanVeli:
He has not scored much in the league but his 2 goals against Madrid bought him time.

That's the thing with young players. They can be inconsistent.

MetalJigsaw:
You have a point but Kane is still better. Or at least on same rating with Dele

Dele Ali has been very poor this season. As a matter of fact, he's been so poor this season that he's rated top2-3 flop of the season by many British rags.

Certitude:
Amen. Thanks so much dear

Sorry for your loss.I empathise with you.

komekn:
You can not ignore him.

We haven't set any benchmark that restricts players.

I watched Ogbeche when he played for Middlesbrough and he looked quite decent. The only problem is that the Eredivisie is one of the easiest league to score in. Nonetheless, his scoring rate cannot be ignored.

Exactly @bolded. If I'm in shape and well motivated, I can do double figures in the Eredivisie.

Danycrusoe:
[b]From Champions League to Checkatrade Trophy - why has Iheanacho bombed at Leicester?

[/b]Dec 13, 2017 10:30:00 Premier League

Signed for £25 million from Manchester City in the summer, the forward has started just two league games this season and could leave in January

At the age of 21, Kelechi Iheanacho has played in excess of 50 Premier League matches, has eight Champions League appearances under his belt, has garnered a £25 million transfer fee and is hopeful of leading the line for his country at this summer’s World Cup.

Why, then, has his only club start since late October come at Glanford Park, the home of Scunthorpe United, in a competition that primarily consists of clubs from England’s third and fourth tiers?


Eyebrows were raised when Leicester City opted to play six genuine first-team players in their recent Checkatrade Trophy victory in north Lincolnshire, no more so than when it was revealed that the Foxes’s primary summer signing would be starting up front.

Though Claude Puel was obviously keen for the Nigeria international to get some football having not appeared for the 2015-16 champions since November 18, Leicester fans have unsurprisingly been asking just why he has not been given more of an opportunity.

“He is a good player and if he improves he will find his place in the squad,” Puel said at the end of November. “We have a lot of players in this position. It is good competition between them and we will need all these players with good qualities and attitude.”

Since making those comments, Iheanacho has played precisely zero minutes in the Premier League, and was even left out of the squad altogether for the recent win against Tottenham.

Puel will rightly point to his side’s results in that period — three victories and a draw — but if Iheanacho cannot force his way in during the busy festive schedule, starting with Wednesday’s clash at Southampton, the question of whether he even has a future at the King Power Stadium must be asked.

A foot injury picked up in pre-season coupled with the good early season form of Shinji Okazaki alongside Jamie Vardy meant opportunities were hard to come by for Iheanacho in the immediate aftermath of his departure from Manchester City. The only hope he had was then-manager Craig Shakespeare’s insistence on playing two strikers as he looked to recapture the magic of the title-winning campaign of two seasons ago.

With Shakespeare now gone, though, Puel has reverted to a 4-2-3-1 system in a bid to allow Riyad Mahrez more freedom as well as bring Demarai Gray into the starting XI - and has picked up immediate results. It is no coincidence Iheanacho — who once upon a time boasted the best minutes-per-goal record of any player to have netted on at least 10 occasions in the Premier League — made his last league start in Shakespeare’s final game in charge.

So how does Iheanacho work himself into Puel’s plans? In just over six months’ time, he will be hoping to be starting his first World Cup match against Croatia ahead of facing down Lionel Messi and Argentina later in the group stage. Odion Ighalo has recently usurped him as the Super Eagles's first-choice striker, and it would be foolhardy for them to believe they can realistically rely on a player who has barely kicked a ball in anger in the months leading into the tournament.

One area where Iheanacho can improve is his adaptability. He was regularly compared to Marcus Rashford when both players were coming through the ranks on either side of the Manchester divide, and it is noticeable how Rashford has been able to maintain a regular place within the United line-up despite the arrivals of Romelu Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Undoubtedly a different kind of player from the England forward, Iheanacho can still pick up some lessons in terms of how open Rashford is to attempting to further his game in unfamiliar roles while also learning from the likes of Vardy and Okazaki back at Leicester, particularly when it comes to work-rate.

Puel has commented that the youngster is unable to play out wide, but with Mahrez likely to be the subject of yet more transfer speculation in January, a push from Iheanacho to prove he can help fill the void — either as a winger or a No.10 — might see him earn his chance.

The only other option would be me to move on in the upcoming January transfer window. West Ham were interested in his services during the summer while the likes of Newcastle and West Brom are desperately looking for a genuine goalscorer to help lift themselves away from trouble.

“Time will tell. The window is not open, we will see,” Puel said in the aftermath of Saturday’s win over Newcastle. With the likes of Islam Slimani, Leonardo Ulloa and Ahmed Musa also vying for a place in attack, it seems inevitable at least one will be moved on before the start of February.

What is for certain is that after 17 Premier League matches without a goal and having not played 90 minutes in the league since September 2016, Iheanacho needs to change something. Whether that is his own game or the club he plays for is up for debate, but one of the brightest young strikers in the English game simply cannot spend the remainder of the campaign playing in the Checkatrade Trophy.

source: http://m.goal.com/x/en-ng/news/4071/premier-league/2017/12/13/40994692/from-champions-league-to-checkatrade-trophy-why-has

Yet some fans vehemently oppose the invitation of Martins for frivolous reasons.
We better get real.

Icon4s:
I do sincerely hope they will boost the ranking and not do a further damage.

On the prospects of players making it to Russia. Sorry I don't think any outfield player stands a chance. At least it is not looking likely. The only players in that tourney that stand the chance are Ezenwa and Ajiboye.

On issue of inactivity, that is not much of a problem because the super6 is ongoing and the CHAN team is one of those participating. Even as the league may not have commenced early in January that will afford the team ample time to camp, play friendlies and perfect their strategies.

Rohr said recently that the initial list of players to be called will be about 35. There's no way an outstanding outfield player in CHAN won't make the final 35.

Icon4s:
OK.

Back to my point.

It is a more reason why we must not lose or play a draw with any of Libya, Equatorial Guinea and Rwanda. These are lowly ranked teams that a slip up in any of the games will further deepen our ranking points. Even with this 3-0 loss to Algeria sef.

Looks like the major positives from that CHAN are to see Ezenwa and probably Ajiboye in action.

Ordinarily we shouldn't have a problem getting out of this group. Being a world cup year, the players are extra motivated to do well and gatecrash into the final 35 man list for the main team.
In 2014 we saw our CHAN team play some scintillating football and got bronze for their efforts. Our ranking will get unprecedented boost if this team could replicate the achievement of the 2014 team.
My only reservation is the inactivity of npfl players since the league won't be starting till January.

realpoacher:
You guys won the last argument concerning FIFA rankings, but your first paragraph is a big lie.

CHAN is fully accepted by FIFA as Confederation's Regional tournament and its full ranking multiplier is 3.

CHAN is a recognised FIFA A level tournament.

Caf President Issa Hayatou told Goal that Fifa is recognising Chan as an official ‘A level’ tournament with ranking points . Hayatou told us that Caf has plans for Chan growing as strong as the Afcon. Igesund himself was delighted to hear that South Africa could benefit from a long Chan campaign and improve our rankings as planned.

http://m.goal.com/s/en-za/news/4622/africa/2014/01/12/4538249/editorial-fifa-is-wrong-to-recognise-chan-for-official

CHAN is a Full 3 POINTER like I suspected earlier.

cc Icon4s

Algeria couldn't have gotten a wind of this information if they didn't act on a tip off by a Nigerian journalist. This was how journo from Ibadan made $2000 from Etoile du Sahel in 2012 when he sold them information about the contractual snafu between 3Sc and Rangers over Emmanuel Daniel. Rangers forfeited the match after beating Etoile over 2 legs.
The Tunians went on to win the Confederations cup that year.
I can bet my car keys a Nigerian journalist sold this information to Algeria.

maidaboi:
i believe you will be among them LOL

Abeg oh

[quote author=mazimee post=63215442][/quote]Who we go believe?
This chart is more detailed by the way.

mazimee:
ofcourse

Algeria had 56% from what I'm seeing on my screen oh.

Icon4s:
Firstly the CHAN is classified on the same level with international friendlies. And so each game carries 1point and not 3points as you stated.

Look at the other teams in our group: Libya, Rwanda and Equatorial Guinea. These are lowly ranked teams that we are expected to beat. Just a lose or draw against any one of them is enough to negate the whole ranking points even if we win the other 2 group games. So we must claim all 9points. That is my point.

CHAN is rated as confederations level competition which is a 3 pointer while Wafu and other small regional competitions like Cecafa and cosafa are 1 pointers. So I thought anyway.

mazimee:
Algeria didn't have a better ball possession than us. Get your facts straight

Are you sure about this?

kennysville:
Friends, Countrymen, Nairalanders!

I said some time ago about this issue of goal keeper is the least of our worries right now and time will prove this to be correct. A few posts ago, I asked us a question, which would you prefer between a bad goalkeeper, strong attack, and strong defence OR a good goalkeeper, good defence , bad attack. No on has been able to respond.

I will say it again, the goal keepin department is the least of our worries right now considering the fact that if we play a brand of attacking football heavily based on possession, our goal keepers may largely be untested in a competitive match.

What should be our major concern right now is how to get at least 2 replacements for Mikel before the world cup starts and start blendin them in. Which footballer has vision? Which player has accurate passes ? And can hold the midfield as well. I have said it before whether sarcastically or whatever, we can play without a goalie. Let us worry about someone to deputize for mikel. Scouts should come up with names of quality players that can do ball distribution. We have seen good goalies being messed up by a bad defence before so dont make it look like if Enyeama keeps the goal, he aint gonna concede.

June is almost here. Close ur eyes and open it and the world cup is upon us. Wake up everyone and stop debating what will not in the end matter. The sad news is our opponents are also analysing us. I dare say they even know this thread exists. We are the ones giving them the exposé on our team. They know what to do to take out Mikel. And once Mikel is out, the sting i our attack is gone. We are here debating goalies..... ok O.

I rest my case

I don't agree with your second paragraph. We are not a heavy possession team, rather we are a solid counter attacking unit.
Zambia, Algeria and Argentina had more ball possession than us, going by our last 3 games.

Icon4s:
Ordinary qualifiers for CHAN that we lost to Benin it negated the 4-0 win and 1-1 draw we had with Cameroon. Look at the other teams in our group, any attempt to draw one we drop be that. It means we must secure the 9points from that group to start with .

CHAN is a serious tournament. By FIFA power ranking, CHAN is a confederation tournament which earns 3.0 points.
In the eyes of FIFA, CHAN is on par with the AFCON.
CHAN points is actually worth more than FIFA world cup qualifiers.

NO matter how bad things maybe, there is no chance in hell we would loose all 3 games in CHAN,even if a community secondary school team represented us.

Just a couple of wins in that tournament boosts our ranking.

For me, this CHAN team is too good to exit the tournament at the group stage.

Icon4s:
I pray we beat Poland in March to make up for the Ranking points we'll drop from participating in CHAN.
Hahaha.

Too bad the only players we will be looking out for are Ezenwa and maybe Ajiboye. No out field players to look out for.

O pari *in icon79's voice*

I don't think we will loose points playing CHAN. The last I checked, there was ranking points earned for playing in major tournaments. CHAN is a recognised CAF and FiFA tournament.
We Lost valuable ranking points for not qualifying for 2 AFCONs.
mm
Just 2 wins in CHAN will boost those ranking points.

Goke7:
so all the blame can't go to keshi alone then, we Nigerians piled up pressure on him to select some players which is what we are also doing now. This is what I keep saying, when things go wrong, we blame the coach forgetting that we also made input into the team selection.

This is why am too cautious on the way we are throwing up names of players who were never in the radar before. God help us o!

Exactly, trust Nigerians. If Ebuehi fumbles, God forbid. The manner Nigerians will turn on him will make you wonder if it wasn't the same Nigerians who are loosing their minds after his Argentina cameo.
Our people are so fickle and very forgetful.
The harsh weather conditions in the sub Sahara sometimes affect our emotions, in my opinion.

Icon4s:
Uche Nwofor was a pretty decent player then. I was one of his heavy fans. A typical quick strong number 9.

How many of those Keshi's 2014 WC players' careers went South since after that WC is baffling. That is why we failed to qualify for the 2015 AFCON.

It was a privilege to watch Nwofor, Chikeluba Ofoedu and the magician Ejike Uzoenyi lead the Rangers attack. It was like watching an orchestra with Uzoenyi playing the violin.
Amazing stuff.

tbaba1234:
Keshi benched Moses after 52 minutes of game 1. He did not play again.

Uzoenyi showed nothing in the friendlies, superb in CHAN.
Azeez was average.

I am ok with Nwofor being on the list, he was decent.

Rueben Gabriel should never have made that team.

The game against USA was the biggest warning sign that we did not have a squad.

Good first 11 but no squad

Moses was dire in the game against Iran. He touched he ball just 13 times in his time on the pitch. He deservedly lost his place in the team afterwards.
I even forgot to add Mikel Obi himself didn't exactly cover himself in glory @ that world cup. He was as average as others, you may not want to admit it, but you can't prove me wrong.