₦airaland Forum

Please this Onuoha matter should be nipped in the bud. Let's concentrate on people who feel Nigerian enough to play for us. Nigeria is too big a country to go cap in hands to invite a washed out defender slugging it out in the lower reaches of the championship.
Onuoha is not any better than Egwuekwe, Oboabona, Ambrose. Even Mikel Obi, Elderson, Ndidi and Ogu can do a good job at CB if we become so desperate.
Nedum Onuoha should stick to his word and wait for his dream 3 lions call up.

komekn:
Your comment display a complete lack contextual understanding, identity appreciation and insensitive in the extreme, I could say ignorant but i will not.

You would have to define what it means to Feel Nigerian from your perspective for other to appreciate.


Last year I was in Nigeria twice to link a 30 year old Ibo lady of mixed race heritage to a Father she had never seen since she was 2 years old. There are quite a lot of Nigerian heritage children who have Fathers who are missing. Then you have the full bloodied Nigerians who have been tutored by their parents, that all things Nigerian are bad and dangerous. I will not go into all the negative stories true and untrue in social media and the press. Considering all these impacting factors on the concept of being Nigerian, how Nigerian do you want them to feel

His concept of not feeling Nigerian may be that, i have unquestionable integrity, I believe in fair play, I will not use financial inducement to gain advantage (egunje), I will show the utmost professionalism, I will not call on any godfathers and if i have to do these things , i may not feel very Nigerian.

I probably know since 1994 every English Nigerian who has played for Nigeria personally, and the issues i have mentioned albeit tongue in cheek, have always come up.

Most Nigerian origin players that i know would choose Nigeria first , however, the approach by majority of officials leaves much to be desired as well as the haphazard organisation we seemingly can not get away from.

Therefore, because you want to play for Nigeria we expect these boys should throw to the dogs every good and best practice they have become accustomed to and rightfully expect in any professional football setting. And if that is your idea of cant stand heat, then we have a problem.


The issue of the three lions does not arise.

Deviating somewhat, which of our central defenders is currently better than Nedum

Nedum Onuoha's family went out of their way to stop him from playing for Nigeria not once but twice, first under Berti Vogts and then Lars LAgerback.
More facts have emerged on why Manchester City's Nigerian-born defender, Nedum Onuoha, refused overtures to join the Super Eagles for the World Cup in South Africa.

NFF's deputy general-secretary, technical, Dr. Ikpeme Emmanuel revealed in a chat with brilafm.net that the former youth international's mother, Dr Antonia Onuoha, was consulted but says she stopped the 23-year-old player from accepting Nigeria's offer.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201004220536.html


With due respect to Nedum and what he stands for,he is not needed anymore. He should man up and stand by his decision like a man. Quite frankly I find it insulting to read that if we scan through the length and breath of Nigeria, we cannot a defensive player who can offer alot more than Onuoha.
What is so fantastic about Onuoha by the way?

I think people should get used to seeing Akpeyi in goal in the foreseeable. Another legendary goalkeeper backs him to start against Cameroon.

How Eagles can subdue Cameroon – Rufai


Peter Rufai insists the Super Eagles will only triumph in their Group B Russia 2018 World Cup qualifying double - header against Cameroon ’ s Indomitable Lions if Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr features players who are ready to fight on the pitch.
The Eagles host their fierce rivals in Uyo on August 31 and travel to Yaounde for the reverse fixture on September 4 .
Nigeria sit atop the group on six points , followed by African champions Cameroon on two points . Zambia and Algeria who are other teams in the group have one point each.
Rohr has been hit by a goalkeeping crisis in the run- up to the double - header after his first choice keeper Carl Ikeme was diagnosed with acute leukaemia last month .
And Rufai , who expressed concern over the goalkeeping crisis facing the Eagles , warns Rohr not to gamble on team selection over the two legs .
“ Any match between Nigeria and Cameroon is always explosive and I don ’ t expect these World Cup qualifiers to be different , ” the former Portuguese outfit Farense custodian told our correspondent in Lagos on Tuesday .
“ The two matches ( in Uyo and Yaounde ) will be very tough for us, we must be ready for them . ”
Rufai , who represented Nigeria at the USA ’ 94 and France ’ 98 World Cups , says Rohr should feature good quality and experienced players to enable the Eagles to survive the highly physical Cameroonian players .
He said , “ Cameroon believes in experienced players . Many Cameroonian players play for their national team for years , unlike us .
“ We must play our experienced players against them . We shouldn ’ t gamble on playing inexperienced players against them .”
“ Our players must be ready to fight the opponents throughout the game . ”
The former Stationery Stores shot - stopper believed Rohr and his charges had learnt some lessons from their 2 - 0 defeat by South Africa ’s Bafana Bafana in their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Uyo on June 10 . ”
Former Gabon manager Rohr started youngster Chidozie Awaziem in the heart of the Eagles’ defence , dropping South Africa 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner Kenneth Omeruo to the bench .
Bafana exploited the weaknesses in the Nigerian defence to beat them for the first time in a competitive affair.
“ They ( Eagles) shouldn ’ t make the mistakes they made against South Africa against Cameroon , ” Rufai said .
On the goalkeeping crisis facing the Eagles ahead of the World Cup qualifiers , the former Lokeren keeper said the Nigeria Football Federation Technical Committee would help Rohr as the German searches for Ikeme ’s replacement.
“ Nigeria is so big that finding a good keeper should not be a problem , ” he said .
However , Rufai said he would support Rohr if he chooses the much vilified Chippa United keeper Daniel Akpeyi as the man between the sticks for the Eagles versus Cameroon .
He said , “ Akpeyi shouldn ’ t be blamed for the defeat against South Africa . He did his best in the game .

“ The entire team should be blamed for the defeat . After all the ball went past the attackers, midfielders and defenders before getting to his position .
“ The Eagles should come together as a collective unit against Cameroon . ”


http://punchng.com/how-eagles-can-subdue-cameroon-rufai/

ChrisKels:
I doubt u read through previous arguments before u dabbled... Without trynna straggle from the main point, we (Joebie and I) specifically stated that our youngsters should choose the Belgian league ahead of leagues like Turkey for proper development but when u are gone past ur youthful age, u can try a better league though to me, turkey ain't one of those better leagues.


Bia nwoke m, how u take know Ojoko, u grow up for Achara layout?

My problem is how some of us are quick to judge people who transfer to Turkey like it is a given that everyone who went to Belgium will hit the big leagues from there. At the drop of the hat, I can name 10 players who went to Belgium and played really well but they never pushed beyond that level, still money they no make.
It's a wrong mindset you're making by believing Belgium is the passport for greatness.
By the way, I grow up for new heaven

ChrisKels:
All these sermon yet u were complaining that our stars don't command big transfer bucks. Have u forgotten so soon how u were praising Keita of Leipzig and condemning our boys? If Keita had gone to Turkey ahead of Germany in pursuit of money over growth, do you sincerely think Liverpool would be ready to path with up to 20k to secure his services let alone his 70k asking price?

You honestly think everyone will get transfered for that quoted prize to Liverpool? Is that your sermon? What are the odds that a Mikel Agu will command a $70M fee if he stayed at Victoria setubal? Mathematically what are the chances of that happening?

tbaba1234:
The attraction to Turkey is simply based on their tax system and pecuniary benefits. Why stay in Belgium or Portugal with more visibility when you can earn more tax free in Turkey...

Until, our players start thinking of the best moves for their careers instead of money first, we will continue to get situations like Omeruo training with kids at Chelsea.

Money is important but if you make the right career moves, money will eventually come.

As a fan, it is quite easy for you to say this because you're not wearing the shoes.

If your brother was a footballer, will you honestly advice him to walk away from a €3.5M per year deal ( Emenike was paid something close to that in Turkey) and instead move to Belgium where he gets 100k per annum just because you feel he stands a chance of being spotted by Watford while playing in Belgium?
What if he gets injured? How about a loss of form? A chance in management which could see him benched etc... Transfer decisions are like Russian roulette, nothing is guaranteed in the life of a footballer. You can be the hottest young player in the world one season and virtually slip into oblivion and surplus to requirements in 2 seasons, look at Jack wilshere, nobody even wants him on loan.

Truth is that a footballers career is short and we all know most football players are sparsely educated, so they have little to fall back on. If you don't take a chance on yourself, make quick bucks (strike when the iron is hot). You may end up in penury quickly after you hang your boots.

There is no definite answer this question. It's a matter of personal preference guided with individual goals and aspiration.

A random cost analysis of a university hostel will give you 120k per year for a room. While you should get about same amount per hotel room monthly.

Let's assume a hotel room have a patronage of 12 days in a month which translates to 40% of a 30 day month at the cost of 10k per night, you could be looking at a gross income of 120k per room.
When you factor in other means of monetising some hotel facilities such as bar, swimming pool, Hall rentals, lounge , restaurant, gym and laundry, you could be looking a a gold mine. However, everything depends on management, even the hostel requires strict management because students can be very hard to deal with.

The banner inscription reads "University of Nigeria medical students association". I believe this is the departmental students association gala night.
10k is quite reasonable handout for such a group to give its member.

Joebie:
Chinedu Obasi: “I Enjoy Every Second In AIK”

Posted By: soccerasson: August 07, 2017In: Eagles WatchNo Comments Print Email
Nigerian striker Chinedu Obasi is totally enjoying his time back in Sweden with AIK

The 31 year old Nigerian is back at AIK for a second spell after an initial stay at the club in 2016

Obasi has been scintillating form scoring 2 goals and grabbing an assist in AIKs 4-1 defeat against Sirius

The Striker stole the headlines for his performance in the game celebrated by fans and pundits alike

“I’m trying to be humble” Obasi is quoted as saying on top Swedish sports site bladet

“It feels good to make goals and help the team,”

“No, I’m not surprised at all that I’ve found form so fast. I have worked hard and what I invested in this. So that’s no surprise”.

After spending six months in the money-spinning Chinese league, Obasi returned “home” to AIK and he says the fans had a decisive impact on his decision.

“It feels so good to meet the fans again.”

“ Since I left, they have kept on writing social media to me.”

“I really enjoy every second of the time in AIK.”

Obasi had spells with the Nigerian national team and was a part of the Silver winning U20 side that lost the final to a lionel messi inspired Argentina, A nigerian team that produced the likes of close friend Mikel Obi.

Obasi scored Nigerias only goal on the night

--Soccer Assembly

Refreshing to see Edu back on his feet. Last time I saw him,he had a piece of orthopedic metal inserted in his right ankle which he carried for almost a year.
Thank goodness you're back Ojoko.

I think some of us are going about this league comparison the wrong way. I have been critical of some Nigerian players transferring to Turkey but the truth is that Turkish league is well ahead of Belgium Pro league.
My reason is that the Belgian league is structured more like Europe's development league, where clubs come around and poach talents from. Their buisness strategy is to get young players with the aim of developing them for unward sale for profit. This explains why the transfer record in Belgium stands at €5.5M.

Compared to Turkey, where their buisness strategy is to spend money and attract stars to their league. Their clubs are basically better financed, which is evident on their transfer record towering at €17M with tons of transfer in excess of €10M (recall Belgium Pro league transfer record stands at €5.5M).

Truth is that football players find Turkey more attractive than say Belgium because of the better pay package. I know some will have a problem with this, but we must understand that not everyone in Belgium get transfered to the Premiership and La liga.
Football is a buisness after all. Ask Neymar.

This is what happens when government are allowed ownership of club sides.
The Qatari sponsored Psg have taken the game to a whole new level.

TheGoodJoe:
“The goalkeeper trainer is expected to train NPFL goalkeepers ahead of the crucial games with Cameroon and there are talks for him to stay after the encounter,” a source is quoted to say by Naija Football Plus.

That is to tell you he's here on an interim capacity. Vanguard reported his contract is for 3 months which indicates he's not here to scout for a new goalkeeper.

TheGoodJoe:
Do you think Rohr will slight his coaching crew in the media? He will never do that. As long as a foreign keeper trainer is in camp, it is obvious like me, Rohr is disappointed with the efforts of Alloy Agu.

And he will give the new guy 3 months to find a number 1 goalkeeper?
Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.

TheGoodJoe:

If Rohr wants a new trainer, he will apply to the NFF to secure the player. It is not from his pocket. Haba. This is too basic to debate.

Why wasnt it included in the report that Rohr wanted a new gk trainer? Until there is a report to that effect, you're just making assumptions.

TheGoodJoe:
And you feel the NFF are doing this against the recommendation of Rohr. How hilarious.

The NFF are the owners of the team they can hire any back room staff they like, be it a new physio,team doctor,psycologist,nutritionist,strikers trainer or goalkeeper trainer based on the recommendations of the technical committee.
Was it Rohr who advised them to hire Immama?

TheGoodJoe:
You were expecting Rohr to use his money and hire a keeper trainer to do the job of Agu the NFF recommended? Na wa.

I thought you said Rohr did well to hire the new trainer.Are you now changing the goalpost? Stop making things up.

TheGoodJoe:
Ike Shorunmu said Akpeyi made the right choice coming out but he could not handle the ball. I doubt that is a thumbs up or pat on the back.

“He was right to come out of his line in an attempt to stop the second goal. It was the best decision, but unfortunately he couldn’t prevent the goal.”

Still trying to find where he said he couldnt handle the ball and a pat on the back. This is exactly what Ive been saying, people are delibratly making things up to throw Akpeyi under the bus

TheGoodJoe:
This got to be a joke. Are the NFF the ones making selection for the coach? Rohr is not satisfied and brought in a foreign trainer. "I like Rohr for that." The foreign trainer is already studying home based players and you are making it look as if the NFF will draw the list of who will play the next game.

Really funny.

NFF are the ones hiring the new guy not Rohr.

Apparently aware of the heart beats of many Nigerians since the ugly news of the diagnosis of first choice keeper, Carl Ikeme with acute leukaemia and the consequent need for a good goalkeeper, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, may have resolved to hire a foreign goalkeepers trainer to rescue the Eagles.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/07/nff-hire-foreign-goalkeepers-trainer/

TheGoodJoe:
Let them drill the goalkeepers and select the best. If after drills Akpeyi is the picked one as the best, he has my blessings. If he is not the best, then we are doing ourselves harm putting the weaker keeper on goal.

However I doubt that he will make it with a new goalkeeper trainer in camp. It is clear the trainer is on a mission to pick a new keeper.

Your last statement is not correct. Nff have come out to back Akpeyi,Ezenwa and Alampasu to fill in. From thier statement, they said the new trainer is being brought in to work with the current guys we have.

Asked on the fate of the Eagles’ goalkeeper trainer, Alloy Agu, our source said that the hiring of a foreigner was an interim arrangement for three months. ‘’The foreigner will work with Agu and the goalkeepers. Agu is still in charge’’, our source noted

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/07/nff-hire-foreign-goalkeepers-trainer/

You seriously think the guy was hired to search for a new gk in an interim capacity for just 3 months? wake up and smell the coffee ... lol

Truidstar:
My brother, I am not been emotional. Akpeyi will not be invited for the match against Cameroon. Maybe if we have a new coach he may be considered, but l state very boldly again AKPEYI'S NATIONAL TEAM CAREER IS ON HOLD FOR THE FORSEEABLE FUTURE.

Can you bet your house on this? Or you're making assumptions?

tbaba1234:
A Goalkeeping coach has 3-5 players, he works with regularly. Not 23 or 35. They build relationships with their players. Even at that, I have never heard Amokachi criticize his players publicly . Thierry Henry is an ex-Arsenal player not a coach. He worked with the youth players briefly. His relationship with the players is completely different.

Thierry Henry was working with Arsenal as their strikers trainer when he worked with sky sports not just the youth team. Trust me I have heard Daniel criticize some players in 2009 when he worked with super sports.
My point is that Ike Shorumu have nothing to loose if he said Akpeyi made an error. Admitting someone made an error is not criticism, by the way, why are we having this discussion again? I thought you said earlier you haven't criticized Akpeyi because you think he was the reason we lost.

tbaba1234:
Ikeme Shorunmu was working with these players closely not too long ago. He was also part of the technical team. He knows the Gks intimately. No way, he will criticize them publicly. That does not mean, he will not make different decisions if he was in charge.

We have seen Amokachi come hard on some of these players when he worked on super sports. Thierry Henry used to criticize Arsenal players when he worked on sky, even ex Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins do call out his former players who aren't performing right in front of the camera.
You're not ethically bound not to criticize someone or a team you have no contract with.

tbaba1234:
Neither Rohr or Ike Shorunmu will criticize a player in public. That's unprofessional. Rohr's appointment of a new Goalkeeping coach is the best indicator of his position in that department.

Ike Shorunmu is not a member of the technical crew. He can criticise any player like other ex internationals have done on TV.

tbaba1234:
I have been a critic of Akpeyi way before the SA game. In fact, I have not even blamed him for the SA loss in any discussion.

Before the Olympics, I rated him as a decent keeper but his shaky displays in the Olympics, against Algeria, Senegal and SA have convinced me that he is not good enough to be number 1 in the national team.

It is not just one display, any keeper can have an off night. His recent displays have been shaky. He consistently mishandles crosses. If he was a young keeper, perhaps we could have made excuses for him.

Emmanuel Daniel during the Olympics qualifiers and sometimes in the Olympics was a lifesaver for the team. He made great saves to keep his team in it. Enyeama has done that for Nigeria.

If Nigeria is under pressure in Yaounde, Can we count on Akpeyi to keep us in the game if necessary.. His recent performances do not suggest that.

I don't think Akpeyi is the best but as a stop gap measure, he is just OK to fill in.
However, since the game against SA, he has been made the escape goat, the reason for this resentment is not clear to me. Because Looking at the game critically and running a proper analysis on the events leading up to the goals, Akpeyi was in no way responsible for those goals.

On the Olympics, you do appreciate Akpeyi was drafted in as one of the over age players. Friendly games and tournaments leading up to the Olympics, Emma Daniel was not convincing, we had some countries running crazy number of goals against us like 6:0,4:1 and the likes. Emmanuel and Awoniyi were targeted but somehow, Emmanuel survived while Awoniyi was dropped.

In my opinion Siasia stuck with Emmanuel because he was one of the oldest member of his U23 team. In the game against Japan, Emmanuel was very suspect for some of those goals but Siasia stuck by him and he grew into the tournament. This was exactly how it played out.

zicky:
Which outstanding save did he made

In your judgement you actually think he stood still all 90 mins and did nothing in Alexandria?
The way Akpeyi is being judged, if Kelechi, Iwobi or any of the fans darling received a quarter of what is being thrown at him this thread would have been in flames.

Truidstar:
Why are we still flogging a dead horse? Akpeyi's days with the Eagles are over. As for our World Cup qualifier against Cameroon, I believe we will be the first African team to qualify with 2 games to spare.

Why is his days over in the super eagles? You haven't been able to pin down one howler he made that cost us a game,yet you think his days are over.
This was how you guys blamed Uyo stadium and Uyo fans for the loss.

Sometimes, I think God pieced together the most emotional beings and threw all of them to a country called Nigeria.

Icon4s:
Bros me inclusive?

You're an exception. I sometimes marvel at how you are able to hold your own and not let what people say here influence your sense of judgment.
This should be a dominant character trait every man should have. For that you have my respect.

zicky:
I think you are the one hanging other forumite comments to the SA match, I don't see Akpeyi as a good keeper, a keeper that can save his team when the defence fail same way I don't rate Valdez. I can provide many blunders from Buffon or Oliver kahn bt that will never bring down their rating

Against Egypt in Alexandre. Akpeyi was in goal on the day. The Egyptians scored what can be described as a lucky goal via a deflection.
If he wasn't gittery in that high pressure game. How come he became jittery all of a sudden? Abi we are just making things up?

Icon79:
Haha @O pari. You don kolo finis be dat one.

Yea, my bad, I haven't followed the argument you were trying to make on this topic. However, what I was just trying to argue against is the tendency of some forumers to bring down one player so they can promote their preferred players. But I do apologize tho, if that's not what you were trying to do here.

O pari

I'm not trashing anybody but, I mean virtually everyone on this forum have been trashing Akpeyi for throwing the SA match, but none can really prove that his specific error(s) lead to the goals.
We have heard Rohr and Shorunmu come out and absolved him of blame for that 2nd goal but it appears our minds have been made up.

Sometimes I wonder if the guy is less Nigerian than everybody in that team.

O' pari

Truidstar:
Not blunders but school boy errors, case in point, our match against Algeria, he was flaffing around and a bunch of nerves . Simple balls he should have caught he fluffed. The goal scored by Algeria showed he is not it, a better goal keeper would have made a decent attempt to palm the missile , our dear Akpeyi's spirit was willing but his flesh failed to react. Don't get me started about the match against South Africa. We need to move on. Anyone but Akpeyi.

That was a pitch of a goal from Bentaleb that went straight to the roof. Zidane scored such a goal at the 2002 champions league finals. I wonder what is school boy about conceding such a goal.
Outside being overly emotional, you guys haven't been able to come up with something concrete to nail this guy.

Even Ike shorumu have come out and said that he was not at fault for any of the goals against SA. What is this paranoia all about?

Icon79:
Some of you guys are horrible....horrible!!!

So you have to trash Ikeme just so you can defend Akpeyi? Unbelievable!

Listen, every goalkeeper, even the best goalkeeper in the world, makes mistakes. The problem we have with Akpeyi is that he lacks the basic fundamentals of a good goalkeeper. He flaps basic crosses. Can't defend his area. Lacks basic command of his zone. Lacks confidence in goal.

You can't see Ikeme making some of the elementary school errors. No one is saying that Carl is world class, but he's totally a class or two above Akpeyi.


O pari

Well, you let sentiments get the better part of you. Obviously, you were not following my line of convo with Joebie. I specifically replied his comment that Akepyi was not highly rated in South Africa. And the truth is that Ikeme is not exactly highly rated in the championship.
Your arguments that I was trashing Ikeme would have been valid if I doctored those videos, but they are as real as they come.

If you come carry am for head like gala. Na you sabi.

O pari.

TheGoodJoe:
Continue.

With the level of European top teams club level, it is easy for them to find their best players in quality clubs and in starting positions. For Nigerians, it is not the same. You can be a top quality player and find yourself on the bench or trapped in the local League. That is why the National teams serve as a route of exposure to a lot of players.

This is pure common sense.

You honestly expect a team to do well with a make up of bench warmers?
In our AFCON winning team of 2013, who and who were bench warmers for their clubs?