₦airaland Forum

@ Mukina,
Can u hear yourself?
"If more time had been added "?
What were they doing for the whole 90 mins? Drogba should have begged the referee to give em 300 more mins to equalise.
The Ivoiriens were just too timid in their approach. They lack the hunger n the cutting edge to contend with Argentina.
Didn't u guys watch Senegal V France at the last world cup?
Senegal played as if their life depended on the game and it paid off.
They rendered Henry + Trezeguet + Cisse useless for 90 mins.
Let it be known that the 3 french strikers mentioned above won the golden boots each in their respective leagues in that season and their combination failed to find the net against Senegal.
Cote D'Ivoire my prat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@ Akola,
Please don't compare the 2.
Death is very different from sleep.
Roman is more ruthless and more powerful than Abiola.
With all the money MKO had to buy the best of players, his team was always playing 2nd fiddle to Leventis United of Ibadan at that time.
Leventis were simply magical. They were the Man Us of Nigeria in the mid-80's.
I think they won the treble in one season and they won FA cup as a 2nd division side. Isn't that remarkable?
Abiola Babes were good but Leventis stands taller.
Capice?

P.S. Roman Abrahamovic's net worth is $18.2 billion and he is the 11th richest man in the world and the 2nd richest in the UK.

I will not allow sheer Africanism to blind me from the truth.
The Argys were simply better than the Ivoiriens in all departments of the game. How can a team lose in such manner and Prisccy said they have done Africa proud.
Talking about African Pride, please refer to Nigeria in USA 94 and France 98 PLUS Senegal in 2002.
Senegal defeated France against all odds and went on to the Q-finals(thatz what i call PRIDE)
A team that lost in that manner does not deserve my credits at all.
As a matter of fact,i will like history to repeat itself in what happened in 98 when the Ivoirien team were taken to a concentration camp on the orders of their president and drilled like war criminals.
It will give me so much delight to see Drogba's butt being thrashed by some hungry soldiers to teach him and others some lessons.
Angola even gave a good account of themselves than the Ivoiriens who were just running around the pitch like a diseased fowl.

The Super Eagles would have done better than Drogba and his group of mediocres.
They literally allowed Riquelme so much space to roam and cause extensive damage to their defence.
Eboue and Kolo Toure were always 2nd favourites throughout the match.
I don't really see the Ivoiriens picking any point in this group of death.
I saw the Serbs and the Dutch team yesterday and i'm sure they r going to kill the Ivoiriens off like a roach.
The Serbs lost yesterday because a member of the "famous four" was suspended. Vidic will be back against the Ivoiriens and i don't see Drogba or any of his team-mates breaching that Serb's defence. They simply locked the doors on the Dutch after Robben's goal.
Can the Ivoiriens defeat the rampaging Holland? The answer is NO.
So tell me, how has this team made u or the entire Africa proud?

I bet u have not seen the Dutch team yet.
Without a doubt, i can see Holland topping this group with ease.
Holland plays the best football in Europe and if they can prevent the internal under-currents and the self-destruct phenomenom that has been plaguing them for years then consider this team a finalist in the world cup.
How will Ivory Coast stop the attacking menace of Ruud + Robben + Van Persie?
Thats Arsenal + Chelsea + Man Utd upfront blended together!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May God help Drogba and team-mates, Holland will kill them off in 45 mins.

England will always struggle without Rooney.
Michael Owen is almost past his prime and Peter Crouch is not an out n out striker that will worry any defence.
I think Sven Goran-Eriksson goofed it totally by placing Walcott above Jermain Defoe.
Walcott hasn't played in the Premiership yet and i don't think he can handle the big stage yet. Defoe would have offered the English team some attacking options yesterday rather than using Joe Cole and Steve Gerrard as an attacker.

England's hopes really rest on Wayne Rooney's shoulders. He is the last piece of jig-saw that will make the team very complete.
I hope he starts England's next game against T & T.
If Theo Walcott isn't ready as Erikssom claimed, why take him to the world cup in the 1st place?

I wasn't surprised with Ecuador's performance.
A team who has beaten Brazil and Argentina in the world cup qualifiers ain't no fluke.
Delgado is the man to watch in this team cos his composure and skills are subliminal.
Ecuador should pull thru in this group with ease.

Ivory Coast should pack their bags and leave immediately.
This team is very unlucky to have been in this group and they will not WIN any match in the group.
I don't see Cote D'Ivorie beating Holland and even Serbia & Montenegro.

@Pie1ect,
Argentina played the most enterprising game yet seen at this tournament. I saw some crisp passes that England, Germany and Sweden failed to put together in their matches.
Pekerman(Argentina's Manager) is keeping an eye on Holland which prompted him to substitute Crespo and Saviola for the big one.
In the latter stages of that match, Argentina was willing to protect their lead rather than push things further and that gave Ivory Coast some breathing space to operate.
Having said that, Argentina's bench is also something to think about. Tevez and Lionel Messi are yet to be unleashed so keep ur fingers crossed.

U forgot to mention Germany,3x


Prisccy needs to go n do some proper research on Serbia & Montenegro.
They have the best defensive record in the qualifiers for conceeding just one goal in 10 matches.
Have u heard about "the famous four"?
Don't get it twisted- Serb can qualify cos Mateja Kezman(Chelsea reject) will lead their attack.

Ivory Coast played very well but they lack the cutting edge to push things beyond the finish line.
Argentina has proven why they r hot favourites for this World Cup with Riquelme putting up the most brilliant individual display since the competition started.

Pls don't roast alive.
We need u on Nairaland.

@diddy4dt,
where have u been?

Miroslav Klose
Fernando Torres
Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Carlos Tevez
Gabriel Heinze
Andriy Shevchenko

So many stars were left out in this group.
If u think Zanetti is bad for Argentina then do a team check on Holland.
Seedorf, Makaay,Van Hooijdonk were all left out.
I hope Van Basten gets it right with his team selection.
Ruud + Van Persie + Robben are all debutants but if they shake off the big-stage syndrome then expect Holland to have a delightful tournament.

@ Prisccy(feminem)
Brazil are the hot favourites to clinch the cup again but the defence is their Achilles' heel.
A disciplined team like Argentina, Czech Republic or Serb & Montenegro can always pip Brazil by 1-0.
Its going to be tough for Brazil to win but it will be very difficult for other teams to keep a clean sheet against Brazil's formidable attack.
U need to see the video clips of Luiz Ronaldo's fitness struggle. He has lost weight and he is rearing to go.
I am backing him to beat Justin Fontane's record of 13 World Cup goals.
Ronaldo Ronaldo Ronaldo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@ Prisccy,
Where's skintite?
Don't come baq to this thread without producing Skintite.
Ok?

The Team that will blow the world apart,

It's wierd none of y'all play the baddest computer games.
I play on X-box 360 and PS-2 games.
My fav. PS-2 games are Pro-Evolution soccer 5-(I think all the FIFA series are shit).
I love Call of Duty 1 and 2(The Red one).
I love Conflict Desert Storm and Conflict Vietnam.
Mortal Kombat,Devil May Cry Series,Tekken 4&5.
Need for Speed.

Hazy
All the teams here are good because they all had to qualify for the world cup.
Letz see what pans out in this group of equal rights.

@ Prisccy,
Where's ma chic,Skintite?

Without a doubt, Michael Ballack is the talisman of the German team and i expect Jens Lehmann to prove why he is prefered to Oliver Khan.
Ballack will take this group head-on and will make sure he delivers especially on his home-soil.
Poland poses a threat and the Ecuador will fight with tooth and nail to stay alive.
All the 4 teams have got a chance to qualify and they will all crave for the 1st 3points to put em afloat.

@ Jackal
Its a tough call.
The teams in this group are too trickish. It looks to me like a group that will produce so many draws and the toss of the coin will eventually seperate the boys from the MEN.
I fear 3 teams in this tournament. Czech Republic, Ukraine and Serb & Montenegro.
All these 3 teams have the ability to produce what Bulgaria did in 94, Croatia in 98 and Turkey in 2002.
Brazil, Holland and Italy will struggle against these 3 teams so watch out for 'em when the biggest football event in the world kicks-off.

Group E is arguably one of the toughest groups in the World Cup.
The teams in this group of elites are: Czech Republic, Ghana, Italy and United States.

The Czechs are the most-improved team going to the world cup. The team boasts of an array of stars and a tactical-wizardry manager(Karel Bruckner) as it was evident at EURO 2004.
Technically,the team produces what has been highly accepted as being the most flowing and attractive football in recent times.
They will be hoping to make a similar impact at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their refreshing brand of attacking football saw them finish top scorers of the European qualifying phase, with Jan Koller second highest scorer overall on nine goals.
Players to watch in this team: Petr Cech, Jan Koller, Milan Baros, Pavel Nedved and Tomas Rosicky.

Ghana are the under-dogs in this group. A place on world football’s greatest stage is long overdue.
Ironically,their success comes at a time when they do not have as many big names but instead a youthful team with a disciplined approach fostered by coach Dujkovic, who offered an early statement of his no-nonsense approach by excluding former captain Samuel Kuffour from the squad. The team's short-comings lie in the fact that there are no quality strikers upfroont to do the scoring but one can expect to see Essien and Stephen Appiah to pop from the midfield to do the job.
Players to watch are: Muntari, Mathew Amoah and Michael Essien.

The Azzurris(ITALY) should take this group in their stride with ease but u never know with football.
Italy will be a threat in this world cup and the team's flexibility and versatility has progressed under the watchful eyes of their manager, Marcello Lippi.
The manager fought hard to emerge a new generation of players(who are all eager to seize the opportunity) in the squad by producing 9 debutants between summer 2004-autumn 2005.Names like Christian Vieri and Montella quickly disappeared. New youngsters forms the spine of the team who are now the hot favourites to clinch the world cup.
The team's strength lies in the defence marshalled by Fabio Cannavaro-who is arguably the best central defender in the world.
Players to watch: Luca Toni, Alberto Gilardino, Andrea Pirlo, Del Piero, Francesco Totti and Gianluca Buffon.

The United States will feel they have a chance to grab the second spot in this group. Comprehensive preparations, team flexibility and the manager's strategy will boost the Americans to beat the world's best in this tournament.
Bruce Arena(The Manager) will employ his traditional 4-4-2 formation along with the mixture of ambitious talents of youngsters and wily veterans to qualify for the K.O. stage. The team is very hard-working and its well-drilled enough to stir their foes in the group.
Players to watch are:Brain McBride, Claudio Reyna, Landon Donovan and Marcus Beasley.


Fixtures

TIME                                           MATCH                                            VENUE
Jun 12 17:00 UK     United States     V    Czech Republic                Gelsenkirchen
Jun 12 20:00 UK           Italy             V     Ghana                              Hanover
Jun 17 17:00 UK          Ghana           V    Czech Republic                 Cologne
Jun 17 20:00 UK           Italy             V     United States                   Kaiserslautern
Jun 22 15:00 UK     Czech Republic   V     Italy                                Hamburg
Jun 22 15:00 UK           Ghana          V     United States                  Nuremburg

@ Grizzly,
You may be right when looking at these names on paper but sometimes names do not guarantee success.
Chelsea needs to get some balance and the spirit before thinking of conquering the Premiership and Europe next season.
The team is star-studded but that sometimes work to the team's disadvantage.
Lets keep our fingers crossed on Chelsea for now. Lotta Clubs are waiting for the World Cup season to pick their players so expect some massive influx of players in the Premiership this summer.

Football calls for FAIR PLAY.
Why would u manipulate fixtures to favour ur own team.
He was also the same guy that made Arsenal's unbeaten run to stretch for so long.
There were matches Arsenal should have lost and some bad officiating got em a draw.
I remember Portsmouth Vs Arsenal match in 2003/04 season. The gunners were losing 1-0 and Pires made the most stupid of dives and the ref fell for it even though he was as close to the incident than anyone on the pitch.
He ruled a penalty kick and Arsenal equalised.
Rumours claimed David Dein was behind the thingy.

@ Akola,
I am happier than u.
David Dein is a prankster and he has manipulated the English Premiership for so long.
Ferguson cried for years for the injustice but everyone thought Sir Alex was getting mental or senile for the outcry.
Jose Mourinho came in 2003 and he didn't spend up to a year before he saw the politicking involved in the Premiership.
David Dein always manipulate the Premiership fixtures to favour Arsenal and he was the one that blew up Rio Ferdinand's drug scandal out of proportion.
He made sure Arsenal's fixtures at the Premiership were always at home after going to Europe to play in the Champions league throughout the group stages of the 2005/06 season.
Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool played away matches in Europe in the midweek and would travel away at the weekend to play Premiership fixtures,thus increasing latent tiredness and Arsenal was being treated royal.
David Dein ensured all other Premiership teams in the Champions League r fatigued with difficult fixtures while Arsenal has an easier ride.
He is a scumbag! Its good riddance to bad rubbish.

@ Cammax7,
Your comment is baised and has traces of racism in it.

George Weah is an African and he won the World Footballer of the Year + the European Footballer of the Year in 1995.

Ronaldinho is just miles ahead of Okocha. No controversy.

Too bad then.
U can post the question as a topic on Nairaland.
Loadz of Nairalanders will tell ya what ma age is.

Check ma profile and do the math!

@ Grizzly,
Whatz bad for Man Utd?  Its obvious u didn't realise Mikel Obi's move was only made possible by Alex Ferguson.
Its not a case of Chelsea throwing their weights around so there's nothing bad for Man Utd.  Please, read between the lines.

One thing y'all Chelski fans don't realise is a third Chelski success in the Premiership is not, however, clear-cut.
Mourinho can only field 11 players at a time, which means some big egos are going to be disappointed. There is also the potentially corrosive effect of Ballack and Shevchenko's wages, and the latter's friendship with Roman Abramovich, the club's owner.

The Portuguese appears to be going for broke. Shevchenko and Ballack will both be 30 in September, and Roberto Carlos is already 33. Compare this with Arsène Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson's ongoing investment in young players.
This is not the approach of someone building a club, more one of someone delivering an instant team. The suspicion grows that Mourinho will remain at Chelski only as long as it takes to win the Champions League and this will make next season more suspenseful and exciting especially with the money Chelski has spent to strengthen itz team.

Also of long-term interest is the club's financial management: given the wages, and lack of resale value, of Ballack, Shevchenko and Roberto Carlos, the oft-stated aim of Peter Kenyon, the chief executive, of the club becoming self-financing looks to be as far away as ever. Abrahamovic owns the body and soul of Chelsea and should something happen to him, Chelsea will not survive on its own which is very disastrous.
Chelski simply does not have a long-term plan and fans might likely start revolting if the much-coveted European Cup does not materialise.
The future appears bleak.

Here is the list of Abrahamovic's top- ten buys since 2003:

Andrei Shevchenko, May 2006, from Milan. £30.8m

Michael Essien, August '05, Lyon £25.98m

Didier Drogba, July '04, Marseilles £24m

Shaun Wright-Phillips, July '05, Man City £21m

Ricardo Carvalho, July '04, Porto £19.85m

Damien Duff, July '03, Blackburn Rovers £17m

Hernan Crespo, August '03, Internazionale £16.8m

Claude Makelele, Sept '03, Real Madrid £16.7m

Adrian Mutu, August '03, Parma £15.8m

Juan Veron, Aug '03, Manchester United £15m

Total outlay under Abramovich: £268.45m

The whole world will mock Chelsea if the Uefa Champions League Cup evades 'em next season.

@ lalaboi,
I am so sure of that age cos i could name all the team members of Man Utd at that age.
It was at a time Man Utd was struggling to stay on the premier league and Ferguson was about to be sacked but his victory over Nothingham Forest(English Giants) @ the FA cup saved Ferguson's job.

Man United later went on to beat Spanish Champions Barcelona at the European Cup Winners' Cup a season later and that was when United emerged itself as a force to reckon with. This was the early 90s.

I joined Man Utd at the age of 5/6(or thereabout) cos that was when i began to watch and really understand the basic principles and rules that governs the game.
The main factor that condemned to be a Red Devil is the team's undying spirit and character.
Write off Man Utd at ur own peril.

@ lalaboi,
A very good question.
I have joined Man Utd since i have been able to understand the game of football on TV.
Besides,my parents support Man Utd.
I hope i have answered ur question.