₦airaland Forum

Kog45:
OK sir ''OLISEH'

Hahaha, correct now!!

Joebie:
Golden Eaglets Chief Scout Sends Message To Nigeria U20 Coach Over Recent Call-Ups


Nigeria U-17 team's scouting coach, Bunmi Blair, has called on the U-20 team coach Paul Aigbogun to beam his searchlight on players playing in the FCT as they begin preparations for the qualifying series of 2019 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations.

Bunmi, on Friday, led Cityzens Football Club to victory in the 2018 FCT preseason tournament. Cityzens FC a non-league team defeated highly experienced teams FC Abuja, now known as EFCC FC 2-1, Oyah FC (made up of NPFL players) 2-1, before shocking Nigeria National League, NNL side NAF Rocket FC 2-1 in the final played at the Area 3 Play ground Abuja.

According to the coach cum OAP, FCT based teams have quality players that can compete at the national team level.

"Some of the players we have seen in the last few days can obviously compete favourably in the national teams, especially the Flying Eagles.

''I have seen a couple of them and I will recommend them to my bosses, he said."

The FCT preseason tournament is played every year to prepare FCT based teams for the new league season and also unearth new talents from the grassroots.

Meanwhile, the head coach of the Nigeria U-20 National Team, Paul Aigbogun on Friday, called 28 players to camp, as they begin preparations for the qualifying series of the 2019 Africa U20 Cup of Nations. Non of the players are from the FCT based teams.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

—ANS

OK. Noted.

tbaba1234:
Did you see the report posted earlier?

Are discrepancies in DOB not valid evidences?

Or do players who joining at 13 year olds sound right?

I enjoy seeing genuinely young Nigerians scattered in leagues across the world. The new under 20 list takes us to the bad old days.

Any player with age discrepancies should be dropped appropriately and then we move on.

Or do we discard all the players and start shopping for new ones?

Joebie:
If we can get some from that list to participate in the qualifiers, why not? Better than having lots of men claiming to be boys.

But some people here said the NFF cannot bankroll the invitation of foreign based players. Some even said they don't want foreign born in the team.

tbaba1234:
It is also not for Overaged players..

Anybody who has any "Valid" evidence that any of those players is over-aged should come forward with it and those players should be dropped ASAP to save the NFF and Nigeria at large of any embarrassments.

Or else they should for ever hold their peace.

Oasis007:
Kanu - Ajax, Inter, Arsenal.
Taribo - Inter, AC Milan, Auxerre.
Okocha - Frankfurt, PSG, Fernabache.
Amokachi - Besiktas, Everton.
Amunike - Sporting CP, Barcelona.
Ikpeba - Monaco, Dortmund.
Babangida - Ajax
Finidi - Ajax, Betis
Babayaro - Anderlecht, Chelsea.
Oruma - Marselle.
Uche - Fernabache
Olishe - Ajax, Juventus, Dortmund.
....... and so on.
Are you satisfied or you still want more?!

You and Kog45 have something in common.
You spell "Oliseh" as "Olishe". Why?

Mujtahida:
He is also thinking long term. If we go with this crop of young players by 2022 they would be very experienced by then

By that time it is the names of another set of rookies that would be on the lips of peeps here.

Humility017:
so pathetic....
you know the nff should be blamed for this...
someone like finidi who was ready to do the job jostle for this coaching role but he was denied....and now we have a lazy coach who can shout academics all over the country to look for talented players to put together and harness....
even manu garba will do better....

The U20 is not for academy players. You scout the academies for the U17.

TheSuperNerd:
Berra take Oga Petrobros' advice to go work for the NFF as a consultant oooo.... You fit combine am with your current job and interests abeg.... I know say him recommend me but ehmmmm... You na boss. In fact. Na you fey Carey am for head pass me sef... Berra go drop application now oooo...

Me I just wan see my darling team knack people apako and shock the world... I wanna shout gooooaaaalllllllll till my vocal cords can give out no voice no more.... I wanna see the electrifying moves of our counter attack system unleashed.... I want us to have our GK role sorted mehnnn... Na wetin dey my mind now oooo.... All this Jersey-matics ehn... Bia Chief Icon4s.... Carry go meet Pinnick biko... U no go kee pesin... Na wa for u oooo.... Why u too like this Jersey-matics talk sef... I dey suspect you oooo... E be like say you be Adidas agent....

Sebi na you begin fantasize about the jersey this evening.

OK na me find trouble.

Sorry no vex, continue fantasising about the jersey.

Let me come and be going.

TheSuperNerd:
Nna eh, Which kain spoilsport you be sef? I just tire for this your Jersey-matics.... Me, Yara Yara and some of the ghost members right now.... We just dey look you...

Hahaha,

I say again, I hope Pinnick knows what he is doing.

I would want to believe the jerseys are designed in this way: The flamboyant lighter green shirt has a lighter green short, the White short has a white shirt, and then the dark green top and shorts.

With this we should be OK.

But let me leave you to continue fantasising on that flamboyant green and white Jerseys. But don't be shocked if we don't wear it in the march friendlies.

TheSuperNerd:
@bolded.... I no be Rohr shaa but I do know that he won't try that "on a normal day"..... His best attacking player in a defensive role? Kaaaiiiii... This is almost unthinkable unless.... Unless it is against a more powerful opponent in a knockout game perhaps and he can go with that with the likes of Iwobi, Iheanacho, Moses Simon all good to occupy the attacking front (Ighalo as the central force is also an option)... I believe at the world cup decisions will be made according to the magnitude of the game and in depth strength of the opposition.

We will be faced with certain "abnormal days" at the mundial depending on how far we progress...

I don't think Rohr will have just one or two tactical structures in place... Sometimes just one decision to perhaps contain or neutralise a deadly threat may see him make the most unusual of tactical decisions which may do the team good in the long run and for results' sake....



As for Aina... He was asked recently where his best position is and he didn't mention the RB/RWB role.... Surprisingly he said he feels more comfortable for now on the left... And I think Rohr may be reasoning along that line to accommodate both Ebuehi and Shehu on the right leaving Echiejile, Aina and Idowu to battle it out on the left... Echiejile will be given chances to prove himself worthy of a world cup place and if he blows it, then it will make the decision to drop him much easier...

I am loving the uncertainty in certain outfield positions shaa. It shows us the competition in those roles... But in the goalie position ehn.... It is different...it is not a matter of competition. It is more a matter of who should we risk best?

Let me borrow your final three words myself.... Time will tell


Meanwhile.... Can't wait to see them dorn these in our March friendlies... I'm growing impatient...

Let me just pick on your last paragraph.

In the match friendlies who are the home and who are the away teams?
Ie is it Poland Vs Nigeria or Nigeria Vs Poland.
Serbia Vs Nigeria or Nigeria Vs Serbia. That could determine whether you will see that jersey on those boys in March you know. Hahaha.

Poland's home jersey is Red on white. If they are home on the fixture it means we play with the darker green.

Serbia's home jersey is deep blue on white. If Serbia is home which jersey do we use for this now?

Rufaiuote author=realpoacher post=65332598]I am sorry to say

If Rohr would carry both Echeijile and Akpeyi to the world cup,then we are screwed...No more!...No Less!!

Echeijile on his own is -1. Age has caught up with him. Even in his prime, he has never driven any attack, he can't cross the ball, he can't effectively pull-out a long pass, he can't score. He will be a big liabilty instead in Russia. The young boys in the likes of Ola aina, Shehu, Idowu, and Ebuehi are way currently better than him defensively and are still 3-steps better going forward by driving our attack, pull-in pinpoint crosses and can score as well.



On Akpeyi,

This is a keeper that has a huge pyscological issues in the GWG. He hasnt for once lived to expectations, he is a calamity waiting to happen. Time and time again has he been given the chance to redeem himself but he blew it all.. Taking him to the world cup even as a reserve keeper is wastage of slot for any of the young ones to develop.

If given the chance to man our post at the world cup, Akpeyi will disgrace us openly. A leopard does not change his colours. Akpeyi's issues wont be solved overnight, hoping that he will sit up at the grand stage is wishful thinking. The 1998 Abiodun Baruwa and Peter Rufai embarrassment is what we will get. He is a leaking basket, he will be humilliated. Atleast his antecedent speaks for him.

Folks

Someone should let Rohr know that our World cup quarter-final target should not be sacrificed on the alter of sentiments and bais.

A word they say is enough for the wise![/quote]I get your points. But let's go back a bit, aside Baruwa and Eufaula, who were the other goalkeepers that we had that we feel we should have fielded.

LieDetector:
Apparently I shouldn't have gone to the telegraph but likely debate over his inclusion behoves that I do so.

You earlier said your concern about Uzoho was his age wherein I mentioned Courtous who started keeping for belgium at quite a younger age(18) compared to Uzoho.

Talking about exposure, how many black goalies are first goalkeepers in clubs across UEFA top 5 leagues? I can assure you that if you should do a headcount, the figures would not measure up to my 5 fingers with 99% of them coming from france. It doesn't take away the quality of black goalies. All I'm saying is that we have the friendlies coming up. Uzoho will get loads of them and they'll count as both 'experience' and 'exposure'.

Good. Just like tbaba, you have gone from comparing him with Courtois down to black goalies.

Mujtahida:
I trust you saw how Uzoho was barking orders to the players. One time he was shouting 'Ndidi, Ndidi, Ndidi' during a goal kick.

Like BascoVanVeli has pointed out the organisation of the defence primarily lies with the Coach not the gk. Against Algeria at the last WC Manuel Neuer rushed to clear the ball more than twenty times. What then about organising his defenders.

Please tell me whether you saw Ezenwa calling out to his defenders during the WCQ. That the defence was organised is purely down to the coaching of Rohr. Our defenders move in synchrocity. I saw this during the WCQ and then during the match against Argentina you will see it so clearly. Even Ebuehi and Idowu who were newbies moved in sync in a very organised way with the CB. Ekong was the commander. My point is our defence being organised is the outcome of Rohr's coaching not Ezenwa organising his defenders

Hahaha, Ezenwa don suffer for this thread.

Just now you were crediting Uzoho for shouting orders to Ndidi. Meaning you are saying he was also trying to organize his defense. Next thing you opined that organization of defense lies solely with the coaches.

Na wa o.

Kog45:
Sir on Ajiboye against Morocco i beg to differ,are you saying Ezenwa would stop those goals cos i remember the same Ezenwa bow to pressure against Ghana and conceded 4 goals.

Mind you i rate Ezenwa ahead just cos of his experience in eagles,apart from that Ajiboye is better,pls go and watch those saves against Sudan,it takes extremely talented keeper to make those saves.

Pls go and watch Morocco match again,sorry i remember you said you can't watch it again,despite conceding four goals,Ajiboye made saves after saves.

I thought Enyeama conceded four goals against Ghana in Fulham London friendly with very lesser shots at goal compare to 26 shots at goal Ajiboye had against Morocco.

Lol at all those 4 goals comparisons. You can also add Courtois in a recent EPL game.

Sir, all games are not the same.

Now, almost everyone has been saying the defence let Ajiboye down. What if I say Ajiboye failed to organize his defense?

Seems Ajiboye was more interested in making saves than organizing his defense to prevent opposing strikers from having point blank shots. Same thing happened against Sudan. Ajiboye was static, rooted to his goal line for most of the game. And the CBs defended too deep.

Goalkeepers frown and bark at the defenders when ever they are exposed to make point blank saves. It is the duty of the goalie to organize the defence so as to prevent that from happening. Keepers make saves when they have no choice

LieDetector:
i had to dig this up from the telegraph. It's belgium 24 man world cup list for 2014. See?

Belgium provisional 24-man squad for the World Cup finals:


Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid, on loan from Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Sammy Bossut (Zulte Waregem).


Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Atlético Madrid), Laurent Ciman (Standard Liege), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Nicolas Lombaerts (Zenit), Daniel Van Buyten (Bayern Munich), Anthony Vanden Borre (Anderlecht), Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham).


Midfielders: Nacer Chadli (Tottenham), Steven Defour (Porto), Moussa Dembélé (Tottenham), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Axel Witsel (Zenit).


Forwards: Kevin De Bruyne (Wolfsburg), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Adnan Januzaj (Manchester United), Romelu Lukaku (Everton), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Kevin Mirallas (Everton), Divock Origi (Lille).

Firstly, you need not go to the telegraph to dig up whether Courtois was in the last WC or not. Everyone is aware of that.

You were talking about the year Chelsea loaned Courtois to Athletics Madrid right?

Now, that was in 2011. Courtois was in Athletico up till that 2014 (3 years!) where he played top flight football and featured in the Champions league final of 2014. Now, that was the year he followed Belgium to the WC.

So, is that the same case for Uzoho? Where is his own exposure?

tbaba1234:
The other experienced keepers were just taking a vacation on the bench abi Pepe promoted him to number 1 for that period. Unfortunately, he was sacked before Uzoho played enough games.

Goalkeepers organize the defensive wall during set-pieces. Freekicks and corners. That is about it. I can not give Uzoho the credit for organizing the defence against Argentina for instance.

We stifled Cameroon because of organization from midfield to defence. It was a team effort

"It was a team effort" and Ezenwa was not part of the team?

LieDetector:
how old was coutoius when chelsea loaned him to atletico madrid and he walked straight into the team? I have my reservations about Uzoho's age considering some players' knack to age cheat so as to enjoy long footballing career

Did Belgium take Courtois to the WC that year?

tbaba1234:
Before AFCON, what experience did Ondoa have? He was on the bench in division 3 but the coach decided to give him a shot.

The coach decided he was ready.

As I said, if it were the AFCON we are going for there would be no need for this debate.

And again don't get me wrong. I don't have anything against Uzoho, and I am not saying he will not come out good. What I am saying is he is not tested enough for you guys to be having the kind of confidence you are putting on him. Simple.

tbaba1234:
Uzoho was made number 1 for Deportivo and played 2 games for the first team before Pepe was fired.

How many shots did Cameroon have that he would concede from open play? We stifled them over two legs.

If we did not get the result against Zambia, that rash penalty would have cost us big time especially with the nff fumble.

In the Cameroon game, Ezenwa did not need to tackle the striker because Ekong had it covered and the player was already wide anyway.

Making the right decision on when to come out and when to stay is important for a goalie. Just like you should not be static, you should not have too much andrenaline and rush out when it is needless.

The fact that Uzoho kept goal for Deportivo in those two games never made him number 1.

Talking about Ezenwa and Cameroon, I ask again, does a keeper not have a role to play in organizing his defense?

ChrisKels:
If Cameroun had won this place ahead of us, would u av bn against the idea of them taking Ondoa who is still a bench warmer to Russia?

Ondoa would definitely be their number 1 because he has faced the test of the AFCON, he faced the test of the FIFA confederations Cup and he faced the test of the AFCON qualifiers, keeping in all 8 games. He has been greatly exposed within this last 1-2years. His coaching crew and entire team plus entire nation know him in and out. They have seen his best and also seen his worst.


Now, which test or exposure does Uzoho have?

tbaba1234:
I shared his info on this page a few days ago. 18 year old, highly rated in Brazil. His mum is Brazilian, his father is Nigerian and American. So he has 3 nationalities.

His Mum is Brazilian? Chai, this one go hard o.

She go just take her Brazilian wig tie him down for Brazil

ChrisKels:
This gonna sound stupid but just read it. I was suffering from insomnia last night so started gallivanting from one site to another, I read about a certain Philip Chijioke Ejimadu an 18yr goalkeeper based in Brazil. Sharply, I purchased airtime via my bank and subscribed. I started reading and watching his games on YouTube.

I was impressed with what I saw and funny enough, after comparing his YouTube videos with other keepers within same age bracket with him, he trumps them all from my own observations. If we had that guy earlier, we might not av bn contemplating bringing back those worn out players like aiyenugba, ejide, Akpeyi and even Ezenwa. That dude is a cat and is in the plans of Brazilian FA. He is wanted by Borussia Durtmond. Sir tbaba1234 plz study this name PHILIP CHIJIOKE EJIMADU.

I saw his YouTube video.

His talent is so obviously exceptional that I had to comment that Uzoho and Alampasu should watch their backs.

Pinnick and his team should make the needed moves now. The world cup may be out of it but we can let him know we are interested in him by inviting him to the U20 team. And then once the AFCON qualifiers resume we go for him in full.

ChrisKels:
The same people (Icon4s and co) who adore Ondoa for being a bench warmer in Spain's third division are against Uzoho a regular starter in a promotion chasing club in the league Ondoa, their anointed prince, was a bench warmer. Smh

Hahaha, if we are taking Uzoho to the AFCON, then we should just all go and sleep and think of other departments of the team.

Do you realize it is the World Cup we are talking about here?

Mujtahida:
What Ajiboye was at CHAN finals, Ezenwa already was at WAFU finals. Dem both chop 4.

For Ezenwa, 2 from penalty kicks.

For Ajiboye all 4 from open play.

tbaba1234:
When Pepe made Uzoho number 1, how did he decide that he was ready for the extra pressure of playing for the first team? This was a team battling relegation so the pressure to perform is more.

For every young keeper, one coach had to make that decision that they were ready.

These things depend on the coach's discretion and his willingness to take the risk.

In the games you talk about, Ezenwa was hardly under pressure. The defense protected him well. Lest we forget, we almost qualified in Yaounde if not for needless rashness from Ezenwa.

We also saw the worst of Ezenwa in the qualifiers in the Algerian game.

The coach will not be going after Uzoho and Maduka if he was comfortable with his goalkeeping situation.

Did Pepe ever make Uzoho number 1?

"Needles rashness" and "worst of Ezenwa" yet he never conceded from open play.

If the defense was organized don't you feel the goalie also played a part in that?

We have seen the best and Worst of Ezenwa and I can tell you amongst the keepers we have in the team presently he is the one I am most comfortable with.

You talk about his occasional rash decisions. What do we have keeper trainers in the team for.

Nobody pointed this out, Ajiboye was too rooted to his line in that Morocco game. When you are faced with an attacker sometimes you don't just wait on the line for him to hit the shot and then you attempt to "pari" it. Sometimes you come out of your line a little to distract the striker, reduce his reaction time and also narrow his shooting angle. Ajiboye once or twice even "paried" the ball straight into the legs of the Moroccans.

I personally don't have so much confidence in Ezenwa. But he is the keeper I am most comfortable with.

tbaba1234:
All the invited players to under 20 camp... I do not know what to make of this list..

ALL THE INVITED PLAYERS

Ikouwem Udoh (Enyimba FC);
Peter Eneji (Plateau United);
Nur Muhammed (El-Kanemi Warriors);
Wasiu Abdulazeez (Enyimba FC);
Aniekieme Okon (Akwa United);
Valentine Ozounwafor (Enyimba FC);
Aminu Nuhu (Akwa United);
Nazifi Yahaya (Kano Pillars);
Isa Ndala (Nasarawa United);
Adesina Gata (Akwa United);
Alhassan Ibrahim (Kano Pillars);
Douglas Achiv (Nasarawa United);
Jamilu Muhammed (Kano Pillars);
Mubarak Abdulsalam (Wikki Tourists);
Sadiq Abdullahi (Nasarawa United);
Akila Jadima (MFM FC);
Charles Agbo (El-Kanemi Warriors);
Frank Kappe (Katsina United);
Idris Said (Niger Tornadoes);
Ospino Egbe (MFM FC);
Malachy Chibuzor (Rivers United);
Sunday Anthony (El-Kanemi Warriors);
Abiodun Joseph (Sunshine Stars);
Nurudeen Mudashiru (ABS FC);
Waheed Adebayo (MFM FC);
Mubarak Ejiogu (Niger Tornadoes);
Detan Ogundare (Kogi United);
Amos Obasogie (Insurance FC)

Is there any player you expected on the list that is not there?

bengine:
Hopefully he does and he doesn't let sentiment overwhelm him with echiejile, all we are truly look I g for is at least good performance from that lad..

Before we throw Echiejile overboard I hope we know Brian Idowu is still Russian.

tbaba1234:
If Uzoho is up to the task, there is no point saving him for experience sake. The big name keepers, i mentioned earlier were very young when they were thrown into league and Champions League games.

Sometimes, it is up to the coach's discretion to decide if this kid is ready.

So how do you know he is up to the task when he has not played a high pressure and high stake game? This is why Rohr now rates Ezenwa highly, the points he scored in the high pressure and high stakes games of the WC qualifiers.

Ajiboye after the Sudan game(CHAN) was hailed all over the country. But when he came under pressure against Morocco, he reminded us he is an NPFL goalkeeper.

The big name keepers you have also mentioned at 19 were not on the same pedestal Uzoho is today. They were already ahead.

Thank God you keep remembering that he is a kid.

tbaba1234:
Allegations Of Age Cheats Trails Recently Released List Of Nigeria U20 Players

The list of players called up to the Nigeria national Under-20 team has generated lot of debates with some players alleged to be beyond the age limit stipulated by FIFA for players at that level.

28 players were called up by coach of the team Paul Aigbogun for the start of preparations ahead of their first qualifiers game for the 2019 Africa U20 ‎Cup of Nations, which will be holding in Niger Republic.

The players were mainly picked from teams in the Nigeria Professional Football League with Nasarawa United having as many as three players in the list released for the start of camping on Sunday 25th of February 2018.

According to some ardent followers of the Nigeria Professional Football League, the list has players who have been around for over six seasons in the league, hence can’t be said to be below the age of 20.

Four players were specifically named and Owngoalnigeria.com is currently making checks on the claims to ascertain if at all they are true, and we will publish our findings in our subsequent reports.

http://owngoalnigeria.com/2018/02/23/allegations-of-age-cheats-trails-recently-released-list-of-nigeria-u20-players/

While I would not want to throw this age cheating allegation under the carpet, I would want us to have it in mind that there is a certain 15 years Nur in Elkanemi who has been around since last year I think. That is just one popular player we know about. Nazifi is another player that has been with Kano Pillars since 15years of age. 5 years time that Nur would still be U20 do we say because he has been around for 6 years he can't be U20? Food for thought.

MFM I know is another club reputed for parading of young players.

By and large, a proper investigation be carried out by the NFF technical committee to clarify these allegations.

tbaba1234:
How many African keepers are where Uzoho is at 19?

Pepe was willing to give him a chance in the first team but he was fired and the new coach went back to the fumbling oldies. Now that coach has also been fired.

What we need to find out is whether Uzoho can cut it, when the pressure is high and the stakes are high.

You no longer compare him with the likes of Courtois, casillas and De Gea. It is now about 19 years old African keepers. OK. No wahala.

Pepe was willing to give him a chance. Everything is still "if".

Your last sentence is exactly what he is going to face at the WC . Because the pressure and stakes will be very high from start to finish. Friendlies even are not going to give you such high pressures and stakes. It really takes a matured and experienced goalie or an exceptionally talented active goalie in a top league, to cope when the pressures and stakes are high. Which is why I am saying Rohr should have a rethink about Dele Aiyenugba.

tbaba1234:
Some of the world's best keepers got their break when they were very young, Courtois, Casillas, De gea etc.. It is sometimes about temperament as well not just age.

It is about the ability to manage the pressure. A keeper can be old and crumble under pressure, Almunia, Akpeyi..

I want to see him in the Polish game and in Wembley. If he can handle the pressure in those game, he will be fine.

Yea, he is still learning but he is at an age where he can still learn. Some of the older keepers can not change established bad habits.

That is where the issue is.

Those keepers you mentioned were already in the Elite leagues at 19. But where is Uzoho?


Don't get me wrong.

I am not saying the boy will never turn out good. What I am saying is he is not tested enough for you guys to be having the kind of confidence you are having in him.