₦airaland Forum

edi287:
BascoVanVeli is right in the fact that every youth player must complete high school. Academies like Clairefontaine actually accept players based on their grades. The coach carter concept totally makes sense and should be implemented in all our academies.

I understand perfectly but using educational pass to select players for our U17 national team is a no-no.

BascoVanVeli:
Where did u see ur own because I have seen what I stated work first hand. If they love football they will automatically step up in the classroom.

E be like say you no ever dey for same class or ever teach those kain children wey dem dey call "Olodo ra bata".

Force book enter dem head. They still will not understand.

Such children if na ball dem wan follow just allow them. No need to force dem.

TheGoodJoe:
If football is the kid's path, he should spend extra session developing his ability to play the game than reading about ecology.

Do you think CR7 would have been as good as he was at 17 if he put in more time to books than the field.

Hahaha this thing funny sha.

Time you are supposed to teach the boy skills you are using to force him to read and do extra moral classes.

BascoVanVeli:
The question should be why allow a child fail? If the child is important then the coach should pay attention to his or her education. If they are lagging behind then u attack the situation. Extra study sessions, find them a tutor or a smart classmate who can explain things, give awards for the best player in class to encourage education.

Allow a child fail?

Have you not seen children who despite given all the opportunities you just stated still fail woefully?

TheGoodJoe:
When it comes to footie, select the most talented players. Put them in the best environment and they will grow. I am with Icon4s fully on this.

Let football be football. How can you drop a player who is as skillful as Okocha because he had an F in English and start a player who can not trap a ball because he made an A?

Thank you bro.

Education is good even as footballers but it should not stop a talented player from being selected.

tbaba1234:
The way some NPFL players dissolve in Europe is remarkable.

Players that one expects to shine will just disappear in average teams.

I saw some guys here the other day accusing you of a negative bias towards the NPFL.

I just laughed but stayed away.

This has repeated itself over and over and over. Those boys peak when they claim they are 18 - 20yrs mean while they are 5 - 8yrs older.

I have said it severally that strikers peak between 21 and 26. They peak in the NPFL and emerge MVP or highest goal scorer only to get to Europe and start declining due to old age.

Chrismario:
How true is this news

https://www.nairaland.com/3782850/stephen-odey-age-falsification-scandal


Reports dat odey was kicked out due to false age


Cc supernerd, tbaba1234, bascovanveli, icon4s, icon79, safarigirl

This my comment may sound harsh. But it is reality. THIS MAY JUST BE THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF HIS CAREER.

reason why I do not recon with all these NPFL highest goal scorers. They claim to be teens but meanwhile they are in their 20s. You take them to Europe expecting them to blow but you don't get to hear of them again.

BascoVanVeli:
U can't tell me that, if u put ur mind in school work u will pass. People like TheSuperNerd don't have 10 heads, if u work hard u can pass any subject. U can be an educated average player and still make it in football but without education u have to be Messi or Ronaldo.

The world is a lot more complex than that. Take that from me.

Chrismario:
How true is this news
https://www.nairaland.com/3782850/stephen-odey-age-falsification-scandal

Reports dat odey was kicked out due to false age

Cc supernerd, tbaba1234, bascovanveli, icon4s, icon79, safarigirl

Sebi this issue has been raised here one time?
Just that we are wise enough here to not wash our dirty linen in public.

BascoVanVeli:
U can't tell me that, if u put ur mind in school work u will pass. People like TheSuperNerd don't have 10 heads, if u work hard u can pass any subject. U can be an educated average player and still make it in football but without education u have to be Messi or Ronaldo.

Nobody is saying you should discourage them from going to school. What I am against is using an educational pass mark to screen players. You said 'if they cannot pass then they cannot play'. No be so?

Emm.. TheSuperNerd him say you no get 10heads name true?

TheSuperNerd:
Case is not closed.... They can always go further.... there is no limit to it.

And are you saying they are dull?? as their former headmaster abi?

That is why I said you encourage them to go further. And not "if you cannot pass then you cannot play ".

Hahaha I cannot say whether they are bright or dull bc I was neither their teacher, classmate nor headmaster.

TheSuperNerd:
Osimhen is a bright lad. Iheanacho also.... even Alampasu is not left out...

Forgotten how Awoniyi smashed his O' levels?

These kids won't be hindered by the classroom... it will rather expand their horizons.... Believe me I have seen it work... The Coach Carter Concept is just fantastic.

Bascovanveli has come up specific as to what level of education he is referring to. He said secondary school. All those boys you mentioned have it. Most Nigerian youngsters have it.

So case closed.

Besides you tell you say dem bright? Were you their teacher or better still classmate?

Na only Awoniyi we hear say him make 6As in WAEC.

BascoVanVeli:
This must be a cosmic joke. Are u telling me all the kids who play will make it as pros? If not what will they fall back on? Education is a billion times more important than football. U would be cheating a child if u don't get him or her educated. At least give them the backbone of a good secondary education.

If it is secondary school education you are talking about then no issues bc there is hardly any of our youths player that did not at least attend secondary school.

TheSuperNerd:
What about Socrates? A Brazilian star player who also studied Medicine....

I get your points Chief Icon4s but Sir Basco's still carries lots of benefits from all sides... The Coach Carter concept will empower our kids on two fronts, Education and Football.... that way we build kids who will be worldly-wise and future leaders and not just Mundane celebs....

And in doing this... when we spot extremely gifted talents who lack an education or are not in school... we will set them up in a school program and work towards their growth on those two fronts...

We must not just groom talents alone... we must groom "men".

I get what you and bascovanveli are saying. But what I am against is that phrase that "if you can't pass then you can't play football".

If you go by that pessin like Iheanacho for dey sell
"square" parts for Owerri main market.

Maybe Osimhen for join that his elder brother in hawking Newspapers.

And maybe Alampasu for dey ride okada for Abeokuta while Yahaya for dey sell "ireke" (sugar cane ) for Kano.

BascoVanVeli:
Family issues? Lets just take this on a day by day. Not everyone would play bad because of family issues. Some players do better when they are angry.

Your last sentence got me laughing.

Just like Diego Costa abi?

But speaking from the psychological point of view family well being also plays a major role in one's performance in any field of endeavor in life. Recall what finished Tiger Woods? Although what applies to a particular person may not apply to others.

But I sincerely think Ahmed Musa has been a lot distracted of late.

BascoVanVeli:
This might seem like a great idea but i am all against it. The clubs are ran by states mostly and it would be better for each state to have school football. It is not about football but making sure our boys and girls are in school and doing the right things. The law should be if u don't pass u can't play. We should be tired of sending dullards to Europe, if a player cannot make real world decisions by the time they get to Europe then we can't say we have done our job, any joe smo can kick a ball but we need to build future leaders.

I completely disagree with you.

Please do not drag our failed educational system into football.

Football has afforded many who could not have good education a bright future. Besides, education is not the only channel to build future leaders. The people that even destroyed this country are even the educated ones. Buhari with a NEPA certificate is trying to rebuild an economy that GEJ(a PHD holder) and his team destroyed. I am not a "Zombie" so please don't label me as one. Hahaha.

I understand ur point perfectly. Eg Musa Yahaya had to learn English when he arrived England.But My point is gather the best of youth players but also encourage them to go to school.


But abeg na which certificate Messi and Ronaldo get sef? Just thinking aloud.

Humility017:
Lol...my oga good morning. something tells me you must say something regarding the article
well said though.. but I don't recommend he should be do away with..
musa is a perfect and smart sub.
I remember his impact against Algeria and Zambia... it was his impact that got us the 3rd goal against the Algerians he even made a good assist to nacho in same match...though the lad missed no thanks to Algerian defense..
same impact he made against Zambia..
he almost scored.
I think rohr should stick to using him in such manner.. he will always make impact
still remember his impact as a sub in our last afcon triumph
musa is a good player.....that can be an asset to any good coach...who knows his onions.

I perfectly understand you.

But that Zambia and Algeria games were played when Musa was still focused and having game time at Leicester.

We need to give him a break to sort out his family issues. I am not saying we should completely discard him.

I don't think anybody here has defended Musa more than I have done. But I think it's time we give him a break and try other players please.

terzurum5:
Nigeria: LMC Counts Gains of the NPFL U-15 Promises Tournament

By Orkula Shaagee

The recently concluded Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) U-15 Promises Tournament has been described as the beginning of the process for a sustainable youth football culture in the Nigeria elite football league.


Speaking after the closing ceremony for the tournament won by Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) FC, Harry Iwuala, Head of Special Project at the League Management Company (LMC enjoined participating clubs not to see the tournament as a competition but an activity to implement some of the lessons learnt during the tour of Spain at the instance of LaLiga last year.


"First, it was a platform to expose the young players but most importantly, it was an activity to get the NPFL Clubs to set up youth teams as opposed to their practice of what they call Feeder teams made up of largely players who didn't fit into their main squad but not necessarily young players," said Iwuala who represented the LMC Chairman, Shehu Dikko at the finals.


The LMC said part of the objective of creating youth teams in NPFL Clubs is to grow a club philosophy and raise a pull of young players that will continually replace the older ones.


"What we have done over the last one month is not basically to see which club is the best, we never set out to make them competitive because that will defeat the essence of having a stream of young players who will transit to the main squad. This was simply a beginning of a sustainable platform to identify local talents, harness them and offer them a career, he added.


He admitted that the implementation hasn't hit the perfect mark but that a lot has been learnt from this pilot scheme.

allafrica.com/stories/201705050345.html

A good development. Now we can have U15 and U17 NPFL teams. A good way to remain in top in youth football.

But I must stress that the conventional academies should also be carried along in terms of scouting and players selection for the U17 team.

forgiveness:
I know say you go know am but sometimes you dey...

Meaning?

terzurum5:
One good turn: Beleaguered Ahmed Musa needs Nigeria more than ever

[img]http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/Goal_Nigeria/18/80/ahmed-musa_q9jumuatwnzi1tz0w0gsvfk5g.jpg?t=-310749993&w=620&h=430[/img]

The Leicester forward has endured a rough season at club level, but could Gernot Rohr and the Super Eagles offer him refuge?

COMMENT By Solace Chukwu

Ahmed Musa is the second most expensive player in Leicester City’s history. He has played professional football in four different countries, in climactic extremes spanning sub-Saharan African and Arctic Russia. He has earned over half a century of international caps for Nigeria, played and scored at the World Cup, and has captained the Super Eagles.


He is well off, very much so especially by the standard of a country in which, by UN estimates, more than half of the citizenry lives below the poverty line.


Mansa Musa he is not, but through that prism, he is wealthy, affluent even. The notion that he can have problems is hard to comprehend for most.


And yet, Ahmed Musa is 24 years old. He has played roughly 22 hours of football since moving to the East Midlands on July 8 2016, has seen the manager who signed off on his acquisition sacked, and is in bad odour with the present boss. He has been questioned by police pertaining to possible domestic violence, been exonerated, is in the middle of divorce proceedings, and is in the process of taking on a new spouse.


He has been passed over as captain of the national team, in spite of being vice-captain, in the absence of Mikel John Obi.


Simply put, Musa is going through the toughest phase of his career.

[img]http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/goal_uk/e6/49/ahmed-musa-premier-league-leicester-v-arsenal-200816_1k5mqi6b4uq331qwirsbi43jgz.jpg?t=-1455761698[/img]

He is not exempt from responsibility, of course. No attempt should be made to view this as some great persecution, even though the latter situation with the captaincy is akin to the temptation of a weary Christ in the wilderness. He may be young, but he is no infant.


While he is not responsible for Leicester City’s decision to sign a player who so obviously was a troublesome tactical fit, he is culpable for a lack of endeavour, and a pace of learning that has reportedly left the staff at the King Power Stadium frustrated.


Ahmed Musa |2016-17 Premier League stats

It has been established that he did not in any way physically abuse his wife, and his Islamic faith allows him to marry more than one wife, and yet a source familiar with Musa reveals that the player has lost a bit of focus and discipline since his move to England.

[img]http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/Goal_Nigeria/3c/c1/ahmed-musa_w756l8m54nfk1i7zn2n0lh6as.jpg?t=-2070884858[/img]

It is nothing unusual for a player of that age. For all his experience, it is easy to forget this is a player yet to even enter his prime. Now he stands at a crucial juncture in his career. Leicester manager Craig Shakespeare has insisted Musa remains in his plans, but barring a huge miracle, it is hard to see how the Foxes don’t cut their losses and try to move the former Kano Pillars prodigy on in the summer.


It would represent the first real downward trend of his career, the first time he will have been turned away for not fitting the bill.


This is why it is imperative that the national team step up and build a support structure around him. Now more than ever there must be a conscious effort by Gernot Rohr and his crew to put an arm around him and make him feel a part of the group.

[img]http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/Goal_Nigeria/c7/14/gernot-rohr_86owk0lu64vm179c5cz9vxpcx.jpg?t=-1368227513[/img]

It is troubling then the lack of sensitivity displayed in the recent friendly against Senegal.


Rohr had wisely, up until that point, steered clear of the politics within the squad, focusing on the footballing aspect and trusting captain Mikel to keep everyone singing from the same page. Yet, by pointedly shunning Musa, dismissively stating a preference for a captain playing regularly, he has played a very poor hand indeed.


As is, the double dose of rejection from both club and country may do some damage to Musa’s career, from which he might be unable to recover.


Without a doubt, it would be nigh on impossible for Musa to land on his feet if he is ostracized from the national team. There may be no consensus as to how his time with the Super Eagles ought to be viewed – there have been highs and lows – but there is no question regarding his commitment at all times.


Perhaps it is time to pay him back. Much as loyalty is demanded, it is only fair that it be given as well.


The national team is brimming with young attacking talent now, but it was not always so.


There was someone who was a shining light in leaner times.
His name is Ahmed Musa, and he needs our help.

Source; goal.com

The national team is not a refugee camp.

Musa is so much distracted as he is right now and that will still affect him negatively in the national team.

No room for slips. The rest of our national team games for the year are just too crucial to be toiled with.

I will personally recommend his slot to Henry Onyekuru.

enomakos:
I remember one of them now ,the guy on the front row first right is the late Thompson oliha

Yeah. Looks like he is the one. I had to go back to that pic to stare again.

What of the guy at front row 1st from left. His face no clear at all.

forgiveness:
There was this match we played during the qualifiers or the Nation's cup in 1994. Yekini lubed the ball over the head of the keeper and nodded the ball into the post. It was a very important match. I remembered when it was replayed people demonstrated by moving their heads the same way he did it and exclamated eeehhhh!

I loved that goal.

That was Nigeria Vs Zaire, Quarter final of 1994 AFCON.

I remember Efan Ekoku missed from a very close range in that game and that was the end of his national team ambition as he was brought into the team as a competition for Yekini.

goldfish80:
One of my favourite Nigerian defender of all time was unfortunately not featured on both pictures posted.
I mean the late Uche Okafor. I still cannot belive Uche took his own life. A man in the threshold of something great as a pundit on Espn and a football coach in True United States. If not for the cold hands of death, he would have no doubt managed one of our national teams and contributed immensely to the growth of Nigerian football like Keshi, Siasia and Eguavone have done.
I still have memories meeting him on a flight so many years before his demise. Great guy.

One of your favorites. But he was not a regular.

TheGoodJoe:
Keep in mind Barcelona was in a steady decline towards the end of Rijkaard's reign. A team outplayed by Sevilla over and over again. Two seasons without a trophy.

Guardiola turning that Barcelona into one of the greatest sides in club football is nothing short of amazing.

Food for thought. Remember to wash the plates after scrapping it.

wash which plate?

Na on top this Pep matter una still dey?

In other news: Yeepee! I opened the floor for page 900. Page 1000 loading.... I go see who go open the floor for that one

enomakos:
you did great bro,those two unknown players I know them but I can't remember their name

Thanks. But let me give you a clue with some players I have in mind: Ayo Ogunlana, Taju Oyekanmi, Abdul Aminu, Boldwin Bazuaye.

TheSuperNerd:
Chaaiiiii... Thank You Elder Sir Enomakos.... Now I have the endorsement of Two top elders in the house....

Mehn e no easy biko.... #IFeelGood

You see what I have been saying?

tbaba1234:
Algiers 1990, Can you name the players?

OK let me start with this difficult one.
The pic no too clear plus some of them no face camera and I have not seen a good number of them in decades so their faces look hazy but let me try.

Back row, L-R: Aloy Agu, Ademola Adeshina, Uche Okechukwu, Rashidi Yekini, Isaac Semitoje, Andrew Uweh.

Front row, L-R: Unknown, Moses Kpakor, Daniel Amokachi, Friday Elahor, Unknown.

Unknown means I can't remember the face. Though I may know the name. U know say those days na small 12inch black and white TV we dey take watch ball for inside big sitting room. We no dey too see their faces clearly.

Abeg who go mark this my script?

Elder Enomakos, you are highly needed here.

Sorry this reply is coming late. Been busy all day.

TheSuperNerd:
I no sabi naa... that is why I said Maybe... I meant Emma okocha shaa.... not babayaro.

I don modify am.... but I am still not sure of Emma okocha sef... but that is the name I had in mind not babayaro.

OK I see.

Yes Emma Okocha was in that squad but I don't think he was in that line up. He was hardly a starter.

TheSuperNerd:
I am not attempting the 90 squad... I have no idea whatsoever mehn... abeg... except maybe for Friday Elahor and Thompson Oliha... and maybe Emma Babayaro... phewwww... who I know again sef...? An indomie generation kid is an indomie generation kid... we cannot do anything about it...



This 92 sef.. oya make I try...

Standing L-R: Alloy Agu, Big Boss Keshi, **I no know**, Mutiu Adepoju, **I no know**, **I no know**

Squatting L-R: Siasia, Eguavoen, **I am not sure- might be Elahor orrrr.... **, Oliha, and YeKiNG (see as he do face like pesin wey wan kill people...... see killer pose bikonu... looll)

so in the 92 squad, I don't quite know 3 of them and I am not sure of one of them... so I don't know four...

Emma Babayaro ke for Algiers 90?

TheSuperNerd:
Lemme try... na from my head and memories of clips and face oooo....

Standing L-R: Rufai, Oliseh, Uche Gentle giant Okechukwu, Oliha (I am not sure abeg), Finidi, Big Boss Keshi

Squatting L-R: YeKING, Iroha, Da Bull Amokachi, Jay Jay, SiaOne....

Abeg... in 94, I was barely 2yrs old... I no watch am live... but lots of clips of that glorious generation was seen as I grew up...

Beautiful memories... chaaiiiii.... Chief Icon4s.. abi I try naa...

Lemme attempt 92... iffa get three or four... well... make we see first...

100%!

Try 92 and 90.

tbaba1234:
Gangling Rashidi Yekini.. In this generation, he would have reached the heights of a Drogba or an Etoo. PHENOMENAL FINISHER. Underrated skills too.

Senegal 92, the winning goal against Cameroon

Tunisia 94, Yekini vs the post against Egypt

USA 94, the first WC goal.

The 94 set is gradually disappearing... Oliha, Yekini, Keshi, Okafor, Agbonibare all gone..

Yes. That goal against Cameroon. pls can you still describe it? I know it was a great goal but still trying to remember how it was scored. It was something like a solo effort right? He dribbled the keeper also right?

safarigirl:
i can only recognise JJ, Amokachi, Rufai and Oliseh...the rest, I don't know them

Hahaha but you know the rest naa.. Let me even mention the ones u obviously know: Keshi-4, Siasia-13, Finidi-7, Iroha-3, Okechukwu-5.