₦airaland Forum

Rohr is definitely onto something good. He's gradually developing the team's structure and organization. The two matches against Cameroun along with the match against Algeria is the most organized Super Eagles team I have seen since 1994. If that continues, I expect a good outing at the World Cup next year.

My only concern is that the NFF would come with their corruption and unnecessary interference once we qualify .... they would start dictating to him whom to invite and whom to play. Or they may even fire him and try to hire "a world class coach". Remember what then Sports Minister, Jim Nwobodo, did after Philippe Trousier had qualified Nigeria to the 1998 World Cup, with a game to spare - Nwobodo fired him and hired Bora Multinovic, in the name of getting "a world class coach".

Nigeria is a very funny and corrupt country.


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Mujtahida:
Such strategic partnerships at core areas -and every area is core of the team- is vital. It makes the team to play seamlessly. And it's my desire that it pervades the whole team. It takes good quality players for a team to reach that level.

No question. They form a good partnership. We haven't had anything that good since Uche Okechukwu and Chidi Nwanu at the USA '94 World Cup.


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Mujtahida:
Well said. Balogun does play with quiet intensity, tirelessly and awareness. No exaggeration.

The thing is if you watch our match with SA though Ekong was good, Awaziem made the defence wobbly. That's what I mean by saying Balogun brings out the best in him ie they rub off well on each, chemistry. Doesn't take anything out of Ekong's game. If you ask him he might just say: I play better with Balogun by my side.

Yup. I try to keep my eyes open and my eyes to the ground


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glosplendid:
lol...so u're a monitoring spirit....issorite...lemme come and be going

Leon Balogun is a solid and intelligent defender. I really don't see the intensity in his game, per se but his reading of the game is top notch. He reminds me of the legendary Uche Okechukwu, at his best.

But let's not go overboard or get carried away, it isn't him who "brings out the music in Ekong". Ekong is a solid defender on his own, OK. If you watched the Rio Olympics soccer team, Ekong was a rock in our defence. Got it


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Mujtahida:
Echiejiele is not consistent. Save for the match against Algeria he's not been solid. A good team will just press and keep pressing through that soft spot and use it to run your tactical set up ragged.

That Leon is something else. His intensity is priceless and I think he's the one that brings out the music in Ekong. It's not for nothing that we do well with him in the defence, Moses in the attack and Onazi - yes cos he plays like a horse-in the middle and Mikel spraying passes. Let's qualify. When this team jells and the issues in defence is sorted out we would see the face of Mona Lisa when our team is playing.

Wow. This is the first time I have seen you funny. First ever!

Well, let's see if it continues....


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glosplendid:
Naxo...man of God.....lol

And you still wonder why you may NEVER fall in love again?

#Sorry4U


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Evaberry:
...

This makes me feel like falling in love even though men are scum!!!

Chei. Reading is definitely fundamental!


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immortalcrown:
Abeg, wetin substituted service mean?

These useless bloggers should quit deceiving clueless and ignorant Nigerians.

First of all, forget all those ridiculous listed/advertised prices of these watches, you can buy those watches for less than $100 in the store. I am a watch collector, so I know.
Secondly, you can accuse PMB of many things but being ostentatious isn't one of them. The man is fiercely frugal and definitely incorruptible (at least, by Nigerian standard). I saw the photos of his Dura living rooms a few days ago and it looks like our living room 20 years ago! So please enough of all these attention seeking and useless blogging.


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Mrrationalshop:
President Buhari Allegedly Rocks N7,181,520 Jewelry (photos)

The president was seen rocking a brown leather Breguet wristwatch while he was in Daura in Katsina state.
In the photos, the president was seen with Emir of Katsina HRH Alhaji Abdulmumini Kabir Usman in Daura Katsina on Monday, September 4.
Bellow are the picture prove:

Source: http://RationalTV..in/2017/09/rationaltv-president-buhari-allegedly.html

FIFA is a joke!

If Real Madrid versus Bayern Munich 2017 UCL match, where the ref allowed 3 foul goals to stand, was not replayed then no games shall be replayed. We're talking about 3 bad call that clearly changed the result of the game! In fact, none of Cristano Ronaldo's hat trick would've been allowed. In one of the goals, he was over 10 meters offside but the ref became totally blinded.

The corruption in FIFA and UEFA is much worse than anyone can imagine. Football has become a joke....big time!



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Huh Did you say that "Rape is vibrant in nigeria"? What da heck does that mean?

And by the way, you sound too angry. Next time take a few deep breaths before you post.
That's not criticism, just a friendly advice. You're a woman!


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cococandy:
Your kinds of people are the reason why rape is vibrant in nigeria. Fvcking retardds.

She definitely got nice boobs, I ain't gonna lie.

But I am fecking NOT interested.


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Name: Ajoke Owolabi
State: Ogun
Ethnicity: Afonja - born and raised.

Wow, the Afonjas strike again!

Signed: NCAN


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Folks, calm down, nothing has really changed. We still need to get a result against Zambia next month and, like I said on twitter, if we can beat Zambia at home in a must win match then we don't deserve to be at the World Cup. Hence, I am not worried one bit. We still have over 90% chances of qualifying, Zambia with less than 10% chances. And I will take 90% over 10% any day, all day!

We'll finish the job in Uyo, by beating them soundly.



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There's definitely something about these Afonja people and juju.

Quite disgusting



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Wow. This is impressive. May God bless her real good!

Let's hope that Nigerian celebs would do the same instead of bragging about their rolex watches.



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This is super good news! Tammy is a baller .... I have watched him more than a few times, he definitely fits the bill.


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tbaba1234:
Pinnick talks about being in touch with Tammy Abraham.


Check out @kwesesports's Tweet: http://twitter.com/kwesesports/status/904942127548858368?s=09

Is she married? Why is she wearing a wedding ring



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And Gabon just scored a freaky goal against the run of play. The ball deflected off a CIV player.

Updated scores:
DR Congo 1 Tunisia 0
CIV 0 Gabon 2 - but Gabon has been reduced to 10 men at the injury time of the first half, for a silly foul. This might provide a lifeline to CIV.


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Good question. I haven't read this story anywhere else.


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shabalistic:
How true is this information?

And in the other matches, it is:

DR Congo 1 Tunisia 0 - after 10 mins
CIV 0 Gabon 0


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I agree. I think he hesitated a little. But I did feel sorry for him immediately because I knew that Nigerians would call for his head.
It's in our nature to always blame somebody.


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komekn:
One of the attributes of exceptional goal keepers is bravery.

Ezenwa ran out to the ball then seeing this giant of a man running at him like a bettering ram hesitated (fear enter him head), otherwise he would have been first to the ball.

That hesitation made it a 50/50 ball and gave the Cameroonian player the opportunity to simulate. Ezenwa will learn from this experience.

My view his inexperience gave the opportunity to Cameroon to simulate. Was it a penalty no it was not.

Who do you blame, inexperience.

Thank you very much, chrisooblog.

You are one of the few people that have actually given a balanced assessment on Ezenwa's performance. He definitely made the right decision on the penalty. You can remember that a similar ball was played in the first half, then he decided to stay home and cover the near angles and Cameroun almost scored from that chance. And even the commentator was asking why he didn't come out. In the second half he came out and the penalty happened, now everybody is blaming him .... forgetting that he actually saved our brushes on a couple of times in that match.

As regards to the penalty, the less said the better. I made it abundantly clear on twitter that that was not a penalty. All I saw was two players going for the ball and then a coming together. It was a 50-50 ball and the keeper has every right to go for that ball. It was just a contact by two players going for the same ball and no intention to foul on the part of the goalkeeper. The Cameroun players just sold it very well and the ref bought what he was selling.

Or maybe the ref was just trying to earn his pay. After all, a similar dodgy penalty was awarded to this same Cameroun team against Zambia when it was becoming apparent that Cameroun was gonna lose the game.


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chrisooblog:
hi everyone Thank God again for the hard point won in yaounde by his grace we are russia bound

some of my thoughts about the game

ezenwa did well in my opinion. for the penalty call yes he misjudged the flight of the ball when he came out but i think he was just unlucky because if you watch the replays closely you will see that the cameroonian clattered into him but the noisy fans and protestations of the other cameroonian players put pressure on the referee to give the spot kick. with this performance ezenwa has sure earned my vote to go to russia when we qualify by God's grace. the way he put his body on the line to clear that goal bound ball from the onrushing cameroonian sure earned my respect.

i think the tactics that the coaching crew employed in yaounde were spot on. like i predicted the cameroonians came out in full force in the first 20-25 minutes after their initial gra gra i knew we would take control. truth be told we would have probably squeezed through with a 1-0 result if not for that unfortunate penalty. although with hindsight i think rohr goofed substituting mikel at the time he did but it was understandable since he is not 100% fit.

seriously commend our defenders for restricting cameroon to two shots on target over the two legs that's no mean feat i mean a whole african champions to be shut out men no be beans. balogun is a true beast minister of defence, defender of the universe voltron na learner wey you dey. ekong really benefited from partnering him. elderson was really poor we need an alternative to him sharpish. shehu has really grown into the RB role but i feel aina will be potential better however since shehu is doing well ola can be shifted to the LB in a makeshift role.

as all the posters have noted we urgently need an understudy to mikel. if joel obi can stay injury free he will definitely be my first option to come in to deputize, ajagun, aluko and kelechi nwakali should also be monitored.

big kudos to the boys for knocking out cameroon tonight we can relax and watch the algeria vs zambia game. if algeria beats zambia it's safe to say we have qualified because our superior goal difference will make it a mission impossible for both algeria and zambia to meet up

Shehu definitely put two solid performances. I think Aina should be groomed for the LB. I have never been a big fan of Elderson.


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tbaba1234:
Shehu Abdullahi is showing that he will not make it easy for anyone to take the right back spot from him. He is improving in that role. Perhaps, the competition is always forcing his improvement

Great analysis, whizola!

I will like to read more from you ... keep 'em coming, bro!


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whizola:
All hail ‘Balogunbauer’
It is in observing the simplicity of football that we appreciate its complexity.
That there are three basic departments to a team — defence (of which the goalkeeper consists), midfield and attack — is easy enough to grasp, and is essential in understanding what is unfolding. Yet, in any good football team, the interaction between these is fluid enough to create varying levels of originality. All books in the earth, after all, consist of the same letters used in an infinite order of variableness.
What was all that hot air about? Well, the Super Eagles moved one step closer to Russia 2018 with a fine performance in Yaounde, drawing 1–1. For me, it was a very meaningful result; the game in Uyo was something of a caricature, as the latent superiority of Gernot Rohr’s side was greatly exaggerated by the haplessness on the day of the African champions.
The most important thing to pick out is that it showed us the level of selfless sacrifice this team can put in toward achieving a goal. From back to front, there was a focus that has not always been familiar within the national team. As Cameroon dominated the ball, the wingers dropped in and the team was extremely compact out of possession, allowing no ingress whatsoever through the middle of the pitch.
Defensively, there has not been a better display from a Nigerian team in ages. Much praise has gone to the pair of Leon Balogun and William Troost-Ekong (more on them later), and while they were great, it would be a disservice not to acknowledge how well the rest of the side did to make their tasks easier.
Ironically, it was going forward that this team showed some worrying concerns. Averaging 2.5 goals a game, you would not think this side has a problem advancing up the pitch. It is however becoming clear that this team is not just one that counters very well, but may be one better served by employing that by default anyway.
It is well said that you can tell the identity of a team by its style of defensive midfielder. A possession-based team will almost always employ a playmaker at the back of midfield: it needs to circulate the ball and look for gaps, after all. A transition-based team will broadly want an energetic, mobile ball-winner to regain possession and transfer it forward quickly.
Who is the deepest midfielder in the Super Eagles set-up? Ogenyi Onazi, a terrier-like battler who plugs gaps and harries opposing attackers. Interestingly, he is partnered, just ahead, by Wilfred Ndidi, himself a roving ball winner who plays simple, unambitious passes.
The most comfortable the Super Eagles looked last night was when Cameroon had the ball. When the home side’s intensity dropped somewhat, and this team tried to build up, the problem with such a defensive double-pivot in midfield was clear: how to advance the ball into the attackers?
In Mikel John Obi, Victor Moses, Odion Ighalo and Moses Simon, Nigeria have a quartet that seems to riff very well together. Ighalo now offers movement (in a transformation that makes one wonder how far gene splicing has advanced in China), Simon pace, Moses dribbling and Mikel is the binder whose ability to both hold possession and play one-touch passes holds it all together.
How do you get the ball to them when neither of the two deeper midfielders is (a) capable of evading pressure, or (b) passing incisively? That was the major dilemma presented to Nigeria yesterday.
Cameroon’s best openings of the first half came when they pressed Onazi and Ndidi. It didn’t take long to figure out something had to change. The first bit of proper build-up occurred when Mikel came slightly deeper, put his foot on the ball, spun and sprayed the ball wide left. It however leaves the team with one less man in attack.
Realistically, Moses comes inside and the left-back bombs forward to maintain width in this situation. Well, our left-back is Elderson Echiejile. Suffice to say he is no marauding full-back.
So, unorthodox solution. Balogun spent much of the latter part of the first half in a role closely approximating the old-fashioned libero, running with the ball out of defence in order to transfer it forward. Having played at full-back before, and being stationed on the right of Mainz’s back three last season, it is something he definitely has in his toolbox. Problem solved, yes?
Well, no.
First of all, what then happens when the opposition cotton on to this? In the second half, Cameroon got wise to him and proceeded to block him off in the build-up, letting Troost-Ekong have the ball. Did anyone notice how often Ekong gave the ball away in the second period, trying to pass between the lines? That wasn’t his fault.
Secondly, knowing Balogun’s proneness to injury, what happens when he is unavailable? How does this team build up?
I have some solutions, but those will come in a later post. This is already a lot longer than was initially intended. Your resident Super Eagles worrywart will sign out by stating the obvious: this was an immense performance by our young national team, and we are now a point away from making the World Cup. Crazy.
P.S : I would hold off on lighting Ikechukwu Ezenwa’s funeral pyre. His rush of blood to the head is a flaw that extends beyond him to locally-based goalkeepers — judging when and how to come off the line is a frequent weakness. So I would not

Wow! With $250,000,000.00, I can build a stadium better than the Bird's Nest in Beijing, China. Naija people and their contract inflation sha.

Nigeria, we hail thee....


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My bible called Vainglory a sin. And that's all I gotta say.



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My broda, don't mind me. This Russia 2018 qualifications has turned most of us into small time mathematicians


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Icon4s:
Not yet bros.

Folks, enough of all these permutations. Here's your SIMPLE MATH: Nigeria now need just one point against Zambia in Uyo in October to qualify for #Russia2018.

So get all those champagne bottles chilled for the October 7th cracker at Uyo.


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This Buhari is a real simple man. Just check out the furnitures in his home.

#MuchRespect, Mr President!


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