₦airaland Forum

tbaba1234:
You HAD a name. Nigeria is not much to be reckoned with these days. Let us be honest with ourselves.

Otigba's decision was based on patroitism not necessarily the best career choice. I think, there was an interview where he talked about dreaming of playing for Nigeria as a child.

tbaba1234:
Hungary does not have to qualify for any tournament for them to be a better international/career choice for Otigba. Playing European qualifiers with the best footballing nations will give him great exposure and possibly greater career opportunities. Playing Togo and Benin republic does not offer those kinds of opportunities. India /Uganda do not play European qualifiers.

From a career perspective, Nigeria does not necessarily offer better career growth and we have won only one AFCON since..

tbaba1234:
Your first analogy was with India who have not qualified for anything.

As in the case of Otigba, it is probably best for them to look out for their best career interests as patrotism could make them miss out of international football.

Idowu is having to give up the Russian passport to play for Nigeria. Do you know how difficult that is??

Icon79:
Mikel should learn to lead by example. As per Akpeyi, it looks like he's trying to kick himself out of the team.


O pari

jotey:
Nwakali snr fitting in already

BTW where is ebuehi sef

Mujtahida:
Stop begging. We need only those who are proud to wear the gwg

tbaba1234:
Hungary is not a bad footballing nation. They were at the last Euros and qualified for the round of 16. Otigba could have been playing in the Euros.

If Hungary calls Otigba today, it is in his best interest to accept.

Icon79:
Nigerian fan base are worse tho. Like Clemence Westerhof used to say "there are 10 million coaches in Nigeria, but I am the one being paid to do the job."


O pari

Icon79:
Guys, can we just leave the technical decisions to the guys who are paid to make those decisions. Here's why:

1. Gernot Rohr played the game at a higher level than any one of us here
2. Gernot Rohr had coached the game at a higher than anyone of us
3. I stand corrected but Rohr and his crew can read the game better than everyone of us here
4. Gernot Rohr knows these players better than everyone of us because he trains them and have watched them up, close, and personal.



O pari

tbaba1234:
Lol, different tone.. So he should not like Tammy's update? Playing international football is a big deal.

By the way, Ejaria commited himself to a Nigeria future years ago. Even though, he had the choice of England. Since then, he has played for the English under 20. I follow most of the English Nigerian boys on social media and Ejaria is one of the few that consistently follows Nigerian football. He was allowed to train with Manu's under 17.

Did Otigba not reject a call-up for Nigeria? Have you called him since?

Players with dual citizenship will usually go to the country that shows interest first. Building a relatioship is important but footballers have to look out for their careers too.

Mujtahida:
I knew you were being sarcastic.I just used it as an opportunity to address the 'declaration' mantra

jotey:
I've been saying it here

Ejaria has passion for gwg

Ejaria will one day don the gwg

You heard it here first

PROVERBZ:
Oluwashina ekelji has been dragging Tammy Abraham on Twitter


Is it by force to play for Nigeria ??

Mujtahida:
its not an issue. i get the perspective of saying players should declare for us. but I oppose it when its said that we should go for ONLY those who declare for us. Nooooooo. We don't wait for anybody to declare any sh!t for us. We go out for them. We engage them, we persuade them, we give them reasons why playing for us will do them good. with this approach we will gain some and we will lose some. at the end those we gain will don the GWg with pride. Their pictures would be displayed but only few would know that they were fist engaged and approached by us. Ebuehi would don the Gwg with pride hopefully by Friday. He ejected us before but he will don the Jersey with pride. One needs some depth to grasp these things.

Icon79:
Bia, Big Joe, did somebody hack into your account? Did you really expect him to turn down Austria even when Nigeria wasn't making any moves? Yes, he was just 17 but opportunity and time wait for no one. Who's knows if that might be the only opportunity he might have?

Listen, the people we have issues with are those of them we turned down Nigeria because they want to wait for another country. As far as I know, Alaba never turned down Nigeria .... Austria came calling first and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands, as he should.



O pari

Mujtahida:
They are four brothers not three: Francis(Andreas) Giannis, Thanasis and Alexis. Do you perchance know why none of them is interested in playing for Nigeria? Because nothing happens in vacuum.
Well, when the poster I referred to was asked by another poster how Giannis and his family felt towards Nigeria, suspecting that they must feel bitter towards Nigeria, the poster said No, the parents werent bitter but on the contrary they encouraged their children to play for Nigeria and that if he (the poster) was still involved with Nigerian basketball at the time he met them he would have convinced them to play for Nigeria but that by then Gianis was already in the Greek selection radar and that fastreacked him turning out for Greece.

TheGoodJoe:
I have no beef with that. I am against pleading and carrying flowers with tuxedo and a limousine for them to play for us. If the opportunity does not come and like the prodigal son, they remember they are Kings in their home. They are welcome to come home and fight to build Nigeria with their skills.

My problem is with the Undecided/Do not feel Nigerian crew. They can ring when they feel Nigerian. Not going to beg them to play for us.

TheGoodJoe:
I am not and will never be against any one having feelings to represent another country. However, I only want those devoted and ready to play for us in the team. Not undecided. There was a time Ola Aina was not decided. Now he is. Same with Shola Ameobi.

When they are ready and show devotion, no doubt, they can come. Including Ibe. I am against convincing and luring. When the player is ready, he will know. You can hint, inform him but not go the extra length.

TheGoodJoe:
Alaba is also Austrian. I think he was born and grew up there. So it is not easy turning down a call for them. I wish he waited. We would have certainly called him. By 2010 he was already a respected player.

He likes Nigeria. He feels Nigerian. It is just unfortunate he also feels Austrian. So we wish him well and hunt for those who wants us ahead of others.

TheGoodJoe:
Alaba holds the record as the youngest player to play for the Austrian National team at 17 years old. There is no way we could have approached him at that time to play for us.

I wish him the best because of his love for Nigeria. Austria knew him, he played in their league for the best club in Austria. Alaba is not one of the members of "I don't feel Nigerian crew." We would never have beaten Austria for him.

Edopesin:
My Eleven Against Algeria

https://img.startingeleven.co.uk/usr/a/5a019b4cbde7d.jpg

Magink:
Don't get me wrong Sir, was only responding to what you posted. My point is that he will get to play in the 2 matches was called up for.

Magink:
You think they are just going to call him up without debut? Lol
That boy used Nigeria,exactly what mz safari said earlier and I doubted it, he had England on his mind all along and pinnick fell for it lol. If you doubt me read the interview he granted to the English press.

jotey:
This is what I want...you should be honoured putting on the gwg....not those ones waiting for us to beg them mtchew

soetanoreoluwa:
Good one sir... Well done

Mujtahida:
If that is narrow thinking, good for you.
It is bro. And its not good for you.

Anyone that wants to play for us should declare. Anyone that does not feel Nigerian is free to do what he wants.[/color]
Ebuehi didnt declare. In fact he said he wants to concentrate on his club career. What made him change his mind? Engagement and rapproachment did- Rohr contacted his parents and spoke to them. If we follow your doctrinaire approach, he wouldn't be in our team today. But today he is in our team and if he turns out good for us we'd be happy we convinced him even when he said no.

Mujtahida:
The first wave of brain gain was from the early nineteenth century to the early twentieth century when returning and repatriated slaves from Brazil, Cuba, Sierra Leone came to Lagos and injected new streams of life into the town - in law, education, religion, politics, music, culture and even sports and galvanised the rapid development of Lagos into a vibrant, throbbing city. You remember Ajayi Crowther abi?

We need a second wave.