NIGERIA'S SEMIFINAL AMBITION "A LITTLE MORE EXCESSIVE" -- Rohr (RETITLED BY ME) Rohr : Super Eagles Ambition Is To Reach World Cup Semifinal Published: October 23, 2017
Rohr : Super Eagles Ambition Is To Reach World Cup SemifinalSuper Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has set a semi-final target for Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, saying that they already advanced to the round of 16 in three previous tournaments.
Against all the odds, the national team qualified for next year's showpiece with a game to spare after beating Zambia 1-0 in Uyo on October 7.
''They are already out of the group stage to go to the round of 16, especially in 2014 when they faced the French team (0-2 defeat),'' Rohr told French sports newspaper L'Equipe.
''We will try to do as well. Unfortunately, here, the ambitions are a little more excessive: the team must reach at least the semifinals.
''We have the ambition of the leaders to manage, even if I get along very well with the president (Amaju Pinnick), who came to get me.
''There are many people at the Federation (NFF). As in all African countries, it's never easy. But for now, it's going very well.''
Nigeria will return to action when they face Algeria in their final 2018 World Cup qualifier on November 10, before wrapping up their 2017 schedule with a friendly against Argentina four days later in Russia.
ENGLAND: Premier League 2 WolvesU23 0-1 FulhamU23(HALF TIME)
Fulham's duo of Adetayo Edun and Elijay Adebayo have the upper hand at half time. Hakeem Odofin, however is on the trailing side. All three players started.
ENGLAND: Premier League 2 LeicesterU23 1-0 SwanseaU23(HALF-TIME) Leyton Ndukwu watched as his teammates ensured Leicester remain ahead at half time. Habib Makanjouola is still yet to feature since he was captured by the Foxes. He wasn't listed today yet again.
ENGLAND: Premier League 2 TottenhamU23 3-2 ArsenalU23(FULL-TIME)
Five Anglo-Nigerians were involved in Arsenal's U23 squad that lost away to their Spurs counterpart. While Aaron Eyoma, Folarin Balogun, Tolaji Bola, and Joseph Olowu all started, Tobi Omole hopped off the bench on the 74th minute. Tobi is a 17 year old defender who stands at 6ft 4inches.
Real Madrid have reached a deal with the Brazilian side Flamengo to sign forward Vinícius Júnior in July 2018, the Spanish champions announced on Tuesday. Vinícius has just one senior appearance for Flamengo, making his professional debut just 10 days ago in a league game against Atlético Mineiro.
The deal for the 16-year-old is worth €46m (£39.6m), which would make him the second most expensive signing from the Brazilian league in history. The most costly is Barcelona’s Neymar, who moved from Santos in 2013 for an estimated €86m, a player Vinícius has been likened to. Barça were also interested in Vinícius but were unsuccessful in their attempt to sign him.
hahaha.. "sources has it" owngoal says lol.. you want to up his value based on rumors now abi.. let the sale happen then we can talk.
forgiveness: Moving away from value to the pedigree of club that rushed for his signature.
Gent is very greedy. You wan sell 15 million, at the same time, you wan decide how dem go sell.
I hope he moves in January but Moses Simon na obedient player ooo.
Sell on clause delays Moses Simon’s Monaco move
High flying French Ligue 1 side Monaco are presently locked in talks with Gent of Belgium over a possible deal in the summer for dashing winger Moses Simon, according to Belgium publication Voetbalkrants.com.
Monaco have resigned to losing some of their top stars after a stellar season in France and Europe, with the team currently leading the Ligue 1 table and also through to the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League.
The club views Simon as a player who can replace some of their stars who are expected to leave in the summer, and suggestions are that the deal is almost near completion as both parties are eager for the move to go through.
Presently what is holding the deal is a compromise on what will be the sell on clause due to Gent, if the 23-year-old leaves Monaco in a few years time, and the duration which the clause will last.
Reports gathered by Owngoalnigeria.com sources have it that Monaco are willing to pay £12m for his services, plus the promise of first team football which will sway him their way ahead of English Premier League side West Brom who are also interested in his services.
Simon wants to represent Nigeria at next summer World Cup in Russia if Nigeria qaualifies and will only accept a move to a team that will assure him of their plans for him as regards playing time.
that's ANS version of Nigeria's best XI. I never take it seriously. The other week they put some English lower league players there.. And im not even talking of championship players.
enomakos: what is this Felix guy doing in the list? He is a germany international
lol i'm still safe and sound.. i'm only saying argue with substance.. watch me when I argue, I dig the most credible source first, because the shorter the aguement the quicker we move on.. you can go on and on, but you still hardly win your arguement.
now back to the subject.. research more.. trust me i've found those links even before you.. so im ahead.. did spurs table a bid? how about west brom?
like i said earlier it's one thing to put a price tag, it's yet another for prospective buyers to see it as a reasonable one.
forgiveness: I knew you will fall into my trap of owngoal bhuhaha and that was why I saved my knock out for the last.
Ps: we are discussing about value and not the pedigree of club.
Thanks for the submission.. were other clubs interested as well? Remember, we are speaking of lowly Brighton. oya do another assignment.
modified lol.. owngoal reference
forgiveness: Stop beaten around the bush. My point is clear. 8.4 million pounds was initially tabled but Gent regetted the cash. Simple.
I can give you more than 5 credible source to back it. The one I gave you, does it look like Wikipedia?
My friend, they bidded thrice. The last being in the range of 10 million pounds. Bhuuuhahaha!
Based on this, Simon Moses is more valuable than Henry Onyekuru. Period.
Exclusive – Brighton’s Third Bid For Super Eagles Ace Moses Simon Rejected By Gent
August 18, 2017
Newly promoted English Premier League side Brighton have seen a third bid for Nigerian forward Moses Simon rejected by Belgium side Gent, Owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively reveal.
Brighton have failed with two bids for the Nigeria international but they were confident of landing their man with their last bid of around 10 million pounds, but Gent tuned it down.
Gent are demanding a fee of close to 15 million pounds for the 22 year old who has been at the club for three seasons, and was at a time heavily linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur.
It is believed the club won’t be making another bid for Simon as they have moved on to other targets but the forward is still on the radar of fellow Premier League side West Brom.
He has just two years left on his contract with the Belgium side, and despite his non committal towards extending his contract at the club, Gent are not willing to lower their asking price from interested clubs.
blueto: Victor and Balogun should be fit before Nov 14th.
Rohr List Mikel, Victor Moses, Iwobi, Balogun, Ighalo For Friendly Game Against Argentina October 23, 2017 0 31
Nigeria are going to parade their top stars when they take on Argentina in a high profile friendly game on the 14th of November next month in Russia.
Argentina have already released the list of foreign based players who are expected to play in the game with top stars like Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, Sergio Aguero, Paulo Dyabala and Mauro Icardi all listed by coach Jorge Sampaoli.
Nigeria who are going to be in action against Algeria on the 10th of November in a dead rubber World Cup 2018 Qualifiers tie in Algiers, are expected to also line up their top stars for the game.
” It’s going to be an enlarged squad of players, but barring injuries or failure to recover on time, all top names are going to be in the list of players, because the game against Argentina will help us see how far we have come”, a backroom staff of the team told Owngoalnigeria.com.
” The likes of Victor Moses, Leon Balogun, John Obi Mikel, Kelechi Iheanacho, Alex Iwobi, Ola Aina among others are going to be in the team for the game. Some will play against Algeria while some are going to be for the Argentina game”, he concluded.
aodis: which is way better than the league in china. yes 2nd trier in Denmark but he is a Brazilian?/ we need that input. Rohr should invite him and give him a try, Afterall we are looking for the best hands.
TheGoodJoe: Take your time. You almost gave me a heart attack when I saw Vinicius in his name. I was like fuq, Vinicius is a Nigerian. Thinking he was the same Vinicius Real Madrid signed.
hahaha.. how many players have played in the Brazilian league eh @ forgiveness ?.. Brazilians play almost everywhere.. in fact many relatively unknown Brazilian players are average. oya tell us.. did he play in the 2nd 3rd, 4th tier of the Brazilian league? or don't it matter? now we don catch u..
lol.. u sef when dey reference wikipedia as a credible source haha.. oya why Brighton no up their bid?.. oya do ur homework? It's one thing to put a price tag, it's yet another for people to think the price tag matches the player..
forgiveness: Clubs don't work with your inconsequential graph. They work with cash and carry.
If Henry Onyekuru worths 7 million whatever, now let it sink into you that Simon Moses will not even go for 8. 3 million whatever.
I will have to question your ability to open and read web address if you disagree with me. Mboko!
The fact is that Onyekuru's market value has been on the rise and has eclipsed Simon in a very short time (since he started playing in the Jupiler league). Simon's MV has been rather stagnant for the MOST PART since he's been playing in the Jupiler league. I will have to question your ability to read a graph if you disagree with me.
forgiveness: Morata could have more goals than Hazard but we know the best.
Moreover, Simon Moses has played in more than matches in different games.
My view is that we no send championship players like that. And we like these Bundesliga players whether you call the football not exciting enough etc.. different league, different styles.
komekn: If we can show interest in a Bundesliga 2 player we then should also be looking at Nigerian origin players in League 1 as well.
After all the teenagers Gomez, Dele, Ademola, Calverton Lewin, left league one straight to the EPL.
Finally, please explain more what do you like, because I really don't get your view here.
Nigerian-Brazilian Striker On The Radar Of Everton, Porto & BrondbyNigerian-Brazilian striker Dominic Vinícius Eberechukwu Uzoukwu is on the radar of English Premier League side Everton, as per reports.
According to Scouts In Attendance, Everton, FC Porto and Brondby representatives were at the Vejle Stadion (Vejle) on Sunday to watch the Danish First Division game between Vejle BK and Viborg.
Unarguably, Dominic was the most impressive player on parade for both teams, having netted a first-half brace for Vejle BK, though he later scored an own goal four minutes before the interval.
Born in São Paulo 22 years ago, he represented Brazilian clubs Clube Atlético Paranaense B, Cuiabá Esporte Clube (MT) and Associação Portuguesa de Desportos before transferring to Vejle in the summer of 2016.
Dominic has had an impressive start to the 2017-2018 season, scoring 7 goals in 12 matches while providing three assists.
The Afro-Brazilian, who was the top scorer in the Danish First Division last season with 15 goals, is contracted to Vejle until June 30, 2019.
BascoVanVeli: LMC Should Provide Ambulances At Match Venues – Olatunbosun
By Chibuike Chukwu - October 21, 2017
Sikiru Olatunbosun, the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) Football Club of Lagos forward, in this interview with Chibuike Chukwu, highlighted the importance of the just ended season to him and the Odukoya Boys, saying that it was a fulfilled one. He also talked of what it meant playing in the domestic league, the MFM’s CAF Champions League ticket, Super Eagles qualification for the World Cup, the choice of Ikechukwu Ezenwa, a home-base goalkeeper, in the national team’s last three qualifiers and his plans to play abroad, among other issues. Excerpts;
How will you rate the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) last season?
It was a very good season for me and the rest of the team. Placing second was not easy so I will say that it was a successful one for the MFM family. You know that the season was a very tough one and so many clubs fought endlessly to outdo one another either at the top or down the table and it was the same with us. Is it in terms of winning and getting good results, especially in away matches? Honestly, last season was a good one for me. On a general level, last season was far better than the other ones because officiating was quite better compared to before. I know that no two seasons are the same but I think we still have to thank LMC for improving on the other seasons. I am not saying that there were no issues but it was an improvement.
Generally, can you say that MFM are fulfilled and achieved their target after placing second and earning the CAF Champions League slot?
Like I said earlier, it was a fulfilled season for all of us at the MFM. We drew a lot of motivations from the coaching crew and the management. We fought for the league title till the end of the season so I think we did a lot to finish second and I have to thank the management of the club as well as the coach for their motivations and encouragements which lifted the team. It was an exciting season for the club and we thank God for that. We will now continue to prepare for the next season and also the continental football.
I recently had a chat with a player of Nasarawa United, who said that it takes the Grace of God to succeed in the Nigerian league. Do you agree?
Playing in the Nigerian league? Yes I agree because truly it takes God’s grace to succeed here. But then, it is now left for every player to adapt to the condition of the league. This is because when you are playing here you don’t know where it will take you and the next step you may make. Playing here may be stressful but it can be an avenue to greater things in one’s career; as difficult as it might be, we have to adapt to it. Every player has a plan for greater things and we must start from somewhere. That is why I am saying that we must adapt to the conditions of the league and see where it takes us. We have to make success of every place that we go and I think that should be the mindset of players in the league.
But there are instances where some players have prematurely retired from the game over minor injuries; are you in any way not bothered over none insurance policy for players?
If I say I am not bothered, then I am lying because that is the standard everywhere. There is no league in the whole world without insurance for players. But like I answered you before, we have to try so much to adapt to the league and pray to remain injury-free. We have to thank God for keeping us and protecting us in the league. That is why I will always say that in every match, there should be an ambulance in the cases of emergencies because until a match ends, nobody knows what is really going to happen in terms of injuries. Insurance is very necessary for the players to know that they are safe in the event of injuries that can threaten their career. So I am bothered just like many other league players will admit but as I said earlier, we just have to be giving thanks to God for His protection over us.
What then do you think is the way forward for the domestic league that has thrown up so many stars?
It is left for the authorities and the league organisers to look at areas of improvement and do something about it. You know I play in the league and may not say so much in this regard.
MFM will be making their debut in the CAF Champions League; is there any kind of target set to the team by the management?
Such target will definitely not be made now because we have not even started the preparation. I don’t yet know the plans so it is too early to set a target for the club. That is not saying that we are not hoping to do well; we will try our best but for now, no target of any kind until we start preparations fully and I don’t even know the training schedule of the coach.
In the course of last season, you scored a goal that won a CNN award. What does the award mean to your career and did you expect that it will win the award?
It means a lot to my career; it means a lot to the club, to the players and to the coaches and the management because that was the first time a Nigerian league goal was so rewarded. We thank God that the match was live on television otherwise how could they have seen it. The award has brought a lot of things to my career and my life, and it has also projected me. This is why everything should be done to always ensure that our league matches are on television because such goals will still be scored; how could they have even known that I scored that goal if the match was not televised? I thank God because I was not expecting that the goal will be that valued because as a striker, I only aimed to do my work and that was just what I did and the rest came thereafter.
What went through your mind the moment you got the pass from your teammates that resulted to that goal?
Nothing special went through my mind other than to finish the move. This is also because we have come to understand ourselves much. Immediately I got the pass because I was well positioned, I target the post in order to score a goal because we have been having so many chances unconverted and it happened. At that moment, a forward will only aim to score and not what will come after the goal. When in a situation where a ball is passed to you as a striker, all that you will think is to score. So nothing special was going through my mind that moment other than to score a goal and thank God I did just that.
In our earlier discussion, you talked of several clubs from abroad making inquiries about you; so how soon are we seeing Olatunbosun leaving Nigerian league for a club overseas?
It may be soon or it may not be but one thing is very sure, I will certainly further my career by God’s grace. I have to wait for my time because everything happens with time. I am not rushing into clubs abroad but I will wait for the right time and the right offer to make a move because it is all about my career and future.
Are you in anyway bothered that despite your form at MFM, especially in the just ended season, Super Eagles handlers have not looked your way?
I am not bothered because everything has to do with time. God set time for everything and in football; anybody can be called up at any time. I am someone that believes so much in time and season and when it is the right time, nobody will stop one’s movement. It is the dream of every player to play for the national team and I know that I can fit into the team, but like I said earlier on, everything has to do with time because even God has time for everything that will happen in a man’s life. I think I am not in any way bothered; besides, I have years ahead of me in this game. The most important thing is for me to keep remaining in form and shape and playing very well. Nobody will stop me from representing my country when the time comes, so I am not bothered.
Super Eagles just qualified for the World Cup even with one match remaining in the qualifiers; what do you have to say about the feat?
It was a very good one for the players and the entire country as a whole. This kind of qualification with one match to go is very strange to us and also very good as well. It shows the kind of commitment the players and the coaches showed in the qualifiers and also showed the true Nigerian spirit. If I tell you that I am not happy, I will be lying because all Nigerians are very happy for the qualification, especially in difficult matches like the ones against Cameroon. They won it for the country and we are all praying for a good outing at the World Cup proper. The Super Eagles did all of us proud and I say congratulations to the entire team.
Coach Gernot Rohr trusted homeboy, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, in the last three qualifiers; what does it mean to you as a player in the domestic league?
I thank the coach for giving the home base goalkeeper the chance. That is one thing I thank him very much and it shows that we still have dependable players in the league. You can just look at the confidence the goalkeeper showed, especially in the matches against Cameroon and the last one. The choice of Ezenwa, to me, justified the local league and showed that we can still make the team. It is just about waiting for one’s time for that to happen. It was not easy seen the goalkeeper manning the post in such high-profile matches, which were watched even beyond Nigeria. Another thing is that Ezenwa justified his inclusion in the squad through his performances in the season.
Sports › Re: "The Super Eagles Thread: The Road To AFCON 2027, 2028 And 2030 World Cup by Joebie: 8:11pm On Oct 23, 2017
