₦airaland Forum

Oga no surprises. Even a very fit Cilic would have still lost. US Open title next. FedEx for 20.

do4luv14:
guy how you see today final btw ROGER and MARIN

I will advise you do a research on the matter. Then we can continue this discussion.

zicky:
Enyeama had issue with his coach and not the Nff and decided not to play for Nigeria again as if the SE belong to Oliseh, and you say we should apologize to him and my question is apologize for what? Rohr ou current coach have approach him, shoromu did same, we go fry sweet for him abi until the whole Nigeria knee to beg him. Arrant nonsense

All our past heroes deserve respect. However the player in question is Enyeama. I don't get your logic that says don't apologize to Enyeama if you won't apologize to past players who we disrespected in the past. Very faulty reasoning.

zicky:
Are you saying shorumu wis lying? Abeg apologize to Enyeama for what, then we should also go back to apologize to Ike Uche and other former players that was unfairly treated because of one man( the coach) decision.

Yes I'm hoping it gioes that way.

Icon79:
Yea, I picked Roger to win it all on Sunday. It's gonna be Roger on Sunday and Venus on Saturday.

Ohhhhh La La La la!!! Life's good!

O pari

Nothing is ever guaranteed no matter who we are or what we do.

May our lives be full of praises to our creator as long as we are still here.

chrisooblog:
quite sad reminds me of our own joseph dosu one minute he was super eagles No.1 in line to go to france 98 the next car accident and career ended

Hahahahaha

Meanwhile Federer hasn't dropped a set. .Take heart that Nadal had a good fight after falling by two sets. But I knew Muller will fight the last set with the last drop of his blood and he did that pretty well forcing Nadal to save several match points in that marathon final set.

The real good news is this. Venus has just made it to the championship match!

Icon79:
Folks, it's been a good week so far. Yes, I am still recovering from the shock of seeing Nadal go out of Wimbledon. But that shock has been followed by two good news:

Yesterday, Andy Murray was bundled out as well.
The soulless biatch, Angie Keber also lost.
And this morning, our evergreen lady, Venus Williams is teaching Johanna Konte some unforgettable lessons in tennis out there on center court Wimbledon!

I am quite excited. In fact, ecstatic!

O pari

Very constructive! Thumbs up

goldfish80:
I think the national team coaches should be made to name their call up list in a press conference. Where journalists will have the benefit of asking for some explanations. But in the absence of that. I will take exception to some points raised by the "expert".

According to him, Afelokhai shouldn't be listed, but surprising enough, he has one of the better stats in the league. I can understand the reservations about the non calling up for the Nasarawa keeper but the truth is that goalkeepers shouldn't be rated by the number of clean sheets. Last season, the best keeper in the league Nana Bonsu was not the keeper with the most clean sheets but he was rated as the best keeper. In England Schmeichel had the most clean sheets in the run up to Leicester City winning the league, I'm sure it is very clear that if we are to rate the best keepers in England, Schmeichel may not get to the top 5.
Further more, Jordan Pickford conceeded tons of goal in the relegation run for Sunderland but he transfered to Everton for 30M. The real stats to judge goalkeepers are shots per save not necessarily clean sheets because the defensive set up of the team in question can help an average keeper rack up piles of clean sheets.

For the defenders, I don't know about Jamiu Alimi this season,but from what I witnessed over the past 3 seasons, he is one of the better defenders. Stephen Eze is a good option in defence. Tall, big and strong, he's been impressive.
Kalu Orji deserves his place in the mix. I don't know what the expert is talking about but Kalu orji, with Odita were the trojans in defence that helped Rangers to the title. He has been pretty solid this season. He's my favourite defender there.

Unfortunately the acclaimed expert haven't been following proceedings closely this season he sounds surprised Osas Okoro was listed as a defender. If he had been following the league this season, he will have known Osas Okoro was converted to a RWB this season where he has blossomed. Honestly, Osas Okoro should be staking a claim to the right back position for the super eagles. If what I saw of Shehu against SA is the benchmark for the Eagles Right back position, Osas should be banging on the doors of the main Super Eagles. He's been that good this season.


Coming to the midfield position, Chukwuka Onuwa of Mfm omission should be explained. Bright Silas, the Rangers Outside 7 have to be listed. He's been performing really well, top prospect.

I think the attack is the best we can assemble so far in the league. Mfom Udoh, Odeh, Ifeanyi George, Alhassan, etc have goals in them. In my opinion.

sad one indeed!

Enyeama will make a return no doubt.

Daninya11:
It's devastating to hear from the radio this evening that Carl Ikeme has been retired abruptly from football due to Acute Leukemia..

I pray for his quick recovery IJN.

As the search for safe hands is being unearthed by our goal keeper trainer,Alloy Agu who has finally seen the urgent need for one or two quality Gks.I know for sure that Akpeyi has played his last game for the Super Eagles as Rohr has stated that he ( Akpeyi) has failed to cover himself in glory.




1.I dont want to see Akpeyi near my darling team the Super Eagles.I have never seen a so called professional GK looking so jittery with zero confidence all my life.

2.I suggest that Enyeama be recalled to the team ASAP.

3.Any player who is not ready to sweat,break bone,bleed for 9 ja must stay away from the team.

4.Rohr assistants are lazy to work.You will soon understand what i mean.

5.Rohr is not working with the best.Coaches like Bamboye,Maikaba,Amunike should be the ones to work with him.

6.As we prepare for Chan,the best must be selected.It is sad to say that the best are not in the NPL but in academies and on the streets.

7.We need to invite new goalkeepers.Akpeyi and Ezenwa must be dropped.Plateau utd ( Ajiboye ) gk,Akwa United gk and Remo stars gk are better shot stoppers.

8.Over confidence is fast becoming a norm for our players.Who told them that Cameroun is a walkover.it looks as if they hv nt learnt from their defeat to S/A.

9.Our local champions should please excuse themselves from participating in Continental tourneys be it Caf confed etc.

10.Our sport governing body be it LMC,NFF,NRF,Shakeholder must go back to the drawing board and proffer solutions to move our sports forward.

11.We must go back to the grass root,unearth players,blend time with time bfr we get our ready products.see the success of Germany.

12.God fatherism,Juju,Nepotism,Bribery/Corruption must stop in every facet of our nations.Only the best must be selected inrespective of tribe,religion etc.

Wetin i day type sef,gibberish??..

One Nation.

Nice one!!! I can disagree with a FEW omissions/additions, but like you said it's strictly your opinion. All the same, great contribution!!!

Icon4s:
4 Generations of the Green Eagles/Super Eagles from the 1980s to present.

This write up is aimed at selecting the best 11 from each of the generations of Eagles.

I have grouped the 4 generations into 4 different decades: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s(present)

Taking our minds down Memory Lane a bit, some may have to cast our minds farther than others. But which ever generation you belong your team will be captured.

With the emergence of Enugu Rangers and IICC as formidable forces in the mid to late 70s both in Nigeria and Africa, Nigeria was able to produce a formidable team that finished 3rd at the 1978 AFCON and ended up with a crescendo by winning the 1980 AFCON (then called the African Cup of Unity). That was the birth of Nigeria's dominance of football in Africa.

From 1980 to 1989 this is my first 11:

Peter Rufai
Bright Omokaro
Christian Chukwu
Stephen Keshi
Yisa Shofoluwe
Muda Lawal
Henry Nwosu
Samuel Okwaraji
Segun Odegbami
Adokiye Amiesimaka
Rashidi Yekini

With the Green Eagles of Algiers 90 nations cup came a new era of Nigerian football. Some of the players in the team of the 80s had become the senior players of the team. This era saw us dominate football in Africa and at a time ranked 5th in the world, highest for any African team ever. Also winning the AFCON in 1994.

My first 11 from the 1990 to 1999:

Peter Rufai
Ben Iroha
Uche Okechukwu
Stephen Keshi
Augustine Eguavoen
Sunday Oliseh
Austin Okocha
Emmanuel Amuneke
Finidi George
Daniel Amokachi
Rashidi Yekini

With Nigeria producing so many quality youth players in the 1990s both at the U17 and U20. Including winning the Olympics in 1996 and a q/final showing in 2000. A new generation of Eagles emerged. Some others joined from the 2003 U17 and 2005 U20. Some of the players from the 90s had become senior players in the team.

My first 11 for 2000 to 2009:

Vincent Enyeama
Taye Taiwo
Joseph Yobo
Taribo West
Chidi Odiah
Garba Lawal
Austin Okocha
Osaze Odemwingie
Tijani Babangida
Nwankwo Kanu
Yakubu Ayegbeni

The 2010 WC saw the end of a good number of the players of the 2000s. Some retired even before then.
The super eagles would had to depend mostly on the players who featured at the 2003 U17, 2005 U20, 2007 U20, 2008 U23 and 2009 U17 to carry the team further. This culminated in the team wining the AFCON in 2013. Nigeria continued to turn out quality youth players from the 2011 U20, 2013 U20, 2013 U17, 2015 U20 and 2015 U17.

My first 11 from 2010 to date:

Vincent Enyeama
Elderson Echiejile
Kenneth Omeruo
Godfrey Obaobona
Efe Ambrose
Ogenyi Onazi
John Obi Mikel
Victor Moses
Ahmed Musa
Ikechukwu Uche
Emmanuel Emenike

These are strictly my opinion. You are free to criticize or agree on any generation. Who is on my side on this one?

cc: enomakos, Kog45, komekn, forgiveness, TheGoodjoe, Michael2, Goldfish80, tbaba1234, Joseph1013, petrobros, Bascovanveli, safarigirl, TheSuperNerd, Joebie, chrisoblog, loogan, do4luv14, icon79 etc.

Lol now it's Leicester City

bigblangston:
I even got fed up with the Kelechi transfer news, too much twists and turns, I can't deal

Abi o. U will notice I stopped commenting about it Even OGN has not posted anything new in a little while when I checked. Well I guess that's why it's called rumors. It can go either way. Iheanacho next!

TheSuperNerd:
Looolll... all the talks of Westham, westham, West ham.... arsenal, Swansea.. even Birmingham...

Everton was mentioned very early too shaa... but then they just calmed down and now see the result.

Anyway shaa... until they unveil him officially, I am still not buying it 100%.

Transfers get as dem be... lol

My point was Onyekuru was quoted as saying the CF role is his preferred role. I had seen it in him that he will thrive even better in that role. The modern day forward can play all 3 roles. We need to bury that idea of a natural number 9. In fact today's modern coaches have different preferences as to the qualities their chosen number 9 should have. Football is evolving faster than we think.

TheSuperNerd:
In one of the very first mentions of Onyekuru on this thread way back by Sir Tbaba1234 and myself.... we said, combining our comments, that Henry is mainly LWF who can also feature as a RWF and occasionally as CF.

So it is no new info really. But the thing is... some are saying Iheanacho is not a lukaku or drogba looking at the physical side of hold-up plays and Playing with back to goal.
And that is true.

Is it now Henry you will put there for them to come for your head?

But lemme tell you my short opinion. He can play the CF role but NOT conventionally as people expect but that is up to the coach. But yes he can...

After all the brouhaha Everton snatched him without too much talk. I've stopped following transfer rumors

I had said I'd rather use him as a CF. how did I know?

TheSuperNerd:
Meet Henry Onyekuru: Everton's new Nigerian raised by Qataris in Belgium


https://images.cdn.fourfourtwo.com/sites/fourfourtwo.com/files/styles/image_landscape/public/henry_onyekuru_arsenal_2.jpg




The 60-second story

Henry Onyekuru, the Nigerian prodigy who is about to celebrate his 20th birthday next week, has been the revelation of the season in Belgium for newly promoted Eupen.

His 12 goals in 28 regular season matches earned him plenty of attention at first, but he followed them up with another 11 in 10 games during the play-offs for a Europa League spot. His form over the last two months was nothing short of sensational. Add nine assists, and you get an incredible record.

It’s hardly surprising that 10 British clubs – nine from the Premier League, plus Celtic – had reportedly targeted Onyekuru this summer. The latest stories suggest that Everton have landed the youngster, and will loan him out to Anderlecht for next season.


https://images.cdn.fourfourtwo.com/sites/fourfourtwo.com/files/styles/inline-image/public/henry_onyekuru_runs.jpg


Why you need to know him

It’s important to understand Onyekuru's background, and that means understanding Eupen.

"Onyekuru dreams of playing for the Gunners and Thierry Henry has always been his idol, which is why he puts only his first name on the back of his shirt"

The small club from the German-speaking region of Belgium was taken over by Qatar’s Aspire Zone Foundation five years ago. A very curious business established in 2004 by the very top government officials, Aspire is supposed to promote football all over the globe, and apparently puts emphasis on Africa.

The Qataris built a state-of-the-art Aspire Football Dreams academy in Senegal, and describe it as a humanitarian project. They claim to have trialled 430,000 children before picking the most talented ones – and Onyekuru was one of them, having impressed enough to join Aspire from his small Lagos youth team in 2012.

The man responsible for unearthing Onyekuru's talents is Josep Colomer, a former director at La Masia who was directly involved in developing Leo Messi's talents. The fact that Colomer was recruited by the Qataris is hardly surprising, because they have good ties with Barcelona – including the famous shirt sponsorship. Xavi, who now plays in Qatar, is one of Aspire's global ambassadors, and is also named as an academy advisor.

https://images.cdn.fourfourtwo.com/sites/fourfourtwo.com/files/styles/inline-image/public/henry_onyekuru_scores.jpg



In 2012, the Qataris decided to buy Eupen in order to enable academy graduates to get experience in a significant European league. Colomer is now Eupen's sporting director, while the coach – the magnificently named Jordi Condom – is also a Barcelona playing graduate who worked at La Masia for six years. This project is Catalan at heart, and Eupen tend to play possession football. Former Barcelona striker Jeffren Suarez, who scored in the famous 5-0 win over Real Madrid in 2010, is the most famous name in their squad.

The Aspire Zone Foundation's use of Eupen is not dissimilar to the way the ASEC Mimosas academy tried to use Beveren in the beginning of the 2000s. Jean-Marc Guillou, a close friend of Arsene Wenger, acquired the club back then so that his Ivorian youngsters would be able to play in Belgium – the most famous of them being Yaya Toure.
Unlike ASEC Mimosas, though, Aspire are a multinational project, and academy graduates from Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, South Africa and Qatar have found their way to Eupen.

So far, Onyekuru has turned out to be the best of them by a huge distance, but the Qataris never need money and the player’s efforts to get transferred to Celtic in January were unsuccessful. Eupen refused to sell, and when the striker went AWOL in protest, they simply banished him to the reserve side.

Eventually, Onyekuru apologised and returned stronger than ever. Fans whistled him for a while, but his superb form forced them to change their minds and he became an idol once more.

In order to make peace with the youngster, Aspire promised to let him go in the summer, and the interest from Premier League clubs has been a blessing. Onyekuru had dreamt of playing for the Gunners and Thierry Henry has always been his idol, which is why he puts only his first name on the back of his shirt. But Everton could be a fine move for him, via a stint with a much bigger Belgian club in Anderlecht.

https://images.cdn.fourfourtwo.com/sites/fourfourtwo.com/files/styles/inline-image/public/onyekuru_henry_shirt.jpg




Strengths

Onyekuru's style is actually quite similar to that of Henry. The Nigerian claims that centre-forward is his best position, but he’s frequently used on the left wing.

His dribbling skills are phenomenal, and he is especially good when running at defenders at full speed – it’s how he scored a breathtaking goal against Mouscron, leaving five opponents in his wake.

The self-confident Onyekuru is a cool finisher well beyond his age, and possesses a terrific shot with his right foot. The Aspire academy and Eupen cherish technical skills, and that’s why the Nigerian has made such phenomenal progress over the years. Football-wise, he is very well educated.



Weaknesses

Onyekuru is still very inexperienced at a high level, is yet to make his international debut for Nigeria and can't be fully judged by his efforts against mediocre opposition in Belgium.

"Onyekuru can't be fully judged by his efforts against mediocre opposition in Belgium"

He tends to be a bit selfish, and his ball distribution leaves a lot to be desired. The 19-year-old’s left foot is much weaker, and his heading needs to improve significantly. His attitude could be a problem as well, as exemplified by his rather volatile attempts to force a transfer.

They said...

"Onyekuru is way too good for the Belgian league and deserves a big move," says Belgian journalist Sven Claes.



Did you know?

Onyekuru is so ambitious that he promised his mother that he’d score 25 goals in the 2016/17 season. Adding his two strikes in the Belgian Cup to the 23 league goals, the Nigerian was true to his word.



Source: https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/meet-henry-onyekuru-evertons-new-nigerian-admirer-raised-qataris-belgium

the forgotten man.
I don't rule out second tier league players.

https://www.transfermarkt.com/ikechukwu-uche/leistungsdaten/spieler/44027

Excellent!

Although I don't want to fault those calling for Martins' inclusion, since he is not finished yet. Still there is no guarantee that he can even walk into Rorh's starting line up. Some coaches would give him a chance. But Rohr has a different philosophy that favors youth.

TheSuperNerd:
At the ongoing Confed Cup, I saw Raul Jimenez, Mexico's Big natural no.9 flunk against Portugal. No shot on target and his hold-up play Xtic was meaningless. He only came to life against New Zealand.


I also saw Vincent Aboubakar, the player some folks wanna hype so much, miss glaring chances against A less physically powerful/imposing and slow Australian side. If he was Iheanacho... we will be hearing that this guy is useless as a no.9.... why don't they term Aboubakar useless??

Fact is at least Two of those many chances Aboubakr threw away as the natural no.9/striker that he is will be buried with emphasis By Kelechi Iheanacho... EPL's Deadliest Forward in goals per mins ratio.

It is unfair and purely fallacious to say Iheanacho is not good in the CF role. He is good... he lacks the strength to hold up play properly.. yes. He cannot really play with his back to goal akin to Drogba, Costa, et al.. yes. But he improvises beautifully and that has made him The Deadliest Striker in EPL history for goals per min ratio for players with 10+ goals and above since August 2015!!!!!

Nacho is Good as a no.9/top striker... but he is far better as an SS and An AmF. Chikena.

So truth is... I cannot see pass Iheanacho starting against Cameroun for now unless he is injured.

Kayode is am option. Why are you guys not considering him?? You mention martins... I can even manage Ideye.

Abeg... KC/Iheanacho/Nacho/Kelechi is the best no.9/Top striker we have now. #Fact

There is a whole lot more to being a top striker than just being physical and hold-up play and playing with back to goal.

yes and no. These things are not black or white.

forgiveness:
Of course, he played 15x in the league and had game time in other competitions. More than 1,200 minutes of game time.

Is that not better than second division?

Removing all sentiments (that he is Nigerian etc) overall he doesn't look impressive to me. If I were a coach and a scout sent me that clip, i won't be eager to sign him.

Whether he should get a call by Rohr, of course will depend on who we already have as an AMF and the opposition at hand.

forgiveness:
*clearing throat*

Out of his 16 shots at goal (I no count the two goals he scored with his head oooo)

Only 4 were off target, 2 were blocked by the Defenders though goal bound, 2 were saved by the keeper, one hit the post and 7 were buried into the net.

Out of 7 long range shoots from outside the box 18, 3 were off target, 1 was brilliantly saved by the keeper and 3 were buried into the net.


How come some said his shooting, strikes and scoring ability are poor?

Una sure dem watch the match?

Besides, his ball control, stamina, dribbling skills, pace, ability to defend, long range pass, through pass, ability to transform defense to attack etc connotes with the modern day attacking midfielder. Three gbosa for Ajagun!

very well said

TheSuperNerd:
Yes oooo.... we won't judge them entirely by it because we know in Africa, they know how to roar really loud when the chips are down but even at that... These performances at the Confed cup is a very good guide to how the Camerounians will set up against us come august and September. We must not ignore.

We are seeing their strengths and also their weaknesses.

Thank you!

TheSuperNerd:
It is too obvious Sir Joebie... Etebo for the LW and Moses for the RW.... Chikena... These are the warriors that should do battle for the Wings for Nigeria and to provide good cover for our fullbacks.

Our full backs will need defensive support -- and workaholics for that matter that can also attack. My candidates? Moses and Etebo, both playing in the Left and Right Midfield

jotey:
If we want to beat cameroon then we need a dribbler in that match

They will just keep fouling him till we get a penalty or till they get a red card

That is why we need moses in that match

He is the key

but that's Cameroon for you when they play away from Africa. But they have this belief in African soil -- esp when they play against Nigeria. Let's not judge by their performance in the conf cup.

TheSuperNerd:
Cameroun should plss beat these Australians naa.... They have the pace, stamina and power over the Australians.... the Australians aren't fast compared to the Camerounians... the Camerounian attack keep carving out chance after chance but their problem of finishing is rearing its ugly head again.


The Camerounian forward line is really over the Australians but finishing!!!!! ahhhhh... Africa my Africa!!!!

lol okay oh..

u know even when u win the battle, nothing is still guaranteed.. you will live to fight another day, win or lose.. hahaha

TheSuperNerd:
Ehen.....

Wetin do the Age?


Love is Ageless.... Love shatters the glass of time... Love is boundless. So 21st or 4th century... let them fight...

TheSuperNerd .. in this age??

TheSuperNerd:
Coward!

Why won't you stand and "fight" for what/who you love.... even Independence was fought for.

Wars have also been started because of Love and won and lost too... where art thy courage?? Art thou a man of Valor or a man of Cowardice?

Fight my good man... fight... and see if a kiss from the lips of thy love won't be thy reward....

i'm sure OGN follow our forum hahaha.

Icon79:
I guess the real question here is, was this journo part of the negotiation to know that Shakespear plans to give Nacho the support striker role?
Most Naija journos tend to write pure speculative craps just for the heck of it!

O pari

I will give my opinion after others have watched..

Mickael2:
well, he can dribble very well, he has a good passing range, long balls and through balls he has them both, he is strong too and his ball control is amazing.

however I believe he is more of a CMF his goalscoring ability is abysmally poor. almost all his strikes were off target even when he was in front of goal alone. I like his style of play though he knows he can't score so he would rather pass and his decision making isn't bad.

all in all considering the fact that we have no attacking or CMF on our team he has a strong case, a very strong one


Or you think he doesn't have a case?!!!

I will give my opinion after others have watched and commented. However, I get your point as regards the SA game.

TheSuperNerd:
I mentioned him in my discussion with you alongside Aluko after discussing Nacho and Iwobi as a 10.... and I laid out his qualities in brief....

Ajagun in that game against South Africa would have located Iheanacho in space with at least two of those 4-5 overhit/overcooked throughballs the likes of Onazi and Etebo were sending.....

Ajagun's passing range is very good and his Vision is great. Lad is technically gifted and carries a good swagger in his game.

He should be given a look-in.

Let everyone watch and give their verdict.

TheSuperNerd:
I mentioned him in my discussion with you alongside Aluko after discussing Nacho and Iwobi as a 10.... and I laid out his qualities in brief....

Ajagun in that game against South Africa would have located Iheanacho in space with at least two of those 4-5 overhit/overcooked throughballs the likes of Onazi and Etebo were sending.....

Ajagun's passing range is very good and his Vision is great. Lad is technically gifted and carries a good swagger in his game.

He should be given a look-in.

oga Kog45 I finally decided to youtube Ajagun.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krJzH2Sq-Rs

Let everyone watch his clip and be sincere. Does Ajagun make a strong case?

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

How about we make a case for Oboabona as well.

https://www.transfermarkt.com/godfrey-oboabona/leistungsdaten/spieler/217656

For those who can see better, what's your criteria for selection? Pick your best 22, and there would still be critics.

Otigba's stats LAST SEASON doesn't look convincing.

https://www.transfermarkt.com/kenny-otigba/leistungsdaten/spieler/136515

Awaziem may not have played for Porto A last season. But he earned his first call to SE when he was starting for Porto A. And he was a super regular for Porto B this past season.


Some of us see better than Rohr

Otigba had a good season, right? How many caps did he earn in this past season?

forgiveness:
No mind d guy. He doesn't fancy players in Turkey but why did he invite Onazi and Omeruo?

So, Rohr fancies Israeli, Portuguese second division and Cyprus league ahead of the Turkish league?

I am beginning to suspect his integrity.