₦airaland Forum

And Nigerians said Amen to that..lol.. A nation of millions of praying warriors.. who e don epp?

As the saying goes "it's only God that will save this country" -- But that's how we get it all wrong. God is not partial. if HE were, we would have been qualifying for all world cups and AFCON and would have won the WC since... You don't plant oranges and expect mango. While others where investing time and money on football development, we've been busy doing something else and expecting miracles on matchday.

Don't forget we prayed against SA. so go on and pray again when we tackle Cameroon. The outcome will still be the outcome

soetanoreoluwa:
I got you... Am not saying is a fantastic player but still better than many goalkeepers we have at this moment....

I don't have issue for the coach to drop him ... All am saying is this... Is not cos someone made a "school boy"" error then we should finish his career with our mouth... We can clamour for him to be dropped not to destroy his career as if we have a personally issue with him..

Modify :Akpeyi is a okay good keeper and is better than most of the home base we have at this moment...

I was watching Npfl between 3sc and kastina Utd then you will know that we don't have quality goal keeper...

Is better we wake up to reality... The only mistake I can say the coaching crew made was not using the so called "best " in training camp during the friendly...

Bottom line... The coach knows the best...


If you want to wait till 70 mins cos you want to hear is a miracle working God..

Then


You might be shock to hear all we are saying give us more goals....


Happy weekend!!!

My brother. True talk!

Me I just want Rohr to succeed. Because I have respect for him and appreciate how he started. But going by our arrogance, I wont shed one tear if we are humiliated again. Personally I think the earlier you accept the reality of where you are presently, the better your chance of making progress. I think what Nigeria and Nigerians need is a reality check without sentiments.

We are not what we are claiming. We are down there in so many matters.. Even football. In the next CAF awards, I doubt we will win as much awards as we won last year. Going by our noise and population and our focus on JUST football, are we not suppose to be dominating Africa AT LEAST??

Mickael2:
Bros chill, 70th minute is what I am waiting for so we will start singing he is a miracle working God.

The fact that there are some fans who believe that Akpeyi deserves to even be a professional footballer leaves me in total shock I didn't even know what to type, some are even saying that Cameroon may not even get a shot on target, the same Cameroon that hassled Germany will not hit our target, are we Spain?

The same people are saying that retired players are no longer enough, some didn't even retire but we retired them because we are building something new. Okocha made mention of what a total overhaul did to them after the 2002(?) nations cup yet we haven't learnt from that, we still believe that a 32 year old has nothing to bring, that a 19 year old warming the bench in a top club has a lot more to offer than a 32 year old banging in goals in another team. Some will even ridicule a top goalkeeper just to prove a point. Me I have decided that I won't talk much again until Rohr releases his list, then if he has listened to these guys I will also not tak again until the 70th minute of that game

These are the people who will start crying and looking for a scape goat when Cameroon beats us lol. Our arrogance will never cease. Truth is we are not soccer giants even in Africa. Hence we need to approach Cameroon with caution.

Humility017:
I tell you....please add amokachi and okocha...they really played well and look fit in the just concluded star 6 tournament.
Nigerians will never seems to amaze me.
playing Cameroon is now like playing Barcelona or Germany

I prefer Emenike. Although Ighalo has been making a case lately for a recall. But my point is I think Emenike will perform better, considering the opposition.

junnyjake:
I'd have ighalo start in his place and iheanacho as well.

Lol.. you really things real agents will be on nairaland, trying to convince who?

Icon79:
Agents at work!


O pari

For the love of NPFL, please monitor our league here with summary of matches:

www.npfl.ng

Stats I requestes from NPFL Stats.. Here is their reply:

NPFL STATISTICS‏ @NPFLstats 5h5 hours ago
More
NPFL STATISTICS Retweeted Ejay Dacoda

IKECHUKWU EZENWA's stats this #NPFL season

Apps (subs): 14 (0) --- out of 32 matches
Clean sheet: 6
Goals conceded: 13
Penalty faced/saved: 2/1

Do you consider this stats impressive?

I'm making a case for a number 9 considering our next opponent, Cameroon. Judging with most recent form, Emenike is still productive. At least he has not been used recently.

Modified.

And please let's not go back to the SA match. My opinion has always been we lost MAINLY because South Africa has improved a lot.

Icon4s:
We need the experience of players who are still productive and prolific. Moses, Musa, Mikel, Onazi, Echiejile, Balogun and Interior can provide the experience we need in their respective positions.

We just need the youngsters to ride on their backs. The absence of 3 of the 7 I mentioned above is largely responsible for our loss to SA. All 7 played against Algeria and all the goals came from 2 of them.

The only young player I am not comfortable having in that team is Osimhen cos he IMO has not yet proven himself as a professional player. Others like Iheanacho, Kayode, Simon, Iwobi, Etebo, Ndidi, Awaziem and Shehu are rightly in the squad.

I call that goals draught. Even the young players will experience it too. The fact is you need a good balance of youth and experience.
Emenike looks really good right now. Or is Osihmen banging goals

Icon4s:
You and I know Emenike had his run And then stopped scoring.

We were patient and still allowed him more time to see if he could manage to pick up.
But he didn't.

We have moved on. We have younger strikers now whose careers are on the rise. We need to explore and exploit those.

To me Ighalo, Ideye, and Emenike are no-no.

I've only mentioned Emenike throughout my NairalandSpan

How many goals did Emenike score in his peak?

Icon4s:
Those old players you have been mentioning are way past there peaks.

Lol a few old players won't hurt.. We need a good balance.. I've just made my case with stats and quality recent videos.. make your case..

one thing for sure a completely young team won't do it for us right now.

Icon4s:
"I think we still need Martins", " I think we still need Osaze", " I think we still need Emenike", "I think we still Need Ayenugba even Eyeama". We should just kukuma disband this whole team and call back all our old "pensioner" players.

Turkish League stats
Season starts goals assists
16/17 Süper Lig Süper Lig Fenerbahce SK 16 4 4
14/15 Süper Lig Süper Lig Fenerbahce SK 27 4 4
13/14 Süper Lig Süper Lig Fenerbahce SK 28 12 9
10/11 Süper Lig Süper Lig Kardemir D.C. 23 14 4


Emenike has never been a high goal scorer. Not withstanding, he has done pretty well in SE colors. Scoring two goals at home to Monaco and one away at the Champions League last year shows his class.
Everybody knows he had a hard time in Turkey. I think his presence, physicality, speed, experience and good return at the big stage is what we need especially now against Cameroon. Going forward, that's another matter.

Check this out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHtGZosoGhc

kennysville:
Hmmm! Emenike sha? now he scored a couple of goals since 2013 nations cup and suddenly a clamour? We need to learn on building on what we have presently. Emenike has been MIA goal wise, practically thrown out of his clubs. Didnt do well to stay in the premiership, neither did he do well with the turkish clubs he was with. Asking him to be part of this present team is like taking 1 step forward and 6steps backward. Personally, i am for progressive soccer. Even if he has the best goal to game ratio, i think he is bad news for Super Eagles.

I think we still need Emenike.

He scored 3 times against Monaco at the Champions League qualification stage last year.
1 assist against eventual Europa League champoins
1 goal against Feyenoord
4 Super Lig goals.

Currently he has one goal from only 2 minutes of game time for Olympiakos in the Champions League. I think he still has it. Plus, he is big, fast and experienced. Emenike-Iheanacho pairing against Cameroon. My people, over to you.

Enyeama and Emenike should call off their retirement. Together with returnees Mikel, Moses and Balogun, and new boy Ola Aina, I think we are good to go with the rest of the regulars.

The only outsider among the keepres is Okiemute Odah. Else, same old story.

Humility017:
considering seniority of players....
Chima akas ought to be the captain of the team.
I just believe a young vibrant goalie can be unearthed from the NPFL to grow wit other foreign base....that if....alloy agu does his job well.
More so, just hope the latter part of your reply is complied wit....
I rarely trust indigenous coaches after keshi romance wit agbim....and also his bizarre 2014 world cup list....

EXACTLY MY POINT

tbaba1234:
I have been a critic of Akpeyi way before the SA game. In fact, I have not even blamed him for the SA loss in any discussion.

Before the Olympics, I rated him as a decent keeper but his shaky displays in the Olympics, against Algeria, Senegal and SA have convinced me that he is not good enough to be number 1 in the national team.

It is not just one display, any keeper can have an off night. His recent displays have been shaky. He consistently mishandles crosses. If he was a young keeper, perhaps we could have made excuses for him.

Emmanuel Daniel during the Olympics qualifiers and sometimes in the Olympics was a lifesaver for the team. He made great saves to keep his team in it. Enyeama has done that for Nigeria.

If Nigeria is under pressure in Yaounde, Can we count on Akpeyi to keep us in the game if necessary.. His recent performances do not suggest that.

Nwakaeme worked a full shift an scored the first of two goals for Beer Sheva in their 2-0 win over Ludogorets in the 1st leg of Champions Leagu qualification. Super Eagles midfielder, John Ogu was also on for Sheva for the entire duration but was cautioned in the dying minutes of the game.

In another match, Club Brugge currently lead Baseksihir of Turkey 1-0, thanks to Dennis Bournaventure

Even the much celebrated Abiodun Baruwa of 3SC fame was in the bench when young Joeseph Dosu was in goal for Nigeria at the Atlanta Olympics. Who later became SE's first choice after the olympics? - Dosu of course. Like I said the days of Akpeyi is numbered in SE.

I won't be surprised when he becomes 3rd choice by year end

chrisooblog:
bros e tire me. akpeyi that was even second choice at the rio olympics what sense does it make that he is the super eagles number 1 when he couldn't even displace an u23 goalkeeper. i find it even funnier that to defend akpeyi some people are bringing out old mistakes and unrelated performances of ikeme to justify akpeyi's poor form

Anyone who have been following or reading my comments on This forum will know I hardly use the term world class. The point is I'm by far more comfortable with Ikeme in goal. I'm sure we can post videos of gaffes by even the best keepers. Ikeme has far more experience and is well tested playing in the championship over the years than Akpeyi. The best keeper shows it again and again. Akpeyi is not even the better than all the NPFL keepers. If that's a lie give them a chance and u will see what will happen. Akpeyi's days are numbered in SE.

goldfish80:
Ikeme became the first choice goalkeeper for Wolves in the 2013 season. Mind you, this guy ais 31 years old. He only became first choice for his club at 28.
In England, he is considered average who has had a fair share of his own gaffes down the years. You can see some of them.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbX3vYoMf5k


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3r7wwvEYkM

Even last season he had a few shockers. You may not know this because you don't follow the English championship but that's the reality. Ikeme is not world class like some have been thinking. His case have become absence making the heart grow fonder.

The goals he conceeded against Zambia and Egypt are just identical to the ones Akpeyi considered. But people want to kill Akpeyi.

We have to be real, we don't have any proper world class goalkeeper.

Lol just read that about 5 NPFL officials were sanctioned by LMC.

What they really need is a point system for every bad call that manipulates the outcome of a game. These referees should be banned for at least a season. A second ban should be a career ban.

But hey it's a Nigerian problem. Think about how many judges, police, public official etc deserves a life ban. With our mentality, it's always going to be a problem. No where in the world is perfect, but Nigeria is a lost cause.

goldfish80:
Earlier in the season against Rangers in Nnewi. Rangers scored a beautiful goal from a free kick which was ruled out and 2 dubious penalties were awarded to Ifeanyi Uba, they missed one and scored the second one. 1 nil to Ifeanyi Uba.. Lol

My whole point is Nigeria can do better than an "OK" keeper. I'm 100% confident that we have at least two better keepers out there.

goldfish80:
I am not of the opinion that Akpeyi is a world class goalkeeper. I cant delude myself into believing that. I think hes an OK keeper, I mean look at his record when he played in the npfl, he was one of the best we had in the league. I recall he was Heartlands !st choice goalkeeper during their run to the finals of the champions league. He was pretty solid alongside Ike Thankgod and Chinedu Effugh at the back. Ezennwa was his number 2 at the time.

If he was as bad a goalkeeper as you all are making him out to be, I wonder how he managed to get to this level. Most of the Npfl goalkeepers can only dream of getting their team to the caf champions league finals.

Even if we must crucify him, lets wait until such a time he does that rather than cook up false accusations just to nail him.

Shorunmu have said something about this guy and trust me, IKe shorumu knows him very well from his days as a national team trainer.

Dem no be U17 players when we dey try discover Na. For me camp is to pick the best. It's a time for comparison as regards who can play best to match strategy etc.

komekn:
There are two camps for me.

The first is the proving camp of your football club where you are day in and day out. After you have proven yourself in your club that becomes the justification for invitation to the SE set up.

The SE camp is where strategy, tactics and team plans are established. You have limited time to assess the players most times you will hardly get up to 10 days in camp when the football season is in session.

It is not the place of player discovery or individual player experimentation. For that reason we should be inviting Obagoal, Ideye, Ighalo and Anichebe to camp.

For them to confirm thier pedigree not to discover it.

Ikeme Just recently promoted? Lol.. Enyeama now surplus to requirement? You seem to have forgotten Enyeama's fine record in Ligue 1 in recent seasons. Please can we even boast of Akpeyi at any point in history, besides one or two good showings? It's unfortunate you like to defend the average. For me, Nigeria can do far better in that department. Let's not go too far, lets learn from neighbors Cameroon.

goldfish80:
Which of our keepers is feared? Even Ikeme was just recently promoted as Wolves first keeper. He used to be Wayne hennesey's Lieutenant for a good number of years till Wayne left for Crystal Palace. HE is not considered one of the best in the Championship.
Abi Vincente Enyeama? he has been laid off by Lille as things stand.HE is surplus to requirements to Bielsa.

To be honest, sometimes I don't understand our big time charly attitude. We have to come down from our high horse and face reality.

If they are still scoring, why not? But my point is they should not start based on past glory. Let them still do the battle in camp. Hiwever our youths should be allowed to develop, just like Iwobi is getting hia chance at Arsenal. It will pay off big time in future.

komekn:
I disagree they are the potential future but currently they have not arrived.

Ighalo is proven and tested he may have had a barren period but it seems he is coming back.

I watched Ribery, Defoe, Alves and Ibrahimovic are currently top world class players. They are right at the top in world football, shockingly they are all over 34 years old.

They are not the past but the very present top class future.

If they were Nigerian we would have denigrated them and thrown them on the scrap heap. Just like what we have done and are doing with Obagoal, Ideye and Ighalo to mention a few.

The question is are these youth players who have not even played a full season of professional top flight football better Currently than our experienced and tested top players

I agree. The best should be in post

We have seen inexperienced keepers make their mark in big games. Call the psychologists to assertain if that keeper is ready for the big, and if he is, why not?

TheGoodJoe:
I want the best keeper in goal. I am rooting for Alampasu because I feel he is the best. I want Emma Daniel, Alampasu and others screened and the best selected.

I just explained this not long ago. Leave bias in any form. Select the best after careful consideration. Not experience or because you like the player. Screen and select the best. I have said this for too long.

The latest is he is under consideration by Rohr.

Our GK is our biggest problem in terms o personnel because we can't beat our chest and say we have a good replacement for Ikeme, since we know Enyeama. For the other positions we can at least mention names with confidence. Just when I was thinking we need to recall Emenike he banged in a goal today. Looking at his record he has never been that high scoring forward at the club level, but has hardly dissapointed in a high profile match for SE.

Talking about tactics etc is another topic. But Nigeria deserves a better keeper than Akpeyi. We are bigger than that. I know we have that keeper if we give them a chance. Akpeyi is not even feared in South Africa, where he plays. Are u kidding me?

goldfish80:
I honestly don't believe goalkeeper is our biggest problem. I am more interested in the outfield playing personnel and strategy. I really have sympathy for Akpeyi,its unfortunate people have made up their minds about him and there's no going back for them.

Rohr seems to be the kind of manager who pays attention to psychology, which explained why he dropped Omeruo. I guess the new Gk trainer was brought in to psych up the GKs, especially since Nigerians have opted to run them down for reasons best known to them.

If Akpeyi proves his nerves are made of steel, then he starts.
As simple as that.

People clamouring for Emmanuel Daniel are misinformed. That guy have not played competitive football for about 1 year. It will be a joke if the Nff invite an unproven, inactive keeper for our biggest game of the year.

And the hand writing will definitely change. If Gabriel Jesus and co had not delivered, Pep will have been forced to fall back to the rejected stone. In this case the truth is we have options. Watch and see what Rohr is about to do.

soetanoreoluwa:
One thing you should get Mr Rohr didn't believe in alamapasu to man the post ....the way pep didn't believe in nacho... The hand writing is already on the wall for everybody to see...

Lol lets not crucify Akpeyi. He was not the SOLE reason for the loss. However, I've never been confident in him. He could be the SOLE reason tomorrow. He is not reliable enough. Simple. For those who love him to be between the sticks, watch as he will be fizzled out very soon. Lol

goldfish80:
With 3 mins left on the clock you expect magic when we couldn't hit a shot on target all game long?

Are you seriously trying to make me belive that you haven't witnessed a team conceeding a goal towards the end of a gear while they go in search for an equaliser?
The same scenario played out. Dont know why Akepyi is being held responsible while nobody held Ikeme responsible, same scenario.

I wonder why nobody blamed Ikeme for the goal Egypt scored in Kaduna. It was almost the same scenario we had with Mo' Salah. Why didn't Ikeme come out and collect red? Akepyi even managed to come out and challenge but Ikeme sat on his arse.

Unless you guys have a beef outside football with Akpeyi which I don't know about. Its mental to hold him response for that goal.

I expected Sagay to at least expatiate. He just resorted to calling Fayose names. Now who is different? Just like a case of a passerby abusing a mad man.

Modified
My position on Fayose. I've read his many utterances. Just as it is very logical to to oppose this government and the ridiculous things happening on the presidency, the way you go about and in fact your choice of words can easily reveal the type of person you are.

He reminds me of the ever-tweeting Donald Trump. There is a time to talk, and a time to shut up if you don't have something logical to say. How about we all wait till the 27th lol? Didn't he say all the drinks in the table were Nigerian drinks? Do any of us see wisdom in that? Smh

Yes but at his age I'm emphasizing that what's most important is money before his impending retirement.

do4luv14:
and he will still bang in goals there,
he isn't finished yet, if not for westbrom, and stoke city

Osaze should go to China

tbaba1234:
Indonesia?? Sinama Pongolle is banging goals in Thailand. Should the French consider him?

Osaze is far better than the league, he is playing

I disagree. Iwobi has risen through the ranks at Arsenal. His best shot of continued development remains there. Wenger is good for him...until he establishes himself fully -- when he becomes indispensable. Then, he will be world class ready for a great offer elsewhere.

Danielnino00:
Even Iwobi should go on loan. I don't want to get carried away with his ore season performance yet. If Sanchez stays,then Iwobi would find playing time hard to come

I think he should have taken the Fenarbahce offer. EPL is not for everyone. Nigerian players should stop forcing it. We've seen great players do badly in the EPL. It's all about style of play and if you can't adapt well just move.

Another player is Success Isaac. Maybe a second season for both will prove me right or wrong.

Danielnino00:
Guys,do you think its high time Ahmed Musa leaves Leicester (permanently maybe)?

The no.7 jersey has been taken from him already. that's a clear indication that his role in the team would be limited next season.