₦airaland Forum

Vicente Del Bosque saw plenty of room for improvement from his Spain side as they gained their first World Cup points with a 2-0 win over Honduras.

David Villa scored a goal in each half and missed a penalty in the second period as the European champions recovered from a 1-0 defeat to Switzerland in their opening Group H match.

Del Bosque welcomed the points but did not believe his side were anywhere near their best.

"We certainly paved the way for the third group match against Chile, but this.hasn't been a great match, we had glorious opportunities, many opportunities, we should have won the game by more goals so I'm not entirely satisfied," he said.

Villa struck the crossbar early on before putting Spain in front in the 17th minute as he cut in from the left, beating three men and firing an unstoppable shot past Honduras goalkeeper Noel Valladares.

His second owed much to good movement when he dropped to the edge of the area as Jesus Navas raced down the right, and when the cutback came he was well placed to drill in a second with the aid of a deflection off Osman Chavez.

Del Bosque was impressed with how Honduras had approached the match and said: "They were daring, not terribly defensive, although we did expect that after the match against Chile. They have come right up to our goal. I know this team very well, they have great players like Wilson Palacios, Amado Guevara, Valladares - the spine of this team is very good.

Fernando Torres, who started for the first time in the finals, also drew words of praise from his coach.

"Fernando is a great player, he really knows how to play on the limits of offside. He has just recovered from an injury but he looks on top form physically. Let's hope in the next match he can do some more sterling work for our side,"

eldee:
Hehehe . . . you're questioning my use of language instead of the point I raised??
Anyway, xenophobia is the fear of an alien group/concept/way of life. . . moral panic is just the expression of anger towards a set of people because of a deviation from what has been falsely considered right for a long time.
In this case people that watched football in the 70s/80s are scared that the way players are getting money these days and feel it should be blamed for everything that happens in modern football.
Any more grammar lessons you want to give me??

Dude, you're taking the blame away from the manager and putting it on the players and money.
'Commercialisation' is not to blame for this, players have been going on strike before money came into football.

Evra isn't earning up to half what Kaka used to at Milan, yet we never heard of Kaka talking back to Dunga.
Messi is being played out of position by Maradona, he's too scared to say anything . . . it's not about the money, it is the Manager.

I do not need your lessons in grammar but thanks all the same.
my point in highlighting the phrase in question was that there was absolutely nothing xenophobic about my comments and i wish to Reiterate that while the manager is a problem (and this is not the first team to have a silly manager), the players have no sense of responsibility whatsoever.
The french players are examples of a wide spread malaise that has afflicted the game in recent times.
That does not mean that you cannot find examples of players who are exceptions.The fact is that the attitude of the french players is the norm in recent times.
What has that strike solved?
How can any sane person defend the actions of Anelka in this case?
Are they the first set of individuals to have a mad man as a boss?
There is so much focus on the commercial aspects of the game today that most of the elite players seem cocooned in a world devoid of reality.
These spoilt brats need a good smack on their thick heads.
The presence of a few sane souls in their midst (two of which you mentioned) does not detract from that point.

Pharoh:
Go to the head to head league and click on matches, there you will see all your opponents.

Hehe . . . you cannot win the head to head league if you don't perform in the main league you know.?

i know, i just dey swamped with the men league.
whoever my opponent be,make him/her de win de go.

David Villa, let's go o!
no excuse today o!
if not, i go Kaitalize you o!
you have been warned o.

tkb417:
abeg this fantasy league is hard

cant seem to understand what im doing anymore

so so down the ladder im scared ill be relegated

R2- i hope i beat Ranchers bees tho in head to head

which kind play be that??
na you carry me come here o!
make you no fall my hand o!
i no dey even worry for head to head.
i have enough on my hands in the main league.
i no even know who i dey play.
i no send.

tkb, let's go there joo . . .

cecegorz:
Brov, i got no point 4m  goal keeper, no thanks to Buffon's injury! the subs are all 1pt keepers with permanent residence on the bench. I had to buy ceasar for R3 sha.

Pique is my last man to play tonight.

Mbulela is in Arsenal mode, u know early to school no mean say student dey bright nah?        me and am don tie for points for now.

ha ha ha !!!
the main thing na say i made forlan captain, so till the end of this round i no fit sub am and i no fit change captain.
the major reason wey we tie for points na say, i no even know wetin dey happen for round 1.
i did not sub for two straight days then.
my goalkeeper get 10 points and i get Casillas for bench.i just dey wonder.
i no trust these spanish boys.

Everyday, 'les Bleus' push back the frontiers of the unacceptable , This band of spoilt children, left free to do what they like by their entire hierarchy, has no limit, no sense of duty so close to the match against South Africa. To have the worst soccer team at the World Cup was already unbearable. To also have the most stupid is intolerable , The mutiny at Knysna will forever remain the Waterloo of French soccer."

mathew jam:
Satan telling Jesus to turn stones into bread
knowing that he was hungry cos he is fasting.
That's temptation, and thank God she scale over it.

this one is a non existent temptation.
too many holes in the story.

come to think of it, she might have fallen for a lying spirit.

gReenmAn:
Wayyy too many holes in this story as already pointed out by many.

Question:
Why would any serious company -identity conveniently missing in this case- make any serious offer to an artiste via her Facebook Fan Page?!

That is ludicrous at best.
This is simply a lame attempt to hype the unknown act.

gbam!!!

part 2:
spiritual konji - nigga raw
e no easy o - p squared
mr. endowed - dbanj
anything by mode 9
implication- 2 faceanything by Goldie
that birthday song by Obiwon
anything by Dr. Sid

i beg go put those threads for front page.
thanks.

9jafreak:
o :oIs this TRUE?

Absolutely incredible stuff. This is fabulously refreshing at a time when we have NO MORE Gospel singers left in the industry ---just gospel wannabees


Name them: Rooftop MCs, Nikki Laoye, Bouqui, Timi Dakolo (saw him in a gospel concert), [b]Paul IK Dairo (totally gone with the devil)[/b]etc

These all started in/with Church, and slowly mixed up with the multitude.


Featuring MI in a gospel song (How utterly pathetic is that?)



These and many more are all money chasers and not God-chasers. Their lyrics are no different from Tu face's or 50 cent's.


Check their ipods, many of the songs are secular songs,


If that's where you get your inspiration, how can you edify me sister/brother?


It's such a pathetic state!

I hope some of them reads this and STANDOUT for CHRIST!

O ye Lukewarmers

on the bolded phrase, i assume you escorted him to that destination,right?
While you have a point and i agree with the crux of your argument, reason why i can't remember when last i listened to a Nigerian gospel artiste, even the foriegn ones i am cautious,i listen to a lot of secular music but when i want to listen to gospel, i want gospel not pseudo-gospel or a person who is not even attempting to live the live he/she is singing.
yet we need to be careful in passing judgement on people zealously.
He that is standing,should be careful lest he falls.
But for grace,

my own is thta the man seems so detached from everything happening around him.
see his hands in his pocket, just posing.
wetin concern am?
now who is the maga?
and who is paying?

Ibime:
Evra has disgraced himself in this whole process and no club manager will ever give him captaincy after this.

Ribery, Henry, Anelka, Gallas and Evra must all be swept away from the French team, much like Ginola and Cantona were swept away after the debacle of 1993.

Govou and Abidal can join them on account of them being wastepipes.

Malouda may yet be indispensible, but he may also be held to account.



The loss of Evra is not irreparable as Aly Cissokho and Clichy can easily fill in.

Mamahdou Sakho would easily replace Abidal.

The only people who do not have like-for-like replacements are Ribery and Malouda.

i wonder why he is yet to show that indispensability in recent games.
he has been the biggest disappointment on the pitch.
in my view non of them is indispensable.
one thing is certain, Blanc has taken a poisoned chalice.
i hope these brats do not ruin his stellar managerial career in the making.

eldee:
This is just a xenophobic display of moral panic. . . what does money have to do with this??
Yeah, the players are rich but is that what made the coach unable to control them??

They are unprofessional not because they are rich, but because of the coach . . . Evra cannot try that with Ferguson, Wenger eliminated the mafia one after the other at Arsenal.

That will be using extreme force and will backfire if he doesn't win.
When Zidane, Henry and Ribery combined to take France to the final of the last World Cup, everyone forgot about how silly Domenech was.
The key is winning . . . you don't need a unified team to win, you just need them to be professional.

And besides. . . suspending Evra, Ribery and Gallas will effectively waste a generation of French football.

dude, that phrase does not apply.
i would be glad if you could explain how it fits within this context?
What is xenophobic in my comment?
the fact that they cannot do it with Fergie, Wenger or Ancelotti reinforces my point.
they know where their bread is buttered.If you can act in such unprofessional manner like Anelka did and the rest of the squad did,then you are not truly proferssional.
Some of us have worse bosses than Domench and besides they only have to put up with the clown for just a few more weeks (being optimistic).
btw, the leadership of FFF should resign immediately the match on teusday ends (assuming they fail to qualify).
even NFF is not this inept.

Venue:Ellis Park, Jo'burg,
Monday 7.30pm

Referee:Yuichi Nishimura (JPN)

Spain
Manager: Vicente Del Bosque
Fifa ranking 1

Doubtful:Sergio Ramos (rib)

Injured:Iniesta (thigh)

Suspended: None

Honduras
Manager:Reinaldo Rueda

Fifa ranking 38

Doubtful:David Suazo (thigh)

Injured: None

Suspended:None

World Cup head-to-head
Games played: 1.
Spain: 0 wins, 0 losses, 1 draw.
Honduras: 0 wins, 1 loss, 0 draws.
Goals: Spain 1, Honduras 1
Last match: In their only meeting in international play, host Spain and Honduras drew 1-1 in their opening group match of the 1982 World Cup, as Hector Zelaya put Honduras in front seven minutes in and Roberto Lopez Ufarte replied with a penalty in the 65th minute.

Venue:Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth,
Monday 3pm

Odds Chile 11-8, Switzerland 5-2, Draw 9-4

Referee K al Ghamdi (Sau)

Chile
Manager: Marcelo Biesla
Fifa ranking 18

Doubtful Suazo (hamstring), Valdivia (leg)

Injured None

Suspended None

Switzerland
Manager:Ottmar Hitzfeld

Fifa ranking 24

Doubtful None

Injured Senderos (ankle)

Suspended None

Match pointers
• Switzerland have failed to win their four matches against South American sides in the World Cup (three defeats and one draw)

• Chile have failed to win their last eight World Cup fixtures against European sides (five defeats and three draws)

• Switzerland had only 26.7% of the possession of the ball against Spain – no other team has won a World Cup game with so little possession since 1966

• Chile's win over Honduras ended 13 games without a World Cup victory for the South American side

• Switzerland have not conceded a goal in seven hours and 34 minutes of World Cup playing time

Raymond Domenech suffered the ultimate humiliation at the hands of his players as strikes, rows, resignations and recriminations left the French in disarray on one of the darkest days in the country's football history.

Domenech's impotence was laid bare in extraordinary fashion after his players refused to train at their scheduled afternoon session, in protest at the French Football Federation's decision to send home Nicolas Anelka. The Chelsea striker argued with Domenech in the dressing room at half-time in last Thursday's Group A defeat by Mexico, reportedly saying to him: "Go Bleep yourself, you son of a LovePeddler." After he refused to apologise to Domenech, the FFF expelled him from the squad.

In front of hundreds of fans at what was an open session in Knysna, France's players began by signing autographs. But once on the pitch, the captain, Patrice Evra, had a row with Robert Duverne, the fitness coach, which resulted in the latter storming off and the players withdrawing to the team bus and pulling shut the curtains. Domenech had to separate Evra and Duverne.

• The latest team-by-team news, features and moreEvra, who had earlier stayed on the bus to talk to Domenech, was seen with a letter, which turned out to be a statement from the players. Incredibly, it fell to Domenech to read it out. The coach seemed to be caught between a rock and a hard place and the scene was described by some commentators as the most unbelievable in the history of Les Bleus.

"All the players without exception want to declare their opposition to the decision taken by the FFF to exclude Nicolas Anelka from the squad," Domenech read. "At the request of the squad, the player in question attempted to have dialogue but his approach was ignored. The FFF has at no time tried to protect the squad. It has made a decision [to send Anelka home] without consulting all the players, on the basis of the facts reported by the press."

The France team director, Jean-Louis Valentin, resigned. "It's a scandal for the French, for the young people here, for the federation and the French team," he said. "They don't want to train. It's unacceptable. As for me, it's over. I'm leaving the federation. I'm sickened and disgusted."

The FFF hit back at the players in a statement that said their actions were "unacceptable". It read: "Contrary to what the players said, this sanction [of Anelka] was taken following a long conversation with the person in the presence of the captain. The FFF apologise to the country for the unacceptable conduct of the players that are representing our country. A federal council shall be convened immediately on the completion of the French team's campaign to draw all the conclusions of the crisis that has been created."

France intend to train tomorrow , most likely behind closed doors, ahead of Tuesday's game against South Africa, in which the players intend to "ensure that France regains its honour". It is unclear whether Domenech will give the team talk. After drawing with Uruguay and losing to Mexico, France need a handsome victory coupled with a favourable result in the Uruguay's match against Mexico if they are to advance to the last 16.

Evra had earlier railed against the "traitor" in the squad's midst, "who told the press what was said" at half-time against Mexico. Duverne denied he was to blame. "I talked to Raymond Domenech on behalf of the players [after the dressing-room row], including Patrice Evra," he said. "I have children and I don't want to be sullied by rumours that I am the traitor." Evra later said that Duverne was not to blame.

Of his argument with Evra, Duverne said: "Patrice Evra came to tell me that the players were not going to participate in training. I was angry because we play a big game in two days and we have no right to destroy our last chance. We are in a difficult situation but it is not impossible."

Domenech had said that he had "left open the possibility" for Anelka to apologise but the player was not prepared to do so. "The decision to exclude him, then, was the right one," Domenech said earlier in the day. "I am sorry for the children for whom the French team represents something. Anelka does not have the right to say such things."

There is widespread anger in France and the day's events not only highlighted the divisions between the FFF and Domenech and the players respectively but they brought to a head the tensions that have dogged the set-up in recent weeks. Domenech, who has been accused of bizarre decision-making, has alienated many players, including Thierry Henry, William Gallas, Florent Malouda and Anelka, and there are clashes between individual members of the squad. Domenech will leave his post after the World Cup, to be replaced by Laurent Blanc.

my respect for Patrice has diminshed for leading this senseless and idiotic mutiny.
What the heck do they mean that they are against the expulsion of Aneka?
How can you insult your boss (or team leader) (or even your teammate) in that manner?
I have said it repeatedly, football has been ruined by excessive commercialism.there is more money in the game than sense.
real fans have been marginalised from the game and mercenaries have taken over.
If Blanc has any sense, he should ask Anelka to stay a minimum of 100km away from any French squad in the coming months.
At the end of the day, the french fans will suffer while these over paid prima donnas chill out in exotic holiday locations before resuming at various leagues to collect their millions.
Shame on you Patrice et al.

Sagamite:
The Irish must be laughing their heads off.

this irish talk is beginning to get boring.
if the irish were good enough they would have beaten this silly french side irrespective of Titi's hand ball or not.
Stuff happen in football and the irish would be naive to be laughing their heads of.

see how Paraguay are playing like their lives depend on these games.
committed passionate football always brings results.
there is no short cut about it.

VPersie:
Thanks all.

i am glad you are satisfied with the attention you sought and have now gotten.

NLers like to dish advice.
the guy cooked up the story.this was proven few posts after his, yet we are still dishing out advice to a liar over a fictitious story.
come to think of it, size 16 na my spec, so i see nothing to be called a problem even in the cooked up story.

Missy B:
Na small small craze deh start.

Nah! dude has been on it for over a decade.
infact earlier than that,from the days when he was modelling for Kese Jabari

Blue moon:
she does. her lips are now darker than her face

i think that one is from smoking.
same thing with rita dominic.

i would be very surprised if she bleaches.
used to see her step mum take her to school when she was barely a teenager and as a kid, she had such a natural complexion.
why would she decide to ruin it?

keyremotes:
These are the kinds of people I beleive we should celebrate.
They are not "LEACHES".
We see daily the source of their wealth.

gbam

People dey talk, Chukwu too dey talk.
I beg make i hear word.

Dr Kitaun:
Ibime

how right u are . . .did u watch by chance the last Oceanic talent hunt ? JJ was rubbish . . .but having the benefit of hindsight I would have him over someone who anchored the show previously John Fashanu any day . . .bro na hustler.

the day that hustler nears NFF or whatever they call it is the day Nigerian football is wiped out of the face of the earth.
besides hustling, he is an incorrigible liar.
so so name dropping and outright lies full im mouth.
we need change but not the likes of JJ and Fashanu.

mikeansy:
I am not saying he is going to be a saviour

but ex-players who have played the game and are doing other things in the game after football career should come together and run our football.

Career politicians as football administrators have failed us.

gbam!!!

Dr Kitaun:
Mikeansy

Oliseh is better than JJ just like Keshi and Siasia are, my simple argument has been dat JJ shouldnt think his goodwill is enough to get him into d NFF, let him upgrade himself by taking sports courses, I NEVER SAID HE SHOULD GO GET A DEGREE !

Ibime

where do u expect d hönest people from ? Okrika reasoning !

gbam!!

Ibime:
hehehehe. . . . who tell you say I be Okrika man?. . . una done dey carry my hometown dey make joke!!!

We have guys like Emenalo, Uche Okafor, Oliseh etc who have made their way into decent positions in Europe and America who can bring that professionalism to our game. . . . not broke washed up pros like Dominic Iorfa and Mutiu Adepoju who come home to do runs cos they never made enough money in their careers. . . . or well known idiots like Amokachi who made the money and spent it all on private jets!!! 

gbam!! gbam!!

i have always wondered what Amokachi is adding to the national team set up?
listening to him on Super sports,it is obvious he is there either on quota or he is playing the politics right.
there over 5 NLers on this section who can contribute more to the success of the Super Eagles than that fellow.
Playing at the top level can never be enough reason to run our football.afterall going to a good school does not give you licence to be an education administrator.

Jay Jay should stick to running his nite club at a top level.
that is a service that is beneficial to me and i would appreciate he sticks to that.

mikeansy:
Mike has done well for himself oh!!! it is not easy

ME for Michael Emenalo

folks like this should come to our help.

Negotiating deals on the signing of folks like Kaka, Torres no be moi moi oh!!!!

dude, he is head scout.
his job responsibility entails travelling around the world finding obscure players that fit the manager (or Abrahamovic's taste) and notifying the club.
If the reserve team is deficient in a certain area,they give him the requirement of what they want and he goes and runs the rule over certain boy's that fit that bill in youth competitions and distant leagues.
he does not negotiate anything and he is not involved in signing top first team players.
do you need a scout to sign Torres?

it is not a small job being chief scout of Chelsea and i am not running him down but that is not a reason to throw him into the mix as a saviour of our football administration.
on a final note, like every thing nigerian, NFF is rotten because of the system.even a saint would be demonised there.
na runs full the place.