₦airaland Forum

M7even:
You need to understand what we call Cinderella stories of football. The Bulgaria side of 94' was an example of that. Beating Bulgaria in our opening game was the turning point for Bulgarian football history who up until then have never won a world cup match having participated four (not exactly sure) times before . What they had was a Cinderella story that saw them beat Greece and shocked the world beating Argentina in the final group game. That run saw them reach the semi finals. I'm sure you know there are a host óf teams that have pulled out this sort of stories in football only to disappear after such feat. Greece in Euro 2004, Checzolvakia in Euro 96, Costarica in WC 14', etc. This I believe is more akin to Cape Verde. So nothing extraordinary in Bulgaria of 94 . Again this is no false impression or narratives . This is whole substance. Gracias.

you forgot to mention Denmark in Euro 92. A team that failed to qualify for the competition but were called to fill in a gap left by one of the qualified nations that withdrew and ended up winning the competition

Exactly, Morocco did it in Qatar 22, should Morocco now meet France in the quarter finals of this world cup and defeat them, thats gonna be a STRONG STATEMENT in football. That seals the every adjective to describe Morocco as Africa's greatest world cup team.

Papi85:
you forgot to mention Denmark in Euro 92. A team that failed to qualify for the competition but were called to fill in a gap left by one of the qualified nations that withdrew and ended up winning the competition

M7even:
You need to understand what we call Cinderella stories of football. The Bulgaria side of 94' was an example of that. Beating Bulgaria in our opening game was the turning point for Bulgarian football history who up until then have never won a world cup match having participated four (not exactly sure) times before . What they had was a Cinderella story that saw them beat Greece and shocked the world beating Argentina in the final group game. That run saw them reach the semi finals. I'm sure you know there are a host óf teams that have pulled out this sort of stories in football only to disappear after such feat. Greece in Euro 2004, Checzolvakia in Euro 96, Costarica in WC 14', etc. This I believe is more akin to Cape Verde. So nothing extraordinary in Bulgaria of 94 . Again this is no false impression or narratives . This is whole substance. Gracias.

Which Cinderella story? Bulgaria that prevented the France with Cantona and co from going to the world cup. They had at least one of the best players in the world in Stoickhov at that time.

EElopa:
Can the Turkish league please refrain from pursuing our players? Why are these motherfuckers always chasing Nigerian players like a buck chasing a doe during mating rut season? This is fucking getting annoying, man. Fucking leave us alone. They are chasing Osimhen, Lookman, Iwobi, Bassey, Onyedika, and Chukwueze; they swear una for Nigerian players. Leave us the Bleep alone. Is it by force?

Does Oshimhen actually want to win anything for Nigeria? Because if he does, why is he encouraging players that will actually help him win something to come to a bad, subpar league like the Turkish league? Emmanuel Fernandez, please aim higher. If you go to Turkey, 90 percent of the games you will play will be against English League 1 quality opponents, and you are only in the Champions League to make up the number. You are good enough for a solid, established top 8 team in the top 5 leagues in Europe. Do not waste your talent in that backwater league.

You see the cerebral, tactical football being played at the world cup and you go to Turkey?

We need our guys soaking up tactical knowledge from the most brilliant minds and you'll get that in the top 5 leagues. It's so damn annoying bro.

Wilfred Ndidi is attracting interest from Hull City.

🇹🇷 Beşiktaş are reportedly holding out for around €8m and expect the Nigerian midfielder to join their pre-season camp, with no deal agreed yet.

🚨🤝 EXCL | FC Basel are closing in on the Akpe Victory deal.

After weeks of negotiations, the Swiss club has closed the gap with ZTE, who had previously rejected offers for the player.

The Nigerian player is now set to begin a new chapter in Switzerland. 🔜🇨🇭

ChrisKels:
If this boy was as good as most would want us to believe, he would be getting better offers from better leagues and clubs.

He is a good player. When I evaluate a defender, there are parameters that I look at.

1. How good they are in the air (Good, Ok, or Poor)

2. How well they read the game (positioning and anticipation) (Good, Ok, or Poor)

3. How they communicate and organize the backline (Good, Ok, or Poor)

4. Pace and recovery speed (Good, Ok, or Poor)

5. Technicality on the ball (ball carrier, ability to thread a bass that will break a pressing forward line, passing range, composure under pressure) (Good, Ok, Poor)

6. One-on-one defending (Good, Ok, Poor)

To play for a big club in Europe, you have to be good in 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6.

My ratings of prominent Super Eagles defenders. (I included Troost)

Emmanuel Fernandez, to me, is good in 1, 2, 3, and 5. He is poor in 4 and Ok in 6.

Calvin Bassey, to me, is good in 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. He is poor in 2, and he always tries to make up for it with his athleticism. This might be the reason why big Premier League teams are holding off and are hesitant about him.

Benjamin Federicks, the reason why I highly rate this boy is that he is developing into being good in all 6 of them. I have not seen an area in the game where I would say this boy is poor in. This boy will be on a champion league contending team in 2 years.

Troost Ekong, to me, is Good in 1 Ok in 2, Good in 3, Ok in 4, Poor in 5 and Ok in 6.

Semi Ajayi is Good in 1, Ok in 2, Ok in 3, Poor in 4, Poor in 5 and Ok in 6

🚨THOUGHTS: THE ILLUSION OF ERIC CHELLE SUCCESS…

One thing I have realized about Nigerians is that we are too emotional about results.
And that’s why it is very easy for us to become detached from reality….
Once we start winning, we immediately assume that everything is working.

Eric Chelle success doesn’t automatically mean the NFF
@thenff
is working.
Those are two different things.
In fact, I think we’re beginning to make a very dangerous mistake.
We’re replacing Eric Chelle’s competence with institutional competence.
Because the team is playing better, because we’re beginning to see a philosophy, because the results are improving, we’re slowly convincing ourselves that the structure itself has improved, It hasn’t oh!!!!
Let be honest!.
If Eric Chelle resigns tomorrow, what exactly has changed inside Nigerian football?

WHAT EXACTLY?
Has the culture changed?
Has accountability changed?
Has player development changed?
Has the way football is administered changed?
Or will the next coach inherit the same environment every other coach inherited?
That’s my point….

This is why I disagree when people say, “Let’s move on from the World Cup qualification failure.”
Move on without understanding why we failed?

Move on without fixing the structure that produced that failure? And the NFF knows this, infact all Nigeria politicians know this and use it against us….
We are postponing the next disappointment.
One thing the NFF
@thenff
has benefited from over the years is our inability to stay on one conversation.
We move on too quickly.
Results distract us.
They always have.

My fear is not that Eric Chelle will fail.
My fear is that he is succeeding , and we are becoming so satisfied with the results that we stop demanding structural reform.

Then one day he leaves…
…and we discover that we never left the ground.
We were only standing on his shoulders


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Papi85:
Leao is just another Marcus Rashford the reason I don’t and have never rated him

If you watch him play for Milan u go curse am Taya.

at least Rashford has a track record of epl individual brilliance. Leao?!!! 😂

Sometimes i look at him and wonder why no mamager has seen his wingback potentials. He'll flourish there. Anything else na gbimgbim for manager

Here we go again

May our bad belleism and hate watch be successful

EElopa:
He is a good player. When I evaluate a defender, there are parameters that I look at.

1. How good they are in the air (Good, Ok, or Poor)

2. How well they read the game (positioning and anticipation) (Good, Ok, or Poor)

3. How they communicate and organize the backline (Good, Ok, or Poor)

4. Pace and recovery speed (Good, Ok, or Poor)

5. Technicality on the ball (ball carrier, ability to thread a bass that will break a pressing forward line, passing range, composure under pressure) (Good, Ok, Poor)

6. One-on-one defending (Good, Ok, Poor)

To play for a big club in Europe, you have to be good in 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6.

My ratings of prominent Super Eagles defenders. (I included Troost)

Emmanuel Fernandez, to me, is good in 1, 2, 3, and 5. He is poor in 4 and Ok in 6.

Calvin Bassey, to me, is good in 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. He is poor in 2, and he always tries to make up for it with his athleticism. This might be the reason why big Premier League teams are holding off and are hesitant about him.

Benjamin Federicks, the reason why I highly rate this boy is that he is developing into being good in all 6 of them. I have not seen an area in the game where I would say this boy is poor in. This boy will be on a champion league contending team in 2 years.

Troost Ekong, to me, is Good in 1 Ok in 2, Good in 3, Ok in 4, Poor in 5 and Ok in 6.

Semi Ajayi is Good in 1, Ok in 2, Ok in 3, Poor in 4, Poor in 5 and Ok in 6

Emmanuel Fernandez is good and for a player that just made the leap from the 3rd tier of English football to the SPL and Glasgow Rangers, emerged as his club’s best player and made the team of the season says a lot about his potentials

Not only that he was able to attract decent teams from top leagues after a season in Scotland, playing in the UEL and making his international debut is a big testament to his talent

mostob:
Here we go again

May our bad belleism and hate watch be successful

Egypt no be our enemy like that but Amen 🙏

Egypt win abeg

Bulgaria had one of the most charismatic and most talented European footballers of his generation in Hristo Stoichkov of Barcelona and a fine bunch of other ballers in Letchkov and Balakov. It was their Golden Generation. The best they had ever assembled and it was their 6th WC appearance.

And They did not disappear after US 1994. They returned in France 1998.

So kindly rest again your failed attempt at belittling what the Nigerian 1994 set did or what an African debutant like Cape Verde has achieved for themselves coz you are clearly forcing it.

Facts are facts. Keep it holistic and not narrowed like your forced watered-down views.

M7even:
You need to understand what we call Cinderella stories of football. The Bulgaria side of 94' was an example of that. Beating Bulgaria in our opening game was the turning point for Bulgarian football history who up until then have never won a world cup match having participated four (not exactly sure) times before . What they had was a Cinderella story that saw them beat Greece and shocked the world beating Argentina in the final group game. That run saw them reach the semi finals. I'm sure you know there are a host óf teams that have pulled out this sort of stories in football only to disappear after such feat. Greece in Euro 2004, Checzolvakia in Euro 96, Costarica in WC 14', etc. This I believe is more akin to Cape Verde. So nothing extraordinary in Bulgaria of 94 . Again this is no false impression or narratives . This is whole substance. Gracias.

TheSuperNerd:
Bulgaria had one of the most charismatic and most talented European footballers of his generation in Hrisro Stoichov of Barcelona and a fine bunch of other ballers in Letchkov and Balakov. It was their Golden Generation. The best they had ever assembled and it was their 6th WC appearance.

And They did not disappear after US 1994. They returned in France 1998.

So kindly rest again your failed attempt at belittling what the Nigerian 1994 set did or what an African debutant like Cape Verde has achieved for themselves coz you are clearly forcing it.

Facts are facts. Keep it holistic and not narrowed like your forced watered-down views.

I think that set of 94 for Bulgaria was their golden generation

Nice play by Egypt that’s how you score in the World Cup 1-0

Goke7:
Egypt no be our enemy like that but Amen 🙏

Na all those North Africans jare.

Goke7:
Nice play by Egypt that’s how you score in the World Cup 1-0

Na so their mates take score first. We know how it ended

I will take this move. FC Basel is traditionally the Number one side in Switzerland even though FC Thun won the league this past season in a shocking swiss league campaign.

So this is a fine stepping stone to the Bundesliga or Ligue 1 for the young talented Akpe. Congrats in advance and I expect Basel to return to the pinnacle of the league this coming season.

Papi85:
🚨🤝 EXCL | FC Basel are closing in on the Akpe Victory deal.

After weeks of negotiations, the Swiss club has closed the gap with ZTE, who had previously rejected offers for the player.

The Nigerian player is now set to begin a new chapter in Switzerland. 🔜🇨🇭

mostob:
Here we go again

May our bad belleism and hate watch be successful

With useless Australia? Lol.

It was actually. It is historically known across European media. A team that humbled World Champs, Germany then and even topped a Top class France side in the Qualifiers. France that had Cantona, Karembeu, Ginola and more.

Papi85:
I think that set of 94 for Bulgaria was their golden generation

mostob:
Na so their mates take score first. We know how it ended

Make dem win tonight o before dem go blame we blacks again 😂

mostob:
Na so their mates take score first. We know how it ended

I no go even crash out if e happen. Na Cape Verde own fit mad me

FiveFootNinja:
With useless Australia? Lol.

The Australia I'm watching are not useless. They can do it

Odunayaw:
I no go even crash out if e happen. Na Cape Verde own fit mad me

Cape Verde eh.. Their matter mess for mouth con put salt. I want them to qualify but they're playing Argentina.

Goke7:
Make dem win tonight o before dem go blame we blacks again 😂

Make dem lose abeg.. 😂

This new FIFA rule on faking injury won't help our north African countries that are experts in running down the clock with fake injuries

20 y/o LW, Daniel Job bagged a goal⚽️ and assist🅰️ for Table Topping Kongsvinger in a 5-1 win vs Sogndal in the Norwegian Obos-ligaen. Played 78mins.

Now has 6goals and 6 assists in 14 games.


19 y/o LCB, Tochukwu Joseph Ogboji benched again for Strommen in their 1-0 loss away at Raufoss in the Norwegian Obos-Ligaen. He has played only 7 games and started 3.

TheSuperNerd:
I will take this move. FC Basel is traditionally the Number one side in Switzerland even though FC Thun won the league this past season in a shocking swiss league campaign.

So this is a fine stepping stone to the Bundesliga or Ligue 1 for the young talented Akpe. Congrats in advance and I expect Basel to return to the pinnacle of the league this coming season.

big leap for the kid. Basel having always been a known club in European football and the biggest in Switzerland

Papi85:
I think that set of 94 for Bulgaria was their golden generation

Not a matter of thinking o, pure facts!!!!! Romario, Georgio haji, Stoickhov's Barcelona were a terror in Europe.

Odunayaw:
I no go even crash out if e happen. Na Cape Verde own fit mad me

you go mad if Cabo Verde win?? the loss na sure banker now. Na the number of goals wey Voezinha go concede we no know.
Maybe the guy will do like Enyeama when he was at Enyimba, he get one african champions league wey dem wan wounjure Enyimba, Vincent see the handwriting on the wall, there are conspiracy theories that baba fake injury to comot from the sheet show.

20 y/o RW, Odera Adindu bags 2 assists 🅰️🅰️ for tabletopping Sirius in their 4-4 draw vs Mjallby in the Swedish Allsvenskan. He played 89mins in his first ever start for the club. It was his 8th league appearance though but all previous were cameos.

Created 3 chances, had 16 defensive contributions and made the touches (11) in the Opposition box. Interesting numbers for a winger.

He now has 1 goal, 2 assists.

TheSuperNerd:
20 y/o LW, Daniel Job bagged a goal⚽️ and assist🅰️ for Table Topping Kongsvinger in a 5-1 win vs Sogndal in the Norwegian Obos-ligaen. Played 78mins.

Now has 6goals and 6 assists in 14 games.


19 y/o LCB, Tochukwu Joseph Ogboji benched again for Strommen in their 1-0 loss away at Raufoss in the Norwegian Obos-Ligaen. He has played only 7 games and started 3.