₦airaland Forum

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

junnyjake:
I just like this guy.

tbaba1234:
Our players have not moved to the top teams in Turkey though.

Belgium, French or Dutch leagues are better leagues for career progression. Awaziem to Nantes for instance is a great move, a solid season in Ligue 1 will make him a better player. It can even be a route to a bigger team.

Turkey can easily be a dead end destination. Omeruo has stagnated in Turkey playing for poor teams. Ekong is going the same route. Otigba has gone back to Hungary after his Turkish spell.

chrisooblog:
i share goodjoe's mistrust for the technical committee. what is the point of hiring a coach if a group of so called ''experts'' interfere in his job. my idea of a technical committee is one that does deep research and intellectual brain storming to fashion out playing styles for the national team from youth to senior level. this will then guide the nff on the type of coach/coaches who should be hired that share the same philosophies of the technical committee regarding playing styles that have been chosen. the only person the coach should answer to is the board of the nff. if they are dissatisfied with his performance they should let him know or better still sack him. the technical committee as assembled now is a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth.

yes we respect our ex internationals but if they are wrong on certain issues we can call them out for instance i respect and admire segun odegbami but its not everything he says i agree with

Icon79:
Yea, I picked Roger to win it all on Sunday. But I thought it was gonna be another one of those classic Rafa/Roger Finals.

Anway, right now it's gonna be Roger on Sunday and Venus on Saturday.

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

O pari

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

komekn:
I can not disagree with you.

If you are not in the top 3/4 teams in Turkey you could be on the road to obscurity in that regard a poor move. Or should we be brutally honest and admit some of our prized players are simply not that good and or have doubts about their capacity.

In some regards you are better off in the Scottish Premier league have a storming season and move to the EPL, as i am almost certain there are far more players who have left the Scottish league to the EPL than the Turkish league.

This is irrespective of how low Scotland's premier league is ranked by UEFA which is 27th in Europe.

do4luv14:
I don't even fancy NADAL, or MURRAY, give me FEDEX any day!!!! Any time!!!!, and spice it with ma sweetheart SERENA,

but in her absence I can do with her sweet elder sis,
COME ON V.WILLIAMS, lets keep the trophy in the family

BascoVanVeli:
Venus Williams motivates me, she is one of my sporting idols. So proud of her.

BascoVanVeli:
Ur idea of the technical committee is wrong. They are not there to make decisions but to help the coach. Only Rohr can decide how much influence they have. To me this is a case of people putting words in the coaches mouth because Rohr has made sure to not alienate anyone so far.

komekn:
So do I, he looks incredibly young he should really be claiming U18 instead of U21.

TheGoodJoe:
chrisooblog gave a perfect description of the role of the technical committee. Their job is to suggest the best coach and styles to fit the team. If they want to help the coach, they can make research and submit to the coach to scrutinize. It is up to the coach to take or leave whatever suggestion they make. However, that is not their primary role. They have to select the right vision and mission of the team. Select the right coach to fit their vision. Then the coach carries along with that.

Can a board or technical team veto the list of Guardiola or Mourinho?

It is here people who we know can not coach the team have power to veto someone we know is a better coach for them.

BascoVanVeli:
So are u guys expecting them to go for a walk and wait for Nigeria to need a new coach?

I don't know about Pep but Conte didn't do much signing last year.

BascoVanVeli:
So are u guys expecting them to go for a walk and wait for Nigeria to need a new coach?

I don't know about Pep but Conte didn't do much signing last year.

TheGoodJoe:
They can dance shoki for all I care or stand by the beachside. Do whatever they want but keep their hands off the list.

[b]They can make suggestions [/b]and the coach scrutinizes if he wants it or not. Not the other way around.

Humility017:
I still don't understand the significance they pose to Nigeria football....
if ex internationals wanna be engaged... they should go into football punditry and take up coaching classes that will probably fetch them a job just like English ex internationals

BascoVanVeli:
Isn't that what is happening now. Tell me one decision they are trying to force on him?

TheGoodJoe:

I am against the Technical Committee interfering with the work of the coach. They should not vet his list or determine the plans he should make. That should lie squarely on the Rohr. I am not against them making suggestions for the manager to accept or not.

If they are not interfering, kudos to them and I am proud of that. If they are, then I have a problem with that. Gerrit?

BascoVanVeli:
NPFL's senior citizens (2)
Published on Thursday, 13 July 2017 07:23 Hits: 386

By Clement Nwankpa Jr

In this concluding part of the series on serving legends of the NPFL, Clement Nwamkpa continues his chronicle.

GAMBO MOHAMMED (KANO PILLARS)
Gambo is a typical one-club player. It is hard to imagine him outside Pillars. Even after featuring against the star-studded Spanish national team at 2013 Confederation Cup, many expected Gambo to finally take his stock abroad but he has found a home with the sai masu gida. At some point, he moved to Middle East but cut short that stint due to home sickness and returned to Pillars. And he has been a consistent goal scorer in the domestic scene over the years. His goals were vital as Pillars won the title on three consecutive occasions. It must however be noted that in recent years, his goal returns have dropped. In the current season, his playing time has been restricted. But one moment he buttressed the saying that 'an old woman is not too old to dance to a familiar tune' was against Enyimba in Kano when he came off the bench to grab a late winner for Pillars.

ADAMU MOHAMMED (KANO PILLARS)
This is the league's Mr.Impact. Whenever he comes off the bench, the Sani Abacha Stadium erupts into cheers because the fans believe something must happen. And he has had many of such cameo moments off the bench for Pillars. Against Katsina, he came off the bench to break the visitors' resistance just as he scored a brace to secure all three points after being introduced against Shooting Stars. Funny enough, whenever he starts, he rarely replicates those heroic moments. But his game now seems suited to coming from the bench to take advantage of tired legs on the pitch. He isn't getting younger. His best days are well behind him.

IKECHUKWU IBENEGBU (ENYIMBA)
One of the familiar pictures in the league for the past one decade is a certain lanky figure running things in the middle of the park. You could be deceived by this lad's skinny appearance but then he stings with his passes and long range canons hence he is nicknamed 'Mosquito'. A key member of that Heartland back-to-back Federation Cup winning squad, Ibenegbu had since moved on to Warri Wolves and Enyimba. And at a time when he could be regarded as one of the league's senior citizens, the Sand Eagle is still dominating midfield battles in the NPFL. He made his foray into the league in the colours of ElKanemi in 2006 and was a member of the 2016 CHAN Eagles.

IFEANYI ONUIGBO (FC IFEANYIUBAH)
Pam Pam is one of the most popular figures in the NPFL. You can't miss his dreadlocks and tough looks. And he is also feisty on and off the ball. For his increasing age, it is still interesting seeing him ruffle younger oppositions. You must be up to his all-action play. He doesn't score much but he keeps you engaged for his duration on the pitch. And given the presence of the likes of Godwin Obaje at FCIU, he doesn't get to play much these days. After over a decade in the league with stints abroad in between, may be time has come for Onuigbo, who is also involved with the Sand Eagles, to gradually wind down his career. But he could still be somehow motivated. Just last year, he played a starring role in Enyimba's Champions League campaign.

CLETUS ITODO (LOBI STARS)
At Lobi, younger players call Itodo 'senior man'. Why not? Not a few of them could have watched from the stands while this midfield anchor strutted his stuff back then. Those were days his name featured prominently in the home-based Eagles. In a team that has Tyavkase starting regularly, a coach wouldn't be comfortable having Itodo on at the same time. So Itodo does more from the bench for Lobi. But whenever he comes on, you see the glimpses of a consummate midfielder. Time hasn't eroded the quality. Incidentally, he is having his first stint with his hometown club, Lobi, a development he attributed to to his decision to stay away from home till much later in his career. He had featured for Enyimba, Sunshine, Dolphins, Pillars, Akwa and Shooting Stars.

THEOPHILUS AFELOKHAI (ENYIMBA)
After 10 years at Pillars, Afelokhai joined Enyimba last season. Before linking up with the People's Elephant, he was a key member of that famed Pillars squad that dominated the domestic scene. At Pillars, he was always the first name on the list, but when he opted to leave his comfort zone, he has been made to sweat more for his place at Enyimba. His cause has not been aided by the signing of Ghanaian international Fatau Dauda this season. With younger keepers like Emeka Nwabulu, Siraj Ayeleso and Olonruleke Ojo who seem to keep clean sheets for fun, goalkeeping standards have also been raised in the NPFL. But Afelokhai doesn't seem willing to take a back seat yet.

RABIU ALI (KANO PILLARS)
Rabiu Ali is at the bridge between the 'senior citizens' and the younger generation in the NPFL. He has been excelling at the highest level for a long time that many fail to reckon that he actually started out so early. One of those natural talents who blossom early with their hometown clubs. For about a decade, he has been a mainstay of Pillars midfield, a pivotal member of the Pillars golden era. Despite the fact that Pillars has been recruiting quality midfielders season after season, Ali has remained relevant. This term, he has not taken his feet off the pedal. He has been a member of the last two CHAN squads just as he was in the NPFL All Stars squad. As long as he keeps churning out top notch performances as he is doing this

season, it will be hard for national team selectors to ignore him. It will be hard to assemble an All Star NPFL squad for the past 10 years without having Ali in there as the midfield orchestrator.

EFOSA EGUAKUN (RIVERS UNITED)
After a long sojourn abroad that took him to Sudan, Algeria, Egypt and middle east, Eguakun recently enlisted in the colours of Rivers United. This isn't a bad idea. Nigerian players should learn to return home at the twilight of their careers. That's one sure way of giving back to the society. A member of the 2003 set of U20s, winger Eguakun was a nightmare for full backs in the domestic scene in the colours of Dolphins. He has found it hard breaking into United's starting 11 but he has acquainted himself well on the few occasions he has been given the opportunities.

AKPAN BASSEY (RANGERS)
Goalkeeper Bassey is the last of the 2001 crop of U17s that lost to France in the U17 World Cup final, still playing top flight football. Joseph Eyimofe has dropped to the lower rungs of the league this season. Drafted in as a stop-gap measure when Rangers had injury-induced goalkeeping crisis, Bassey had also had brief stints in South Africa and Vietnam. That kid of 2001 has blossomed into a veteran of sorts. In an NPFL career that has spanned through about 13 seasons, he has really been all the places and was once a regular national team invitee. He has donned the colours of Shooting, Bayelsa United, Sunshine, Kwara United, Heartland, Abia Warriors and Akwa.