₦airaland Forum

SerVik:
I think Moses scored a FK in the Afcon qualifier against Cameroon that was ruled out as off even though mikel(the player that was off) didn't touch the ball.

You're right. But I think Nacho is still the better taker.

Humility017:
we're not talking of disallowed goal...

bro...that dude has never scored any free kick for the super eagles....despite the numerous dead balls he has been taking

He's even taken much more than Nacho

forgiveness:
my 3-4-3 formation


........................................Aiyenugba........



...................Omeruo................Troost.................Leon..........


............Tyronne...........Ndidi..........Onazi................Joel


...................................Mikel Obi..............


..................Victor.............................Ighalo..........



4-4-2 Diamond



................................................Aiyenugba


..........Aina...........Troost............Balogun..................Brian...


...........................................Ndidi......................



......................Onazi...........................................Joel


...........................................Mikel....


......................Victor.................................Ighalo....





4-4-1-1



.............................................Aiyenugba............


.........Aina.................Troost................Leon.............Brian........



..............................Ndidi............Onazi................


...............Victor.............................................Simon...


........................................Mikel...


.......................................Ighalo




4-4-2



.................................Aiyenugba.........


........Aina............Troost............Leon...............Brian......


.......Victor..............Mike..............Onazi...........Simon


.....................Iheancho.....................Ighalo......



4-2-3-1 Formation


....................................Aiyenugba......


.....Aina.................Troost.........Leon..........Brian.......


.......................Ndidi...................Onazi.....


..............Victor..............MIkel...........Simon.......


................................Ighalo...............

4-4-2 and 3-4-3 i agree with. Seems you don't rate shehu and uzoho.

maidaboi:
even if its one goal its not bad for an up coming striker
hahahahaha

You're being sarcastic right?

maidaboi:
yea ighalo and kelechi

Hahaha

forgiveness:
Etebor and Iheanacho can't play the attacking midfield role. Even Iwobi dey misbehave for dat role.


Why do we want a makeshift player in the team just to accommodate dem when some players are performing wonders consistently in that particular role in Europe for Donkey years?

It is not as if the aforementioned players have not been tested in that particular AMF role, they have but in most cases fumbled big time.

I think at this rate, it would be wise to have a cerebral attacking midfielder. I havent followed Ajagun but i think Aluko would work given his exploits in the middle of the park. Ajagun could also be given a chance..., you never know.... Forgiveness might be right (hahahaha...Ayam not believing that I agree with this man)

maidaboi:
Not afraid of iwobi future because i have seen what he can do at his best

Don't be so confident. Iwobi has to improve or else.

------------------------------------Aiyenugba - - - - - - - - - - - - - -/ / ---------------Leon---------------Omeruo----------Ekong--------- / / / V. Moses----Mikel-----Ndidi-----J.Obi----------------Idowu / / -----------------------Ighalo - - - - - - - - - Musa--------------------

Martz101:
I asked you a question which you didn't answer, prior to iheanacho free-kick against Argentina, have you seen him score free-kick before

You think Rohr assign free kick duties to Moses because he likes his face or because he plays for Chelsea, I gave hou two reason why iheanacho cant take the responsibility of our freekicks and penalty, because his not a sure starter in he team.

If Rohr is biased and favouring Moses then he should have even added the captain band to him in Mikel absence.

you are talking shallow...prior the Argentina game how many free kicks has nancho ever took for the super eagles....
in case you dont know...during the under 17 tourney nancho and musa Mohammed were saddled wit the responsibility of taking free kicks for the team.....

meaning there must be something manu garba must have seen in the young lad that made him saddle him with such responsibility

I said it before and I will still maintain it.... our biggest worry right now is the attacking midfielders and their link with the attack and not the Goal keeper crises we been screaming about.

A good attacking midfielder turns your attackers into potent force while bad attacking midfielders render ur attack lines lame, impotent and dull. We been experiencing that each time mikel doesnt play and If I as an arm chair pundit/analyst can notice that, what do you think a professional Coach with experience is seeing?


Hmmm i fear O! In fact, if i were Gernot Rohr, I will not play Mikel until probably the England game and quite frankly only that match. Anything short ladies and gentlemen, you will be witnessing a potentially dangerous team (on paper) but disjointed on the field of play. To be forewarned is to be fore armed

Up super Eagles

forgiveness:
I am not sure but I don't expect to see Ezenwa, Akpeyi or Uzoho btw the sticks. I just think he's the better option for now.


Balogun and Troost-Ekong partnership is ok for now, and I think it is the best for now.

I also don't expect to see those guys,yes balogun and Ekong are the best for now

chrisooblog:
In this first instalment of Saturday Telegraph’s ‘My World Cup Experience Series,’ CHARLES OGUNDIYA caught up with former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Ike Shorunmu. He revealed his disappointment at missing out of two World Cup competitions and finally making it to the 2002 Mundial as a player and later in 2014 as a coach. Excerpts…



How does it feel missing out of two World Cup competitions in 1994 and 1998?
With regard to the first one, I didn’t feel bad, because as the youngest among all the goalkeepers in the team, there was Peter Rufai, Alloy Agu and the late Wilfred Agbonavbare, the coach of the team, Clemens Westerhof, called and told me that since this was the first ever World Cup that the country would be attending, he needed experience. I expressed my appreciation to him because personally I knew it was not going to be easy to compete with all these great goalkeepers I just mentioned, so I wished the team all the best. In 1998, everyone believed I was going to be the Number One for the country going to France, but a month to the tournament, I got injured. When I got to the hospital, I asked the doctor, ‘what’s the situation of my hand.’ He just said; ‘Ike, forget about the World Cup.’ I was so devastated, especially after looking forward to it, but I took it as my destiny.
The following morning, I saw my wife by my side, consoling me that I should not be thinking of the World Cup and I made her believe that I am not going to think about it, but seriously, that’s the Mecca of football which all good footballers would to give anything to be part of. However I consoled myself that age was still on my side and that if God really wanted me to be at the World Cup, I would make the next one. Great players like George Weah and Abedi Pele never featured at the World Cup, and they still feel it till today as one of the things they missed during their illustrious careers. In 2002, I was opportune to appear for my country in Korea/Japan, it was finally a dream come true for me. I want to use this opportunity to appreciate my family, my fans and the journalists who believed in me.

Do you think if you had made the team to 1998, Nigeria would have performed better?
I don’t want to go back. The destiny has been made and I believe whatever happens to a man has been destined. A lot of people have expressed similar sentiment, that if I was there it would have been better, but I believe if I was there, it might have be worse and at the same time it might have been better. Who knows? Maybe the God I serve didn’t want me to be at France 1998. Maybe if I was there, I might not have got to the level I did in football. I will just say I was never meant to be at that World Cup.

There were issues leading to the 2002 World Cup with some of your colleagues that were at the 2002 AFCON in Mali excluded from the Mundial in Japan/Korea; could you recall what really happened?
I was injured in the game against Ghana and was rushed to the hospital during the course of the game but thank God I was revived, and later returned to the team’s hotel in the night. People expected the minister of sports, late Ishaya Mark Aku, to visit me and ascertain the extent of the injury, but he didn’t come. On the third day after the incident, my first training with the team, it was a day before the semifinal game against Senegal, the minister came to the field and tried to address the team after the training.

It was then that Sunday Oliseh stood up and told him that the team members were not happy with the way he treated their injured goalkeeper, that was me. Oliseh stated that if it was the minister’s son, would he not check him at the hospital or probably at the hotel for more than two days. That was all he said. But the minister and the FA members around were asking why Oliseh was talking to the minister like that.
When we lost in the semis, we played the third place match and got a bronze medal. But after the tournament, a lot of things came up- people saying the players were disrespectful, mafia in the team and so many negative things; so the team was disbanded. I had still not fully recovered due to the injury, I was still having severe headache, so I decided to go back to Switzerland for proper treatment.

So how did you receive your invitation to Korea/Japan or was it that you love Chief Adegboye Onigbinde so much?
I was in the hospital for two weeks. Nobody called or informed me of anything until around April when I started playing again, and somebody called me from Nigeria that Chief Adegboye Onigbinde said players that wanted to be part of the team to the World Cup among those who went to Mali must call him, that means such person is ready to work with him. I didn’t do anything about it, but my guys in the team, Oliseh and Finidi George also called me, they said; ‘Ike, you know you already missed out of two World Cup finals, and this is another opportunity for you, so it is better for you to call this man, so you can be part of the team.’ I quickly asked them why they were not calling him, they said they were not calling him, if he needed their service, he should call them and not the other way round.

An hour after, another person called me, a senior person in the media, Ade Somefun, he persuaded me to call Chief Onigbinde, saying after so many sacrifices, it’s time for me to go to the World Cup, that I should not be stubborn. So, I called chief and after introducing myself and exchange of pleasantries, he asked if I wanted to play for him and I said who am I not to play for my country? That was how that part was concluded. Two weeks later, I called my colleagues, and tried to make them see reason to reconsider their decision, but they said they were not coming. That was how I came into the team.
How did it feel joining the team without many of your colleagues?
Initially, when I came for holiday around May 2002, I was told the team already left for Ireland for camping before moving to London and later to Korea. However I met Chief Onigbinde at Sheraton; he asked me questions and I told him I heard the team already left for Ireland a day before, but I that couldn’t just travel to Ireland as I had to get some things done in Nigeria. He told me I should not worry, that they would be waiting for me. The next day, I flew to Ireland to meet up with the team , I got to the hotel immediately they were coming back from training; one of the coaches said that I was not going to be part of the team, that I came just for the sake of showing up.

The coach said ‘we go drop am,’ but I am not going to mention his name. It was actually one of the players that told me and I said as long as he is not God, he could not decide my fate. They were actually thinking that in the friendly match against Ireland, perhaps I would not play well and they would use that excuse to drop me.

But thank God, on the night after the game when the coach was addressing the team he announced that the only person guaranteed of World Cup slot among the players that featured in the friendly game was me, because of my performance that night. The next day we flew to London to play against Jamaica; I was named the captain and after first half, Chief Onigbinde said it was enough for me, that I should go and rest. That was it.
Do you think if the full squad that went to Mali were in Korea, it would have been a different outcome entirely?
Believe me, then we had a very solid team with a lot of love among us. If not for the injury I sustained against Ghana, I believe we would have won the game. Two players, Austin Okocha and Finidi, came to my room and warned me not to play the game against Senegal, but I forced myself to play because there was a lot of pressure from home on the coaches that I must play the

game. But truth is, if we had used the same team that played in Mali, I believe we would have gone far in Korea/Japan, but that’s the way God and the people in power wanted it – dropping experienced players for some new and young players.

How disappointed are you with the outcome at the Mundial?
There was nothing I could do at the end of the day; the government wanted it that way and nobody can fight the government and win. So, we managed what we had, but I believe we have learnt a lot of lessons. Whenever you want to punish someone, it’s best you do that immediately after a tournament and let everything end there. If the team goes far, the federation gains, same applies to the country. We continue to learn at every tournament; just like what happened to the team in 2014, we learnt something too.

There was this rumour that Nigeria would have defeated France in 2014 if not for the fact that the players were sharing money all through the night; how true is this?
I will not say the team lost because they were sharing money till late in the night on the eve of the game against France. Our elimination from that competition was due of lack of love. There was a lot of argument among the big boys in the team – (Joseph) Yobo, Mikel (Obi), Osaze (Odemwingie) and also Vincent (Enyeama). Besides, each of these players had some young players who were loyal to them; there were different caucuses.
The truth is, when big players start having problems among themselves in a team, and you don’t solve it immediately, it’s going to cause problem for the team. The game was a reflection of what happened outside, we felt it with the coaches too. Actually before the tournament proper, we, the coaches, had a meeting and we let Stephen Keshi know the problems in the team. We told him that if some players were at the Mundial, they would constitute a lot of problems to the team. Although he made us believe he had heard us, he didn’t follow our advice. He is late now, but he would have come out to say that we actually warned him.

The day Osaze and Mikel fought, it was in a meeting with the coaches, players and some of the medical team. Something happened between them and they almost exchanged blows, some people had to come in between them to separate them. The meeting ended immediately and when we (coaches) got to his room that night, he (keshi) told us that he should have listened to us. But there was nothing we could do then. It is an experience and we are supposed to learn from it.

https://newtelegraphonline.com/2018/04/when-the-doctor-told-me-to-forget-france-98-my-world-crashed-shorunmu/


hi interesting interview sorry it's a long read but i found the last few paragraphs eye opening

Lessons from the bolded

Lesson 1: The government disbanded the team not Chief Festus Onigbinde as some mischievious peeps wants us to believe.

Lesson 2: Chief Festus Onigbinde opened the door for those disbanded from the team but they said 'we are not coming.' This is different from Onigbinde shut the door on them to call his boys. Another lie debunked.

Lesson 3: These players were even begged to utilise that channel but they arrogantly refused to do the needful. What is different btw their case and Enyeama's case? But some peeps don't want Enyeama back because of his attitude. Chai!

Lesson 4: The government wanted it so and not Chief Onigbinde. Lie lie full here.

Lesson 5: What!? Fight and cacuses in the 2014 World Cup camp!? The more you look the less you see.

Lesson 6: My Mikel.... What!? Hmmm! Mikel Obi can also kick ass and give trouble maker maker run for their money.

Icon4s:
Only one?

Iwobi, Iheanacho and Etebo can all play that position.

Those ones are still pretenders at best. Non of them have really staked a serious claim for that role.
I'm talking about a trusted AM that will replace Mikel comfortably.

MetalJigsaw:
He's even taken much more than Nacho

I tell you my brother....any good set piece taker could have convert at least one...

Martz101:
if you really put all sentiment out then you should know that dude is our best player, without his goals and assist we wont be in the worldcup.

Moses is always tracking back and putting his all for the team, you guys claim his selfish, yes sometimes you need those kinda player to unlock some defense ask hazard and neymar.

For the free-kick and corner, you all can see he unselfishly allowed Ekong to take one against poland and sometimes we see iheanacho and Mikel doing the corners, you guys fail to realise that iheanacho is not a starter and can't have the duty for the team solely.

No wahala.....We dey here dey watch na.......just make sure u measure your BP well well cos the world cup is not a 2legged affair where u think you still have hope after a couple of hit and miss. If You dont make ur chances count, its bye bye (please check out of the Hotel, we have customers waiting..... in the voice of Hotel manager abi na concierge)

asha80:
remove etebo abeg.

Even Iwobi

Truidstar:
4-4-2 and 3-4-3 i agree with. Seems you don't rate shehu and uzoho.

I don't rate Shehu as a natural RB.

Uzoho is good for the future but I am afraid he is not ready now.

forgiveness:
Etebor and Iheanacho can't play the attacking midfield role. Even Iwobi dey misbehave for dat role.


Why do we want a makeshift player in the team just to accommodate dem when some players are performing wonders consistently in that particular role in Europe for Donkey years?

It is not as if the aforementioned players have not been tested in that particular AMF role, they have but in most cases fumbled big time.

Ajagun, Nwakali and one other guy comes to mind.

Great form is not the issue now. The issue is we badly need a natural AM that can decently deputize Mikel... At least to some extent.

These other midfielders have priven too incapable for that role.

kennysville:
I think at this rate, it would be wise to have a cerebral attacking midfielder. I havent followed Ajagun but i think Aluko would work given his exploits in the middle of the park. Ajagun could also be given a chance..., you never know.... Forgiveness might be right (hahahaha...Ayam not believing that I agree with this man)

Hahahahahaha! Na so life be na. Hahahaha!

However, I think Rohr should give these two players chance to see if they can quickly settle into his formations.

Rohr must think wisely when making decisions selecting players.

MetalJigsaw:
Those ones are still pretenders at best. Non of them have really staked a serious claim for that role.
I'm talking about a trusted AM that will replace Mikel comfortably.

So who is that player?

MetalJigsaw:
Iwobi "could" thrive is under probability you know.

Is Iwobi doing well?
Please let's be realistic here.

How many players in Arsenal have done well this season? Are they all going to be loaned?

chrisooblog:
realistic list i agree the only two spots available to be fought for baring injuries (God willing) are goalkeeper akpeyi/ajiboye/ayeinugba? ola/elderson.

ola aina yes his form this season has been hot and cold but i would rather take him because 1. he is young and will likely improve 2. he has some offensive weapons (his crosses) which might be useful. echejiele of four years ago was ok defensively plus was playing regularly for decent european clubsides now he has really regressed badly. inability to pick a starting shirt in belgium division 2 side says it all. if in 2014 when elderson was better we coped we will definitely not miss him now in 2018 that he is poorer

I totally agree with you

MetalJigsaw:
Ajagun, Nwakali and one other guy comes to mind.

Great form is not the issue now. The issue is we badly need a natural AM that can decently deputize Mikel... At least to some extent.

These other midfielders have priven too incapable for that role.

I don't think Nwakali is ready. The other guy should be either Onomah or Sone Aluko.

Form is very important ooooooo.

Yes! You are right. The ones on ground have proven they are incapable for that particular AMF role. He that has ear let him hear.

As per inclusion/injection of new players into the team, I would advise we tread with caution. Any player that must be added now has to really really be the missing piece of the puzzle so as not to upset the balance of the team. In fact we have sooo many players right now that can actually give our starting 22 a gud run for their money , but frankly its all about the timing. If this were 1 year ago, no problem! But 1 month to the world cup and we already wanna yank off Musa, Simon because there are players performing better abi? Newsflash! Its world cup season.... Everybody scores! Even Ighalo that was having goal drought scored 4 goals ( although i would av prefered he scored only one and kept the rest 3 for our 3 group games so we can at least have 1 nil win in each of the games.....Na joke O!)


Bottomline, names you never heard before on the scoresheet will start scoring. Check all our worldcup seasons especially the ones we qualified for. Na so so pop pop the net dey shake.

My candid opinion? We include them after the Mundial. Every one of them. If we can have 3 solid like for like teams after the world cup with each player knowing that his jersey aint sure, then we are sorted. Its is this starting 11 syndrome that got us into this mess in the first place. Now we dey beg Enyeama to come to the rescue, we dey pray say make mikel no injure...... God help us

Up Super Eagles

One of Arsenal's best young prospects, 16 year old goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo is being chased by RB Leibzig and Celtic.

Arsenal risk losing him..

Another one to keep an eye on. He already has caps for England.

Humility017:
please scrol back....I think tlaba and some other persons already shared the clips here...

I know they posted it. I meant I searched it on my own before they even posted it here.

Please lets leave politics out of this thread even though i am tempted sometimes to address some political comments i see on this thread.

Humility017:
the major problem we have in these country...is that those Nigerians who live down south are ignorant of the fact...that the north especially core north play a major role in nigeria political destiny....

many folks here are barely educated...and could cast their vote in line wit religious sentiments...as they're been spurred by imams...and mallams...

forget it....Nigeria can never elect a leader of such qualities you described above...because many here in the north will rather vote vote buhari's picture than vote such a fellow....

tbaba1234:
One of Arsenal's best young prospects, 16 year old goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo is being chased by RB Leibzig and Celtic.

Arsenal risk losing him..

Another one to keep an eye on. He already has caps for England.

That's a good one. We should invite him for our under age grade team if he has not been capped by England.

We will do this in this worldcup. Iheanacho will score a free kick.

As for Cornerkick, i don't think we have players who love using their heads except maybe Ogu

Scoring from indirect freekick, an Ogu can do that and maybe Musa.

We might get to win PK this world cup if we go far, players like Moses and Iheanacho can win us PKs.

Icon4s:
Has any Nigerian ever scored from a free-kick in any World Cup?

Has Nigeria generally scored from any form of set piece, be it corner or indirect free kick?

We have not even won any penalty.

Still scratching my head.

As long as we cannot get goals except from open plays we will continue to struggle in major competitions like the WC.

Martz101:
I asked you a question which you didn't answer, prior to iheanacho free-kick against Argentina, have you seen him score free-kick before

You think Rohr assign free kick duties to Moses because he likes his face or because he plays for Chelsea, I gave hou two reason why iheanacho cant take the responsibility of our freekicks and penalty, because his not a sure starter in he team.

If Rohr is biased and favouring Moses then he should have even added the captain band to him in Mikel absence.

But since both players are on the pitch, the better taker should be given the chance.

It doesn't really matter If Nacho is a sure starter or not. Since Nacho is better at it and is present, he should be allowed to take the free kicks for goodness sake!

But we still have Neymar and maybe Sallah, Bryune e.t.c, these ones play sweet football too.

Mujtahida:
Socrates, the Brazilian football wizard cum medical Doctor said "Beauty comes first. Victory is secondary. What matters is joy.”

That's why I loved Ronaldinho. He was a throbbing exhilarating dynamo of joy, passion and sublime skill rolled into one.

Today it is power, pace and passing that matters.

Once Messi retires, the door to the era of football as an art form will firmly be bolted.

.

somehow:
We will do this in this worldcup. Iheanacho will score a free kick.

As for Cornerkick, i don't think we have players who love using their heads except maybe Ogu

Scoring from indirect freekick, an Ogu can do that and maybe Musa.

We might get to win PK this world cup if we go far, players like Moses and Iheanacho can win us PKs.

I have been corrected: Adepoju scored from a corner against Spain in 1998, Uche Kalu scored from a free-kick in 2010 and alos Yakubu scored from the penalty spot in that same world Cup.

But by and large we need to utilize every given opportunity.