kennysville:
Friends, Countrymen, Nairalanders!!!

Frankly, I think the loss to Serbia is the reason a lot of us went cold footed. We seem to forget that as we are scared of Croats, they also wary of us. They watch English Premiership too. They see Iwobi's passing and runs, Ndidi's tackling stats, Mikel's marshalling of the midfield, VicMoses dangerous runs as well. Dont you think they also worried? Lemme assure you all that they will also be kept busy when playing against Nigeria. For instance, they have to worry about moses not disturbing thrir defence too. They still have to mark some opponents. Please stop this invincibility syndrome. We are not playing against Man City coached by Pep Guardiola where all his players are on fire. National team football is not the same as Club football. So dont judge a player by what they do in their respective clubs. I make bold to say that they aren not as fantadtic as we make them out to be.

Lets take a cursory look at the last 2 friendlies and ask ourselves why we performed woefully. We all know that if this issue of creative midfielder werent a challenge, we could have beaten the Serbs or at least drawn the match. Yall saw how we matched the Polish national team parading the much dreaded Lewandowski. Our defence isnt the type that leak goals easily. So the problem is who plays our creative midfield. That is the core problem the team has now. Forget the goalkeeping issue. The aim of the tournament is not to concede no goals but to score and score plenty. This can only be achieved when our attacking midfielders provide the supplies.


Make u a take a chill pill abeg

Enjoy some exhibition from Kovacic.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcF9C_Rtr_c

komekn you have come again which top clubs were jayjay, oliseh and adepoju playing for in 1994? is it frankfurt, lierse or racing santander?

please in a bid to be realistic lets not sell ourselves short. yes the croats are slight favourites but they are very beatable. they are strong in certain areas but also weak in other aspects.

costa rica had no hope based on your analysis in 2014 but what happened they top their group against all the odds over fancied uruguay, italy and you guessed it england

yes getting out of our group will be difficult but easy with the self defeatist attitude

komekn:


That's w very misplaced and misleading comparison.

Nigeria midfield 1994 JJay, Oliseh and Adepoju by 1998 they had progressed with the addition of Oruma, These players were playing at the top clubs of Europe at that time. PSG, Juventus, Real Sociedad and Marseille. Add to that our attacking force of Yekini, Amokachi, Emenike, Finidi, Kanu, Ikpeba add to that our defensive string line up if Uchechukwu and Taribo.

Team spirit doesn't win matches without quality players. Can you honestly compare the current bunch with set of 1194-19998.

5 Forgettable Super Eagles’ World Cup Games


Completesportsnigeria. com’s ADEBOYE AMOSU recalls five games in the history of Nigeria’s participation at the FIFA World Cup that Super Eagles’ faithful are not keen to remember, but they are bound to serve important lessons as Gernot Rohr leads his squad out at Russia 2018 …


1. NIGERIA VS ITALY (USA’94)
The Super Eagles were one of the surprise packages at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States of America. The side then tutored by Dutchman Clemens Westerhof beat Bulgaria 3-0 in their debut match at the finals and recovered from the 2-1 loss to two-time world champions, Argentina in their second group game to edge out Greece 2-0 in their last group game.

Westerhof’s men came close to making it to the quarter-finals but fell to an agonising 2-1 loss to 10-men Italy in their Second Round game.

Emmanuel Amuneke gave Nigeria the lead in the 25th minute converting home from George Finidi’s corner.
They were just two minutes away from a famous win before Roberto Baggio grabbed the equaliser and then netted the winner from the spot in extra time.


2. NIGERIA VS DENMARK (FRANCE ’98)
The Super Eagles stunned one of the pre- tournament favourites, Spain 3-2 in their opening fixture at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France and secured their passage into second round following a 1-0 win against Bulgaria in the next game.
Despite suffering a shocking 3-1 loss to Paraguay in the last group game, they were favourite to beat Denmark in their last 16 fixture.
With a tantalising quarter-final clash against Brazil already in the horizon, the side then coached by Serbia Bora Mulitinovic were thoroughly thrashed 4-1 by Denmark despite an impressive showing by the talented Austine ‘jay jay’ Okocha.


3. NIGERIA VS SWEDEN (KOREA/JAPAN 2002)
Veteran tactician, Adegboye Onigbinde took a number of rookies to the 2002 FIFA World Cup co- hosted by South Korea and Japan after the likes of Sunday Oliseh, Finidi George, Tijani Babangida and co were axed from the team.
With talented stars like Austine Okocha, Kanu Nwankwo, Julius Aghahowa and reliable centre-back, Taribo West in the team, much was expected from the Super Eagles despite having to face two-time champions, Argentina, England and Sweden in the group stage.
The team put up a strong display in the 1-0 loss to Argentina in their first game but were sent packing from the competition after going down to a 2-1 defeat to Sweden in the next game.
The Eagles started the game in convincing fashion and scored the opener through Julius Aghahowa but the Swedes rallied back with two goals from Henrik Larsson.
It was the first time the Super Eagles will fail to progress into the second round since their debut appearance in USA ’94.


4. NIGERIA VS SOUTH KOREA (SOUTH AFRICA 2010)
After losing their first two games against Argentina and Greece, the Super Eagles needed a win to book their passage to the second round, but were held to a 2-2 draw by the Taeguk Warriors.
The evening started on a good note for the West Africans with Kalu Uche putting them ahead in the 12th minute, but the Koreans rallied back through Lee Jung- Soo and Park Chu- Young.
Yakubu Aiyegbeni restored parity for the Super Eagles in the 69th minute, but Nigeria fans will never forget the sitter he missed three minutes earlier.
In the end, the side coached by Swede Lars Lagerback couldn’t find the winner and bowed out in the group stage the second consecutive time.


5. NIGERIA VS FRANCE (BRAZIL 2014)
A tightly contested second round encounter saw the Super Eagles exit the competition after a 2-0 loss to France. Emmanuel Emenike had the ball at the back of the net on 19 minutes but his effort was ruled out for offside.

After holding their own for 79 minutes, the Eagles finally capitulated with 11 minutes remaining. Paul Pogba nodded home Mathieu Valbuena’s corner after an error by Vincent Enyeama.

Stephen Keshi’s men then conceded the second late in the game when Joseph Yobo diverted Valbuena’s cross into his own net.


https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/5-forgettable-super-eagles-world-cup-games/

i think 2006 team was stronger they had a young emerging messi, decent coach in pekerman, good balance of youth and experience

asha80:
individual quality wise the 2002 argentine team is the strongest since 1986 but they bounced out in the first round

chrisooblog:
i think 2006 team was stronger they had a young emerging messi, decent coach in pekerman, good balance of youth and experience

apart from batistuta,diego simeone, cannigia and jose chamot most of the squad members of that 2002 squad were at the peak of their prowess..most were also between the ages of 25 and 31 which some sort of age range players play their best footbal..if you watched their qualifiers you will understand where their coach marcelo bielsa deployed high octane attacking football

Icon4s:

This duo are currently injured. Pray for their quick recovery.
June 14 is almost here

sad truth

Martz101:


Etebo can't start, his not even next in line after Onazi, john Ogu is ahead of him, i really can't remember etebo performing well in our midfield, an etebo may perform better in an Argentina game but not Croatia

I think any player can complement Mikel and Ndidi there

Truidstar:

Baba, I don't argue too much. Nigeria to beat Croatia by 2-3 goals. Bulgaria had better in 1994. What was the outcome?

They could even dominate the midfield and we still beat them. Poland and Argentina games are instances. I trust our counter attacks against their weak back line.

TheGoodJoe:

Detect this.

I once said it sometimes ago that Kovacic will be a bigger threat than Modric and Rakitic... Our best midfield combo that will match them (whether its 3-5-2 or 4-2-3-1 ) is Ndidi- Etebo- Mikel... I'll take Ogu as an alternative to Etebo if need be over Joel and Onazi....

Joebie:
The list has been released exclusively. Ask your questions because I won’t be posting it for some reasons.

Really?

Icon79:
Haha!! Safari, I am a big Etebo fan but I definitely know where you're coming from. The way naija soccer fans jump on "bandwagons" is ridiculously funny. Once a player has one or two good games then he's the next best thing! But let him have one poor outing, regardless of the reason, and he's written off completely. Take Ebuehi for instance, after the Argies friendly, he was the best thing since slice bread. But fast forward two months later and he had an average game and folks were already writing him off. They didn't even care that he wasn't 100% fit for that game!

But with that said, I still have confidence in Etebo. I think he has shown me enough to believe in him. Go back and watch out first game against Algeria. He was arguably our best player in that game. He had a massive game.


O pari

Etebo hasn't even played that many game for the SE for him to be written off like that... It took Ndidi a while before he eventually found his feet in the team..

Having gone through so many pages of comments, I have come to realize that there are three categories of SE's supporters
1. The Optimists
2. The Realists
3. The Pessimists.
All these three groups are equally important and there contra-views and opinions should be welcomed as we all can never be on the same wavelength.

With each passing days, hours, minutes, seconds (thanks to TheSuperNerd for his countdown timer) we edge closer to the blast of the whistle for the first game of Russia 2018 World Cup.

All qualified nations are working tooth and nail to ensure a better outing of their respective teams and this does not exclude our own dear nation- Nigeria.

As we all awaits the squad list to be released in few days time, I'll implore all Super Eagles supporters to support the coach's decision on who ever makes the list.

On the final note, SE's performance in this tournament hinges on these things
* Sound Preparation on the part of the team and the football federation
* Right Team Selection and Tactics
* Players fitness(most especially Balogun, Ndidi, Mikel and Moses) these four fitness level will be very paramount to the success of the team.
* Supporters attitude.

With all logistics put in place, I can assure you that THIS Super Eagles will perform beyond our expectations. I'm not scared of any team. It's 11 against 11. Gone were the days individual players ALWAYS make the difference. Today, with right tactics and strategy no team is unbeatable. I say bring on Croatia, bring on Iceland and Argentina they will all be food to the king of the AIR-THE SUPER EAGLES OF NIGERIA

#Soar Eagles
God bless the federal republic of Nigeria

TheSuperNerd:
Pre WC friendly opponents watch

England's three lions coach, Southgate (Pls I mean the "real" southgate not our own resident southgate... lol) will name His 23-man WC squad next week Wednesday (May 16).

But before that day, he will release his provisional 35-man list on monday (May 14), then two days after he unveils the final 23.

I believe we are expecting ours (final 23) close to or on June 2 (day of the friendly at Wembley) or maybe on June 3?

Ah well... time will tell.

@bolded, most teams are likely to release their final 23 man list to the public.. the preliminary squad will be submitted to FIFA first sha...
That means there is little time for experimenting new players in the squad...

But Nigerian fans want Rohr to call up every Harry,Ron and Hermione currently in form in some backwater (in Southgate's voice) leagues

TheSuperNerd:
Daniel Amokachi's Ideye Brown lesson must be heeded by Gernot Rohr
By Colin Udoh, KweséESPN.


There are just days to go until Gernot Rohr names his provisional squad for this summer's World Cup in Russia.
Much of Rohr's squad essentially picks itself, and the coach sure knows what at least seventy percent of what his final 23 will look like.

Such knowledge however, still does not seem enough to protect even surefire certainties from being concerned about getting dropped at the last minute.
One player who was in the 2014 squad and should make the cut for the 2018 event, spoke to KweséESPN anonymously, and harked back to four years ago, when striker Brown Ideye was cut from the squad to general astonishment within and outside the team.

"Nobody expected that Brown will not be in the 23-man list," the player said. "We were all shocked.
"So now, nobody can say for sure that they are going to the World Cup, because anything can happen."

Daniel Amokachi, who was assistant coach at the time, told KweséESPN in an exclusive interview that he had no idea how and why Ideye was cut from the squad.

"Brown for me was one player that I regret that we did not take to the World Cup in 2014," Amokachi said, speaking for the first time about the incident that shocked a nation.
"Hundred percent I didn't know how he didn't make that list," he added. "I never saw it coming that he didn't make the list till when the list came out and we found out.
"I think I probably had a lot of fights with some people that I shouldn't have, but it happened because I saw no reason why such a player should be left out.
"We ended up going to the World Cup with players that even me I don't even know."

It is a stunning admission by Amokachi, who went on to suggest that outside influences may have played a part in the striker getting cut in favour of a players like Michael Uchebo and Uche Nwofor, both of whom had a combined total of six international appearances prior to the World Cup.
Four of those combined caps (two each) were in the friendlies just before the squad was named

"I think it is very tough if a coach is already an agent," Amokachi continued. "It is very, very difficult, and that is why I always say you cannot be a coach and be an agent at the same time.
"When the World Cup comes around, you always have a lot of new players showing up," he added. "Players who will decide that they are Nigerians and bring confusion into the team.
"When you find yourself in that situation, you try to advise, because you have agents that will be calling left, right and centre.
"If a coach is an agent, he will fall a victim too. Those are things that we really really need to avoid. There is no room to be trying new players."

These allegations of agent-induced selections have dogged Nigerian football for years, but Amokachi is the first high-profile name to go on record with it, and he says it is a pitfall that Rohr and his coaching staff need to be wary of as they pick their roster for Russia.

"If the coach is a hundred-percent focused as a coach then he needs the best players in the team because he needs results," the ex-striker proceeded. "However, if he is an agent and he has people around him that are agents then there is an issue.
"That is what is happening with our national team today. There are a lot of agents around them and that is probably going to be the only hiccup that the coach will have."


Squad lists, both provisional and final, are usually sent to the NFF's Technical Committee before release to the press and public.
This is the reason why the committee have taken flak for years about their interference in player selections, but NFF Executive Committee member Chris Green, who was chairman of the committee in 2014, says they had no hand in the matter

"I was not a member of the technical crew and I didn't have a hand in that," said Green. "Amokachi was assistant to Stephen Keshi.
"If as assistant to Keshi he did not know how Ideye was dropped, is it the technical committee that should know?"

Ideye himself appears to still be traumatised by the incident, especially because he was given no prior warning and was as blindsided as everyone else

"I don't want to talk about it," he told KweséESPN. "I just saw the names of the players Keshi picked on Twitter.
"Nobody told me the reason Keshi dropped me, and Keshi himself didn't call or text me so I just moved on."

It is a nightmare scenario, and one that continues to give many of the players in the current squad cause for pause, and potential action.

"Right now, everybody is just watching to see what will happen," a player said. "We know those who should be there, and if anybody from outside is coming in, he has to be very much better than those of us who are here now.
"However, we cannot just sit and allow what happened to Ideye last time to happen again."




Rohr himself seems to have that covered, having reportedly decided to pick a targeted 30 rather than a 35-man provisional squad ahead of next week's deadline.

He'd still do well to heed Amokachi's counsel, and keep his distance from agents while he draws up his roster.


Source: http://kwese.espn.com/football/nigeria/story/3493688/daniel-amokachis-ideye-brown-lesson-must-be-heeded-by-gernot-rohr?device=featurephone


Russia 2018 WC Countdown: 34 days 2 hours 12 mins to go

and who was amokachi insinuating to be a coach and an agent as well? STEPHEN OKECHUKWU KESHI. that man nearly destroyed our apex team just because of his selfishness.

edi287:

You have been noticed. Bye...

Lol... But I think he's not totally wrong though.

edi287:

Not that straight forward bro. Kovacic can easily drop back to negate that. Plus Kovacic is superb at carrying the ball.
Assuming they start with Kovacic - Modric - Rakitic as they midfield 3, they'll have the likes of Brozovic outwide and he can always drift to the middle to outnumber us.
I really can't wait for this game. I don't think we've faced a midfield with this profile before. Want to see how Rohr will go about this...

If we beat this team, Rohr totally has my respect.

Kog45:
We are missing something here regards Etebo.

Pls is Etebo a regular in eagles,and how was his performance so far with eagles.

Why did he lost his place in eagles if he is so superlative and important to the team.

Another question can Rohr trust Etebo as a starter and benched Onazi,Joel and Ogu.

I think beating Croatia solely rest on Rohr tactical prowess,nothing more.

Yes, tactical prowess.

Iceland release 23man list

Reserve

AIG07:
Having gone through so many pages of comments, I have come to realize that there are three categories of SE's supporters
1. The Optimists
2. The Realists
3. The Pessimists.
All these three groups are equally important and there contra-views and opinions should be welcomed as we all can never be on the same wavelength.

With each passing days, hours, minutes, seconds (thanks to TheSuperNerd for his countdown timer) we edge closer to the blast of the whistle for the first game of Russia 2018 World Cup.

All qualified nations are working tooth and nail to ensure a better outing of their respective teams and this does not exclude our own dear nation- Nigeria.

As we all awaits the squad list to be released in few days time, I'll implore all Super Eagles supporters to support the coach's decision on who ever makes the list.

On the final note, SE's performance in this tournament hinges on these things
* Sound Preparation on the part of the team and the football federation
* Right Team Selection and Tactics
* Players fitness(most especially Balogun, Ndidi, Mikel and Moses) these four fitness level will be very paramount to the success of the team.
* Supporters attitude.

With all logistics put in place, I can assure you that THIS Super Eagles will perform beyond our expectations. I'm not scared of any team. It's 11 against 11. Gone were the days individual players ALWAYS make the difference. Today, with right tactics and strategy no team is unbeatable. I say bring on Croatia, bring on Iceland and Argentina they will all be food to the king of the AIR-THE SUPER EAGLES OF NIGERIA

#Soar Eagles
God bless the federal republic of Nigeria

What about Ekong

Edopesin:
Iceland release 23man list

No playing around...

Icon79:
So let me put that question back to you: how do you define creativity in soccer?

Oghenekaro Etebo is a hardworking box to box midfielder but creativity isn't one of his strong points, OK? If you wanna talk about creativity in this current SE team then look at John Obi Mikel, Alex Iwobi, Victor Moses (when he's not dribbling too much), Kelechi Iheanacho, and even Joel Obi.


O pari

All these players you called out have eyes for a killer pass(I do not know what VicMo is doing there though) but Etebo is the kinda guy who will drive at the defence with full force, the kinda guy who will arive late, behind the striker and put the ball into the back of the net, the kinda guy that will outpace his marker and do something reasonable with his final ball,it beats me that you do not understand the terms 'creative run' and 'creative drive'. Alli has absolutely zero(or atleats close to zero) creative pass ability but he is creative with his runs, they all count. I say again, based on all round creativity, no other midfielder in our starting XI comes close to Etebo bar Mikel

charlesemeka85:


oga no matter how you paint etebo he is just an ok player nothing much. his greatest assets are his strength to cover grounds and his pace.

Is Onazi a worldclass superstar? You are sounding as if we have superstars in every department hence an ok player isn't needed

andrew444:


Etebo knows how to loose the ball,he is lucky to be in the super eagles not that he is a bad player but I can't count on him in the starting line up

he sure as hell doesn't lose the ball more than VicMo or Onazi

Daniel Amokachi's Ideye Brown lesson must be heeded by Gernot Rohr

There are just days to go until Gernot Rohr names his provisional squad for this summer's World Cup in Russia.

Much of Rohr's squad essentially picks itself, and the coach sure knows what at least seventy percent of what his final 23 will look like.

Such knowledge however, still does not seem enough to protect even surefire certainties from being concerned about getting dropped at the last minute.

One player who was in the 2014 squad and should make the cut for the 2018 event, spoke to KweséESPN anonymously, and harked back to four years ago, when striker Brown Ideye was cut from the squad to general astonishment within and outside the team.

"Nobody expected that Brown will not be in the 23-man list," the player said. "We were all shocked.

"So now, nobody can say for sure that they are going to the World Cup, because anything can happen."

Daniel Amokachi, who was assistant coach at the time, told KweséESPN in an exclusive interview that he had no idea how and why Ideye was cut from the squad.

"Brown for me was one player that I regret that we did not take to the World Cup in 2014," Amokachi said, speaking for the first time about the incident that shocked a nation.

"Hundred percent I didn't know how he didn't make that list," he added. "I never saw it coming that he didn't make the list till when the list came out and we found out.

"I think I probably had a lot of fights with some people that I shouldn't have, but it happened because I saw no reason why such a player should be left out.

"We ended up going to the World Cup with players that even me I don't even know."

It is a stunning admission by Amokachi, who went on to suggest that outside influences may have played a part in the striker getting cut in favour of a players like Michael Uchebo and Uche Nwofor, both of whom had a combined total of six international appearances prior to the World Cup.

Four of those combined caps (two each) were in the friendlies just before the squad was named

"I think it is very tough if a coach is already an agent," Amokachi continued. "It is very, very difficult, and that is why I always say you cannot be a coach and be an agent at the same time.

"When the World Cup comes around, you always have a lot of new players showing up," he added. "Players who will decide that they are Nigerians and bring confusion into the team.

"When you find yourself in that situation, you try to advise, because you have agents that will be calling left, right and centre.

"If a coach is an agent, he will fall a victim too. Those are things that we really really need to avoid. There is no room to be trying new players."

These allegations of agent-induced selections have dogged Nigerian football for years, but Amokachi is the first high-profile name to go on record with it, and he says it is a pitfall that Rohr and his coaching staff need to be wary of as they pick their roster for Russia.

"If the coach is a hundred-percent focused as a coach then he needs the best players in the team because he needs results," the ex-striker proceeded. "However, if he is an agent and he has people around him that are agents then there is an issue.

"That is what is happening with our national team today. There are a lot of agents around them and that is probably going to be the only hiccup that the coach will have."

Squad lists, both provisional and final, are usually sent to the NFF's Technical Committee before release to the press and public.

This is the reason why the committee have taken flak for years about their interference in player selections, but NFF Executive Committee member Chris Green, who was chairman of the committee in 2014, says they had no hand in the matter

"I was not a member of the technical crew and I didn't have a hand in that," said Green. "Amokachi was assistant to Stephen Keshi.

"If as assistant to Keshi he did not know how Ideye was dropped, is it the technical committee that should know?"

Ideye himself appears to still be traumatised by the incident, especially because he was given no prior warning and was as blindsided as everyone else

"I don't want to talk about it," he told KweséESPN. "I just saw the names of the players Keshi picked on Twitter.

"Nobody told me the reason Keshi dropped me, and Keshi himself didn't call or text me so I just moved on."

It is a nightmare scenario, and one that continues to give many of the players in the current squad cause for pause, and potential action.

"Right now, everybody is just watching to see what will happen," a player said. "We know those who should be there, and if anybody from outside is coming in, he has to be very much better than those of us who are here now.

"However, we cannot just sit and allow what happened to Ideye last time to happen again."

Could this open the door to a selection showdown between coaches and players?

It's unlikely, with the harmony in the present squad and the relationship between captain Mikel Obi and Rohr, but it's possible that such surprises from left field could be the catalyst for a potential disruption in squad harmony.

Rohr himself seems to have that covered, having reportedly decided to pick a targeted 30 rather than a 35-man provisional squad ahead of next week's deadline.

He'd still do well to heed Amokachi's counsel, and keep his distance from agents while he draws up his roster.

http://kwese.espn.com/football/nigeria/story/3493688/daniel-amokachis-ideye-brown-lesson-must-be-heeded-by-gernot-rohr

Is this an indictment of Keshi?

seems Dani alves has been ruled out of the world cup https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/994982426949582848?s=19

MetalJigsaw:
Lol... But I think he's not totally wrong though.

He's clearly looking for attention

Edopesin:
Iceland release 23man list

curios they wrote only their first names

MetalJigsaw:
If we beat this team, Rohr totally has my respect.

I tell you. It will do over confidence a whole world of good.

tbaba1234:
Daniel Amokachi's Ideye Brown lesson must be heeded by Gernot Rohr

There are just days to go until Gernot Rohr names his provisional squad for this summer's World Cup in Russia.

Much of Rohr's squad essentially picks itself, and the coach sure knows what at least seventy percent of what his final 23 will look like.

Such knowledge however, still does not seem enough to protect even surefire certainties from being concerned about getting dropped at the last minute.

One player who was in the 2014 squad and should make the cut for the 2018 event, spoke to KweséESPN anonymously, and harked back to four years ago, when striker Brown Ideye was cut from the squad to general astonishment within and outside the team.

"Nobody expected that Brown will not be in the 23-man list," the player said. "We were all shocked.

"So now, nobody can say for sure that they are going to the World Cup, because anything can happen."

Daniel Amokachi, who was assistant coach at the time, told KweséESPN in an exclusive interview that he had no idea how and why Ideye was cut from the squad.

"Brown for me was one player that I regret that we did not take to the World Cup in 2014," Amokachi said, speaking for the first time about the incident that shocked a nation.

"Hundred percent I didn't know how he didn't make that list," he added. "I never saw it coming that he didn't make the list till when the list came out and we found out.

"I think I probably had a lot of fights with some people that I shouldn't have, but it happened because I saw no reason why such a player should be left out.

"We ended up going to the World Cup with players that even me I don't even know."

It is a stunning admission by Amokachi, who went on to suggest that outside influences may have played a part in the striker getting cut in favour of a players like Michael Uchebo and Uche Nwofor, both of whom had a combined total of six international appearances prior to the World Cup.

Four of those combined caps (two each) were in the friendlies just before the squad was named

"I think it is very tough if a coach is already an agent," Amokachi continued. "It is very, very difficult, and that is why I always say you cannot be a coach and be an agent at the same time.

"When the World Cup comes around, you always have a lot of new players showing up," he added. "Players who will decide that they are Nigerians and bring confusion into the team.

"When you find yourself in that situation, you try to advise, because you have agents that will be calling left, right and centre.

"If a coach is an agent, he will fall a victim too. Those are things that we really really need to avoid. There is no room to be trying new players."

These allegations of agent-induced selections have dogged Nigerian football for years, but Amokachi is the first high-profile name to go on record with it, and he says it is a pitfall that Rohr and his coaching staff need to be wary of as they pick their roster for Russia.

"If the coach is a hundred-percent focused as a coach then he needs the best players in the team because he needs results," the ex-striker proceeded. "However, if he is an agent and he has people around him that are agents then there is an issue.

"That is what is happening with our national team today. There are a lot of agents around them and that is probably going to be the only hiccup that the coach will have."

Squad lists, both provisional and final, are usually sent to the NFF's Technical Committee before release to the press and public.

This is the reason why the committee have taken flak for years about their interference in player selections, but NFF Executive Committee member Chris Green, who was chairman of the committee in 2014, says they had no hand in the matter

"I was not a member of the technical crew and I didn't have a hand in that," said Green. "Amokachi was assistant to Stephen Keshi.

"If as assistant to Keshi he did not know how Ideye was dropped, is it the technical committee that should know?"

Ideye himself appears to still be traumatised by the incident, especially because he was given no prior warning and was as blindsided as everyone else

"I don't want to talk about it," he told KweséESPN. "I just saw the names of the players Keshi picked on Twitter.

"Nobody told me the reason Keshi dropped me, and Keshi himself didn't call or text me so I just moved on."

It is a nightmare scenario, and one that continues to give many of the players in the current squad cause for pause, and potential action.

"Right now, everybody is just watching to see what will happen," a player said. "We know those who should be there, and if anybody from outside is coming in, he has to be very much better than those of us who are here now.

"However, we cannot just sit and allow what happened to Ideye last time to happen again."

Could this open the door to a selection showdown between coaches and players?

It's unlikely, with the harmony in the present squad and the relationship between captain Mikel Obi and Rohr, but it's possible that such surprises from left field could be the catalyst for a potential disruption in squad harmony.

Rohr himself seems to have that covered, having reportedly decided to pick a targeted 30 rather than a 35-man provisional squad ahead of next week's deadline.

He'd still do well to heed Amokachi's counsel, and keep his distance from agents while he draws up his roster.

http://kwese.espn.com/football/nigeria/story/3493688/daniel-amokachis-ideye-brown-lesson-must-be-heeded-by-gernot-rohr

Is this an indictment of Keshi?

Not just Keshi but the so called technical committee

tbaba1234:


No playing around...

not like they have what to play with.

How many players can they assemble on a normal day? Not hard for the coach to make his decision. Not so easy for coaches that have greater options

asha80:
curios they wrote only their first names

Iceland 23-Man World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers (3) : Hannes Thor Halldórsson (Randers FC), Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson (Nordsjælland), Frederik Schram (Roskilde)
Defenders ( : Birkir Már Sævarsson (Valur), Ragnar Sigurðsson (Rostov),Kári árnason (Aberdeen), Ari Freyr
Skúlason (Lokeren), Sverrir Ingi Ingason (Rostov), Hörður Björgvin Magnússon (Bristol City), Samuel Kári Fridriðsson (Valerenga), Hólmar örn Eyjólfsson (Levski Sofia)
Midfielders ( : Aaron Einar Gunnarsson (Cardiff), Gyfi þór Sigurðsson (Everton), Emil Hallfreðsson (Udinese), Birkir Bjarnason (Aston Villa), Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson (Burnley), ólafur Ingi Skúlason (Karabukspor), Arnór Ingvi Traustason (Malmö), Rúrik Gíslason (Sandhausen)
Strikers (4) : Alfreð Finnbogason (Augsburg), Jón Daði Böðvarsson (Reading), Björn Bergmann Sigurðarson (Rostov), Albert Gudmundsson (PSV Eindhoven)