₦airaland Forum

This is a very sad day.

Most Nigerians, football fans or otherwise, young and old, male and female, have over the decades assumed the iconic figure of the Big Boss as a massive and perhaps permanent part of our footballing family.

It would be impossible to discuss the successes of Nigerian Football in international Ccmpetitions without it reading like a biography of the Big Boss.

We all at different times argued over his actions as a player and as a manager, we debated and took sides for and against him as he went on about his work as best he could. I remember berating him on social media when the 2014 World Cup Squad was announced for taking Gabriel Ruben and Uchebo with the team to Brazil. having said all that I thing we can never take away from Keshi was his love and commitment to his country. He gave all he had.

He was so passionate, I remember watching our final 1994 World Cup qualifying game against Algeria in Algiers which we drew 1-1. Finidi scored our goal that day in the first half and we had to defend for our lives in the 2nd half as the Algerians were on rampage, we needed at least a draw! The big boss led our defense and secured our first ever qualification for the World Cup. After the game the big boss cried like a baby. Such was his love for Nigeria.

The big boss we have hated and loved you at different times as we do our family members, you were our family..now we can only love and miss you dearly. Rest in perfect peace. You will NEVER be forgotten.

I am not usually pessimistic but I am willing to wager £50 with someone that this will not happen as stated.

Ojady:
The day you go and LIVE in a developed country legally, pay taxes, enjoy basic amenities, where 96.9% of everything works, where people are still in touch with what makes them higher animals, become socially adapted to the way of life there...then and ONLY then...can you come and post such an erroneous piece...
First of, life as a blackman, emphatically as a Nigerian is terribly challenging, for any Nigerian to live in Europe or North America, critical to your survival is how quick you can adapt, shedding most if not all of the Nigerianess you have, which is a hard thing to do...especially if you're over 18...
Now after going through the unimaginable to become a globally civilized person, you think one or two visits to Nigeria is going to just switch a person back to Nigerian again right? Seriously?

This is the most complete response to this thread thus far.

I like Kelechi and I think he is generally a young guy who has a massive future ahead of him. I am proud he is ours!!

Now back to the 'debate'

Facts:

In 2013 (pre U-17 World Cup kickoff) MRI scans 'confirmed' he was eligible to compete. i.e The experts were satisfied that he was 17 years of age + or - 2yrs. So on this basis in 2013 it is possible he could have been between 15 and 19 yrs old.

The picture shown where he is wearing a Nigeria Football Jersey throws up some confusion. That particular Jersey was designed by Adidas for the Nigerian National teams in 2006. They were used by the Gold Winning 2007 U-17 Team of Yemi Tella which had the likes of Rabiu, Chrisantus, Oseni see that attached pic as proof. Compare the Jersey worn by Nacho and that of 2007 U-17 boys Chrisantus and Rabiu. There are the same abi?

In 2010 (Pre-world cup 2010) the National Team Jersey was still produced by Adidas but it was of a different design. This newer design was issued in 2008. Siasia's U-23s used this Jersey in the Beijing Olymipcs (See attached pic). The Jersey remained unchanged until the 2010 World Cup proper.

So if Kelechi played for a Nigerian team in 2010 he should at the very least have been wearing the same Jersey as the one worn by the 2008 olympic team. However, being that it was an under U-13s team he was playing for it is also possible that 'poor admin' reasons led to his team being given old kit to play in. This is Nigeria.

Conclusion: From the above evidence the worst case Scenario is that Kelechi was 13 yrs old in 2007 which would mean he is 22 yrs old now. Which would then mean he was 19 yrs old when he played the U-17 world cup in 2013, and this would explain why he passed the MRI scan test with the + or - 2 yrs margin.

Thank you.

You can now continue to fight yourselves.

Summary of this match:

Whoever was in goal today cannot possibly be the second best goal keeper in Nigeria. A deputy for Ikeme is still to be found. Afelokhai?

Umar Aminu is not ripe for International football.

Troost-Ekong is far too easily beaten. Against a good team he will be toast!

The jury is out on Ighalo, he seems to be a one trick pony and now he has a confidence crisis! He maybe needs a break

Mickael2:
bro, you didn't watch that match. The game was so dull that nobody realized that fullbacks even played in that game. It was just police football, shoot on sight. There was no time for any overlaps, no time for anything literally. But you are correct, Isaac Success needs to have a future in this team once he reduces his har > then I wouldnt mind Hull City's Odubajo playing as our right back, Musa Mohammed does not even come close. For me the ideal team with back-ups will be;
GKs: Ikeme and (do we have anyother goalkeeper? We really need to beg Enyeama)

Rbs: Odubajo, Musa Mohammed.

Lbs: Madu, Echejille.

Cbs: Omeruo and Leon Balogun should be our permanent partners or if Leon Balogun moves to full back then Troost Ekong should move in there, Oboabona is just a bench piece, together with some other random defender.

Mfs: Onazi and Mikel can function as our double pivots if we want to play a 4-3-3 But judging by the players we have, we should be considering a 4-1-3-2 formation, with Mikel or Onazi as the sole pivot, Musa, Iwobi and someone like Victor Moses or Moses Simon, preferably Moses Simon. Success should be there too as a bench piece for now.

Forwards: Ighalo, Iheanacho, Ideye and someother striker.

My lineup would be:
Ikeme; Odubajo, Balogun, Omeruo, Madu; Onazi; Musa, Iwobi, Simon; Iheanacho, Ighalo.
Mikel can't play as a single pivot so it makes it hard to include him, Victor Moses can replace Musa or Simon or Iwobi thus providing competition and keeping them fresh, Isaac Success too has changed to a complete winger now at Granada, hopefully he will join Watford too and show his stuff in England, he is pacy and strong but a terrible finisher, so we need to keep him as far away from the goal as possible, he can provide width on the flanks. Then Ideye and can do exactly what Ighalo is there to do-hold up play. I wrote this by 1am so I dont really remember most of our players, feel free to add any new names or formation

Your analysis is excellent. I like it when football analysis is done in a thoughtful manner, explaining the reasons behind certain decisions. I don't completely agree with some of it though.

Firstly, Ikeme in goal is of decent quality and we perhaps need to come to terms with the reality which is Enyeama's retirement after 14 yrs of commendable service. I think the Enyimba keeper Afelokhai is the best in the league and should be involved in the set up as an understudy to Ikeme. If Enyimba do well in the Champions League this season I will expect his stock will rise massively.

GK: Ikeme (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

As of today and with what i have seen of Troost-Ekong, he is not better than Oboabona but maybe he has more potential. The fact remains that our defence is currently a shambles. This is not only as a result of the personnel at our disposal at the back, but more because of the lack of continuity in this area. We are always chopping and changing here and very stupidly! e.g In the last 2 yrs we have had Oshaniwa, Madu, Echiejile and Amuzie start as left back. Why?? Is it really that difficult to identify who the best player we have in that position is?

Okay enough about the past. Based on current form, fitness and ability,our best Defensive line if NFF can do their jobs competently in getting change of allegiance sorted out in time should look like this:

RB: Odubajo (Hull City) - He has said a million times he is waiting for a call up from Nigeria. He is better than Muhammed and dont get me started on Ambrose.
CB: Balogun (Mainz) - Always improving both for club and country and commands respect from his teammates. Future captain.
CB: Omeruo (Kasimpasa) - If a better option arises he is the one who would be losing his shirt here. Not top quality yet but the most athletic defender we have, his recovery is good when he's beaten.
LB: Echiejile (Monaco) - When fit he is much much better than the other options here, just needs to tackle harder like a defender should.

Troost-Ekong (Haugesund), Otigba (Hereenven), Oboabona (Rizespor), Awaziem (Porto), Madu (Trencin), Muhammed (Istanbul BB), Akpoguma (Hoffenheim) should keep working harder to displace the above starters.

Oshaniwa (Hearts), Ambrose (Celtic), Shehu Abdullahi (Uniao MAdiera), Eguwuekwe (KuPS), Amuzie (Olhanese SC) Etc SHOULD NOT be considered National Team defenders for now as they are not as good as the above 9 listed. No Home based, for now. Sorry.

In midfield. I dont subscribe to the role of holding midfielders. You are either a box to box midfielder or you dont get in the team. One of the most underrated players in Nigeria today (there are two, I'll name the other later) is John Ogu. He possess good technique and passing ability. His physique is intimidating, he is big and strong, you CANNOT push him off the ball, he is mobile, he can track runners and his shooting from range is similar to Sunday Oliseh's used to be, very potent and accurate! He is our most complete midfielder bar none. He has just won the league in Israel. Yet this man does not even get a call-up. This is partly why I am a pro-foreign coach campaigner because I am 100% sure with a competent foreign coach in place, players like this wont be ignored.

My 2 in midfield will be
CM:John Ogu (Hapoel Beer Sheeva)
CM: Onazi (Lazio). For me he fits the description of box to box midfielder better than the other candidates we have.

If we chose to change it tactically to be defensive either Mikel (Chelsea), Ndidi (Gent) or Ogude (Amkar Perm)
To maintain the offensive flow; Igiebor (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Esiti (Estoril), Rabiu Ibrahim (Trencin) or Igboun (Ufa). We don't have many real top quality midfielders so we need committed hard workers who can do the basics consistently, full stop. The magicians are further up the pitch.

Lukman (Astana), Joel Obi (Torino), Izochukwu (Odense), Etebo (Feirense) etc SHOULD NOT be considered National Team players for now either due to prolonged period of poor form, fitness or as in the case of Etebo, not yet ready for the step up required to play international football.

Now it gets very interesting, in the area of Attacking Midfielder/Wingers. This is where Nigeria is most blessed and yet still managing to screw it up. I don tire! In this area we will need 3 players ideally capable and comfortable in seamlessly switching roles and knowing when to do it without being prompted. To keep it short I will have

LW: Moses Simon (Gent)
AMC: Iheanacho (Man City)
RW: Victor Moses (West Ham)

The options or should i say alternatives will include Iwobi (Arsenal), Aluko (Hull), Success (Granada), Ajagun (Panathinaikos), Babatunde (Qatar SC). Babatunde is the second most underrated player in Nigeria today. He can beat a man, he can shoot, he has pace to burn and makes better decisions in the final third than the likes of Musa and Moses. If fit and in form he will be a starter taking the place of Victor Moses. This is the area where our games will be won as our quality here is excellent!

Finally up front: In selecting a player to lead the line you have to assess and predict how much of the ball the team is going to see. Are we going to control the midfield? Is the opposition midfield stronger than ours with more technical players in abundance such as Spain, Croatia? If we are going to be on top in midfield then I will go with Ahmed Musa as our Striker! All those goals we hear he scores for his club, from what position does he get them? Exactly! He will never get in my team in any other role. Though a good player, he is a woeful winger and his cross completion rate stats must make grim reading. How our local coaches have still not realized this since he made his debut in 2011 is quite astounding. Get me a foreign coach please!! If we are going to be under alot of pressure and would need to hold up the ball when attacking I will go for Brown Ideye.

So here
ST: Musa (CSKA Moscow)
or
ST: Ideye Brown (Olympiacos)

On the bench working hard to come in would include Ujah (Werder Bremen), Ighalo (Watford), Samuel (CSKA Moscow), Kayode (Austria Vienna), Awoniyi (FSV Frankfurt), Umar Sadiq (Roma) and Mfon Udoh (Enyimba).

Imoh (Anderlecht), Osimen (Wolfsburg), Adi (Portland Timbers), Eduok (Esperance), Salami (KuPS), Umar (Osmanilispor), Mbakogu (Carpi 1909) etc will have to keep working hard to get a call up.

So there you have it our best team:

4-2-3-1

GK: Ikeme (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
RB: Odubajo (Hull City)
CB: Balogun (Mainz)
CB: Omeruo (Kasimpasa)
LB: Echiejile (Monaco)
CM:John Ogu (Hapoel Beer Sheeva)
CM: Onazi (Lazio)
LW: Moses Simon (Gent)
AMC: Iheanacho (Man City)
RW: Victor Moses (West Ham)
ST: Musa (CSKA Moscow)

Ronaldo is so off the pace he is only still on the pitch because he is Ronaldo, and that is part of the reason why Atletico will win their first champions league.

20k GBP?

I will only tell if the girl is not in my league. In such cases the guys i tell wont believe me anyway. So everybody's cool.

If i put it on Beyonce or Rihanna hell yea i would shout it to the high heavens! on the other hand if I did the akara seller down your road out of conji, of course that secret will go with me to the grave

abi no be so? hahahaha

NB: I just remember sef, na so i give one chic till day break o, next morning i wear my cloth bounce out. The next thing I see pic of myself dey sleep with just boxers! B i t. ch took pics of me while i was sleeping in her bed con share with her friends, then e con leak!

That's right by the gate of their government house (building with the green and white fence and triangular gate roof)! I remember that town quite well.

This beer parlour thread is going exactly as expected. Please continue...

All the pics on here only show one thing, Nigeria as a whole is poo.

These were the toughest for me....

strength of materials 200&300L
Engineering drawings (assembly drawings) 200L

These were rumoured to be the toughest but I found them much easier than expected, maybe I over prepared due to fear..

Automatic Control 400L
Heat Transfer 300L
Thermodynamics 500L

The easiest ones bar none

EngineerING law and Management 400L
Material Science 200L
Energy Studies (final year optional)
Structural design in Steel 300L
Structural design in Timber 300L
Metrology 400L
Engineers in Society 500L
ALL GNS, Laboratory and Workshop courses..

Mechanical Grad 2002. How old were you then? Lol

bokohalal:
He is correct. Victor Ikpeba's father is Isoko. The mother and his upbringing is however Edo.

Where is the name Ikpeba from, isoko?

banky222:
OK help me clarify this Ahmed Musa story. heard. he is actually an Edo guy.

Hahahah no be lie

Even messi has Edo roots...lol

Ideye Aide Brown - Olympiacos striker and super eagle

Ameze Imarhiagbe - pioneer nollywood actress

Me....of course

banky222:
. I am in! you're talking about cool 20k at least.

Good man. You may now enlighten us without the use of 'maybe' on how Victor Ikpeba is from Delta state.

banky222:
. Victor Nosa Ikpeba is from Delta state . His mum may be from Edo state.

Where are you? I am ready to wager £50 on that. No maybe's here.

Jayson Obazuaye - Basketball star/ex Tiger

Julius Aghahowa - no need introducing this brother

Derrick Obasohan- Nigerian Basketball star/London 2012 Olympian

Victor Ikpeba - Ex-super eagle/top goal scorer in the French League with Monaco

Paul Aigbogun - Current manager of Enyimba International FC, the most successful club side in Nigeria.

If I may add...

Elderson Echiejile of Monaco
Isaac Success of Granada

I was only a little boy when this happened but I remember the event and the aftermath very well..

Okwaraji was a true hero of very rare breed. He died in action in the most unlikely of circumstances while wearing the green and white of his Country, in a bid to qualify us for our first ever World Cup.

We beat the hard fighting Angolans 1 nil on the day but it felt like we had lost 10 nil!

He just has to be honoured. But I wouldn't hold my breathe.

Continue to rest in peace.

Fly? Do people still look fly in 2016? Okay

So over 150 nairalanders and an additional 147 guests are interested in Banky's yeezy's, fake or otherwise. We don die finish for this country.

Buhari please give these guys broom make dem do something useful.

We are finished.

See how people dey lie on top God head ba? Okay o lol

DJ Cuppy

Caracta:
ATM card? Ain't they all ATM cards since they are used on ATMs? Educate me bro. Do we have cards separately for ATMs and another for POS and other alternative channels?

All debit cards are ATM cards but not all ATM cards are debit cards.

Hahahahahahahahahahaha

I only read the title of this thread but

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

You try...

Okay serious now. Is there an operational credit checking system in Nigeria that enables potential lenders determine an applicants risk profile such as experian?

Brb

Happens all the time here I'm afraid. Lucky boy.

lordgosh:
Can you prove ao you are not corrupt...cos even your profile name suggest you are corrupt

This debate has nothing to do with my person or character. It is a question open to the public which you may chose to respond to or otherwise.

An apology would have been required were it not a fact that Nigeria is fantastically corrupt. IMHO Buhari's response was golden. He implied that keeping the apology (which outside of realms of diplomacy do not deserve) and support us by repatriating stolen assets to us. Simple.

xcuggsm:
Same thing an illiterate Igbo trader at Onitsha market will say. "Call me anything you want BUT all I want is the money" what I pity

If your president does not take exception to being labelled "fantastically corrupt" , I as a Nigerian I definitely do.

Forget about labels. Is Nigeria not fantastically corrupt? It is a yes or no question.