adjustments have to be made with this team. . .

I suggest we go to a three man defence if we cannot get a right back
to replace that Apam. I dread to think that another right back is worse than the guy.

Our full backs just made no attempt to go forward. I reckon Taiwo had no choice but to stay
back because he had no left midfielder to play with. Our attacking game really suffered on that account.

Kanu playing midfield is one of the daftest innovations I have ever seen.
A player who barely has the stamina to play upfront given the responsibilty in the midfield.

That Getafe player has to play. He is one of our best dribblers and he can come in on the left. It would give us
a distinct advantage.

Havin Makinwa playing on the wing is also stupid. Who is he crossing for? Martins and Yak are not tall enough.

If we are going to play Utaka then I suggest up the middle. His attitude sucks when he plays on the right of midfield.
He only plays when the spirit moves him. He is forced to be more involved when he plays up the middle.
And he is crucial to our chances I feel because he is our most skillful player outside of Kanu.

I was pleasantly surprised by Taiwo's defending considering the tricky players he had to face.
But gosh it is suicidal leaving him one on one against wingers without protection.

Up front I think Osaze showed dynamism when he came on. I think he had the desire most of all.

Unlike people who think the Ivoriens have a better team I would beg to differ.

Their players might be playing for the bigger clubs but I do think on reflection we are on a par.

Their goalkeeper is a disaster waiting to explode and their defence can be stretched given the chance.

But our coach was a dodoyo Proper M U M U

wel well . . . .

nice one by the Ivoriens, they actually showed they are a better side on the nite, but truth be said the best sides dont always come out winners  

I feel Ejide is some sort of bad luck for us, something to do with his aura tho, cant imagine why Enyeama has been treated like sh@t since Vogts-wagen the nazi came in  

Apam was shambolic and its so sad Chidi Odiah is injured else Apam would just have been in the tourney to understudy, even so I would have preferred Nwaneri or Emeghara deployed to play that role . . .Apam looked like he was suffering from Dysentry  

Yobo this Yobo that, imagine with all his experience he always get caught in quagmires that leads to goals against us, despite the fact that he appears hitherto decent-playing ? what exactly were Seyi, Apam and Yobo 3 fools loking at till Kalou waltzed in between them scoring the beauty of a goal that was largely avoidable ?  

Shittu had a very ok performance and needs to be going forward more for the set pieces more, Mikel had an okay performance too, at least he was more positive than we had seen in previous games . . . whatever happened to the sh@t Martins ? I WONDER WHEN NIGERIANS WILL STOP HYPING THEIR OVER-BLOATED SO-CALLED SUPERSTARS ?  

Martins was sh@t and even Yak played better, holding the ball better, tried more shots and held down the defenders more in the area, yet we all know him to be lazy, what of the hardworking Martins touted to be fast and energetic ? WHAT WAS HIS IMAPCT ON THE NITE ?  

Makinwa ? I dont know what to say ! I have never seen a worse forward in my life playing for the National team, Chrisanthus Macaulay would have done it for me in that 23 man list, and I wonder why Nsofor and Ike were left to rot away on the bench . . . . what a shame !  

Utaka ? I suspect fatigue was his problem as we all know what he can do on a good day . . .how I miss Okocha, now what do we have in midfield ? did u guys notice how commanding Yaya Toure was in midfield ? even Zokora that had lost his best form was made to look good again yesternite and sadly so Barry their goalkeeper aint no special goalie, I wonder why our boys were playing the former Arsenal style of not shooting from outside the box, a style which did not evn come with crisp passing or creativity of any form  

Thank God Taiye Taiwo didnt let up in his defending. . . and at least he hit the bar, he wasnt bad really !

Kanu ? why was the team built around him without a PLAN B ? it was obvious that he was made the fulcrum of the team and immediately he was out, the whole team looked to be in disarray . . .very little Okonkwo could have done  8

all in all, the cup is neither won on the 1st day or even after the semis . . . .its still a long way to go, but Vogts just dont seem to know what to do, if we win the cup it wont be cos he is all that but cos GOD WANTS US TO WIN !  

@Mc omo,
True word

is a night mare

the super eagles of Nigeria were playing like pregnant women on the pitch yesterday.i think vogts should just be sacked, what is Makinwa still doind in the National team , makinwa is a disaster to eagles and why did he have to wait that long to bring osaze  in.the Match was pulsating to me being a nigerian and i knew the ivoriens enjoyed it.Kalou just showed us how porus our defenders are.

i seriously suspect vogts is being bribed !
any coach that has seyi in his squad - not to talk of playing him actually - must be feeding on something else !
i can't even believe makinwa & seyi went to a Nations cup actually play; they are meant to be spectators.
kit, whatever fatigue that got utaka to look so dud must be a killer. utaka is actually the reason why i'm so peeved ! a disappointment to say the least.
we just succeeded in making a dull ivorien side look brilliant.
God dey !

::

I think both teams were equally good
But Man that Ivorian Goal keeper is tough i no fit lie i give him respect !!
Mikel Obi shd wake up a little
and who the Hell put Kanu in the Midfield?
That old bird shd go and perch on the reserve bench,
he is good for one half and for the full match

Them just tell me now say Berti - Makinwa - Eguavon  in bribbry scandal, If no be so why Berti go carry most useless MAKINWA go ACN not even to talk say he WAN use am for the match again CIV, Abeg i no fit shout, UCHE AND NSOFOR na them be our supersurb, Well i still believe he fit return the bribe and play the game with his head, stupid BERTI AND EGUAVON, Na the same way eguavon play the semifinal, with KANU starting , na him he introduce to Berti, Infact why Egiavon follow be coaching crew in the fitsrt place, Basterdssssssssssssssssssssss[color=#006600][/color]

`Our golden bronze no sure dis year oh, Yak just dey shake him ass though better than aimless martins, utaka is shit, why kanu go start? makinwa as sub for martins when nsofor and uche dey bench? i just don't understand oooooo

Una never begin vex yet. It's better we accept d fact that Nigeria does not have a team. Worse still is d fact that Berti vogts is carrying out internet coaching. Wait and see what Mali will do to us.

Why are you Nigerians like this, trying to find a reason, and excuse why we lost?

The truth is, our gameplay was shockingly terrible, lacklustre and pathetic.
I cannot see where any need for future optimism comes from. Our players do not know the meaning of the word 'conter attack', they show little or no seriousness, they jog slowly even when they are a goal down. . .

In fact, i don tire sef.

whey dont beef the guys too much now,
the IVC team is good that is why they were locked up
but there are a few details they need to patch up

well those guys really play their part but tactically vogt kill the game 4 us for field makinwa and not playing uche and obina. let hope we win our remaining match

Well, they should be happy that they have made history by being beaten for the first time in their first match in the nations cup. That gives a picture of things to come.

@Emad

Why the hell criticize Kanu, if not for him the score would have been 2-0 in the first half.

He was the one stabilizing the team, going up front and returning back to defend.

i really felt bad for the match lastnite, hope they make an adjustment on the team
Berti Vogts i dont kw what to say again, but my question is whatz with you and Makinwa
Am sure you dont deserve to be the eagle's coach but we had wanted to try you out and you failed woefully.
Your substitution was nothing to write home about and not to talk of your upfront team haba!!!!!!!!!!!!!. You'v just killed my zeal to watch the match again

well guys

we don lost, case closed.


But dat Berti m*m* wetin u guys want make we do to am  

cause na dhim spoil awa game, by replacing Martins wit Makinwa    

Aby wetin una tink

cheers y'all

Right from the onset, I had known that we were going to loose to CRV.
The fact remains that as long as we keep playing entertainment football
to please people, we would not go far. We are simply not business like
in the field of play, instead we play like big boys who have made all the
money that needs to be made in football.
Irrespevtive of the fact that am a Chelsea fan I would have still been
proud of Kalou and Drogba,
Believe it or not, we have a lot to learn and to do in Nigeria. As for the Coach,
he is ok,but his experience in  the first match will bring out his best in the next
2 matches,  

We were a big dissapointment in yesterday's match, the boys were playing like there was nothing at stake,
i think they all they pose say they hav got all that so they dont put their best into it,
if they dont change their mindset it would be very difficult for us to progress in futball,
are they the only "Big Boys" in African football, there are others in other countries as well but they put up their best performance,
we need to step up our game,

Hmn,

Naija bites the dust! Anyway, to be realistic, I never expected Nigeria to win. I thought we could get a draw against the current best TEAM in Africa (based on current form). But at least, I wanted to see a Nigerian team with skills, verve, flair, determination etc. The first half wasn't bad but we lost imagination and concentration in the second. Our positioning was largely poor.

EJIDE
Autin Ejide had a fair game. He was hardly tested though he showed he has problems calculating crosses. No one could say if Enyeama could've done better. The blame for the goal should rest with the defence - especially Yobo and Olofinjana.

APAM
The OG Nice defender was out a short one! Yea he's a central defender but he showed stage fright. The Ivoriens noticed that and took advantage though Aruna Dindane could've done better. Apam was simply the weakest link in our defence (God bless Chidi Odia!).

TAIWO
He surprised me. He was a bit more composed and calculative. He showed he has taken our criticisms well by imroving on his marking though he had it tough with Kader Keita. And that blinder of a freekick! Kudos to Ismaila.

YOBO
Better game, marked well but for his experience, I wonder why he couldnt make a decisive tackle against Salomon Kalou. He just left the guy to have a field day waltzing thru our defence. otherwise, he tried.

SHITTU
Yes, he plays in the lower league for lowly Watford, but for me, he was the best Eagle on parade. I had confidence in him and he didn't disappoint. His anticipation was superb! In the air, on the ground, excellent. He did a good job keeping Didier Drogba out of the game plus he nearly got a goal - typical of him. He came in late to stop Kalou but, twas too late

OLOFINJANA
He has everything to be a top-class defensive midfielder - tall, big, long legs etc. but he hardly ever uses these to his advantage.
The Ivorians had a field day in the middle, moving at ease into our goal area. Seyi shoulda neutralised these forays with good positioning.

MIKEL
Well, he had a fair game but he needs to be more imposing. The passes were few and far inbetween. Hmarked well but shoulda been more adventurous, taking the ball to the last third of the pitch. We miss Augustine Azuka Okocha (at his prime).

UTAKA
As usual, he drifts in and out of games. On his day, could wreak havok but who knows when he will click. Arthur Boka neutralised him. He wasn't in the game and I told my friends that he should be withdrawn for Osaze. Vogts listened too late.

KANU
In a new role. A bit strange but did well. Still, taking the ball to the strikers was a problem. His usual style of link-up and holding up play wasn't bad.
He got a knock, and that was it.

AYEGBENI
I had thought his big frame would be an advantage but that wasn't to be. Though the midfielders lacked creativity, The Yak could've done better with his wild shots.

MARTINS
He fluffed a few good chances and his replacement was a disaster!

THE SUBS
OKONKWO - Below par performance. Was it probably stage fright?
MAKINWA - Disaster! How did he make the team? Gosh!
OSAZE - Was introduced too late but as usual, he gave his all. His darting runs and cut-ins from the right could've done us more good.

well all in all i think the blame rest solely on the shoulders of Vogt
that man Coached Scotland ,and was a disaster
well what do u expect?

Nobody to blame, the game just came out like but Kalou should have been stopped

that was the most useless line up i've ever seen.
wat happened to the guys used during the friendlies.
makinwa had no business in that game.
ike uche or Obinna nsofor would have been better substitutes.
utaka was nowhere to be found
i think Vogts is a saboteur
he wants to ruin our chances.
anyway lets watch and see

Naija played well,the two teams were evenly matched,its just that CIV got lucky and got the goal,The crazy Mali u guys r praising also struggled to get their goal(penalty).Anyways na who win pple dey praise abi?I still believe in Naija sha, .that reminds me,pls if anybody knows Volks abi na Vogts,tell him not to put Apam on that pitch again cos he was giving away too many balls.Them try sha,NAIJA FOR LIFE, GO EAGLES.

Still dont understand y osaze didnt start n i think they (naija) lacked ideas wen they had d ball ,my only pain is i want CIV out quickly cos we missin eboue & kolo at arsenal ,as 4 eagles na dem sabi!@*??

ah ahhhhhh, u guys shd take it easy on the eagles small now,
what happened to the 9ja4ever,
we gotta keep it tight,
we just need our players to play with passion for their country and put that "Am a big boy" attitude away,

There was no way we could have defeated Ivorian team yesterday. Please mention a player among out team that could match current record of Drogba, Kalou or even Eboue. What could have worked out for us is team spirit which is a bit lacking. Aggressive upfront could have help too. Again this we lack. Whats left for us is to fight like wounded lion, forget the free flowing pathern and be aggressive in attacking and be cordinated in the midfield and defence.

Mantee its not achievement but dedication.


We don't have dedicated payers.

Vogts saidd the team is going to recover, well let's hope so, that is what i also believe

we lost to a more committed and serious side