Icon4s:


Stop? Did I say I have stopped being an Enyimba fan?
I still watched some of Enyimba's games on DSTV up till last season and still went to watch one of their FA cup games(which they even lost) about 2 years ago.

The difference between then and now is we had a football loving governor then who budgeted so much on Enyimba. The Enyimba international stadium had one of the best natural pitches in the country then. Many corporate bodies were ready to associate with the club due to its successes. Business was good at Enyimba FC.

Not now any longer.

There is no money in the league any longer. The few quality players have left or are about to leave.

MetalJigsaw:
Would you take Echiejile to Russia following his current performances in the team?

tbaba1234:
Rohr already knows like 18 players for sure.. Only few spots for grab.

Good experience for Stephen Eze, Junior Ajayi and Gabriel.. Do not expect any of the trio on the list.

I hope to see Agbo play for Nigeria, finally. Joel Obi is back

Abusule007:
Rohr invites Mikel, Onazi, Moses, 25 others for Poland, Serbia friendlies



Super Eagles’ Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr has listed captain Mikel John Obi, midfielder Ogenyi Onazi and playmaker Victor Moses in his 28 –man squad to battle Poland’s fellow Eagles and Serbia in pre-FIFA World Cup friendly matches this month.




Home –based goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa, who stood between the pipes for the very crucial last four World Cup qualifying games (home-and-away to Cameroon, home to Zambia and away to Algeria), leads the goalkeeping section and will be joined by new boy Francis Uzoho and Daniel Akpeyi.



Former junior international Kenneth Omeruo is back among the defenders, as Joel Obi among the midfielders, while Eagles’ B stalwarts, defender Stephen Eze and forward Gabriel Okechukwu, are also handed opportunities.



Russia –based Brian Idowu, who scored against Argentina on his debut in a friendly in Krasnodar in November last year, and Al Ahly of Egypt’s Junior Ajayi, who earned an Olympic bronze in Brazil in 2016, are also called.



Three –time African champions Nigeria will trade tackles with the Bialo-Czerwoni (White and Red) or Eagles, as the Senior National Team of Poland is known, at the 43,000 –capacity Stadium Wroclaw on Friday, 23rd March 2018.



Four days later, the Eagles will take to the pitch against the Senior National Team of Serbia at The Hive, London - home ground of Barnet FC and London Bees.



These are the first two in a list of six friendly encounters planned for the Super Eagles by the Nigeria Football Federation ahead of the 21st FIFA World Cup finals in the Russian Federation this summer.



THE FULL LIST



Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (Deportivo La Coruna, Spain); Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Enyimba FC); Daniel Akpeyi (Chippa United, South Africa)



Defenders: Abdullahi Shehu (Bursaspor FC, Turkey); Tyronne Ebuehi (Ado Den Haag, The Netherlands); Olaoluwa Aina (Hull City, England); Elderson Echiejile (Cercle Brugge KSV, Belgium); Brian Idowu (Amkar Perm, Russia); Chidozie Awaziem (Nantes FC, France); William Ekong (Bursaspor FC, Turkey); Leon Balogun (FSV Mainz 05, Germany); Kenneth Omeruo (Kasimpasa FC, Turkey); Stephen Eze (Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Bulgaria)



Midfielders: Mikel John Obi (Tianjin Teda, China); Ogenyi Onazi (Trabzonspor FC, Turkey); Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Oghenekaro Etebo (Las Palmas, Spain); John Ogu (Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Israel); Uche Agbo (Standard Liege, Belgium); Joel Obi (Torino FC, Italy)



Forwards: Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow, Russia); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Moses Simon (KAA Gent, Belgium); Victor Moses (Chelsea FC, England); Odion Ighalo (Changchun Yatai, China); Alex Iwobi (Arsenal FC, England); Junior Ajayi (Al Ahly, Egypt); Gabriel Okechukwu (Akwa United)

tbaba1234:
The only place where there could be changes is goalkeeping but that is dependent on who messes up.

Expect to see all three keepers in the two games.

somehow:
Going to watch live matches alone is a sacrifice sir. If the league didn't give them chance to showcase themselves, who will know them in the first place. Anyways my points have been made .

mazimee:



You can't rule Junior Ajayi out so quick, if he scores a brace against poland you know what that means right?

tbaba1234:


I have seen Ajayi play of recent. He is not that outstanding. He might not even get minutes unless he seriously impresses in training.

TheSuperNerd:
I am loving the list.... I thought only Stephen Eze and Ezenwa will be the guys from the CHAN team, but hey, wow... he brings in Okechukwu Gabriel too. Good for the lad's experience.


On this Goalie issue.... I think it is getting clearer who Rohr has in mind for Russia. Those three are gung-ho favorites now... only issue now is who would be No.1 from among the three....

Good to see Junior Ajayi (reward for hardwork and consistency), and Joel Obi (the jewel is back... hope he stays fit oooo) too.


Rohr will still release a provisional WC list.... so I await that too after this period of the friendlies. #SoarSuperEagles.

tbaba1234:


I have seen Ajayi play of recent. He is not that outstanding. He might not even get minutes unless he seriously impresses in training.

Oasis007:


I disagree...... it's 99% Certain the Trio are going to the World Cup bar Injury. However I expect Rohr to drop 2 Defenders, 1 Midfielder and 2 Strikers from the List for the final List.

TheSuperNerd:
I forsee Rohr taking six forwards and six midfielders to the mundial.... barring any injury and based on this list for the march friendlies.

That means the defence will have eight names and the GK dept will have 3 as usual.

I can easily fell out the names of Rohr's possible 23 for the WC but it is still early days. Time and chance still happeneth to all..
so let the friendlies come first.

aadvark:
The long awaited friendly list is out, Junior Ajayi of Egypt's Al Ahly gets invite, but what do we expect? What exactly does Ajayi bring to the Eagles front line?
His record in his club says its goals, goals and goals.

Ajayi has proven to be very prolific for his club this season, practically tearing through teams. His proficiency in front of goal will be of value to the Eagles as they hope for a strong outing at the world cup.

But as I type this, one question nags my mind. If he performs well in the friendlies, as I have a hunch he will, who will be dropped from the Eagles attack to accommodate him? The eagles attack is one position that is star studded, with names like Victor Moses, Alex Iwobi, Simon Moses, Kelechi Iheanacho, Ahmed Musa and Odion Ighalo. So who will take the fall?

It's easy to point to Odion Ighalo, whose goal return has not been very impressive for the Eagles. Ajayi on the other hand knows how to put the ball in the net. But for a second, let's put on our analytical glasses.

The eagles usually play a 4-3-3formation with one top striker who is expected to not just score goals but also offer good hold up play. This Odion Ighalo does excellently, as we saw in the double header with Cameroon in the WC qualifiers. He can also drift to either wing and take on a man successfully, offering the sort of service that Real Madrid's Benzema does to his team. So even tho he doesn't score much, he is some sort of foil for the team, as his service makes it easy for various players to pop up with the goals.

Now can Ajayi offer that apart from the goals? The truth is that, if he provides decent enough hold up play in addition to goals, then I will be very sorry for Ighalo.

But hey, the friendlies are here, the stage is set, and a good performance from the Egypt-based goal machine might just worsen Rohr's headache. I for my part shall be on hand to hand him some Emzor paracetamol, lol.

tbaba1234:


I watched a interview by Rohr just last week and he did not sound that certain. He talked about looking at several possibilities. He has spoken to Osigwe, Maduka etc in recent weeks. He is getting a new gk coach to fortify the training. It sounded like a headache for him.

He talked about looking at other possibilities. These three are definitely favorites but it takes one or two flops to change that picture.

Joebie:
Akpeyi never flop yet abi?

aadvark:
The long awaited friendly list is out, Junior Ajayi of Egypt's Al Ahly gets invite, but what do we expect? What exactly does Ajayi bring to the Eagles front line?
His record in his club says its goals, goals and goals.

Ajayi has proven to be very prolific for his club this season, practically tearing through teams. His proficiency in front of goal will be of value to the Eagles as they hope for a strong outing at the world cup.

But as I type this, one question nags my mind. If he performs well in the friendlies, as I have a hunch he will, who will be dropped from the Eagles attack to accommodate him? The eagles attack is one position that is star studded, with names like Victor Moses, Alex Iwobi, Simon Moses, Kelechi Iheanacho, Ahmed Musa and Odion Ighalo. So who will take the fall?

It's easy to point to Odion Ighalo, whose goal return has not been very impressive for the Eagles. Ajayi on the other hand knows how to put the ball in the net. But for a second, let's put on our analytical glasses.

The eagles usually play a 4-3-3formation with one top striker who is expected to not just score goals but also offer good hold up play. This Odion Ighalo does excellently, as we saw in the double header with Cameroon in the WC qualifiers. He can also drift to either wing and take on a man successfully, offering the sort of service that Real Madrid's Benzema does to his team. So even tho he doesn't score much, he is some sort of foil for the team, as his service makes it easy for various players to pop up with the goals.

Now can Ajayi offer that apart from the goals? The truth is that, if he provides decent enough hold up play in addition to goals, then I will be very sorry for Ighalo.

But hey, the friendlies are here, the stage is set, and a good performance from the Egypt-based goal machine might just worsen Rohr's headache. I for my part shall be on hand to hand him some Emzor paracetamol, lol.

tbaba1234:


Lol, Akpeyi can not afford another error

aadvark:
The long awaited friendly list is out, Junior Ajayi of Egypt's Al Ahly gets invite, but what do we expect? What exactly does Ajayi bring to the Eagles front line?
His record in his club says its goals, goals and goals.

Ajayi has proven to be very prolific for his club this season, practically tearing through teams. His proficiency in front of goal will be of value to the Eagles as they hope for a strong outing at the world cup.

But as I type this, one question nags my mind. If he performs well in the friendlies, as I have a hunch he will, who will be dropped from the Eagles attack to accommodate him? The eagles attack is one position that is star studded, with names like Victor Moses, Alex Iwobi, Simon Moses, Kelechi Iheanacho, Ahmed Musa and Odion Ighalo. So who will take the fall?

It's easy to point to Odion Ighalo, whose goal return has not been very impressive for the Eagles. Ajayi on the other hand knows how to put the ball in the net. But for a second, let's put on our analytical glasses.

The eagles usually play a 4-3-3formation with one top striker who is expected to not just score goals but also offer good hold up play. This Odion Ighalo does excellently, as we saw in the double header with Cameroon in the WC qualifiers. He can also drift to either wing and take on a man successfully, offering the sort of service that Real Madrid's Benzema does to his team. So even tho he doesn't score much, he is some sort of foil for the team, as his service makes it easy for various players to pop up with the goals.

Now can Ajayi offer that apart from the goals? The truth is that, if he provides decent enough hold up play in addition to goals, then I will be very sorry for Ighalo.

But hey, the friendlies are here, the stage is set, and a good performance from the Egypt-based goal machine might just worsen Rohr's headache. I for my part shall be on hand to hand him some Emzor paracetamol, lol.

aadvark:
The long awaited friendly list is out, Junior Ajayi of Egypt's Al Ahly gets invite, but what do we expect? What exactly does Ajayi bring to the Eagles front line?
His record in his club says its goals, goals and goals.

Ajayi has proven to be very prolific for his club this season, practically tearing through teams. His proficiency in front of goal will be of value to the Eagles as they hope for a strong outing at the world cup.

But as I type this, one question nags my mind. If he performs well in the friendlies, as I have a hunch he will, who will be dropped from the Eagles attack to accommodate him? The eagles attack is one position that is star studded, with names like Victor Moses, Alex Iwobi, Simon Moses, Kelechi Iheanacho, Ahmed Musa and Odion Ighalo. So who will take the fall?

It's easy to point to Odion Ighalo, whose goal return has not been very impressive for the Eagles. Ajayi on the other hand knows how to put the ball in the net. But for a second, let's put on our analytical glasses.

The eagles usually play a 4-3-3formation with one top striker who is expected to not just score goals but also offer good hold up play. This Odion Ighalo does excellently, as we saw in the double header with Cameroon in the WC qualifiers. He can also drift to either wing and take on a man successfully, offering the sort of service that Real Madrid's Benzema does to his team. So even tho he doesn't score much, he is some sort of foil for the team, as his service makes it easy for various players to pop up with the goals.

Now can Ajayi offer that apart from the goals? The truth is that, if he provides decent enough hold up play in addition to goals, then I will be very sorry for Ighalo.

But hey, the friendlies are here, the stage is set, and a good performance from the Egypt-based goal machine might just worsen Rohr's headache. I for my part shall be on hand to hand him some Emzor paracetamol, lol.

aadvark:
The long awaited friendly list is out, Junior Ajayi of Egypt's Al Ahly gets invite, but what do we expect? What exactly does Ajayi bring to the Eagles front line?
His record in his club says its goals, goals and goals.

Ajayi has proven to be very prolific for his club this season, practically tearing through teams. His proficiency in front of goal will be of value to the Eagles as they hope for a strong outing at the world cup.

But as I type this, one question nags my mind. If he performs well in the friendlies, as I have a hunch he will, who will be dropped from the Eagles attack to accommodate him? The eagles attack is one position that is star studded, with names like Victor Moses, Alex Iwobi, Simon Moses, Kelechi Iheanacho, Ahmed Musa and Odion Ighalo. So who will take the fall?

It's easy to point to Odion Ighalo, whose goal return has not been very impressive for the Eagles. Ajayi on the other hand knows how to put the ball in the net. But for a second, let's put on our analytical glasses.

The eagles usually play a 4-3-3formation with one top striker who is expected to not just score goals but also offer good hold up play. This Odion Ighalo does excellently, as we saw in the double header with Cameroon in the WC qualifiers. He can also drift to either wing and take on a man successfully, offering the sort of service that Real Madrid's Benzema does to his team. So even tho he doesn't score much, he is some sort of foil for the team, as his service makes it easy for various players to pop up with the goals.

Now can Ajayi offer that apart from the goals? The truth is that, if he provides decent enough hold up play in addition to goals, then I will be very sorry for Ighalo.

But hey, the friendlies are here, the stage is set, and a good performance from the Egypt-based goal machine might just worsen Rohr's headache. I for my part shall be on hand to hand him some Emzor paracetamol, lol.

Joebie:
Agu should kiss Russia goodbye if he fails to get regular time at Bursaspor.

Modified
Maybe a few players who impress at their clubs between now and before then will make that provisional list of 30. We have 28 players in this list.

TheSuperNerd:

As in eh... Shehu (our RB) is now preferred ahead of Agu in the DM role... na wa... hope Agu can fight back too shaa... Bit I personally know this: "Agu won't make the final 23 man squad"

Joebie:
Na Ayew brothers they bench Tammy. Still wishing him a happy experience with the 3 Lions in Russia.

Joebie:
Don’t be scared. Go ahead and predict. It’s just a prediction

tbaba1234:


Ajayi does not have goals, goals and goals.. 8 goals in almost 30 games for a big side

He is not that prolific..

Truthfully, i do not see him making the team. Good experience though

aadvark:
Well, I didn't exactly look up his record while typing. I just wrote based on how he is described on this thread

mazimee:



The fall will come from the Midfield if Junior Ajayi does something impressive that can't bé overlooked. The Midfield is currently filled with solid 6 players which can only bé reduced if Ajayi performs. Non of the forwards you mentioned will be dropped.