Joebie:
you mean luring players from Germany will be easier?

Yes I feel so. Those guys might be regarded as surplus to requirements. Germany has too much depth. So they won't raise so much hoola compared to wailings of England.

Humility017:

how about Paul...?
mind you...rohr see nacho as a striker..so whoever gonna come after ighalo and nacho gonna be the 3rd chioce striker...

Na wa ooooooo. So, if these two players doesn't perform (God forbids) this season, they have automatic shirt, ba!?

komekn:


The only consideration should be ability nothing else.

Almost all of the Nigerian players in the Turkish league would jump ship immediately and go to China for big money if they could.

The players getting the big bucks are proven and tested on the best leagues in the world.

You are wrong on big money move to China by making such far reaching, all encompassing claim(even the Devil knows not the thoughts of a man). Ekong accepted a pay cut to even go to Turkey just to have regular playing time. Most young players are not thinking China for money yet but fame and advancement in the competitive leagues.

SPAIN: Copa del Rey - 1/16-finals

---

FULL TIME

Deportivo 1-4 Las Palmas
Good news for Uzoho who was not listed. The caretaker coach, Cristobal Parralo, hands polish goalkeeper, Przemyslaw Tyton a start. And the Pole failed the test woefully. Let's also consider that Deportivo played a man down from the 24th minute of the game after a player was sent off.

Girona 0-2 Levante
Olarenwaju Kayode was introduced from the bench in the 64th minute, but could not save his side from losing to Levante.
Kayode is still in search of his first Girona goal.

Kog45:
Pls do u mean d same Obafemi Martins(richest,connection, powerful)honestly u love Martins coz your encomiums on him is awesome but he is not d richest and not most powerful.

So who do you think is the richest and the most powerful??

junnyjake:


So who do you think is the richest and the most powerful??

I don't know about richest, but in what sense do you mean powerful? Because word around town says Mikel has a pretty heavy say in choice of players

Joebie:
hahaha.. u never taya reach.. u go soon yata.. calm down.. u too dey fear..

It's not fear. The stakes are high. I feel taking Martins and co is letting some letting down on our prospects. It's those who clamour for Martins who I'd say are afraid, afraid of the future, lacking in guts and courage to drive to the future. Not taking Martins is not even a risk.

Friends, Countrymen, Nairalanders!!!
As much as we love to keep this present crop of super eagles all the way to the world cup, I think a bit of reflection is important. Its not a crime if a player is old. If he still has it in him, then he has it! At 50, George Foreman became a world heavyweight champion against a much younger opponent. What that says is simply experience came to play. I cannot exactly recall the match where Martins played last. I think it was the Tanzania game where oliseh fielded him as a 10. And boy, was he mercurial! We have to understand that some departments still need a bit of beefing up and if its because we feel Martins is a threat to our preferred players like Kelechi, Ighalo and other attackers we seem to have right now, then I say we should look at it from a different angle.

Disclaimer!.... I am not advocating for a return of martins. I AM ONLY BEING OBJECTIVE.

With that out of the way, let us take a cursory look at what Martins can bring to the table. He possesses power and a bit of pace, he does very neat dribbles and good with passes. He can be your average go to guy as a creative midfielder loaded with experience. Lets not forget how lethal he is in front of goal.

For some time we have been saying stuff like what happens when mikel is not in the team and how badly we play. Iwobi is good to a large extent but sometimes he may fade out under tight marking. He loses ball easily too. So lets not make it look like the set of guys we have right now are the dons of football. How do we preserve our attacking and possessional identity if Mikel is not in the mix? Let us not for one second think that our opponents are not watching our games. Right from 1994, the same tactics have always played out, whereby they take out or should I say neutralize our threat. Amokachi, Amuneke, Onazi, Kanu Nwankwo for those of us who like stats.

All that needs to happen is one mean tackle on our beloved Mikel and thats it. Game over. When we clamor for a player, let us define what such a player can offer before we start to make assertions as to who fits and who doesnt. There should be a good blend of experience and Youthfulness in our National team. If there is any one that we can make exception for in our National team, it is Martins , simply for the reasons stated above. My stand on Enyeama has never changed and that is no matter how big you are, you still need to respect authorities. If he is to come back, then he owes us all an apology for believing he is bigger than the national interest. He retired on his own and he should leave it that way. If Carl Ikeme werent sick, I bet he would have been totally forgotten by now. That is what time does. Even now he isnt doin pretty well. I wish him well in his endeavors but frankly for the sake of order and decorum and the good work that Rohr has done, he should steer clear. This is why you dont rubbish the legacy you build for 13years just because you want to prove a point to your coach and your FA. Cos as far as i am concerned, he is sinking fast into oblivion.

Osaze on his part, i wont advocate for him because of what he has to offer is limited.

Mujtahida:

I agree with merit but at the same time merit among the new crop. Seriously even if Martins(and before I am accused of hate, just know I like obagoal) is scoring 100 goals per season I'd really not want to see him in Russia. We clamoured for him and Keshi gave him an opportunity and his performance was ineffectual. There's nothing he is doing so special that Ighalo or Iheanacho cannot do. But that's even beside the point. He's done his time. Let him rest.

Na wa ooooooo. This is one of the reasons we don't do well in the world cup.

Placing age above performance.

To start with those are just fake headline stories.

Mujtahida:

It's not fear. The stakes are high. I feel taking Martins and co is letting some letting down on our prospects. It's those who clamour for Martins who I'd say are afraid, afraid of the future, lacking in guts and courage to drive to the future. Not taking Martins is not even a risk.

Joebie:
lol my brother I just think our image has improved, football-wise. Pinnick has been doing well in this regard. Serious work has to be done on the home front still. Looking forward to the next NPFL season to see if there will be improvements from the previous. How about the proposed youth league?

proposed youth league wey na old men go full am

Joebie:
how good are our alternatives?

Martins is not Rashidi Yekini. We have seen Martins before ooo. To me he's simply no alternative. Sentiments? Yes.

Joebie:
right but u pick the deserving to make the initial pool

Not all and every deserving player will be in that pool. Not only in Nigeria but same holds everywhere. Many deserving players for Brazil, for France, for Germany, for England will not even make the first pool.

komekn:


If experience was the main requirement to give you overriding advantage then I would agree with you but what about talent and outstanding ability.

So Martins now has talent and outstanding ability more than the guys we have? I hope you know that Jay Jay still has talent and outstanding ability.

On Enyeama he was bereaved and his situation was handled so so badly. He has served us well. And he deserves an honorable memorial match whenever he deems it fit to retire officially. We need to respect our heroes. We should fault NFF on that issue. Let's call a spade a spade. Many of these NFF officials na only chop dem sabi. Many of them have not given to the country half of what these guys have done for the country. Enyeama was a captain who fought for the team. The problem is whenever someonee decides to stand up for what is right in Nigeria, we don't rally around them.

kennysville:
Friends, Countrymen, Nairalanders!!!
As much as we love to keep this present crop of super eagles all the way to the world cup, I think a bit of reflection is important. Its not a crime if a player is old. If he still has it in him, then he has it! At 50, George Foreman became a world heavyweight champion against a much younger opponent. What that says is simply experience came to play. I cannot exactly recall the match where Martins played last. I think it was the Tanzania game where oliseh fielded him as a 10. And boy, was he mercurial! We have to understand that some departments still need a bit of beefing up and if its because we feel Martins is a threat to our preferred players like Kelechi, Ighalo and other attackers we seem to have right now, then I say we should look at it from a different angle.

Disclaimer!.... I am not advocating for a return of martins. I AM ONLY BEING OBJECTIVE.

With that out of the way, let us take a cursory look at what Martins can bring to the table. He possesses power and a bit of pace, he does very neat dribbles and good with passes. He can be your average go to guy as a creative midfielder loaded with experience. Lets not forget how lethal he is in front of goal.

For some time we have been saying stuff like what happens when mikel is not in the team and how badly we play. Iwobi is good to a large extent but sometimes he may fade out under tight marking. He loses ball easily too. So lets not make it look like the set of guys we have right now are the dons of football. How do we preserve our attacking and possessional identity if Mikel is not in the mix? Let us not for one second think that our opponents are not watching our games. Right from 1994, the same tactics have always played out, whereby they take out or should I say neutralize our threat. Amokachi, Amuneke, Onazi, Kanu Nwankwo for those of us who like stats.

All that needs to happen is one mean tackle on our beloved Mikel and thats it. Game over. When we clamor for a player, let us define what such a player can offer before we start to make assertions as to who fits and who doesnt. There should be a good blend of experience and Youthfulness in our National team. If there is any one that we can make exception for in our National team, it is Martins , simply for the reasons stated above. My stand on Enyeama has never changed and that is no matter how big you are, you still need to respect authorities. If he is to come back, then he owes us all an apology for believing he is bigger than the national interest. He retired on his own and he should leave it that way. If Carl Ikeme werent sick, I bet he would have been totally forgotten by now. That is what time does. Even now he isnt doin pretty well. I wish him well in his endeavors but frankly for the sake of order and decorum and the good work that Rohr has done, he should steer clear. This is why you dont rubbish the legacy you build for 13years just because you want to prove a point to your coach and your FA. Cos as far as i am concerned, he is sinking fast into oblivion.

Osaze on his part, i wont advocate for him because of what he has to offer is limited.

EFL Q/FINALS DRAW
Leicester City vs Man City

Arsenal vs West Ham
Chelsea vs Bournemouth
Bristol City vs Man U
Nacho's chance at redemption. Can he?

Goke7:


both martins and osaze that messed us up at the 2010 world cup? osaze tried in 2014 but to bring these old pales back in 2018 may just show how backwards our football is andwith the emergence of players like moses, iwobi even ihenacho, why are we still discussing folks like martins and osaze for christ sake haba. with old players like musa and mikel already in the squad, its a shame to be talking about osaze and martins. smh

Where you expecting the coach to drop Osaze and Martins who singlehandedly qualified us for the world cup?

Osaze did very well in that world cup but Martins just came back from long injury.

kennysville:
Friends, Countrymen, Nairalanders!!!
As much as we love to keep this present crop of super eagles all the way to the world cup, I think a bit of reflection is important. Its not a crime if a player is old. If he still has it in him, then he has it! At 50, George Foreman became a world heavyweight champion against a much younger opponent. What that says is simply experience came to play. I cannot exactly recall the match where Martins played last. I think it was the Tanzania game where oliseh fielded him as a 10. And boy, was he mercurial! We have to understand that some departments still need a bit of beefing up and if its because we feel Martins is a threat to our preferred players like Kelechi, Ighalo and other attackers we seem to have right now, then I say we should look at it from a different angle.

Disclaimer!.... I am not advocating for a return of martins. I AM ONLY BEING OBJECTIVE.

With that out of the way, let us take a cursory look at what Martins can bring to the table. He possesses power and a bit of pace, he does very neat dribbles and good with passes. He can be your average go to guy as a creative midfielder loaded with experience. Lets not forget how lethal he is in front of goal.

For some time we have been saying stuff like what happens when mikel is not in the team and how badly we play. Iwobi is good to a large extent but sometimes he may fade out under tight marking. He loses ball easily too. So lets not make it look like the set of guys we have right now are the dons of football. How do we preserve our attacking and possessional identity if Mikel is not in the mix? Let us not for one second think that our opponents are not watching our games. Right from 1994, the same tactics have always played out, whereby they take out or should I say neutralize our threat. Amokachi, Amuneke, Onazi, Kanu Nwankwo for those of us who like stats.

All that needs to happen is one mean tackle on our beloved Mikel and thats it. Game over. When we clamor for a player, let us define what such a player can offer before we start to make assertions as to who fits and who doesnt. There should be a good blend of experience and Youthfulness in our National team. If there is any one that we can make exception for in our National team, it is Martins , simply for the reasons stated above. My stand on Enyeama has never changed and that is no matter how big you are, you still need to respect authorities. If he is to come back, then he owes us all an apology for believing he is bigger than the national interest. He retired on his own and he should leave it that way. If Carl Ikeme werent sick, I bet he would have been totally forgotten by now. That is what time does. Even now he isnt doin pretty well. I wish him well in his endeavors but frankly for the sake of order and decorum and the good work that Rohr has done, he should steer clear. This is why you dont rubbish the legacy you build for 13years just because you want to prove a point to your coach and your FA. Cos as far as i am concerned, he is sinking fast into oblivion.

Osaze on his part, i wont advocate for him because of what he has to offer is limited.

all this long epistle and still nothing meaningful..

Time that you would have used to juxtapose what Martins offers in comparison to what the other four or so guys jostling for his position have to offer, you use am write epistle wey most people no go finish.

Martins was mercurial when? Is it not the same jam body football Martins plays? Is it not the same gra gra that Victor does on the pitch that Martins does? They will probably break his leg before they can break Mikel's, that is if he doesn't collect one card before then.

You people have started with clamours for all these "seeking final glory" footballers that just want to score one World Cup goal and retire. Four years ago, it was Osaze in an admittedly depleted team, now, it is Martins in a fortified team?

Tell us what Martins can offer that the likes of Onyekuru, Dessers, Onuachu cannot offer...bearing in mind they are playing in better leagues.

BTW, "he played at the top flight" does not count.

Sir, name 3 solid WC caliber #9 we have at the moment. You are comparing us to France, Brazil etc. of then

Mujtahida:

Not all and every deserving player will be in that pool. Not only in Nigeria but same holds everywhere. Many deserving players for Brazil, for France, for Germany, for England will not even make the first pool.

daveP:
EFL Q/FINALS DRAW

Leicester City vs Man City


Arsenal vs West Ham

Chelsea vs Bournemouth

Bristol City vs Man U

Nacho's chance at redemption. Can he?

if I were Leicester's coach, I would start Kelechi, just for the banter

forgiveness:


Na wa ooooooo. This is one of the reasons we don't do well in the world cup.

Placing age above performance.

Don't you guys get it? Are these young guys a flop? Between your Kayode and Martins who would you rather - as things stand now- should go to the World Cup?

Mujtahida:

Ighalo is within the frame of the current Super Eagles even Brown Ideye, even Omeruo, even Oboabona but Martins' time is past. Leave him there. Even if he scores ten goals for us something inside me will fail even while I am rejoicing. Scolari stood staunchly against calls for an in form Romario against a Ronaldo who had not played football for close to two years. Brazil were handsomely rewarded for that. Leave Martins, he's now a relic of the past, his records have entered the museum of our national football history.

Ronaldo was a better player than Romario. It is understandable. But who you wan compare Martins with? Is it Ighalo or Iheanacho?

Fear God ooo.

Has Obagoal being to any world cup. If no, then guys, ONLY INJURY CAN STOP HIM. Whether he deserves the spot or not. How will his portfolio look like if he didnt go to any with all that stint and spark?
Just thinking the way the oga at the top would see this situo ni o.

Joebie:
Sir, name 3 solid WC caliber #9 we have at the moment. You are comparing us to France, Brazil etc. of then

That's the point I am making. Even if Equatorial Guinea were to qualify and go for the World Cup many deserving players at the level of that country will not make it.

Mujtahida:

Don't you guys get it? Are these young guys a flop? Between your Kayode and Martins who would you rather - as things stand now- should go to the World Cup?

Understand wetin?

I will pick the one that performs better in the club and in the National team.

forgiveness:


Na wa ooooooo. This is one of the reasons we don't do well in the world cup.

Placing age above performance.

no, we don't do well because we pack a bunch of old legs and expect them to perform magic.

Rufai, Yekini, Ameobi, Yobo, and God knows which other grandpa we will be taking next year.....

Y'all keep messing up the team's chemistry in your quest to find an individually good player forgetting that football is a TEAM sport, not an individual one and being great individually, does not make one great for a team.

If you must fortify this team, do so with players that will blend in seamlessly, not some grand dads that will struggle to find their place in the current set up

safarigirl:
if I were Leicester's coach, I would start Kelechi, just for the banter

Lol. That man(Puel) better start well by thinking right. Nacho will influence that game well if they play the ball on the ground. Besides Pep doesnt fancy the efl cup.

Mujtahida:

Don't you guys get it? Are these young guys a flop? Between your Kayode and Martins who would you rather - as things stand now- should go to the World Cup?

it is befuddling how people reason in this country.

You have young guys itching to prove their worth, yet, you want to ignore them for overused players because you think those ones are 'tested and trusted'

It is this abnormal thinking process that led us to having a geriatric failure for president in a youthful nation. Buhari was 'tried and tested' and some people thought it wise to give him a second go an look what happened.

Now, it is Martins. Not only Martins, call up Yakubu Aiyegbeni as well, he looked solid in that picture he took with AJ, should be fit enough for the World Cup

Joebie:
On Enyeama he was bereaved and his situation was handled so so badly. He has served us well. And he deserves an honorable memorial match whenever he deems it fit to retire officially. We need to respect our heroes. We should fault NFF on that issue. Let's call a spade a spade. Many of these NFF officials na only chop dem sabi. Many of them have not given to the country half of what these guys have done for the country. Enyeama was a captain who fought for the team. The problem is whenever someonee decides to stand up for what is right in Nigeria, we don't rally around them.

Joebie! Joebie!! Joebie!!!
How many times i call you? No let me fight you o! Lolzzzzz

On a serious note, yes he was grieving. Why was he in camp in belgium after his mom died and she was buried? Moral support? What was he standing up for? That he no longer was the captain? Watch the link below on you tube. Tell me what you would do if you were in Oliseh's shoes and also tell me what you would do as an association chairman.


https://www.google.co.za/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=%23&ved=0ahUKEwijjbCIl4_XAhXoCcAKHQqsCZIQwqsBCCYwAA&usg=AOvVaw0VTJzWxrN8ZFOD4xbU2nov

"Not all" for a country that is blessed with so many good players.. You and I know that even Dessers and co have not even earned their first cap for SE. so what are we talking about? They are neither tested nor proven.

Mujtahida:

Not all and every deserving player will be in that pool. Not only in Nigeria but same holds everywhere. Many deserving players for Brazil, for France, for Germany, for England will not even make the first pool.

forgiveness:


Ronaldo was a better player than Romario. It is understandable. But who you wan compare Martins with? Is it Ighalo or Iheanacho?

Fear God ooo.

You don't get it. Ronaldo had not played football for two years. Romario was in form (plus remember he was already a World Cup winner) yet the coach dropped him. If it were you plus your obsession with stats you'd have pulled out Romario's stats for the last season and pit it against Ronaldo's own which was zero and you would have gone with Romario. My emphasis is as a coach you will just have to leave out some players. And I'm hoping Rohr leaves out Martins and Osaze and who else Okocha abi

Mujtahida:

Forgiveness where are you Ooooo. Ehen, please put this foreign born inside your cart with them Thiago Ilori. *winks

Hahahahahah! Done.