tbaba1234:


Ogu works best when you are dominant and keeping possession

For a big guy, he really does not put his weight about or get stuck in. His passing is fairly limited. He is not the type to hit a 50 yard long pass.. It is always short and simple. Good for keeping possession but not a creative outlet.

You are correct on the positives.

Ogu will probably work best with a battler and a creative person. He can help with the transitions.

TheGoodJoe:


What does Mbappe at 18 has to do with this? How many 17 year old have played for Super Eagles in recent years. It is not that easy.

By the way, I am a Van Gaal fan since the days of Finidi George. So you can understand my joy seeing a young Nigerian working with Van Gaal at Bayern.

soetanoreoluwa:


Yes... I saw his update... Mikel might be having flight challenges... China to rabbat.. My opinion though

TheGoodJoe:




Read the bolded.

aadvark:
Lol, thanks. I was starting to think I was the only one who noticed Dessers

soetanoreoluwa:

Mujtahida:

This is your own approach na. Abi are you not the one singing declare, declare for us since morning? My approach is engage, build rapport, establish relationship. So long as you agreed 100% with what Joebie wrote I see no need dragging this issue further. Discussions are meant to be profitable not fruitless back and forth. I was even aghast when I saw you approve what he wrote because that was nothing but an explanation of what engagement with foreign born players mean. I think next time before I get into argument with you I'd first ask you if you understand my point.

Mujtahida:

You be mind reader? Let him land. Unless you are reading his unstated intentions.

TheGoodJoe:


Back then, the critiques were on Siasia not inviting him earlier for the U20 team. Not Super Eagles.

forgiveness:


How can David Alaba be still eligible to play for Nigeria age grade competition when he already featured for Austria in competitive matches in age grade competitions?

TheGoodJoe:


U20 Qualifiers and preparations start long before the main competition. Okay?

tbaba1234:


In some games, you are under the cush and can't hold possession. Ogu will be a liability in such games as his tackling is not great. He will commit fouls but he can also reduce pressure by keeping the ball a few seconds longer.

forgiveness:


That was why it was a big news then because a 17 years old player that begged to play for Nigeria broke into Bayern Munich first team

A popular football analyst even wrote about him and suggested NFF cap him but dem no gree.

When Austria realised Nigerian press wrote about him and pressured NFF to cap him they quickly handed him invitation. That was why Austria rushed and capped him at 17 while NFF dey do suwegbe.

I can never forget what happened then.

forgiveness:


Which year under 20?

TheGoodJoe:


2009. The same year he joined Bayern and played for Austria. Siasia coached 2009 U20.

komekn:


Who would you rather have Ogu or Aneke.

forgiveness:


Was David Alaba eligible to play for Nigeria under age team?

TheGoodJoe:


An analyst can write but it will not immediately sway the coach to consider a seventeen years old ready for the Super Eagles.

By the way, Alaba enquired to play for the U17 team which is mostly made of homegrown players. Alaba even hinted about logistics probably a reason.

As I said, we can not be blamed. Austria knew him because he grew up there. Wish him the best.

safarigirl:
my brother, bless you for this.

I have been shouting Dessers here for eons, but these people only seem interested in that NEPA pole simply because he plays in that overrated league.

I am telling you, Dessers is gold and I am glad that sugarcane boy went to England because that means there will be space for the likes of Dessers. He's the real gem here.

forgiveness:


But it can sway the best coach in the world to play a 17year old boy at Bayern Munich?

TheGoodJoe:


That I do not know. I am telling you what I noticed when people were criticising why Alaba did not play for us. That was 2009/2010. The critiques were not calling for him to have been in the Super Eagles before Austria called him.

Mujtahida:



There was no what? FORMAL approach for me. And this is how we lost this gem. Smh. We are still leaking in the LB because of this loss. And here we have some under the guise of a false sense of pride(which is actually inferiority complex masking as pride) saying we do not need formal engagement and rapprochement with these players.


One strategy is never a good strategy. This is the age of Aquarius- multifaceted approach is the way forward. The Age of pisces is gone, the age of one size fits all is dead and gone.



http://www.tribune.com.ng/sat/index.php/sports/7508-why-i-dumped-nigeria-david-alaba.html%EF%BB%BF

forgiveness:


So, don't talk what you don't know. David Alaba was never eligible to play for Nigeria under grade competition because he had been capped by Austria as far back at 2007. Therefore, it would be unreasonably for critics to call him for U20. Gbam!

TheGoodJoe:


That is Van Gaal. He has that rep of giving young players a chance. From Ajax were he had young players to Barcelona. Even at Manchester United, Van Gaal gave young players chance to grow.

Different from the Super Eagles set-up.

Mujtahida:

All those that have declared for us so far we shunned them. Don't ever make the mistake of coming to them, they will think you are cheap and not good enough. they will say 'hmmm see this one, you know you are not good enough foe Germany, for Emgland or for any national team for that matter and that's why you want to us to patch you up. Let them come for you. We like to suffer.

forgiveness:


What was different when Bartholomew Ogbeche and Femi Opabumi played for Nigeria 17??

Mujtahida:


I just wanted to know the reason why they choose to play for Greece over Nigeria. I am not blaming Nigeria. I am only saying it would be great if we adopted a more forward approach and that to adopt a strategy of saying they must declare first for us before we invite them is being unrealistic if we chose that as our ONLY strategy.

And do you know that I mentioned Atetokuonmpo just as a background to the main point I wanted to make namely that they are parents with kids all over the world looking for ways through which their kids can represent Nigeria and I feel that engagement and contact with them can solve that problem.
Are you happy with what we are doing with fifteen year old Omadiji? He's just fifteen years old, NFF sends him happy birthday wishes. Do they do that to every kid? No! But we appreciate what they are doing. They are saying we care, we want to be part of your world. That's not begging. That's engagement, that's building relationship.

We cannot pursue every kid. Let's pursue the talented ones early and even at that we will lose some, and win some. We have played and lost many football matches, important ones too but we've not stopped playing football altogether. So for all those who we approached and they declined, we possibly have those we approached and they accepted. So I am vehemently against the adoption of one strategy.
Joebie has written a fine piece that expresses my full sentiments on this issue. I endorse it and adopt it as mine(with his kind permission)

TheGoodJoe:


You can say those criticising Siasia did not know Alaba was not eligible to play for Nigeria. That exonerates Siasia from the criticism. Not saying I should not say what I do not know.

So you can see that the NFF can not be blamed for Alaba not playing for us. Thanks for the contribution and clearing that out.

Joebie:
Patriotism is an illusion. Today he is giving more than 100% to Austria.
If he felt so Nigerian as you want to believe, why didn't he wait? He was just 17.

Modified
It was said it was told to him then that we were focussing on homegrown players for our cadet teams. That should have giving hope for Super Eagles in the future. If he was so patriotic about Nigeria as you guys want to believe, why didn't he act like Shola Ameobi?

And did Ameobi later play for Nigeria? Why did he not die waiting to be called up by England because of patriotism? In all, Nigeria will ALMOST always be a second choice if they are afforded the opportunity both ways.

TheGoodJoe:


We knew them. Opabunmi played U17 with us, Bartholomew Ogbeche had a local cult following, I think from his days at Calabar Rovers.

We did not know nada of Alaba in Austria to hand him a Super Eagles call-up. Even that year, he was still in the junior team of Bayern before he made the climb.

forgiveness:


Oh, I see. They are ignorant but how come the same critics informed NFF about Victor Moses ineligibility when he came all the way from England to play for nigeria without clearance?