komekn:


That's w very misplaced and misleading comparison.

Nigeria midfield 1994 JJay, Oliseh and Adepoju by 1998 they had progressed with the addition of Oruma, These players were playing at the top clubs of Europe at that time. PSG, Juventus, Real Sociedad and Marseille. Add to that our attacking force of Yekini, Amokachi, Emenike, Finidi, Kanu, Ikpeba add to that our defensive string line up if Uchechukwu and Taribo.

Team spirit doesn't win matches without quality players. Can you honestly compare the current bunch with set of 1194-19998.

Point of correction, Okocha moved to PSG after the 1998 world cup from Turkey. Team spirit was lacking and quarrels over money issues on the eve of the round of 16 match against Denmark coupled with over confidence led to our ouster. This present team has team spirit, brotherhood and are like a family. Teams like Denmark 92, Greece 2004 did not have quality but they had plenty of pluck and team spirit and they triumphed. At the end of the day its 11 against 11 on the pitch. Anything can happen in a game of football.

big names don't make a team but a strong unit with understanding and team cohesion. the costa rican team to the last world cup is a good example. if having big name players is the only criteria to justify a team that will be successful then the Argentine team ought to be among the hopefuls of this years world cup or would have won the two last edition of the copa america

Lucque:
God bless u.
Bless ur going out ND coming in.
Bless ur generations born ND unborn .
It's almost like we shouldn't even bother going... Lol

Loooolll... As in eh... But truth be told, we are even better than that Greek teem of 2004.... They won it with absolute team spirit and with no special player. Their biggest star was even Charisteas (the no.9). So what are we even scared of? We only have respect for the teams we will face. We acknowledge their strengths and prestige but we also have ours and we are giant killers... We are Africa's finest attacking force at the moment... No team on the African continent can counter attack like the current Super Eagles.. Not even the Moroccans that have arguably Africa's finest midfiled at the moment.

This Tournament shall be the baptism of the dawn of this new era in The Super Eagles... The team's first real exposure on the international stage.... And I have a feeling that what will take place is not what the pundits have scripted already.

We can analyse and talk about tactics... But remember folks.. Match day is match day.. Football is still the beautiful game because some crazy moments still happen.. Greece 2004, Leicester 2015/2016, Nottingham forest in the late 80s or so...

We have a team built strongly on team spirit both on and off the field with our wings carrying the hopes of what is still to come as this new generation still unfolds... I say we sit back and watch how this team enters another evolutionary phase in Russia... This is only the beginning of a new beginning...

Truidstar:

Point of correction, Okocha moved to PSG after the 1998 world cup from Turkey. Team spirit was lacking and quarrels over money issues on the eve of the round of 16 match against Denmark coupled with over confidence led to our ouster. This present team has team spirit, brotherhood and are like a family. Teams like Denmark 92, Greece 2004 did not have quality but they had plenty of pluck and team spirit and they triumphed. At the end of the day its 11 against 11 on the pitch. Anything can happen in a game of football.

oruma wasn't a Marseille player by then. he was in the Swiss league and only moved to marseille at the later tail of his career. oliseh came to france 1998 world as an ajax player

charlesemeka85:
big names don't make a team but a strong unit with understanding and team cohesion. the costa rican team to the last world cup is a good example. if having big name players is the only criteria to justify a team that will be successful then the Argentine team ought to be among the hopefuls of this years world cup or would have won the two last edition of the copa america

individual quality wise the 2002 argentine team is the strongest since 1986 but they bounced out in the first round

TheSuperNerd:


Loooolll... As in eh... But truth be told, we are even better than that Greek teem of 2004.... They won it with absolute team spirit and with no special player. Their biggest star was even Charisteas (the no.9). So what are we even scared of? We only have respect for the teams we will face. We acknowledge their strengths and prestige but we also have ours and we are giant killers... We are Africa's finest attacking force at the moment... No team on the African continent can counter attack like the current Super Eagles.. Not even the Moroccans that have arguably Africa's finest midfiled at the moment.

This Tournament shall be the baptism of the dawn of this new era in The Super Eagles... The team's first real exposure on the international stage.... And I have a feeling that what will take place is not what the pundits have scripted already.

We can analyse and talk about tactics... But remember folks.. Match day is match day.. Football is still the beautiful game because some crazy moments still happen.. Greece 2004, Leicester 2015/2016, Nottingham forest in the late 80s or so...

We have a team built strongly on team spirit both on and off the field with our wings carrying the hopes of what is still to come as this new generation still unfolds... I say we sit back and watch how this team enters another evolutionary phase in Russia... This is only the beginning of a new beginning...

spot on bro

Haha!! Safari, I am a big Etebo fan but I definitely know where you're coming from. The way naija soccer fans jump on "bandwagons" is ridiculously funny. Once a player has one or two good games then he's the next best thing! But let him have one poor outing, regardless of the reason, and he's written off completely. Take Ebuehi for instance, after the Argies friendly, he was the best thing since slice bread. But fast forward two months later and he had an average game and folks were already writing him off. They didn't even care that he wasn't 100% fit for that game!

But with that said, I still have confidence in Etebo. I think he has shown me enough to believe in him. Go back and watch out first game against Algeria. He was arguably our best player in that game. He had a massive game.


O pari

safarigirl:
thank you. All this Etebo talk is because of his performance for Las Palmas, there are no guarantees he will perform same way for Eagles

So, I cannot in good faith, ask for Etebo to start our opening game when his performance in the GwG is underwhelming next to his Las Palmas performances

Mickael2:


is it that you have forgotten his near MoM performance against Algeria? Against SA he was even better than Ndidi and factually everybody was bad on the day, in the return leg against Algeria he may have had a bad game, not sure there is any player who has never had one.

What is your definition of creativity anyways? You are narrowing down creativity to only mean 'creative passes', we also have creative runs(Etebo's strong point if you watched that Olympic games and the qualifiers. We also have creative runs oh, which Etebo is also good at. So he is creative, not Mikel type creative but definetly more creative than anyother midfielder we have in the first team, by that I mean Ndidi and/or Onazi

oga no matter how you paint etebo he is just an ok player nothing much. his greatest assets are his strength to cover grounds and his pace.

So let me put that question back to you: how do you define creativity in soccer?

Oghenekaro Etebo is a hardworking box to box midfielder but creativity isn't one of his strong points, OK? If you wanna talk about creativity in this current SE team then look at John Obi Mikel, Alex Iwobi, Victor Moses (when he's not dribbling too much), Kelechi Iheanacho, and even Joel Obi.


O pari

Mickael2:


is it that you have forgotten his near MoM performance against Algeria? Against SA he was even better than Ndidi and factually everybody was bad on the day, in the return leg against Algeria he may have had a bad game, not sure there is any player who has never had one.

What is your definition of creativity anyways? You are narrowing down creativity to only mean 'creative passes', we also have creative runs(Etebo's strong point if you watched that Olympic games and the qualifiers. We also have creative runs oh, which Etebo is also good at. So he is creative, not Mikel type creative but definetly more creative than anyother midfielder we have in the first team, by that I mean Ndidi and/or Onazi

Mickael2:


is it that you have forgotten his near MoM performance against Algeria? Against SA he was even better than Ndidi and factually everybody was bad on the day, in the return leg against Algeria he may have had a bad game, not sure there is any player who has never had one.

What is your definition of creativity anyways? You are narrowing down creativity to only mean 'creative passes', we also have creative runs(Etebo's strong point if you watched that Olympic games and the qualifiers. We also have creative runs oh, which Etebo is also good at. So he is creative, not Mikel type creative but definetly more creative than anyother midfielder we have in the first team, by that I mean Ndidi and/or Onazi

Etebo knows how to loose the ball,he is lucky to be in the super eagles not that he is a bad player but I can't count on him in the starting line up

Daniel Amokachi's Ideye Brown lesson must be heeded by Gernot Rohr
By Colin Udoh, KweséESPN.


There are just days to go until Gernot Rohr names his provisional squad for this summer's World Cup in Russia.
Much of Rohr's squad essentially picks itself, and the coach sure knows what at least seventy percent of what his final 23 will look like.

Such knowledge however, still does not seem enough to protect even surefire certainties from being concerned about getting dropped at the last minute.
One player who was in the 2014 squad and should make the cut for the 2018 event, spoke to KweséESPN anonymously, and harked back to four years ago, when striker Brown Ideye was cut from the squad to general astonishment within and outside the team.

"Nobody expected that Brown will not be in the 23-man list," the player said. "We were all shocked.
"So now, nobody can say for sure that they are going to the World Cup, because anything can happen."

Daniel Amokachi, who was assistant coach at the time, told KweséESPN in an exclusive interview that he had no idea how and why Ideye was cut from the squad.

"Brown for me was one player that I regret that we did not take to the World Cup in 2014," Amokachi said, speaking for the first time about the incident that shocked a nation.
"Hundred percent I didn't know how he didn't make that list," he added. "I never saw it coming that he didn't make the list till when the list came out and we found out.
"I think I probably had a lot of fights with some people that I shouldn't have, but it happened because I saw no reason why such a player should be left out.
"We ended up going to the World Cup with players that even me I don't even know."

It is a stunning admission by Amokachi, who went on to suggest that outside influences may have played a part in the striker getting cut in favour of a players like Michael Uchebo and Uche Nwofor, both of whom had a combined total of six international appearances prior to the World Cup.
Four of those combined caps (two each) were in the friendlies just before the squad was named

"I think it is very tough if a coach is already an agent," Amokachi continued. "It is very, very difficult, and that is why I always say you cannot be a coach and be an agent at the same time.
"When the World Cup comes around, you always have a lot of new players showing up," he added. "Players who will decide that they are Nigerians and bring confusion into the team.
"When you find yourself in that situation, you try to advise, because you have agents that will be calling left, right and centre.
"If a coach is an agent, he will fall a victim too. Those are things that we really really need to avoid. There is no room to be trying new players."

These allegations of agent-induced selections have dogged Nigerian football for years, but Amokachi is the first high-profile name to go on record with it, and he says it is a pitfall that Rohr and his coaching staff need to be wary of as they pick their roster for Russia.

"If the coach is a hundred-percent focused as a coach then he needs the best players in the team because he needs results," the ex-striker proceeded. "However, if he is an agent and he has people around him that are agents then there is an issue.
"That is what is happening with our national team today. There are a lot of agents around them and that is probably going to be the only hiccup that the coach will have."


Squad lists, both provisional and final, are usually sent to the NFF's Technical Committee before release to the press and public.
This is the reason why the committee have taken flak for years about their interference in player selections, but NFF Executive Committee member Chris Green, who was chairman of the committee in 2014, says they had no hand in the matter

"I was not a member of the technical crew and I didn't have a hand in that," said Green. "Amokachi was assistant to Stephen Keshi.
"If as assistant to Keshi he did not know how Ideye was dropped, is it the technical committee that should know?"

Ideye himself appears to still be traumatised by the incident, especially because he was given no prior warning and was as blindsided as everyone else

"I don't want to talk about it," he told KweséESPN. "I just saw the names of the players Keshi picked on Twitter.
"Nobody told me the reason Keshi dropped me, and Keshi himself didn't call or text me so I just moved on."

It is a nightmare scenario, and one that continues to give many of the players in the current squad cause for pause, and potential action.

"Right now, everybody is just watching to see what will happen," a player said. "We know those who should be there, and if anybody from outside is coming in, he has to be very much better than those of us who are here now.
"However, we cannot just sit and allow what happened to Ideye last time to happen again."

Could this open the door to a selection showdown between coaches and players?

It's unlikely, with the harmony in the present squad and the relationship between captain Mikel Obi and Rohr, but it's possible that such surprises from left field could be the catalyst for a potential disruption in squad harmony.

Rohr himself seems to have that covered, having reportedly decided to pick a targeted 30 rather than a 35-man provisional squad ahead of next week's deadline.

He'd still do well to heed Amokachi's counsel, and keep his distance from agents while he draws up his roster.


Source: http://kwese.espn.com/football/nigeria/story/3493688/daniel-amokachis-ideye-brown-lesson-must-be-heeded-by-gernot-rohr?device=featurephone


Russia 2018 WC Countdown: 34 days 2 hours 12 mins to go

Icon79:
Haha!! Safari, I am a big Etebo fan but I definitely know where you're coming from. The way naija soccer fans jump on "bandwagons" is ridiculously funny. Once a player has one or two good games then he's the next best thing! But let him have one poor outing, regardless of the reason, and he's written off completely. Take Ebuehi for instance, after the Argies friendly, he was the best thing since slice bread. But fast forward two months later and he had an average game and folks were already writing him off. They didn't even care that he wasn't 100% fit for that game!

But with that said, I still have confidence in Etebo. I think he has shown me enough to believe in him. Go back and watch out first game against Algeria. He was arguably our best player in that game. He had a massive game.


O pari

U dey mind naija some people are already giving ebuehi a starting spot as if they are the coach

charlesemeka85:
big names don't make a team but a strong unit with understanding and team cohesion. the costa rican team to the last world cup is a good example. if having big name players is the only criteria to justify a team that will be successful then the Argentine team ought to be among the hopefuls of this years world cup or would have won the two last edition of the copa america

Argentina might not win the World Cup with their big name but also don't be quick to forget that its Germany that won the World Cup and they are also a big name ,they have been trying since 2002 when they lost to Brazil in the finals,in 2006 they played at the 3rd place same thing with 2010 before they won 2014.

The Costa Rica team didn't reach the semi if may remember they kicked them out at the quarter final so no big deal there,the last time I checked our west African brother reach the quarterfinals

Pre WC friendly opponents watch

England's three lions coach, Southgate (Pls I mean the "real" southgate not our own resident southgate... lol) will name His 23-man WC squad next week Wednesday (May 16).

But before that day, he will release his provisional 35-man list on monday (May 14), then two days after he unveils the final 23.

I believe we are expecting ours (final 23) close to or on June 2 (day of the friendly at Wembley) or maybe on June 3?

Ah well... time will tell.

Make una stay here the analyse and give una self hope . Una no get team at all . Quote after the group stages , Nigeria will lose all 3 matches by a wide margin

Afobear:
Make una stay here the analyse and give una self hope . Una no get team at all . Quote after the group stages , Nigeria will lose all 3 matches by a wide margin

You must be new at trolling lol

Afobear:
Make una stay here the analyse and give una self hope . Una no get team at all . Quote after the group stages , Nigeria will lose all 3 matches by a wide margin

OK... Are u done?.. If yes, d door is ryt behind u

Truidstar:


The Croats are good individually but the trio of Modric, Rakitic and Kovcic don't have chemistry. Reminds me of England that once had Scholes, Gerrard and Lampard and did not gel together. The Croats problem is they have a slow back line which we should exploit.

Actually think it's a very versatile midfield. Kovacic can play as a 6, 8 and even 10. Same as Rakitic to a certain extent. Modric will play in the middle. It will be a very difficult game.

Wetin be that ur real football player name again?

Humility017:

please post it.... I am eager to see the names...
hope I made the list....? how about sir goodjoe made the list too...

Think we're getting carried away by Croatia's midfield. No one is taking about Mandzukic and Perisic. Those guys will definitely press us relentlessly without the ball. If we start with Onazi - Ndidi, how do we cope with it?? If we're going to go long, will Ighalo/Iheanacho be a good fit?
Anyhow I trust Rohr when it comes to scouting. Let's see what he comes up with that day.

Afobear:
Make una stay here the analyse and give una self hope . Una no get team at all . Quote after the group stages , Nigeria will lose all 3 matches by a wide margin

You have been noticed. Bye...

safarigirl:
thank you. All this Etebo talk is because of his performance for Las Palmas, there are no guarantees he will perform same way for Eagles

So, I cannot in good faith, ask for Etebo to start our opening game when his performance in the GwG is underwhelming next to his Las Palmas performances

Etebo will be able to offer us something attacking and a lil bit defensively. His late runs will be another headache for the Croatia to worry about.

gamaliel9:
Alert: Best way to stop Croatia,stop Modric from dictating play from the midfield...stop him from trying to find Rakitic most of the time who normally delivers the final pass or sends it to Perisic to cross. We should do an AUGENTHALER ON MARADONA version at 1990 World Cup...I know that Modric is not so fast in Croatian colours[he is sorrounded by fast legs in Madrid],we should work to BLOCK HIS VSION....and Croatian will collapse. He is the prima donna of this team

Not that straight forward bro. Kovacic can easily drop back to negate that. Plus Kovacic is superb at carrying the ball.
Assuming they start with Kovacic - Modric - Rakitic as they midfield 3, they'll have the likes of Brozovic outwide and he can always drift to the middle to outnumber us.
I really can't wait for this game. I don't think we've faced a midfield with this profile before. Want to see how Rohr will go about this...

edi287:

Etebo will be able to over us something attacking and a lil bit defensively. His late runs will be another headache for the Croatia to worry about.

We are missing something here regards Etebo.

Pls is Etebo a regular in eagles,and how was his performance so far with eagles.

Why did he lost his place in eagles if he is so superlative and important to the team.

Another question can Rohr trust Etebo as a starter and benched Onazi,Joel and Ogu.

I think beating Croatia solely rest on Rohr tactical prowess,nothing more.

edi287:

You have been noticed. Bye...

Stop quoting that guy

The new player have to be at least better, not “far better”.
At the end of the day there should be no shocking inclusion. And by shocking I mean a player that clearly does not deserve it based on performance. Everything being equal, there should be no hard feelings. No be fight after all, the goal is to do the nation proud unitedly. And whoever makes the list must earn it whether they are gatecrashers or not.

TheSuperNerd:
Daniel Amokachi's Ideye Brown lesson must be heeded by Gernot Rohr
By Colin Udoh, KweséESPN.


There are just days to go until Gernot Rohr names his provisional squad for this summer's World Cup in Russia.
Much of Rohr's squad essentially picks itself, and the coach sure knows what at least seventy percent of what his final 23 will look like.

Such knowledge however, still does not seem enough to protect even surefire certainties from being concerned about getting dropped at the last minute.
One player who was in the 2014 squad and should make the cut for the 2018 event, spoke to KweséESPN anonymously, and harked back to four years ago, when striker Brown Ideye was cut from the squad to general astonishment within and outside the team.

"Nobody expected that Brown will not be in the 23-man list," the player said. "We were all shocked.
"So now, nobody can say for sure that they are going to the World Cup, because anything can happen."

Daniel Amokachi, who was assistant coach at the time, told KweséESPN in an exclusive interview that he had no idea how and why Ideye was cut from the squad.

"Brown for me was one player that I regret that we did not take to the World Cup in 2014," Amokachi said, speaking for the first time about the incident that shocked a nation.
"Hundred percent I didn't know how he didn't make that list," he added. "I never saw it coming that he didn't make the list till when the list came out and we found out.
"I think I probably had a lot of fights with some people that I shouldn't have, but it happened because I saw no reason why such a player should be left out.
"We ended up going to the World Cup with players that even me I don't even know."

It is a stunning admission by Amokachi, who went on to suggest that outside influences may have played a part in the striker getting cut in favour of a players like Michael Uchebo and Uche Nwofor, both of whom had a combined total of six international appearances prior to the World Cup.
Four of those combined caps (two each) were in the friendlies just before the squad was named

"I think it is very tough if a coach is already an agent," Amokachi continued. "It is very, very difficult, and that is why I always say you cannot be a coach and be an agent at the same time.
"When the World Cup comes around, you always have a lot of new players showing up," he added. "Players who will decide that they are Nigerians and bring confusion into the team.
"When you find yourself in that situation, you try to advise, because you have agents that will be calling left, right and centre.
"If a coach is an agent, he will fall a victim too. Those are things that we really really need to avoid. There is no room to be trying new players."

These allegations of agent-induced selections have dogged Nigerian football for years, but Amokachi is the first high-profile name to go on record with it, and he says it is a pitfall that Rohr and his coaching staff need to be wary of as they pick their roster for Russia.

"If the coach is a hundred-percent focused as a coach then he needs the best players in the team because he needs results," the ex-striker proceeded. "However, if he is an agent and he has people around him that are agents then there is an issue.
"That is what is happening with our national team today. There are a lot of agents around them and that is probably going to be the only hiccup that the coach will have."


Squad lists, both provisional and final, are usually sent to the NFF's Technical Committee before release to the press and public.
This is the reason why the committee have taken flak for years about their interference in player selections, but NFF Executive Committee member Chris Green, who was chairman of the committee in 2014, says they had no hand in the matter

"I was not a member of the technical crew and I didn't have a hand in that," said Green. "Amokachi was assistant to Stephen Keshi.
"If as assistant to Keshi he did not know how Ideye was dropped, is it the technical committee that should know?"

Ideye himself appears to still be traumatised by the incident, especially because he was given no prior warning and was as blindsided as everyone else

"I don't want to talk about it," he told KweséESPN. "I just saw the names of the players Keshi picked on Twitter.
"Nobody told me the reason Keshi dropped me, and Keshi himself didn't call or text me so I just moved on."

It is a nightmare scenario, and one that continues to give many of the players in the current squad cause for pause, and potential action.

"Right now, everybody is just watching to see what will happen," a player said. "We know those who should be there, and if anybody from outside is coming in, he has to be very much better than those of us who are here now.
"However, we cannot just sit and allow what happened to Ideye last time to happen again."




Rohr himself seems to have that covered, having reportedly decided to pick a targeted 30 rather than a 35-man provisional squad ahead of next week's deadline.

He'd still do well to heed Amokachi's counsel, and keep his distance from agents while he draws up his roster.


Source: http://kwese.espn.com/football/nigeria/story/3493688/daniel-amokachis-ideye-brown-lesson-must-be-heeded-by-gernot-rohr?device=featurephone


Russia 2018 WC Countdown: 34 days 2 hours 12 mins to go

Kog45:
We are missing something here regards Etebo.

Pls is Etebo a regular in eagles,and how was his performance so far with eagles.

Why did he lost his place in eagles if he is so superlative and important to the team.

Another question can Rohr trust Etebo as a starter and benched Onazi,Joel and Ogu.

I think beating Croatia solely rest on Rohr tactical prowess,nothing more.

True it'll be his tactics but he also needs the right profile of players. I'm still not sold on playing 2 destroyers who offer little attacking wise. If we say play Ogu instead of Onazi, the question is is he mobile enough?? Is his ball handling good enough to overlook his lack of mobility? Etebo got dropped after the game at SA...a game where the team as a whole played poorly. Yes he isn't "superlative" but he is in form and has had good games for us before. Ndidi also started off not being superlative for us till he eventually blew.
Etebo stamina plus attacking threat will be useful for us in a game like this. I wouldn't mind either J Obi, Ogu, etc. I just don't want us playing with 2 destroyers.

Afobear:
Make una stay here the analyse and give una self hope . Una no get team at all . Quote after the group stages , Nigeria will lose all 3 matches by a wide margin

Your own opinion Sir, we will be too busy analysing our round of 16 opponent to remember your quote.

Joebie:
The new player have to be at least better, not “far better”.
At the end of the day there should be no shocking inclusion. And by shocking I mean a player that clearly does not deserve it based on performance. Everything being equal, there should be no hard feelings. No be fight after all, the goal is to do the nation proud unitedly. And whoever makes the list must earn it whether they are gatecrashers or not.

I trust Rohr. J Obi is honestly the only player that didn't feature/get invited for the WCQ that I see making the team. Rohr will take his usual suspects.

edi287:

True it'll be his tactics but he also needs the right profile of players. I'm still not sold on playing 2 destroyers who offer little attacking wise. If we say play Ogu instead of Onazi, the question is is he mobile enough?? Is his ball handling good enough to overlook his lack of mobility? Etebo got dropped after the game at SA...a game where the team as a whole played poorly. Yes he isn't "superlative" but he is in form and has had good games for us before. Ndidi also started off not being superlative for us till he eventually blew.
Etebo stamina plus attacking threat will be useful for us in a game like this. I wouldn't mind either J Obi, Ogu, etc. I just don't want us playing with 2 destroyers.

I understand you wella but i don't think Rohr will start Etebo and i don't even see him starting,with Mikel and Ndidi we are ready to go against Croatia.

Lucque:

OK... Are u done?.. If yes, d door is ryt behind u

reserve the door for your self ,you will be needing it to jet out when I come to laugh here

Kog45:
I understand you wella but i don't think Rohr will start Etebo and i don't even see him starting,with Mikel and Ndidi we are ready to go against Croatia.

Same here. Wouldn't be a bad idea sha.