Ovie Ejaria and Seyi Ojo

[kbt]

Could he be called up for Nigeria without a complicated allegiance switch procedure?
I guess as he has only featured in a friendly for Englands youth side that playing for Nigeria does not require an official nationality switch.
Does anybody know exactly what is the case here?

As long as he has not played in a full senior international "competitive" match, he is eligible to play for whoever he wants. I still think we missed the boat in that pointless Tanzania match. All this talk would have been moot.

[The YeyeMan]

His first ever start. It'll be interesting to see how he's deployed tonight. My evening is set!

I think he's playing behind the strikers Sturridge and Origi. Hopefully by the end of the game, you'll get on board the "Ejaria for Nigeria now" train

I've always been onboard, there just hasn't been an opportunity to select him yet. And don't say the Tanzania game as I'm tired of explaining to the PlayStation generation why it makes no sense for a new coach to select a player who had just returned from injury and hadn't played a senior game in his career.

[kbt]

Ejaria having a great 2nd half.

[Gotti]

I've always been onboard, there just hasn't been an opportunity to select him yet. And don't say the Tanzania game as I'm tired of explaining to the PlayStation generation why it makes no sense for a new coach to select a player who had just returned from injury and hadn't played a senior game in his career.

Bro, you can write a thesis on it, but it doesn't change the fact that we blew a rare chance of a substantively MEANINGLESS competitive game to lock-down a player that we apparently believe has the potential to be a solid international in the future. Hopefully, it will all work out for us in the long run and this becomes a mere footnote - but it was a BLOWN opportunity.

[txj]

There were a few times he was quite sublime. Hopefully he gets games in the cup steadily...

[The YeyeMan]

I've always been onboard, there just hasn't been an opportunity to select him yet. And don't say the Tanzania game as I'm tired of explaining to the PlayStation generation why it makes no sense for a new coach to select a player who had just returned from injury and hadn't played a senior game in his career.

Bro, you can write a thesis on it, but it doesn't change the fact that we blew a rare chance of a substantively MEANINGLESS competitive game to lock-down a player that we apparently believe has the potential to be a solid international in the future. Hopefully, it will all work out for us in the long run and this becomes a mere footnote - but it was a BLOWN opportunity.

Bro, I disagree for the reasons outlined above, plus I beg to differ with your opinion the game was meaningless - I doubt it was so for Rohr.

Anyway, Nigeria SHOULD have friendlies lined up for March for which Ejaria may be selected; and if he continues at his current rate he could well be locked down for the WCQs next year.

[vancity eagle]

I've always been onboard, there just hasn't been an opportunity to select him yet. And don't say the Tanzania game as I'm tired of explaining to the PlayStation generation why it makes no sense for a new coach to select a player who had just returned from injury and hadn't played a senior game in his career.

Bro, you can write a thesis on it, but it doesn't change the fact that we blew a rare chance of a substantively MEANINGLESS competitive game to lock-down a player that we apparently believe has the potential to be a solid international in the future. Hopefully, it will all work out for us in the long run and this becomes a mere footnote - but it was a BLOWN opportunity.

KPOM KPOM KPOM.

[kbt]

I've always been onboard, there just hasn't been an opportunity to select him yet. And don't say the Tanzania game as I'm tired of explaining to the PlayStation generation why it makes no sense for a new coach to select a player who had just returned from injury and hadn't played a senior game in his career.

Bro, you can write a thesis on it, but it doesn't change the fact that we blew a rare chance of a substantively MEANINGLESS competitive game to lock-down a player that we apparently believe has the potential to be a solid international in the future. Hopefully, it will all work out for us in the long run and this becomes a mere footnote - but it was a BLOWN opportunity.

KPOM KPOM KPOM.

It's one where we have to agree to disagree with Yeye. I do not see what harm it would have done to bring him on for the last 5 minutes against Tanzania. If that had happened, we would not be having this conversation.

[Zelex]

I'm with Yeyeman on this issue. I don't believe the Tanzania game was meaningless, on the contrary it was an important game for Rohr (his first!) to test out his formation, tactic etc ahead of the Zambia qualifier. It was not an ideal time IMO.

[papilo]

I'm with Yeyeman on this issue. I don't believe the Tanzania game was meaningless, on the contrary it was an important game for Rohr (his first!) to test out his formation, tactic etc ahead of the Zambia qualifier. It was not an ideal time IMO.

100%

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

We always blame the NFF for their foolishness but some fans that claim to know the game are just plain ignorant. How can you call a CAF qualifier meaningless? National teams are never in a "meaningless " game. You play to win or to develope. Never meaningless!

[vancity eagle]

I'm with Yeyeman on this issue. I don't believe the Tanzania game was meaningless, on the contrary it was an important game for Rohr (his first!) to test out his formation, tactic etc ahead of the Zambia qualifier. It was not an ideal time IMO.

Nobody has claimed the Match was "meaningless" in the sense you are talking about.

We say meaningless as in no consequences from the result. Of course it was used as preparation for Zambia.

I see no reason why Ejaria was not capped.

3 subs were made in that match.

Ndidi for Mikel
Ideye for Ighalo
Simon for Moses

Are you telling me we couldn't have not subbed in Ejaria in the final 9 minutes instead of Simon for Moses.

Rohr could have watched any number of tapes of our matches and seen what Simon is all about plus observed him in training and the match against the Nigerian clubside.

On the contrary we don't know what Ejaria can offer for SE.

You guys are just being stubborn. Ejaria should be capped by now and thus adding depth to our midfield. Instead he may now become a 3 Lion.

[Zelex]

I'm with Yeyeman on this issue. I don't believe the Tanzania game was meaningless, on the contrary it was an important game for Rohr (his first!) to test out his formation, tactic etc ahead of the Zambia qualifier. It was not an ideal time IMO.

Nobody has claimed the Match was "meaningless" in the sense you are talking about.

We say meaningless as in no consequences from the result. Of course it was used as preparation for Zambia.

I see no reason why Ejaria was not capped.

3 subs were made in that match.

Ndidi for Mikel
Ideye for Ighalo
Simon for Moses

Are you telling me we couldn't have not subbed in Ejaria in the final 9 minutes instead of Simon for Moses.

Rohr could have watched any number of tapes of our matches and seen what Simon is all about plus observed him in training and the match against the Nigerian clubside.

On the contrary we don't know what Ejaria can offer for SE.

You guys are just being stubborn. Ejaria should be capped by now and thus adding depth to our midfield. Instead he may now become a 3 Lion.

You've just said the Tanzania game was not meaningless but you want him to cap a player that was not in the national pool ahead of players that he had in mind for the Zambia qualifier. The fact that Ighalo and Moses were eventually unavailable for the Zambia match emphasises how it was a priority for their replacements in that match (Simon and Ideye) needed game time vs Tanzania

[vancity eagle]

I'm with Yeyeman on this issue. I don't believe the Tanzania game was meaningless, on the contrary it was an important game for Rohr (his first!) to test out his formation, tactic etc ahead of the Zambia qualifier. It was not an ideal time IMO.

Nobody has claimed the Match was "meaningless" in the sense you are talking about.

We say meaningless as in no consequences from the result. Of course it was used as preparation for Zambia.

I see no reason why Ejaria was not capped.

3 subs were made in that match.

Ndidi for Mikel
Ideye for Ighalo
Simon for Moses

Are you telling me we couldn't have not subbed in Ejaria in the final 9 minutes instead of Simon for Moses.

Rohr could have watched any number of tapes of our matches and seen what Simon is all about plus observed him in training and the match against the Nigerian clubside.

On the contrary we don't know what Ejaria can offer for SE.

You guys are just being stubborn. Ejaria should be capped by now and thus adding depth to our midfield. Instead he may now become a 3 Lion.

You've just said the Tanzania game was not meaningless but you want him to cap a player that was not in the national pool ahead of players that he had in mind for the Zambia qualifier. The fact that Ighalo and Moses were eventually unavailable for the Zambia match emphasises how it was a priority for their replacements in that match (Simon and Ideye) needed game time vs Tanzania

Rohr didn't need to watch Simon for 9 minutes against Tanzania to know he was a replacement for Moses.

Watching videos of our recent matches, watching training, watching the friendlies vs the Nigerian club would have told him that.

What do you not understand about that ?

How do you know Ejaria could not have helped us against Zambia.

When Mikel gets injured we will be scrambling for midfield replacements.

[Zelex]

I'm with Yeyeman on this issue. I don't believe the Tanzania game was meaningless, on the contrary it was an important game for Rohr (his first!) to test out his formation, tactic etc ahead of the Zambia qualifier. It was not an ideal time IMO.

Nobody has claimed the Match was "meaningless" in the sense you are talking about.

We say meaningless as in no consequences from the result. Of course it was used as preparation for Zambia.

I see no reason why Ejaria was not capped.

3 subs were made in that match.

Ndidi for Mikel
Ideye for Ighalo
Simon for Moses

Are you telling me we couldn't have not subbed in Ejaria in the final 9 minutes instead of Simon for Moses.

Rohr could have watched any number of tapes of our matches and seen what Simon is all about plus observed him in training and the match against the Nigerian clubside.

On the contrary we don't know what Ejaria can offer for SE.

You guys are just being stubborn. Ejaria should be capped by now and thus adding depth to our midfield. Instead he may now become a 3 Lion.

You've just said the Tanzania game was not meaningless but you want him to cap a player that was not in the national pool ahead of players that he had in mind for the Zambia qualifier. The fact that Ighalo and Moses were eventually unavailable for the Zambia match emphasises how it was a priority for their replacements in that match (Simon and Ideye) needed game time vs Tanzania

Rohr didn't need to watch Simon for 9 minutes against Tanzania to know he was a replacement for Moses.

Watching videos of our recent matches, watching training, watching the friendlies vs the Nigerian club would have told him that.

What do you not understand about that ?

How do you know Ejaria could not have helped us against Zambia.

When Mikel gets injured we will be scrambling for midfield replacements.

Do you think watching videos and training is an adequate replacement to actually game time (the point to see if instructions can be adhered to etc in a real game situation not training).

Ejaria hadn't even played a single professional game at that point! No way should he have been invited IMO to a qualifier or would have even been on the radar of Rohr. If Mikel gets injured, formation and tactics etc can be adjusted. A like for like replacement is not always required in football.

[Pavarotti]

Ovie Ejaria Is Better Than Paul Pogba: Liverpool Fans

http://www.soccerassembly.com/ovie-ejar ... pool-fans/

[Chimex101]

once upon a time, the US National team threw in an 18 year Christian Pulisic in the thick of a competitive game and he changed the dynamics of the game by been the best player for the USNT even on his debut at such a young age...the problem with our African mentality is th usual mistake of thinking age and experience are mutually exclusive to talent...for God's sake we have a gem in Ejaria on our hands and in the best and most practicable window of opportunity that we still have, we have no damn excuse for not capping that kid already...a cameo 5mins apperance for the kid in a competitive game won't hurt us neither will it alter the flow or tactics of our game will it? na so we go dey sleep on top the same old lame excuse that Ejaria is too young, inexperienced...blah blah blah blah until England caps him...I just hate the way we reason sometimes.

[The YeyeMan]

Chimex, your comparison with Pulisic is not analogous with Ejaria's...

Pulisic was a starter for Dortmund by the time he made his national team debut; whilst Ejaria started his first game for Liverpool last night. Btw, nobody has reasoned that Ejaria is too young or inexperienced to earn a cap so I'm afraid you're arguing with yourself on that front.

[rasak74]

once upon a time, the US National team threw in an 18 year Christian Pulisic in the thick of a competitive game and he changed the dynamics of the game by been the best player for the USNT even on his debut at such a young age...the problem with our African mentality is th usual mistake of thinking age and experience are mutually exclusive to talent...for God's sake we have a gem in Ejaria on our hands and in the best and most practicable window of opportunity that we still have, we have no damn excuse for not capping that kid already...a cameo 5mins apperance for the kid in a competitive game won't hurt us neither will it alter the flow or tactics of our game will it? na so we go dey sleep on top the same old lame excuse that Ejaria is too young, inexperienced...blah blah blah blah until England caps him...I just hate the way we reason sometimes.

Oga but pulisic was actually getting playing time with Dortmund

[kbt]

An excellent analogy is what Wales did to Harry Wilson. Harry Wilson came through the Liverpool academy and had been shining and showing amazing potential. So what did Wales do? They capped him at age 16 and 207 days in a world cup qualifier to become Wales's youngest international player ever and tie him to Wales forever. He had played zero games for Liverpool. Why did they do that? Because they feared England at some point would have capped him and they didn't want to take that risk. Everyone saw why they did what they did and no one asked why are they capping a player that has never even made a first team appearance for Liverpool or that Wales had more important games coming up so the manager should give replacements game time. This is the same thing they did for Bale. They capped him at 16.

Wiki - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Wil ... born_1997)
...Having represented Wales in the Victory Shield and at under-17 level and impressing manager Chris Coleman with his performances,[3] in October 2013, Wilson was called up by the Wales national football team at the age of 16.[19] An unused substitute in a 1–0 victory over Macedonia on 11 October,[20] Wilson made his debut four days later against Belgium, when he came on as a substitute for Hal Robson-Kanu in the 87th minute. Upon making this appearance he became the youngest ever player to play for Wales, beating the previous record holder Gareth Bale by 108 days.[4] He also became Liverpool's youngest ever international at the age of 16 years and 207 days, beating the record previously held by Raheem Sterling who represented England for the first time in November 2012 at the age of 17 years and 342 days.[5] He was praised by Coleman, who said "Now he has had a little taste of it, that cements his future with Wales for the next 10 or 15 years"; the manager also spoke of England's interest in the player.[21] Wilson's maternal grandfather Peter Edwards earned around £125,000 after placing a £50 bet with William Hill on his grandson becoming an international footballer, when he was aged just 18 months.[22] In June 2015 Wilson again joined up with the senior Welsh squad for a post-season training camp in Cardiff.[23]

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/foot ... on-6195566

But Wilson, who starred recently for Wales at Under-17 level, was only 207 days past his 16th birthday when Chris Coleman called upon him in the 87th minute of Wales’ impressive 1-1 victory against a strong Belgium side on Tuesday.

The teenager also follows in the footsteps of Welsh great Ryan Giggs who became the youngest-ever Wales international at the age of 17 in October 1991.

Two-years later, Giggs made headlines by scoring his first Welsh goal, also against Belgium in a World Cup qualifying game.

Wilson’s tender age was further highlighted on Tuesday night when he lined up against retiring Welsh stalwart Craig Bellamy, who has a son the same age.

Injury-hit Wales moved swiftly to secure their latest starlet’s international credentials after fearing England would try to lure him to the Three Lions.
Although both his parents are Welsh, Wilson could have qualified for England through his English grandfather.

The brief substitute appearance closed the door on any future approach from England, who have not disguised their intention to investigate adopting as many overseas players as possible, if the rules allow.



So let's keep sleeping

[soma]

Like someone said earlier, it's an issue to agree to disagree on.
Tanzania game was pointless, YES POINTLESS and Ejaria could have been capped in that game.
We missed an opportunity. He's now been brought into the fold of under age footy
For England and they will make sure the Wales issue doesn't happen again. There is nothing wrong in locking Down a future talent.

Left to the same people on here we should be capping Iwobi right about now when we will have no
Chance.

[kbt]

Like someone said earlier, it's an issue to agree to disagree on.
Tanzania game was pointless, YES POINTLESS and Ejaria could have been capped in that game.
We missed an opportunity. He's now been brought into the fold of under age footy
For England and they will make sure the Wales issue doesn't happen again. There is nothing wrong in locking Down a future talent.

Left to the same people on here we should be capping Iwobi right about now when we will have no
Chance.

Kpom. Wales had foresight in the example I posted just as they did with Bale and Giggs. Yes, if Wales had followed the example some are saying here, these players could have been England players. What do you have to lose in a competitive game where points are not at stake. Anyways, as I said, agree to disagree.

[The YeyeMan]

kbt, so Nigeria should follow Wales' example and cap eligible players just in case England shows interest in them?

Anyway, I've explained the totally valid reasons why Ejaria wasn't looked at for the Tanzania game so I'm going to leave the rest of you to shed your tears in peace.