Cybereagles

Kai what a player. What a sweet left foot, and what a goal..Now this guy was immersed yesterday took no prisoner and was able to dictate play, break up play and should have been used vs Zambia as well...the midfield competition in the SE is at the best we've had in years...so glad he wears the green white green...

Now count how many free kicks he gave away in dangerous areas. Then ask yourself what will happen if we were playing against Lionel Messi with that kind of statistic.

Ogu has a sublime left foot no doubt
But other aspects of his game leave a lot to be desired :
- His tackling /timing was quite bad
- I don't know if it was due to yellow card or fatigue but at some point he seemed to withdraw himself from the midfield battle and didn't impose himself at all. Was as though we only had ndidi and etebo playing midfield
- His passing was quite poor especially in the first half although this may have been due to the disgraceful pitch
Overall I wouldnt complain too loudly of ogu makes the squad.
But i don't think he has any place in our first team

I have watched the game twice and I have no clue what yall watched

Ayo Akinfe wrote:Now count how many free kicks he gave away in dangerous areas. Then ask yourself what will happen if we were playing against Lionel Messi with that kind of statistic.

Why are you such a dishonest guy?

Tell me how many fouls he gave away?

You can't!

Going from thread to thread trying to discredit his performance.

Surprised you actually watched the match. Your typical MO is to comment and analyze a match you didn't watch.

Ogu was one of the few who handled the poor pitch rather well. His passes were on point. He was putting in tackles and winning them. He was also a physical presence in our midfield.


BTW, you either need to upgrade your TV or your glasses.

Cellular baba, taking no prisoners. Just like Ogu last night.

oluphemmie007 wrote:Cellular baba, taking no prisoners. Just like Ogu last night.

Bros, I just don't like dishonest people who have an agenda. I don watch the match again without the matchday tension.
The pitch was atrocious. It made our usual good passers poor. Iwobi and Iheanacho had they been fringe players would have been labelled bad players. For some reason because of the height similarities between Ogu and Ndidi and the choice of boots they wore, the commentator would mistake them for one another. Even after watching it again, the only player I can categorically say that does not belong is our goalie. His errors are not due to the pitch. He is just NOT good enough. His decision making is AWFUL. He engages in too much theatrics. I still thought our coach does not handle subs well despite the recent subs making an impact... his timing of subs needs serious work.

Ayo Akinfe wrote:Now count how many free kicks he gave away in dangerous areas. Then ask yourself what will happen if we were playing against Lionel Messi with that kind of statistic.

Fine, he gave away freekicks ; who would you rather have mikel agu? Who gave away possession .

Ogu was disciplined and made his passes simple , and his physical play will come in handy against South African in the nations cup qualifiers. His long range shooting is very handy to our game.

Mikel with Ndidi and agu will be great combo.

i don't know why we Nigerians have this tendency to attribute differences of opinion to people having an "agenda"
to me it shows a lack of class
such a primitive and illiterate way of debating
if you think Ogu was that great, just give your reasons and let those with open minds consider them

smartbrother wrote:i don't know why we Nigerians have this tendency to attribute differences of opinion to people having an "agenda"
to me it shows a lack of class
such a primitive and illiterate way of debating
if you think Ogu was that great, just give your reasons and let those with open minds consider them

Yeah, it is lack of class.

Especially when you don't understand what having an agenda means. Ayo has been here since inception. He doesn't hide his agenda.
He has always advocated for a foreign coach, that's having an agenda.
He has always been a fan of 3-5-2, that's an agenda.
He likes certain types of players, that's an agenda.
He prefers foreign-based if not foreign-born players to local ones, that's an agenda.
He prefers playing attractive football over winning, that's an agenda.
He does not mind introducing new players after qualification, that's an agenda.
He does not give a toss about team chemistry, that's an agenda.
He likes what he likes and doesn't care if it is popular or not, that's an agenda.

But I can see with your extreme intellect and great reasoning capacity why you will not be able to tell what having an agenda means.

Ogu exemplifies the attributes of a disciplined player who keeps it neat and simple... the era of modern football has gone pass aimless dribbling and fancy Okochaesque footworks with no end product(rather than make a simple pass when necessary and shoot when necessary), in view of these facts, I believe we have a good midfield in Mikel Obi, Ndidi, Onazi, Ogu, Aguilera, Iwobi, and Etebo.

Tobi17 wrote:Ogu exemplifies the attributes of a disciplined player who keeps it neat and simple... the era of modern football has gone pass aimless dribbling and fancy Okochaesque footworks with no end product(rather than make a simple pass when necessary and shoot when necessary), in view of these facts, I believe we have a good midfield in Mikel Obi, Ndidi, Onazi, Ogu, Aguilera, Iwobi, and Etebo.

God bless you abundantly for this.

Cellular wrote:

smartbrother wrote:i don't know why we Nigerians have this tendency to attribute differences of opinion to people having an "agenda"
to me it shows a lack of class
such a primitive and illiterate way of debating
if you think Ogu was that great, just give your reasons and let those with open minds consider them

Yeah, it is lack of class.

Especially when you don't understand what having an agenda means. Ayo has been here since inception. He doesn't hide his agenda.
He has always advocated for a foreign coach, that's having an agenda.
He has always been a fan of 3-5-2, that's an agenda.
He likes certain types of players, that's an agenda.
He prefers foreign-based if not foreign-born players to local ones, that's an agenda.
He prefers playing attractive football over winning, that's an agenda.
He does not mind introducing new players after qualification, that's an agenda.
He does not give a toss about team chemistry, that's an agenda.
He likes what he likes and doesn't care if it is popular or not, that's an agenda.

But I can see with your extreme intellect and great reasoning capacity why you will not be able to tell what having an agenda means.

You seem obsessed with Ayo.
The energy wasted on attacking him and his so-called "agenda" might be put to better use putting forward your own views (on Ogu and other players)
and letting those with open minds decide for themselves
One doesnt need extreme intellect or great reasoning capacity to understand this

smartbrother wrote:

Cellular wrote:

smartbrother wrote:i don't know why we Nigerians have this tendency to attribute differences of opinion to people having an "agenda"
to me it shows a lack of class
such a primitive and illiterate way of debating
if you think Ogu was that great, just give your reasons and let those with open minds consider them

Yeah, it is lack of class.

Especially when you don't understand what having an agenda means. Ayo has been here since inception. He doesn't hide his agenda.
He has always advocated for a foreign coach, that's having an agenda.
He has always been a fan of 3-5-2, that's an agenda.
He likes certain types of players, that's an agenda.
He prefers foreign-based if not foreign-born players to local ones, that's an agenda.
He prefers playing attractive football over winning, that's an agenda.
He does not mind introducing new players after qualification, that's an agenda.
He does not give a toss about team chemistry, that's an agenda.
He likes what he likes and doesn't care if it is popular or not, that's an agenda.

But I can see with your extreme intellect and great reasoning capacity why you will not be able to tell what having an agenda means.

You seem obsessed with Ayo.
The energy wasted on attacking him and his so-called "agenda" might be put to better use putting forward your own views (on Ogu and other players)
and letting those with open minds decide for themselves
One doesnt need extreme intellect or great reasoning capacity to understand this

Unfortunately, there is no thread I can go without seeing Ayo's posts. You can't escape his posts.
The man thrives on making controversial statements. He loves the use of hyperbole to drive in his statements...

His philosophy about the game, how it should be played or administered differs from mine.
So that is why it appears like I am attacking him. I am attacking his philosophy of the game... not him.

Tobi17 wrote:Ogu exemplifies the attributes of a disciplined player who keeps it neat and simple... the era of modern football has gone pass aimless dribbling and fancy Okochaesque footworks with no end product(rather than make a simple pass when necessary and shoot when necessary), in view of these facts, I believe we have a good midfield in Mikel Obi, Ndidi, Onazi, Ogu, Aguilera, Iwobi, and Etebo.

I do agree with that point.
Regarding Ogu,...Well maybe i need to re-watch the game
Some players contribute in a very subtle way.Maybe Ogu is one of those

When i see giants like Ogu and Ndidi in the starting 11 i expect us to dominate the opposition in midfield
I noted many occasions in which Ndidi dispossessed the algerians. Etebo was very active too.
Ogu on the other hand seemed to disappear especially in the second half (other than the brilliant goal)
In the first half he imposed himself but what stood out for me were some terrible passes which went out of play and poor mistimed tackles one of which earned him a yellow

If not for the goal i would have given him a 3/10 based on first viewing
In light of the goal i'd give him a 5/10

Tobi17 wrote:Ogu exemplifies the attributes of a disciplined player who keeps it neat and simple... the era of modern football has gone pass aimless dribbling and fancy Okochaesque footworks with no end product(rather than make a simple pass when necessary and shoot when necessary), in view of these facts, I believe we have a good midfield in Mikel Obi, Ndidi, Onazi, Ogu, Aguilera, Iwobi, and Etebo.

Christina Aguilera?

For me, this player, John Ogu, has improved and i was impressed with his overall contribution (and I’m not even talking about the goal). His positioning, use of his physique, passing (though not helped by the pitch) and overall discipline were commendable yesterday. Definitely going to the WC.

Playing with John Ogu is likely to expose the team to more than its fair share of opposition free kicks. His major problem is that he is slow and tries to mark much quicker people, so he is cut out and leaves his leg trailing, and inevitably tripping people. The goal was sweet, but were it up to me, back to bench ...use only when necessary

Ogu na my person, but only after that goal, before the goal I dey halls am!

smartbrother wrote:

Tobi17 wrote:Ogu exemplifies the attributes of a disciplined player who keeps it neat and simple... the era of modern football has gone pass aimless dribbling and fancy Okochaesque footworks with no end product(rather than make a simple pass when necessary and shoot when necessary), in view of these facts, I believe we have a good midfield in Mikel Obi, Ndidi, Onazi, Ogu, Aguilera, Iwobi, and Etebo.

I do agree with that point.
Regarding Ogu,...Well maybe i need to re-watch the game
Some players contribute in a very subtle way.Maybe Ogu is one of those

When i see giants like Ogu and Ndidi in the starting 11 i expect us to dominate the opposition in midfield
I noted many occasions in which Ndidi dispossessed the algerians. Etebo was very active too.
Ogu on the other hand seemed to disappear especially in the second half (other than the brilliant goal)
In the first half he imposed himself but what stood out for me were some terrible passes which went out of play and poor mistimed tackles one of which earned him a yellow

If not for the goal i would have given him a 3/10 based on first viewing
In light of the goal i'd give him a 5/10

For me, on the night Ogu was our best player. Second was Ndidi. I think that in our assessments, we often put undue emphasis on what is done with the ball and less on what is done when not with the ball. Football has much advanced beyond this. For a midfield, tracking, closing space, reading the manoeuvres of the opposing team and discipline are becoming increasing vital as the game at the highest level is becoming more of a chess game (and this is where many Sub Saharan African teams come up short even though they have players with outstanding skills). Our best unit on the day was the defensive mid. Etebo also started to put in a good shift towards the second part of the 2nd half. The Algerians were shut out in this area and were left with the wings as an only option. Shehu and Aina did very well in coping here. Our biggest obstacle was the pitch, but the players started to get better used to it midway the 2nd half. Not very impressive were Nwakaeme (he seemed nervous at the start) and Ezenwa. Iheanacho, Iwobi and Balogun particularly struggled with the pitch.

In my view it was clear Ogu was putting up a stellar performance. It was his day. And when that ball fell to him, I instinctively knew he would bury it. He did.

I think the midfield squad is more or less settled; Mikel, Onazi, Ndidi, Etebo, Ogu and Agu.. Perhaps Joel Obi should be tried, but he'll need to be exceptional to displace any of the 6. My best 3 combo for a start would be Ndidi, Ogu and Mikel (Mikel for 60-70 mins).

As much as I liked his game yesterday I don't think we should ever play him and Mikel together, especially against fast teams. 2 midfielders who are too similar and too slow. In this squad he would he a direct replacement for Mikel. I am also mot convinced Raheem Lawal cannot do what Ogu does but better.

Iwobi really needs to be tried at AM. He is our best bet to backup Mikel.