Cybereagles

cchinukw wrote:Utter rubbish Gotti! (and you be my man anyday )

A lot of diaspora Nigerians respond to calls to rebuild old schools, help relatives, are probably the countries only significant number of tourists bringing in much needed forex etc., etc.

Show us some respect!

FATHER TIKO wrote:

Chief Ogbunigwe wrote:

Enugu II wrote:

FATHER TIKO wrote:

Enugu II wrote:
Sir V,

Here is what I have and I don't believe there was a 9th game. If there was please let me know which one is missing:

7/12/80 Tunisia
12/6/80 Tanzania
12/20/80 Tanzania
4/12/81 Guinea
4/25/81 Guinea
10/30/81 Algeria
10/20/84 Liberia
7/20/85 Tunisia

\

Enugu II,
You noted the away WCQualifier v Algeria in Constantine (10/30/81)...what about the home tie on 10 October 1981 in Lagos..?
Didn't Chiedozie feature in that game?

You also noted the away tie of the WCQualifier v Tunisia (7/20/85)...What about the home tie..? Didn't he feature..?

He did not play in any of those. Note also that he missed preparatory games against Uganda and Liberia before that critical home game in 1981 where all the big stars were recalled. Line ups for all those games are available.

EII:

Are you sure he missed the home game vs Tunisia? Was that not the desperate "all hands on deck" second leg to overturn the 2-0 deficit, where Osigwe scored a great goal, before we went on to win on PKs (Odegbami limping with a bandaged thigh, Ogedegbe making 2 saves, and Ikhana missing)? To be fair, I watched the re-run on NTA, and don't remember seeing him play. My assumption is based on newspaper reports and clippings (maybe radio commentaries?). I somehow associated him and Chidozie with the turnaround vs the Tunisians.

That was not the home game of WCQ in 1985...that was WCQ in 1980 (Chiedozie's debut; he lasted 13 mins due to injury)
The WCQ 1985 home tie I referred to was the one that featured Emenalo (CB), Nwajiobi(FW), etc..John Fashanu was in camp but did not start...
Okey Isima (then a pro in Portugal) scored the only goal of the game in the 73rd minute...

Chief Ogbunigwe wrote:

FATHER TIKO wrote:

Chief Ogbunigwe wrote:

Enugu II wrote:

FATHER TIKO wrote:

Enugu II wrote:
Sir V,

Here is what I have and I don't believe there was a 9th game. If there was please let me know which one is missing:

7/12/80 Tunisia
12/6/80 Tanzania
12/20/80 Tanzania
4/12/81 Guinea
4/25/81 Guinea
10/30/81 Algeria
10/20/84 Liberia
7/20/85 Tunisia

\

Enugu II,
You noted the away WCQualifier v Algeria in Constantine (10/30/81)...what about the home tie on 10 October 1981 in Lagos..?
Didn't Chiedozie feature in that game?

You also noted the away tie of the WCQualifier v Tunisia (7/20/85)...What about the home tie..? Didn't he feature..?

He did not play in any of those. Note also that he missed preparatory games against Uganda and Liberia before that critical home game in 1981 where all the big stars were recalled. Line ups for all those games are available.

EII:

Are you sure he missed the home game vs Tunisia? Was that not the desperate "all hands on deck" second leg to overturn the 2-0 deficit, where Osigwe scored a great goal, before we went on to win on PKs (Odegbami limping with a bandaged thigh, Ogedegbe making 2 saves, and Ikhana missing)? To be fair, I watched the re-run on NTA, and don't remember seeing him play. My assumption is based on newspaper reports and clippings (maybe radio commentaries?). I somehow associated him and Chidozie with the turnaround vs the Tunisians.

That was not the home game of WCQ in 1985...that was WCQ in 1980 (Chiedozie's debut; he lasted 13 mins due to injury)
The WCQ 1985 home tie I referred to was the one that featured Emenalo (CB), Nwajiobi(FW), etc..John Fashanu was in camp but did not start...
Okey Isima (then a pro in Portugal) scored the only goal of the game in the 73rd minute...

Ok...thanks.

AreaDaddy wrote:





http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... rains.html

Some long-distance Liverpool fans travelling by train to Saturday's Merseyside derby will have had their tickets checked by a man who once played in an FA Cup semi-final.

Tunji Banjo still has a living to make with London Northwestern exactly 40 years after facing Arsenal in one of the biggest games in Leyton Orient's history.

It's hard to imagine Harry Kane or Eden Hazard spending their retirement shuttling between Milton Keynes and Crewe, but Banjo hasn't got that luxury. In any case, that's not one of the worst shifts.

'The earliest start is 5am in Northampton which means I leave home at three', he reveals. 'I've been a footballer so I know the difference between that and proper work!

'I wouldn't expect players from today's academies to understand but it's nothing new for me. I've been a bus driver, a dustman. I'd work summers at Orient, I did cleaning at Lord's cricket ground.'

Banjo was 18 and earning just £100-a-week when Second Division Orient beat Chelsea, Middlesbrough and Norwich to set up their semi with Arsenal on April 8, 1978.

The favourites won 3-0 in front of 49,000 at Stamford Bridge and it still hurts. 'Their first two goals were fluky, deflected shots by Malcolm Macdonald,' says Banjo.

He'd come on as a sub and is grateful there are pictures of him battling for the ball with Liam Brady because the match itself was a blur.

'We went back to Brisbane Road after and then I caught the tube home,' he says. 'I remember changing trains at Oxford Circus, thinking how crazy it was I'd played in an FA Cup semi-final two hours before.'

Banjo, a strong-running midfielder, was among a group of young, black players at Orient who helped change the face of football.

The most famous, Laurie Cunningham, left for West Brom in 1977 but John Chiedozie, Chris Hughton's younger brother Henry, Bobby Fisher and Kevin Godfrey remained.

'I had a bad experience at Bolton early on,' recalls Banjo. 'I was warming up to come on and got all this verbal abuse and bananas being hurled down.

'We were brought up tough in London so it didn't put me off but I'm sure those people looking back now must feel ashamed. It was just a way of life then. Sometimes you get angry about it but I don't feel it does you any good to hold any grudges.'

Black players supported each other. Banjo knew Cyrille Regis from London schools' football and was friendly with Cunningham, who later played for Real Madrid and Manchester United before his tragic death in a car crash in 1989.

'Laurie was never flash, always stayed down-to-earth. I bumped into him a few years after Orient. I walked into a bar in Muswell Hill and there he was! It was a lovely sunny day so we grabbed at a table outside and chatted about old times.

'Everyone knows about Laurie and Cryille and what they did but there were a lot of us who went through the same thing but were lesser-known. We were all trailblazers, definitely.'

Ironically, Cunningham's West Brom were the other beaten semi-finalists in 1978. 'I supported Ipswich against Arsenal in the final,' says Banjo. 'Not just because Arsenal had beaten us. I was also a Tottenham fan!'

At that time, Banjo was already a Nigerian international, eligible through his Dad. The trips to Africa were an eye-opener for the Londoner who found it a fascinating experience, but was startled to witness dead bodies in the street on one visit.

On the pitch, he came close to qualifying for the 1982 World Cup. Nigeria were beaten by Algeria in a play-off and they went on to defeat West Germany in the finals the following summer.

Banjo never became another Cunningham. He left Orient in 1983 to play in Cyprus where a bad ankle injury put paid to his dream of reaching the top. He drifted into non-league, retirement and a new life on the trains.

In 2004, he moved to Stoke-on-Trent to keep his son away from London gang culture and it remains his home town today.

On the trains, he occasionally sees famous football names like Paul Ince on board. He recognises them, but they haven't a clue who he is and he keeps quiet.

He is waiting to see if his next shift pattern puts him on earlies or lates but is devoid of jealousy or bitterness. 'I am still totally into football,' he says. 'I'm not one of those who thinks 'If only'. I had my time and that's how things were in those days.'

Enugu II wrote:

Chief Ogbunigwe wrote:

FATHER TIKO wrote:

Chief Ogbunigwe wrote:
EII:

Are you sure he missed the home game vs Tunisia? Was that not the desperate "all hands on deck" second leg to overturn the 2-0 deficit, where Osigwe scored a great goal, before we went on to win on PKs (Odegbami limping with a bandaged thigh, Ogedegbe making 2 saves, and Ikhana missing)? To be fair, I watched the re-run on NTA, and don't remember seeing him play. My assumption is based on newspaper reports and clippings (maybe radio commentaries?). I somehow associated him and Chidozie with the turnaround vs the Tunisians.

That was not the home game of WCQ in 1985...that was WCQ in 1980 (Chiedozie's debut; he lasted 13 mins due to injury)
The WCQ 1985 home tie I referred to was the one that featured Emenalo (CB), Nwajiobi(FW), etc..John Fashanu was in camp but did not start...
Okey Isima (then a pro in Portugal) scored the only goal of the game in the 73rd minute...

Ok...thanks.

Below are the two games that you are guys have brought up and he was not in any of those.

10/10/81 (h v Algeria)
Best Ogedegbe (1) – Sylvanus Okpala (2), Christian Chukwu (5) (46 Stephen Keshi (12)), Tunji Bamidele (6), Okey Isima (3) – Tunji Banjo (4), Andrew Atuegbu (8), Muda Lawal (10) – Según Odegbami (cpt - 7), Thompson Usiyen (9), Felix Owolabi (14) (46 Christian Nwokocha (11)).

This game was an "all hands on deck" game and featured recall of Usiyen, Andrew Atuegbu, Tunji Banjo, etc. Chiedozie was injured and did not make the trip to Nigeria. It was the game Where Odegbami claim of injured knee requiring surgery was contradicted by an independent doctor in Cardiff ( a Dr. David Jenkins). Other intrigues included Banjo demanding 6000 British pounds, reportedly, before playing against Algeria. There were plans to replace Odegbami as skipper because of the knee injury issue but that was later rescinded.
-----------------------
7/6/85 (h v Tunisia)
Peter Rufai – Bright Omokaro, Sunday Eboigbe, Mike Emenalo, Yisa Sofoluwe – Humphrey Edebor (69th Okey Isima), Sylvanus Okpala, Dahiru Sadi, Emeka Nwajiobi (31st Sunday Daniel) -- Richard Owubokiri, Rashidi Yekini.


Perhaps, Sir V can point to this additional game as it is't any of those that have pointed out yet.

Chief Ogbunigwe wrote:Kudos to the man for earning an honest living. Wonder if the likes of Emenalo could "hook him up" with soccer gigs (if he's interested and capable, of course).

CIC, Sir V, DaMunk et al should invite him to Mama Calabar The guy might not even know that we remember him.

I remember ImehJunior relating how Ironbar Bassey was shocked to hear that folks knew and remembered him from his exploits for Naija.

Chief Ogbunigwe wrote:Kudos to the man for earning an honest living. Wonder if the likes of Emenalo could "hook him up" with soccer gigs (if he's interested and capable, of course).

CIC, Sir V, DaMunk et al should invite him to Mama Calabar The guy might not even know that we remember him.

I remember ImehJunior relating how Ironbar Bassey was shocked to hear that folks knew and remembered him from his exploits for Naija.

FATHER TIKO wrote: That was not the home game of WCQ in 1985...that was WCQ in 1980 (Chiedozie's debut; he lasted 13 mins due to injury)
The WCQ 1985 home tie I referred to was the one that featured Emenalo (CB), Nwajiobi(FW), etc..John Fashanu was in camp but did not start...
Okey Isima (then a pro in Portugal) scored the only goal of the game in the 73rd minute...

oloye wrote:You know it is not everyone who wants to continue with the stressful life of football. People often think that just because you are no longer in the game it is because you could not stay in. I dont know about Tunji, but trust me some of us walked away from it all of our own free will.

As much as i miss the gig, the fact remains i hate the stress that surrounds the game, it is all glamour on the surface but when you are deep in it, you have to be made of certain stuff to enjoy the whole stress and hassles. If you are a sensitive person, the earlier you can walk away from it the better.

The day i walked away...i gave away all my kits, everything i had to do with the game i gave it away to make sure i never come back. For two years i stayed away from the game and everyone in the game that i knew. My team back then offered to send me to NIS for a coaching course, the coaches persuaded me to do it...I refused because i was done with the wahala that being in the game piles on you. Simply put that lifestyle was not for me anymore.

Look at the face of that man, he is contented and happy with what he is doing, looks like all that matters to him is his family!

Gotti wrote:

oloye wrote:You know it is not everyone who wants to continue with the stressful life of football. People often think that just because you are no longer in the game it is because you could not stay in. I dont know about Tunji, but trust me some of us walked away from it all of our own free will.

As much as i miss the gig, the fact remains i hate the stress that surrounds the game, it is all glamour on the surface but when you are deep in it, you have to be made of certain stuff to enjoy the whole stress and hassles. If you are a sensitive person, the earlier you can walk away from it the better.

The day i walked away...i gave away all my kits, everything i had to do with the game i gave it away to make sure i never come back. For two years i stayed away from the game and everyone in the game that i knew. My team back then offered to send me to NIS for a coaching course, the coaches persuaded me to do it...I refused because i was done with the wahala that being in the game piles on you. Simply put that lifestyle was not for me anymore.

Look at the face of that man, he is contented and happy with what he is doing, looks like all that matters to him is his family!

Chief Ogbunigwe wrote:

Gotti wrote:

oloye wrote:You know it is not everyone who wants to continue with the stressful life of football. People often think that just because you are no longer in the game it is because you could not stay in. I dont know about Tunji, but trust me some of us walked away from it all of our own free will.

As much as i miss the gig, the fact remains i hate the stress that surrounds the game, it is all glamour on the surface but when you are deep in it, you have to be made of certain stuff to enjoy the whole stress and hassles. If you are a sensitive person, the earlier you can walk away from it the better.

The day i walked away...i gave away all my kits, everything i had to do with the game i gave it away to make sure i never come back. For two years i stayed away from the game and everyone in the game that i knew. My team back then offered to send me to NIS for a coaching course, the coaches persuaded me to do it...I refused because i was done with the wahala that being in the game piles on you. Simply put that lifestyle was not for me anymore.

Look at the face of that man, he is contented and happy with what he is doing, looks like all that matters to him is his family!

Also agree. However, would be nice for the UK guys to invite him to Mama Calabar...just to show that many Nigerians remember our past players and appreciate them.

Gotti wrote:

EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA wrote:For every Segun Odegbami there are hundreds of former ballers that are dead broke or dead with no skills or safety net to fall back on. He is better off driving train in London that driving for Lastma in Lagos.

And you think there are no former ballers "dead broke or dead" in the UK?!

Football proffers an OPPORTUNITY, not a guarantee of a life of luxury. Many Nigerian footballers have used it as an opportunity for education or a decent trade and profession. Nonetheless, that is besides the bigger point. If you want Nigeria to be as viable as the UK, roll up your damn sleeves, rather than sitting on the sidelines and point fingers, babbling incoherently. It's YOUR country too!

Chief Ogbunigwe wrote:Kudos to the man for earning an honest living. Wonder if the likes of Emenalo could "hook him up" with soccer gigs (if he's interested and capable, of course).

CIC, Sir V, DaMunk et al should invite him to Mama Calabar The guy might not even know that we remember him.

I remember ImehJunior relating how Ironbar Bassey was shocked to hear that folks knew and remembered him from his exploits for Naija.

cchinukw wrote:Just to be clear, a UK train driver's wages and working conditions are not to be sniffed at.

cic old boy wrote:

cchinukw wrote:Just to be clear, a UK train driver's wages and working conditions are not to be sniffed at.

Banjo is not a train driver. I think he is a guard/ticket inspector. Train drivers don't inspect tickets. Train guard money is not as good as train drivers. I think London Underground train drivers earn more than others on the over-ground and intercity (nearly £60k a year). Possibly to do with the strength of their union and the fact LU is not privatised.

On footballers and poverty. It happens everywhere, but I think the Naija ratio is higher. I have said this b/4, Naija footballers should form a union like the PFA in England. The PFA helps set up pension schemes that you can start cashing in from around 35. A lot of Naija players are reliant on charity when they retire - esp those from the era b/4 football became megabucks. The likes of CCC and Odegbami are exceptions b/c they had careers after their playing days. If you see the ex-Rangers players that live abroad and those that live in Nigeria, the difference is like night and day.