Nwabali

[Damunk]

For me, the greats stand the test of time.
We still celebrate Okocha, Kanu, Finidi, Chukwu, Keshi, Yekini, Odegbami 30, 40 years after they hung their boots.
I’m not sure many Nigerians recognise the name Sunday Mba nine years on, talk less in 5, 10 years time.

An undeniable truth, sadly.
Probably bluntly fair too.

[aruako1]

Mba is an AFCON legend for Nigeria.

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

For me, the greats stand the test of time.
We still celebrate Okocha, Kanu, Finidi, Chukwu, Keshi, Yekini, Odegbami 30, 40 years after they hung their boots.
I’m not sure many Nigerians recognise the name Sunday Mba nine years on, talk less in 5, 10 years time.

An undeniable truth, sadly.
Probably bluntly fair too.

What makes you think that… after all, you do


Cheers.

[packerland]

...while there praising Stanley Nwabali heroics, make una also thank the outgoing coach who actually went to SA to watch him, was convinced and brought him. It has always been the problem of our SE coaches, foreign or domestic, not to look within. Keshi was the last successful coach who looked within and got Sunday Mba before this current coach.

Keshi also gave us Chigozie Agbim who I doubt was the best goal keeper in the country at that time to be backing up Ejide.

[Damunk]

For me, the greats stand the test of time.
We still celebrate Okocha, Kanu, Finidi, Chukwu, Keshi, Yekini, Odegbami 30, 40 years after they hung their boots.
I’m not sure many Nigerians recognise the name Sunday Mba nine years on, talk less in 5, 10 years time.

An undeniable truth, sadly.
Probably bluntly fair too.

What makes you think that… after all, you do


Cheers.

Im a football loving Nigerian that belongs to a Nigerian football mad forum that has records going back about 30 years.
That’s why!

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

For me, the greats stand the test of time.
We still celebrate Okocha, Kanu, Finidi, Chukwu, Keshi, Yekini, Odegbami 30, 40 years after they hung their boots.
I’m not sure many Nigerians recognise the name Sunday Mba nine years on, talk less in 5, 10 years time.

An undeniable truth, sadly.
Probably bluntly fair too.

What makes you think that… after all, you do


Cheers.

Im a football loving Nigerian that belongs to a Nigerian football mad forum that has records going back about 30 years.
That’s why!

Your response is somewhat less than convincing given that Sunday Mba has been one of the most talked about former players on this forum


Cheers.

[packerland]

He is the best Keeper in recent times , and his mentality is up there. Dude was only making his 2nd appearance as a national team goalie vs EG, and to perform like this for 7 straight matches, and letting in 4 goals ( including a PK) wow ..... top gem we have here

This guy’s humility deeply touches me.
It’s not something my country men do well, or frequently but this is another level.
In his own way he is a leader, like the anchors told him.
A true Gentle Giant.

God bless him for rising from nowhere and giving us joy in so many ways.
I pray he goes on to even greater things.

Definitely not from nowhere, most people just didn't bother to look

Yes, I get your point.
But what I meant was that, barely three months ago he wasn’t even in the picture and hardly anyone knew of him or remembered him.
To rise from ‘zero’ to Hero in such a short time is truly inspiring.

He has definitely won the hearts of Nigerians.

People knew about him but you forget we’ve been stuck in an era where everything “foreign” is seen to be better than everything home grown. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times that neither Uzoho nor Okoye, for that matter, should have been in contention for #1 goalie, given the proliferation of talented and experienced goalies strewn all over Nigeria and elsewhere…

… and we seem destined to keep shooting ourselves in the foot by scouting for “good” defenders and midfielders all across Europe whilst ignoring the youthfulness and hunger of the likes Olisa Ndah and Daniel Daga


Cheers.

In Damunk’s defense, people might have known about him but no one was screaming for him to be the starter. I heard people calling for Okoye, Rasheed, Kingdom Osayi and Leke Ojo on this very forum before Peseiro’s visit.

[Enugu II]

He is the best Keeper in recent times , and his mentality is up there. Dude was only making his 2nd appearance as a national team goalie vs EG, and to perform like this for 7 straight matches, and letting in 4 goals ( including a PK) wow ..... top gem we have here

This guy’s humility deeply touches me.
It’s not something my country men do well, or frequently but this is another level.
In his own way he is a leader, like the anchors told him.
A true Gentle Giant.

God bless him for rising from nowhere and giving us joy in so many ways.
I pray he goes on to even greater things.

Definitely not from nowhere, most people just didn't bother to look

Yes, I get your point.
But what I meant was that, barely three months ago he wasn’t even in the picture and hardly anyone knew of him or remembered him.
To rise from ‘zero’ to Hero in such a short time is truly inspiring.

He has definitely won the hearts of Nigerians.

People knew about him but you forget we’ve been stuck in an era where everything “foreign” is seen to be better than everything home grown. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times that neither Uzoho nor Okoye, for that matter, should have been in contention for #1 goalie, given the proliferation of talented and experienced goalies strewn all over Nigeria and elsewhere…

… and we seem destined to keep shooting ourselves in the foot by scouting for “good” defenders and midfielders all across Europe whilst ignoring the youthfulness and hunger of the likes Olisa Ndah and Daniel Daga


Cheers.

In Damunk’s defense, people might have known about him but no one was screaming for him to be the starter. I heard people calling for Okoye, Rasheed, Kingdom Osayi and Leke Ojo on this very forum before Peseiro’s visit.

Yes, no one screamed for him because why do so when the entire focus of NT managers was on players in Europe? Nwabali was known. There are others like that. There is also an attacking midfielder who we mentioned here when he was with Rangers and he is now in Europe. The day he will get a notice and shines in NT camp, there will be those who think he never existed. This is exactly why we state that Nigeria's scouting network should be broader and must include the local scene where the talent is broad.

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

He is the best Keeper in recent times , and his mentality is up there. Dude was only making his 2nd appearance as a national team goalie vs EG, and to perform like this for 7 straight matches, and letting in 4 goals ( including a PK) wow ..... top gem we have here

This guy’s humility deeply touches me.
It’s not something my country men do well, or frequently but this is another level.
In his own way he is a leader, like the anchors told him.
A true Gentle Giant.

God bless him for rising from nowhere and giving us joy in so many ways.
I pray he goes on to even greater things.

Definitely not from nowhere, most people just didn't bother to look

Yes, I get your point.
But what I meant was that, barely three months ago he wasn’t even in the picture and hardly anyone knew of him or remembered him.
To rise from ‘zero’ to Hero in such a short time is truly inspiring.

He has definitely won the hearts of Nigerians.

People knew about him but you forget we’ve been stuck in an era where everything “foreign” is seen to be better than everything home grown. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times that neither Uzoho nor Okoye, for that matter, should have been in contention for #1 goalie, given the proliferation of talented and experienced goalies strewn all over Nigeria and elsewhere…

… and we seem destined to keep shooting ourselves in the foot by scouting for “good” defenders and midfielders all across Europe whilst ignoring the youthfulness and hunger of the likes Olisa Ndah and Daniel Daga


Cheers.

In Damunk’s defense, people might have known about him but no one was screaming for him to be the starter. I heard people calling for Okoye, Rasheed, Kingdom Osayi and Leke Ojo on this very forum before Peseiro’s visit.

Yes, no one screamed for him because why do so when the entire focus of NT managers was on players in Europe? Nwabali was known. There are others like that. There is also an attacking midfielder who we mentioned here when he was with Rangers and he is now in Europe. The day he will get a notice and shines in NT camp, there will be those who think he never existed. This is exactly why we state that Nigeria's scouting network should be broader and must include the local scene where the talent is broad.

EII,

The records are there to check… I used to shout myself hoarse pointing out that Ezenwa was way better than either of Okoye or Uzoho but I only got the worst kind of abuse from our resident wowos


Cheers.

[Damunk]

People will always see what they want to see or interpret what they want to interpret.
The context of my post was clear enough, but, like everything, words will be turned and twisted to suit an agenda.
I never said or implied he was ‘unknown’.

My exact words were:
“…barely three months ago he wasn’t even in the picture and hardly anyone knew of him or remembered him.”

How anyone can decide with full chest that this means “he was unknown”, when I clearly used the words ‘hardly’ and “remembered’. Those words are there for a reason.
But let me help out here:

‘Hardly’, adverb;
”scarcely (used to qualify a statement by saying that it is true to an insignificant degree”).

So now people are claiming he was pretty well known. But few if anyone mentioned his name when Uzoho was embarassing himself for us. All we ever heard was “there are many good GKs in the NPFL’.
Who nah?
Dem no gree tell us.

’Remembered’, verb
“…have in or be able to bring to one's mind an awareness of (someone or something from the past”).

So he was in goal in that fateful SE ‘B’ side vs Mexico that received a 4-0 drubbing. Then my point was valid in that he wasn’t unknown, abi? Just that very few actually remembered him. Maybe because he didn’t particularly impress?
And anyway, no-one can ‘remember’ what you never knew in the first place. So, again by talking about ‘remembering’, I was acknowledging that some probably did know him or of him; they just weren’t that many.

Before that I had written:
“God bless him for rising from nowhere and giving us joy…”
So this can only now mean nobody knew him?
What about the fact he wasn’t really part of the conversation? Does that apply here?

I hope this helps those who insist on taking statements literally - for some strange reason.

[Damunk]

This guy’s humility deeply touches me.
It’s not something my country men do well, or frequently but this is another level.
In his own way he is a leader, like the anchors told him.
A true Gentle Giant.

God bless him for rising from nowhere and giving us joy in so many ways.
I pray he goes on to even greater things.

Definitely not from nowhere, most people just didn't bother to look

Yes, I get your point.
But what I meant was that, barely three months ago he wasn’t even in the picture and hardly anyone knew of him or remembered him.
To rise from ‘zero’ to Hero in such a short time is truly inspiring.

He has definitely won the hearts of Nigerians.

People knew about him but you forget we’ve been stuck in an era where everything “foreign” is seen to be better than everything home grown. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times that neither Uzoho nor Okoye, for that matter, should have been in contention for #1 goalie, given the proliferation of talented and experienced goalies strewn all over Nigeria and elsewhere…

… and we seem destined to keep shooting ourselves in the foot by scouting for “good” defenders and midfielders all across Europe whilst ignoring the youthfulness and hunger of the likes Olisa Ndah and Daniel Daga


Cheers.

In Damunk’s defense, people might have known about him but no one was screaming for him to be the starter. I heard people calling for Okoye, Rasheed, Kingdom Osayi and Leke Ojo on this very forum before Peseiro’s visit.

Yes, no one screamed for him because why do so when the entire focus of NT managers was on players in Europe? Nwabali was known. There are others like that. There is also an attacking midfielder who we mentioned here when he was with Rangers and he is now in Europe. The day he will get a notice and shines in NT camp, there will be those who think he never existed. This is exactly why we state that Nigeria's scouting network should be broader and must include the local scene where the talent is broad.

EII,

The records are there to check… I used to shout myself hoarse pointing out that Ezenwa was way better than either of Okoye or Uzoho but I only got the worst kind of abuse from our resident wowos

Cheers.

You were a lone voice because you were wrong.
But it’s a matter of opinion and your opinion was and probably still is in the minority.
Recognize that simple fact.

That’s how the world works.

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

Definitely not from nowhere, most people just didn't bother to look

Yes, I get your point.
But what I meant was that, barely three months ago he wasn’t even in the picture and hardly anyone knew of him or remembered him.
To rise from ‘zero’ to Hero in such a short time is truly inspiring.

He has definitely won the hearts of Nigerians.

People knew about him but you forget we’ve been stuck in an era where everything “foreign” is seen to be better than everything home grown. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times that neither Uzoho nor Okoye, for that matter, should have been in contention for #1 goalie, given the proliferation of talented and experienced goalies strewn all over Nigeria and elsewhere…

… and we seem destined to keep shooting ourselves in the foot by scouting for “good” defenders and midfielders all across Europe whilst ignoring the youthfulness and hunger of the likes Olisa Ndah and Daniel Daga


Cheers.

In Damunk’s defense, people might have known about him but no one was screaming for him to be the starter. I heard people calling for Okoye, Rasheed, Kingdom Osayi and Leke Ojo on this very forum before Peseiro’s visit.

Yes, no one screamed for him because why do so when the entire focus of NT managers was on players in Europe? Nwabali was known. There are others like that. There is also an attacking midfielder who we mentioned here when he was with Rangers and he is now in Europe. The day he will get a notice and shines in NT camp, there will be those who think he never existed. This is exactly why we state that Nigeria's scouting network should be broader and must include the local scene where the talent is broad.

EII,

The records are there to check… I used to shout myself hoarse pointing out that Ezenwa was way better than either of Okoye or Uzoho but I only got the worst kind of abuse from our resident wowos

Cheers.

You were a lone voice because you were wrong.
But it’s a matter of opinion and your opinion was and probably still is in the minority.
Recognize that simple fact.

That’s how the world works.

Publish the stats if you believe I was wrong. Stats don’t lie. Your only yardstick for judging Ezenwa was his non involvement in European football. Unfortunately, that’s how Nigerian football players are judged and nothing could be less valid or misguided than that. As far as I could see, you guys were only echoing the opinion of your oyibo master. Leading up to the 2018 World Cup, Uzoho conceded a ton of goals in the friendlies we played yet, rather than that giving the powers that be pause, he was installed as the SuperEagles #1 goalie… and I wonder why some of you are so surprised that he didn’t live up to the hype. Performance in sports is a tangible and easily measurable thing and all the opinions on CE doesn’t change the fact that Uzoho has, thus far, been a piss poor performer


Cheers.

[Enugu II]

This guy’s humility deeply touches me.
It’s not something my country men do well, or frequently but this is another level.
In his own way he is a leader, like the anchors told him.
A true Gentle Giant.

God bless him for rising from nowhere and giving us joy in so many ways.
I pray he goes on to even greater things.

Definitely not from nowhere, most people just didn't bother to look

Yes, I get your point.
But what I meant was that, barely three months ago he wasn’t even in the picture and hardly anyone knew of him or remembered him.
To rise from ‘zero’ to Hero in such a short time is truly inspiring.

He has definitely won the hearts of Nigerians.

People knew about him but you forget we’ve been stuck in an era where everything “foreign” is seen to be better than everything home grown. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times that neither Uzoho nor Okoye, for that matter, should have been in contention for #1 goalie, given the proliferation of talented and experienced goalies strewn all over Nigeria and elsewhere…

… and we seem destined to keep shooting ourselves in the foot by scouting for “good” defenders and midfielders all across Europe whilst ignoring the youthfulness and hunger of the likes Olisa Ndah and Daniel Daga


Cheers.

In Damunk’s defense, people might have known about him but no one was screaming for him to be the starter. I heard people calling for Okoye, Rasheed, Kingdom Osayi and Leke Ojo on this very forum before Peseiro’s visit.

Yes, no one screamed for him because why do so when the entire focus of NT managers was on players in Europe? Nwabali was known. There are others like that. There is also an attacking midfielder who we mentioned here when he was with Rangers and he is now in Europe. The day he will get a notice and shines in NT camp, there will be those who think he never existed. This is exactly why we state that Nigeria's scouting network should be broader and must include the local scene where the talent is broad.

EII,

The records are there to check… I used to shout myself hoarse pointing out that Ezenwa was way better than either of Okoye or Uzoho but I only got the worst kind of abuse from our resident wowos


Cheers.

TTTK

I believe Ezenwa's record is better than either Uzoho or Okoye for Nigeria. However, I do not believe you were the only one who wondered about the decision then. As I remember it, Ezenwa was dropped because he was not regularly starting for his NPFL club. His local club found a regular replacement given his rather frequent absences playing for the SE.

[Damunk]

This was me in ‘22 calling out all the whiners about the SE goalkeepers:

We don’t “only want foreign”.
We only want reliable.
When Akpeyi was there, complaint.
When Ezenwa was there, problem.
Then Noble.
Before Noble there was Afelokhai (sp) and even Femi Thomas.

Until they try every GK in the NPFL before you people are satisfied. No time when una no go talk say there is “a better GK in the NPFL”.
Abeg make we hear word. People just have their pet loves. But what is far worse are the pet hates.
Akpeyi and Okoye fit firmly in that category.
Totally unjustified IMHO.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=308849&p=5776339&hi ... a#p5776339

Then here’s a 2019 thread of the SE ‘depth chart’
No mention of Nwabali in the whole thread.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=251217&p=5380398

I’m sure we will find his name somewhere eventually, but it doesn’t look as if you guys were screaming his name on the rooftops as you’re suggesting.

Maybe I should do a search of Nwabali quotes by TTTK and Enugu II?
Weytin una think?

[Damunk]

Definitely not from nowhere, most people just didn't bother to look

Yes, I get your point.
But what I meant was that, barely three months ago he wasn’t even in the picture and hardly anyone knew of him or remembered him.
To rise from ‘zero’ to Hero in such a short time is truly inspiring.

He has definitely won the hearts of Nigerians.

People knew about him but you forget we’ve been stuck in an era where everything “foreign” is seen to be better than everything home grown. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times that neither Uzoho nor Okoye, for that matter, should have been in contention for #1 goalie, given the proliferation of talented and experienced goalies strewn all over Nigeria and elsewhere…

… and we seem destined to keep shooting ourselves in the foot by scouting for “good” defenders and midfielders all across Europe whilst ignoring the youthfulness and hunger of the likes Olisa Ndah and Daniel Daga


Cheers.

In Damunk’s defense, people might have known about him but no one was screaming for him to be the starter. I heard people calling for Okoye, Rasheed, Kingdom Osayi and Leke Ojo on this very forum before Peseiro’s visit.

Yes, no one screamed for him because why do so when the entire focus of NT managers was on players in Europe? Nwabali was known. There are others like that. There is also an attacking midfielder who we mentioned here when he was with Rangers and he is now in Europe. The day he will get a notice and shines in NT camp, there will be those who think he never existed. This is exactly why we state that Nigeria's scouting network should be broader and must include the local scene where the talent is broad.

EII,

The records are there to check… I used to shout myself hoarse pointing out that Ezenwa was way better than either of Okoye or Uzoho but I only got the worst kind of abuse from our resident wowos


Cheers.

TTTK

I believe Ezenwa's record is better than either Uzoho or Okoye for Nigeria. However, I do not believe you were the only one who wondered about the decision then. As I remember it, Ezenwa was dropped because he was not regularly starting for his NPFL club. His local club found a regular replacement given his rather frequent absences playing for the SE.

Nope. That is rewriting history Prof.
In all fairness, you have said “as you remember it”.

Yes he was criticised by fans for not being no1 in his club but the SE coaches didn’t drop him because of that. They knew that when they invited him.
In fairness to him, he also suffered a serious injury at one point.

But Ezenwa didn’t set the world on fire for the SE. He was barely ‘decent’, or as dem dey talk am, ‘just ok’.
His greatest fan and defender has always been TTTK - as he also is for Iheanacho.

[Enugu II]

Yes, I get your point.
But what I meant was that, barely three months ago he wasn’t even in the picture and hardly anyone knew of him or remembered him.
To rise from ‘zero’ to Hero in such a short time is truly inspiring.

He has definitely won the hearts of Nigerians.

People knew about him but you forget we’ve been stuck in an era where everything “foreign” is seen to be better than everything home grown. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times that neither Uzoho nor Okoye, for that matter, should have been in contention for #1 goalie, given the proliferation of talented and experienced goalies strewn all over Nigeria and elsewhere…

… and we seem destined to keep shooting ourselves in the foot by scouting for “good” defenders and midfielders all across Europe whilst ignoring the youthfulness and hunger of the likes Olisa Ndah and Daniel Daga


Cheers.

In Damunk’s defense, people might have known about him but no one was screaming for him to be the starter. I heard people calling for Okoye, Rasheed, Kingdom Osayi and Leke Ojo on this very forum before Peseiro’s visit.

Yes, no one screamed for him because why do so when the entire focus of NT managers was on players in Europe? Nwabali was known. There are others like that. There is also an attacking midfielder who we mentioned here when he was with Rangers and he is now in Europe. The day he will get a notice and shines in NT camp, there will be those who think he never existed. This is exactly why we state that Nigeria's scouting network should be broader and must include the local scene where the talent is broad.

EII,

The records are there to check… I used to shout myself hoarse pointing out that Ezenwa was way better than either of Okoye or Uzoho but I only got the worst kind of abuse from our resident wowos


Cheers.

TTTK

Ezenwa's record is better than either Uzoho or Okoye for Nigeria. However, I do not believe you were the only one who wondered about the decision then. As I remember it, Ezenwa was dropped because he was not regularly starting for his NPFL club. His local club found a regular replacement given his rather frequent absences playing for the SE.

Nope. That is rewriting history Prof.
In all fairness, you have said “as you remember it”.

Yes he was criticised by fans for not being no1 in his club but the SE coaches didn’t drop him because of that. They knew that when they invited him.
In fairness to him, he also suffered a serious injury at one point.

But Ezenwa didn’t set the world on fire for the SE. He was barely ‘decent’, or as dem dey talk am, ‘just ok’.
His greatest fan and defender has always been TTTK - as he also is for Iheanacho.

Damunk,

Sure, he did not set the world on fire like Nwabali has done at the AFCON. However, he did not stink up the joint either like Okoye and Francis Uzoho did on annoying number of occasions. That I believe was the issue. Even Akpeyi did not perform better that Ezenwa.

Statistically, Ezenwa was by far better than the three that I have listed above. Ezenwa (This includes playing with SE local-based) was conceding 0.4615 goals per game while Okoye was conceding 0.9 per and the other two conceded exactly 1.0 per game. He was a supreme shot stopper. His problem was some rash tacking when confronted with a breakaway player as was the case in that home gam,e against Cameroon that led to a pk.

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

People knew about him but you forget we’ve been stuck in an era where everything “foreign” is seen to be better than everything home grown. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times that neither Uzoho nor Okoye, for that matter, should have been in contention for #1 goalie, given the proliferation of talented and experienced goalies strewn all over Nigeria and elsewhere…

… and we seem destined to keep shooting ourselves in the foot by scouting for “good” defenders and midfielders all across Europe whilst ignoring the youthfulness and hunger of the likes Olisa Ndah and Daniel Daga


Cheers.

In Damunk’s defense, people might have known about him but no one was screaming for him to be the starter. I heard people calling for Okoye, Rasheed, Kingdom Osayi and Leke Ojo on this very forum before Peseiro’s visit.

Yes, no one screamed for him because why do so when the entire focus of NT managers was on players in Europe? Nwabali was known. There are others like that. There is also an attacking midfielder who we mentioned here when he was with Rangers and he is now in Europe. The day he will get a notice and shines in NT camp, there will be those who think he never existed. This is exactly why we state that Nigeria's scouting network should be broader and must include the local scene where the talent is broad.

EII,

The records are there to check… I used to shout myself hoarse pointing out that Ezenwa was way better than either of Okoye or Uzoho but I only got the worst kind of abuse from our resident wowos


Cheers.

TTTK

Ezenwa's record is better than either Uzoho or Okoye for Nigeria. However, I do not believe you were the only one who wondered about the decision then. As I remember it, Ezenwa was dropped because he was not regularly starting for his NPFL club. His local club found a regular replacement given his rather frequent absences playing for the SE.

Nope. That is rewriting history Prof.
In all fairness, you have said “as you remember it”.

Yes he was criticised by fans for not being no1 in his club but the SE coaches didn’t drop him because of that. They knew that when they invited him.
In fairness to him, he also suffered a serious injury at one point.

But Ezenwa didn’t set the world on fire for the SE. He was barely ‘decent’, or as dem dey talk am, ‘just ok’.
His greatest fan and defender has always been TTTK - as he also is for Iheanacho.

Damunk,

Sure, he did not set the world on fire like Nwabali has done at the AFCON. However, he did not stink up the joint either like Okoye and Francis Uzoho did on annoying number of occasions. That I believe was the issue. Even Akpeyi did not perform better that Ezenwa.

Statistically, Ezenwa was by far better than the three that I have listed above. Ezenwa (This includes playing with SE local-based) was conceding 0.4615 goals per game while Okoye was conceding 0.9 per and the other two conceded exactly 1.0 per game. He was a supreme shot stopper. His problem was some rash tacking when confronted with a breakaway player as was the case in that home gam,e against Cameroon that led to a pk.

EII and Damunk,

The phrase set the world on fire is, to say the least, extremely subjective. What does that mean for a goalkeeper? Better yet, what has Nwabali done so far that Ezenwa did not do during his tenure? Is it keeping clean sheets, saving penalties or the numerous breath-taking saves?

A goalie ought to be judged primarily on the number of clean sheets, number of goals conceded, shot stopping ability, penalty stopping ability, etc. These are all areas in which Ezenwa excelled. In fact, Ezenwa has been head and shoulders above everyone who has kept goal for the SuperEagles since Karl Ikeme, with the possible exception of Nwabali although Nwabali hasn’t really played long enough to be fairly compared with Ezenwa


Cheers.

[Enugu II]

In Damunk’s defense, people might have known about him but no one was screaming for him to be the starter. I heard people calling for Okoye, Rasheed, Kingdom Osayi and Leke Ojo on this very forum before Peseiro’s visit.

Yes, no one screamed for him because why do so when the entire focus of NT managers was on players in Europe? Nwabali was known. There are others like that. There is also an attacking midfielder who we mentioned here when he was with Rangers and he is now in Europe. The day he will get a notice and shines in NT camp, there will be those who think he never existed. This is exactly why we state that Nigeria's scouting network should be broader and must include the local scene where the talent is broad.

EII,

The records are there to check… I used to shout myself hoarse pointing out that Ezenwa was way better than either of Okoye or Uzoho but I only got the worst kind of abuse from our resident wowos


Cheers.

TTTK

Ezenwa's record is better than either Uzoho or Okoye for Nigeria. However, I do not believe you were the only one who wondered about the decision then. As I remember it, Ezenwa was dropped because he was not regularly starting for his NPFL club. His local club found a regular replacement given his rather frequent absences playing for the SE.

Nope. That is rewriting history Prof.
In all fairness, you have said “as you remember it”.

Yes he was criticised by fans for not being no1 in his club but the SE coaches didn’t drop him because of that. They knew that when they invited him.
In fairness to him, he also suffered a serious injury at one point.

But Ezenwa didn’t set the world on fire for the SE. He was barely ‘decent’, or as dem dey talk am, ‘just ok’.
His greatest fan and defender has always been TTTK - as he also is for Iheanacho.

Damunk,

Sure, he did not set the world on fire like Nwabali has done at the AFCON. However, he did not stink up the joint either like Okoye and Francis Uzoho did on annoying number of occasions. That I believe was the issue. Even Akpeyi did not perform better that Ezenwa.

Statistically, Ezenwa was by far better than the three that I have listed above. Ezenwa (This includes playing with SE local-based) was conceding 0.4615 goals per game while Okoye was conceding 0.9 per and the other two conceded exactly 1.0 per game. He was a supreme shot stopper. His problem was some rash tacking when confronted with a breakaway player as was the case in that home gam,e against Cameroon that led to a pk.

EII and Damunk,

The phrase set the world on fire is, to say the least, extremely subjective. What does that mean for a goalkeeper? Better yet, what has Nwabali done so far that Ezenwa did not do during his tenure? Is it keeping clean sheets, saving penalties or the numerous breath-taking saves?

A goalie ought to be judged primarily on the number of clean sheets, number of goals conceded, shot stopping ability, penalty stopping ability, etc. These are all areas in which Ezenwa excelled. In fact, Ezenwa has been head and shoulders above everyone who has kept goal for the SuperEagles since Karl Ikeme, with the possible exception of Nwabali although Nwabali hasn’t really played long enough to be fairly compared with Ezenwa


Cheers.

TTTK

I will not argue that point. Ezenwa's stats are incredibly good. That much is clear.

However, the reason why most including my self are putting Nwabali ahead of him is possible the stage at which the performance was accomplished. While Ezenwa also appeared for the full SE team, it was never the regular choice at a tournament.

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

Yes, no one screamed for him because why do so when the entire focus of NT managers was on players in Europe? Nwabali was known. There are others like that. There is also an attacking midfielder who we mentioned here when he was with Rangers and he is now in Europe. The day he will get a notice and shines in NT camp, there will be those who think he never existed. This is exactly why we state that Nigeria's scouting network should be broader and must include the local scene where the talent is broad.

EII,

The records are there to check… I used to shout myself hoarse pointing out that Ezenwa was way better than either of Okoye or Uzoho but I only got the worst kind of abuse from our resident wowos


Cheers.

TTTK

Ezenwa's record is better than either Uzoho or Okoye for Nigeria. However, I do not believe you were the only one who wondered about the decision then. As I remember it, Ezenwa was dropped because he was not regularly starting for his NPFL club. His local club found a regular replacement given his rather frequent absences playing for the SE.

Nope. That is rewriting history Prof.
In all fairness, you have said “as you remember it”.

Yes he was criticised by fans for not being no1 in his club but the SE coaches didn’t drop him because of that. They knew that when they invited him.
In fairness to him, he also suffered a serious injury at one point.

But Ezenwa didn’t set the world on fire for the SE. He was barely ‘decent’, or as dem dey talk am, ‘just ok’.
His greatest fan and defender has always been TTTK - as he also is for Iheanacho.

Damunk,

Sure, he did not set the world on fire like Nwabali has done at the AFCON. However, he did not stink up the joint either like Okoye and Francis Uzoho did on annoying number of occasions. That I believe was the issue. Even Akpeyi did not perform better that Ezenwa.

Statistically, Ezenwa was by far better than the three that I have listed above. Ezenwa (This includes playing with SE local-based) was conceding 0.4615 goals per game while Okoye was conceding 0.9 per and the other two conceded exactly 1.0 per game. He was a supreme shot stopper. His problem was some rash tacking when confronted with a breakaway player as was the case in that home gam,e against Cameroon that led to a pk.

EII and Damunk,

The phrase set the world on fire is, to say the least, extremely subjective. What does that mean for a goalkeeper? Better yet, what has Nwabali done so far that Ezenwa did not do during his tenure? Is it keeping clean sheets, saving penalties or the numerous breath-taking saves?

A goalie ought to be judged primarily on the number of clean sheets, number of goals conceded, shot stopping ability, penalty stopping ability, etc. These are all areas in which Ezenwa excelled. In fact, Ezenwa has been head and shoulders above everyone who has kept goal for the SuperEagles since Karl Ikeme, with the possible exception of Nwabali although Nwabali hasn’t really played long enough to be fairly compared with Ezenwa


Cheers.

TTTK

I will not argue that point. Ezenwa's stats are incredibly good. That much is clear.

However, the reason why most including my self are putting Nwabali ahead of him is possible the stage at which the performance was accomplished. While Ezenwa also appeared for the full SE team, it was never the regular choice at a tournament.

Unbelievable!