GERNOT ROHR ON GOALKEEPERS

[Igugu]

Uzoho height alone ... I haven't seen a tall Nigerian goalie like that...

Since Okala.

[mystic]

Ayo,
I stand with Rohr on the use of the goalkeepers in the matches against Algeria and Argentina. Ezenwa, despite his gaffe against Cameroun away, had a decent game against Zambia and deserved another start in a match Rohr took seriously in Constantine. It also made sense to start Akpeyi in the Argentina game to see his form after the South African debacle in Uyo. Uzoho had to come in in the second half. Besides, the national team is not a shopping window for any particular player's club aspirations. A player earns that on the club's training pitch. National team appearances are supposed to be a reward for good club form and a positive track record on national duty (something Uzoho is just starting).

On top of that Rohr has got to prepare all his goalkeepers for the World Cup. Not just one guy. His division of playing time between the 3 goalkeepers in camp over the two games was on point.

[1naija]

1naija .... 101 basics in goalkeeping is that you use the wall to shield one end of the post and the man the otherside.... That is why world class players try and get the ball over the wall knowing the keeper will be too far away to stop the ball going in.... this is exactly what Nacho did..... now watch closely from the 28 secs mark...observe the quality of the wall he put together, his positioning and movement...

[/video]


Absolute rubbish!!

My point is that despite the walls both goalkeepers were poorly positioned which made it impossible for either of them to save the free kicks. You don't position youself at one end of the post such that you cannot reach the other end of the post to save the freekick just as you don't position yourself behind the line such that you can't see the ball. If you understand basic goalkeeping as you claim you would know this.

The line is not meant to block all kicks to that side so the goalkeeper won't have to defend that side of post. I have a feeling that many of you think that's what the wall is for. That's why you think the Argentina goalie positioning was perfect.
But google top soccer freekick saves and you will see that nether goalkeeper was well positioned compared to those that make those saves.

This shows many of you just go off on empty emotional outbursts that has little to do with the facts. Based on Akeyi's ACTUAL performance yesterday, i won't be surprised if Rohr continues to make him part of the WC build up.

[Mr Shows]

1naija .... 101 basics in goalkeeping is that you use the wall to shield one end of the post and the man the otherside.... That is why world class players try and get the ball over the wall knowing the keeper will be too far away to stop the ball going in.... this is exactly what Nacho did..... now watch closely from the 28 secs mark...observe the quality of the wall he put together, his positioning and movement...

[/video]


Absolute rubbish!!

My point is that despite the walls both goalkeepers were poorly positioned which made it impossible for either of them to save the free kicks. You don't position youself at one end of the post such that you cannot reach the other end of the post to save the freekick just as you don't position yourself behind the line such that you can't see the ball. If you understand basic goalkeeping as you claim you would know this.

The line is not meant to block all kicks to that side so the goalkeeper won't have to defend that side of post. I have a feeling that many of you think that's what the wall is for. That's why you think the Argentina goalie positioning was perfect.
But google top soccer freekick saves and you will see that nether goalkeeper was well positioned compared to those that make those saves.

This shows many of you just go off on empty emotional outbursts that has little to do with the facts. Based on Akeyi's ACTUAL performance yesterday, i won't be surprised if Rohr continues to make him part of the WC build up.

Please observe the keeper position and the position on the wall in Nacho's goal ... seriously if you don't get the point I rest my case...

[/video]

[Ayo Akinfe]

Ayo,
I stand with Rohr on the use of the goalkeepers in the matches against Algeria and Argentina. Ezenwa, despite his gaffe against Cameroun away, had a decent game against Zambia and deserved another start in a match Rohr took seriously in Constantine. It also made sense to start Akpeyi in the Argentina game to see his form after the South African debacle in Uyo. Uzoho had to come in in the second half. Besides, the national team is not a shopping window for any particular player's club aspirations. A player earns that on the club's training pitch. National team appearances are supposed to be a reward for good club form and a positive track record on national duty (something Uzoho is just starting).

On top of that Rohr has got to prepare all his goalkeepers for the World Cup. Not just one guy. His division of playing time between the 3 goalkeepers in camp over the two games was on point.

But Akpeyi is not one of those goalkeepers. He should be watching the World Cup on TV along with his padi Agbim

[Enugu II]

Trying to defend Akpeyi is defending the indefensible... Nacho's freekick went 'over' the wall and dipped. The keeper made a great attempt but covering and entire goalpost is a task no keeper can do.

On the other hand Akpeyi arrange a feeble wall, takes up a central position, then moves in the direction of the wall leaving a gaping hole for the striker to 'place' the ball through....

Unfortunately even Ezenwa lacks the aura of a world class keeper. Anytime he receives a backpass, most fans will have their hearts in their mouths. His showboating and theatrics are so unnecessary and this unsettles the back 4. Against Algeria he flapped at everything.

IMHO Rohr needs to dump Akpeyi, relegate Ezenwa to no.3 and find another keeper who can compete with Uzoho for the no.1 spot.

Mr. Shows,

But the conventional does not prevent goals as you saw in Nacho's case or in Messi's FKs. What it does is that it gives you help but increasingly the best still score. Thus, GKs can try to be unconventional to stop such a goal. It isn't just in FKs but also pks. There are numerous examples especially in Pks.

PKs
The conventional is to choose the direction to dive knowing fully well that waiting means that you will concede. Your best chance as a goal is to move just before the kick. Guess what, this has created the penance because the kicker anticipates this early move. I mentioned elsewhere that the former Brazilian goalie was unconventional deciding to take one end of his goal before the kick is taken. This forces the shooter to shoot only to one side. If you shoot it far enough, Tafarell concedes. If not, he surely will dive in the right direction to save. The point here is that there is some benefit to being unconventional.

FKs
I am willing to bet that unlike the claims of the commentators, Akpeyi knows those conventional rules that you point to. He is not experienced for nothing. However, he probably choose top be unconventional believing that the kicker will choose the best option in a conventional strategy -- try to shoot over the wall as Nacho did. Thus, Akpeyi first stood outside his wall to bait the kicker to do just that. At the moment of the kick he then try to cheat for a save behind the wall. Instead, this unconventional move was taken advantage of by the kicker who may have then suddenly switched to aim to the open space (to be left by Akpeyi) when he saw the twitch towards space behind the wall. For Akpeyi it was too late to switch back.

That is how I read that move. It is inconceivable that a goalie like Akpeyi would not have known about the convention but he tried top outsmart the kicker and failed. That is just it.

[mystic]

Ayo,
I stand with Rohr on the use of the goalkeepers in the matches against Algeria and Argentina. Ezenwa, despite his gaffe against Cameroun away, had a decent game against Zambia and deserved another start in a match Rohr took seriously in Constantine. It also made sense to start Akpeyi in the Argentina game to see his form after the South African debacle in Uyo. Uzoho had to come in in the second half. Besides, the national team is not a shopping window for any particular player's club aspirations. A player earns that on the club's training pitch. National team appearances are supposed to be a reward for good club form and a positive track record on national duty (something Uzoho is just starting).

On top of that Rohr has got to prepare all his goalkeepers for the World Cup. Not just one guy. His division of playing time between the 3 goalkeepers in camp over the two games was on point.

But Akpeyi is not one of those goalkeepers. He should be watching the World Cup on TV along with his padi Agbim

Until he finds better options, Akpeyi is one of those goalkeepers. What we must work on now is finding better options.

[Enugu II]

Ayo,
I stand with Rohr on the use of the goalkeepers in the matches against Algeria and Argentina. Ezenwa, despite his gaffe against Cameroun away, had a decent game against Zambia and deserved another start in a match Rohr took seriously in Constantine. It also made sense to start Akpeyi in the Argentina game to see his form after the South African debacle in Uyo. Uzoho had to come in in the second half. Besides, the national team is not a shopping window for any particular player's club aspirations. A player earns that on the club's training pitch. National team appearances are supposed to be a reward for good club form and a positive track record on national duty (something Uzoho is just starting).

On top of that Rohr has got to prepare all his goalkeepers for the World Cup. Not just one guy. His division of playing time between the 3 goalkeepers in camp over the two games was on point.

But Akpeyi is not one of those goalkeepers. He should be watching the World Cup on TV along with his padi Agbim

Until he finds better options, Akpeyi is one of those goalkeepers. What we must work on now is finding better options.

Mystic,

KPOM. This is exactly my thought.

[Mr Shows]

Trying to defend Akpeyi is defending the indefensible... Nacho's freekick went 'over' the wall and dipped. The keeper made a great attempt but covering and entire goalpost is a task no keeper can do.

On the other hand Akpeyi arrange a feeble wall, takes up a central position, then moves in the direction of the wall leaving a gaping hole for the striker to 'place' the ball through....

Unfortunately even Ezenwa lacks the aura of a world class keeper. Anytime he receives a backpass, most fans will have their hearts in their mouths. His showboating and theatrics are so unnecessary and this unsettles the back 4. Against Algeria he flapped at everything.

IMHO Rohr needs to dump Akpeyi, relegate Ezenwa to no.3 and find another keeper who can compete with Uzoho for the no.1 spot.

Mr. Shows,

But the conventional does not prevent goals as you saw in Nacho's case or in Messi's FKs. What it does is that it gives you help but increasingly the best still score. Thus, GKs can try to be unconventional to stop such a goal. It isn't just in FKs but also pks. There are numerous examples especially in Pks.

PKs
The conventional is to choose the direction to dive knowing fully well that waiting means that you will concede. Your best chance as a goal is to move just before the kick. Guess what, this has created the penance because the kicker anticipates this early move. I mentioned elsewhere that the former Brazilian goalie was unconventional deciding to take one end of his goal before the kick is taken. This forces the shooter to shoot only to one side. If you shoot it far enough, Tafarell concedes. If not, he surely will dive in the right direction to save. The point here is that there is some benefit to being unconventional.

FKs
I am willing to bet that unlike the claims of the commentators, Akpeyi knows those conventional rules that you point to. He is not experienced for nothing. However, he probably choose top be unconventional believing that the kicker will choose the best option in a conventional strategy -- try to shoot over the wall as Nacho did. Thus, Akpeyi first stood outside his wall to bait the kicker to do just that. At the moment of the kick he then try to cheat for a save behind the wall. Instead, this unconventional move was taken advantage of by the kicker who may have then suddenly switched to aim to the open space (to be left by Akpeyi) when he saw the twitch towards space behind the wall. For Akpeyi it was too late to switch back.

That is how I read that move. It is inconceivable that a goalie like Akpeyi would not have known about the convention but he tried top outsmart the kicker and failed. That is just it.

Watch the video clip again from the 29 sec mark and slow it down to see each frame. The ball was positioned just on the 18 yard line and Akpeyi could see the trajectory of the ball all the way. Now if he anticipated a ball over the top, the minute the ball was taken he could see the direction the ball was travelling a quick shuffle of feet to the right and he would have saved the ball. The wall is there to do a job and second guessing that they won't, will leave a keeper caught in between and that is exactly what happened to him. Even the commentators found it funny.

[Enugu II]

Trying to defend Akpeyi is defending the indefensible... Nacho's freekick went 'over' the wall and dipped. The keeper made a great attempt but covering and entire goalpost is a task no keeper can do.

On the other hand Akpeyi arrange a feeble wall, takes up a central position, then moves in the direction of the wall leaving a gaping hole for the striker to 'place' the ball through....

Unfortunately even Ezenwa lacks the aura of a world class keeper. Anytime he receives a backpass, most fans will have their hearts in their mouths. His showboating and theatrics are so unnecessary and this unsettles the back 4. Against Algeria he flapped at everything.

IMHO Rohr needs to dump Akpeyi, relegate Ezenwa to no.3 and find another keeper who can compete with Uzoho for the no.1 spot.

Mr. Shows,

But the conventional does not prevent goals as you saw in Nacho's case or in Messi's FKs. What it does is that it gives you help but increasingly the best still score. Thus, GKs can try to be unconventional to stop such a goal. It isn't just in FKs but also pks. There are numerous examples especially in Pks.

PKs
The conventional is to choose the direction to dive knowing fully well that waiting means that you will concede. Your best chance as a goal is to move just before the kick. Guess what, this has created the penance because the kicker anticipates this early move. I mentioned elsewhere that the former Brazilian goalie was unconventional deciding to take one end of his goal before the kick is taken. This forces the shooter to shoot only to one side. If you shoot it far enough, Tafarell concedes. If not, he surely will dive in the right direction to save. The point here is that there is some benefit to being unconventional.

FKs
I am willing to bet that unlike the claims of the commentators, Akpeyi knows those conventional rules that you point to. He is not experienced for nothing. However, he probably choose top be unconventional believing that the kicker will choose the best option in a conventional strategy -- try to shoot over the wall as Nacho did. Thus, Akpeyi first stood outside his wall to bait the kicker to do just that. At the moment of the kick he then try to cheat for a save behind the wall. Instead, this unconventional move was taken advantage of by the kicker who may have then suddenly switched to aim to the open space (to be left by Akpeyi) when he saw the twitch towards space behind the wall. For Akpeyi it was too late to switch back.

That is how I read that move. It is inconceivable that a goalie like Akpeyi would not have known about the convention but he tried top outsmart the kicker and failed. That is just it.

Watch the video clip again from the 29 sec mark and slow it down to see each frame. The ball was positioned just on the 18 yard line and Akpeyi could see the trajectory of the ball all the way. Now if he anticipated a ball over the top, the minute the ball was taken he could see the direction the ball was travelling a quick shuffle of feet to the right and he would have saved the ball. The wall is there to do a job and second guessing that they won't, will leave a keeper caught in between and that is exactly what happened to him. Even the commentators found it funny.

Second guessing the wall is surely unconventional but can be beneficial (see Nacho's kick where the wall DID NOT do its job and an unconventional move may have saved the day). Just bear in mind that no goalkeeper is likely to EVER DIVE full length across 4 yards or more away from his body and quick enough if the ball is struck well. Thus, either you trust the wall or try to deceive the kicker. Those are your options. It is precisely for that reason that some keepers may choose to be unconventional. In this case, Akpeyi was caught in-between as you stated because his anticipation was proved wrong.

[truetalk]

Ayo,
I stand with Rohr on the use of the goalkeepers in the matches against Algeria and Argentina. Ezenwa, despite his gaffe against Cameroun away, had a decent game against Zambia and deserved another start in a match Rohr took seriously in Constantine. It also made sense to start Akpeyi in the Argentina game to see his form after the South African debacle in Uyo. Uzoho had to come in in the second half. Besides, the national team is not a shopping window for any particular player's club aspirations. A player earns that on the club's training pitch. National team appearances are supposed to be a reward for good club form and a positive track record on national duty (something Uzoho is just starting).

On top of that Rohr has got to prepare all his goalkeepers for the World Cup. Not just one guy. His division of playing time between the 3 goalkeepers in camp over the two games was on point.

But Akpeyi is not one of those goalkeepers. He should be watching the World Cup on TV along with his padi Agbim

Until he finds better options, Akpeyi is one of those goalkeepers. What we must work on now is finding better options.

Mystic,

KPOM. This is exactly my thought.

There are better options. They don't need to be found, only invited.

How difficult can this be?

[Chief Ogbunigwe]

Prof EnuguII is just doing efico here. The GK was terrible. Even Cellular that defends everybody no fit defend this one. This "unconventional" approach is academic stuff. He might as well leave the post unmanned and expect the FK to go over the bar...that would be another unorthodox approach....

[mystic]

Ayo,
I stand with Rohr on the use of the goalkeepers in the matches against Algeria and Argentina. Ezenwa, despite his gaffe against Cameroun away, had a decent game against Zambia and deserved another start in a match Rohr took seriously in Constantine. It also made sense to start Akpeyi in the Argentina game to see his form after the South African debacle in Uyo. Uzoho had to come in in the second half. Besides, the national team is not a shopping window for any particular player's club aspirations. A player earns that on the club's training pitch. National team appearances are supposed to be a reward for good club form and a positive track record on national duty (something Uzoho is just starting).

On top of that Rohr has got to prepare all his goalkeepers for the World Cup. Not just one guy. His division of playing time between the 3 goalkeepers in camp over the two games was on point.

But Akpeyi is not one of those goalkeepers. He should be watching the World Cup on TV along with his padi Agbim

Until he finds better options, Akpeyi is one of those goalkeepers. What we must work on now is finding better options.

Mystic,

KPOM. This is exactly my thought.

There are better options. They don't need to be found, only invited.

How difficult can this be?

Unfortunately the options aren't so clear cut. Let's examine some of the alternatives:

1. DELE ALAMPASU - Very talented but unfortunately not seeing action at his club. Still, Rohr has continued to keep him in the picture, which suggests that he's sees the young man's potential. We need to see him in a game though, but lack of playing time at his club is a serious concern.

2. EMMANUEL DANIEL - His Olympic experience is a major plus and he has shown that he has the tools to be an international goalkeeper. Hasn't tied down the number 1 shirt at Orlando Pirates and that's why he's been overlooked by Rohr.

3. DELE AJIBOYE - Not good enough.

4. OLUFEMI THOMAS - Not good enough.

5. THEOPHILUS AFELOKHAI - Not good enough.

6. ABIODUN AKANDE - Definitely has the talent to become a quality international, but our national team selectors have not been paying attention. Would need some grooming and exposure to international football but the talent is there. Whether there is enough time between now and the Mundial to be engaging in such a project is another matter.

7. DAVID NWOKOLOR - Not sure if he is ready. Very talented but much like Akande he would be a bit of a project. I saw him in a few games last season, and I thought that he was long on potential but short on experience. He's also not starting right now. Still with our current goalkeeping situation, we may have to be bold.

8. DELE AIYENUGBA - Some have suggested him based on his solid displays in Israel. Methinks this would be a step backwards. Mind you, I understand the temptation to bring him back, but I would rather sink or swim with youngsters.

[green4life]

Prof E2, this is a losing battle. Going out on a limb for a poor goalie is something else. Akpeyi is not good enough. We’re only seeing his face due to goalie crisis of illness to Carl and injury to Enyeama. Otherwise, without a doubt he’s below grade. As it stands, Ezenwa and Uzoho are ahead of him and I don’t rate Ezenwa at all. There’s only one spot left and my bet is IF (Big if) Enyeama gets back to playing by January, he will take that spot whether folks kick or scream. Rohr, as an old fashioned German, leans towards balance and somewhat risk averse. If given the option and opportunity, he will not take 3 inexperienced goalies to the biggest show on the planet. He hopes to take at least one veteran keeper. And based on that line of thought, Akpeyi has played himself out of contention.

[Ayo Akinfe]

Ayo,
I stand with Rohr on the use of the goalkeepers in the matches against Algeria and Argentina. Ezenwa, despite his gaffe against Cameroun away, had a decent game against Zambia and deserved another start in a match Rohr took seriously in Constantine. It also made sense to start Akpeyi in the Argentina game to see his form after the South African debacle in Uyo. Uzoho had to come in in the second half. Besides, the national team is not a shopping window for any particular player's club aspirations. A player earns that on the club's training pitch. National team appearances are supposed to be a reward for good club form and a positive track record on national duty (something Uzoho is just starting).

On top of that Rohr has got to prepare all his goalkeepers for the World Cup. Not just one guy. His division of playing time between the 3 goalkeepers in camp over the two games was on point.

But Akpeyi is not one of those goalkeepers. He should be watching the World Cup on TV along with his padi Agbim

Until he finds better options, Akpeyi is one of those goalkeepers. What we must work on now is finding better options.

Rohr appears not interested if we want to be honest. He is one of those coaches who will stick by a player he likes no matter how garbage he is.

[1naija]

Prof EnuguII is just doing efico here. The GK was terrible. Even Cellular that defends everybody no fit defend this one. This "unconventional" approach is academic stuff. He might as well leave the post unmanned and expect the FK to go over the bar...that would be another unorthodox approach....

Uncle, Akeyi played 48 minutes. If you are basing your assessment that he was horrible and should not near the Eagles again on the one mistake he made, then neither should
Balogun, Ola Aina, Shehu, and even Mikel because they all played poorly also. But we can't say that can we? Nobody is excusing Akpeyi's mistake, but you can't discredit his entire effort because of one mistake. If we were all held by the same standard as we are trying to hold Akpeyi here, none of us would be where we are today.

[Tbite]

We have heard what we the fans have to say, and we know how Rohr thinks (He is a little bit too sentimental).

but one thing we haven't considered is how the players feel!

[Enugu II]

Prof E2, this is a losing battle. Going out on a limb for a poor goalie is something else. Akpeyi is not good enough. We’re only seeing his face due to goalie crisis of illness to Carl and injury to Enyeama. Otherwise, without a doubt he’s below grade. As it stands, Ezenwa and Uzoho are ahead of him and I don’t rate Ezenwa at all. There’s only one spot left and my bet is IF (Big if) Enyeama gets back to playing by January, he will take that spot whether folks kick or scream. Rohr, as an old fashioned German, leans towards balance and somewhat risk averse. If given the option and opportunity, he will not take 3 inexperienced goalies to the biggest show on the planet. He hopes to take at least one veteran keeper. And based on that line of thought, Akpeyi has played himself out of contention.

G4L,

But how do you guys assume that I am battling for Akpeyi to be on the team? That is actually far from my position. My position in this case is simply that Akpeyi's performance v Argentina is being mischaracterized. That is all my position is. The stuff I have read about him in that game just does not pass the actual smell test of watching him in that game. That is just the scope of what I argue. Nothing more, nothing less. It is simply fairness in analysis of this one game.

We could argue about whether he deserves a place in the WC squad but that isn't what I am arguing at the moment. The good thing though is that the coaches are not as fickle as fans and that is why both Ezenwa and Akpeyi continue to be in the squad, I suppose. The coaches see them more often than we though and have decided to give them opportunities. You will be surprised that I do not even dispute how you rank the goalkeepers at all! Though, I believe that the jury is still out on Uzoho. I need to see more of him before crowning him as a shoo-in.

[Tbite]

Prof EnuguII is just doing efico here. The GK was terrible. Even Cellular that defends everybody no fit defend this one. This "unconventional" approach is academic stuff. He might as well leave the post unmanned and expect the FK to go over the bar...that would be another unorthodox approach....

Uncle, Akeyi played 48 minutes. If you are basing your assessment that he was horrible and should not near the Eagles again on the one mistake he made, then neither should
Balogun, Ola Aina, Shehu, and even Mikel because they all played poorly also. But we can't say that can we? Nobody is excusing Akpeyi's mistake, but you can't discredit his entire effort because of one mistake. If we were all held by the same standard as we are trying to hold Akpeyi here, we won't be where we are today.

In football, just like in life you EARN people's confidence in you. If Warren Buffet tells his directors that he wants to invest in Somalian Companies, I doubt he will raise as many eyebrows as if John Doe, fresh off an inheritance would. That's the way life works and has always worked.

Mikel has credibility, Balogun has credibility, Shehu has credibility. Akpeyi has PROVEN NOTHING, people keep looking for little things to boost his CV, like oh he is playing well in South Africa. Last time I checked, this is the GWG!

What has he proven in the GWG? The guy is still on probation! E2 thinks this is some type of witch hunt, but it is not. Until you prove why you should be in a team, you are on probation! And Akpeyi WHILE on probation has offended and re-offended!

The ONLY reason why he even has a shot, is because of an apparent GK drought, under ordinary circumstances, he would never even have gotten a shot! But alas, we find that our GK circumstance is not as bad as we initially thought, which further diminishes his stake in the team! Or so you would think, but alas sentiment arises!

[Tbite]

And just to clarify, WHY this analogy is important.

In case it is not crystal clear (it should be). WHEN you have credibility, it means you also have a track record, it means that people KNOW HOW you usually perform! It means people know what to expect and what is the unexpected.

With Akpeyi, we do not know if this will be his hallmark of failure, or whether he can consistently perform! We don't know! Placing him in the team is a MASSIVE gamble. We are toying with our World Cup! And is this a necessary gamble? Is it really?

[Chief Ogbunigwe]

Prof EnuguII is just doing efico here. The GK was terrible. Even Cellular that defends everybody no fit defend this one. This "unconventional" approach is academic stuff. He might as well leave the post unmanned and expect the FK to go over the bar...that would be another unorthodox approach....

Uncle, Akeyi played 48 minutes. If you are basing your assessment that he was horrible and should not near the Eagles again on the one mistake he made, then neither should
Balogun, Ola Aina, Shehu, and even Mikel because they all played poorly also. But we can't say that can we? Nobody is excusing Akpeyi's mistake, but you can't discredit his entire effort because of one mistake. If we were all held by the same standard as we are trying to hold Akpeyi here, we won't be where we are today.

Uncle, I could have sworn a certain Akpeyi was keeping nonsense vs SA, or was that Agbim or Ezenwa?

[1naija]

Prof EnuguII is just doing efico here. The GK was terrible. Even Cellular that defends everybody no fit defend this one. This "unconventional" approach is academic stuff. He might as well leave the post unmanned and expect the FK to go over the bar...that would be another unorthodox approach....

Uncle, Akeyi played 48 minutes. If you are basing your assessment that he was horrible and should not near the Eagles again on the one mistake he made, then neither should
Balogun, Ola Aina, Shehu, and even Mikel because they all played poorly also. But we can't say that can we? Nobody is excusing Akpeyi's mistake, but you can't discredit his entire effort because of one mistake. If we were all held by the same standard as we are trying to hold Akpeyi here, we won't be where we are today.

In football, just like in life you EARN people's confidence in you. If Warren Buffet tells his directors that he wants to invest in Somalian Companies, I doubt he will raise as many eyebrows as if John Doe, fresh off an inheritance would. That's the way life works and has always worked.

Mikel has credibility, Balogun has credibility, Shehu has credibility. Akpeyi has PROVEN NOTHING, people keep looking for little things to boost his CV, like oh he is playing well in South Africa. Last time I checked, this is the GWG!

What has he proven in the GWG? The guy is still on probation! E2 thinks this is some type of witch hunt, but it is not. Until you prove why you should be in a team, you are on probation! And Akpeyi WHILE on probation has offended and re-offended!

The ONLY reason why he even has a shot, is because of an apparent GK drought, under ordinary circumstances, he would never even have gotten a shot! But alas, we find that our GK circumstance is not as bad as we initially thought, which further diminishes his stake in the team! Or so you would think, but alas sentiment arises!

No one is aking you to make Akpeyi a SE starter or that he should be included in the Super Eagles squad. We are talking about his performance against Argentina, period

[mystic]

Ayo,
I stand with Rohr on the use of the goalkeepers in the matches against Algeria and Argentina. Ezenwa, despite his gaffe against Cameroun away, had a decent game against Zambia and deserved another start in a match Rohr took seriously in Constantine. It also made sense to start Akpeyi in the Argentina game to see his form after the South African debacle in Uyo. Uzoho had to come in in the second half. Besides, the national team is not a shopping window for any particular player's club aspirations. A player earns that on the club's training pitch. National team appearances are supposed to be a reward for good club form and a positive track record on national duty (something Uzoho is just starting).

On top of that Rohr has got to prepare all his goalkeepers for the World Cup. Not just one guy. His division of playing time between the 3 goalkeepers in camp over the two games was on point.

But Akpeyi is not one of those goalkeepers. He should be watching the World Cup on TV along with his padi Agbim

Until he finds better options, Akpeyi is one of those goalkeepers. What we must work on now is finding better options.

Rohr appears not interested if we want to be honest. He is one of those coaches who will stick by a player he likes no matter how garbage he is.

Wrong! He is a proper coach who doesn't live in la-la land as most fans do. I believe he recognizes our strengths and weaknesses at all positions - not just goalkeeper. Just because there are one or two things that you might do differently doesn't change that. Furthermore I like that he appears to be a process oriented coach. He's slowly but surely building a powerhouse.