SIMY NWANKWO HANGS AGAIN

[ohenhen1]

Rohr should only invite players that have played in past games. BTW Ideye Brown is better than Simy Nwankwo.

Bro in the last six months, who has peformed better in a top league ideye, simy or Igaho?

Simy is playing well and we need our best players and simy will likely be the joker when he scores during the friendlies. watch out for him

Yes, but that is for his club not for Nigeria.

He will get his chance after the world cup. Only the players that helped Nigeria qualify or took part in previous games should be part of camping.

[chuks69]

We all know there is still an extra undecided striker spot in the Eagles 23 man list.. We thought martins would have gotten it, but right now it is now looking likely between Simmy, kayode and Umar...

[Ahidjo]

Rohr should only invite players that have played in past games. BTW Ideye Brown is better than Simy Nwankwo.

Bro in the last six months, who has peformed better in a top league ideye, simy or Igaho?

Simy is playing well and we need our best players and simy will likely be the joker when he scores during the friendlies. watch out for him

Yes, but that is for his club not for Nigeria.

He will get his chance after the world cup. Only the players that helped Nigeria qualify or took part in previous games should be part of camping.

Your opinion remains your opinion. Not giving a player, scoring consistently for the past few weeks in Italy, a chance to stake a claim in our world cup squad, sounds illogical and senseless.

[9jaMan]

Rohr should only invite players that have played in past games. BTW Ideye Brown is better than Simy Nwankwo.

Bro in the last six months, who has peformed better in a top league ideye, simy or Igaho?

Simy is playing well and we need our best players and simy will likely be the joker when he scores during the friendlies. watch out for him

Yes, but that is for his club not for Nigeria.

He will get his chance after the world cup. Only the players that helped Nigeria qualify or took part in previous games should be part of camping.

Your opinion remains your opinion. Not giving a player, scoring consistently for the past few weeks in Italy, a chance to stake a claim in our world cup squad, sounds illogical and senseless.

You dey mind the mugu

[paj]

Yakubu, Ujah also looked good playing for their clubs.


I won't buy any hype until I see him scoring consistently for Nigeria.


Let me remind people. The FIFA key dates.

May 21 to May 27 rest period

May 28 training camp starts

June 4 final list need to be submitted.

So you want take a player that has never played for Nigeria to the world cup. He will have about 7 days in camp, one friendly to make the team. You will drop players that have built years of chemistry playing together.

It is too late for Simy Nwankwo. Even if he is invited, it should only be as a camp body. He will get his chance after the world cup. It is not logical or pratical to take Nwankwo to the world cup.


Rohr should stick with the players that played in past games and friendlies.

Your statement makes no sense...no be from scoring for club dem dey pick who go score for Nigeria?

[paj]

He should be invited for the games after the world cup.

Hey....if Rohr pick am for Russia...which lake U wan go jump in..Chad or Victoria? Lemme know quick before I close Travelocity.com

[Damunk]

So its time to take a closer look at this guy.

[wale1974]

against Lazio. Cross into the box and he heads it in.

This guy can be dangerous if we have good crossers of the ball.

6 goals in 7 matches.

Good for him. Now he can start his summer holidays and watch the WC with joy like I do.

[ANC]

against Lazio. Cross into the box and he heads it in.

This guy can be dangerous if we have good crossers of the ball.

6 goals in 7 matches.

Good for him. Now he can start his summer holidays and watch the WC with joy like I do.

You can't fault Emir on this one, he is a diehard fan of the super eagles and only wants whats best for eagles

[wale1974]

Rohr should only invite players that have played in past games. BTW Ideye Brown is better than Simy Nwankwo.

You definitely have a bigger problem than I imagined, it's pointless trying to even waste time educating you.

People like him are the reason why Naija is so messed up....................Always recycling.

[Damunk]

Interesting interview with Simy from last year:

I’m living my dream in Serie A — Nwankwo



Simy Nwankwo has led Serie A strugglers Crotone’s battle against the drop with his sudden burst of goals. The 24-year-old tells ’TANA AIYEJINA about Serie A, Super Eagles, Nwankwo Kanu and more in this interview

Crotone are struggling in the relegation zone at the moment but you’ve led their charge to ensure safety by scoring crucial goals against Napoli and Sampdoria. Can your side win the relegation battle?
Yes of course. I believe we can move out of our current position (18th). The team have been improving and our effort is beginning to pay off. Normally we know it’s not going to be easy but even though we are doing well, we are more comfortable. We are more united as a team and I believe with the positive results we’ve been getting, we should be able to avoid the drop if we continue like this.

In times like this, team spirit could be low. What’s the situation at Crotone?
It’s always not easy but we are being very strong mentally. Now we are winning and we just have to keep the momentum and don’t get carried away.

You’ve not had much playing time, normally being used as a substitute by manager Davide Nicola. How do you feel about this?
I have to be realistic; it’s my first year in Serie A and its normal that I go through that adaptation process. I’m focused on what I’m doing, I believe in what I’m doing and I know what I can do. It’s all about the timing. This is the life of a striker, now I’m getting my chance and scoring and it becomes a big moment. It’s natural. But the goals didn’t come easy; it’s a streak of hard work. I’m very calm about it; I respect the decisions of the manager and my teammates but I believe at the right time, positive results will come naturally. As long as I work hard, I will get the result.

You joined Crotone from Portuguese side Gil Vicente. How would you compare the Serie A and the Portuguese league?
I know the Serie A has always been a tough league, looking at its history and it’s ranking among the top leagues in Europe. I always knew it’s one of the best leagues in the world and that is part of the reasons I came here because it’s a challenge I needed to undertake. The Italian and Portuguese leagues are two different leagues with their own peculiarities. Serie A is more tactical with bigger teams, they’ve got more money to bring in a lot of quality players and top coaches, so it’s easy to compare, Serie A is a more competitive league. For me, it’s a very good opportunity for me to develop and that’s why I took the opportunity to play here.

How do you feel playing against some of the world’s best players in the Serie A?
If you want to be successful, you have to go through the process. If you want to be counted among the best players, you have to play with and against the best players. So, the Serie A has been a very good experience. I’m living my dream. As a young kid, I watched some of these top players in the Serie A. Now, I’m in there and playing against the stars, truly, I’m living my dream. I have to take one game at a time. I’m not bothered about the big names, the moment we go onto the pitch its 11-11. But I respect what they’ve done and playing against them will develop me as a player.

Can you recall your first Serie A goal?
My first Serie A goal was against Atalanta and that’s quite long. I’m happy that I’ve also kept my record of scoring in every competition I play. I came on as a substitute in the Copa Italia and I scored. Then came the game against Napoli and I scored before I hit the back of the net also against Sampdoria. I’m enjoying every bit of the moment, trying to keep the momentum and not losing focus. I’m trying to get the job done and at the end of the season, we’ll see how far we’ve gone.

You didn’t play for any Nigerian club before moving to Europe. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I didn’t really play home. I’m just a young player living his dream. I’m a reserved person, I always try to be on my own and focus on what is important to me. Life is all about setting your goals and targets, that’s what I do. Of course, when you become successful, people get to know you, it’s normal. It’s part of the reward for hard work. There’s nothing special about me anyway.

Are you also dreaming of playing for the Super Eagles in future?
Of course, it’s a big dream I always had. Every footballer wants to play for their country and I won’t be an exception. If you ask me if it’s one of the reasons I came to Serie A, I will tell you ‘yes.’ The Serie A is a platform where I can get to be known. That’s why I’m working very hard day and preparing myself. Like I said before, hard work always pays, so I’m hoping for the best.

Do you think you’ve got what it takes to fight for the striking role against more established players in the national team?
If there is one thing I really love about myself, it’s the fact that I believe in what I’m doing. And I don’t look at who I’m competing with. If I can be better than I was yesterday, that is competition. The important thing for me in football is that when you have good players around you, you tend to develop yourself to become a better player. It doesn’t matter who you play against. Nigeria is lucky to be blessed with top strikers and it’s a good thing even for us that haven’t been there and are aspiring to get there. Anyone of us working hard may get invited to the team and that is when we will know if you can compete for places at that level. But now, from a distance, there’s no way you can do that. For those who are there now, it took them sometime to get there, so I just have to focus on what I’m doing.

You recently set up a foundation. What is it about?
The foundation was a dream I had long ago, even before I became a professional footballer. Nwankwo Kanu has always been my idol growing up. I followed him and knew all he went through before he set up his foundation. Kanu had a big impact on me while growing up. I felt I didn’t have to wait till I finished playing before doing this. For me, it’s not just a foundation, it’s also a motivation. If I’m able to become successful, then I can inspire people and create opportunities for them. The idea is not just to put people in school, pay their school fees, buy jerseys for them and give them shoes. What I’m trying to do, though it will take some time, is to create a platform for them to succeed because if I deserve a chance to succeed, then everyone deserves one. It’s different from what other people normally do. In my opinion, it’s a good thing when you give out things but I prefer a different way. It’s a special motivation for me. If I score one goal today, I have to think about the foundation and I get to score another one. It’s something that really pushes me and lots of kids need it back home.

You are almost same height with Kanu, played in Serie A like him, share same name with him and also have a foundation like him. Do you think you can surpass what he did as a player?
No, I don’t even want to think about similarities with the legend at all. I get inspired by what he achieved and to be honest, I’m not worth surpassing what he achieved because he is a living legend. I just have to focus on what I’m doing because we are two different players, two different people with different phases of careers. So, I just want to inspire myself with the achievements of one of the greatest players Africa has produced, who made a big impact in me. I know if I’m lucky to meet him one day, he will inspire me even more. I’ve never thought of trying to surpass his achievements.

What were the challenges you faced when you first landed in Europe as a 19-year-old?
It was never easy. As a young kid, you had to leave your family for a new environment where you had to stay alone and you had to start taking care of yourself and making decisions for yourself in a place where you couldn’t even speak the language. You had to get used to the food and culture. It was also a different kind of football. So, there is no way I can say it was easy; it was difficult. But it’s all about going through the process of becoming somebody, the process of achieving your dreams in life. Being successful like I say is one thing, going through the process is another thing all together. Some people want to achieve but don’t want to go through the process of achieving their goals. That was what I had to go through. It was difficult, leaving my family at that age was something I didn’t expect but it happened. It was a challenge that took a lot of prayers and perseverance. I’m not the only one, every footballer from Africa passes through it.

Aside the Serie A, which of the other top European leagues do you hope to play in future?
I don’t think much about what will happen tomorrow. I’m more focused on my training for tomorrow morning. Football is a career you plan and something else happens. I never planned coming to Crotone this summer but the opportunity presented itself. Things change, the only thing is to focus on what you are doing and try to give your best always. Life is one step at a time; I don’t want to take a step bigger than my feet. When I get there, we will know how high or low I can get. If everything is right I will take a step up but if its wrong, there’s no way I can step up. So, I have to focus on doing things right. I’m focused on my contract with Crotone, which ends in 2019.

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[metalalloy]

Thanks for sharing Damunk. He his responses are mature and reasoned. I hope he makes it!

[nanijoe]

Simy Nwankwo 2018 = Uchebo 2014...

[Cito]

Simy Nwankwo 2018 = Uchebo 2014...

Doesn't work out that way.
I am not a medical doctor but I smell badbellititis and that's my diagnosis of your ailment.

[iworo]

He was a little bit evasive when he was asked questions about his Nigeria soccer background. Too many philosophical responses.......I don’t know, maybe is just me reading too much into it.

[Damunk]

He was a little bit evasive when he was asked questions about his Nigeria soccer background. Too many philosophical responses.......I don’t know, maybe is just me reading too much into it.

Well, all he says is that he went to Italy age 19.
From there his football history is freely available on the internet.
He might turn out to be what they call a 'late bloomer', like Ian Wright and Jamie Vardy.

[chuks69]

Simy Nwankwo 2018 = Uchebo 2014...

Uchebo back then played in the Dutch league, his goal records were not astounding, but he was just tall and had some tight hold-on ball skills.. We all thought he could play as a #10,#8 or #9.. At the end of the day, thats the player that really took ideye's spot.

[Goldleaf]

Rohr comes from a country that parades 6 footers right throughout the team and Rohr has not had that luxury in Nigeria. If Simy Nwankwo lights up the camp, Rohr will include him in the 23 as his joker in the pack. For a tall guy, Simy has balance, poise, athleticism, power and calmness to finish. The next few days will tell us a lot. Against Serbia in Barnet until Ighalo came in, there was no one upfront to hold the ball which meant it kept coming back. With Simy, you have a sure banker that can hold the ball until the others join.

I can only see technical pluses with Simy at the moment.

[theYemster]

against Lazio. Cross into the box and he heads it in.

This guy can be dangerous if we have good crossers of the ball.

6 goals in 7 matches.

Problem is, we don't. Musa can't cross the letter "t".

[Damunk]

against Lazio. Cross into the box and he heads it in.

This guy can be dangerous if we have good crossers of the ball.

6 goals in 7 matches.

Problem is, we don't. Musa can't cross the letter "t".

Very baffling.
But Alex Iwobi, Moses Simon and Victor Moses can cross.
Hmmmm....can I afford to allow myself to be excited by this Nwankwor guy?

[Prince]

against Lazio. Cross into the box and he heads it in.

This guy can be dangerous if we have good crossers of the ball.

6 goals in 7 matches.

Crosses from Musa I waited tire for Barnet

[john12]

Can amokachi, yekini, aiyebeni, obagoal cross? You’re putting a full striker on the right wing and asking if he can cross

[maceo4]

Can amokachi, yekini, aiyebeni, obagoal cross? You’re putting a full striker on the right wing and asking if he can cross

Dude when you are playing upfront you will get into positions where you have to cross, you can't be so piss poor at it as its part of the game. All those people you mentioned can cross when in those positions, its a standard part of the game. Even Ighalo puts in better crosses than Musa.