Eze Finally tells the beggars to chill.

[Damunk]

Like others have inferred, England is his first choice and he's not trying to burn his bridge with Nigeria so he's being diplomatic incase he doesn't get an England callup. That is a wise move. I would expect many in his position to play it the way he is doing.

1. My guess is that most of the people expressing righteous indignation here would probably do the very thing they are beefing him about.

2. How have you come to the final conclusion that ''England is his first choice"?
Is this based on feelings, or the fact that he has refused to commit to Nigeria and this in some way 'confirms' England must be his first choice. Remember he hasn't 'committed' to England either.
Or is it that you have put yourself in his position and decided that it is what you would've done?

Just curious bro.....

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

Like others have inferred, England is his first choice and he's not trying to burn his bridge with Nigeria so he's being diplomatic incase he doesn't get an England callup. That is a wise move. I would expect many in his position to play it the way he is doing.

1. My guess is that most of the people expressing righteous indignation here would probably do the very thing they are beefing him about.

2. How have you come to the final conclusion that ''England is his first choice"?
Is this based on feelings, or the fact that he has refused to commit to Nigeria and this in some way 'confirms' England must be his first choice. Remember he hasn't 'committed' to England either.
Or is it that you have put yourself in his position and decided that it is what you would've done?

Just curious bro.....

You must have just fell of a turnip truck with this level of naïveté. You think this is the first time we started chasing players born abroad? His commitment to England is not in question, he has already laced up his boots and sang the national anthem for years as a youth player. What is in question is if he’s deemed good enough by England to take the next step. If and when that time comes he’ll dump Nigeria like a bad habit.

Sidon Dey contemplate, na so dey give us mirror carry us enta slavery ship . Shine ya eye!

[maceo4]

Like others have inferred, England is his first choice and he's not trying to burn his bridge with Nigeria so he's being diplomatic incase he doesn't get an England callup. That is a wise move. I would expect many in his position to play it the way he is doing.

1. My guess is that most of the people expressing righteous indignation here would probably do the very thing they are beefing him about.

2. How have you come to the final conclusion that ''England is his first choice"?
Is this based on feelings, or the fact that he has refused to commit to Nigeria and this in some way 'confirms' England must be his first choice. Remember he hasn't 'committed' to England either.
Or is it that you have put yourself in his position and decided that it is what you would've done?

Just curious bro.....

Won't speak for olu, but that's not exactly true, he HAS committed to England by playing for their international youth teams. He would have to take additional steps to file a change in allegiance in order to change that commitment to any other country he's eligible for (a request which could even be denied). So as he hasn't made such a move that means he continues to stay committed to England by default...which I'm sure he clearly knows and is just being diplomatic...so England is currently his first and only choice, until he actually makes moves that say otherwise..

[The YeyeMan]

I'm sure he clearly knows and is just being diplomatic...so England is currently his first and only choice, until he actually makes moves that say otherwise..

Sorry to be a pendant but England is not his only choice. You even make that clear in your sentence above. You're right about England being his first choice.

[olu]

If Nigeria was his first choice he would have jumped at an invite to play for the SE particularly since Pinnick has been courting him like a man desperate for a wife and the starting AM position for the SE is his for the taking. He will dump Nigeria if England calls him up, and honestly I don't blame him if he does. After all he was born and raised in England and England is a higher profile and better run team than Nigeria.

Everyone has to do what they think is best for their future. If he decides not to play for Nigeria we'll find someone else at home or abroad. Whether the alternative will be better than Eze remains to be seen.

Like others have inferred, England is his first choice and he's not trying to burn his bridge with Nigeria so he's being diplomatic incase he doesn't get an England callup. That is a wise move. I would expect many in his position to play it the way he is doing.

1. My guess is that most of the people expressing righteous indignation here would probably do the very thing they are beefing him about.

2. How have you come to the final conclusion that ''England is his first choice"?
Is this based on feelings, or the fact that he has refused to commit to Nigeria and this in some way 'confirms' England must be his first choice. Remember he hasn't 'committed' to England either.
Or is it that you have put yourself in his position and decided that it is what you would've done?

Just curious bro.....

[Damunk]

Like others have inferred, England is his first choice and he's not trying to burn his bridge with Nigeria so he's being diplomatic incase he doesn't get an England callup. That is a wise move. I would expect many in his position to play it the way he is doing.

1. My guess is that most of the people expressing righteous indignation here would probably do the very thing they are beefing him about.

2. How have you come to the final conclusion that ''England is his first choice"?
Is this based on feelings, or the fact that he has refused to commit to Nigeria and this in some way 'confirms' England must be his first choice. Remember he hasn't 'committed' to England either.
Or is it that you have put yourself in his position and decided that it is what you would've done?

Just curious bro.....

You must have just fell of a turnip truck with this level of naïveté. You think this is the first time we started chasing players born abroad? His commitment to England is not in question, he has already laced up his boots and sang the national anthem for years as a youth player. What is in question is if he’s deemed good enough by England to take the next step. If and when that time comes he’ll dump Nigeria like a bad habit.

Sidon Dey contemplate, na so dey give us mirror carry us enta slavery ship . Shine ya eye!

And Victor Moses didn't?
And Alex Iwobi didn't?

And what about Ejaria?
If I return your insults now, thread go enter K-leg....

[Damunk]

Olu, is it at all possible that Pinnick asked for his switch WITHOUT giving him any guarantees of a starting position in the SE? You seem pretty certain that the offer was a guaranteed starting spot and was turned down.
Are you aware of the nature of the "begging" that went on before and even up to the moment Iwobi stepped over the touchline for his SE debut? It is NEVER an easy choice for any young footballer. Their hearts and their heads can be in two different places.

It isn't everything that happens behind the scenes that you get to read online or in newspapers.
I'm sure you appreciate that. :

If Nigeria was his first choice he would have jumped at an invite to play for the SE particularly since Pinnick has been courting him like a man desperate for a wife and the starting AM position for the SE is his for the taking. He will dump Nigeria if England calls him up, and honestly I don't blame him if he does. After all he was born and raised in England and England is a higher profile and better run team than Nigeria.

Everyone has to do what they think is best for their future. If he decides not to play for Nigeria we'll find someone else at home or abroad. Whether the alternative will be better than Eze remains to be seen.

Like others have inferred, England is his first choice and he's not trying to burn his bridge with Nigeria so he's being diplomatic incase he doesn't get an England callup. That is a wise move. I would expect many in his position to play it the way he is doing.

1. My guess is that most of the people expressing righteous indignation here would probably do the very thing they are beefing him about.

2. How have you come to the final conclusion that ''England is his first choice"?
Is this based on feelings, or the fact that he has refused to commit to Nigeria and this in some way 'confirms' England must be his first choice. Remember he hasn't 'committed' to England either.
Or is it that you have put yourself in his position and decided that it is what you would've done?

Just curious bro.....

[olu]

I don't think Pinnick guaranteed him a starting position. What I am trying to convey is Eze is good enough to start for the SE.

Olu, is it at all possible that Pinnick asked for his switch WITHOUT giving him any guarantees of a starting position in the SE? You seem pretty certain that the offer was a guaranteed starting spot and was turned down.
Are you aware of the nature of the "begging" that went on before and even up to the moment Iwobi stepped over the touchline for his SE debut? It is NEVER an easy choice for any young footballer. Their hearts and their heads can be in two different places.

It isn't everything that happens behind the scenes that you get to read online or in newspapers.
I'm sure you appreciate that. :

If Nigeria was his first choice he would have jumped at an invite to play for the SE particularly since Pinnick has been courting him like a man desperate for a wife and the starting AM position for the SE is his for the taking. He will dump Nigeria if England calls him up, and honestly I don't blame him if he does. After all he was born and raised in England and England is a higher profile and better run team than Nigeria.

Everyone has to do what they think is best for their future. If he decides not to play for Nigeria we'll find someone else at home or abroad. Whether the alternative will be better than Eze remains to be seen.

Like others have inferred, England is his first choice and he's not trying to burn his bridge with Nigeria so he's being diplomatic incase he doesn't get an England callup. That is a wise move. I would expect many in his position to play it the way he is doing.

1. My guess is that most of the people expressing righteous indignation here would probably do the very thing they are beefing him about.

2. How have you come to the final conclusion that ''England is his first choice"?
Is this based on feelings, or the fact that he has refused to commit to Nigeria and this in some way 'confirms' England must be his first choice. Remember he hasn't 'committed' to England either.
Or is it that you have put yourself in his position and decided that it is what you would've done?

Just curious bro.....

[maceo4]

I'm sure he clearly knows and is just being diplomatic...so England is currently his first and only choice, until he actually makes moves that say otherwise..

Sorry to be a pendant but England is not his only choice. You even make that clear in your sentence above. You're right about England being his first choice.

You get my drift sha, once they choose Ingurland at whatever level internationally that is their first choice, period, anybody else they switch to later was an after thought. And I’m not saying we are beggars in going after him, quite the contrary I believe if you see a useful asset you go after them until the door completely shuts. These bobos want to feel wanted and welcomed and Eze certainly would be a welcomed player. The more quality the better.

But let’s not kid ourselves, basically, the woman has already made her choice well known, we are just trying to pour san san on top the bobos name hoping that she will change her mind and give us a chance. It’s worked out a couple of times for us in the past but we should be well aware of the many times that it hasn’t, at least enough to realize that she’s just trying not to hurt our feelings by not saying a firm no and leave me alone b4 I call the cops

[Damunk]

Anyone that has a deep understanding of black British youth (esp males) will know that their relationship with England and the English identity is a complex one and nothing like many here assume.
It is very functional.

We discussed the issue in depth last year (coincidentally, also on an Eze thread) and this is what I said:

I am more surprised by many CE members who erroneously believe that Nigeria has a good chance getting one of these boys when England is also interested. Doing so will be unusual and a major coup. While parents of these boys have a high identity with Nigeria, the boys themselves are more likely to have a high identity with England. That is a social logic. Liking Nigerian music is one thing but these are several other more viable measures of identity including friendships, location of familiarity, etc. None of these decisions is surprising to be honest. If they had chosen Nigeria over a genuine England interest then that will be the SURPRISE.

Prof, I think this is where you and many others are making assumptions. Probably because you are based in North America where the dynamic is very different.

The UK is pretty unique, maybe because we are a small island.
We are only 6 hrs away from Nigeria and in the same time zone.
We are many here and concentrated in clusters, especially London and the big cities.
Peckham in south east London for instance is known as 'mini Lagos'. Other areas like Plumstead and Thamesmead have huge numbers of Nigerian families.
Our churches congest traffic in parts of London on Sunday mornings.

But above all else, pop culture is having a powerful influence on the Nigerian identity and dare I say British society on the whole. Music, film, fashion, food and even language. Nigerian kids born in the UK are now very fluid with their identity. Trust me, I have grown kids, nephews and nieces. Plus I'm dealing with young adults all the time in the course of my work.
In one generation I have seen a clear difference in attitude towards Nigeria. In the last 15-20 years alone I have seen how the very strong Caribbean (Jamaican) culture has slowly ceded ground to African (Nigerian) culture.

Back then I often wondered how and why British-born Jamaican kids that had never been home would clearly identify with Jamaica before they would Britain. It was the norm. It is clearly happening to Nigerian kids too. Yes, they (black kids) are British, but there is something about Britain (or maybe England) that doesn't quite fully 'connect' with them. So when there is a valid alternative identity, they wear it with pride. I grew up as a kid in this country pretending to be Jamaican. Not British or English. Jamaican. That's what black boys did back in the day. Its all changed for Africans now. Its "so cool to be different (African) now", according to my daughter. In short, 'Daz How Star Do'.

Of course it is not universally so and there are families in which the Nigerian parents are going thru their own identity crisis and have no pride in their own roots for whatever reason. So they pass on their insecurities to their kids. But by and large, many many of our kids here are happy in both skins, so allegiance to one is NOT an easy choice as you suggest. It is more a career choice for most of them (footballers). Emotionally, many are genuinely torn.

I laugh when I read comments like "he is just playing us", or "he never wanted to play for us in the first place", or "He is English, not Nigerian" all followed by insults and general abuse. Its not that simple. People have to realise that everyone needs an identity. For black kids in the UK, even in 2019, 'Britain' or 'England' isn't the ideal identity they are looking for. We can go into reasons for that another time. You can even see here on CE how many if not most Nigerians resident here in the UK can be very anti-British. There's a reason.

It is also why the 'Cricket Test' debate came about in the 90s.

The cricket test, also known as the Tebbit test, was a controversial phrase coined in April 1990 by the British Conservative politician Norman Tebbit in reference to the perceived lack of loyalty to the England cricket team among South Asian and Caribbean immigrants and their children. Tebbit suggested that those immigrants who support their native countries rather than England at the sport of cricket are not significantly integrated into the United Kingdom.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket_test

The American experience seems very different. My observation is that Africans seem quick and very happy to take on the American identity. You can again see it reflected here on CE and I guess it says a lot about the nature of American society that somehow, despite all its flaws, makes people feel a part of it.

[Dammy]

I read an article in the newspapers by West Ham director, Karen Brady, supporting the English FA for luring or is it begging midfielder, Declan Rice, from Ireland after he had played for them at U17, U20, U21 levels and earned 3 full caps. If England with all the talents at their disposal can do that, why not Nigeria?
International football is highly competitive with nations going for the best players irrespective of where they were born, so long as they meet some eligibility criteria to improve their teams.
It's the way the world of football is now and it's like the saying " Change is the only constant".

[Damunk]

I read an article in the newspapers by West Ham director, Karen Brady, supporting the English FA for luring or is it begging midfielder, Declan Rice, from Ireland after he had played for them at U17, U20, U21 levels and earned 3 full caps. If England with all the talents at their disposal can do that, why not Nigeria?
International football is highly competitive with nations going for the best players irrespective of where they were born, so long as they meet some eligibility criteria to improve their teams.
It's the way the world of football is now and it's like the saying " Change is the only constant".

I don't know why Nigerians are adopting this fake 'gentleman' approach to modern day 'dog-eat-dog' football.

The UK and USA have absolutely no problem draining manpower-short countries like Naija of their highly qualified personnel. They even aggressively target them on brazen recruitment drives.

Yet we are here crying crocodile tears about cheating them of their investments' and being sentimental about footballers who at the end of the day are highly skilled entertainers who have no bearing on the survival or development of a nation.
That's funny.

[Ugbowo]

I said it before, once Eze gets to the Premiership and gets his boot deal, he will make his decision.

Let’s just say if we like him, we should look forward to him coming. This is all about a pending transfer.