Throw back Thursday : Argentina vs. Nigeria | Intercontinental Cup 1995

[Bigpokey24]

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

Chei….I thought I’d watch just a few minutes but I ended watching the whole game. I really shouldn’t have watched this game because it just makes me sad about where we are right now.

Few observations

1, Was this team really as bad defensively as commentators always pointed out or was the defense better under Amodu?
2, One of the greatest Injustices in NFF history was never giving Amodu a chance to go to the WC.
3, Rufai was a very good keeper in his prime, the only top goalies we’ve had since then are Vince, Ike and perhaps Ejide. Look where we are now in that dept. SAD!
4, JJ’s game matured a lot over the years but the guy killed birds for decades.
5, Imagine if we had a player like Amokachi playing behind Osihmen.
6, See MF. Look at how Amunike and Siasia supported the MF and attack effortlessly. Lookman and Chukwueze should watch this game 20 times and receive 2 lashes of koboko for every cap they have for SE.
7, Gentle giant Uche is one of our most underrated defenders ever, his calmness and composure were top notch.
8, When did playing from the back become a problem for SE?
9, our players don’t have to play a the Top 5 league to have a good team.
10, Who cursed Nigerian football? Did we owe a player or coach long ago that took our matter to the village?

[Bigpokey24]

Chei….I thought I’d watch just a few minutes but I ended watching the whole game. I really shouldn’t have watched this game because it just makes me sad about where we are right now.

Few observations

1, Was this team really as bad defensively as commentators always pointed out or was the defense better under Amodu?
2, One of the greatest Injustices in NFF history was never giving Amodu a chance to go to the WC.
3, Rufai was a very good keeper in his prime, the only top goalies we’ve had since then are Vince, Ike and perhaps Ejide. Look where we are now in that dept. SAD!
4, JJ’s game matured a lot over the years but the guy killed birds for decades.
5, Imagine if we had a player like Amokachi playing behind Osihmen.
6, See MF. Look at how Amunike and Siasia supported the MF and attack effortlessly. Lookman and Chukwueze should watch this game 20 times and receive 2 lashes of koboko for every cap they have for SE.
7, Gentle giant Uche is one of our most underrated defenders ever, his calmness and composure were top notch.
8, When did playing from the back become a problem for SE?
9, our players don’t have to play a the Top 5 league to have a good team.
10, Who cursed Nigerian football? Did we owe a player or coach long ago that took our matter to the village?

The thing we did twice towards Amodu.. still dey ontop our head

The commentator was clueless, he had no clue about the SE of 94 .. he later hushed as the game went on..Now for AMokachi, i was wondering if we can deploy Boniface like that..that team had power

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

Chei….I thought I’d watch just a few minutes but I ended watching the whole game. I really shouldn’t have watched this game because it just makes me sad about where we are right now.

Few observations

1, Was this team really as bad defensively as commentators always pointed out or was the defense better under Amodu?
2, One of the greatest Injustices in NFF history was never giving Amodu a chance to go to the WC.
3, Rufai was a very good keeper in his prime, the only top goalies we’ve had since then are Vince, Ike and perhaps Ejide. Look where we are now in that dept. SAD!
4, JJ’s game matured a lot over the years but the guy killed birds for decades.
5, Imagine if we had a player like Amokachi playing behind Osihmen.
6, See MF. Look at how Amunike and Siasia supported the MF and attack effortlessly. Lookman and Chukwueze should watch this game 20 times and receive 2 lashes of koboko for every cap they have for SE.
7, Gentle giant Uche is one of our most underrated defenders ever, his calmness and composure were top notch.
8, When did playing from the back become a problem for SE?
9, our players don’t have to play a the Top 5 league to have a good team.
10, Who cursed Nigerian football? Did we owe a player or coach long ago that took our matter to the village?

The thing we did twice towards Amodu.. still dey ontop our head

The commentator was clueless, he had no clue about the SE of 94 .. he later hushed as the game went on..Now for AMokachi, i was wondering if we can deploy Boniface like that..that team had power

Nff needs to call his family and settle them nicely, Keshi’s family too. Amodu died broke, he was never allowed to reap the fruits of his labor for SE. Income from 2 world cups would have made a difference to his family. And, they even owed him at the time he died. Eagles have not really flown since they both died, na 1 wahala after another.

Boniface doesn’t have the work rate of Amokachi, the guy rarely makes it to the center circle. Amo style of play is 70% heart and 30% skill. Do we have a forward that built like a tank, runs all day, supports MF, defense and scores goals? I can’t think of any.

[Bigpokey24]

Chei….I thought I’d watch just a few minutes but I ended watching the whole game. I really shouldn’t have watched this game because it just makes me sad about where we are right now.

Few observations

1, Was this team really as bad defensively as commentators always pointed out or was the defense better under Amodu?
2, One of the greatest Injustices in NFF history was never giving Amodu a chance to go to the WC.
3, Rufai was a very good keeper in his prime, the only top goalies we’ve had since then are Vince, Ike and perhaps Ejide. Look where we are now in that dept. SAD!
4, JJ’s game matured a lot over the years but the guy killed birds for decades.
5, Imagine if we had a player like Amokachi playing behind Osihmen.
6, See MF. Look at how Amunike and Siasia supported the MF and attack effortlessly. Lookman and Chukwueze should watch this game 20 times and receive 2 lashes of koboko for every cap they have for SE.
7, Gentle giant Uche is one of our most underrated defenders ever, his calmness and composure were top notch.
8, When did playing from the back become a problem for SE?
9, our players don’t have to play a the Top 5 league to have a good team.
10, Who cursed Nigerian football? Did we owe a player or coach long ago that took our matter to the village?

The thing we did twice towards Amodu.. still dey ontop our head

The commentator was clueless, he had no clue about the SE of 94 .. he later hushed as the game went on..Now for AMokachi, i was wondering if we can deploy Boniface like that..that team had power

Nff needs to call his family and settle them nicely, Keshi’s family too. Amodu died broke, he was never allowed to reap the fruits of his labor for SE. Income from 2 world cups would have made a difference to his family. And, they even owed him at the time he died. Eagles have not really flown since they both died, na 1 wahala after another.

Boniface doesn’t have the work rate of Amokachi, the guy rarely makes it to the center circle. Amo style of play is 70% heart and 30% skill. Do we have a forward that built like a tank, runs all day, supports MF, defense and scores goals? I can’t think of any.

look at the hustle by the SE, even though we lost this game..chei...

[packerland]

I remember this match. I thought we will make it to the finals. I think we missed out on goal difference. We ended up playing Mexico in the 3rd place match and lost on PK.

What they did to Amodu was criminal. It had to be personal because they let Pa Oni of all people take the team to the World Cup. Amodu’s team always played exciting and attacking football. My only beef with him is sometimes his team get caught naping defensively and end up losing the game. Remember the friendly against England, we blitzed them to death and end up losing the game 1-0. England should’ve lost that friendly 3-0. They were rebuilding after missing the ‘94 World Cup.

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

Chei….I thought I’d watch just a few minutes but I ended watching the whole game. I really shouldn’t have watched this game because it just makes me sad about where we are right now.

Few observations

1, Was this team really as bad defensively as commentators always pointed out or was the defense better under Amodu?
2, One of the greatest Injustices in NFF history was never giving Amodu a chance to go to the WC.
3, Rufai was a very good keeper in his prime, the only top goalies we’ve had since then are Vince, Ike and perhaps Ejide. Look where we are now in that dept. SAD!
4, JJ’s game matured a lot over the years but the guy killed birds for decades.
5, Imagine if we had a player like Amokachi playing behind Osihmen.
6, See MF. Look at how Amunike and Siasia supported the MF and attack effortlessly. Lookman and Chukwueze should watch this game 20 times and receive 2 lashes of koboko for every cap they have for SE.
7, Gentle giant Uche is one of our most underrated defenders ever, his calmness and composure were top notch.
8, When did playing from the back become a problem for SE?
9, our players don’t have to play a the Top 5 league to have a good team.
10, Who cursed Nigerian football? Did we owe a player or coach long ago that took our matter to the village?

The thing we did twice towards Amodu.. still dey ontop our head

The commentator was clueless, he had no clue about the SE of 94 .. he later hushed as the game went on..Now for AMokachi, i was wondering if we can deploy Boniface like that..that team had power

Nff needs to call his family and settle them nicely, Keshi’s family too. Amodu died broke, he was never allowed to reap the fruits of his labor for SE. Income from 2 world cups would have made a difference to his family. And, they even owed him at the time he died. Eagles have not really flown since they both died, na 1 wahala after another.

Boniface doesn’t have the work rate of Amokachi, the guy rarely makes it to the center circle. Amo style of play is 70% heart and 30% skill. Do we have a forward that built like a tank, runs all day, supports MF, defense and scores goals? I can’t think of any.

look at the hustle by the SE, even though we lost this game..chei...

Is that the same Senegal that made it to the WC quarter finals? Nff sacked Amodu, dismantled his team and handed his WC ticket to another coach.

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

I remember this match. I thought we will make it to the finals. I think we missed out on goal difference. We ended up playing Mexico in the 3rd place match and lost on PK.

What they did to Amodu was criminal. It had to be personal because they let Pa Oni of all people take the team to the World Cup. Amodu’s team always played exciting and attacking football. My only beef with him is sometimes his team get caught naping defensively and end up losing the game. Remember the friendly against England, we blitzed them to death and end up losing the game 1-0. England should’ve lost that friendly 3-0. They were rebuilding after missing the ‘94 World Cup.

All I know is that somebody don Shépé for Nigerian football and this person may have died so we can’t find the antidote. Otherwise, how do you go from Rufai to Uzoho after 28yrs? It’s like spending 28yrs taking jamb and still failing. I suppose to be able to predict the exam questions accurately by then.

[packerland]

I remember this match. I thought we will make it to the finals. I think we missed out on goal difference. We ended up playing Mexico in the 3rd place match and lost on PK.

What they did to Amodu was criminal. It had to be personal because they let Pa Oni of all people take the team to the World Cup. Amodu’s team always played exciting and attacking football. My only beef with him is sometimes his team get caught naping defensively and end up losing the game. Remember the friendly against England, we blitzed them to death and end up losing the game 1-0. England should’ve lost that friendly 3-0. They were rebuilding after missing the ‘94 World Cup.

All I know is that somebody don Shépé for Nigerian football and this person may have died so we can’t find the antidote. Otherwise, how do you go from Rufai to Uzoho after 28yrs? It’s like spending 28yrs taking jamb and still failing. I suppose to be able to predict the exam questions accurately by then.

We never invested on gk. Now the midfield problem might be a curse. At this point, I’ll take an Alloy Agu because Uzoho and company no be am.

[bret- hart]

I remember this match. I thought we will make it to the finals. I think we missed out on goal difference. We ended up playing Mexico in the 3rd place match and lost on PK.

What they did to Amodu was criminal. It had to be personal because they let Pa Oni of all people take the team to the World Cup. Amodu’s team always played exciting and attacking football. My only beef with him is sometimes his team get caught naping defensively and end up losing the game. Remember the friendly against England, we blitzed them to death and end up losing the game 1-0. England should’ve lost that friendly 3-0. They were rebuilding after missing the ‘94 World Cup.

They did Amodu dirty but cmon his teams where functional at best and did not play good football. Why did you think they chased him out 2xs?? Also he didn't help himself with his utterances. saying things such as vowing never to invite Wilson Oruma despite being in the form of his life in Ligue 1. There was hardly any competition for places in his teams and always invited the same underperforming players. I doubt Amodu would have invited a young Vincent Enyeama back in 02. I do agree that he should have taken the team to the 2002 world cup. Pa Onigbinde was a massive down grade.

[Tobi17]

Look at the quality of football we played, very composed and robust attacking football against a top side...why don't we produce players like this anymore? man we really did Amodu dirty, what a gem he was. We really under-appreciated that man.

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

Look at the quality of football we played, very composed and robust attacking football against a top side...why don't we produce players like this anymore? man we really did Amodu dirty, what a gem he was. We really under-appreciated that man.

You particularly need to watch how the MF and wingers played their role within the system and how the 442 is supposed to work. Maybe that will encourage you and VE to stop calling for the invitation of players who cannot help the team like Lookman and other dancing midgets, at least not as currently made up. Watch Amunike and Siasia , look at how deep they drop , how fast they get rid of the ball and how they contest 50/50 balls and how they switch flanks.

[Tobi17]

Look at the quality of football we played, very composed and robust attacking football against a top side...why don't we produce players like this anymore? man we really did Amodu dirty, what a gem he was. We really under-appreciated that man.

You particularly need to watch how the MF and wingers played their role within the system and how the 442 is supposed to work. Maybe that will encourage you and VE to stop calling for the invitation of players who cannot help the team like Lookman and other dancing midgets, at least not as currently made up. Watch Amunike and Siasia , look at how deep they drop , how fast they get rid of the ball and how they contest 50/50 balls and how they switch flanks.

I see and understand your point, but can you blame me? most of this "foreign-born" kids don't play with the typical Naija swag we are known for cause they've been coached all their lives to play a certain style and psychology of football...when are we going to produce athletic and technically gifted players like Amunike, Siasia, Amokachi, Adepoju etc. What went wrong?

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

Look at the quality of football we played, very composed and robust attacking football against a top side...why don't we produce players like this anymore? man we really did Amodu dirty, what a gem he was. We really under-appreciated that man.

You particularly need to watch how the MF and wingers played their role within the system and how the 442 is supposed to work. Maybe that will encourage you and VE to stop calling for the invitation of players who cannot help the team like Lookman and other dancing midgets, at least not as currently made up. Watch Amunike and Siasia , look at how deep they drop , how fast they get rid of the ball and how they contest 50/50 balls and how they switch flanks.

I see and understand your point, but can you blame me? most of this "foreign-born" kids don't play with the typical Naija swag we are known for cause they've been coached all their lives to play a certain style and psychology of football...when are we going to produce athletic and technically gifted players like Amunike, Siasia, Amokachi, Adepoju etc. What went wrong?

We have them but we tend to undervalue them, I’m guilty of doing that too. Players like Igoh Ogbu, Ndah ,Nwakali and Nwobodo never get a chance because they don’t play in big leagues but are actually what we need. All of them could’ve played behind Iwobi and allow him to move further up. Instead, we rather have junks like Ajayi because he -lays in England. Imho, even at 30yrs old Ajayi is not as good as the young Oboabona was in 2013. Even certified corrugated waste pipes like Danny Shittu and Efe Sodje made SE WC teams because they played perpetual relegation football in England.

[onovo]

Chei….I thought I’d watch just a few minutes but I ended watching the whole game. I really shouldn’t have watched this game because it just makes me sad about where we are right now.

Few observations

1, Was this team really as bad defensively as commentators always pointed out or was the defense better under Amodu?
2, One of the greatest Injustices in NFF history was never giving Amodu a chance to go to the WC.
3, Rufai was a very good keeper in his prime, the only top goalies we’ve had since then are Vince, Ike and perhaps Ejide. Look where we are now in that dept. SAD!
4, JJ’s game matured a lot over the years but the guy killed birds for decades.
5, Imagine if we had a player like Amokachi playing behind Osihmen.
6, See MF. Look at how Amunike and Siasia supported the MF and attack effortlessly. Lookman and Chukwueze should watch this game 20 times and receive 2 lashes of koboko for every cap they have for SE.
7, Gentle giant Uche is one of our most underrated defenders ever, his calmness and composure were top notch.
8, When did playing from the back become a problem for SE?
9, our players don’t have to play a the Top 5 league to have a good team.
10, Who cursed Nigerian football? Did we owe a player or coach long ago that took our matter to the village?

@Emir it is sad seeing were we are now. I did said that repeatedly here that in the 90's, Westerhof played with a loaded attack which complimented the midfield. Boniface, Lookman, and Chukwueze can play alongside with Osimehn and do the creativity, they just need to be drilled/conditioned to function that way. Lookman is already doing that with Atalanta. Boniface has the physique but he is lazy IMHO. Hopefully Chukwueze learns something good in AC Milan.

[Bigpokey24]

[deanotito]

I met Amodu once and he told me at the Mali Nations Cup in 2002, the NFF brought Claude Leroy to interview him for Amodu’s job IN Amodu’s camp…while they were still advancing in the tournament

What they did to that man (twice) was awful.

[Enugu II]

I read what is being written here by Emir and I shake my head.

When I write: forget the BS about Big This and That, you guys do not get it. Big This or That does not define fit with SE football. Yes, such players should be invited but there should not be any guarantees. They must compete with others and let the better man wear the illustrious Green and White.

As for whether Nigeria still produces such players? I think it is less, particularly those that play in critical spine positions -- mid, centerback, and goalkeeper. Players like that, when produced, will find it more difficult making it in Europe without switching positions. Think Mikel, for instance, he was a mercurial attacking mid in Nigeria but promptly converted to DMF in Europe. The good thing was Nigerian coaches, including Keshi, ignored that European dictation and used Mikel to great effect as an attacking mid for Nigeria. These European actions should not be swept under the carpet.

Think goalkeeping. It is not that there are no good goalies in Nigeria but they will not be trusted with top Euro clubs. Few African players break through in those positions and by the way not just Africans but Blacks. Same applies to manager positions and attacking mids. There are loads of academic work on this racial phenomenon.

Bottomline is that decisions like the above in Europe affect decisions made by up and coming talent in Nigeria and Africa. Why? The ultimate decision, based on wealth goals, mean that talent must be strategic in making decisions on best pathway to and being successful in EEurope.it is similar to good players gravitating to academies instead of pro league clubs in Nigeria as a pathway to Europe. It is a strategic decision. That, consequently, impacts Africa and Nigeria.

[wanaj0]

I met Amodu once and he told me at the Mali Nations Cup in 2002, the NFF brought Claude Leroy to interview him for Amodu’s job IN Amodu’s camp…while they were still advancing in the tournament

What they did to that man (twice) was awful.

They did the same to Keshi with the active support of WOWO's

You now have despicable fans who now wish death on people whose only crime was serving Nigeria with ALL that they have.

[Damunk]

Look at the quality of football we played, very composed and robust attacking football against a top side...why don't we produce players like this anymore? man we really did Amodu dirty, what a gem he was. We really under-appreciated that man.

You particularly need to watch how the MF and wingers played their role within the system and how the 442 is supposed to work. Maybe that will encourage you and VE to stop calling for the invitation of players who cannot help the team like Lookman and other dancing midgets, at least not as currently made up. Watch Amunike and Siasia , look at how deep they drop , how fast they get rid of the ball and how they contest 50/50 balls and how they switch flanks.

I see and understand your point, but can you blame me? most of this "foreign-born" kids don't play with the typical Naija swag we are known for cause they've been coached all their lives to play a certain style and psychology of football...when are we going to produce athletic and technically gifted players like Amunike, Siasia, Amokachi, Adepoju etc. What went wrong?

Tobi, I suspect you are a bit too young to recognise that the ‘swag’ you admire (and we all do) came at a price.

We might have won accolades as “the most entertaining team” (some will remember that from USA ‘94), but there was a lot of naïveté that cost us game after game. We hated being told that our defending was “naive” at the time, but truth be told, a lot of it actually was.

We lost crucial games to Italy and Argentina in ‘94 and were humiliated by Paraguay and Denmark in ‘98 all more or less due to this ‘swag’ we look back on with nostalgia. The genius of Okocha was diminished by his youthful exuberance and wasteful trickery, and even until today you will find many older fans very critical of him, even dismissive of him.

Sanni Keita got himself sent off after barely 30 mins vs Greece in 2010 by committing the most needless, idiotic and unprovoked foul I’ve ever seen in a GWG shirt. Mehn, it was embarrassing. We lost the game and never made it out of the group. Again in ‘94 vs Italy, Yekini was virtually 1v1 with their keeper. Sure goal. But Maldini pulled him down so blatantly it would have been a sure red card today. I’m not sure he even got a yellow. Meanwhile our players hardly protested. Any other team would have swarmed round the ref, intimidating him into making a decision to their maximum advantage. Nothing.

Look at this match vs Argentina. Many of those tackles (both from us and the Argentinians) will not be tolerated today without attracting yellow cards. What do yellow cards do? They calm you the fokk down unless you are intent on getting sent off.

So we might see it as ‘hustle’ and commitment, but this was almost 30 yrs ago and the rules of the game have since been adjusted to protect players.

If you want to see real ‘hustle’ and ‘fight’, go and watch the games in Pele’s era (the 50s and 60s).
They didn’t have defenders in those days.
They had assassins.

[deanotito]

Daniel Amokachi….my favorite super eagle of all time

[Damunk]

I remember this match. I thought we will make it to the finals. I think we missed out on goal difference. We ended up playing Mexico in the 3rd place match and lost on PK.

What they did to Amodu was criminal. It had to be personal because they let Pa Oni of all people take the team to the World Cup. Amodu’s team always played exciting and attacking football. My only beef with him is sometimes his team get caught naping defensively and end up losing the game. Remember the friendly against England, we blitzed them to death and end up losing the game 1-0. England should’ve lost that friendly 3-0. They were rebuilding after missing the ‘94 World Cup.

They did Amodu dirty but cmon his teams where functional at best and did not play good football. Why did you think they chased him out 2xs?? Also he didn't help himself with his utterances. saying things such as vowing never to invite Wilson Oruma despite being in the form of his life in Ligue 1. There was hardly any competition for places in his teams and always invited the same underperforming players. I doubt Amodu would have invited a young Vincent Enyeama back in 02. I do agree that he should have taken the team to the 2002 world cup. Pa Onigbinde was a massive down grade.

People have short and selective memories.
Amodu was indeed hounded out but WITH THE FULL CONNIVANCE OF THE FANS.
Revisionists make it sound like it was only the NFF responsible.
It wasn’t.
I recently posted a couple of news reports from the time here on CE, one from the BBC in which it mentioned Amodu’s sacking “following a public outcry.”
Let’s not even try look into the CE archives.
It was exactly as you said: Amodu’s teams played very boring, lumberous football and people were not happy at all.
Now everyone don wise and realise after the fact that it was an unfair and bone-headed decision to sack him when they did.

Give us a few years, you’ll hear similar comments about the sacking of Rohr.

[Dammy]

Chei….I thought I’d watch just a few minutes but I ended watching the whole game. I really shouldn’t have watched this game because it just makes me sad about where we are right now.

Few observations

1, Was this team really as bad defensively as commentators always pointed out or was the defense better under Amodu?
2, One of the greatest Injustices in NFF history was never giving Amodu a chance to go to the WC.
3, Rufai was a very good keeper in his prime, the only top goalies we’ve had since then are Vince, Ike and perhaps Ejide. Look where we are now in that dept. SAD!
4, JJ’s game matured a lot over the years but the guy killed birds for decades.
5, Imagine if we had a player like Amokachi playing behind Osihmen.
6, See MF. Look at how Amunike and Siasia supported the MF and attack effortlessly. Lookman and Chukwueze should watch this game 20 times and receive 2 lashes of koboko for every cap they have for SE.
7, Gentle giant Uche is one of our most underrated defenders ever, his calmness and composure were top notch.
8, When did playing from the back become a problem for SE?
9, our players don’t have to play a the Top 5 league to have a good team.
10, Who cursed Nigerian football? Did we owe a player or coach long ago that took our matter to the village?

The thing we did twice towards Amodu.. still dey ontop our head

The commentator was clueless, he had no clue about the SE of 94 .. he later hushed as the game went on..Now for AMokachi, i was wondering if we can deploy Boniface like that..that team had power

Nff needs to call his family and settle them nicely, Keshi’s family too. Amodu died broke, he was never allowed to reap the fruits of his labor for SE. Income from 2 world cups would have made a difference to his family. And, they even owed him at the time he died. Eagles have not really flown since they both died, na 1 wahala after another.

Boniface doesn’t have the work rate of Amokachi, the guy rarely makes it to the center circle. Amo style of play is 70% heart and 30% skill. Do we have a forward that built like a tank, runs all day, supports MF, defense and scores goals? I can’t think of any.

look at the hustle by the SE, even though we lost this game..chei...

Is that the same Senegal that made it to the WC quarter finals? Nff sacked Amodu, dismantled his team and handed his WC ticket to another coach.

The Sports Minister dismantled the team because he claimed Oliseh was rude to him during the 2002 AFCON. The NFF sheepishly allowed it to happen