Its a Travesty That Ijeh Is Not In Faro

wiseone · Post by **wiseone** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 12:53 pm

I cannot understand how a player with Ijeh's goalscoring record cannot make it into the camp at Faro.....while players that are not fit to lace up his boots (Enyeama, Ogbeche, Ezenwa, Akwuegbu) are there. Unbelievable.

Home | About Us | Contact Us | Members | Search | Subscribe | Disclaimer |

THE GUARDIAN
CONSCIENCE, NURTURED BY TRUTH
LAGOS, NIGERIA. Wednesday, January 07 2004

news

editorial/opinion

policy & politics

focus/record

business

sports

capital market

metro

arts

money watch

energy

maritime

Guardian Chat
Click to join the chatroom

No regret for non-inclusion in Eagles, says Ijeh
ONE-TIME Super Eagles invitee, Peter Ijeh, has said that he is not worried with his non-inclusion in the list of players called to the Super Eagles' Portugal camp.

Ijeh, who recently moved from Malmo Football Club of Sweden to another top team in the country, IFK Gothenburg, said that he was not disappointed as he believed that his time would still come, adding that he would not force himself on the team if it was not God's desire for him to be there.

"I am not disappointed because I believe there is time and season for everything. When the time comes for me to play in the national team, I will definitely play.

"Now, what I will thank God for is that I am still playing, I have a new contract with a big club despite my non-invitation to the national team."

Ijeh said that he would not toe the line of some other uninvited players who went to the team's camp to fight for shirts, adding that it was the duty of the selectors to know who should be in camp, and those to be left out, adding that he believed that the coaches should have included his name among the first invitees to the camp.

"I know I am doing well in Sweden. I am playing first grade matches, so I see no reason why I shouldn't be invited with the first players in the team.

"I will never go to the camp on my own because if anything happens, it is my headache. I may be left on my own since I was not invited in the first place. I just got a new contract, so my concentration is on my new club now," Ijeh said.

Ijeh said that he called the NFA two weeks before he left Malms for Gothenburg to intimate them of his movement so that there would not be any mix up if they wanted to contact him, adding that he was surprised when the list came out and his name was not in it.

Ijeh who played for Nitel United and Julius Berger Football Club, both of Lagos, before he moved to Sweden, revealed that he signed a two-year deal with IFK Gothenburg, saying the new club would give him a new challenge as he would be playing alongside some of the best players in Sweden.

He blamed his inability to move to Barcelona Football Club of Spain to the change in the leadership of the team, as Barcelona's former coach, Louis Van Gaal, who took over from the coach who wanted to sign him, discarded all the arrangements he had with the club, while opting for his own kind of players.

Refusing to comment on the chances of the Super Eagles in Tunisia 2004, Ijeh said that the progress of the team could only be determined after watching the first two matches the team plays in the championship, but wondered what the coaches were still doing with move than 30 players in camp barely two weeks to the competition.

© 2003 - 2004 @ Guardian Newspapers Limited (All Right Reserved).
Powered by dnetsystems.net dnet®

Thought · Post by **Thought** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 12:56 pm

Surprising really. how many others have shown as much consistency as this guy?

wiseone · Post by **wiseone** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 12:59 pm

...on current form he is one of Nigeria's top 3 strikers....

Talk IT · Post by **Talk IT** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 1:10 pm

I even thought he was injured

He should have beem invited long ago.

Post by **Waffiman** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 1:14 pm

I knew he was back but not yet to his best. I was wrong on that. There is a strong case for his inclusion, maybe like some players I know of, he decided not to go to Faro because his name was not included in the original list.

Thought · Post by **Thought** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 1:17 pm

I reserve my comments on CCC.

wiseone · Post by **wiseone** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 1:23 pm

...Ijeh returned from injury and came back all gund blazing. He continued his prolific scoring and got a transfer to IFK Gothenburg (which is Sweden's most succesful team historically).

marko · Post by **marko** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 2:07 pm

just becasue you bang in 50 goals in a third rate league just not justify you a call up-its just like playing in the scottish league

mystic · Post by **mystic** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 3:18 pm

Agreed that he should be there, but his ommission is not a travesty. Hopefully, he will get another opportunity to don the national jersey as he was unimpressive in his sole cap for the Super Eagles.

ugly boy · Post by **ugly boy** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 3:26 pm

marko wrote:just becasue you bang in 50 goals in a third rate league just not justify you a call up-its just like playing in the scottish league

so akuegbwu who rides the bench in a worse league is better

1naija · Post by **1naija** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 3:29 pm

wiseone wrote:...on current form he is one of Nigeria's top 3 strikers....

Are we talking of a different Ijeh, or the same Ijeh that looked lost when he was in The SE uniform last year? Abeg, make una stop all this unnecessary hype.

Post by **juventuss** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 3:40 pm

1naija wrote:
wiseone wrote:...on current form he is one of Nigeria's top 3 strikers....
Are we talking of a different Ijeh, or the same Ijeh that looked lost when he was in The SE uniform last year? Abeg, make una stop all this unnecessary hype.

If we go by that analogy, then REAL should not have picked Zizou. Just because a player has one bad game, you automatically dismiss him.

wiseone · Post by **wiseone** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 3:48 pm

The "third rate" Swedish league is the league that produced Henrik Larsson, Fredrik Ljungberg, Patrik Andersson....and all the other Swedish players that beat Nigeria (including all their players playing in "first rate" leagues) at the world cup in 2002.

wiseone · Post by **wiseone** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 3:49 pm

The fact that Ijeh had a bad debut does not mean he should never be capped again. When was the last time Kanu and Enyeama had a good game for Nigeria? ....yet they still get picked.

Talk IT · Post by **Talk IT** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 3:49 pm

1naija wrote:
wiseone wrote:...on current form he is one of Nigeria's top 3 strikers....
Are we talking of a different Ijeh, or the same Ijeh that looked lost when he was in The SE uniform last year? Abeg, make una stop all this unnecessary hype.

Akwegbu, kanu, Aghahowa, Agali, Aiyegbeni and co have been given more than 10 chances each but you want to judge Ijeh by one game (his only game for SE). A game where he wasn't given any service due to the team being filled with the kumburs.

Aghahowa was only banging in goals in Egypt when he proved he can do it in the SE as well. Is Ijeh's present league not better than that of Egypt?

1naija · Post by **1naija** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 3:54 pm

I have no problem with Ijeh or whomever playing for Nigeria as long as he is good, but please don't make it sound like we are missing something because of Ijeh's current form which has dropped off considerably compared to when he flopped for Nigeria. It's the hype that is the problem, not Peter Ijeh per se.

Post by **juventuss** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 3:58 pm

1naija wrote:I have no problem with Ijeh or whomever playing for Nigeria as long as he is good, but please don't make it sound like we are missing something because of Ijeh's current form which has dropped off considerably compared to when he flopped for Nigeria. It's the hype that is the problem, not Peter Ijeh per se.

Did you not read that he was injured ? So Because Ronaldo was injured for years did that stop REAL from getting him ? and did he not find his form back ?

The same 3rd rated swedish league is better than any league we have.

wiseone · Post by **wiseone** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 3:59 pm

...thanks Talk IT. Well said.

....although it was at Esperance of Tunisia that Jag was banging in the goals before he went to the Ukraine.

1naija · Post by **1naija** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 4:16 pm

juventuss wrote:
1naija wrote:I have no problem with Ijeh or whomever playing for Nigeria as long as he is good, but please don't make it sound like we are missing something because of Ijeh's current form which has dropped off considerably compared to when he flopped for Nigeria. It's the hype that is the problem, not Peter Ijeh per se.
Did you not read that he was injured ? So Because Ronaldo was injured for years did that stop REAL from getting him ? and did he not find his form back ?

The same 3rd rated swedish league is better than any league we have.

Has anyone said Peter could not play for REAL, or what's the fascination with REAL?

Post by **juventuss** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 4:19 pm

there is no fascination with REAL. I am sure you have been given 2nd chances to correct things. So why are you discounting IJEH so quickly without giving the guy another chance ?

Thought · Post by **Thought** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 4:20 pm

wiseone wrote:The "third rate" Swedish league is the league that produced Henrik Larsson, Fredrik Ljungberg, Patrik Andersson....and all the other Swedish players that beat Nigeria (including all their players playing in "first rate" leagues) at the world cup in 2002.

Well said, wiseone.
This is not hype... Ijeh should have his chances.

daddyrich · Post by **daddyrich** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 4:22 pm

I'm still waiting for the likes of MI5 to translate Ijeh's exclusion to CCC's tribalism ...oh wait a minute theyr'e from the same tribe - never mind then!!

marko · Post by **marko** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 4:53 pm

well do these swedish players ply thier trade in sweden?? larsoon andersen or lungberg?? and whats the big deal about beating Nigeria anyway we aint all that good anyway!!!!