Osimhen - Finidi Consolidated Thread

[ohenhen1]

Iheanacho need to be a regular at his club. Before he is recalled to the national team.

[danfo driver]

Finidi is right. No one is going to beg anyone. We need more from Osimhen. He has to take a leadership role. He should be want to be the SE captain

SE got a lot of problems. It is a red flag that w coach has to make a statement. A true leader would be Nigeria on the sidelines supporting his team mates when he is injured. As soon as the coach is appointed. He will text or call the coach within minutes to talk about future games.

Ndidi is your captain and Iheanacho is your vice captain and Iwobi is next in line. You have 3 leaders. Osimhen is not interested in being your leader or your striker. Move on.

Iwobi should focus on his podcasts. That is more important to him.
Ndidi should focus on his club career.
Osimhen plays like a leader on the field. Should be a leader off the field. Leadership will suit him. We need him to be a leader. If you star player is also a leader. Many will follow.

He doesnt want to be your leader or your striker. Is it by force?? Leave him alone? Are you one of these guys who cannot take "no" for an answer when you are toasting a woman?

Focus on your Ndidi, Iheanacho and your "other strikers."

[felarey]

Very weak if true. When many big players refused to show up for the 1990 AFCON, Westerham called their bluff and went on to win silver with several rookies. When Odemwingie tried to do his "oyibo na oyibo" with Keshi we know how Keshi responded.

Osimhen is dedicated to Nigeria. He cannot play if he is injured. It is not Osimhen that is responsible for our criminal defending and off the ball play against Benin. Enugu Rangers would have beaten Benin Republic.

The NPFL is a low level league. Doubt it’s top five in Africa. A somewhat semi professional league, anyone disagreeing should go visit those stadia the league uses, worse than the average middle school facility. The fact that Finidi cut his teeth there and was poor on the continent means he shoulda never become SE coach.

[vancity eagle]

Iheanacho need to be a regular at his club. Before he is recalled to the national team.

I dont care if Iheanacho is playing full minutes in the EPL.

He is not a good fit for SE.

I've been saying it for years. Since Rohrs final year.

[danfo driver]

WHile our captain is telling us that we cant win every match, even matches against sh1t teams. LOSER!

[COOKING SPOON]

If you ask me, Finidi is the problem

[Dammy]

Someone mischievously thinks having players in the Top 5 leagues means that Nigeria will win every match! Yet this one lays claim to having watched football for a long time.
It’s obvious he’s learned nothing!

[danfo driver]

If you ask me, Finidi is the problem

the fish rots from the head. The problem is our whole set up, but the quickest fix is the coach. Unfortunately, if we wanted to do a full and complete repair - it will take us decades. So the best thing is to do the haphazard repair and keep limping.

[Enugu II]

Enugu Rangers would have beaten Benin Republic.

We keep hearing this type of talk and it is A LIE.

You and others are seriously underestimating how much the rest of Africa has improved.

I watched Benin give Senegal a very tough match back in March. They also drew against CIV in that window. I knew we were in for a tough match.

No Enugu Rangers or any Nigerian club for that matter will certainly not beat Benin. You are living in a delusion.

There are no minnows in African football anymore. All the top teams are finding this out.

Even African champs could not beat common Kenya on neutral territory.

Africa is no joke.

These teams care nothing about their opponents reputation.

The big boys have to take all these games seriously. Or they will miss out on USA 2026.

Nigeria will not be the only top team to crash and burn.

Bet on it.

VE

BTW, I agree with you. This is specifically why I note that playing Big 5 does not make you special. Moreover, if local players in Lesotho can demonstrate what you noted here, why not local Nigerian players?

EII

This is a very nuanced topic. I will briefly attack it.

Can we use a team including or even of ENTIRELY homebased players to achieve one off results here and there in African qualifying.

YES.

The question then becomes.

Is it an effective long term strategy that will achieve success within Africa or on the world stage.

I would say the answer is NO.

Even Benin is comprised of over 90% foreign based players from mostly div 2. So we were not beaten by African based players in that instance, but players from low level European and middle east league players.

I would ask you to point me towards an African team that has recently achieved success in Africa or on the world stage that was not comprised almost entirely of Euro based players.

One example was Zambia winning afcon in 2012. Again this is an exception, and not the norm. Even after Zambias win, they faded into over a decade of irrelevance much like how Nigeria fell off after Keshi won afcon in 2013.

I also push back against the notion that Keshis team won BECAUSE of homebased players. They won on the backs of key players like Mikel, Moses, Enyeama, Onazi, Emenike etc. Yes players Luke Oboabonna and Mba played their part, but let's not deceive ourselves into thinking this was not mostly a euro based team, despite the revision of history.

Nigeria foolishly went to Play Mexico's 2nd National Team with Local Players.
Result a 4 - 0 Easy Thrashing.
Mexico also Relaxed with us.

Blueangel,

The example you provide is inadequate. Can you let us know how long that team trained together? Even if we had Euro based stars train together for four days they would collapse against that exact team. BTW, do you remember Brazil's u23 beating world Xi years ago? Why did it occur?

Nevertheless, I do not expect a purely homebased team of Nigeria to win the AFCON no matter how long they train because my belief is that most of Nigeria's best are actually outside t h e country. What I insist, however, is that having most of the best outside the country does not foreclose the likelihood that a few may emerge locally. If that is the case, then it is foolhardy to ignore scouting locally. That has been by belief and I strongly believe that to be true given the the statistical likelihood of that case.

[vancity eagle]

Enugu Rangers would have beaten Benin Republic.

We keep hearing this type of talk and it is A LIE.

You and others are seriously underestimating how much the rest of Africa has improved.

I watched Benin give Senegal a very tough match back in March. They also drew against CIV in that window. I knew we were in for a tough match.

No Enugu Rangers or any Nigerian club for that matter will certainly not beat Benin. You are living in a delusion.

There are no minnows in African football anymore. All the top teams are finding this out.

Even African champs could not beat common Kenya on neutral territory.

Africa is no joke.

These teams care nothing about their opponents reputation.

The big boys have to take all these games seriously. Or they will miss out on USA 2026.

Nigeria will not be the only top team to crash and burn.

Bet on it.

VE

BTW, I agree with you. This is specifically why I note that playing Big 5 does not make you special. Moreover, if local players in Lesotho can demonstrate what you noted here, why not local Nigerian players?

EII

This is a very nuanced topic. I will briefly attack it.

Can we use a team including or even of ENTIRELY homebased players to achieve one off results here and there in African qualifying.

YES.

The question then becomes.

Is it an effective long term strategy that will achieve success within Africa or on the world stage.

I would say the answer is NO.

Even Benin is comprised of over 90% foreign based players from mostly div 2. So we were not beaten by African based players in that instance, but players from low level European and middle east league players.

I would ask you to point me towards an African team that has recently achieved success in Africa or on the world stage that was not comprised almost entirely of Euro based players.

One example was Zambia winning afcon in 2012. Again this is an exception, and not the norm. Even after Zambias win, they faded into over a decade of irrelevance much like how Nigeria fell off after Keshi won afcon in 2013.

I also push back against the notion that Keshis team won BECAUSE of homebased players. They won on the backs of key players like Mikel, Moses, Enyeama, Onazi, Emenike etc. Yes players Luke Oboabonna and Mba played their part, but let's not deceive ourselves into thinking this was not mostly a euro based team, despite the revision of history.

Nigeria foolishly went to Play Mexico's 2nd National Team with Local Players.
Result a 4 - 0 Easy Thrashing.
Mexico also Relaxed with us.

Blueangel,

The example you provide is inadequate. Can you let us know how long that team trained together? Even if we had Euro based stars train together for four days they would collapse against that exact team. BTW, do you remember Brazil's u23 beating world Xi years ago? Why did it occur?

Nevertheless, I do not expect a purely homebased team of Nigeria to win the AFCON no matter how long they train because my belief is that most of Nigeria's best are actually outside t h e country. What I insist, however, is that having most of the best outside the country does not foreclose the likelihood that a few may emerge locally. If that is the case, then it is foolhardy to ignore scouting locally. That has been by belief and I strongly believe that to be true given the the statistical likelihood of that case.

EII

I agree you may be right that there may be 1 or 2 holes to be plugged by homebased players. However.

1. You do not set any kind of quota. You simply choose the best players full stop.

2. While you can scout Nigeria, you should also scout other African leagues and lesser European leagues. However the vast majority of time should be spent looking for players in the top leagues.

For instance we should not be calling Sodiq Ismail when Ehizibuhue has declared his readiness to play for SE, if he is available for selection.

Things have to be done in proper order.

[felarey]

Enugu Rangers would have beaten Benin Republic.

We keep hearing this type of talk and it is A LIE.

You and others are seriously underestimating how much the rest of Africa has improved.

I watched Benin give Senegal a very tough match back in March. They also drew against CIV in that window. I knew we were in for a tough match.

No Enugu Rangers or any Nigerian club for that matter will certainly not beat Benin. You are living in a delusion.

There are no minnows in African football anymore. All the top teams are finding this out.

Even African champs could not beat common Kenya on neutral territory.

Africa is no joke.

These teams care nothing about their opponents reputation.

The big boys have to take all these games seriously. Or they will miss out on USA 2026.

Nigeria will not be the only top team to crash and burn.

Bet on it.

VE

BTW, I agree with you. This is specifically why I note that playing Big 5 does not make you special. Moreover, if local players in Lesotho can demonstrate what you noted here, why not local Nigerian players?

EII

This is a very nuanced topic. I will briefly attack it.

Can we use a team including or even of ENTIRELY homebased players to achieve one off results here and there in African qualifying.

YES.

The question then becomes.

Is it an effective long term strategy that will achieve success within Africa or on the world stage.

I would say the answer is NO.

Even Benin is comprised of over 90% foreign based players from mostly div 2. So we were not beaten by African based players in that instance, but players from low level European and middle east league players.

I would ask you to point me towards an African team that has recently achieved success in Africa or on the world stage that was not comprised almost entirely of Euro based players.

One example was Zambia winning afcon in 2012. Again this is an exception, and not the norm. Even after Zambias win, they faded into over a decade of irrelevance much like how Nigeria fell off after Keshi won afcon in 2013.

I also push back against the notion that Keshis team won BECAUSE of homebased players. They won on the backs of key players like Mikel, Moses, Enyeama, Onazi, Emenike etc. Yes players Luke Oboabonna and Mba played their part, but let's not deceive ourselves into thinking this was not mostly a euro based team, despite the revision of history.

Nigeria foolishly went to Play Mexico's 2nd National Team with Local Players.
Result a 4 - 0 Easy Thrashing.
Mexico also Relaxed with us.

Blueangel,

The example you provide is inadequate. Can you let us know how long that team trained together? Even if we had Euro based stars train together for four days they would collapse against that exact team. BTW, do you remember Brazil's u23 beating world Xi years ago? Why did it occur?

Nevertheless, I do not expect a purely homebased team of Nigeria to win the AFCON no matter how long they train because my belief is that most of Nigeria's best are actually outside t h e country. What I insist, however, is that having most of the best outside the country does not foreclose the likelihood that a few may emerge locally. If that is the case, then it is foolhardy to ignore scouting locally. That has been by belief and I strongly believe that to be true given the the statistical likelihood of that case.

A purely homebased team out of Nigeria can never play to the level to win the AFCON as we know it. The reason we still talk about homebased is because Nigerians are insanely talented at football, so there's a endless supply of raw talent. There's a groundswell of makeshift academies that thrive on the endless raw talent coming through. It's amazing what some kids will do with a ball though they've never seen a gym nor organized coaching nor even manicured grass. Zillions of naija kids end up in backwater leagues in Europe and elsewhere from these under bridge academies ready to sell for a dollar and the NPFL has no issues picking up the slack to make up teams.

Wish we could talk the NPFL in terms of a professional league with players at SE/national level, but sadly that's not the case, true talk. Once in a while, it may happen but that's about it. Reality of what's happening on ground is different. They are not international level players and barely make a living off football. Any standout player is shipped out.

[aruako1]

Very weak if true. When many big players refused to show up for the 1990 AFCON, Westerham called their bluff and went on to win silver with several rookies. When Odemwingie tried to do his "oyibo na oyibo" with Keshi we know how Keshi responded.

Osimhen is dedicated to Nigeria. He cannot play if he is injured. It is not Osimhen that is responsible for our criminal defending and off the ball play against Benin. Enugu Rangers would have beaten Benin Republic.

The NPFL is a low level league. Doubt it’s top five in Africa. A somewhat semi professional league, anyone disagreeing should go visit those stadia the league uses, worse than the average middle school facility. The fact that Finidi cut his teeth there and was poor on the continent means he shoulda never become SE coach.

Finidi did not win the regular season in the NPFL. He won via the playoffs. Enyimba is an NPFL giant and you will always have a chance with them. Even this season, their results improved when his assistant managed most of the games after he went off on national duty. Rivers United did not do badly on the continent and both Enugu Rangers and Remo Stars are decent teams that can go far on the continent. And yes, I hate them, but this year's Enugu Rangers can beat Benin Republic.

[Lolly]

https://scorenigeria.com.ng/finidi-i-ca ... e_vignette

I hope Finidi did not pick out Osimhen for criticism? The lad was clearly not fully fit and not ready to risk long term injury. We can’t blame him. Finidi initially called up 5 strikers, so he had 4 others available after Osimhen’s withdrawal. A good coach would find the right formula for the players he had in camp.

On the issue of indiscipline in camp and players turning up late, that is solely on the coach to enforce camp rules. But he couldn’t do so knowing that he had a very poor bench (partly his fault), hence he was forced to start the unnamed “big man’s” players.

[mcal]

...wow, it didn't take that long to start trashing Finidi who could have thought
That said, Osinhmen saw the writing on the wall and declined invite, kid gotta to protect his investment

[metalalloy]

Osimhen is live now on instagram giving his POV of his injury. Will post a video of his injury about how he updated finidi of his injury. Sounds really pissed. Says he has lost respect for Finidi. He asked for permission to come to camp to stay with the team and talk with the teammates. Finidi told him to stay with his family.

[fabio]

Don't believe the so called article.

Finidi ought to have handled things better.

[aruako1]

Osimhen is live now on instagram giving his POV of his injury. Will post a video of his injury about how he updated finidi of his injury. Sounds really pissed. Says he has lost respect for Finidi. He asked for permission to come to camp to stay with the team and talk with the teammates. Finidi told him to stay with his family.

I just saw the live Instagram feed from Osimhen. He has a right to be upset. He is not perfect but he is not the disrespectful type. One of my good friends at Magodo says that even now, when he sees him, he is very respectful. Terrible man management by Finidi.

[COOKING SPOON]

Osimhen is live now on instagram giving his POV of his injury. Will post a video of his injury about how he updated finidi of his injury. Sounds really pissed. Says he has lost respect for Finidi. He asked for permission to come to camp to stay with the team and talk with the teammates. Finidi told him to stay with his family.

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM A COACH THAT WAS FIGHTING WITH HIS PLAYER FOR THE OPPONENTS JERSEY?

[Dammy]

I just hate the way one of our best ever player, George Finidi, is being insulted and disrespected!
He may not have been the best coach for the SE but he doesn’t deserve all the abuse he’s getting from Nigerians online.
He served us with dedication when he was a player and was only trying his best as a coach. That it didn’t work out is not enough to be insulting him.
I’m really upset at the treatment Finidi has getting

[Tobi17]

https://x.com/PoojaMedia/status/1801946514253586596

[Tobi17]

https://x.com/Mudiaga247/status/1801947520475570265

[Tobi17]

This is bad for everybody honestly, nobody is in a position to tell Osimhen (the human) to calm down at this point,.but I reckon someone close to him tries prevailing fast before Osimhen says things he shouldn't say as a professional.

Meanwhile Finidi resigns...

[The YeyeMan]