Segun Oluwaniyi

This is the best defensive side in all of England.

Colback is not very creative, but I would not call him a defensive midfielder. He gets forward and in the box quite a bit. Gouffran and Sissoko as our "attacking" players is the real problem imo, especially with a striker like Perez that doesn't provide a real physical presence. It's a very blunt force, especially as Moussa is usually running directly into players. Coloccini is complete rubbish, btw. He shouldn't be on the pitch. Being pulled all over the place for no reason chasing unwinnable balls and losing every single physical battle.

Foster and Krul are both slightly above-average for this level, imo. Neither is a top class player, and the difference between them is negligible, imo.

I think the team is alright tbh, but the players right now are playing for nothing and no one. It shows.

Very quiet for a match at SJP.

If we can just get the replacement right, it's the biggest bit of luck I've ever seen in sports. http://blogs.houstonpress.com/news/rigged-draft.jpg

And scraped by in a match against a Nigeria side made up of only local players. I don't put too much stock in friendlies before major tournaments. It is complicated. Things have gone crazy since the World Cup, with the NFF falling apart and FIFA trying to ban us. Sorry, for the paragraph. Essentially, his contract was not renewed after the World Cup, so he has not really been Nigeria's coach since then. With all the chaos, there was little time to get a new coach, so he managed the first four games of the qualification program (because he was a "patriot") and did terribly, winning one game out of four. At this point he was "sacked" (despite never having been coach in the first place), with the intention of hiring a foreign manager. However, the president decided to override the NFF's decision and ordered Keshi to coach the last two games. After a credible win at Congo to out them in good position to qualify, they choked to a draw against South Africa. Keshi was removed from his position at this point, and we have not had a coach since this time. However recently it appears the FA are offering him a contract to once again become manager.....

Intradesting On the Ideye Brown point, he was a mainstay in the team until the World Cup process, when he was out of form, and had been playing at the top level for years. Why would he be denied a work permit? I don't understand the work permit system at all, tbh, at least in regards to football. Why are players with an EU passport more highly regarded than ones that don't have one? What does a player's work at national team level and the ranking of his have to do with his worthiness to play in your country? Under the set of rules Dyke proposed, someone like Wanyama wouldn't qualify for a work permit, unless someone paid ten million for him, so the big clubs can have another advantage. If their problem is the progress of British players being blocked, then they should focus on providing incentives for clubs to sign players with British passports under a certain age, not creating a bizarre system to arbitrarily limit the movement of foreign players. They are looking at the problem backwards on the EU passport thing its not so much as being highly regarded as the FA literally has no choice, any attempt to limit eu players would have the fa coming down on them like a ton of bricks for breaking eu law on freedom of movement. I understand that, but it is still silly that players from ~27 countries are free to move, while everyone else is filtered through this stupid and inefficient process. The proposed plan makes even less sense. I just want you to understand that under the system your FA are proposing, no Asian player (no one in this confederation is top-50) would be allowed to sign at any English club unless they cost ten million pound. What sense does that make?

Intradesting On the Ideye Brown point, he was a mainstay in the team until the World Cup process, when he was out of form, and had been playing at the top level for years. Why would he be denied a work permit? I don't understand the work permit system at all, tbh, at least in regards to football. Why are players with an EU passport more highly regarded than ones that don't have one? What does a player's work at national team level and the ranking of his have to do with his worthiness to play in your country? Under the set of rules Dyke proposed, someone like Wanyama wouldn't qualify for a work permit, unless someone paid ten million for him, so the big clubs can have another advantage. If their problem is the progress of British players being blocked, then they should focus on providing incentives for clubs to sign players with British passports under a certain age, not creating a bizarre system to arbitrarily limit the movement of foreign players. They are looking at the problem backwards

http://i.imgur.com/DcpP1zA.gif I cannot wait until Keshi finally goes, so we can build up the team again. I'm not too worried, SE is never down or up for too long and the last few years were fun until Keshi's idiocy fully came to roost. Nigeria's record in this competition is still ridiculous, though. Off my head, there have been 11 ACNs since 94 and we have won twice, failed to participate/ four times, and finished 2nd or 3rd in four tournaments. Never boring . This should be a very interesting tournament, though. Algeria favorites I suppose, but every group is wide open. A and B are the two weaker groups, and all eight teams have a chance to surprise and make a deep run, IMO. Both the Congos looked very competitive in qualifying ( Congo beat Nigeria away in Calabar while DRC went to CIV and scored four goals en route to victory), Burkinabe and Zambia were in the last two finals, CV and EG have good imports from Spain and Portugal and play good football, etc. Groups C and D are for heavyweights. Ghana and Algeria are in the same group and I expect one to go out because Senegal are always a tough side and South Africa are playing their best football in years and should have beat us twice in qualifying. In D, Finke has fully proved me wrong because Cameroon have maybe been the best side in Africa since the WC dumping the likes of Eto'o, Song, and BAE for younger blood. Cote D'Ivoire are still the most talented team. Guinea and Mali usually underachieve but are always threatening. Anyway, I am supporting DR Congo this time. Hopefully, they go far but don't win, so I don't have to hear about it. It would be nice for Ghana and Cameroon to crash out early. I have a feeling CIV will win now that Drogba is gone.

Both are historic capital clubs fighting for a Champions League spot. Not too much between them. I don't understand this joke at all, tbh Going abroad is a great answer for most of these "troubled" English youngsters. Its good to escape the the crazy media pressure and culture in England for a place where you are almost no one.

the really sad thing is how its UEFA devaluing the Europa League, can't stand the fact that the guys from the champions league get rewarded for failure with a place in it Still don't get this, even if people are tired of me stammering on about it. The Europa League as a concept is a reward for failure. You weren't good enough to compete for the title in your league or win a qualifier, but you are a decent side, so here are some extra matches against exotic teams and some financial incentive. If we don't want to reward failure, the competition shouldn't exist except for cup winners.

So...he just can't play football until August? That seems completely ridiculous.

Blanc has to be facing the sack sooner than later. With a chance to go top, his team turn a 2-0 lead in the first 20 minutes into a 4-2 defeat against a poor side like Bastia? Lyon top with a win tomorrow, as both of their title rivals lost.

I really hope they fairly compensate these poor women who are forced to wear little to no clothing in freezing temperatures and are subjected to watching this Palace side play football.

At some point, I want to see what the team looks like with Dummett in the centre and a healthy Santon outwide. Williamson is not close to being good enough, and Dummett looks like centreback playing out of position every match.

He's has been good for a total of five minutes in one match. But he's a fringe French International. The odds are that he is better than he is bad, no? Don't misunderstand, I think it is talented, but one good half does not make a player at NUFC. It is just a heavy level of confirmation bias to say that Pardew has prevented him from playing this way every match, when he has not played this way in any match. Encouraging from both him and the entire side, this half though.

He's has been good for a total of five minutes in one match.

Gouffran doesn't have the defensive instincts to be playing how he does. Lets the fullback in behind him quite often.

Chelsea complete rubbish thus far. Will still win.

This is one of those stories that with the rampant modern social and mainstream media, there will be several different opinions on the issue, but only one will be "acceptable". Anything else will meet rage in the form of ink marking in the papers or keystrokes online. It is too bad Evans cannot just go abroad (though it is fair, aligning with his sentence). His innocence or guilt is not important to me. If clubs want to sign him, then let the man live. If they do not want to sign him, he has made his own bed.

Sanogo to Crystal Palace, apparently.

Aye, although I think Inter will improve under Mancini Without a doubt, the names alone at the club make it seem as though they are much more than a midtable side, excluding even the big investments of the past week. I do not rate Mancini as a manager, but any change may be good. f*** have you been Baba? Been long time no see. I am busy with career, woman, travel, family issues,etc. recently. Rarely have hours on end to waste like in Uni. Good time to return with new manager coming (IJN) and Ravens inevitable title.

Fwiw, Stoke are probably a better side than Inter at the moment.

Croatia are in the EU, no? Their players still need work permits?