Segun Oluwaniyi

Tiote has been a very poor player for a while now. Flashy tackler, but leaves gaps defensively and is not assured with the ball in his own half at all, imo. It is one things to do pirouettes and the like when you never loses the ball, but he is robbed at least once a game.

Is it necessary for people to sing the anthems at all American sporting events?

Not that any of them have been great, but our other two leftbacks are just as bad if not worse. Yanga-Mbiwa has had a few mistakes, but you expect this from a 23-24 year old new to league. He has not been given a chance to grow and adapt at all. It is not even as though we brought him along slow. The manager is discarding of him at the first opportunity. It is not as though he has been catastrophic, either. This is not Gerald Cid.

The Daily Post list (the second one, not the other one they had an hour before) was correct. Ameobi (!), Nwofor, and Babatunde (corruption) all in at the expense of taking only four midfielders. ACN hero Mba among those left out.

I'm guessing Nigeria's Daily Post is official? http://dailypost.ng/2014/06/02/its-official-odemwingie-yobo-make-keshis-final-23-man-squad-for-2014-world-cup/ Don't be fooled by fancy names, every news source in Nigeria is a tabloid. This is the same copy and paste of the list released hours ago. It may be accurate, but no official confirmation has occurred. According to KOC, who I trust for news, the list is in per FIFA guidelines, but the players and public will not be officially informed until at least 01:30.

Emenike is unquestioned number 9, and Keshi usually only plays one central striker, so very low.

Kaka, take life too seriously. List never comot and you are vexed already.

Falcao was out from the minute the severity of the injury was revealed. It was admirable to see him fight so hard to get back, but he is a fairly young man, his career is more important and if he is lucky there will be another WC

http://www.kickoffnigeria.com/mobile/news/45148/nigeria-to-name-squad-after-training I am pretty sure it has not yet been released, but also I am quite sure Shola will be there, tbh. Especially since Obinna injured himself. Edit: Please don't ask why we have waited to be the actual last country to release their list.

Where is that list from? I've seen the same one before, but the new reports were that Keshi would not name it until after the training that commences around midnight and that the players left behind had not yet been informed. It could have leaked I suppose.

This is really worrying. We bought four players of fairly high quality in the January 2013 window, and have managed to misuse three of them badly and will probably sell the other. It is unacceptable management at some point. I think Yanga-Mbiwa has a good attitude, but it is probably obvious to everyone involved that he has no interest in staying here as third choice and fullback cover.

Squad announcement at 11:00 naija time, so t-minus 1 hour, 47 minutes.

This Shola thing is a bit surreal, tbh. Do you know that my girl and her entire family have been mocking me over this for the past few months? What a shame. I have to be honest, though, once they run out on the green grass in the colours, I won't care who is there so much. Last time I supported the likes Shittu, Yakubu, and Etuhu without any feelings of self-hatred, so this will be fine.

According to KOC, Keshi's actual words were, “Yes, I have an idea of those who will go with us to Brazil but we will still wait till the last minute before we announce the list,”. So I have absolutely no clue, tbh.

That was Yekini bro. Rashidi Yekini. RIP. Keshi is taking his time with the names, now. He must know this entire place lays in wait.

Ghana, Nigeria, and Cote D'Ivoire are more highly regarded. Cameroon have failed to qualify for two consecutive Cup of Nations, though they obviously have talent. They have been suspect at the back and are aging upfront. They should at least battle in that group, though. Surely Ivory Coast must be the only team with a slight chance of quarter-finals? :shrug: Ivory Coast should be favoured to finish second in their group. I believe both Ghana and Nigeria have a good chance to make the second round as well and anything is possible from this point. Ghana 2010 team was nothing special, but nearly made the semis. Cameroon and Algeria will finish last in their groups, imo. This is all just conjecture and prediction, the likes of which we have heard for nearly a year now. It is not long until the final reckoning. Fwiw, I don't think Ivory Coast are an exceptional side when compared to the rest of the Africans, even though the names stand out.

Ghana, Nigeria, and Cote D'Ivoire are more highly regarded. Cameroon have failed to qualify for two consecutive Cup of Nations, though they obviously have talent. They have been suspect at the back and are aging upfront. They should at least battle in that group, though.

Two players that impress players of video games, but underwhelm those who have seen them play. CIV's entire defensive mentality as a team has been really poor whenever I see them play in the last few years. They have a group they should get out of this time, though, It would be nice for this generation to put together one tournament run to be proud of, because they haven't to this point, a few disappointing ACN silvers aside.

Great goal by Choupo. Very entertaining twenty minutes I've seen here.

I wonder how many World Cups it will take for our African teams to stop playing suicidally high lines.

Uruguay will only receive one or three points out of that group, imo. England and Italy will walk through.

It is no wonder all of these pre WC matches are ALWAYS complete rubbish. I cannot think of a worse time to catch an injury.

I own that shirt and wear it to the gym all of the time, blue side up always. I definitely think it was 2002, though.

Messi Even the describing text is explaining how s**** he's been at the WC. Messi was the best player in the group stages at the last World Cup. He was a substitute in 2006.

It is is a bit disheartening that an un-fancied team has a decent season (six points above Stoke. Thirteen away from Europe) and proceeds to lose it's manager and most of its star players not even a month after the season ends. Then again, we kept almost all of our players and the manager after an even better season and proceeded to fall into the depths. Good luck to them in recovery.