Monday 12 September 2016

Can Gernot Rohr Take The Super Eagles of Nigeria to greater heights in Domestic and International Football?

Gernot Rohr is the new Technical Adviser of the Super Eagles. Rohr is a German Tactician, who has got experience from a lot of African Countries like Gabon, Tunisia and Burkina Faso. He was appointed on a two year contract to qualify the Super Eagles for the Russia 2018 World Cup.

The new Tactician has stated  that he will take his job seriously and give it a top priority. Rohr failed to convince Vincent Enyeama and Emmanuel Emenike from changing their minds after their resignation from the National team. That was the first blow, he received on his new assignment.
He has promised to re brand the team and add some radical elements to the team.

The Nigerian National team is blessed with a lot of talents from the International Clubs and domestic sides, so the new Coach has a lot of talents to choose from. His first match as Technical adviser was a victorious one,as his side edged out Tanzania in a lone goal at the  Akwa-ibom international stadium.

The Super Eagles will not be participating in AFCON 2017 in Gabon,after losing that place to the Pharoahs of Egypt. It is still a bitter pill for Nigerians to swallow, because they  have missed the Competition twice since 2013, when they lifted the trophy in South Africa.

Gernot Rohr has the onus to qualify the Super Eagles for the World Cup,and he must take the task seriously. He has the players who can execute that agenda for him. Nigerians are less concerned about whether the Coach is a home based or foreign one, what they want to see is a Coach that can deliver.

The Super Eagles has never gotten to the Quarter-finals of the World Cup. It is only Cameroun, Senegal and Ghana that is the only African Countries that has reached the last eight of the World Cup. It would be a great achievement for the Super Eagles, if Rohr can take them to that height.

In wrapping up, Nigeria is a football loving Country, and they desire that the Super Eagles is flying above board. The onus lies on Gernot Rohr to deliver and actualise their desires. Rohr has the opportunity to write his name on Gold in the minds of Nigerians. He can only fulfil this ambition, if he takes his job seriously and recruit the right squad that will execute his plans.
We at Segun Goke's Soccer wish the new Technical adviser success in his new role as the Super Eagle's Gaffer.












Sunday 11 September 2016

Guardiola edges out Mourinho in the Manchester Derby.

Josep ' Pep' Guardiola is the Current Manager of Manchester City. He took over Manuel Pellegrini who was the Manager of the Citizens in the last season. He is a successful Coach and one of the top Managers in the world of football. Jose Mourinho is the present Manager of Manchester United Football Club,he took over from Louis Van Gaal who guided the Reds to their 12th FA Cup last May.

Guardiola and Mourinho are two of the best Managers in the world of Soccer. They are celebrated Managers who has won a lot of Competitions. Their rivalry was  highlighted when they both coached top clubs in Spain, Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.
Guardiola tactically has had the better record amongst the two Coaches. He has had more victories than Mourinho,when both of them clashed. One of the remarkable defeats against Mourinho was the first El- Classico that Jose spearheaded as Coach of Real Madrid, he lost woefully to Pep in a 5-1 defeat.

The two Managers are now managers of the Manchester teams. Guardiola has won his first three matches before playing the derby,as well as his fiercest rival, Mourinho.

The match was played with so much tension, and the United Players were outclassed and outplayed for the first forty minutes. Sylva mesmerised his way amongst the Manchester United Defenders. Eric Bailey and Daley Blind who had been outstanding so far in the tournament this season were lost against a composed and organised City attack. Kevin De Bryne slotted his way into the Red's Defence and scored the opener. The United Defence was once again caught sleeping and the Nigerian Striker, Kelechi Iheanacho scored the second goal. Zlatan Ibrahomovic showed why he was called the goal puncher and he scored the only goal for the reds.

At the second half, Jose Mourinho realised his error in his selection and substituted jesse Lingard for Marcus Rashford and Mikhiyran for Ander Herrera. The Reds were more purposeful in the second half,but the Citizens kept their cool and contained the pressure from the Reds.
Paul Pogba the most expensive player was lost in the mix,he could not contain the skill of Sylva and Fernadinho. And Raheem Sterling outclassed Antonio Valencia in the left back.
The game has been lost in the first half.

On a final note, Pep Guardiola has been the most tactical of the two Coaches, he took the game to United in their own Base and attacked with all tenacity. Jose Mourinho lost the game by changing his winning formula, leaving Juan Mata and Anthony Martial out of the game. Their replacements Jesse Lingard and Mikhiyrtan were no match for the citizens. They were game rusty and could not contain the game.

A nice victory for Pep Guardiola and a Big loss for Jose Mourinho.












Saturday 20 August 2016

The Dream Team VI And Their Adventures AT The Rio Olympics.

The Dream Team Vi is the name of the Under 23 squad of the Nigerian National Team. The Under 23 team is being managed by the tactician, Samson Siasia.
The Under23 squad won the Under23 African Cup of Nations, this automatically qualified them and South Africa to represent the team in the Olympics.

The Rio Olympics held in Brazil from August 5- 21, gave another opportunity for Samson Siasia to prove himself again,after winning Silver in the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
The preparation for this year Olympics was very poor,may be it was because of the dwindling economic situation in the Country. The Sports Ministry could not do enough to support the Dream Team vi at the Olympics.

Samson Siasia's squad arrived at Rio,few hour before their opening match against Japan. Normally Countries or participants that are going for a Competition, should arrive a week or two to get familiar with the competitive environment. In the Dream Team's case it was different. The boys despite their late arrival at the venue,surmounted all obstacles and beat the Japanese 5 goals to 4 in the opener. Oghenekaro Etebo scored 4 goals in that single match. At the secound game, the Dream Team beat Sweden 2 goals to Nill, to book a place in the quarter- finals. One of the goals was scored by the Team Captain,Mikel Obi.
The third match was against the Columbian side, but they lost that match by 2 goals to Nill.


In analysing their journey to the last 8 of the competition, it was written in the Media that Team Captain,John Mikel Obi bailed the Dream Team out from Atlanta to Rio,when the Sports Ministry could not take care of their financial problems. Oghenekaro Etebo could not play the Quarter-Finals,because he was injured in the match against Columbia. The Dream Team Vi proved their dexterity into play by beating the Danish side 2 goals to Nill,this enabled them to book a place in the Semi-Finals of the Rio Olympics.
In the Semi-Finals, they lost to a balanced and compact German squad who beat them 2 goals to nill. Samson Siasia's boys lacked the skill and lost a lot of goal chances in that game.

The Dream Team Vi had another opportunity to grab a medal in the Olympics, which was the Bronze medal. They played against Honduras who were defeated by the host team by a wide margin. The game started with much pressure by both sides. Mikel Obi and the other players later contained the pressure and scored three goals against their opponents.
The Dream Team vi became careless in the defence line and they allowed the Honduras team to come back with 2 goals. The Honduras squad put a lot of pressures on the Nigerian Back line. At the end, the Dream Team became victorious,winning the Bronze medal match on 3 goals to 2.

Looking at the Dream Team vi in retrospect, they overcame all obstacles,most especially their financial challenges to win the Bronze medal. They paid the price of hard work,resilience and determination to make the Country proud. The Dream team vi are the only ones that won a medal for the Country. No other medal was gotten in the various sporting events that Nigeria was represented.
On this note,i would say Coach Samson Siasia and Team Captain,Mikel Obi deserved to be given National Honours by the Federal Government. The Dream team vi should also be rewarded monetary for their feat in the Olympics.
If a foreigner in the person of Dr Katsuya Tasaku, a Japanese Business man could reward them by doling out $ 390,000 . He stated that " he was impressed with the Dream team,that despite their poor preparation, the boys could get this far". He was touched in his generosity to reward the players.
I think our wealthy men in the Country should follow suit. The Sports Ministry must be responsible to support sports from age-grade upwards,most especially Soccer that has written our names in the annals of history.
In wrapping up, I would love to congratulate Coach Samson Saisia, Mikel Obi and the entire Dream team vi for the feat achieved at Rio.
God Bless the Dream Team vi.
God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.













Barcelona Wins 2016 Spanish Super Cup.

The Spanish Super Cup is the match played between the Winners of the La Liga Season and the Copa Del Roy. This year it was played between the Barcelona, the La Liga Leaders and Sevilla who were the runners-up to Barcelona at the Copa Del Roy.

The First leg was played on the Sevilla home ground,with the host applying pressure to the Visitors. It was a game that recorded two injuries for the La Liga leaders. Matthieu and Iniesta the Barcelona Skipper got injured in that encounter.
At the second half of the game, Ardan Turan threw a pass to Luiz Suarez who scored the opener.
The acting Skipper, Lionel Messi added a lot of pressure to the Sevilla defence, and at the 80th minutes, Menir El-haddy scored the second goal. At the end of proceedings in the first leg, Barcelona won by 2 goals to nil.

The Second leg was played in Camp Nou in Barcelona. The La Liga Winners were more purposeful and determined to add more pain to their opponents.
Lionel Messi and Suarez put a lot of pressure in the Sevilla Defence. This resulted into two goals scored by Ardan Turan. And before the game was finished, Wonder Player Lionnel Messi added the third goal.
At the end of the game,it was 3 goals for Barcelona and No goal for Sevilla.

The total goals scored at the end of the Second leg was 5 goals, which was scored by the Spanish Champions.
Barcelona is the Winner of the Spanish Super Cup for the year 2016.
This victory has prepared the La Liga Champions on a grand style for the New La Liga Season.






Thursday 18 August 2016

Can Jurgen Klopp take Liverpool Back To The Champion's League?

Jurgen Klopp is a German Football Manager who is the present manager of Liverpool Football Club. Born forty nine years ago,he was a former German professional Player. He started his playing career with Fc Pforzhein in 1987 and ended it with Mainz 05 in 2001,a club he spent eleven years with.

His managerial career can be described as follows,he managed Mainz 05 after his playing career from 2001 to 2008,during that period the club was promoted to the Bundesliga. In 2008,he moved to Borussia Dortmund. He led them back to back Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012,as well as the DFB- Pokal in 2012,the German Super Cup in 2008,2013 and 2014. During Klopp's time as Manager, Borussia Dortmund appeared in the UEFA Champion's league Final in 2013,but lost to their close rivals (Bayern Munich).

The " Normal one" has he is been called took over from Brendan Rogers on Oct 9,2015. He arrived at Anfield with a track record of managerial success and a reputation as one of the most forward thinking managers in the game of football. Klopp stated that" he believes in fighting football,not serenity football".
In his first season with the Reds, he changed the approach of Liverpool Football and added mentality with tactics on the pitch. He took the Mersey side to the Carling Cup Finals,but lost to Manchester City. He also took the Reds to the Europa Finals. On the road to the Europa Finals, Klopp defeated Manchester United and Villarreal. They eventually lost to Sevilla in the Finals.

Jurgen Klopp has started this new season on a bright note,he defeated Arsenal at the opening game in the Emirates Stadium. He has signed Sadio Mane from Southampton ,for this season's campaign. With his track record of success and a fighting Manager,he could take the Reds to the Champion's league next season. Klopp has the ability to turn things around for Liverpool Football Club. At his first season with the Reds,they played two major Finals. If he continues with this trend,he could step up their game.
Let us see how far the " Normal One" will go with Liverpool this new season.

I am open to Comments.

Thank You For Reading.







Sunday 14 August 2016

Can David Moyes turn around the Fortunes of Sunderland Football Club?

David Moyes is a Scottish professional Football Manager and he is presently the Manager  of Sunderland Football Club.
He has previously managed Everton, Manchester United and Real Sociedad in Spain.

In 2002, David Moyes became the Manager of Everton Football Club. He took Everton to the Champions league in 2005,and in 2009,Everton were finalist at the Emirates FA Cup. He succeeded Alex Ferguson as Manager of Manchester United in 2013,but failed to improve on the tempo set by the legend. Moyes was saacked ten months after his appointment as the Coach of the Red Devils.
In 2014, he was appointed as Manager of Real Sociedad in Spain. David Moyes couldn't turn around the fortunes of the Spanish Club,but left them at the sixteenth place in the La Liga. He was sacked for poor performance.

The Former Everton and Manchester United Manager has been appointed as the Manager of the " Black Cats" on a four year deal. He has taken over from Sam Allarydce , who has left to become England's Manager.
On his appointment as Sunderland Boss,David Moyes said " I have taken over a Big British club,with a great support and I'm looking forward to working on the Premier league once again".

Moyes played his first game as Sunderland Coach against Manchester City and lost the game at the Ethad Stadium by 2goals to 1. The Black Cats played a competitive game against the " Noisy Neighbours of Manchester",but they were not as skillful and impressive as their opponents. Paddy Mcnair, a former United Defender scored an own goal against his Club.

Looking at Moyes performance as a Coach in various clubs across Europe,he has to step up his tactics and change his style of play. He has to improve his management style and give morale to his players. He has a strong team that can withstand any opponent,but as the Coach the input lies on him to utilise the skill of his squad.
Let us hope, David Moyes can change the fortunes of the Black Cats.









Friday 12 August 2016

Now That Antonio Conte is Chelsea's New Manager.

Antonio Conte has been appointed to take over as Chelsea's Manager.He was a former Italian Coach and Juventus Manager.
Conte has signed a three year contract with the London Club. He is known as the " God Father" in football quarters. He takes over from Guus Hiddink,who left at the end of last season.

The God father has won five medals as a Coach. He won the medals with Juventus. The medals includes 3 Serie A titles and 2 Super Coppa Cups. He was formerly an Italian mid-fielder, who represented Italy in the U.S.A 94 World Cup and Euro 2000.On both occasions, he won silver medals for his Nationality.
The former Italian Coach who took the Azurris to the quarter-finals in the just concluded Euros is a tactical and disciplined Coach.

Antonio Conte has taken his role as Manager of the London Club seriously. He stated that he is determined to start a new era of success at Chelsea,after the worst season of the Roman Abramovic era. He said he is going to "fight for the title". Conte has made some tactical signings. He signed Michy Bathsuayi,formerly a Marseille's Belgian Forward for £32million. He has also signed Kante who was formerly at the Foxes( Premier league Champions).

The God Father is a training-ground Manager who has promised to transfer his ideas to the squad. He stated that he wants to reinforce his team,so that they can compete with other top clubs.

Looking at his track record with the Old Lady(Juventus Football Club) and also as an Italian Coach, the God Father has what it takes to transform the club to the heights it once achieved under the" Special One". The Premier League Season is going to be a tough one and very competitive. And one of the Managers that can turn things around is Antonio Conte.

We at Segun Goke's Soccer wish the " God Father" best of luck at Stanford Bridge.












Thursday 11 August 2016

Real Madrid Wins the UEFA Super Cup.

The UEFA Super Cup is the match played between the Champions of the UEFA Champions league and the Winners of the UEFA Europa Cup. In this case, the game was played between Sevilla the Winners of the Europa Cup and Real Madrid, the Winner of the Champions league.
The game started with a lot of tension and anxiety. The match had the flavour of the Champion's game. Sevilla had more possession as the game progressed and later Madrid  took charge of that game.
Real Madrid scored the first and the Europa Champions equalised the game.

The game took a different turn in the Second half when Sevilla made it 2 goals to 1. It was going to look as if the Europa Winners will win the game, when Sergio Ramos the Captain of the Real Madrid squad nodded the equaliser at the 93rd minutes. This took the game to extra time.
In the extra time, both teams slugged it out to emerge as the winner of the encounter. In the 28th minutes of the extra time, Real Madrid struck with a solo move by the defender and the rest is history. The game ended with 3 goals to 2 in favour of the European Champions.
Now, Real Madrid is Champions of the UEFA Super Cup.




Can Leicester City Retain the Premier League Title This New Season(2016/17).

Leicester City are the reigning Champions of the Barclay Premier league, they shocked the football community last season by winning the league.
They proved that with determination and belief,you can achieve anything you desire in life.

The New Season starts on the 13th of August,2016.To introduce the season, the community shield will first of all set the centre stage. That match was played last Sunday,unfortunately the Premier league Champions lost that game to Manchester United.Claudio Ranieri's men only won a game out of the three matches that they played in their pre-season. The Club has made some notable signings that includes Ahmed Musa, a notable winger from the Russian league.

Leicester City faces stiff Competition from the Strong Clubs like Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea,who recently changed their Managers to World Class Coaches. Then they also face notable threats from Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool who have also strengthened their squad and have good managers as well.
If the Foxes want to retain the title, they have to do some extraordinary things. They need to work very hard and add some flavour to their playing pattern. Not every thing is about strength, their players must also be skillful on the field of game. They lost the game to Manchester United on Sunday,because Mourinho's men were more skillful and organised.

In wrapping this piece up, the Premier league is getting more competitive by the day, and with the introduction of some top level Managers like Pep, Conte etc, who are successful Coaches in the world of football. Then Ranieri must work very hard and do some hard thinking,if he is going to retain the title.

Thank You For Reading.
I am also open to your Feedbacks and Comments.





Sunday 7 August 2016

Manchester United Wins The Community Shield.

Jose Mourinho has won the first Cup of the new season, which is the Community Shield. As I mentioned in my last blog post yesterday, the Community shield is the game played between last seasons Premier League Champions and Last Season FA Cup Winners. This year it was played between Leicester  City and Manchester United.

The game was played with so much tension and anxiety of the upcoming New season. Both Coaches wanted to prove a point. Leicester City was a formidable team,strong and compact. Unfortunately for them in the 30th minutes,they couldn't contain Jesse Lingard's Skill and they allowed the first goal in by the young mid fielder.
In the Second half, Ahmed Musa was brought in, and he proved his mettle on the field. He out ran  the United Defenders who were careless on the wings.
Marounni Fellaini was careless with the ball, he couldn't contain the pressure of the Nigerian and the ball from Musa,got to a goal Puncher, Vardy who netted the equaliser for the Foxes.

The game progressed with more possession from the Premier league Champions,but the FA Cup Winners were able to contain the pressure with their displays, passes and flexibility.
At the 80th minute, Zlatan who had been contained by Morgan all through the game, got an opportunity and he got a connected pass that resulted into him nodding the winning goal into the net.

This is my over view of the game, Leicester City proved that they are a formidable team, but they need to be conscious of themselves.
Manchester United showed some sign of flexibility and creativity in the game. But they need to play has a cohesive unit.
Zlatan Ibrahomovic proved to me that he is a Striker. One Chance and a Goal. Bally was a strong Rock at the Back,but he needs to watch his game,so that he won't get unnecessary cards.
For the Foxes, Maahrez stood out as an outstanding mid fielder, he was able to contain Carrick and Fellaini. Ahmed Musa was very effective in the wings and was a threat to the United's Defence. We should expect goals from Vardy and Ibrahimovic this season. They are the Strikers to watch out for.
Congratulations to United and Mourinho for winning their first trophy for the Season.
Thank You all for reading.

I am open to comments.









Saturday 6 August 2016

Who Wins The Community Shield?

The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is English foot ball's  annual match contested between the champions of the previous premier league season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley's Stadium. The current holders are Arsenal,who retained the shield by beating Chelsea in the 2015 match.

This  year's  Community Shield match would be played by Leicester City who are the Premier league Champions of the 2015/16 season and Manchester United who are the FA Cup winners of the 2015/16 season.

Manchester United have won the Premier league twenty times(20) in the history of the. English Premier league. They are favourites to win the community shield. Jose Mourinho was appointed last May to succeed Louis Van Gaal,who was sacked after guiding the club to win their 12th FA Cup.
Mourinho has signed  a couple of players,that includes Zlatan Ibrahomovic who is a deadly striker that is a threat to any defence.
Out of the three matches United played in their pre-season, before coming to the community shield. They won two matches and lost to Borrusia Dortmund. Jose Mourinho's side has the experience and exposure of the community shield,because they have featured in it a number of times.

Leicester City are coming to the community shield as an under-dog . The last time they played against United in the league, it was two draws with two games in the previous season.
Claudio Raineri has signed a couple of players,that includes Ahmed Musa who was formerly at CSKA Moscow . During the pre-season game against Barcelona, he scored a brace despite their loss to the Spanish Champions. The Nigerian Winger is the player to look forward to in that encounter. The Foxes are a strong side and determined team. It was those attributes that won them the league last season.

In concluding this piece, the English Premier League is full of surprises. And anything can happen in the Community Shield. It is either the league Champions who are under-dogs that can carry the day or the Red Devils who can prove once again,that they want to get back the title won last in 2013.
Time will Tell.

Thank You All For Reading.







Friday 5 August 2016

Can Samson Siasia lead the Dream Team VI to Olympic Victory at Rio?

Samson Siasia is the Coach of the Nigerian's under 23 team also known as the Dream team vi. He is leading the team in Brazil to Olympic victory. He was a former football striker and Super Eagles Coach.
Siasia has appointed Mikel as Captain of the Dream Team vi side. He stated that" Mikel Obi was a natural choice to lead the team as he is also the captain of the Nigerian Olympic contingent as well as the Super Eagles.

Samson Siasia was the coach of Dream Team iv, who won a silver medal for Nigeria in the Beijing Olympics in 2008, losing to the Argentina under 23 squad.
He has the onus of grabbing another Olympic glory at the Rio Olympics. The Dream team vi has started well,winning their opening match early this morning against Japan 5 goals to 4.

Samson Siasia is a tactician who believes in hard work and fitness. He has chosen a twenty three man squad who are skillful,fit and tactical to handle any opponent. John Mikel Obi is the Skipper of the squad, his experience and exposure will come to play for the. Dream team.

My advice to the team is not to lose their head over their first match victory,but they should take every game with utmost seriousness. And with diligence,hard work and Prayers. I believe they can lift the Olympic Gold at Rio.

Thank You For Reading.






Thursday 4 August 2016

Is Pogba worth 100 million Pounds?

Paul Pogba is a French midfielder and he plays for the Juventus football Club in Italy. He has been instrumental to the Old lady's rise to the top in Seria A for five consecutive seasons. Pogba was also a very vital force for the French National team in the just concluded Euros. His impact for the team was felt from the opener to the finals, in which they lost by a lone goal to the Portuguese National team.

Manchester United Football Club's Manager Jose Mourinho,is interested in bringing back the French man back to the club,he was once part of.
Legendary Manager, Sir Alex Ferguson sold him at 2012,feeling that" he was not good enough".
Paul Pogba has now become a talented player and a sought after by major Big Clubs like Real Madrid,
 Manchester City as well as Manchester United.

The issue now arising in the sports media,is that United is ready to spend 100million pounds to bring back Paul Pogba to his boyhood club.
With all indications, it is likely that Juventus would let go of their "star player",because the price they are being offered is mouth-watering.
We have till August 31 when the transfer window will close,to see if Paul Pogba comes back to Old trafford.

Jose Mourinho the United's Boss has insisted that he would bring in a midfielder with a class in addition to his already three new signings to challenge for the title.
And back to the question, I asked if Paul Pogba is eventually signed at Old trafford with a record fee of 100 million pounds,he would surpass Gareth Bale's 85 million Euros and will be the most expensive record signing this new season.

Is Paul Pogba worth an 100 million Pounds?
Paul Scholes,a former United Player has stated that" Pogba is a raw talent and there is no doubt about that. But he needs to score about 50 goals,to justify the money he is been offered. According to Scholes,he is not in the class of Ronaldo, Messi or Bale."
A former Arsenal and French Player, Emmanuel Petit who won the France 98 World Cup and Euro 2000 said of Pogba " He has a great future,but it is too early. I don't like the situation around him all the time. We are making him out to be a big star,but he is not a big star for me".

My own argument is this, if Pogba is eventually signed by Manchester United. That means he would be earning 300,000 Pounds per week, he has to justify that signing by becoming effective and scoring goals. He must also win the league.
If he can't do all this,then that 100 million pounds is a waste of resources.
I am also open to comments on what you think of Paul Pogba and 100 million pounds.
Thank you for reading.











Sunday 31 July 2016

Now That Jose Mourinho is Manager Of Manchester United Football Club.

It is no longer news that Jose Mourinho has been appointed as the Manager of Manchester United Football club. He takes over from Louis Van Gaal, who was asked to leave the stage after the club's victory at the FA Cup Finals.

Mourinho, born 53 years ago has coached at the top level of European Football,winning league titles in Spain, England, Portugal and Italy. Jose Mourinho has
won the UEFA Champions league twice with FC Porto in 2004 and with Inter Milan in 2010.
He is regarded by a number of players,coaches and commentators as one of the greatest and most successful manager in the world of football.

Jose Mourinho is highly renowned for his tactical prowess,game management and adaptability to different situations. He normally plays with three or more central mid fielders,because it is his belief that the midfield wins the game for the team.

Critics of Jose Mourinho's style of tactics has asserted that he does not play entertaining football. He believes that his team is superior to other teams.
Mourinho's style of management dictates that he operates on the edge,and he has found it impossible to rescue a situation that has spiralled out of control. This led to his Sack at Stanford Bridge on his second
 coming.

Now that Jose Mourinho is the Manager of Manchester United Football Club,a club that he has always desired to manage. It is expected that Jose learns from his tactical errors and implement a good strategy that will help him to succeed at Old Trafford.
Mourinho has stated that in his first Press Conference as Manager of Manchester United that" he wants to win the Premier league in his first season at Old Trafford".
Time will tell,if he can deliver on his words.




    

Now That Pep Guardiola Is The Manager of Manchester City.


Josep "Pep " Guardiola, born on the 18th of January,1971 is a Spanish Professional football Coach and former player who is the current Manager of Manchester City.

After retiring as a footballer,Guardiola became Coach of Barcelona B,and in 2008 he took over from Frank Rijkaard as the first team manager.
During his time at Barcelona,he won six titles for the club that includes la liga titles, Copa Del Roy and the UEFA champions league.

He later moved to Bayern Munich in 2013, following the retirement of Jupp Heynekes. And during his three years at Bayern Munich, he won three titles at Allianz Arena.

Pep Guardiola has been appointed as the Coach of Manchester City,taking over from Manuel Pellegrini.
The Barcalay Premier league is different from the Laliga and the Bundensliga  where Guardiola have previously managed. In laliga,it is a three horse race that determines who wins  the league. It is either Barcelona, Real Madrid or recently Athletico Madrid. But Barcelona has won more laliga titles than the two other clubs in the last ten years.

In the Bundesliga,it is a two horse race between Bayern Munich and Borrusia Dortmund. And the Bavarians has always  had the upper hand between the two clubs.

Looking at the Barcalay Premier league in recent times,there are lot of complexities in it. It is a league that is unpredictable, anything could happen. It used to be a four horse race between Manchester United,Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal. But now, Manchester City, Spurs and the Champions Lieciester City are all in the mix. Within the last five years,Manchester City has won the league twice. In the 2015-16 season, Leceister City an under-dog won the league.

Pep Guardiola has been labelled as a young manager,that lacks experience. This admission was given by Frank Ribery of Bayern Munich, a club Pep has previously maanaged. Ribery criticised Guardiola for losing the semi-final Champions league to Athletico Madrid. Ribery stated"that he talks too much,instead of taking action".

Now that Pep Guardiola is the Manager of the" Noisy Neighbours" in Manchester,he faces an undaunting task of taking Manchester City to greater heights. The question is this: Can he replicate the successes he achieved both in Spain and Germany in England?
Time will Tell.









Friday 29 July 2016

Can Sam Allardyce Improve English Football?

Samuel "Sam " Allardyce known in football circles as "Big Sam", is an English Football Manager and former professional player who is now Manager of the English National team.

The Former Sunderland Manager,who was appointed as the Manager of Sunderland in October 15, 2015 saved the club from being relegated,after a poor display in the last season of the Barcalay Premier league.
Sam Allardyce has been labelled as a long ball Manager,by some football analysts. Jose Mourinho has critcised him for playing " 19th Century Football",saying his style of football lacks the mordernity of present day soccer.
Big Sam takes a modern technology and statistics centred approach to tactics, and has been praised for his organisation and man-management skills.

Sam Allardyce has been.appointed as the New England Manager by the English FA. He replaces Roy Hogson who resigned, following the poor display of the English National team at the just concluded Euros staged in France.
On his appointment as Manager of the" Three Lions", he stated that " I will do everything I can to help England do well and give our Nation, the success our Fans deserve".
The English National team has not won any major tournament since the year 1966,when they hosted the World Cup and won it. The last time,when they were close was in the year 1990, when they got to the Semi-finals,after defeating Cameroun in the quarter-finals 3 goals to 2.
The "Three Lions" has never won the Euros since the 1960s till date.

Looking at Big Sam with his pe degree, who has transformed football clubs like Bolton, West Ham,Sunderland etc to an enviable positions in  the English Premier league. Do you think, he has the charisma to take England to the level of winning Football Competitions?

Time will Tell.
Segungoke.blogspot.com wishes Sam Allardyce the best in his new capacity as the England Manager.
Thank You For Reading.

Remember, Your Suggestions and Comments are gladly Welcome.






Tuesday 26 July 2016

Arsene Wenger: The Manager With A Clear Business Sense.

Arsene Wenger born on October 22,1949, is a French Football Manager and Former player. He has been the manager of Arsenal Football Club since 1996,this has made him become the club's longest serving manager and most successful in terms of major titles won.
The nickname" Le Professeur" is used by the fans and the British media to reflect Wenger's studious demeanour. His approach to the game emphasis on attacking mentality,with the aim that football ought to be entertaining on the pitch.
In an interview  with the Sunday Times in April 2004, Wenger stated that " Football is first and foremost a game. It has a framework,yet should leave some part for freedom of expression. In France,nowadays we seem to have found the right balance between team ,
organisation and the freedom allowed to the player".

Anyone who closely follows the world of soccer(or football) depending on what part of the globe you come from would know about Arsene Wenger's legendary reputation for unearthing and nurturing talented players and transforming unknown or under-performing players into superstars without breaking the bank.
Although Wenger does not shy away from spending big and acquiring established stars when necessary,he is never afraid to give a chance to unknown players without established reputations and strong name recognition.
In an appearance in front of business leaders in 2011, Wenger was asked how does he discover young talents?. This was his answer:
" It is my job to know when something is there. First you need the talents,but also you need to meet someone who believes in you and gives you a chance. You can imagine though, that plenty of people have talent in life but they do not meet someone who gives them a chance.Can you name one Formula One driver from an African Country,apart  from South Africa?
And you can really imagine that there is not one guy in Africa with the talent to be a formula one driver?
Why are they not there? Because no one has given them a chance. So in life it's important to meet some one who will give you a chance, and when I can do this in football,i do it".

Thierry Henry is a great example of Wenger's recruitment philosophy. Henry first emerged as a talented teenager under Wenger's tutelage at Monaco,where he frequently coached.
Despite Henry's failure at a big club(Juventus) Wenger brought him to Arsenal less than a year later with plans to move from the wings to a more central position. In doing so, Wenger developed Arsenal's best player ever who currently hold Arsenal's goal scoring record.

Another example in Wenger's philosophy is the signing of the Nigerian Player Nwankwo Kanu from Italian Club,Inter Milan in 1999. Kanu was a talented young player,but his career almost came to an abrupt end when doctors discovered he was suffering from a heart defect. After undergoing a heart valve operation and subsequently suffering from knee injuries,his playing time at Inter was severely limited. Despite his medical condition and lack of playing time, Arsene decided to take a chance on him, stating "(T)his signing is a gamble,but one well worth making because of his huge talent".
Kanu repaid Wenger 's faith in him and went on to have a very successful career,scoring many goals for Arsenal and becoming a fan's favourite.

Lessons For Business Leaders With Regards To Arsene Wenger's Philosophy:

When Wenger recruits a player,he zeroes in on the player's talent and potential and put for less emphasis on irrelevant factors that other managers pay a lot more attention to.
He doesn't care about perceived pedigree or outside observers' opinions of what big names he should pursue. Wenger mostly looks to buy low,develop the player and sell high rather than go for the most expensive players on the market(this still holds true despite recent expensive acquiaitions on Mezut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez).
And he isn't afraid to give inexperienced players an opportunity and convert players to play in different positions,confident in his ability to teach them his system and make them an integral part of the team.
This philosophy  has led Wenger to achieve tremendous success at Arsenal,both in terms of the club's financial prosperity and the winning trophies, making the club one of Europe's top club.
Thanks for reading.
Your Suggestions and Comments are welcome.

Sources
1.Arsene Wenger's Wikipedia.
2. What Business Managers can learn From Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger's recruitment Strategy- Linkledon October 14,2014.






















Saturday 23 July 2016

Shuaibu Amodu: The Tactician with the Golden touch.

Shuaibu Amodu was born on the 10th of April 1958 in Edo State. He was a four-time Coach of the Super Eagles. He has coached Nigeria in three different periods: 1998- 1999, 2001- 2002,2008- 2010,then 2015 replacing the late Stephen Keshi.
During his playing years in his career. He played for Dumez from 1976- 1978 and Niger Tornadoes from 1978- 1981. His playing career finished,after he broke his leg.

Amodu has coached a number of club sides in the Country(Nigeria) such as B.C.C lions of Gboko, El- Kanemi Warriors,Shooting Stars of Ibadan and Sharks of Porthacourt. He has also coached Orlando Pirates in South Africa.
He is a manager that has the golden touch,because he delivers when he comes to handling a team. During his spell as the Nigerian Coach,he won the Bronze medal in Mali 2002 and Angola 2010. He also qualified the Super Eagles for the 2002 World Cup that took place in Korea/ Japan and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa,but he was not allowed to participate in the World competitions.His other accomplishments includes FA Cup titles with Bcc Lions of Gboko and El-Kanemi Warriors on different periods. He has also served as the technical director of the Nigerian National teams in May 2013.
Sadly, Shuaibu Amodu died in his sleep,at the age of 58 on the 11th of June 2016, after complaining of chest problems.
Amodu is synonymous with the Super Eagles. The history of the Super Eagles cannot be written without the inscription of Shuaibu Amodu on it. This is so,because he was a tactician that had a golden touch in the way he handled the Super Eagles.
I pray that the Nigerian Football Federation respect Nigerian Coaches,because they have always treated them unfairly.
May the soul of the late Shuaibu Amodu rest in peace.
Amen.
Thank you for Reading.





Thursday 21 July 2016

Political Interference in Nigerian Football.

This article is dedicated to the late 2 Coaches that has made an impact in Nigerian Football, the late Shuaibu Amodu and Stephen Keshi. May their souls rest in Peace. Amen.

Political interference can be defined as the intervention of politicians or Govt officials in a job, that is meant to be handled by technocrats or specialist in that particular job. That is the state in which our football is being handled in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Football Federation is the statutory body that has been registered by law or referendum to administer Nigerian football, but unfortunately because of their incompetence, their job has been partially handled by the Ministry of Sports which is a government parastatal.
The Nigerian Football Federation has a Chairman which is elected by its members and other officials. There is an arm in the Federation called the technical department, this is the section that selects the technical adviser or Coaches of the National teams and also advise the team in matters that concern the interests of the team.
The Super Eagles is the Nigerian National team and the pivot of all the National teams(Flying Eagles,Under 23 team, Falcons etc).

The Coaches that has always been selected for the National teams are respected technocrats or former players who knows their onions in the game. An agreement is made between them and the Federation,and a contract is being signed that will act as a form of guidance for their employment.
The Federation in most cases,that is practically seen do not keep to the contract, sometimes the Coaches are owed salaries and treated poorly, especially if they are local Coaches. The late 2 coaches that led the Super Eagles were even owed till death. Late Stephen Keshi won the 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa, after the competition till the time he was relieved of his appointment as Chief Coach,he was owed and treated with contempt.

Another case that is disheartening,is the contest of administrative offices between stakeholders. Most especially the position of Chairman of the N.F.F,a recent case is the contest between Amaju Pinnick the Current Chairman and Chris Giwa. The latter accussed the incumbent, that he was wrongly chosen and that he was the one that won the election,this occurrence keep repeating itself all the time.
The Nigerian Football Federation should put its house in order, their aim is for the National teams to succeed in domestic and International competitions. They have a technical department that should be sound and efficient to make things work, they should not be money conscious, but focus on taking the National team to a greater height.
Sadly,the Super Eagles since they won the African Cup of Nations in 2013 has failed to qualify for the Continental Competitions since then. They did not partake in 2015, which was won by the Ivory Coast National team, and they won't be participating in the 2017 Cup of Nations as well, because they lost their place to the Pharoahs of Egypt.

All hands must be on deck,most especially for the Federation which is the Pivot of Nigerian Football to sort themselves out. They must be coordinated, organised and focused in transforming our football. They must avoid sentiments and not moved by the"brown envelope syndrome" in performing their duties. It is only by this acts,that they would earn the respect of the Sports loving Nigerians who wish and love that their National teams should succeed.
Failure to do this,the Nigerian populace will continue to see the Federation as " empty barrels that makes the loudest noise". Wisdom is profitable to direct, I hope things turn around positively for Nigerian Football.
Thank you for reading and May God bless us all. Amen.
 





Monday 11 July 2016

Portugal Wins Its First International Competition

Portugal has just won it's first international trophy in World Football. The last time the Portuguese side were close to winning a trophy was in Euro 2004,a competition which they hosted,but lost to Greece on home soil.
The newly crowned European champions were not a very good side in this competition,but they were a determined side who gave their total all to the game.
In the group stage,they narrowly lost out and luckily qualified to the group of 16. It was in that group, they defeated Croatia,advanced to the quarter finals defeated Poland through penalty shootout. They advanced to the Semis and defeated Wales by 2 goals to nill.
If the truth,must be told the French team,has been the toughest opponent of the Portuguese side in Euro 2016. History favoured the French squad as the host,and also a very balanced team. But the unpredictable Portuguese side showed resilience,even after their talisman, Christiano Ronaldo was taken out of the field,due to injury he sustained on the pitch. Despite the skillful tactics of the French team and pressure,the Portuguese squad took the game to extra minutes. It was in the extra minutes,that  substitute striker Edger struck and the rest is history.
Christiano Ronaldo has won his first international trophy for Portugal,after winning a lot of medals and trophies in club football. His club, Real Madrid just recently won the Champions league and this is another trophy added to the Player's curriculum vitae. Ronaldo has attained the status of a legend in World Football.
In rounding up  this analysis,i have now also learnt that winning a football competition is not just by skill and compact squad,but by passion and determination and that was what Christiano Ronaldo and his Portuguese side had.
Congratulations to the Portuguese side on their first International trophy.

Thank you for reading.
God bless you all
Amen.








Friday 8 July 2016

Who Will Win Euro 2016?

The two teams that would play the Euro 2016 Finals have already been known,following the outcomes of the semi-finals that took place the last two days. Yesterday,France defeated Germany 2 goals to nill and on wednesday,Portugal defeated Wales by 2 goals to nill.
At the beginning of this competition,i tipped six teams as favourites for the Cup. They are as follows: France the host,Spain the defending Champions,Italy,Germany,England and lastly Portugal.
England surprised me,despite the calibre of squad they possessed,a tiny Country Iceland defeated them in the second round.England has got a bad run in football competitions for a very long time.They need to go back to the drawing board. England has the best league in the world,their technical department has a lot to do to proffer solutions to their poor display. Italy gave a good account of themselves,but lost to a more balanced team,Germany in the quarter finals.
Spain has not been able to bounce back after their poor outing in the 2014 World Cup,tiki taka adopted by the Barcelona team is no more effective,Spain never learnt and they were bundled out by Italy in the group of 16.
Germany, one would have thought they will be playing in the Finals,but their display in the Semis against the host,was disgusting. They had more ball possession,but poor finishing .It was unlike the German Machines that marshalled their way into the last 4,but lost to France due to bad display.
I want to talk about a suprise team in this competition,Wales. I never gave them that chance that they would go this far,but they proved doubting Thomas wrong and they would be playing the third-place with the German Machines. Despite the attraction of their star player,Gareth Bale. He did little to take his team to the last four.
Iceland is also another Country that surprised the football community,one never expected them to get even to the last 8,but they did. England was defeated by this small Nation in the group of 16. The future is bright for these two teams( Wales and Iceland).
I will conclude this write up by focusing on the two Finalists for this year Euros( France and Portugal)
France has done remarkably well as the host,they have a compact team and a balanced bench. To crown it up,they are the host. History favours them,they hosted the world cup in 98 and won it, Can they do it again at Euro 2016?
Portugal is a football Nation with great History,they hosted the Euros in 2004 and lost to Greece in the Final. They are in another Final against the Host( France), will history also repeat itself again.
They parade a balanced squad and the Captain of the team,Christiano Ronaldo is one of the 2 best players in World football. He has been instrumental to his Country's road to the Final. Will he repeat that feat,he made against Wales in the Final?
Time will tell,and by Sunday the 10th of July the 2 teams will slug it out and one of them will be crowned Champions.
Is it France or Portugal?
Thank you for Reading.
God bless you all. Amen.






Saturday 2 July 2016

Did Louis Van Gaal Outshine David Moyes as a Man Utd Coach?

David Williams Moyes is a Scottish professional football manager that was born on the 25th of April 1963.David Moyes made 540 league appearances as a centre-half in a playing career that began with Celtic,where he won a championship medal. He then played for Cambridge United,Bristol City,Shrewsbry Town and Dunfermline Athletic before ending his playing career with Preston North End.
The 2013-2014 season was Manchester United's 22nd season in the premier league and their 39th consecutive season in the top flight of English Football. David Moyes was appointed as United's Manager after taking over from Sir Alex Ferguson who retired after 27 years in charge.
David Moyes inherited a club,that has just won their 20th title under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson. Despite winning the community shield,under Moyes the club was struggling in the league and endured some of their worst results since the end of the 1980s.
Some of the results were as follows: On the 8th of March 2014,a premier league fixture between United and Liverpool at Old trafford ended in a 0-3 loss at home. The second bad game under David Moyes was a Champion's league fixture between Olympiakos and Manchester United. The game ended in a 2-0 loss for United at Olympiakos. The third game was not really a defeat,but a dissapointing performance at Old Trafford btw United and Fulham.This game took place  on the 9th of Feb 2014.It was expected that United should win the game,but as bad as it was,it ended in a 2-2 draw game.
The fourth game was so painful, because David Moyes broke a bad record at Old Trafford. Newcastle broke a record at Old Trafford.Newcastle broke a record,that was made in 1972,that was the last time they won Manchester United at home.
On the 7th of Dec 2013 at Old trafford,Newcastle rewrote the record that they made in 197w2,by defeating United by a lone goal at home.
The Fifth game and also the game that started it all under David Moyes was the loss to Manchester City at the Ethad Stadium. On the 22nd of Sept 2012,City defeated United by 4 goals to 1.David Moyes first trip to the noisy neighbours ended in humiliation.
The limp 2-0 defeat away at Everton proved to be the last straw for the Glazer Family, who had until then remained behind their beleaguered Manager,but the manner of the loss,following on from two positive premier league victories over Aston Villa and Newcastle,surely proved that the club was not heading in the right direction under the 50-year old.
On the 22nd of April 2014,with four games left.David Moyes was sacked as United's Manager less than a year left into his six- year contract.Ryan Giggs  was placed in charge of United's remaining 4 games,from which they collected seven points.
A Manager(David Moyes) that inherited the premier league's crown in 2013,led the club to a seventh place on the league. That was United's lowest finish since 1990 and they missed out of European Qualification for the first time since 1989- 1990.
Aloysius Paulus Mama "Louis Van Gaal is a Dutch Football Manager and a former player. He was born on the 8th of August,1952.He was formerly Manager of Ajax,Barcelona,Az,Bayern Munich,the Netherlands and Manchester United. He is one of the decorated managers in world football.Before his career as a Coach,Van Gaal played as a midfielder for Royal Antwerp,Telsta,Sparta Rotterdam,Ajax and Az. He is also a fully qualified physical education teacher and has worked as such at high school during various stages of his career as a semi-professional footballer.He won the UEFA Cup and Champions league title with Ajax. He also won two Spanish league titles and one Copa del Roy with Barcelona. In his first season at Bayern Munich,he won the Bundesliga title,won the DFB.Pokal ,and also reached the final of the champions league. In July 2012,he was appointed Manager of the Netherland for the secound time and led them to a third place at 2014 Fifa World Cup.
Van Gaal was confirmed to replace David Moyes as the new Manager for Manchester United on 19th May 2014. He signed a three-year contract coming into effect after the 2014 World Cup. On his appointment as United Coach,Van Gaal claimed that he would give youth a chance and he kept to that promise with the likes of Marcus Rashford,Jesse Lingard etc.
Van Gaal lost his official first game in charge,a 1-2 home defeat to Swansea City in the opening match of the 2014-15 premier league season. On the 26th of August,United lost 4-0 to league one side Milton Keynos Denis in the second round of the league Cup.He won his first competitive game in United's fourth Match of the league season,a 4-0 home victory over Queen Park Rangers. After ten United's league matches,the club was in the ninth place with 13 points and two victories,their worst start to the season since 1986- 87 under Ron Atkinson.
Under Louis Van Gaal,United's form improved as the season progressed. A run of seven consecutive wins was part of ten match unbeaten run that started with a 1-0 home win over Crystal Palace.
On 8 November 2014, and ended by Southampton,who won 1-0 at Old trafford in 11 January 2015. United were also knocked out at the quarter-final stages of the 2014- 15 FA Cup by holders and eventual winner Arsenal, who inflicted a 2-1 home defeat on Van Gaal's team on the 9th March.
In his first season,Van Gaal led Manchester United to a fourth placed finish three place and six point higher than the previous season.
The new year 2016,started well for the Dutch Man with wins against Swansea,Sheffield United and Liverpool and a draw against Newcastle.
After a 0- 3 loss to Spurs on the 10th of April,several United Players criticised the Coach in the dressing room calling him " clueless" and questioned his tactics after he openly chastised young striker Marcus Rashford and several other players.
On the 21st of May 2016,Van Gaal won his first trophy with United,the FA Cup when his side defeated Crystal Palace, after extra time,with Jesse Lingard scoring the winning goal. United matched Arsenal's record of 12 FA Cups. Two days later, Louis Van Gaal and the Dutch Members  of his staff were sacked by the club.
In wrapping up this  analysis, back to the question I asked Did Louis Van Gaal outshine David Moyes?.In my own opinion,yes he did. David Moyes inherited the crown from the legendary Alex Ferguson and at the end of his first season in charge,he led the club to seventh place and broke bad records.
Louis Van Gaal inherited a broken squad from his predecessor,took the club back to European Football in his first season and won the FA Cup in his secound season. He was sacked,because he did not qualify the club for European Football and some of his tactics were misplaced.
But I am open to your suggestions on the Comment angle on who you think outshone each other BTW David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal as United's Manager.
Thank you for reading.

God bless you all. Amen.






















Wednesday 29 June 2016

Did Louis Van Gaal outshine David Moyes as a Manchester United Manager?

David Williams Moyes is a Scottish professional football Manager that was born on the 25th of April 1963. David Moyes made 540 league appearances as a centre half in a playing career that began with Celtic,where he won a championship medal. He then played for Cambridge United, Shrewsbury Town and Dunfermline Athletic before ending his playing career with Preston North end.
The 2013- 2014 season was Manchester United's 22nd season in the premier league and their 39th consecutive season in the top flight of English Football.David Moyes was appointed as United Manager's after taking over from Sir Alex Ferguson,who retired after 27 years in charge.

David Moyes inherited a club,that has just won their 20th title under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson. Despite winning the community shield,Under Moyes the club was struggling in the league and endured some of their worst results since the end of the 1980s.
The bad games of David Moyes are as follows: On the 8th of March 2014,a premier league fixture between United and Liverpool at Old trafford ended in a 0- 3 loss at home. The second bad game under David Moyes was a Championship's league fixture btw Olympiakos and Manchester United. The game ended in a 2-0 loss for United at Olympiakos.
The third game was not really a defeat,but a disappointing performance at Old trafford between United and Fulham.The game took place on the 9th of Feb,2014.It was expected that United should win the game,but as bad as it was,it ended in a 2-2 draw game.
The fourth game was so painful because David Moyes broke a bad record at Old Trafford.Newcastle broke a record that was made in 1972,that was the last time they won United at home. On the 27th of Dec 2013 at Old Trafford,Newcastle rewrote the record that they made in 1972,by defeating United by a lone goal at home.
The fifth game and also the game that started it  all under David Moyes was the loss to Manchester City at the Ethad stadium. On the 22nd of Sept 2013,City defeated United by 4 goals to 1.David Moyes first trip to the noisy neighbours ended in humiliation.The limp 2-0 defeat away at Everton proved to be the last straw for the Glazer family,who had until then remained behind their beleagured Manager,but the manner of the loss,following on from 2 positive premier league victories over Aston Villa and Newcastle,surely proved that the club was not heading in the right direction under the 50-year old.












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,with four games left,David Moyes was sacked as United's Manager less than a year into his six-year contract.Ryan Giggs was placed in charge for United's remaining games,from which they collected seven points.
A manager that inherited the premier le










Thursday 9 June 2016

Stephen Keshi:The Player and The Coach.

Stephen Okechukwu Keshi was born on the 31st of January 1962, to the family of Ogbuenyi Frederick Keshi family that was based in the Ilah Community of Delta State.
He attended St.Finbarr's College at Akoka in Lagos.
His professional career can be described as follows:
He played for ACB Football club in Lagos from 1979- 1980,made 10 appearances and scored 1 goal. From 1980- 1984,he played for New Nigerian Bank made 42 appearances and scored 2 goals. In 1986,he moved to African Sports made 22 appearances and scored 2 goals . From 1986, he moved to Europe.In Europe,he played for Lokeren Football Club made 28 appearances and scored 6 goals.That was in the year 1986- 1987 at Lokeren. He moved to Anderlecht Football Club in Belgium from 1987-1991,he made 99 appearances and scored 18 goals. From there,he played at RC Strasbourg from 1991- 1993 made 62 appearances and scored 9 goals. In 1993- 1994,he moved to RWDM and made 40 appearances and scored 1 goal.In 1995,he moved to CCV Hydra made 20 appearances and scored 1 goal.From 1996- 1997,he played for Sacramento Scorpions made 16 appearances and scored 3 goals.Then in 1997- 1998 he ended his professional football at Perlis FA made 34 appearances and scored 4 goals. In total, he appeared 386 times in his professional career and netted 51 goals.

In the International scene,he played for the Super Eagles of Nigeria from 1981- 1995. The Big Boss as he was fondly called made an appearance 64 times for Nigeria National Team and scored 9 goals.
Stephen Keshi was part of the squad that were runners up in the Algiers 90 Nations Cup. He lifted the trophy in 1994, when the Super Eagles defeated Zambia in Tunisia 94,both 2 goals were scored by Emmanuel Amuneke.

His Coaching Career can also be explained in this manner. He coached Togo from  2004- 2006,after qualifying them for the World Cup in Germany 2006. He was promptly replaced by Otto Pfister prior to the World Cup Finals. He was reinstated in 2007 and sacked again in 2008. The Big Boss was appointed as Manager of the Mali National Football team in April 2008 on a two-year deal and was sacked in January 2010,after Mali's exit in the group stages of the African Cup of Nations.

Keshi became the Coach of the Super Eagles in 2011.He led Nigeria to qualification for the 2013 African Cup of Nations,which they went on to win, defeating Burkina Faso by a lone goal in the final.

On the 16th of November 2013,Stephen Keshi qualified the Super Eagles for the 2014 World Cup held in Brazil after defeating Ethiopia 4- 1 on aggregate in a play-off. He is the First African Coach to qualify two African Nations( Togo and Nigeria) to the World Cup.
After Nigeria's exit from the World Cup in 2014,Keshi's contract with the Nigerian Football Federation(NFF) expired and was not renewed.

In Conclusion,Stephen Keshi is the secound African after Egypt's Mahmoud El-Gohary to have won the African cup of Nation both as a PLAYER and a COACH.
Sadly,Stephen Keshi passed away on the 8th of June,2016 after complications of  cardiac arrest. He would always be remembered by both the PLAYERS that he played Football with and the ones he COACHED.
He was indeed a PLAYER and a COACH.













Wednesday 8 June 2016

Lionel Messi vs Christiano Ronaldo:Who is better?

Lionel Andres leo" Messi who is from Argentina and a professional footballer was born on the 24th of june,1987. We all know that (Leo Messi) plays for  Barcelona and he is also the skipper of the Argentine National Team.
Messi started his footballing career at the age of seven(7) when he started playing for Newell's old Boys in his native Country to the age of (13) in 2000.
Barcelona Football Club saw the potentials in Messi and adopted him as a kid player from 2001 to 2004.
He joined the Batch C players in Barcelona from 2003- 2004.He made 10 appearances and scored 5 goals.In 2004,because of his(Messi) rare talent,he was drafted to the Barcelona B side under Pep Guardiola,he made 22 appearances and scored 6 goals. From that time on,he has become part of the Barcelona squad.Since 2004 till date for the Barcelona team,he has scored 312 goals after 348 appearances.
He (Messi) was part of the Fifa U- 20 World cup team that won the gold medal in 2005.He was part of the Beijing Olympic team that defeated Samson Siaasa's under 23 team in the Final.
Lionel Messi is the only footballer in History to win five Fifa Ballon d'or, four of which he won consecutively,and the first player to win three European Golden shoes.
He has won 8 la liga titles with Barcelona,4 UEFA champions league titles,as well as 4 Copas del Roy.He is a prolific goal scorer.He has scored 50 goals in a season with Barcelona,a calendar year(91) goals, a single season (73) goals and most championship league season(5).
Diego Maradona said of him"These is my successor".His style of play, left footed dribbler reminds one of Diego Maradona in the 1978 World Cup hosted in Argentina and the 1986 World Cup played in Mexico.
Lionel Messi is such a fantastic Player and very rare in his generation.
Christiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese professional Footballer who was born on the 5th of February 1985.He presently play for Real Madrid Football Club and the Captain of the Portuguese National team.He is the first player to win four European Golden shoe awards .With Manchester United and Real Madrid,Ronaldo has won three premier league titles,one la liga,one FA Cup,two football leagues Cups,two Copas Del Roy,three UEFA Champions league,one FA community shield,one Spanish Super Cup,One UEFA Super Cup and two Fifa Club World Cups.
Ronaldo began his club playing Career for Sporting Lisbon in Portugal from August 2002. From 2002- 2003.He appeared 2 times and scored no goal.He began his youth career in his Native Country Portugal in 1992-1995 for Andorinha,no record was made about his goals there.From 1995- 1997 for Nacional at his native Country ,no record was made too.
He joined the Sporting Lisbon senior side at the same time from 2002- 2003,he scored 3 goals after 25 appearances.
From 2003,he joined Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson discovered his rare skill and talent at Sporting Lisbon.Christiano signed for United at the age of 18 for 15 million pounds.
From 2003- 2009,during his time as a Manchester United Player,he made 196 appearances and scored 84 goals.
Christiano Ronaldo was the world's most expensive Player when he moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2009 in a transfer worth 80 million pounds(94 million pounds/132 million dollars).His buy out clause is valued at 1billion pounds.
Since 2009 when he joined Real Madrid Football Club till date,he has scored 260 goals under 236 appearances.
He is the only player in May 2012,to score against every team in a single season in La Liga.He holds the record for most goals scored in a single UEFA Champions league season having scored 17 goals in the 2013- 2014 season.Christiano Ronaldo is the only player in the history of football to score 50 goals in a season of 6 consecutive occassions.
In September 2015,he became the all time top goal scorer in the UEFA champions league and in October 2015,Ronaldo became Real Madrid's all- time leading goal scorer. He is the secound highest goal scorer in l a liga history behind his perceived career rival Lionel Messi.
For his international Career with Portugal,Ronaldo is the first Portuguese Player to reach 50 international goals,making him Portugal's all -time top scorer.He scored his first international goal in Euro 2004 aand helped Portugal reach the final.Christiano Ronaldo became Captain of the Portugal National team in July 2008 and he led Portugal to the Semi-finals at Euro 2012.He finished the competition(Euro 2012) as joint -top scorer.
In November 2014,Ronaldo became the all-time top scorer in the UEFA European Championship (Including Qualifying with 23 goals.
Both Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo are great footballers,they are the best in their generation and will continue to dominate World Football until after the Russia 2018 World Cup or beyond.
Lionel Messi has scored more goals than Christiano Ronaldo.Messi has got more awards than Christiano Ronaldo. What makes Christiano Ronaldo different from Lionel Messi is that Ronaldo has been able to distinguish himself as a fantastic player in three football clubs,while Messi at one(Barcelona).
The rivalry between Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi is been aggravated by their fans and admirers who sometimes takes thing out of proportion,and cause havoc amongst themselves.
The Players(Messi and Ronaldo) see themselves as sportsmen who are performing their duties on the field of play.
So,Who is the Best amongst them is irrelevant to them. They are both great footballers and the best to have come out in the world of football.











Thursday 5 May 2016

First of all: Introduction

My names are Victor Olusegun Adegoke. I am a post graduate student of the University of Ibadan. I read Political science for my postgraduate degree(M.sc). I also read History and International studies for my Undergraduate degree at the Nnamdi Azikwe University Awka,Anambra state.
I am the owner of SegunGoke's Soccer blog.i want to feed my football family world wide on Soccer analysis that comprises of players who play the round leather game. I will also discuss on the philosophy and styles of world class Coaches like Jose Mourinho,PeP Guardiola,Diego Simeone and others in their approach and tactics to the round leather game.
I would also give an analysis of what takes place in the major leagues like the Barcalay Premier league,La Liga,French Ligue1,Bundensliga,Major League Soccer,Championship and other leagues in the world.
You would also get detailed analysis of the European Football,African Football,South America and other continents where the round leather game is played.
I welcome you all to Segun Gokeks Soccer Blog.
Thank You.
Your Friend!
Victor Olusegun Adegoke.