Was there any sense in Lagerback’s original 44-man list?

I think this is doubtful. What is the point in releasing a list of 44 invitees into the Super Eagles ahead of preparations for the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa and then deciding to prune the list down to 30 players without giving all the 44 players a chance to prove themselves in an open camp where the best players could actually be selected based on fitness, current form, individual output,technique and other factors that the technical crew may come up with in selecting the best and final 23.

I think this was just basically a miscalculation on the part of Lagerback and his assistants/advisers.

44 players in a World cup screening camp, less than two months before the finals proper was an act of indiscretion.

44 players in a screening camp a couple of weeks before the the finals would have been too unmanageable both in terms of the camping arrangements itself, logistics,training facilities, financial involvement, e.t.c

Therefore, yours truly thinks this is the first GOOF by our new Swedish coach Lars Lagerback.

Inviting 44 players was totally unnecessary and unwarranted. His bosses at the football house ought to have impressed it upon him that he should work with a manageable list of players not exceeding 30 players or thereabout.

As things stand, some earlier invited players who may have been having high hopes of being able to strut their stuff during the screening exercises, in order to be able to put themselves in contention for snatching a place, have lost outrightly, without being given a chance.

Home based players like goalkeeper Bassey Akpan,Solomon Okpako,Ahmed Musa, Bartholomew Ibenegbu,Gabriel Rueben and other fringe or newly invited players like Omatsone Aluko, Onyekachi Okonkwo,Greg Etafia,Joseph Akpalla and maybe even Peter or John Utaka should forgetthe World Cup and just arrange their vacation immediately, after such a hectic professional football season.

Below is the full 44-man list that Lagerback released originally.

Nigeria’s 44-man Provisional World Cup Squad:

Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama (Hapoel Tel Aviv, Israel), Dele Aiyenugba (Bnei Yehuda, Israel), Austin Ejide (Hapoel Petah Tikva, Israel), Greg Etafia (Moroka Swallows, South Africa) and Bassey Akpan (Bayelsa United, Nigeria)

Defenders: Taye Taiwo (Olympique Marseille, France), Elderson Echiejile (Rennes, France), Chidi Odiah (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Onyekachi Apam (OG Nice, France), Olubayo Adefemi (US Boulogne, France), Joseph Yobo (Everton, England), Daniel Shittu (Bolton Wanderers, England), Ayodele Adeleye (Sparta Rotterdam, Netherlands), Michael Odibe (Siena, Italy), Sam Sodje (Charlton Athletic, England), Rabiu Afolabi (SV Salzburg, Austria) and Terna Suswan (Lobi Stars, Nigeria)

Midfielders/Forwards: Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Victor Anichebe (Everton, England), Chinedu Obasi (TSG Hoffenheim, Germany), Nwankwo Kanu, John Utaka (Portsmouth, England), Obafemi Martins (Wolfsburg, Germany), Brown Ideye (FC Sochaux, France), Femi Ajilore (Groningen, Netherlands), Joseph Akpala (FC Brugge, Belgium), Peter Utaka (Odense Boldklub, Denmark), Michael Eneramo (Esperance, Tunisia), Ikechukwu Uche (Real Zaragoza, Spain), Obinna Nsofor (Malaga, Spain), Kalu Uche (Almeria, Spain), Dickson Etuhu (Fulham, England), Mikel Obi (Chelsea, England), Sani Kaita (Alaniya, Russia), Haruna Lukman (AS Monaco, France), Yusuf Ayila (Dynamo Kiev, Ukraine), Osaze Odemwingie (Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia), Seyi Olofinjana (Hull City, England), Onyekachi Okonkwo (FC Zurich, Switzerland), Omatsone Aluko (Aberdeen, Scotland), Gabriel Reuben (Enyimba, Nigeria), Ahmed Musa, Solomon Okpako (Kano Pillars, Nigeria), Bartholomew Ibenegbu (Heartland FC)

Author Bio: Emmanuel Ayomide-Praise(formerly Emmanuel Effiong) is a world class internet salesman,journalist,author,blogger,speaker and entreprenuer from Nigeria. He began his career in 1999 becoming perhaps Nigeria’s youngest tv/radio sports analyst featuring on such programmes as Milo World Of Sports on Raypower 100.5FM, Nigeria 99 special with Segun Odegbami on AIT(during the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Nigeria in 1999), AM Sports on AIT with Mitchell Obi and Ejiro Omonode and several other sports shows on AIT/Raypower and the now defunct Raypower 2(106.5FM), in patnership with BBC London spanning a period of two years. In January 2002, he became Nigeria’s youngest ever gainfully employed sports journalist and newspaper reporter, working with Nigeria’s biggest sports publishing concern,Complete Communications Ltd, publishers of Complete Football,Complete Sports and Sports Souvenir(rested) and left in April 2003 to pursue other interests. An entrepreneur per excellence, he is now involved in internet marketing,sports,media,blogging,publishing and speaking amongst others. He is the founder and editor of http://www.soccernigeriablog.com, Nigeria’s number one online soccer portal.

Category: Sports
Keywords: soccer, nigeria, soccer nigeria, nigeria soccer, super eagles,global soccer, world soccer,football,