Francisca Ordega has arrived the Super Falcons camp in Australia ahead of the 2023 FIFA women’s World Cup.
Ordega’s arrivals was announced on the Super Falcons Twitter handle on Saturday.
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This brings the number of players in camp to 22 with Halimotu Ayinde still being expected.
“Camp Updates!
“Our camp in Gold Coast swelled with the arrival of CSKA Moscow star Francisca Ordega from Russia.
We now have 22 players in Australia 🇳🇿for the
@FIFAWWC
“Still awaiting Rosengard midfielder Halimatu Ayinde from Sweden.”
The Falcons are in Group B at the World Cup with Australia, Olympic champions Canada and debutant Republic of Ireland.
The tournament will kickoff on July 20 and end August 20.
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_ Super Falcons Rearing To Go _
In the absence of quality friendly matches and short preparation time, the Super Falcons (with Fransica Ordega now in camp) will be looking towards the intensity of their training regime across 10 days to whip them into solid shape.
“The (training) sessions have been intense, motivating, and okay.” Said Captain Onome Ebi recently.
Despite the war of words between coach Randy Waldrum and the NFF recently as they continue to wash their dirty laundry in public, Ebi maintains that morale among the players in camp is very high .
“The girls are in good shape, in good spirits, and ready to go,” she said. “The training speaks for itself as regards the mood in camp because this is what I bargained for.”
As per their tactical preparedness for the gruelling tasks ahead, Ebi said: “The players are meeting up with physical and tactical aspects of training; the mood is okay.”
The video montage shown on the NFF twitter handle of the players’ training session shows a team working assiduously and tirelessly to be in tip-top physical and mental state.
It remains to be seen which formation Randy will deploy in their first game: the more open and offensive 4-3-3 or the more defensive and pragmatic 5-3-2.
Will the Super Falcons deploy long ball strategy or will they seek to slug it out on grass? Will they sit back, soak pressure to hit on the break or will they seek to go toe-to-toe with their adversaries?
Will Oparanozie earn a starting berth or will Onumonu (who has been underwhelming in front of goal for club and country recently) retain her Waldrum’s faith.
How will the likes of Imuran, Echegini, Abiodun, Demehin and Gift Monday adapt to this level of football?
Will Michelle Alozie be a liability in defence or has she beefed up her defensive paraphernalia?
The anticipation is crippling; the tension is palpable.
The Super Falcons continue with their training sessions. All eyes on Fitness Trainer Kylie Quigley to do his magic on the girls.
Good luck Super Falcons!
@Deo,
From your comment, I can see that you are one of the NFF officials.
Believing that this team is good to go with NFF not doing the right thing is a joke.
I wish the girls best luck
I understand where Deo is coming from. Why continue to be verbally angry at the deaf? NFF will not change from being irresponsible but the players have careers to protect. Let’s not focus on the bath water but the baby. Who’ll be on show at the tournament? Our Falcons, period. Glass house can burn to blazes. Who remembers any board member of NFF in the 90s? But we remember Akide, Mbachu etc.
So to hell with NFF. Hopefully, our falcons can shock the world. It is now not dicey for them again. We already think they would fail so “he who is down fears no fall”.
The Nigerian spirit should be encouraged in them as Oshoala recently said. 200m persons happy are better than the crookedness of insignificant few.
Go Falcons. We got you
I don’t think he’s an official but might be a sports(football) journalist which explains his in-depth knowledge and writing expertise concerning the above subject as well as others.
As for the drama concerning the SF and the NFF…well only God knows what is brewing behind the scenes and that alone is the anchor that may pull this talented team down.
_ Lauren Talks Part One _
Lauren Gregg: NFF Found Me Intimidating
Finally coming out to give her side of the story after being allegedly banned from Nigeria’s World Cup party by the NFF, Lauren Gregg (Coach Waldrum’s right-hand woman) has a lot to say, according to an article I read in the Equalizer magazine.
“What they don’t understand [is that] a great leader wants strong people around them,” said Lauren Gregg to media outlet Equalizer.
She went on to say: “Culturally, though, that’s not normal for them [in Nigeria]. I was seen as too opinionated for them. They saw me as having too much influence.”
“It became an issue for them. They wanted their Nigerian coaches to be more prominent.”
“We all play different roles. That’s how teams and the ‘team around the team’ are built.’
“When I was there, the Nigerian coaches felt sublimated and less important. They had to understand two things: I do have more experience. And two, almost everything I did, they had just as much opportunity to offer an opinion.” Added Gregg.
All these came on the backdrop of the vibes she got as Waldrum’s assistant in the Women’s Afcon last year. Gregg said that Waldrum has made it clear that he welcomes critique, questions and opinions but the NFF officials who witnessed their interactions didn’t particularly like her style.
“Because I’m willing to challenge him, willing to put my opinion out there, willing to speak my mind, it’s seen as threatening,” Gregg said.
“They don’t understand that Randy is fully capable and will filter any advice from me or anyone else and make his own decisions. He’s his own man, he’s his own coach, but I have an obligation to point out whatever I can to make us better,” said Gregg.
It was a very long article I read with much interest. Gregg would go on to suggest that she used her own time and money to support the team in recent times despite NFF not footing the bill.
She claimed was not allowed to join the team for the Revelations Cup in Mexico in February. However, she went on her own dime to help the team, she claimed.
Although she couldn’t join the team in Turkey for the Revelations Cup in April, Gregg said: “I had to do this remotely due to cost but stayed in touch with Randy and provided scouting and match analysis,” she said. “I want to help Randy and this team. I have been dedicated and committed to their success at every step for over two years.”
_ Lauren Talks Part Two _
…Yewande or Gregg, Pick One…
Now, coming to the circumstances around her axing from the World Cup roster, Gregg said Waldrum was in effect asked to pick between her and goalkeeper Yewande Balogun.
She said, after the NFF had canceled the 2 week training session in Nigeria (before jetting off to Australia) her and Waldrum recommended, the Federation still wanted them to take a local goalkeeper that they (NFF) had been raving about – a goalkeeper whom her and Waldrum couldn’t vouch for her technical capabilities.
“It’s not that we have anything against her — we just haven’t worked with her,” she said of the young goalkeeper. When Randy stood to his guns of picking Yewande Balogun in place of the homebased goalkeeper according to the terms of his contract, the NFF then allegedly chose to punish him by axing most trusted assistant Lauren from the World Cup.
Gregg supplied a text message to the media outlet from an unnamed source from NFF about her exclusion from the World Cup. It stated, “This is on Randy, who chose who to take to the [World Cup]. Apparently, he found Yewande a more valuable asset to the team than you are. That is why Yewande is in the team, and you are not. This is all Randy now.”
_ Lauren Talks Final Part _
..Gregg still keeps World Cup hopes alive ..
“I want to stick with them. I love this team, and I would do anything to help them be successful,” Gregg said.
“I care deeply about them. To be this target of discrimination and retaliation is shocking to us. Randy tried multiple times with texts, emails and phone calls, and in the last three weeks, hasn’t had any responded to directly. How do we communicate as adults, for the betterment of the team, if we can’t talk to each other?”
“That’s one thing I implore [the federation]: Let’s have a dialogue,” Gregg continued. “Let’s figure out what’s missing here. How can we come to a point where we can accomplish what we both want: the success of the team.”
“For me, it has great consequences. I can’t help the team as much. I can certainly help from afar, and I can do what I’ve done for Randy. But we could be splitting up training; I could take sessions. It’s a huge loss for Randy and the team for no explained reason.”
“It makes no sense not to include someone who has the most World Cup experience,” she added (Lauren has World Cup and Olympics winners medals with the United States women’s football team).
As the World Cup inches closer, Gregg continues to wait and see whether she’ll get to go.
“If the NFF truly does want this team to succeed and maximize their performance, then they will support the players in all respects, carrying out Randy’s vision, and I will be there coaching with him and our staff at the World Cup,” she said.
“And if I can’t go, I will do everything I can to help him from here.”
I fail to understand why the Assistant was dropped over a flimsy reason just cos Sanusi and other NFF goons wanted to engage in a childish tit-for-tat. Like “Hey Mr. Waldrum, since you don’t want to take the home-based goalkeeper we recommended (probably one Abuja politician candidate for World Cup experience), okay nah then you can’t take Gregg with you to the World Cup.”
The funny thing is the chief the villain Dr. Sanusi is not even talking and is leaving all the flat, flabby, and evasive defenses that try to smartly dodge the issues at hand to the spokesperson, Ademola Olajire. I wouldn’t know Gregg’s level of technical input, but from a distance you can see her dedication and passion for the girls, as she crouches at the touchline, reads the field play intensely and engages in tactical discussions and recommendations with Waldrum. Not like the typical Nigerian Assitant coach that just sits mute on the bench and stays in the background.
Why is Gusau and Sanusi sacrificing the performance and chances of the Falcons over an unknown homebased goalkeeper? Who’s this goalkeeper and what’s the big interest? Which big Abuja politician is pulling the strings and that Sanusi, Gusau, and Ademola are trying to impress and satisfy? Nah wah!
In my opinion, Waldrum can still assess Gregg’s services.
Shebi NFF don’t want her around the team. Fine. She can still be in the stadium and give Waldrum tactical pointers via phone or some other communication device, and he can still pay her as planned, from whatever NFF is contractually bound to pay him. Abi can NFF dictate to him how he spends his money?
He can use her as a scout to and observe SF opponents, and give him tactical feedback. He will be on his own training the girls directly, but he can still consult her if need be.
NFF can talk any rubbish they like, but Waldrum can still use Gregg, and I think he will!
NFFfor you.I believed everything she said.Is this not playing the ostrich by NFF? In serious country,that lady will take over from Randy after the world cup as she has been with the team for over 2 years.The NFF stattue really need a reform to allow competent people take over the administration of our football not all these politicians holding us to ramson.You can imagine what Peserio is going through in the hands of those crooks.
Complete Sports, we hope the NFF will sponsor one your writers to Australia. Nigerians need first-hand soccer news, and not all this childish stuff about who arrived when.
Go to soccernet.ng to receive comprehensive soccer news.
Lol. U don forget when Una complain say CS no report our girls wafu under 20 matches for Ghana? NFF be dey vex for CS but we know on code.