Ibrahim Said "close to signing"

[7Stars]

I could spend hours here discussing the Egyptian NT here with you but I dont want to hijack this forum (oops...wrong choice of word ).

Anyways, Said was definitely worthy of starting for us in 2008 and 2010 ACNs and during the WCQ campaign in 2009 but you know how Shehata is. However truth be told, Said did this to himself.

Said would've been much better than Hani Said who was disastrous for us in all of 2009 but Hani remarkably recovered and was terrific in the 2010 ACN for us.

Anyways, Said playing for an up and coming Egyptian team like Petrojet probably would've been better for his career than coming to North America. He would've been playing for a good local club and his name would've been remained relevant.

Coming to North America was not a wise career move IMO. How many guys come to North America at his age in hopes of securing a deal with a bigger club abroad? Most dudes at his age join the MLS due to lack of options. It's unfortunate a player of Said's talent has resorted to this although as we all know, he did it to himself.

For the record, I'd personally like to see Said succeed and work his way back onto the national team. Gomaa is 34 and his NT days are numbered. Meanwhile, Fathallah was our poorest defender during the 2010 ACN. He's the reason why we conceded that goal to Nigeria and he was a disaster in the match against Benin. You're right, Salem was horrible as well

[Derko]

Remember, Amado Guevara was supposed to be a nutcase, but seemed to be well liked by the fans, there has been very little of anything to be pleased about this off season, I must give Preki a chance, but it seems like all TFC have done is get rid of players, with very few coming in, from what I saw of Said's play during the recent tournament he looked pretty steady. I hope Mo has something up his sleeves or he should be turfed.

[King Tut]

I could spend hours here discussing the Egyptian NT here with you but I dont want to hijack this forum (oops...wrong choice of word ).

Anyways, Said was definitely worthy of starting for us in 2008 and 2010 ACNs and during the WCQ campaign in 2009 but you know how Shehata is. However truth be told, Said did this to himself.

Said would've been much better than Hani Said who was disastrous for us in all of 2009 but Hani remarkably recovered and was terrific in the 2010 ACN for us.

Anyways, Said playing for an up and coming Egyptian team like Petrojet probably would've been better for his career than coming to North America. He would've been playing for a good local club and his name would've been remained relevant.

Coming to North America was not a wise career move IMO. How many guys come to North America at his age in hopes of securing a deal with a bigger club abroad? Most dudes at his age join the MLS due to lack of options. It's unfortunate a player of Said's talent has resorted to this although as we all know, he did it to himself.

For the record, I'd personally like to see Said succeed and work his way back onto the national team. Gomaa is 34 and his NT days are numbered. Meanwhile, Fathallah was our poorest defender during the 2010 ACN. He's the reason why we conceded that goal to Nigeria and he was a disaster in the match against Benin. You're right, Salem was horrible as well

Join me at the NEE "Pharaohs" thread if you're down for a discussion on the Egyptian NT.
http://www.kickabola.com/showthread.php?t=20041

Anywayz, I agree with you regarding Said and Shehata. But in all fairness, Shehata does let his emotions get to him. He can exclude any player and claim that the reason for that is because the so-called player is not getting enough club football, meanwhile he always selects a few players that have not been playing for months and manages to get the best out of them.

I disagree with you about Hani Said. Yes Hani Said has not been playing much for Zamalek prior to Angola 2010, but time and time again, Shehata has proved that he can take guys like Said, Zaki, etc, and get the best out of them, even if they haven't been playing for a while before that. I really like Said as a sweeper and think he plays a key role for the Pharaohs.

I agree with you about Said. His chances of breaking back into the Pharaohs squad would've been much higher if he joined any league with strong following. In Egypt, no one gives two shits about MLS and it would have taken a stellar and consistent performance from him, if he was to get back into the national team. He'd need to play like a superstar for a real longtime, before anyone in the motherland would even start talking about him in MLS. I don't know if I like him with Petrojet. I really hate those corporate/ministry teams. I think he would have fit in nicely in a team like El Masry, or Ittihad Esakandary or any of the non-Ahly/Zamalek/Ismaily teams that still have a strong following. But we're on the same track anyway.

As for the NT, I'm not so worried about our defense at all to be honest. I think Haras El Hodoud's "Ouka", Ahly's "Sherif Abdel Fadeel", Zamalek's "Ahmed Magdy" and several others can slowly shift into Goma'a's position once his time comes. But until now, I don't think Wael Goma'a's time has come at all. The guy has been selected as the best defender in the last 3 African Cup of Nations and he always produces the goods for us, when we need him the most. Same thing with Ahmed Hassan and El Hadary. Tons of people like to talk shit about the two, yet they just keep on rolling (touch wood) and keep on proving the haters wrong. To me, I don't care if they're 50, as long as they're capable of competing and adding value to the team, I don't care how old they are. Age is just a number. I hate the fact that people in Egypt for years have been throwin 30+ players under the bus with the excuse that anyone who hits the big Three Zero must retire. It's only in 2006-2010, that Egyptians began realizing that some of our "older, skippers, veterans" are still in their prime and capable of playing at their "old" age. I see no reason for a guy like Ahmed Hassan, El Hadary, Wael Goma'a to retire. People tend to forget that some of the greats (Hossam Hassan, Paolo Maldini, Oliver Kahn, Roger Mila, Samy Al Jaber, etc) have played their football all the way to their late 30s and were consistent too.

I'm not worried at all about our midfield or forwards. I believe we have the best midfield in the continent and I'm confident Gedo will be our next Abotrika, if not better. Zidan is at his peak right now and has matured (in a good way) as a player. Meteb is proving himself day by day and needs to make the hop to Genoa next season. El Mohamady is fucking world class and needs to leave Ennpi ASAP! Shikabala also has amazing potential. He just needs to stay focused and get his head out of his ass. I wont name each and every single player in our midfield line, but we have tons of guys who can easily crack Europe, if given the chance to leave to Europe. The older guys like Ahmed Hassan, Abotrika, Barakat, etc, are also still valuable and of major help to the upcoming stars (Shikabala, Gedo, Hosni Abd Rabou, etc)

The position I'm more worried about is goalkeeping. Once El Hadary retires, we're only left with Abdel Wahed El Sayed (who I rate highly). But on the bench, I don't trust any of the no-namers one bit and I don't have much faith in the young bucks (Sherif Ekramy, Ahmed Adel Abdel Menem, Wael Zenga, etc).

There's also tons of guys that haven't been called up yet and will be our big guns for the future (Afroto, Ahmed Shokry, Abdallah Said, Mohamed Talaat, Hany El-Agazy, Hossam Ashour, Ahmed Ghanem Soltan, Hossam Arafat, Hazem Emam, etc). Tons of gems that haven't blossomed just yet.

Let's see what 2012 holds for us. I think the future is mad bright for Egyptian football and I say we'll go for the 4th consecutive title!

[King Tut]

Remember, Amado Guevara was supposed to be a nutcase, but seemed to be well liked by the fans, there has been very little of anything to be pleased about this off season, I must give Preki a chance, but it seems like all TFC have done is get rid of players, with very few coming in, from what I saw of Said's play during the recent tournament he looked pretty steady. I hope Mo has something up his sleeves or he should be turfed.

Yeah I agree. Alot has been said about Amado Guevara, but he has proved us all wrong during his time here, and he's definitely missed.

To me, the issue has nothing to do with Ibrahim Said specifically and everything to do with the fact that we've been offloading players and doing fuck all in return. As I said, if this roster had 25 players, I can somewhat understand. But releasing tons of players without having their appropriate replacements doesn't help. We got rid of Tyrone Marshall for some odd reason and haven't replaced him ever since. We've gotten rid of so many players over the past and were left in a deep hole.

[torontocelt]

He could've easily been a household name in African football and been playing at a top 4 team in La Liga, EPL, Serie A, Bundesliga or Ligue I, EASILY, if he put his mind to it.

Said must be some player if he could have easily walked into a top four team in those leagues as that is no mean feat. In fairness some of the top four teams do have squad players who are perhaps not top four material however I would describe those guys as being lucky but there is not luck involved if you can do it easily. I'll be honest I dont know much about Said however from looking at his track record and his inability to be signed by a big club in Europe I can only think that he is not as talented as has been made out? I realise Everton signed him but did he even play a match for them? Perhaps I am completely wrong but usually talent shines through, no player in the world could 'easily' walk into a top four team in some of the leagues mentioned certainly not as a first team pick. Each day the top players at top clubs have to work very hard to maintain their performances, that is what makes them the best in the world, it is not something that can be done 'easily'. Either way if Said was that good even despite his personal issues I would severely doubt that he would have went through 7 clubs in nine years and played only 140 games or so during that time.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions and you guys have followed his career way more than I ever have however are you guys sure you aint bigging him up because he is Egyptian? Football is a fickle games and so are peoples opinions on players. I remember last summer talking about Barry Ferguson and people telling me on this board that he was never good enough for TFC anymore, well he has been a mainstay for Birmingham this season and he has helped them achieve amazing results this season. People on these boards are positively fuming at not getting Said and his career is no where near as impressive as Feguson's. Football can be a crazy sport.

[Blizzard]

Yeah I agree. Alot has been said about Amado Guevara, but he has proved us all wrong during his time here, and he's definitely missed.

The fact that Amado was run out of Chivas by Preki and now has been run out of Toronto by Preki is something that I will not forgive or forget.

Last season I was of the opinion that Amado was going to leave TFC in order to concentrate on South Africa and play out his club career at home but I've since been informed by a confidante of his that he most certainly did want to return to Toronto. Thanks Preki!

Yes, he is definitely missed!!!

B

[King Tut]

Said must be some player if he could have easily walked into a top four team in those leagues as that is no mean feat. In fairness some of the top four teams do have squad players who are perhaps not top four material however I would describe those guys as being lucky but there is not luck involved if you can do it easily. I'll be honest I dont know much about Said however from looking at his track record and his inability to be signed by a big club in Europe I can only think that he is not as talented as has been made out? I realise Everton signed him but did he even play a match for them? Perhaps I am completely wrong but usually talent shines through, no player in the world could 'easily' walk into a top four team in some of the leagues mentioned certainly not as a first team pick. Each day the top players at top clubs have to work very hard to maintain their performances, that is what makes them the best in the world, it is not something that can be done 'easily'. Either way if Said was that good even despite his personal issues I would severely doubt that he would have went through 7 clubs in nine years and played only 140 games or so during that time.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions and you guys have followed his career way more than I ever have however are you guys sure you aint bigging him up because he is Egyptian? Football is a fickle games and so are peoples opinions on players. I remember last summer talking about Barry Ferguson and people telling me on this board that he was never good enough for TFC anymore, well he has been a mainstay for Birmingham this season and he has helped them achieve amazing results this season. People on these boards are positively fuming at not getting Said and his career is no where near as impressive as Feguson's. Football can be a crazy sport.

Oh boy. For me to explain this it would take an entire book. I'll try to summarize it.

I see guy like Ibrahim Said as not much different than a Kolo Toure. There's tons of Egyptian players with the talent to actually play in big teams in Europe like the other African players. The biggest problem with Egyptian football is the fact that we have the two biggest (and some would say three biggest) clubs in the entire continent in Ahly, Zamalek (and possibly Ismaily). Those teams historically have dominated African football. Ahly and Zamalek have the financial power to hold down Egyptian players and even lure them away from going to Europe. This is one of the main reasons the Egyptian team does not have many European based players.

Most of the European based players we have/had are ones that left at a very young age and didn't fall into the Ahly/Zamalek/Ismaily trap. Guys like Mido (left Egypt when he was 16), Zidan (left when he was 16), Hani Ramzi (left when he was 18), etc, all moved to small teams in Europe, and worked their way up. This is exatly what most young African players do, before reaching the big teams in Europe. They go prove themselves in European leagues (even if it's a smaller one like the Belgian, Danish, etc), and then make the big step up.

With Egyptian players, alot of them can't make the switch to Europe, until they've done NT duty (to attract scouts), or played for the big clubs. The big clubs secure them on long term deals and turn down tons of offers and I MEAN TONS.

When I say a guy like Ibrahim Said in his day could've ended up at a big team in Europe, I really mean that. But for him to do that, he'd need to make a move to a decent team first, then work his way up. Sadly, this is not the case as the big Egyptian teams are much much much much more powerful/influential than their African counterparts and by the time they even think of letting a hot prospect leave, it becomes way too late. They also exaggerate in their demands and ask for way too much money. They don't understand that players in Africa (no matter how good they are), don't have a high value as those playing in Europe. They expect to get the same transfer fees as that same player would get if he was moving between two European clubs.

This has been the case with Essam El Hadary, Mohamed Nagy Gedo, Ibrahim Said (in his early days), Shikabala, and almost every single starting XI player in the Egyptian NT. The players become frustrated at the fact that they win 3 consecutive continental titles, get offers from teams in EPL (Fulham, Sunderland, Wigan, etc), yet can't even get the chance to go and start climbing the ladder.

It's very rare to see a player go from Africa, straight to a big name team in Europe.

With that said, even though Ahly, Zamalek, Ismaily, have killed many players' chances of moving to Europe, they have also produced tons of talents that have been the backbone of Egypt's best national team in our entire 76 years football history. So they're not all that bad, considering the achievements they've been responsible for.

As I said, it has nothing to do with him being Egyptian. I am not going to lie and say I don't want a fellow countryman on this team. Fuck yeah, I'd love to see that happen and I'd like to see him make me proud too. But I don't want just any Egyptian player for the sake of it. I really believed this guy would've made one hell of a difference. There's also tons of lower tier players who I would've easily come out and said they'd be useless if TFC ever targeted them. Anyone who follows African football, would know that Egypt is not a team to be underestimated and anyone who followed the Egyptian NT, would know that Ibrahim Said is a big name player and has shut down some of the world's greatest strikers in his time.

[King Tut]

The fact that Amado was run out of Chivas by Preki and now has been run out of Toronto by Preki is something that I will not forgive or forget.

Last season I was of the opinion that Amado was going to leave TFC in order to concentrate on South Africa and play out his club career at home but I've since been informed by a confidante of his that he most certainly did want to return to Toronto. Thanks Preki!

Yes, he is definitely missed!!!

B

As far as I'm concerned, Preki's proving to be a huge asshole, until he proves me wrong. I'm not happy one bit with this fucking off season and will not shy away from showing my displeasure next Saturday or any game!

Amado was one of the best players, if not the best, we had so far. If Preki didn't want him because he didn't need him, that's fine. But it's becoming pretty clear that we needed him and that a lot of shit these days is being mismanaged because of "personal" issues. The club's well being should come first and not personal relations.

[7Stars]

Oh boy King Tut, I disagree with a lot of what you said about our NT but I dont want to change subjects in this thread.

I'll register on that forum you mentioned using this same screen name and participate there.

Anyways, here's a summary of what I think about our NT:

-Hassan Shehata is the best African coach in history but he is extremely flawed
-The Egyptian NT is the undisputed best team in Africa but the current level of African footie is poor. Despite being the best team in the continent, Egypt would have trouble beating 2nd tier European teams.
-Egypt's strength is in attacking midfield. Aboutrika, Shikabala, Afroto, Gedo, Zidan, Shoukry give Shehata a ton of options
-Muhammadi is an attacking right midfielder who is used out of position by Shehata. The same applies to Fathi (when used as a CB) and Hani (when used as a libero).
-Abdel Shafy is our LB of the future and one of our most impressive young talents.
-We need to find a good CF. Zaki has been useless since December 2008, Mido has been crap since February 2006, Meteb is extremely wasteful and has scored just 2 goals in the last 2 ACNs despite starting in all 12 matches
-We need to find 2 good central midfielders. Hosny is the shadow of his 2008-self. Mohamed Shawky was off in 2009 and Hossam Ghaly is not very good. Hani Said is capable of playing CDM...Fathi is also a good CDM.
-We need to find 2 good CBs. Gomaa is 34 and wont be around forever.
-I'm not worried about our GK situation. Hadary was not that good for us when he first became our starter but eventually evolved into the best keeper in the continent. We have a few guys capable of replacing Hadary and goalkeeping wont be an issue if we have a solid defence.

Forget the 2012 ACN...Egyptian football fans wanted nothing more than to go to the 2010 WC and yet Shehata failed us with his poor decisions. Winning the 2010 ACN was a nice consolation prize but now we have nothing left to prove at the continental level. Every single thing Shehata and the EFA do from now on should be with the 2014 WC in mind. That means asking Hadary, A. Hassan, and Gomaa to step aside...we need to build for the future and stop relying on our veterans. We failed to qualify for the 2010 WC because we relied on familiar out-of-form players...we'd be repeating the same mistake in 2014 WCQ if we count on our veterans to lead the way.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

jesus people are dismissing Preki awful quickly.
I dont mind that he wanted to rid of some people, it means hes taking his job seriously and has a method. I loved Guevara but i dont think its that big a deal that hes gone, he was older and he was leaving for a month for the wc. im not bothered to continue but really, give the dude a chance before you dismiss him so

[King Tut]

Oh boy King Tut, I disagree with a lot of what you said about our NT but I dont want to change subjects in this thread.

I'll register on that forum you mentioned using this same screen name and participate there.

Anyways, here's a summary of what I think about our NT:

-Hassan Shehata is the best African coach in history but he is extremely flawed
-The Egyptian NT is the undisputed best team in Africa but the current level of African footie is poor. Despite being the best team in the continent, Egypt would have trouble beating 2nd tier European teams.
-Egypt's strength is in attacking midfield. Aboutrika, Shikabala, Afroto, Gedo, Zidan, Shoukry give Shehata a ton of options
-Muhammadi is an attacking right midfielder who is used out of position by Shehata. The same applies to Fathi (when used as a CB) and Hani (when used as a libero).
-Abdel Shafy is our LB of the future and one of our most impressive young talents.
-We need to find a good CF. Zaki has been useless since December 2008, Mido has been crap since February 2006, Meteb is extremely wasteful and has scored just 2 goals in the last 2 ACNs despite starting in all 12 matches
-We need to find 2 good central midfielders. Hosny is the shadow of his 2008-self. Mohamed Shawky was off in 2009 and Hossam Ghaly is not very good. Hani Said is capable of playing CDM...Fathi is also a good CDM.
-We need to find 2 good CBs. Gomaa is 34 and wont be around forever.
-I'm not worried about our GK situation. Hadary was not that good for us when he first became our starter but eventually evolved into the best keeper in the continent. We have a few guys capable of replacing Hadary and goalkeeping wont be an issue if we have a solid defence.

Forget the 2012 ACN...Egyptian football fans wanted nothing more than to go to the 2010 WC and yet Shehata failed us with his poor decisions. Winning the 2010 ACN was a nice consolation prize but now we have nothing left to prove at the continental level. Every single thing Shehata and the EFA do from now on should be with the 2014 WC in mind. That means asking Hadary, A. Hassan, and Gomaa to step aside...we need to build for the future and stop relying on our veterans. We failed to qualify for the 2010 WC because we relied on familiar out-of-form players...we'd be repeating the same mistake in 2014 WCQ if we count on our veterans to lead the way.

1) I agree with you on Hassan Shehata. Best coach in the continent, has his flaws for sure, but things usually work out for him, so we can't complain much. The 2010 WC is the first tournament he's missed out on. I don't count 2006 as half of the qualifiers were under Marco Tardelli.

2) I agree with the attacking midfield strengths for sure.

3) Fathi is a player that can play as right back, defensive mid, or center back. Shehata uses him as a center back when he's desperate and has a shortage of defenders (injury, suspension, etc). His preferred position is actually a defensive midfielder and he made that pretty clear on numerous occasions. He also played that position a few times in Angola 2010. As for El Mohamady, where does Shehata use him that's "out of position"? I find that this is his best position actually and it's Ennpi that uses him in the wrong position. All the clubs that are targeting him in Europe are targeting him for the exact same position that Shehata uses him in. Where would you play Hani Said? And who's a better libro to replace him anyway? I t hink the guy is excellent as a libro and not needed in his defensive midfield position that he played in for years in Serie A (Bari, Fiorentina).

4) Yes to Abdel Shafy. Mohamed Abdel Wahab was also a great prospect but sadly he's not with us (RIP).

5) Mido has no chance of making the NT as long as Shehata's around, even if he becomes the best striker in the world. Zaki has been complete shit and I agree with you, but he's only 26 and I'm not ready to just move on just yet. He'll be back eventually. As for Meteb, he's not about the goals. Meteb is all about the off-the-ball movement if you haven't noticed. The guy generates alot of space for the other players around him, poaches a few in when he gets the chance, but he's certainly not an all out striker by any means. I find that Meteb plays best when he's around Zidan and Aboutrika. I like Meteb alot actually. If you expect tons of goals from Meteb, you'll definitely be disappointed. But if you give him a chance, watch how he moves off the ball, his one-twos, how he creates chances for others around him, you'll see he is really useful. Zidan? Now Zidan's the man. This guy needs to make the switch to one of the big teams he's linked with. I don't find Zidan any less of a player than Solomon Kalou who plays at Chelsea. Zidan's rumored to be linked with Arsenal, Manchester United and Barca. I would love to see him at any of these three, but prefer to see him at Manchester United. Zidan playing alongside Rooney would be brilliant.

6) Hosny needs to leave fucking Ahly Dubai, forget Ismaily altogether and find a move to Europe. His agent says his next destination is Spain, lets hope it pans out for once and doesn't flop like most Egyptian players' deals. We hear tons of players are linked with certain clubs, I've even seen the faxes in many situations (Hadary, Gedo, etc), but the parent clubs always find a way to screw it up. So far, the talks is that Gedo is Lyon-bound, Mohamady (England), Hosni (Spain), Meteb (Italy/England), Zidan (England/Spain), Fathi (England), Ahmed Eid Abdel Malek (Germany), Shikabala (England but will have issues with the 75% played of all NT games in the last 2 years). Lets see how many of those actually work out. I've become pretty frustrated with the way Egyptian clubs hold onto their players for way too much and kill their hopes of a European move, but hope they prove me wrong this upcoming transfer window.

7) As for the goalkeeping situation, you're absolutely right. BUT, you do remember when Hadary was shit, we were too. I want the transition phase from Hadary to his next in line, to go smooth. I don't want the goalkeeping situation to hurt the entire team, until the next goalkeeper flourishes. Here's hoping Abdel Wahed El Sayed is the next Egypt #1, as he has decent International experience and can handle the pressure of that role.

8) Ofcourse Brazil 2014 should be out target. But our next competition is CAN 2012, and just because we already accomplished 3 consecutive titles, does not mean we're done. We should aim to extend our title streak for as long as we can. Why not work on both 2012 and 2014 instead of limiting ourself to just 2014? And I completely disagree with you on the fact that we failed to make South Africa 2010 because of Ahmed Hassan or Hadary or Wael Goma'a. We failed to make South Africa simply because we drew with Zambia in Cairo. If you watched all the qualifications, you'd see that Ahmed Hassan scored a crucial goal against Zambia in Zambia, Hadary kept us in the game against Zambia in Zambia when we could have been demolished in the first half, and Goma'a was rock solid against some of the teams. I'm not saying we have to solely rely on the veterans. What I'm saying is IF they are fit and still highly performing, they'll force their way into the team. We've seen some goalkeepers play their best football at an old age. I am not 100% sure where our players will rank by 2014, but it wouldn't surprise me if El Hadary still has it in him and can still guard our net until then. Stop looking at things by age. AGE IS JUST A NUMBER. Maybe Ahmed Hassan might not be able to last until then because of his position/duties on the field and same with Wael Goma'a. But again, only time will tell. The goalkeeping situation is completely different and it is really possible that El Hadary could still make it, but I wouldn't bet on it either. Either way, I think we have the efficient replacements in most positions and it's just a matter of finding a smooth transition stage. But I'm not ready to start saying this person needs to go and that person needs to retire, until their performance shows that. From what I've seen lately, all 3 players you took shots at, have been outstanding and been praised by not just Egyptian media, but the World media as well. I want a 4th title along with a World Cup appearance in Brazil.

[Blizzard]

jesus people are dismissing Preki awful quickly.
I dont mind that he wanted to rid of some people, it means hes taking his job seriously and has a method. I loved Guevara but i dont think its that big a deal that hes gone, he was older and he was leaving for a month for the wc. im not bothered to continue but really, give the dude a chance before you dismiss him so

I'm not dismissing Preki. I'm not saying get rid of him. Unless a coach is totally out of his league, something that Preki is not, he deserves at minimum a full season to prove himself.

If he turns us into a winner, I'll be happy as hell but it doesn't mean that I have to like him but I will give him his due.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

fair enough

[7Stars]

1) I agree with you on Hassan Shehata. Best coach in the continent, has his flaws for sure, but things usually work out for him, so we can't complain much. The 2010 WC is the first tournament he's missed out on. I don't count 2006 as half of the qualifiers were under Marco Tardelli.

3) Fathi is a player that can play as right back, defensive mid, or center back. Shehata uses him as a center back when he's desperate and has a shortage of defenders (injury, suspension, etc). His preferred position is actually a defensive midfielder and he made that pretty clear on numerous occasions. He also played that position a few times in Angola 2010. As for El Mohamady, where does Shehata use him that's "out of position"? I find that this is his best position actually and it's Ennpi that uses him in the wrong position. All the clubs that are targeting him in Europe are targeting him for the exact same position that Shehata uses him in. Where would you play Hani Said? And who's a better libro to replace him anyway? I t hink the guy is excellent as a libro and not needed in his defensive midfield position that he played in for years in Serie A (Bari, Fiorentina).


5) Mido has no chance of making the NT as long as Shehata's around, even if he becomes the best striker in the world. Zaki has been complete shit and I agree with you, but he's only 26 and I'm not ready to just move on just yet. He'll be back eventually. As for Meteb, he's not about the goals. Meteb is all about the off-the-ball movement if you haven't noticed. The guy generates alot of space for the other players around him, poaches a few in when he gets the chance, but he's certainly not an all out striker by any means. I find that Meteb plays best when he's around Zidan and Aboutrika. I like Meteb alot actually. If you expect tons of goals from Meteb, you'll definitely be disappointed. But if you give him a chance, watch how he moves off the ball, his one-twos, how he creates chances for others around him, you'll see he is really useful. Zidan? Now Zidan's the man. This guy needs to make the switch to one of the big teams he's linked with. I don't find Zidan any less of a player than Solomon Kalou who plays at Chelsea. Zidan's rumored to be linked with Arsenal, Manchester United and Barca. I would love to see him at any of these three, but prefer to see him at Manchester United. Zidan playing alongside Rooney would be brilliant.

6) Hosny needs to leave fucking Ahly Dubai, forget Ismaily altogether and find a move to Europe. His agent says his next destination is Spain, lets hope it pans out for once and doesn't flop like most Egyptian players' deals. We hear tons of players are linked with certain clubs, I've even seen the faxes in many situations (Hadary, Gedo, etc), but the parent clubs always find a way to screw it up. So far, the talks is that Gedo is Lyon-bound, Mohamady (England), Hosni (Spain), Meteb (Italy/England), Zidan (England/Spain), Fathi (England), Ahmed Eid Abdel Malek (Germany), Shikabala (England but will have issues with the 75% played of all NT games in the last 2 years). Lets see how many of those actually work out. I've become pretty frustrated with the way Egyptian clubs hold onto their players for way too much and kill their hopes of a European move, but hope they prove me wrong this upcoming transfer window.

8) Ofcourse Brazil 2014 should be out target. But our next competition is CAN 2012, and just because we already accomplished 3 consecutive titles, does not mean we're done. We should aim to extend our title streak for as long as we can.

1. Missing out on the 2010 WC was a huge failure simply because we're the best team in the continent, were in an easy group, Algeria are not very good, and we have a ton of depth. We should've qualified but Shehata screwed up big time. He used out of form players (like Shawky), he used players out of position (like using Barakat as a RWB), used injured players (Aboutreika with a broken foot in Sudan, Hosny was limping in Sudan), he benched Zidan in Sudan, etc etc. Our failure to qualify was due to Shehata's horrible decisions. At the same time, Shehata deserves credit for 06,08 and 2010 but we should not ignore the mistakes he made that cost us in 2009.

3. You're right about Fathi being versatile although he never looks comfortable at CB. In my opinion we either use him at CDM or RB, but we should not use him at CB. Hani Said is a CDM but Shehata insists on using him as our libero. Muhammadi plays as an attacking right-midfielder for ENPPI and is a good attacker but he's asked to defend for our NT. He's a liability defensively and is often caught out of position. He'd be much better used as our RM and maybe move Fathi to RB. Shehata excluded Hazem Emam because Shehata thought that he couldnt play RB. I think its ridiculous that Shehata expects every winger to attack and defend. Thats the problem with the 3-5-2 where you're wingers are expected to do everything. We're asking too much of Muhammadi, and our other wingers.

5. Mido is finished. He doesnt deserve to be on our NT and he probably isnt even good enough to survive in Europe beyond a few more years. This isn't 2001...Mido has fallen off HARD since 2006 and hasn't done anything since. Zaki has been garbage since December 2008 but I think he can recover. Zaki's problem now is that he's on arguably the worst team in England (Hull would be in last place in England if Portsmouth didnt have financial problems). Yet another Egyptian player who screwed things up for himself due to his poor attitude. Emad Meteb is not a very good player. I am aware of the "off ball movement" argument but Meteb is nothing more than one of Shehata's favorite players. You take a look at guys such as Gedo and Zidan who are quick, have good touches, are skilled and then you look at a guy like Meteb who is slow, is a poor finisher, has poor touches and you realize that their is no comparison. And yet, Meteb is a guaranteed starter on the team while Gedo was a recent revelation and Zidan has been treated as a fringe player by Shehata. There are plenty of players out there that are good off the ball but they can also convert chances. Consider this...Meteb has 2 goals in his last 12 ACN matches in which he's played in roughly 800 minutes. Gedo scored 5 goals in 6 ACN matches in which he played roughly 200 minutes. Zidan and Zaki both have more impressive tallies than Meteb. Meteb will not survive more than 2 seasons in Europe...I promise you that.

6. Yes, Hosny should leave Dubai but he unfortunately went for the money. He was good enough in 2008 to play in Europe but has declined since (he was poor for most of the 2010 ACN except for the Algeria match). Zidan is 29 and theres no way in heck he's going to those clubs his father mentioned. Ahmed Eid is 30 and has little hope of making it to Europe. We have plenty of guys who are good enough to play in Europe but as you said, they are cock-blocked by the Egyptian clubs. Abdel Shafy, Shikabala, Fathi, Muhammadi, Gedo, Shoukry, Afroto, etc. are all good enough for Europe but some of them are 'trapped'.

8. It was Abd Rabo who scored in Zambia, not Ahmed Hassan. Ahmed Hassan is an expendable player on our team. He plays as an AM but we have Aboutrika, Zidan, Shika, etc. who are all better than him. Ahmed Hassan will continue to be on our NT until he breaks the international caps record but he should not be started. Yes, he's played well for us at times but he's also been dreadful at times. For every good performance (vs. Algeria in Cairo, vs. Nigeria, vs. Cameroon, etc.), he's had some nightmare performances (in Sudan, vs. Ghana, vs. England). The guy is extremely inconsistent. I'd keep him on the team since he's versatile and he's a great leader but he's no longer good enough to start. Wael Gomaa is still good but we cant rely on him to remain this good 2-4 years from now. You mentioned Paolo Maldini earlier but Maldini knew when it was time to hang up his national team boots. It's time for Gomaa to take a back seat and give some younger guys a shot.

To be honest, I did not give a damn about the 2010 ACN but have since realized that it was a nice feat. I'll be kind of indifferent during the 2012 ACN...of course I'll want us to win but I'll have one eye on 2014 WCQ. The most important thing now is the "smooth transition" and finding the right mix of players. We definitely need to get younger...we were the oldest team in the ACN and this is a young man's sport. We can afford to have old players in net and in defense but we cant afford to have a 35+ year-old attacking midfielder leading the charge.

For the record, I do not blame Hadary, Gomaa and A. Hassan for us missing out on the WC. Hadary and Gomaa were both great...A. Hassan was inconsistent. Shehata is to blame.

[King Tut]

Lets take this somewhere else because this has the potential to drag on forever. I agree/disagree with some of your points. I see where you're coming from, but the points we disagree on, we don't and wont see eye to eye. So lets agree to disagree lol. As for the Ahmed Hassan goal, yeah my bad I mixed the up. I meant his goal against Rwanda in the middle of Ramadan. Not the best of goals, but definitely saved our ass and kept us alive.

[romburgundy]

So is Said not an option for TFC anymore

[King Tut]

So is Said not an option for TFC anymore

That's correct.

[Darlofletch]

so on this is football, Mo said the agreed contract and $50,000 fine story is absolutely false, they just didn't like him so never got to talking contracts.

I don't really believe a word he says, but i guess that's the official story they're going to go with.

[ag futbol]

so on this is football, Mo said the agreed contract and $50,000 fine story is absolutely false, they just didn't like him so never got to talking contracts.

I don't really believe a word he says, but i guess that's the official story they're going to go with.

Sorry to Johnston but i have a hard time taking him seriously.

I don't know what happened with TFC and Said, but his chances of making TFC were D.O.A. before he even stepped on the field. Deploying him as an attacking mid in spare minutes made next to no sense.

He's mainly a defender, and we didn't even bother to see if he could fit in that position. It defied all logic.

[wzhxvy]

Now they never liked him ?????????? goodness, MO makes me want to punch a wall...how this farce can continue is beyond me.