Chiedozie Ogbene M Ipswich b.1997

Good to see him declaring and worth a look in the squad and a nations league or friendly cap certainly.

Whether he will be good enough longer term remains to be seen, but we've seen plenty of players playing at that level at his age kick on and have really good careers - obviously plenty of others that fall away.

At 23 next season in the Championship could be a big one for him, Rotherham will be one of the weakest teams in the division but there's an opportunity for him to stand out and maybe put himself in the shop window for a move to a bigger club if he goes well enough.

I never thought he was really anything more than okay. Never a standout in the LOI, left Cork to play for Limerick due to not getting a game there. Got a move to England off the back of a decent season at Limerick where they finished mid-table. Didn't get games at Championship level, and now has had one decent season at League One.

Time will tell whether or not he's good enough. He's certainly very fast, and keen to get on the ball, next season in the Championship will be a big one for him.

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Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

I never thought he was really anything more than okay. Never a standout in the LOI, left Cork to play for Limerick due to not getting a game there. Got a move to England off the back of a decent season at Limerick where they finished mid-table. Didn't get games at Championship level, and now has had one decent season at League One.

Time will tell whether or not he's good enough. He's certainly very fast, and keen to get on the ball, next season in the Championship will be a big one for him.

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He didn't leave Cork because he couldn't get a game. He left because Limerick offered more money and a scholarship at UL. He was 19 and scored 3 goals in 9 games at Cork City when he left and they were desperate to keep him.

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Originally Posted by ColourfulPeanut

He didn't leave Cork because he couldn't get a game. He left because Limerick offered more money and a scholarship at UL. He was 19 and scored 3 goals in 9 games at Cork City when he left and they were desperate to keep him.

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He was quoted at the time saying he didn't want to sit on the bench at Cork. Cork had just signed Stephen Dooley and Ogbene left soon after.

There's no record of him having a scholarship at UL either.

Why would they need to sort out paperwork for him? If he's lived here since age 7, surely he qualifies as Irish citizen?

He may have never gone through the naturalisation process, may well have travelled on a Nigerian passport until now.

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Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

He was quoted at the time saying he didn't want to sit on the bench at Cork. Cork had just signed Stephen Dooley and Ogbene left soon after.

There's no record of him having a scholarship at UL either.

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That wouldn't be on public record. Immediate playing time was a factor too but he had a much better offer from Limerick.

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Originally Posted by ColourfulPeanut

That wouldn't be on public record. Immediate playing time was a factor too but he had a much better offer from Limerick.

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Annoucements of scholarships are made by most colleges each year I'd have thought? The fact he went on the record and said he wasn't getting sufficient game time at Cork matters for nothing either?

There's a thread on peoplesrepublicofcork that mentions him going to UL, but nothing about a scholarship, and that Limerick offered him more money than Cork City

https://www.thesun.ie/sport/football/1069003/chiedozie-ogbene-left-cork-city-for-limerick-as-he-was-not-happy-with-place-on-the-bench/

While it's not always the most reputable publication, Owen Cower is usually spot on with his reporting.

For those who don't wish to click, Ogbene is quoted:

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“I was different from everyone else, I was eager and didn’t want to settle for coming on, I felt I deserved to play.
“I was willing to do anything to get game time, if it is moving to Limerick, I’m willing to do that. Some players stayed, you wait but I couldn’t do it.
“You reach the age like 19, 20 and 21 and you need game time.

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“It’s not good to stay on the bench for the whole year or half a season. You lose momentum.
“I know it’s hard to leave your previous club but these are the changes, these are the sacrifices you have to make.
“My ambition is to get to the next level and these are the changes you need to make to get there.”

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To be fair, he could just be saying that to avoid criticism. I wouldn't cast aspersions on him for taking a better offer either though. I'm glad he's declared, he has a very good chance of being in the shake-up.

In terms of paperwork, I imagine it's because he hasn't spent five years in Ireland since he was 18, so the paperwork would be required to prove he qualifies.

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Originally Posted by samhaydenjr

With Rotherham top of League One, Stephen Kenny should at least have a chat with him and see how he would feel about a Nations League call-up and at least get him thinking about it.

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Called it!:victory:

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Originally Posted by Diggs246

Is he that good? that would be quite the jump no? although if he is good enough why not

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Interesting question - he's 23 and has only a few Championship games under his belt, only really starting to make an impact at League One level last season -and while he has impressed over the last year we have plenty of youngsters playing at a higher level as well as more experienced Championship players who have only a few caps each. So why would we wait until he gets a season of Championship football under his belt before even thinking of capping him? I think his position is what makes Ogbene an immediate prospect - he's an out-and-out right winger and I don't think we have anybody else who is a specialist there. So if he settles in well in the new season, there's definitely a case to be made for him in appearing in the Nations League, at least, particularly in the last two games, when the play-offs will be over and some of the U21s will still be required for their final qualifiers.

Speaking of the U21s, I was just checking their schedule and there appears to be a change to the qualifying system due to COVID 19 and I haven't seen it elsewhere - instead of the best runner-up qualifying and the other eight runners-up having play-offs, it now appears that the five best runners-up will qualify directly

Yes, the under 21 format change was made a few weeks ago. It *should* hopefully suit us in that if we win the Iceland and Luxembourg games we should qualify regardless of the Italy result.

He was one of the brightest talents I have seen at Limerick, real pace and energy about him, and looked like proper coaching would have a real impact on him. He was very raw and didn't know how to use his pace.

I still never imagined him getting near an Ireland squad though. Doing well with a League 2 team isn't such a high bar either.

Cork were desperate to keep him alright. But on the bench. It's hardly ground breaking either that Limerick would offer more to a guy who'd play (I think) 32 games that season than Cork would to a guy who hadn't even reached double figures in appearances. It's worked out well enough for him anyway. I liked him as a player but it's definitely going to be interesting to see how the Championship pans out for him too.

Had a good game in his first Championship appearance for Rotherham yesterday. His dribbling, passing and crossing all looked good against Daryl Horgan's newly promoted Wycombe.

If he continues getting a run of games in the Championship and performs well surely he must be worth a look over the likes of O'Dowda and McClean.

https://foot.ie/threads/228241-Chied...herham-b-1997)

threads merged

If Ogbene has his nationality sorted out (he's obviously Irish but our nationality law leaves a lot to be desired) he has to be considered. Playing for Rotherham on the wing puts you in the frame for us, just like Sadlier and Clarke.

According to the commentator on Sky he's been the best player on the pitch so far at home to Millwall. Call him up Stephen.