Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp does not believe Daniel Sturridge has lost a yard of pace, but says the striker may be doubting his body after numerous injuries. Sturridge, 27, struggled during Wednesday night’s EFL Cup semifinal defeat to Southampton and has only scored two Premier League goals this season — making just nine starts in all competitions. Sky Sports recently published statistics that show the England international’s top speed has decreased in each season since the 2012-13 campaign, losing almost four kilometres-per-hour in total over four years. Sturridge’s career at Anfield has been blighted by lengthy spells on the sidelines…
Author: David Folami
Arsene Wenger has been handed a four-match touchline ban by the FA after the Arsenal manager admitted a charge of misconduct. The FA handed down the punishment on Monday after Wenger was charged for pushing fourth official Anthony Taylor after he was sent to the stands for protesting a penalty decision in Sunday’s win over Burnley. He was also fined £25,000 for his actions, and will have to spend the next four games sitting in the stands. Wenger was also charged with using insulting language toward the officials. The Arsenal boss has apologised for his actions and accepted the charge.…
Former Chelsea manager Avram Grant believes the club has suffered for its revolving door policy in changing coaches so regularly and insists they lack identity. Grant, now manager of Ghana, took the Blues to the Champions League final after replacing Jose Mourinho in 2007 but was sacked soon after and, since then, the club have had 11 different men in charge on either a temporary or permanent basis — with Antonio Conte taking over this summer. “I think the problem is that Chelsea don’t have an identity of how they play,” Grant told ESPN FC at Ghana’s team base at…
Three thoughts on Hull’s 2-1 win vs. Manchester United in the EFL Cup semifinal second leg. United advance to the final, 3-2 on aggregate, and will play Southampton at Wembley on Feb. 26. Jose Mourinho remains on course to win a trophy in his first season at Manchester United, but complacency almost ended his dream, with Hull City deserved claiming a deserved second-leg victory. The half-hearted manner of his team’s performance will enrage Mourinho, though, and see the Portuguese manager demand an upturn in standards from his players. With their 2-0 first-leg lead, United appeared to approach this game as…
Arsene Wenger says the words that got him sent off against Burnley were far from the worst he has used towards referees, but also insisted he has learned to control his passion on the sidelines. Wenger is awaiting sanctions from the Football Association after being charged with misconduct for pushing the fourth official after he was sent to the stands for protesting a penalty decision in the 2-1 win over Burnley. Wenger was also charged with using insulting language toward the officials. The Arsenal boss has apologised for his actions and accepted the charge. “You know, I have said much…
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said his side “didn’t lose” despite being beaten 2-1 by Hull City at the KCOM in the EFL Cup semifinals. United lost on the night, but went through 3-2 on aggregate thanks to their 2-0 win in the first leg at Old Trafford, and they will meet Southampton at Wembley on Sunday, Feb. 26. The first of Hull’s goals, giving them a 1-0 lead in the second leg, came from a controversial penalty when Harry Maguire went down following a challenge from Marcos Rojo, allowing Tom Huddlestone to score from the spot. Without referring directly…
Lyon winger Memphis Depay has paid tribute to Jose Mourinho despite the Manchester United manager deeming him surplus to requirements at Old Trafford. Depay, 22, completed a €16 million transfer to Lyon last Friday after falling out of favour with Mourinho, who gave the Netherlands international just four brief run-outs as a substitute in the Premier League this season. After the move went through, Mourinho praised Depay’s attitude and suggested the former PSV Eindhoven man could even return to the club if he is successful in Ligue 1. “His words were nice. In Manchester, I always worked as I had…
The Nigerian Army has insisted that it does not charge prospective applicants for the ongoing 76 Regular Recruits Intake for trades/non trades men and women. The army made the clarification in a statement issued by its Spokesman, Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman on Wednesday in Abuja. “The attention of the Nigerian Army (NA) has been drawn to activities of fraudsters demanding money from applicants. “The fraudsters posing as army officers with the names, Lieutenant Femi and Lieutenant Gbenga Danjuma respectively, operate with the GSM number 08165007425. “The NA wishes to state that the processing of application forms into the Army is free…
Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof Itse Sagay (SAN), has berated Senator Shehu Sani for his recent anti-Buhari statement. Sani, an APC lawmaker representing Kaduna Central in the Red Chamber had rubbished the President Muhammadu Buhari’s letter that cleared the Acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu of corruption allegations. Buhari in the letter also rejected the Senate’s demand for the sack and prosecution of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal after a senate committee headed by Sani indicted him. Sani said the present administration is treating…
The Federal Government has ordered the immediate payment of N150 billion to oil marketers across the country. The money is meant for the bridging cost for fuel products’ delivery nationwide. President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief of Staff Abba Kyari gave the order in Abuja on Wednesday, January 25, during a two-hour closed-door meeting held with stakeholders in the sector at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa. Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, the national secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Zarma Mustapha, dismissed insinuations that the meeting was about increase in petroleum pump prices. He said: “We looked…
In celebration of her one-year remembrance, the jester took to Instagram writing some touching words on how she passed on. He shared this photo of her headstone above writing, “Bovi o! It’s mummy o! She’s not breathing o”! Those where the first words that hit me when I picked up the phone call. It was 7 pm, jan 25th 2016. I was parked outside the palms, patiently waiting for my movie time before making my way into the building. But how was this possible? I spoke to her exactly an hour ago and I assured her I would check on…
Reminisce, real name is Remilekun Abdulkalid Safaru, studied Purchasing and Supply at Kwara State Polytechnic. With an early interest in rap music, Reminisce started performing at various shows when he was in secondary school. In Lagos he met Nigerian producer ID Cabasa and became a part of Coded Tunes made up of Jahbless, 9ice, Lord Of Ajasa, and others. After recording an album that never got released in 2006, Reminisce decided to leave the music scene. He was persuaded to come back by 9ice who featured him on his sophomore album. Shortly after, he signed to EDGE Records. In 2012…
Music star Janet Jackson has been spotted for the first time since giving birth to son, Eissa Al Mana. The star and younger sister to late Michael Jackson was seen looking happy and healthy just three weeks after giving birth to her son. The 50-year-old was pictured shopping at an upscale baby boutique, Blue Almonds, in London, England, on Tuesday, January 24, 2017, wearing a fur wrap over an all-black outfit and high-top sneakers. Jackson arrived in a chauffeured car to the shop with a friend, where she purchased baby clothes. Eyewitness say she seemed in high spirits. Jackson gave…
Jose Mourinho has said Old Trafford is former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson’s “house always and forever.” Mourinho was appointed boss at United last summer, succeeding Louis van Gaal who had taken over from David Moyes following Ferguson’s exit in 2013. Ferguson won 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles, in 27 years at Old Trafford, and Mourinho has the utmost respect for the Scot. In the wake of praise from Ferguson for Mourinho’s work with the Red Devils so far, the Portuguese said: “I think I shouldn’t comment, obviously he is such an important person in the club…
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said he will accept his Football Association (FA) misconduct charge. Wenger was charged with misconduct by the FA on Monday following his actions in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Burnley in the Premier League. The 67-year-old appeared to push Anthony Taylor twice after the fourth official told the Frenchman to leave the tunnel, where he had stopped to watch Burnley’s Andre Gray take an injury-time penalty. Wenger told a news conference on Thursday morning that he would request a personal hearing with the FA to plead his case. Wenger, whose side went on to win the…
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has told Sky Sports that when Daniel Sturridge fails to score the team is “basically down to 10 men.” Sturridge, 27, missed a number of goal-scoring chances as Liverpool lost 1-0 at Anfield to Southampton, leading to their exit from the EFL Cup at the semifinal stage 2-0 on aggregate. And Carragher is concerned that Sturridge’s pace has been hampered by a string of injuries since his move from Chelsea to the Reds in 2013. “Sturridge is a completely different player now to when he first came to Liverpool,” Carragher said. “You could link him…
In 2016, Jada Pinkett Smith was one of the actors who called for a boycott of the Oscars after no person of color was nominated in any of the four major acting categories. The nominees for the 89th and 2017 Academy Awards were announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2016, and six black actors were nominated. Black films including “Fences,” “Hidden Figures” and “Moonlight” also got nominations in categories such as the best picture, feature documentary, and best director. Reacting to the nominations, Pinkett Smith in an interview with Variety expressed her excitement. “I feel really fantastic. It’s a beautiful thing…
Former Education Minister, Oby Ezekwesili has said that the Muhammadu Buhari administration is doing the wrong things and being adamant about them. Ezekwesili also said that the government has been creating confusing economic policies. Her comments are contained in the latest edition of The Interview magazine. “I am not a fan of the economic policies of this government so far; I feel it’s too tentative in making even the right policy decisions and even when it tries to make the right policy decisions, it has been in the breach. It has been very confusing,” she said. “It’s not that the…
Jose Mourinho has warned Anthony Martial that he must grasp his chance at Manchester United after claiming the French forward has failed to take his “big opportunity” at Old Trafford. Martial is set to discover whether he will return to the United squad on Thursday for the EFL Cup semifinal second leg against Hull City at the KCOM Stadium after being dropped for last Saturday’s Premier League trip to Stoke City. The 21-year-old has struggled to make an impact under Mourinho having scored 17 goals during his debut season at United last year. So far this campaign, Martial has scored…
The proposed plan of Gov Ibikunle Amosun, to borrow a N65 billion loan has reportedly fractured his relationship with the state’s Assembly. In a report by SaharaReporters, the Ogun State governor’s ploy to convince the lawmakers to approve his request to borrow another loan has met a deadend. The report further claimed the Gov had called for an emergency meeting with the lawmakers through the Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon Suraj Adekunbi, but met a brickwall as the majority of the Assembly members refused endorsing his request. It was during the meeting, the report said, that the lawmakers poured…