Should John Obi Mikel be dropped against France?

Following a series of underwhelming performances, the Chelsea midfielder has come in for criticism from some Nigerian fans. Should he retain his spot in the team?

DEBATE
By James Ezimoha & Solace Chukwu

When considering Nigeria's star performers this summer, John Obi Mikel's name is startlingly absent.

Despite the midfielder's experience and many qualities, he failed to impose himself in the Super Eagles' opening three games and has, at times, been accused of slowing down the team's play and lacking defensive discipline.

Forgotten is the vitality and innovation of the Confederations Cup.

In this great debate, two of Goal Nigeria's writers debate the Chelsea man's continued presence in the heart of the Super Eagles' team.

"Keshi can and should bench Mikel"

“Nigeria qualified for the second round of the World Cup despite defeat to Argentina.”

That statement could have been totally different had results in the other group game gone differently.

That is, if Iran had beaten Bosnia and Herzegovina with the same margin as they lost, 3-1, the Super Eagles would have touched home by now.

John Obi Mikel's underperfomance would have been the highlight of a very sad tale.

In the second round, however, there is no room for second-best teams.

If Nigeria are to defeat France on Monday, the Super Eagles cannot afford to field a player who has been second-best with every touch, every pass, every tackle, offensively and, quite surprisingly, defensively, throughout the tournament.

The Chelsea man is not one to go under the radar in a match. And certainly not in the World Cup where every game is high profile and every minute spent on the pitch is an opportunity to shine on the grandest platform of world football.

Is Mikel trading on past glories?

No doubt, he’s a senior and respectable member in the team based on caps and responsibilities. However, Nigeria’s persistent faith in him has, and could, cost the team more. The national goal is far greater than one player’s ego.

His underperformance against the Albiceleste wasn’t a one-off. It also had nothing to do with a second yellow card which would have ruled him out of the Knockouts. First, the rules were changed, which I’m sure the team is aware of. Secondly, his decline predates the tournament itself.

It’s hard to see why Keshi cannot bench him. The Big Boss can and should. There could never be a ‘perfect timing’ to do it.

This writer was one of those who raised placards protesting Michael Babatunde’s inclusion in the team to Brazil. It was the same for when he was included in the win-or-burst match against Bosnia at the expense of Victor Moses—the ‘Messiah’ of the Super Eagles.

Babatunde shocked everyone with a strong fire-for-fire performance that attracted praise from all, even his critics.

The Big Boss has stated that everyone in his team is capable of doing the job as he has shown with the Moses and Babatunde episode; even goalkeeper, Vincent ‘The Cat’ Enyeama can be replaced...

If we continue to rate Mikel on past glory and popularity levels, we would be doing ourselves a huge disservice.

Let the best man play.

Better the Devil you know...

In the wake of the Super Eagles’ 3-2 loss to Argentina in Porto Alegre, almost every player in the team emerged with credit. The one clear and unanimous exception was John Obi Mikel. Slow on and off the ball, lethargic in his movements and often making the wrong decisions when there was a chance to break, his performance was in marked contrast to that of his opposite number.

While Lionel Messi was at the heart of everything the Albiceleste did right, Mikel was often simply in the way.

That said, calls for his exclusion for the Second Round game against France are misguided and reactionary. It was already abundantly clear from the very first game against Iran that something was not right with our No. 10, so why is there so much uproar all of a sudden? Did no one notice it earlier?

This writer has been quite vocal in his dissatisfaction with Mikel’s showings, and advocated for Mikel to be dropped for the Argentina game in favour of Ramon Azeez. Football is really all about fine margins and timing. While dropping Mikel in a game where the team could afford to lose in order to trial another option may have been preferable, we are now faced with the Knockout rounds.

If Mikel had been dropped for the game against Argentina, and Azeez had performed well in his stead, it would have sent a message to the Chelsea man. He has clearly been in need of a kick to step up his level of performance. Is a high-stakes knockout tie the place or time to do this?

Absolutely not.

Nigeria's biggest match in a generation is no occasion for experimentation

It is crunch time, and as such, making such a drastic change (for Mikel is a vital part of the team) for Nigeria’s biggest game in almost two decades would be unwise. Azeez underwhelmed against Iran playing an unfamiliar role at the top of the midfield triangle, but there are no guarantees he will fare better in his natural role, especially considering he has not played there since his call-up to the Super Eagles.

At this stage, Azeez or even Gabriel Reuben would represent a huge risk. The latter has seen no minutes in Brazil, and his last appearance as a substitute against the USA in a pre-World Cup friendly totally unhinged the midfield. He seems even less mobile than Mikel, and his range of passing is not reassuring. Azeez, on the other hand, is an unknown quantity in his natural position.

As the saying goes, better the devil you know than the angel you do not. (Goal.com)

Gospel Singer Sinach Ties The Knot (photos)

Finally the big wedding of popular Gospel singer, Osinachi Kalu popularly known as Sinach took place on Saturday June 28th. She exchanged vows with her handsome hubby, Pastor Joseph at Christ Embassy Church, Ikeja, Lagos, in the presence of her pastors, family, friends and well wishers.

Her gown looks so gorgeous...and she had smiles all the way as she ties the knot with her heartthrob. The two have been dating for a while before decided to walk down the aisle.

See photos from the wedding :

 

Beyonce Lets Her Booty Hang Out During Concert. (See Photos)

 
Beyonce wore an outfit during the first night of the On The Run concert with Jay-Z in Miami. The bodysuit outfit had the butt cut out and her dancers also wore the same thing.

Now those who are more familiar with Beyonce's booty say she was wearing butt pads and that is not her backside. For me, I have no idea, though I wonder why she didn't just go pantless?

Do you think those are butt pads or the real bootylicious Beyonce? See another picture below:

Woman's Younger Brother & His Friends Stab Husband To Death

A 23-year-old woman, Blessing Ede’s younger brother and his friends stabbed her husband to death following an argument over baby-walker.

Trouble started last year December, when after an argument, the deceased, Mr. Isaac Ede, 36 asked his wife to go and stay with her parents in Uvuru, Imo State and should remain there until he sent for her to return to their home in Port Harcourt.

                                                                                      Mrs Blessing Ede
Daily Sun reports that he did not contact her until April, 2014 when he called her on phone to come back and pack her things out of his house.
In May, the woman returned to Port Harcourt to do her husband’s bidding. On that fateful day at about 11p.m, she came to the house with her younger brother, Emmanuel Anuforo and two of his friends to pack her belongings out of her husband’s house.

As she was packing her things, she wanted to take along the baby-walker and an argument ensued between the couple. In the heat of the argument, her younger brother and his two friends descended on the husband and stabbed him with a sharp broken bottle and he died.
Emmanuel and his friend were said to have fled the scene, leaving his sister behind. She was arrested by the by policemen from the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Rivers State Police Command as neighbors raised the alarm.
During interrogation, Blessing admitted having an argument with her husband but said she didn not send her brother and his friends to kill him.

"I didn’t send my brother Emmanuel and his two friends to kill my husband. It was the devil. We have been married for two years. I have one child for him and right now I am six months pregnant. I cannot explain what led to the death of my husband. It was impatience that led to it. I want the family of my husband to forgive me for what I have done. With my six months pregnancy I will suffer if I am sent to prison for murder," she said.
The Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin said, based on the findings of detectives investigating the matter, the wife is a troublemaker.

Let Any Man I’ve Had Affair With Speak Out—IK Ogbonna Challenges

Nollywood actor and model, IK Ogbonna, has thrown up a challenge and has asked anyone who can prove he has had a romantic affair with to speak out.

In a recent interview, the handsome actor debunked claims that he is not straight. He also said that though he likes women a lot, but he controls his urge to have them. Ogbonna said he will definitely need someone in his life, but not a man.

He challenged any man to come out face-to-face with him to say he (Ogbonna) ever had any affair with him.

“So far so good, for the little time you have spent with me, you have already have your own assessment about me, I can't be the one to do that myself, but the greatest thing is that there is nobody that will come to me face-to-face that I have slept with his or her mother before, or a guy will come to me to tell me we had something together. Yes I'm someone that likes women, but it is controlled. So for me I control my urge whenever it comes to women, I'm more of a business focused person in whatever I do,” he said. He added that even his ‘jigolo’ roles in movies are not his doing but a clear interpretation of the scripts and orders by the director."

“In Nigeria, people have stereotyped roles actors and actresses play in a movie. In most cases they will look at a role you played before and want you to continue it that way. For me, when you look at me, you see someone who is flashy, what kind of role will you give me as a producer, it does not mean that I cannot play any other role, with makeup, I can wear a new look because everything is a character you want to interpret,” observed.

Nigeriafilms.com

Kim Kardashian’s Gardener Sues Baby North West For Being a Spoiled Little Brat Who Constantly Screamed so Loud his Hearing was Damaged. (Must Read)

 
A new lawsuit by a man who used to work for Kim Kardashian and Kanye West is said to be accusing their one-year-old daughter, North West of being a spoiled little brat. 

The man, Chris Donnelly, said she made his life a living hell. And now he is suing Kim Kardashian along with North West for $1million!

MTO reports that Chris Donnelly filed a 1 million dollar federal lawsuit against Kim and Kanye's baby North West along with Ms. Kardashian. Chris claims to have been a former groundskeeper for Kanye and Kim.

He claims in court documents that baby North West is a spoiled brat who constantly screamed so loud his hearing was damaged. Further, while working with the family he says that North West spit baby food
on him and threw a diaper at him which caused him to fall into a pool and nearly drown. He claimed to have suffered emotional distress due to the incident.

Donnelly also states a family member told him if he didn't like how North West acted that she would punish him by making him shine shoes for dirt cheap. He even says if the family doesn't pay him 1 million dollars he will go to the press and expose everything that happened to him while working for the family.

However, the judge in the case came back on June 25th and sided with Kim, Kanye and North West. The judge said the man cannot sue for the allegations he stated and that they are dismissing the case. Maybe the man can now go ahead to release the alleged damaging information to the press.

This is serious.....suing a baby that does not have any knowledge of what she's been accused of! That man must an attention seeker.

10 Signs Your Boyfriend is Not Ready To Propose Marriage To You

One of the biggest dating questions which haunt women is whether her boyfriend is ready to commit. She may be sticking around with him for almost a couple of years now, hoping that he will make up his mind and still waiting for the elusive engagement ring.

If you don’t want to waste time waiting for a man who's not ready, learn to pick up ten signs which tell you that he’s not going to propose marriage in a hurry.

He never discusses marriage: This is perhaps the first hint that should start ringing warning bells in your mind. Your boyfriend cannot be caught dead talking about marriage as an institution or even commenting on commercials for wedding products and services. He won’t mention it even if his own brother is getting married and he is going to be the best man. His aversion to the M-word should be indication enough that marriage does not figure anywhere in his near future.

He is hugely ambitious: Guys whose only mission in their lives is to reach the top of their professional ladder are likely to take their time settling down. This is because emotional commitment to a partner might force them to cut down on their working hours and make networking with business contacts or frequent out-of-town trips difficult. Though this is not to say that married guys don’t find success – witness President Obama and Bill Gates – super ambitious men who are perpetually looking for the next bigger and better thing are more likely to consider marriage as leading to professional stagnation.

All his friends are single: This is as sure a sign as any that your boyfriend is not going to propose marriage. If you notice that his social circle is exclusively made of bachelors and divorced men, it is evident that he is uncomfortable around married couples and has no plans to join their ranks in near future.

He has strong sexual needs: A guy who places great emphasis on sex and considers it the most important part of a relationship is unlikely to settle for a single partner. Gone are the days when men could be baited into marriage on the lure of sex. The dissociation of sex and marriage as well as sexual freedom for women has also made it easier for men to keep sleeping around unless they wish to marry for other reasons. And if your boyfriend has a large sexual appetite, it is unlikely to be satisfied by a single person. He will sooner or later get tired of being with you and move on to someone else he can go to bed with.

He lives out of a suitcase: Men with unstable living conditions usually have priorities like work and travel which are bound to clash with a stable married life. You may be thrilled to have a high-flying war correspondent or wildlife photographer as a boyfriend, but such people are unlikely to settle down to tame domesticity. Far easier to spot – and avoid – are guys who are in and out of jobs or in trouble with the law and thus perpetually on the move. Rather look for men who have stable lives since they are the ones more likely to be looking for stable relationships.

He does not take you to meet his family: This is an unmistakable sign that a guy is not considering marriage even though he may be dating someone. Men usually discuss their families only with those who are close enough to be let into their inner lives. If your boyfriend has never suggested that you meet his parents and even appears to be uncomfortable talking about them to you, then perhaps he is not ready to make you an intrinsic part of his life.

You don’t figure in his plans: When talking about his future, does your guy merely discuss his goals of starting a business someday and are his dreams limited to retiring by the sea with his very own beach house and luxury boat? If so or something similar, then this is an indication that you are not part of his future plans and thus unlikely to be his wife any time soon. Unless of course, he goes through a life-changing experience and realizes the value of a committed relationship which is again putting too much store by chance and therefore not worth wasting your life for.

He doesn’t ask you about yours: In a reversal of the above point, a guy unwilling to commit will also be uninterested to know about your life goals and hopes for the future. The present – comfortably carefree and uncomplicated – is good enough for him. He does not want to know if you want to eventually settle in the suburbs or how many kids would you like to have and whether you would prefer little girls or boys. Hell, he doesn’t even want to know where you have always wanted to go for your honeymoon! If you find all this true in case of your boyfriend, then you can kiss your dreams of marrying him goodbye and start looking for a more suitable guy.

He is divorced: While divorced men are technically single and thus seeming candidates for a committed relationship, if your guy has gone through a particularly messy divorce, then probably he cannot bear the thought of marrying again. To be sure about this, pry around gently to see how badly he feels about his breakup and whether the scars are deep enough to be permanent. Other than emotional issues, a divorced man may also be caught up in child support and alimony so as to make any further commitments completely out of the question.


He is not forthcoming about personal information: Have you ever wondered why your boyfriend is always vague when you ask him about his work and where he lives? You might have a rough idea that he is into finance and that he commutes from the suburbs but if he is unwilling to clearly share his personal information with you, probably he has something to hide – a spouse or a lover maybe. Or more likely he is determined to keep you away from the rest of his personal life. Not exactly marriage material, is he?


No one can say for sure what goes on in a person’s mind and what influences his/her decisions. But if your boyfriend displays all or most of the above signs, then more likely than not, he is not yet ready to propose marriage to you.

Culled from RML

Late Kefee To Be Buried In Her Hometown

Rumors have been going around for a while that late singer Kefee’s husband Teddy Don-Momoh is stranded in the united states and that’s why he is yet to bring her corpse back to Nigeria. The husband has come out to say that he is not happy at the way reports that have been spreading these past weeks following his wife’s death. He had pleaded for the privacy of the family to be respected in these “trying times.”

In a release signed by his publicist, Chilee Agunanna, Don-Momoh said he would have to return home to Nigeria first and be on ground to receive the body of his wife.

He also revealed the arrangements of the burial, according to the statement he said he was finalizing the required paperwork before Kefee’s body could be flown from the U.S. to Nigeria and “once those are done, more details of the burial plans would be released.”

Teddy said that Kefee’s family had requested that she be buried in her hometown, Okpara-Inland, Ethiope East Local Government, Edo State with a celebratory service in Sapele afterwards and that he was comfortable with that.

Davido wins BET Award for Best African Act

Nigeria’s Davido has won the 2014 BET Award for Best African Act, which was revealed at a pre-event taping in Los Angeles ahead of the main award ceremony on Sunday night.

An excited Davido shared his victory with fans saying:

“Thanks to all my fans!! WE WON @BETAwardsBEST AFRICAN ACT 2014!! so happy!! Time to party!”

Congratulations to him....

Photos: Beyonce Shows Bare Baby Bump During On The Run Tour With Jay Z

 

Beyonce and Jay Z have started their On The Run concert and during the show, the couple played private home video that showed Beyonce's bare baby bump. This is for those who believe or think that the singer didn't carry her baby.

With Kelly's recent pregnancy and her the former Destiny Child's bandmate of Beyonce loving to show off her bump, many are talking again of Beyonce over protectiveness of her own pregnancy belly. Well, Jay Z and Beyonce are using their concert and these home videos to open up further to their fans and squash a lot of the rumors about them.

The couple not only shared Beyonce's bare pregnant belly, they also shared home movie clips of their private 2008 wedding as well as those of growing baby Blue Ivy. Beyonce had talked about her earlier miscarriage and giving birth to Blue Ivy.