i just check the epl table now and arsenal is nolonger at the top. WHY? WHY? CAN SOMEBODY TELL ME WHY NOW?

I startd this thread to get relevant opinions on the subject matter but its a shame some dudes writing here are so obsessed with mikel's wealthy being.are you that poor to allow his status quo cloud your judgement?its alot easier to be all sentimental cos hes a naija but to allow his opulence state control your thought is a shame.And im sure you grew up amongst one-legged folks for you to imagine every other person is such handicappd.ole! u think say the bigboy fit see this thread sign u cheque.

@helium44,
u are at the wrong place at the right time.
pls if u are anywhere arround lagos, just hand urself over to yaba mental rehablitation home bcs u have lost the battle on ur own.
do not loose hope, i wish u the best as u struggle to be fit mentally.

we deserve more than 1 goal. our guys must not forget that we are addicted to goals and clean sheets.

jonh terry plays like he is the best player in the world.

these days, chelsea fans are clapping too much for mikel. who knows why?

it is not my fault that the sky is blue. is it my fault that the owner of our club has too much money?
don't blame me for been addicted to mikel. is it my fault that my club have the SWAGGER.


LOOK AT ashley cool. pls let this guy score next time. if he wants more money, we will add for him.

good move. i pray things work out fine for him there so that he can make the move permanent.
benitez is a recist. he does not work well with blacks. the blacks in inter are there bcs of mourinho so let us see what happens.

arsenal is the winner but i see another trophiless season with the type of ball this arsenal team is playing.
fab is not in arsenal anymore so cashing in on him will be a good idea since the club is based on buying and selling.

arsenal shld stop putting these small boys in games mearnt for men to avoid injuries.  this is child labour remember.

the cheaper the players the more useless they are.
since wenger has refused to spend on quality diof  will continue running and turning the defenders like a woman on the bed.
this arsenal goalkeeper is in a very big shit.
van persie and fab will not finish this game bcs of injury and i see more injuries coming to the small boys and that will help wenger sale them january.

the rate at which mad ppl are parading our streets these days is alarming. when will mad ppl go the rehabs? is it possible these mad ppl are turning nairaland to a rehab for orphans?
this forum shld serve as avenue to remind well-to-do nigerians like mikel on the need to reduce the menace of retards and mad dogs who go about harrassing normal ppl on daily basis.

sorry this is not what the folks here want to hear.
tell them any negative news wether true or lie, they will celebrate that.
they are enemies of progress here.

JOHN MIKEL OBI: PART TWO
Posted on: Fri 27 Aug 2010

John Mikel Obi is expecting another big battle against Stoke on Saturday, but is feeling the benefit of having good friend Michael Essien back alongside him,

The Potters, now in their third season in the Barclays Premier League, have long been regarded as the division's most physical side, and while it is a reputation they have tried to play down, the Chelsea man insists this is the toughest examination he can think of.

After two games against passing sides West Brom and Wigan, we face TonyPulis's men at Stamford Bridge as we aim to extend our 100 percent record.

'This is the most difficult one, against physical, tall guys, tall defenders, all huge, strong and athletic,' says the Nigerian.

'It's going to be very hard, but all we have to do is keep the ball, play as one and create chances. We don't have to play the ball long like they do, we have to try and find spaces in behind their defence, pass the ball around and pick our moments.'

It is not as though our squad is incapable of mixing it when necessary either, before April's 7-0 thrashing of a Stoke side with little to play for, we had met them four times in the previous two seasons, narrowly coming out on top each time.

'We played very physically against Arsenal last year and they don't like it, but Stoke relish it, so we have to make our extra quality on the ball count again this time,' says Mikel.

'It will be a very difficult game, trust me, with the long throws and the ball in the air, someone like Ricardo Fuller up front, they are the toughest opponents.

'They kick the ball up, you think you are going to win it and then they are there and you're beaten, you have to be aware all the time.'

Mikel meets Fuller in March

In such games, Mikel notes that it helps to have a specimen of Michael Essien's type alongside you in the midfield, the Ghanaian having made a welcome return to first team action this season following injury.

'He is always strong! He is a great guy to have back in the team and a great player, powerful going forward and at holding people off in the middle,' says the 23-year-old, ' I do that as well, but to see him do that is good, it is good to have him back.

'We have strong guys too, we have a lot of six-footers, even someone like Lamps, you don't realise how strong he is, and Essien is shorter but is very, very strong. Our physical presence through the middle with Didier up front and JT and Alex at the back really works well for Chelsea. Even Ashley Cole who is smaller, you think he is a pushover, but he is strong.'

So things are looking good as we search for a sixth successive league victory, and in the midfield there is the prospect of added competition following the arrival of Ramires to the club.

'I haven't seen much of him, I didn't know him until he came here,' Mikel admits. 'He's obviously a good player for Chelsea to pay money for him, and hopefully he will settle in quickly and play some games.

'You don't expect to play every game when you have 60 games a season, you will miss some. I have been here five years now and I'm used to it.'

Hospitality packages are still available for Saturday's game. Click here for details.

direct from source.

above the law

I think that if he was from England, He would definitely make the first 11.
He is a good player but lacks discipline.

@vivien_all,
did u say discipline? pls if this the correct word u wanted to use, pls explain it for our understanding.

But Masi’s relation told THISDAY yesterday: “The perfume story is not true. When Chinwe met the former governor at the shopping mall, they exchanged numbers. Chinwe was planning to come to Nigeria, so OJ (Chinwe’s pet name for Orji Kalu) said they could meet up. But they never met up in Nigeria. So when Chinwe got back to the US, OJ called her and fixed an appointment for last Thursday. OJ had already given her some money.

@mbulela,
can u reach this family member and find out if that lady has been a prostitute before the incident? wat was the money he gave her for? maybe the service she came to render before the incident?
as long as it america, they will tell us the truth.

@madejibo
am really beginning 2 notice dat u re foul-mouth. What in heaven is wrong with d govt's genuine effort to settle d debts dat has accrued from previous regimes. You don't seem to apprec8 anythin Nigerian. Hey why don't u try Kenyan lottery,  Some Nigerians truly need deliverance, omg

@patrick89,
if this is ur best when it comes to reasoning, i seriously recommend brain surgery for u. which regime is paying debts of which regime? since 1999, we handed nigeria over to pdp and that has been where we are since then so which other regime are u talking abt?
if u know the definition of a political party, u will agree with mean that one of the important factor is that every political party has same genda.
it has been pdp all the way so what agenda is same here? owing debts and looting the country to its kneels.
it is obvious these group of criminals at the helm of affairs are not looking at the masses.
come to think of it, is jonathan supposed to be a different regime from his late boss(yar adua)? or are they supposed tom be different from the one who sole handedly select and imposed them on nigeria? can't u see that politics is discussed in nigeria from january tom december unlike other countries where politics are discussed once in four yrs?
we are in a country where a winner takes all and others can go to hell.
jonathan is just a decor because he is a new face. he is been used to decieve nigerians. that was the pdp's game plan in anambra but soludo was unlucky bcs he met wise ppl in that area who refused to be decieved.

THE THURSDAY INTERVIEW: JOHN MIKEL OBI
Posted on: Thu 26 Aug 2010

While the attacking players have been lauded for their swashbuckling displays against West Brom and Wigan, the defence has also received credit for its pair of clean sheets over the season's opening weekends.

The man who knits the two halves together in his role at the base of the midfield, John Mikel Obi, has enjoyed a fine start to the season himself and it has not gone unnoticed at Stamford Bridge.

Anyone who saw the congratulations the midfielder received from his team-mates after his rangy pass found Nicolas Anelka for the second goal at the DW Stadium on Saturday will testify to the high regard in which his performances are currently held within the dressing room.

'Last season I did similar things in some games, sometimes it is difficult to do that week in week out, but I did it for Didier last season at Portsmouth, so it is nothing special really,' he said of the pass.

'I don't always get the opportunity to show my range of passing, it is quite difficult, you have everyone in front of you but if I get to do it more and create goals, then good, and it is great we scored 12 goals but more important to me is that I think it's good we haven't conceded any, that's where I feel happiest, my responsibility is more in the defence than the attack.'

Mikel has earned more praise from the fitness coaches at Cobham since the beginning of pre-season. They will tell you he is working harder than ever, and the player agrees.

'Towards the end of last season before I was injured I was in good shape and playing almost every week,' says the 23-year-old. 'Then I got injured, had surgery and did my rehab. I just put my head down and knew I had to work twice as hard as the other players to get myself ready for the start of the season.

'I feel like it is paying off and I don't want to stop, I want to keep going and working hard in training. If you speak to the guys they will tell you I work as hard as anyone else on the training pitch, maybe harder and I just want to keep going like this. This is where I want to be at 23 years old.'

It seems the boy Jose Mourinho signed in 2006 has developed into a man under Carlo Ancelotti.

Ancelotti talks with Mikel

He has previously spoken of feeling like one of the side's senior players as he approaches 200 Chelsea appearances (his current total is 168) and it seems with age he has developed into a more disciplined character both on and off the field.

'It doesn't feel like I am in my fifth year,' he smiles. 'I was 18 when I came, I had a bad start, it was a wake-up call to me, and I got sent off a couple of times and booked a lot, but now I am happy and I feel I am still getting better, I win the ball more now without fouling people.

'I do think I am more disciplined when I play. Playing for Chelsea you always have the full-backs going forward, Ashley Cole plays like a winger so I am the one who keeps the balance of the team and it is something I learned to do. It is a sacrifice I have to make for the team, not going forward and getting the goals.'

Malouda, Drogba and Mikel celebrate another Chelsea goal

If you were to map Mikel's movements during a game you would see a high concentration of his work being done in or around the centre-circle, it is only natural for a player of his type, but what stands out is how much of that time is spent to the left rather than the right.

The explanation, he believes, is that it is due to his covering of other players, Cole in particular but also Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard, all more attack-minded than Michael Essien and Branislav Ivanovic or Paulo Ferreira on the right-hand side.

'It's because Ashley is always going forwards, always, so I cover him more. Paulo Ferreira or Branislav Ivanovic don't go forward so much, so it is something we want in the team,' says the Nigerian. 'Malouda always goes forward too, and Lampard is on that side too, so there is a space left open more than on the right with Essien who plays deeper.

'We all have a good understanding at the moment, they all know when to go and when to come in. I think it's pretty much working out as we want it to all the time.

'We know we're not going to score six every game, if you manage one and get three points it's all we need, but at the moment it is enjoyable to be a part of it and playing, and I hope it keeps going like this.'

Tomorrow, Mikel speaks about the weekend's pitch battle with Stoke and the return of fellow African Michael Essien to the midfield,

this is direct from source.

@Ranoscky,
i do understand wat u mean but i like good sports news and i pass it to others bcs most of us here are suffering from lack of information while others are born daft so it is my own little way of helping the less informed sports lovers.
thanks .

This is essentially what Mikel is tasked to do. Get the ball, give it to Essien or Lampard, fall back. Anything else is extra. I don't know why people are finding this difficult to understand.

@BizBooks,
what u did above is called; BRINGING KNOWLEDGE TO THE GRASSROOT.
most of us here are not supposed to be here but for the fact that they jumped class, i can only talk to them as adults they claim. thank God for BizBooks who have brought it down to the lowest level.
unfortunately, some have ears and cannot hear so no matter how low u come, they will still not understand it. while some are wicked and cruel that they hate good news abt others and dictionary will call such man/woman a saddist.

PAT NEVIN: SPEAKING VOLUMES
Posted on: Tue 24 Aug 2010

The body language at Wigan told ex-Chelsea star Pat Nevin as much about the current team as the goals. He explains why in this week's column,


It was the best of times, it was, well the best of times. Obviously Charles Dickens wasn't thinking of Chelsea's current form when he started A Tale of Two Cities, but what else can you say after winning the double and starting the next season with two incredible 6-0 wins?

There must be a number of reasons why the play is just so fluent at the moment. Clearly this group of players know each other's strengths incredibly well, there is now an understanding that is bordering on telepathic with quite a few lads in the team.

There is also happily a willingness to strive to stay right at the top from just about every single member of the group. A few stinging articles during and after the World Cup have only served to strengthen the resolve of those who it had been suggested were not only over the hill, but tumbling down the other side at a rate of knots.

Realistically there will be dips in form this season, there always are after a World Cup year. Quite a few players, not only at Chelsea, haven't had enough time to rest and recover from the previous season, so niggling injuries will also become a problem. At the moment however, it is all fun in the sun with no one feeling any pain.

Fun also appears to be one of the important things in the Chelsea team at the moment. The spirit is clearly at an incredible level between the lads, the giveaway comes with the reaction to, and the celebration of, the goals.

A prime example came with the second goal against Wigan at the weekend. Nic Anelka buried it beautifully in the bottom corner and the players nearest him went to celebrate with the scorer, but the reaction of the midfielders and defenders to Mikel for his fantastic, raking, 50 yard, pinpoint pass was a joy to see.

John Terry looks as delighted as if he has scored the winner in the Champions League final himself. This is not a forced or selfish reaction, this is the generous reaction of man who deeply cares about his team mate. Mikel is duly swamped by everyone around him after the goal and it speaks volumes for what they feel about a player who isn't usually the most celebrated of the group.

Now I will own up that I was maybe a little surprised by the quality and the vision of the pass. I am hopefully not being too disrespectful but it was a pass you would expect to be played by a Lampard, Scholes or a Beckham. Now that we know he has got that in his locker, maybe he should try it a little more often. As sitting midfielder his first job is to break up play and then give the ball to the known creative types, but that moment of adventure allied to the confidence he gained from his mates smothering him might just lead to a boost in confidence.

Of course Didier Drogba couldn't let it lie and decided to get in on the act, spraying a few balls from one side of the pitch to the other with deadly accuracy, just to show that he can do it too, even if he is not exactly renowned for it either. Didier's pass for Kalou's goal was even better however because of the unselfishness of the act. Having picked the ball up on the half way line and powered past their entire defence, you might have excused him from having a pop from 20 yards himself, it would have been a goal of the season contender. He didn't do that, he elected to do the right thing and slip his countryman through for a tap in. It was brilliant, selfless and the work of a team player.

It summed up for me why the Blues are looking just so good right now. Everyone is thinking of the group, there is an unselfishness to the play and to the glory, it is all shared equally. From the outside you might think every team should be like that, but in reality it is rarely the case. Footballers are winners and there is an inbuilt self serving part of being a champion in sport, even if it is a team game. The trick is to get the balance right between egocentricity and shared goals, right now they are doing just that and much of the praise must go to the manager for getting the mix just right.

Last week's competition was an easy one and most entrants got the answer correct. The only time this century Chelsea didn't take full points on the first day of a league campaign was against Newcastle United in 2001, it was a 1-1 draw. The lucky winner randomly chosen by a globetrotting girl just back from competing in Germany was Martin and Debbie Holder from Carshalton, Surrey. The DVD is on its way.

This week to stand a chance of winning a season review DVD, signed by one of the players, could you tell me who was the first player to be signed by Chelsea under the ownership of Mr Abramovich?

Answers as ever to me at pat.nevin@chelseafc.com and thanks to Joe Pinto from Southampton for sending in this week's question.

@kinezeala,
pls read that post above from a professional sports analyst posted on chelsea's website. now compare it with wat u as a confused and frustrated nigerian. wat differences do u observe?

Give me the name of a premier league player who plays first team football for his nation and has played for 4 years for his club in the epl without scoring an epl goal.do you think essien would be the best midfielder in africa if he only tackles and passes the ball back and sideways?who\'s making an offer for the dude?wondered why he was voted by chelsea fans as the worst player at chelsea?for Heaven\'s sake stop comparing him to the likes of busquets,makelele,de jong,fletcher etc . . .mikel is far too better than those guys,if mikel could atleast get his shots on target,he will be the best midfielder in africa! Mikel at least if you can\'t score or make goal attempts at least surge forward,you are the only dm who thinks he has no business with the opponents 18 yard box!for God\'s sake who in mikel\'s age limit is better off than him?

All the players who have played for at least 3 seasons for chealsea have all scored at least one goal except for mikel

after reading ur less priveledged write up, one will begin to ask ur source of information and how many premier league players u know. a player in fulham according to the commentator of fulham vs man u match has not scored a goal for his club in six years.
looking at how many of u are calling for mikel to score a goal, one will also want to know what will happenif he scores a goal?
ballack, joe cole, deco and balletti all scored for chelsea yet the club let them leave keeping mikel who does not score a goal.
why will wenger let gallas who score goals to leave? what abt etoo, ibrahimovic and a host of other goal scoring machines, their various clubs let.
if u have a little knowledge of economics, u will know abt DIVISSION OR LABOUR. why are nigerians more worried abt mikel's non scoring forms than those paying his weekly wages?
the last time i checked, there was this saying; HE WHO PAYS THE PIPER DICTECTS THE TONE.
who is paying mikel now and who is complaining.
are u a disabled person? in ur wisdom, what are u doing for ur life, ur family, your community, state and nigeria as a whole? who in ur lineage is doing well or representing nigeria in anything legal.
what standards do u have to advise an esteblished guy who worked himself to the limelight? apart from mikel, who are u advising? in which way have u appreciated mikel for his achievements so far? among other nigerian players of our present time, who else do u think can fit and settle into this present chelsea team? what was ur opinion when mikel joined chelsea?
i know these questions are far beyond ur abilities but u can still prove me wrong by providing the answers, i will be waiting

@poster,
why are u more interested in the beating than the course of the beating.
some girls are in love with beating so if u don't beat them, u have lost your position and from ur statements, i think that girl is one of them.
if i am the man, i will be using sticks or rod.

@poster,
what is ur opinion or don't u have any?

I can see Jonathan is destined for failure jst as his predecessor Yaradua. The same declaration OBJ made and imposed yaradua on us, but at the end God said no to him. He has succeded in pushing Yaradua to his early grave, his next target is GEJ.

Jonathan has allowed himself to be used as another stumbling block to Nigerian Progress by PDP, but the good news is that God pass them all. Associating himself with people like OBJ is jst the beginning of his end, i will see how a lecturer can survive in the mist of deadly politicians like OBJs

@princekevo,
Gbam. how can such a useless man be someone's father? at what age can a man call it a quit from politics.
as for jonathan, i don't think he needs a prophet to inform him that associating himself with the likes of obj will surely reduce him to nothing.
he is not the first nigerian to associate himself with obj and we all know how they ended up.
where is yar adua, bode george? atiku and a host of other politicians.
obj means destruction so whosoever that moves arround with him is moving arround with destruction.

Peter Odemwingie scored a late goal on his debut to give West Brom all three Premier League points against Sunderland at the Hawthorns.
Odemwingie, whose transfer from Lokomotiv Moscow had only been confirmed 24 hours earlier, wasted little time in making a name for himself at his new club, taking on James Morrison's pass and slotting home the winner with nine minutes to go.

The victory marked a spirited response from the Baggies, who had started the day bottom of the Barclays Premier League table after they were thrashed 6-0 at Chelsea last week.

@VPersie,
are u new here? pls if u want thread topics that ppl will like and contribute on this forum, go for negative news. ppl in here are not happy with good news.

@topic,
good news for peter and i wish him more of those goals so that at the end of the season, he will have admirers among the big guns.

Mikel wont attack to save his own life. I just checked his statistics, he has had exactly 70 shots in four seasons with Chelsea(premier league only). That's less than 18 shots every season. Some players get more than 18 shots in a game.

@medjai,
you wrote this before and now u write this;

he made an assist yesterday and more of such displays are what we want to see

if i may ask, how does what u wrote above relate to the topic of this thread?

the confused poster was calling for a goal and u were interested in shots and now u are in love with what he did yesterday. those world class coaches and those of us lovers of progressives have been seeing wat u just saw yesterday.
in chelsea, mikel has been the man with the best passes and drogba has benefited form that goodwil on many occassions. in their first match against wet brom, kalou was presented with one of those telegraphic passes though he wasted it. it is unfortunate that u are beging to see now.
be reminded, those eyes are for u so it is up to u to how u want to use them. u can make ur eyes a fault finding machines or an agent of doom or more helpful see the good things in the legs of the blessed child mikel. in any case, MIKEL NO JUST SEND U bcs wether u like it or not, his employers are in love with him and his account officers are busy week in week out crediting and clearing cheques.

. . . . And can u people hating on mikel, open another thread about his gud performance

@Dotman01,
has anyone answered the question above?
no one will answer that question.
nairalanders are more interested in celebrating failures than achievements.
today that mikel played well according to 12large, how did he celebrate that?

ahh today mikel was brilliant if he can play like this all season, i don't think anybody would critisize him

@12large,
when u are in love with ur God, God will force ur enemies to be in good terms with u.
did mikel score goal today? with what you wrote above, u have accepted that soccer/football is not about how many goals u score in a game. remember, drogba was man of the match even without scoring goal. again, is it possible that you have started seeing what some of us and those world class coaches have been seeing yrs back? do u still remember the topic of this thread.
get a life brother. mikel is established above standards and with time, u will agree with me that that holding role has been tagged to mikel and it will take different interpretation for anyother one to push him out of it.
someother fools here were saying the return of essien will push mikel to the bench. where are they now that mikel play along essien and where are they now that mikel can do 90+
by the ways, no thread topic has come up for sometime now against mikel, is it possible that the enemies have sourrendered?
i watched John Terry tell the fans that anelka's first goal shld be given to mikel.
mikel get class and as we speak, he is the only nigerian that can play in the power house - chelsea.

@poster,
at least that is better than obasanjo who use his own loots to lure his son's wife to bed. i even respect ibb more than the old criminal called bode george.
if i have father like obasanjo or bode george, i will not waste time in disowning them publicly.
what will the children of such men be saying abt their fathers.
imagine having an aged father in jail with white hairs. God forbide. what will children of such useless parents learn from their fathers.

NOT LIKE IGBO LEADERS WHO RECOGNIZE NOTHING EXCEPT moneyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

@seanet02,
may God punish u and ur mouth. do u know how many ppl abiloa killed in nigeria? are u not aware that ur abiola was the best friend of the military? if u are a christain, u will know that bible said it that those who live by sword, die by sword. history has it that abiola was part of almost all the coups that took place in nigeria. he believed so much in the military and they are the ones that sent him to the world beyond.
do u know how many ppl who died in car accidents running back to their various villages from the city thinking that ur late noise maker had plans for war?
if the afenifere wans abiola back, they shld alos be ready to ask obasanjo to provide those he killed including their own  bola ige.

JOHN OBI MIKEL




Age: 23
Last season: 25 apps, 1 assist.
Best position: Central midfield
Strength: Technique
Versatility: Average - plays best in the middle.
Ancelotti arrived last year and immediately eyed Mikel for the 'Andrea Pirlo role' at the base of his midfield. The Nigerian didn't fully take to the task, however, proving not quite up to scratch in the crucial area of tackling (which is arguably more important in the Premier League than Serie A). The Italian might return to that experiment this season, but unless injuries hit in key areas again he might spend much of the time on the bench.

Verdict: Rotator
Will get his fair share of games, but unlikely to be on Ancelotti's list when it comes to the important clashes.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/1717/editorial/2010/08/13/2069539/debate-where-will-ramires-slot-in-alongside-chelseas

For his talents Mikel has performed below par since he joined my beloved Chelsea. I honestly think he could have matured better under Sir alex. Just being honest.

@LRNZH,
pls where did u get the analysis above? is it possible for u to get that of today's match between wigan and chelsea? did u watch the match? what was the over all performance of mikel? how many black or nigerian players have done well under ferguson and how many have been rendered useless under ferguson?
why do u think mikel is destined to do well under ferguson? if u think ferguson likes mikel so much, why buying him at such a low rate of 4 million only to insist on 16 million when chelsea wanted to settle him for mikel? in ur knowledge and understanding of life, do u think u know what mikel wants more he (mikel) knows? do u like mikel more than urself? why are u not playing for man u? or are u a disable person? THINK ABOUT YOUR LIFE AS MIKEL'S LIFE IS MILLIONS OF MILES BETTER THAN URS.

Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi leads several England-based stars including Danny Shittu, Dickson Etuhu, Joseph Yobo, Sam Sodje and Osaze Odemwingie for the clash.

let them give mikel the captain band so that the team will set.

at the end of the day, some groups are behind siasia's demands. there are a lot of settlemensts to be done in the house.
there is a possibility that siasia will not end up with half of what he is demanding for.
corruption in the country is destroying everything.