The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Anichebe

  • Ideye, Anichebe fall to Austrian champions

    Ideye, Anichebe fall to Austrian champions

    Nigerian duo of Brown Ideye and Victor Anichebe fired blanks as West Bromwich Albion started their pre-season tour of Austria on a losing note.

    The Baggies fell 3-1 to Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg in Schladming as they showed match rustiness as it was the first game they’ve played following the end of the English Premier League.

    Anichebe was given the nod to start as Ideye sat on the bench and watched as his side conceded a two-goal deficit. Marco Djuricin scored on 33 minutes when he drilled home a shot from 20 yards to give the home side the lead.

    Former Espanyol forward Jonathan Soriano doubled the lead six minutes later with a lovely finish after he burst into the box to score past Boaz Myhill in goal for West Brom to end the first half 2-0.

    Manager Tony Puli threw on Brown Ideye five minutes after the restart but it didn’t improve the situation as Salzburg scored a third through Takumi Minamino on 64th minute but four minutes later the Baggies got a consolation via Adil Nabi to end the game 3-1.

    West Brom will host former premier champions Manchester City in their first match of the 2015/16 EPL season on August 8.

  • Keshi ready to recall Anichebe

    Keshi ready to recall Anichebe

    TheChief Coach of the Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi, is ready to recall self-exiled Eagles attacker, Victor Anichebe if the player rescinds his earlier decision not to play for Nigeria.

    The West Browmwich Albion forward has been on a self-imposed exile from the Nigerian national team for some time now, even before Keshi took over the handling of the team in November 2011.

    The former Everton striker opted out of national team duty for Nigeria, claiming neglect form the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and injuries that also limited his playing period for club and country.

    SportingLife recalls that Anichebe defended his action of opting out of international duties with Nigeria in his message to the international media. “The best thing for me at the moment is to focus on club football.

    “I don’t blame anyone for this nor do I have any issues with anybody from the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) or Stephen Keshi, our coach. Without club football there is no international football and everyone at Everton was with me every step of the way during my injuries and rehabilitation and so I owe it to the club to manage myself correctly,” Anichebe was quoted as saying in May 2013.

  • Anichebe can keep West Brom up, says Brunt

    Anichebe can keep West Brom up, says Brunt

    West Brom ace Chris Brunt believes a fully-fit Victor Anichebe will be a key player for West Brom in their quest to survive relegation at the end of the season.

    The 26-year-old Nigeria striker scored his second league goal of the season against QPR last weekend after coming off the bench, although he could do little to prevent ‘The Baggies’ slipping to a disappointing 4-1 defeat in the hands of QPR.

    Anichebe has struggled to find his best form since joining the Baggies from Everton due to series of niggling injuries.

    However, his team mate, Brunt said he believes he can use the QPR goal as a springboard to fire more for Tony Pulis’ side between now and the end of the season.

    “He is an important player when he’s fit,” Brunt said.

    “We saw him come on at half-time on Saturday and he showed what he can do.

    “Hopefully, if we can keep him fit between now and the end of the season he can have a big impact for us.

    “We saw the way he can play when he came on at the weekend so hopefully we can get him firing on all cylinders for the last six or seven games. Hopefully we can get a few goals and a few points from him.”

    Anichebe has scored five goals in all competitions for West Brom this season.

  • Pulis knocks Ideye, praises Anichebe

    Pulis knocks Ideye, praises Anichebe

    West Bromwich Albion manager, Tony Pulis believes the Baggies could have made more of their Premier League defeat to Queens Park Rangers if Brown Ideye had scored in the first half at the Hawthorns on Saturday.

    Ideye should have opened the scoring inside two minutes but saw his header from point blank range comfortably saved by the QPR goalkeeper, Robert Green.

    Pulis believes that miss by Ideye was crucial as the Baggies went on to suffer a comprehensive defeat in front of the faithful.

    “We powder-puffed our way through 45 minutes of Premier League football, which you can’t do. Brownie (Ideye) missed a good chance before they scored,” Pulis told the club’s official website, www.wba.co.uk.

    Ideye’s compatriot, Victor Anichebe, a second half substitute temporarily pulled the score to 1-3 when he netted in the 58th minute.

    While Pulis acknowledged that Anichbe’s goal was one of the brightest moments in a better second half display for his side, it failed to paper the cracks on a truly miserable day for all Baggies.

    “We created more chances after the break. We scored one goal but should have scored two or three more and that happened a few times now,” he said.

    Ideye has scored four league goals this season while Anichebe has netted twice.

  • Ideye, Anichebe face fitness test

    Ideye, Anichebe face fitness test

    West Brom coach, Tony Pulis, is sweating on the fitness of Brown Ideye ahead of Tuesday’s English Premiership clash away to Aston Villa.

    Before the 1 – 0 win over Southampton, the Nigeria international was given pain-killing injections, but failed to complete the game nonetheless, with the striker replaced two minutes from time.

    “Brown Ideye and Saido were both carrying knocks even before the game,” Tony Pulis was quoted as saying by Birmingham Mail.

    “It just shows they have got good spirit in the dressing room and people want to play.

    “Saido had an injection before the game and maybe he should have one before every game, scoring goals like that.”

    Also, 2008 Beijing Olympics silver medalist Victor Anichebe faces a late fitness test, ahead of the game at Villa Park.

  • No stockings for Anichebe at West Brom

    No stockings for Anichebe at West Brom

    OUT OF FAVOUR Super Eagles forward, Victor Anichebe and his West Brom mates will have to do with another colour of match stockings after The Hawthorns dwellers revealed they have astonishingly run out of socks.

    Indeed this will add more pains to club boss Pepe Mel in the run up to an intense battle for Premier League survival.

    Interestingly, Anichebe and pals were forced to turn out against Fulham last Saturday in blue stockings, instead of the traditional hoops.

    The fashion faux pas may prove too much for Mel, already under threat after just six games in The Hawthorns hot-seat. After the 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Fulham, ‘Wobbs 68’ posted on forum westbrom.com: “I personally dislike blue shorts at home (associate them with bad times) but now to have solid blue socks… the omens were there. Boing. Hopefully back to white shorts and socks next season.

    The die-hards better get used to the colour scheme. A Baggies whistleblower broke the news that blue is now the colour for the remaining 11 games of the season.

    Reports coming out of England suggest that management at The Hawthorns were warned that the first team stock of socks was running low, but a request for new pairs was lodged with Adidas too late.

    ‘It will be blue socks for the rest of the season,” he admitted.

    The hoops headache isn’t restricted to the pitch. A club shop spokesman said: “I don’t know why they wore navy on Saturday (today), but we haven’t any in stock, which might explain things.”

    Kit wise, it’s been a bad year for the Baggies. Shirt sponsors Zoopla announced they were cutting ties with the club after striker Nicolas Anelka’s infamous ‘quenelle’ gesture. The 34-year-old made the sign – seen by some as anti-Semitic – after scoring against West Ham.

  • West Brom: Anichebe key to survival

    West Brom: Anichebe key to survival

    West Bromwich Albion boss Pepe Mel was pleased with goalscorer Victor Anichebe for their 1-1 draw with Chelsea.

    Mel believes the Nigerian is the man to provide the inspiration in their relegation battle.

    He said: “Victor is going to be so important to our survival hopes.

    “I’ve been impressed by him. But I was proud of all my players against Chelsea. Now they have to show me we have the right mentality to win.”

     

  • Chelsea strike thrills Anichebe

    Chelsea strike thrills Anichebe

    Nigerian striker, Victor Anichebe is pleased to have scored for West Bromwich Albion in Tuesday’s Barclays English Premier League game against Chelsea, supersport.com reports.

    Anichebe struck in the 87th minute after out-foxing the Chelsea defence to head home Saido Berahino’s pin point delivery from the left.

    The forward voiced his delight at helping the Baggies rescue a point against the leaders of the Premier League.

    “I was happy to get the goal. It didn’t matter who scored it, it was just important we got a result.

    “It was a great ball by Saido. I managed to get in front of the defender and it went in.

    “I have to pay credit to Saido though. Everyone dug in today and we showed what a good team we are,” supersport.com quoted Anichebe as saying on the club’s official website, www. wba.co.uk.

    Chelsea could have gone four points clear at the top of the table with a win against the plucky Baggies but Anichebe acknowledged that the team played without fear against the highly-rated Blues.

    “We pressed Chelsea all game and we attacked them too. We took the game to them.

    “A draw is a good result but we could have nicked it as well.

    “A point against a team who are going for the Premier League and the Champions League is a good point.

    “We’ll take a lot from that and take it into our next game. It is a big moment in the season.

    “Every game is a big one when you’re in this position,” he said.

    The 23-year-old has now scored three league goals this season. His first goal was recorded against Manchester City on December 4, 2013 at the Hawthorns.

    He also netted against Liverpool on February 2 as both sides battled to a 1-1 draw at the Hawthorns.

     

  • Anichebe stuns Liverpool

    Anichebe stuns Liverpool

    Nigeria striker Victor Anichebe came off the bench to earn West Brom a point in a 1-1 home draw against Liverpool on Sunday.

    Anichebe was on the pitch barely four minutes before he found the target in a second half spell that West Brom put fourth placed Liverpool under pressure to deny them a chance to replace Chelsea in third spot for at least 24 hours.

    Liverpool were stunned in the 67th minute when Anichebe intercepted a horrendous Kolo Toure back pass to bang in the ball leaving the Ivoirian frozen after his criminal act.

    West Brom goalkeeper Ben Forest was inspired throughout the second half and in the 78th minute stepped up to clear a Daniel Sturridge ball with the Liverpool striker bearing down on West Brom’s goal.

    Meanwhile, the first 20 minutes of the first half were rather flat although West Brom midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu gave it a bit of a glow with a goal-bound volley in the 16th minute from outside box that was cleared by Steven Gerrard.

    Liverpool injected some life into the contest after taking the lead in the 23rd minute when Luis Suarez chipped the ball over a forest of West Brom defenders to Sturridge who side-footed the ball with ease in an unmarked position on the far post to give the visitors the lead.

    West Brom then had Foster to thank in the 35th minute when he made a goal line save in the midst of a goalmouth scramble with Suarez and Toure lurking very close to the ball.

    Liverpool continued to pile the pressure and just seven minutes before the break, Suarez incredibly failed to knock-in from close-range an Aly Cissokho cross right in front of an inviting goal.

  • Football not about language -Anichebe

    Football not about language -Anichebe

    Super Eagles and West Brom forward Victor Anichebe says football is quite an easy game to understand especially for the passionate. The beautiful game according to the former Everton forward is all about pattern, noting that suggestions that language barrier could affect performance does not hold water.

    “Football is quite easy to understand . There’s just a ball! We have all been playing since we were young,” he said

    Anichebe who moved to West Brom in September last year in a £6million close-season signing, expressed optimism that his new club can improve on their premiership standing especially if coach pepe Mel can toe the steps of Everton coach, Roberto Martinez.

    Anichebe worked under Martinez at Goodison Park and the striker can see parallels between his old boss and Mel.

    “The new gaffer wants us to pass and keep the ball on the floor and create good movement,” Anichebe told The Express & Star.

    “It’s similar to Everton when Roberto Martinez first came in – it was very different for us as players but you can see how much Everton have come on under him.

    “The new manager here wants us to do that and he also wants us to press a lot and we showed that against Everton.”

    Mel is getting to grips with the English language but Anichebe, does not believe there will be any communication problems.

    ” Whether he speaks English or not, he will make himself understood,”enthused Anichebe who made 131 appearances for Everton scoring 18 goals before his transfer to West Brom