The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Anichebe

  • WEST BROM VS ARSENAL: Anichebe in race to be fit

    WEST BROM VS ARSENAL: Anichebe in race to be fit

    Victor Anichebe is battling to be fit to face Arsenal on Sunday after he suffered a groin injury against Manchester United.

    However, West Brom manager Steve Clarke said he is hopeful Anichebe would be fit to face Arsenal on Sunday.

    The former Everton striker battled on through the second half of Saturday’s 2-1 win at Manchester United despite picking up a groin problem just before half-time and is expected to return to training today(Friday).

    “Victor tweaked a groin during Saturday’s game. He tried to lay the ball off and felt a sharp pain but finished the game, which is normally a good sign. We are hopeful he’ll be okay for the weekend,” Clarke told club’s official website.

  • Anichebe scares Moyes

    Anichebe scares Moyes

    • Nigerian recovers from slight niggle injury

    David Moyes has singled out Nigerian international, Victor Anichebe as a threat to Manchester United in today’s English Premier League clash.

    United face a West Brom side that were knocked out of the Capital One Cup by Arsenal in midweek but Moyes is still expecting a tough test and is looking forward to meeting up with his former striker Anichebe.

    Anichebe, who arrived alongside Stephane Sessegnon as the Baggies’ big-money summer signing, has made just one start since moving from Everton for around £6m.

    “Steve Clarke has done a great job. West Brom is a stable football club that has continued to progress,” he said.

    “I’m pleased he [Anichebe] got a good move. I hope he does well – but not against us.”

    West Bromwich Albion expect striking duo Anichebe and Nicolas Anelka to be fit for the game against Manchester United. The pair sat out Wednesday night’s Capital One Cup penalties exit to Arsenal with minor injuries.

    Assistant manager Kevin Keen told the club’s official website that both forwards are likely to be included for this weekend’s trip to Old Trafford.

    “Victor’s just got a slight niggle, which meant he couldn’t be involved [against Arsenal],” said Keen.

    “But we’re pretty sure he’ll be fine for this weekend – Anelka too, it’s not a big problem. “Everyone is coming in [to train] today and we’ll have a look and see how everyone is feeling”

    Steve Clarke’s side head into Saturday’s clash on the back of a 3-0 win against Sunderland having registered just one goal in their previous four games.

  • Mandela Challenge: Keshi drops Anichebe

    Mandela Challenge: Keshi drops Anichebe

    Super Eagles Chief Coach, Stephen Keshi, has left out Everton FC of England player, Victor Anichebe, for the Mandela Invitational Challenge against South Africa on August 14.

    Keshi who has not hidden his desire to have Anichebe, dropped, owing to his failure to establish contact with him.

    “That is the true position. Anichebe was not invited by Keshi. Neither has he spoken to him on his availability for the national team,” a close source revealed.

    But despite the difficulties, Keshi is not thinking of given up. “He knows that Anichebe is not the kind of player that we should lose. That is why he needs the support of his employers to reach out to him,” the source explained.

    In the event that Keshi can’t still speak with the player, would he therefore consider travelling to London?

    ‘’There would be no such thing. We are optimistic that Anichebe would be reached without the coach having to travel to London for any talk. It is only a matter of time,” he said.

    Anichebe last played for Nigeria in 2011 against Madagascar which the Africa champions won 2-0.

  • Keshi screams: I can’t beg Anichebe

    Keshi screams: I can’t beg Anichebe

    Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi says he will not travel to England to beg Everton striker Victor Anichebe and others to play for the country.

    In the wake of Nigeria’s below par performance at the FIFA Confederation Cup in Brazil, there have been calls for Keshi to intensify efforts to secure the services of some Nigerian players who, for a variety of reasons, have not been part of the team in recent times. Anichebe, whose reason for keeping away from the Eagles was so that he could build his club career, tops the list. Others include Kalu Uche, and Osaze Odemwingie.

    Soccer pundits have stated that in the absence of injured strikers Emmanuel Emenike and Victor Moses, Anichebe could have excelled in the Eagles attack.

    Keshi, although agreeing that he would have liked to have the Everton player in his team, told SportingLife in an exclusive chat yesterday that he would not succumb to pressure and beg Anichebe to change his mind on not playing for Nigeria.

    He said: “I can’t remember when I said that I would go and visit Victor Anichebe.

    “I can’t just leave Nigeria and go to London just because I need to speak with Anichebe.

    “If he wants to come and play for Nigeria, let him come. I can’t just pack my luggage and say I am going to England. I don’t do things like that. I don’t work like that.”

    “As regards Shola Ameobi, Shola Ameobi called me it is not me that called him. He is the one that signified interest in playing for the Super Eagles.

    “Shola first sent a text message to me and said ‘Coach I would like to play for Nigeria.’ This is the kind of attitude we are looking for.

    “It is not that you will start begging any player to come and play for his fatherland.

    “If you want to play, you call my line. If you are good enough you stay in the team. If you are not good, you improve yourself in your club and try next time. That is how it is done and that is how it should be.

    “So, I don’t need to go up and down and begging players to come and play (for the Super Eagles). It was Shola that sent a text message to my Secretary Dayo Enebi that he would like to talk with me and we talked.

    “I was very happy with him and with the professionalism he displayed by indicating his interest to play for the Super Eagles again after sorting out the clause issue in his contract.

    “If there is any other player that can do that, why not? The door is open for such people. But I cannot beg any player to play. I don’t know why Nigerians would want a coach to start going all over Europe to start begging players to come and play. Haba! I am not for that now”, Keshi told SportingLife yesterday.

  • Anichebe for South Africa tie

    Anichebe for South Africa tie

    Everton FC of Englan’d attacking pearl Victor Anichebe is among Nigerian stars being considered for the Nelson Mandela Challenge against South Africa next month.

    Supersport.com has been informed by a backroom staff of the African champions that head coach, Stephen Keshi, is lining up Anichebe for a recall into the Super Eagles squad.

    “Keshi is also looking at convincing Victor Anichebe to make a return to the team. Hopefully if talks are opened with him, it is hoped that he will agree to play for us again (in the South African game),” said the backroom staff to supersport.com.

    “The coach is looking at bringing in Shola Ameobi especially for the game against South Africa in August. You know Shola has had the clause that barred him from playing in the national team by Newcastle United removed. So he’s ready to play again for Nigeria.

    “I’ve always admired Ameobi’s wealth of experience and I respect his personality for him to make himself available is fantastic,” said Keshi.

    “I would love to have all my strikers available and Ameobi, Emmanuel Emenike, Brown Ideye and Victor Anichebe are all fantastic players. When we start selecting the squad to face Malawi, to have someone like Ameobi available is excellent for us.

    “It is superb to have all these players available for our important games because it will help our quest for a World Cup ticket.”

  • Bring Osaze, Ike Uche, Anichebe, others back to Eagles – Iroha begs Keshi

    Bring Osaze, Ike Uche, Anichebe, others back to Eagles – Iroha begs Keshi

    Former Super Eagles left back Benedict Iroha has sent a passionate pleas to Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi to please bring back into the team experienced players like Osaze Odemwingie, Victor Anichebe, Ikechukwu Uche, and Kalu Uche to further strengthen the team.

    Having followed the Eagles performance in the ongoing FIFA Confederations Cup before the Nigerian team was eliminated Iroha disclosed that it was high time for Keshi to recall these players.

    “I don’t think it is a difficult issue for Keshi to bring back Osaze Odemwingie, Victor Anichebe, Ikechukwu Uche, Kalu Uche to complement the good work of Emmanuel Emenike, Victor Moses and others to further strengthen this team.

    “I know Keshi is gradually working on this team so that we can blend the young and talented players that have doned well so far in this team. I am so sure that Keshi will recall them to the team. We need Osaze and others back and I am happy that Osaze himself said it on his twitter page that he wants to play for the Eagles again. So this a good omen,” the former Eagles left back observed.

    Iroha also defended the performance of the Super Eagles in Brazil as he believed that the Nigerian team was not disgraced in the competition despite being ousted by world and European Champions Spain which they lost 3-0 in the last group match played on Sunday.

    “To be honest with you I am very impressed with the performance of the boys in the Confederations Cup. They were never disgraced in all the three matches they played before being eliminated.

    “They played a good match against Tahiti and also played beautifully against star studded Uruguay. They could have even won the game if not for poor marksmanship most especially in the first half. This was later repeated in the third group match against Spain.

    “Eagles could have wrapped up things in the fIrst half but couldn’t convert the begging chances created against the world Champions. So in all I think Nigeria played impressively and showed the world that we have got quality. As we know Team Coach Stephen Keshi is still building this team and the Eagles can only get better with time,”

    Iroha told SportingLife in Abuja yesterday.

     

  • Anichebe targets goals against West Ham, Chelsea

    Anichebe targets goals against West Ham, Chelsea

    NIGERIAN international, Victor Anichebe is confident that he is about to launch a new chapter in his Goodison Park career after becoming an Everton regular throughout the course of this season.

    The Toffees frontman has enjoyed his most consistent and prolific campaign to date after scoring eight goals in 30 matches for the Blues.

    Double figures – a goals target he set last month – is still a realistic possibility for Anichebe with matches against West Ham and Chelsea still remaining.

    But regardless of his final total, Anichebe believes he has ‘turned the corner’ and is about to fulfil the potential that his injury problems have so far prevented.

    “Hopefully I can get a couple of goals to finish in double figures,” Anichebe told evertontv. “If not, I [still] feel like I have had a really good season.

    “You could say that I’ve come out of my shell a little a bit and turned the corner, and hopefully I can finish on a high and get a couple more goals.

    “I only came back around December and sometimes I forget that I was injured for three or four months, so I feel like I have done okay.

    “Next season I want to come back stronger and start the season well. It’s important that I have a good pre-season and summer as well.

    “It’s a time to relax, stay as fit as possible and then come into pre-season strong.”

    Anichebe netted one of his eight goals at Upton Park before Christmas when the Blues fought back from a 1-0 deficit at half-time to win the game 2-1.

    Everton have the opportunity to complete a West Ham double this Sunday – the first time that home and away victories will have been registered against the same opponents this season.

    Three points would also ensure that the Toffees finish the campaign with five straight home wins.

    “Hopefully we can carry on the good form that we have shown at home and finish the job off as well as possible,” Anichebe explained.

    “And we have played really good football at times this season. It’s down to everyone – we have become pretty hard to beat.”

    Maximum points against the Hammers and at Stamford Bridge, coupled with defeats for Tottenham against Stoke and Sunderland is the only way in which Everton can still qualify for European football next season.

    Even if the Blues do come up short, Anichebe believes Everton can be proud of where they finish in the table.

    “We’ve achieved a lot,” he said. “We are looking to win the last two games. We are not looking to take our foot off the pedal. We are trying to win as many games as we can.

    “The most we can do is keep winning and not worry about other people. As long as we try our best to win our games, we will see what is happening at the end of the season.”

  • Everton disallowed goal: Anichebe didn’t foul keeper – Moyes

    Everton disallowed goal: Anichebe didn’t foul keeper – Moyes

    David Moyes has insisted Everton’s second half ‘goal’ should have stood after the 0-0 draw

    at Anfield on Sunday.

    Sylvain Distin headed in Leighton Baines’ cross 11 minutes into the second period but referee Michael Oliver decided Victor Anichebe had fouled Pepe Reina.

    It was a decision which was met with widespread skepticism.

    Moyes said: “It was a goal. The goalkeeper runs into our player so the goal should stand.

    “If we run into the goalkeeper then give a foul for that, but he ran into us, so it was a goal. The referee said he gave the foul on Victor Anichebe for impeding the goalkeeper.”

    Other than that contentious decision there was little to split the two Mersey rivals in a hard-fought derby encounter. Moyes and his troops will now focus on gaining six points from their final two games and continuing their push for Europe.

    The manager continued: “I thought we did what we had to do. We didn’t make as many chances as we would have liked.

    “We found it hard to get a lot going for us, things weren’t going our way. That’s what happens when you come to Anfield, you very rarely get good decisions. We are still in there. We picked up a point, we’ve had a really difficult run-in and we will keep pushing.”

  • Moyes backs Anichebe

    Moyes backs Anichebe

    Everton manager David Moyes has praised striker Victor Anichebe for his application at Goodison Park.

    Anichebe struggled to make an impact in his early years on Merseyside, but after a series of impressive displays, Moyes has insisted that he always had belief that the 24-year-old would improve.

    The Scot told reporters: “He is someone I have always thought has all the attributes, that if he could knuckle down and stick at it has definitely got a lot going for him.

    “He has done. He has kept at it, kept going and I thought he played really well last time.

    “His effort was noticeable. Victor, as much as anyone, helped us get the result against Manchester City. He was very close to being the man of the match, if he was not the man of the match.”

    The Nigerian forward has scored seven goals in 23 appearances for Everton this season.

  • Anichebe faces late fitness test

    Anichebe faces late fitness test

    igeria’s Victor Anichebe is pushing for a recall into the starting line-up for Everton against Reading but his fitness will be assessed closer to kick-off after sitting out the Toffees’ last two fixtures through injury.

    Everton will take on Hope Akpan’s Reading in the EPL week 28 fixture at Goodison Park today and the Nigerian star will be hoping he gets back into Coach David Moyes’s starting XI on the night as reported by football365.com.

    Tony Hibbert is the only long-term absentee for the Toffees as he continues his rehabilitation from calf surgery.

    Reading on the other hand will be without suspended striker Pavel Pogrebnyak. The Russian forward was sent off during last weekend’s 3-0 home defeat against Wigan and will be missing for the Royals’ next three games.

    Veteran striker Jason Roberts is still absent and admitted during the week he has no idea when he will be fit to return while goalkeeper Alex McCarthy also misses out.