Sunday, November 30, 2014

Pains of setting up modeling academy – Deji Bakare

Former Mr. Nigeria, Deji Bakare is a man on a mission.
Since coming back from Canada the charismatic former face of Nigeria has been looking to set up his own modeling academy where Nigerian models can learn the rudiments of the art of modeling. His search to look for a partner has hit stone wall at every turn. Until he met Fountaingate Media
“The issue of finding like minds to run the business posed a challenge, in that they lack the desire to educate but rather were more interested in what comes into their pockets. I had nobody to trust until I met my present team” he said.
“Perhaps the most pronounced pains in setting up the Modeling Academy is the acquisition of Knowledge and knowing the appropriate centre of knowledge. It was not easy.  In the industry, there are numerous scams both in institutions and the players – Model Scouts, Modeling Agent, and Advertisement Agents. Etc.  My gain is essentially seeing Nigerian Youths  gainfully employed after several years of education. This unemployment

I put off having a baby for six years because of my career- Lara George

i nce going solo after her musical group, KUSH, broke up, Lara George has proved    her mettle as a talented singer. With many hits to her credit, she has become a diva sought after both at home and abroad.
Lara-George
Lara-George
But things have not always been rosy for the easy-going, ever-smiling mother of two who stormed Vanguard’s corporate office on Monday, accompanied by her husband, Gbenga.
In a riveting chat session, she told her story; took us through her journey and what she had to go through as a gospel artiste to have her name stamped on the music landscape of the country:
What really inspired the song Dansaki?
The song came at a moment in my life when I was pregnant with my second baby. I was also working on my second album. I was just thankful to God. One day I put pen to paper and said “I am acknowledging you for who you are in my life” and the words just kept coming. I wrote half of the song and I left it.
When I started to record, the other half of the song came. It was one of those songs you never thought would turn out to be a hit. I was just trying to express myself to God .So it’s just such a beautiful thing that people would pick from the album and love it.
What were you thankful for at that point in time?
I was pregnant. It wasn’t that I had any issues getting pregnant but you know the life of a woman, time  and chance just come to make it come together. We had put off having a baby for about six years. Each year came and I wasn’t ready.
So for everything to be smooth when I wanted to have the baby, I was grateful for that. I was grateful for family. I looked around me and found that there was nobody missing. Everybody was intact .I could call on family and friends around me.
I looked at my work and I was grateful. Sometimes,  I just get on the internet and somebody sends me     a message from Malaysia thanking me, for a song that I did that  ministered  to them. Someone saying their marriage is still together just because I wrote a song. I thought about all these things and I was thankful.

You said you put off having a child for six years and your husband allowed that?
Absolutely, for me and my career making babies    has to be something I would be ready for. We (my husband and I) couldn’t deny the fact it would have an effect on my career, no matter how you wanted to look at it. My husband knew the effect the first child had on me so we decided to space it. Just when he was getting impatient, God made it happen.
Why did you opt for Gospel music? I have always loved to call my style of music inspirational. When I started out with Kush, that was the plan and the vision. I believe music is a responsibility. I have always said so and I just grew up believing that. I think that music is something that can influence generations.
I can’t imagine myself singing songs that will engender negativity in any form. I have children and I want them to listen to songs that will spur them to greater things, not songs that will encourage them to do wrong.
What is the difference between gospel music and inspirational music?
I gave you a background of the group I was coming from, which was Kush. Kush was inspirational . Kush was the only group in Nigeria that was described as inspirational. So, that definition of inspirational music literally came from there.
It was a vision we had as a team, and it was a vision each of us   had. You will  hear it in Ty Bello’s songs   and in my songs as well. We had songs that were hard core gospel, songs that were directed to God and also songs about values that were off God. For me, those are the songs that I describe as being inspirational, as opposed to being just hardcore gospel.
 What is your opinion about the Afro hip-hop music that seems to be the rave of the moment now?
Honestly, I feel Nigerian music is beautiful in terms of the sound. Unfortunately, much of it seems to be lacking in depth and in content. We are the ones who push the mundane kind of music; we are also the ones who complain that this is what fills the airwaves. This happens because this is what we promote.
When you go to a radio station for an example, they would tell you, “Sorry, we cannot play your song because you are gospel”. They would tell you that even on Sundays they have one hour for all the gospel songs. There’s high level marginalization in music too. Meanwhile, it costs a gospel artiste the same amount of money that it costs your highest paid secular artiste to produce a song and to shoot a video.
It is not cheaper for me because I am a gospel artiste; as a matter of fact they will charge me more because they believe you are Lara George. They believe one has made so much money stacked somewhere.
We cannot deny the fact that you will have a lot of people not doing gospel music because nobody wants to put their money on it. Nobody wants to open up the media to gospel music.  A lot of people are running from promoting gospel music because they will tell them “Sorry we don’t do religion”. That is the reality. That is what is going on.
It’s the reason why we have a lot of young people starting off who don’t want to have anything to do with inspirational music.
Do you do as many shows as mainstream hip-hop artistes do? How do you survive as a gospel artiste?
I have had a lot of support from my husband over the years. When I started my solo career I was literally robbing Peter to pay Paul and the music was not paying for itself. I got to a point where I had to start saying no to everybody who approached me for free events because people always expect that once you are gospel, you should do free events. Churches will call you for free events or give you next to nothing .
The radio stations will call you for free shows, even people who organize non- church events will call you for free shows when they have charity events. They expect you to do the charity event for free, though they are the ones who have put up the charity event.
I had to start putting my foot down. I started charging for what I did. I made a lot of enemies in the process because a lot of people started saying: “Now she is acting like a diva”. The truth is that the music needed to pay for itself, which is what I am doing now; trying to make sure that the music actually funds itself.
 We are gradually getting to the point where some gospel musicians are going mainstream .Do you think its as a result of the content of their music or the more promotion they get?
When you are looking for music that has true content and true value you will find it in gospel. Promotion has always been a problem.
Even when you have the funds to promote the song, there is a glass ceiling that is placed on top of those who are labeled inspirational. For example, I released a song recently titled Love Nwantintin     which is a love song. I released it to celebrate my 10th year wedding anniversary and I took that to a very popular TV station.
They said to me: “We are going to play it only on Sundays  and I asked them, why only on Sundays? I was told it’s because its gospel”. I told them it’s a love song and asked them if they listened to it. There is an assumption that because one is mostly known for gospel songs, all you do are gospel songs.
There are those in the industry who have always supported good music. It’s because of people  like you that people like me have been able to stay relevant. There is no denying that when those people help to promote good music, then it gets heard and then there is a platform for other people to actually appreciate what is being done.
 From idols West Africa to the present, what have you learnt from that experience which has helped your career so far?
I love stage; it is the crowning point of a music performance. I was told years back that I could not do music in a certain way, that I could only do music that is quiet. I believed that for many years.
So for many years, I didn’t try to do anything different. It’s been an experience and I am still learning even now. Every time that I attend a concert and I watch other people, I try to take something away and I hope that when I  get on stage next time that I will be  a better   artiste as a result of what I have learnt.
What is an inspirational singer doing with a love song?
Inspirational music is a melody that talks about any topic, but sees it from the God perspective. When Lara George chooses to sing about love,  she isn’t   singing about it from the perspective of   cynicism , I am singing about it from   God’s   perspective that says ‘ One man one wife’  and hanging   in there  when you are married.
My husband and I celebrated ten years of marriage, I wanted to sing a different kind of love song that is unlike all of the cynicism that you have out there.
What is responsible for your staying power?
To be honest, I don’t know. There have been times when I wanted to throw in the towel and I am saying that it happens all the time. Some days back, somebody said to me: “Lara, your songs are not popular, so we cannot have you on our show”.
We get that kind of disrespect. I can’t imagine them having the guts to talk to a secular artiste that way. As a result of the fact that you are a gospel artiste, they feel that it’s okay to talk to you that way. They are trying to negotiate and they believe that it’s a good negotiation tactic.
When you come across attitudes like that, it makes you want to throw in the towel. It’s such a big deal that the publisher of Vanguard likes my song even when I haven’t met him. It’s an affirmation that one is doing something laudable when some people want to talk you down.
Every day, I just say to God that if you want to keep the work going, you literally have to make a way and he has made a way constantly. Every time that I had wanted to walk away from the music, some doors would open. God keeps me going.
How is your music doing outside of the country?
It’s doing really well. I had a concert in San Francisco and was amazed how many people who knew my song. Before then, we had done shows in Maryland, Houston and Los Angeles. The one that was most memorable was the song I did in Cotonou with over 10,000 French-speaking people singing my song.
When they invited me, I was worried about what to say to the people. Immediately I started the first song, they joined me in singing it word for word. They had done the remix of Kolebaje in French. Everybody knows the song there; even the remix isn’t as popular as the original version. The reception from outside of the country has just been amazing.


Nigerian artistes have taken the music industry to the next level – Yinka Ayefele

Gospel Juju musician Yinka Ayefele has been around long enough to know what good music entails. With millions of fans scattered around the globe Ayefele is a musician enjoying both fame and fortune.
Explaining what his own idea of good music is, Ayefele said it depends on the artiste.
“ We have seen a situation whereby some artists prefer to express themselves with beat alone but when you look at successful artistes, they create beats and compose good lyrics that can become an instant street anthem. I believe Nigerian artistes are trying and have really taken the music industry to the next level, although there are still rooms for improvement. Good music is all about good beats and inspiring lyrics. While the beat will be the blood, good lyrical composition will be the oxygen to transport it through your veins so the two are essential components of a good music. A good music needs no advertisement. Music is like a spirit, you don’t need anybody to invite you before you contact the virus; it moves and when it hits you, you can’t resist it even if you hate the artiste singing. When you listen to a song and you have that burning desires in you to play it again and again then, it means the song has all the elements of being a good music.  “ he said.
On the matter of affluence and success, Ayefele said the new musicians are definitely better off, but for a number of reasons not associated with quality of music they make.
“Not all Nigerian musicians are rich, but compared to the olden days I’ll say things have really improved. Thank God we now have multinational companies who give us endorsement deal and expose us to the world.

Rodgers pleased with Mignolet riposte

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers hopes under-fire Simon Mignolet can go from strength to strength after a stellar showing on Saturday.
The goalkeeper headed into the Premier League clash with Stoke facing vast pressure, having made yet another mistake during Wednesday's 2-2 UEFA Champions League draw at Ludogorets.
But Mignolet put in the kind of performance that will win the club's doubtful fanbase over, producing a couple of superb saves as Liverpool grabbed a crucial 1-0 win at Anfield.
Rodgers was pleased for his shot-stopper, who he believes his earning just reward for hard work.
"I thought he made a couple of great saves there," said the boss. "I just asked him to simplify his game and do what he's good at, which is shot-stopping.
"He came for a couple of crosses, especially at the end when the pressure is on and it becomes a war with all the big players.
"He made a couple of great saves and I'm very pleased for him because he's a good guy who's working very hard at his game."

Davies double kills Henry's MLS dream

Charlie Davies scored twice as the New England Revolution reached the MLS Cup, the league's title game, after Saturday's 2-2 draw with the New York Red Bulls gave them a 4-3 aggregate win in the Eastern Conference final.
The Revolution will face the winner of the Western Conference in the final. The L.A. Galaxy hold a 1-0 lead from the first leg when they travel to Seattle on Sunday.
For France's Thierry Henry, it was likely his final game for the Red Bulls and possibly of his career - the 37-year-old's contract concludes at the end of the season and he has given no indication he will extend it.
Henry had hoped to bow out by delivering New York's first MLS title but, without suspended top scorer Bradley Wright-Phillips, they fell just short in a pulsating encounter.
New York, who lost 2-1 at home in the first leg, took the lead in the 26th minute when Henry floated the ball in and Australian forward Tim Cahill poked home, taking advantage of hesitation from Revolution defender Jose Goncalves.
A 41st minute Davies header from a Chris Tierney cross levelled the scores on the day and restored New England's aggregate advantage.
But the Red Bulls fought back through a 52nd minute goal when Peguy Luyindula drove home a loose ball from a muffed clearance by New England defender Andrew Farrell to level the aggregate score and raise the prospect of extra-time.
New York should have grabbed the outright lead when Henry delivered an inch-perfect cross to Cahill but he was badly off-target with his volley.
With 20 minutes left New England delighted the 32 698 crowd as Tierney picked out Davies again with a fine cross and the American striker powered in a header.
Davies has slowly rebuilt his career after injuries he suffered in a serious car crash in October 2009 which killed a fellow passenger and his playoff form will surely have caught the eye of US coach Juergen Klinsmann
The Revolution have reached the MLS Cup four times but have lost on each occasion.
The December 7 final will be played at the home of the Western Conference winner.

How well did the NPFL stars do in 2014?

It was an unforgettable year in Nigeria’s domestic league as 2014 produced a handful of talents who shone brightly for their various clubs and, in some cases, for their country
2014 will arguably be termed the best season of all in the history of the Nigeria Professional Football League. It was tough but thrilling to pick out few of those many exceptional faces who, at various stages of the NPFL season, were a delight to watch.

The country’s impressive campaign at the 2014 African Nations Championship in South Africa also helped showcase a few promising talents and unearthed stars that abound in the domestic league.

Despite not winning the tournament, the featured NPFL players gave a good account of themselves at the competition organised for players based in Africa.

The best of the country’s domestic football was beheld by the world with a Nigerian overwhelmingly voted the Best Player of the Tournament despite a third-place finish.

No argument, huge credit goes to the league organisers – the League Management Company - that created a level playing ground which made many players realise their potential.

Several players came out with robust performances to help their team win trophies, survive the drop and earn continental tickets. 

Ejike Uzoenyi was one of the leading NPFL stars to have headlined the calendar year under review with his immaculate display, earning him the Best Player award at CHAN 2014. The former Enugu Rangers man, before he signed for South African club Mamelodi Sundowns, will be remembered for doing the country proud and making the shortlist for the Caf African-based Player of the Year award.

The key stand-outs in 2014 were Dolphins’ Emem Eduok and Enyimba’s Mfon Udoh. Though both hit the ground running in the second half of the season, their superiority overshadowed many others that made their presence count last season.

Both former-Akwa United stars netted 20 goals with two games to go and equalled the all-time record set in 2010/2011. Udoh eventually emerged as the league's top scorer with a record 23 goals including six braces and 26 in all competitions for Enyimba. The 22-year-old star also found the net as Enyimba retained their Federation Cup title with a 2-1 win over Dolphins and managed a total of 41 goals in his two consecutive professional league seasons.

Edouk scored a total of 25 goals including six in Dolphins’ game against Nembe City, four in the Federation Cup, and 20 in league. The 20-year-old grabbed the valuable winner for Nigeria on his senior international debut against Ghana's Olympic side in a friendly game to launch the Uyo ‘Nest of Champions’ stadium.

Other players who distinguished themselves were Warri Wolves' forward Gbolahan Salami, who aided theSeasiders to clinch a Caf Confederation Cup ticket and also shone at the CHAN tournament with Stephen Keshi’s men. He also became a key part of the main Super Eagles squad where he scored in the 3-2 defeat to Congo in Calabar in September.

Ighodaro Osaguona also lit up the season with his impressive 16 goals for Enugu Rangers while sealing a senior national team place under Keshi.

Workaholic Kano Pillars midfielder, Rabiu Ali, who equally starred at CHAN and made the competition’s best XI also comes into focus. Popularly called ‘Pele’, he contributed 13 goals as Sai Masu Gida retained the league title for the third time in a row.
Enyimba’s captain Chinedu Udoji, still without a national team call-up, but his outstanding leadership and consistent role in the heart of the Aba Millionaires’ defence in two seasons cannot go unnoticed. He has led the People's Elephant close to winning the title twice as well as winning the Federation Cup title back-to-back.

Also on the list is inspirational goalkeeping duo of Kano Pillars’ Theophilus Afelokhai and Giwa FC’s Ojo Olorunleke, both showed class in goal, keeping their various teams high up from start to finish.

While Afelokhai played a part in the holders’ title retaining run, Olorunleke helped his newly-promoted side finish in fourth place thereby earning himself a call-up to the U-20 national team.

Another is Bayelsa United’s Peter Ebimobowei, who finished as the third-highest scorer with 18 goals and helped the Restoration Boys narrowly escape relegation to the second tier.

Others deserving a mention are Adamu Hassan, whose goals in the second stanza kept Kano Pillars top, while Kingsley Sokari was another star that shone brightly in the colours of Enyimba and got rewarded with a Super Eagles’ call-up.

Hollande calls for unity against Boko Haram ‘barbarism'

French President Francois Hollande called Saturday for a united front against the “barbarism” of Boko Haram Islamists following the Nigerian group’s latest attack that claimed more than 120 lives.
“In Nigeria, an attack that killed more than 120 people coming out of a mosque — that’s what a sect like Boko Haram is capable of, that’s why we still need to fight together, always fight against terrorism,” Hollande said.
“We must unite against barbarism, against the risks posed by fundamentalism, notably in the Sahel, in Africa,” he said at an annual gathering of French-speaking countries hosted this year by Senegal.
The president of neighbouring Cameroon, Paul Biya, also addressed the meeting, saying: “With this sort of adversary there cannot be any compromise. We are facing an organisation of global proportions.”
Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria pledged to send a combined total of 2,800 troops along their shared borders on November 1, but none have yet been deployed.

Adeboye storms Vanguard again

GENERAL Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, has  accepted to be the Guest of Honour at Vanguard Newspapers Media Fellowship’s  end of the year thanksgiving service.
The programme holds on Thursday, December 18, 2014, less than one week after the RCCG’s Holy Ghost Congress.
A statement by the Fellowship said  Adeboye will speak on the theme, ‘Divine Success and Prophetic Breakthrough,’ with inspiration from II Chronicles 20:20.
The General Overseer’s first visit to Vanguard Media Limited, Apapa was four years ago, precisely  December 2010.
Pastor Enoch Adeboye, G.O, RCCG
Pastor Enoch Adeboye, G.O, RCCG
At that occasion, he  preached on the topic, ‘The Storm Is Over’, charging the media to be at the vanguard of re-branding the nation. He said: “It is not the government who will re-brand Nigeria, it is the media.”
Adeboye, who said Vanguard was one of three newspapers he read daily, lauded the media house for excellence.
He said: “Somebody asked me the other day, ‘how many Nigerian newspapers do you read?’ I replied, ‘I read three Nigerian newspapers and Vanguard is one of them.’
This is because if there is any news worth reading at all, you find it in the Vanguard. Thank God for Vanguard Newspapers. Vanguard will continue to grow from strength to strength.”
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63 escape death as plane crash lands in Ilorin

59 passengers and four crew members aboard an Overland  Airlines plane  escaped death, yesterday, in Ilorin, Kwara State capital,  when the jet crash landed.
The aircraft, with  registration number, 051175/1176, was said to be on its way to Ibadan when it developed fault.
Sunday Vanguard gathered that no casualty was recorded in the incident that happened around 5.30pm at the Ilorin International Airport.
Some passengers on board the aircraft  commended the pilot who they claimed averted what they believed could have been a fatal accident.
One of the passengers,Mr Samuel Ajala, however, complained about the lackadaisical attitude of the staff of the airline to their plight as they were said to have been left unattended to after the incident.

I believe in the leadership of Aremo Olusegun Osoba – Bukky Wright

Last week, Potpourri served you brewing hot comments and mission statements from entertainers who are suspending the make-believe world to join the jostling world of politics. But one important name was missing from the list and that name is none other than Bukky Wright, a woman many described as the shining light of Yoruba movies. It was not an intentional omission but one that was circumstantial because at press time last week the beautiful thespian was yet to make her intent public.
Now that Bukky has joined the 2015 race there has been a bit of a buzz in and around Nollywood. Every actor in both Yoruba and English sectors are trending her poster on social media as if they were expecting a tsunami of sort. But Potpourri’s question is; why would a woman who has everything going for her dabble into the untamed waters of politics?
“My most cogent reason is the marginalization of women in Ogun politics. The governor and deputy are men, the three senators are men, and the nine House of Representative members are men as well. It is a big slap on the faces of all women as it negates the United Nations 30% affirmative action and inclusion of all women in politics. My people have called me and the voice of the people is the voice of God, so it is important that I yield to their call”, she answered.
Adding: “Secondly is to participate in the law-making process to attain peace and security or peaceful coexistence and good governance. For equal and effective representation for my people in my constituency not to be marginalised at the federal level and claim the constituency right for them at the federal level by being their voice. Thirdly, is to engage in checkmating the activities of the executives through the MDAs (Ministries, Departments and Agencies) for the purpose of ensuring transparency and accountability.

Van Gaal: I can make every player better ... even Rooney

The Dutchman believes the 29-year-old has benefited from being handed the captaincy for both club and country but is adamant that a coach with his skill can improve any player
Louis van Gaal has praised Wayne Rooney and says the England international will always be assured of a place in his side - but insists he can still make the Manchester United captain even better.

Rooney has scored 11 goals in 16 appearances for club and country this season, playing a key role in United's revival after a disastrous start to the campaign.

Van Gaal believes the 29-year-old has benefited from the responsibility of wearing the armband for United and for England, but is adamant that a coach with his skills can improve any player.

“Before I came here, of course, I had heard of his reputation,” Van Gaal told reporters. “But, from the first day, he was not the Wayne Rooney that people had talked about.

“He was, in my eyes, a great example in training and, of course, he has achieved a certain level. I think he shall always play with me — although, when he is in a bad moment, maybe I can be convinced to change him.

“But he is my captain now. He is the men who sets the example for the other players. So I’m very pleased. I have the impression that he lives for football and that he likes being the captain of Manchester United.

“Of course, being captain of England helps him to be a better captain of United.

“He has more experience. But I have to remind everyone that I put him first as captain. Roy Hodgson followed my advice.

“I can make every player better. I’m sorry. That’s arrogant, but I can.”

Manchester City won't sell Aguero, says Pellegrini

The Argentine striker is set to make his 100th Premier League appearance for the champions against Southampton and his boss expects him make many more
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will not be sold, insists manager Manuel Pellegrini.

The 26-year-old scored a dramatic hat-trick against Bayern Munich to seal victory in midweek, leading Frank Lampard to compare him to Primera Division giants Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Yet, as Aguero looks to continue his form when making his 100th top-flight appearance against Southampton on Sunday, Pellegrini is adamant that he will not be sold before his contract ends.

"At this moment Sergio doesn't want to go and we don’t want to sell him," he told reporters.

"City is not a club that sells its players. It is a club that wants to buy good players as we want to improve every year.

"Sergio is very happy here and has five or six more years on his contract. I don't think he will move but you never know in the future.” 

Pellegrini, who had attempted to take the striker to La Liga in 2006 when in charge of Villarreal, feels that Aguero is young enough to still improve and believes that City are yet to see the best of him.

He continued: "From the beginning everyone saw he would be a very good player. It was not normal seeing a player so young playing so well. 

"He started to make a difference for Independiente, then for Atletico Madrid and he came here to England and continued doing it.

"For me, the most important thing Sergio did so far in his career was when he scored the goals to give this club the title but the important thing is that Sergio has a future where we will see a better Sergio Aguero than we have seen before.

"He is growing and maybe at 22 or 23 you are too young to decide the correct things at a lot of moments in the game but, in every game, he is growing, he will have more edge. He is very strong and has at least five more years where he is at his top performance."

Chelsea held; Arsenal, United, Reds win

Chelsea dropped points for only the third time this season as the Premier League leaders were held to a 0-0 draw at Sunderland on Saturday.
Jose Mourinho's side had swept to the top of the table with 10 wins from their 12 matches and only Manchester City and Manchester United had avoided defeat against the Blues in domestic action.
But Chelsea were unable to break down dogged Sunderland, who held the Blues without a goal for the first time in 20 matches in all competitions this season.
The west Londoners are now seven points clear of second-placed Southampton, who host champions City on Sunday.
Chelsea winger Willian almost opened the scoring with a fiercely struck low shot that rebounded off a post.
Yet Sunderland were making it tough for Mourinho's men and Santiago Vergini fired against the crossbar from 10 yards.
A tetchy encounter got even more heated when Chelsea striker Diego Costa escaped with a booking rather than a red card for an elbow on Sunderland defender Wes Brown.
"It was a difficult match. Only one team tried to win from the beginning, the other team didn't. They defended a lot and they defended well," said Mourinho, whose side remain unbeaten this season.
"We were a bit tired towards the end and we left a bit of space. But I've got nothing negative to say about my team."
Danny Welbeck returned from injury to maintain Arsenal's recent revival as the England striker sealed a 1-0 win at West Bromwich Albion.
Arsene Wenger's Arsenal had been under pressure after successive Premier League defeats condemned them to their worst start for 30 years, but a midweek victory over Borussia Dortmund, which booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League, had lifted spirits at the north London club.
Welbeck missed that win due to hamstring and knee problems, but he was back at the Hawthorns to net his sixth goal for Arsenal from Santi Cazorla's 60th minute cross, giving the Gunners only their fifth league victory of the season.
Despite the win, some Arsenal fans held up a banner at fulltime calling for Wenger to quit.
Asked if he was affected by the protest, Wenger said: "I don't want to comment on that. I try to do my best for this club that I love.
"It's easier to deal with the upwards than the downwards, but you cannot be a manager and have only one side."
Liverpool ended their three-match losing streak as Glen Johnson's late goal clinched a hard-fought 1-0 success against Stoke at Anfield.
Reds captain Steven Gerrard was dropped to the bench on the 16th anniversary of his Liverpool debut and Brendan Rodgers's side were lacklustre without him.
But Gerrard came on for the final 16 minutes and Johnson popped up with the winner in the 85th minute after Rickie Lambert's header hit the bar.
"The players were absolutely incredible. We fully deserved it and to keep a clean sheet against a very good side was pleasing," Rodgers said.
Robin van Persie scored only his fourth goal for Manchester United this season as the hosts cruised to a 3-0 win over Hull at Old Trafford.
United's injury problems continued early in the first half when Argentina midfielder Angel di Maria was forced to come off.
But Louis van Gaal's side took the lead in the 16th minute as video technology showed Chris Smalling's scrambled effort had crossed the line to give the much-maligned defender his first goal since December 2013.
United captain Wayne Rooney got the second goal, sweeping home from 20 yards in the 42nd minute, and Van Persie netted in the 66th minute to seal his fourth-placed team's third successive win.

No Ronaldo extension, no glory? Messi records won't count in Ballon d'Or race

Voting for the prestigious prize closed before the Argentine reached his two recent goalscoring milestones and unlike last year, there will be no new ballot this time
Cristiano Ronaldo claimed his second Ballon d'Or in January, but only after the voting deadline was changed to include his decisive display in the World Cup play-off against Sweden last November. For Lionel Messi, there will be no such luxury in 2014.

"Messi, Ballon d'Or!" screamed the front page of Barcelona-based sports daily El Mundo Deportivo last Monday. Two days earlier, the Argentine had hit a brilliant hat-trick to lead the Blaugrana to a 5-1 win at home to Sevilla and overhaul 1950s legend Telmo Zarra as the greatest goalscorer in the history of La Liga.

And the day after that headline, the 27-year-old was at it again as he netted three more at APOEL in the Champions League to surpass Real Madrid icon Raul as the all-time top scorer in the history of Europe's premier club competition. Two remarkable records smashed in the space of just four days in a timely return to form for Barcelona.

Unfortunately, however, they will count for little in the race for the Ballon d'Or.

The voting deadline for football's foremost individual award closed on Friday, November 21 - just a day before Messi broke the first of those two long-standing marks.

Last year, the voting period was extended and allowed coaches and captains of national teams and journalists to consider Cristiano's hat-trick against Sweden in the second leg of Portugal's play-off against Zlatan Ibrahimovic et al, which sealed a place at Brazil 2014 for the Selecao.

To help his hopes of claiming the Ballon d'Or this time, Messi could do with a similar vote extension, but he won't be afforded such a luxury. A Fifa source told Goal: "Voting has closed and there will be no extension this year. And contrary to popular belief, the voting wasn't extended last year to help Ronaldo; it was actually because there weren't enough votes registered to legitimise the prize."

Whatever really happened with the voting, the truth is that the extension worked in the forward's favour and the Portuguese went on to win the award for the second time in his career on the back of the votes registered after what was probably the finest week of his entire 2013 (he also scored the winner in the first leg against Sweden in Lisbon on November 15, just hours before the original voting deadline).

This year, the posturing has already started. Uefa president Michel Platini claimed the gong should go to a German player following the side's World Cup win, but Madrid have hit back and coach Carlo Ancelotti has said the Frenchman should keep his opinions to himself. "I don't think the president of Uefa should opine about the Ballon d'Or," the Italian said after the club released a statement to complain about the 59-year-old's public stance.

Meanwhile, Barca boss Luis Enrique backed his man. "Everyone is allowed his opinion," he said. "The prize is for the best player this season and that is Messi, so I would give the Ballon d'Or to Leo."

Ronaldo has also enjoyed an excellent 2014, despite disappointment at the World Cup where he struggled with injury and was unable to stop a poor Portugal team from crashing out in the group stages. Before Brazil 2014, however, his record 17 strikes in the Champions League helped Madrid claim La Decima (the club's 10th European Cup crown), while he also finished as top scorer in La Liga and joint-highest in Europe alongside Luis Suarez (then with Liverpool).

Messi, meanwhile, has endured a tough time this year. The Barca forward impressed for the Albiceleste at the World Cup, but missed out on the game's greatest prize as Argentina lost the final to Germany. And at Barca, he and his team-mates fell short when it mattered most to miss out on La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey when the biggest trophies were handed out in May.

But Ronaldo had not won a single trophy with Madrid in 2013 either and still he claimed the Ballon d'Or. And while the Portuguese benefited from an extended vote following a purple patch in his year which undoubtedly helped him scoop the individual award, there will be no such luck for Leo this time around. Rightly or wrongly, the Argentine's remarkable records will count for nothing this time in the race for the prestigious prize.

Friday, November 28, 2014

Actress' husband beaten blue black

According to reports by gossip blogger, Stella Dimoko-Korkus, the husband of Nollywood actress Mercy Aigbe, Lanre Gentry, had a rough time with one of his business partners who gave him the beating of his life at his Ikeja based hotel, in what is seen as business gone sour.
According to insiders, the guy who pummeled Gentry to a pulp is a Special Assistant to Osun State Governor Segun Mimiko, named Bashorun Akinloye Akinboni.
Those who peddled the story say that the cause of the fight had to do with Gentry's attempt to play a fast one on the guy who had paid for a house owned by the actress' husband, only for him to turn around and rent the same place to Yoruba gospel artiste, Atorise.
When Bashorun Akinboni went to the hotel to enquire about the arrangement, he coincidentally met Atorise there and an argument ensued. Bashorun Akinboni lost his temper and pounced on Larry Gentry, allegedly beating him to a Pulp.
When the beating got too much and blood was gushing from all his body, Atorise took to his heels, leaving the venue in one piece.
At the end of the day, Gentry ended up with lots bruises and was taken to a hospital where he had bandages would all over him.
Another insider also confirmed the development, saying Lanre Gentry  got exactly what he deserved as he is in the habit of duping people who do business with him.
This is what he said:
"Lanre is in the habit of duping people and had no right to take his money and give someone else the house. He has been doing this to several people and needs to be stopped."

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