Sports

Ancelotti Puts Trust In Mikel

Published

16 years ago

July 27, 2009

Things are getting better and better for Nigeria international midfielder John Mikel Obi.

Just days after signing a new five-year contract with Chelsea, new coach Carlo Ancelotti has made it clear Mikel will not only be an integral part of his plans for the new campaign, but will, in fact, be the heartbeat in his new tactical deployment.

“I have a lot of trust in Mikel. I think he can be the playmaker of this team. He is a young player, but has great quality, both technical and tactical.

“For the present and for the future he is a very important player for us. We are very happy he has signed a new contract and I hope that he stays at Chelsea for a lot of years. I would like that he puts in his great quality for the team,” Ancelotti said.

It is the kind of praise that pushes a player to give more than his all, especially for a coach who has won the top prizes in club football. Mikel is no exception and says he is honoured to be the recipient of such high praise.

“He was a great player himself and it is a great honour that he sees something in me. He says I am a player with great qualities, but thinks I can be even better. It is going to take a bit of time, but I am going to work very close with him to make it happen.”

Ancelotti says the Nigerian still needs to add a few more qualities to his game. It is something the Nigerian star is looking forward to with some relish.

“He likes the fact I am strong and can play with the ball, but says that I still need to add more things to my game – if I do that then he thinks I’m going to be fantastic. Hopefully things are going to go well and he will bring out the best in me.

“I have worked with him for two weeks and we are trying to get to know the formation he wants to play. Before the season starts we are all going to be mentally focused and we’re going to get the system right. The team wants to win titles and this is why he is here.”

Mikel has picked up two FA Cup winners’ medals and one in the League Cup in his time with Chelsea, but the Champions League continues to be a burning ambition.

“The manager has won it twice as a player and as a manager and I really envy him for that. We have come close so many times and I think that is why the club has brought him here, to take us to that final step.

“I haven’t talked to him yet about what it’s like to win the Champions League, but I hope he will have a big impact on my career. The way he has come in and the ideas he has as to how to set the team up, I think we can win everything.”

Sports

New W.W. Whyte Tournament Focuses On Talent Discovery – Engr. Alabere

Published

2 days ago

November 19, 2025

The Tide

The Chairman of Grassroots Initiative, Engr. Promise Alabere has reiterated that the New W.W. Whyte Secondary Football Tournament was to discover hidden players from the grassroots and groom them to stardom.

He stated that the his organisation is partnering with the Niger Delta Development Commission ( NDDC) for the football tournament, adding that in the first edition 32 players were discovered and NDDC, and his organisation are to fixing them into various clubs.

Engr. Alabere said this while briefing sports journalists last Tuesday, in Port Harcourt, and expressed optimism that the second edition which have 22 secondary schools participating would be exciting and impressive.

” The essence of this tournament is to catch them young because in the 1980s and 1990s most of the players that played for NNPC, Sharks and other big clubs in the country were discovered through this competition.

” Even me I was a product of the W.W. Whyte tournament, as I started playing for the Nigerian Police football club when I was in class four. But this competition stopped about 20 years when two schools resort to bloody clash during one of their games.

According to him the second edition expanded to schools in six Local Government Areas, saying that it will be better than the previous in terms of organisation and others.

“We want to make this edition more exciting and beneficial to all participating schools because the first edition was on experiment but this edition is no longer an experiment” he stated.

The Chairman of Grassroots Initiative,used the forum to advice all participating schools to conduct themselves in a good manner and adhere to rules of the competition.

He equally thanked NDDC for being its major sponsor of the tournament.

Tonye Orabere

Sports

Hoopers Ready For NPBL Title Defence – Captain

Published

3 days ago

November 18, 2025

The Tide

Rivers Hoopers captain Victor Anthony Koko has said that his team is mentally ready for the challenge of retaining their Nigeria Premier Basketball League title when the 2025 season Final Four phase holds from November 21 – 23 in Port Harcourt, Tidesports source reports.
The Kings Men, who won back-to-back NPBL titles in 2023 and 2024 unbeaten, are chasing their seventh title.
They will be up against Lagos Legends, Gboko City Chiefs, and Nigeria Customs, as they hope to retain the title they won last year and also pick the ticket to next year’s Basketball Africa League.
Following the conclusion of the Final Eight earlier this month, the KingsMen have had time to fine-tune preparations ahead of their title defence at the Final Four, with the skipper stating that he and his teammates are fully prepared to retain the championship.
“This time around, everyone is ready; everyone is mentally ready. We understand what is at stake, so we need to go all out. And right now, with the level of energy I’ve seen from my team during practice, I don’t think we’re going to be a team that just wants to have fun [on the court]. We’re a championship-winning team, and we want to retain that championship,” he stressed.
Koko has won the league seven times in his career, and he is looking to help the Port Harcourt club reach its height.
“I want us to win the 2025 NPBL title. It’s on my mind, day and night: Hoopers Champions. And I’m assuring our fans that we’re not going to let them down. It’s happening here in Port Harcourt, and we’re going to make them proud.”

Sports

Barau Beat Rangers To Move Out Of Relegation Zone

Published

3 days ago

November 18, 2025

The Tide

Nigeria Premier Football League newcomers, Barau FC have zoomed out of the drop zone after they defeated Rangers International FC 2-0 on Sunday in a rescheduled tie played in Kano.
The Maliya Boys got their goals through Muhammed Umar and Joseph Kemin in the 26th and 76th minutes to record their third win of the season
They have moved to the 16th spot with 13 points from 12 games but the loss by the Flying Antelopes see them slid to the seventh spot with 19 points from 13 games.
The home win is no doubt a relief to Barau FC head coach, Ladan Bosso who has seen his job brought under scrutiny following the Maliya Boys impressive start to the season.