Arsenal captain Robin van Persie fired his side back into the Premier League’s top four with the decisive strike in Saturday’s 1-0 win over QPR at the Emirates Stadium.

Manchester United missed the chance to start the New Year on top of the Premier League after suffering a 3-2 defeat to Blackburn as Arsenal went fourth after Chelsea crashed 3-1 at home to Aston Villa

The return of former Super Eagles captain, Stephen Keshi as coach of the team has been described as a good development which would resuscitate football in the country.

Former Super Eagles player, Peter Nieketien has termed 2011 as the worst year in the history of football in Nigeria.

Sports, they say ‘is the opium of the people’ but Alhaji Mohammed Halilu, 1st Vice President, Nigerian Weightlifting Federation, NWF believes that it has not given Nigerians the desired joy this year.

Former Bayelsa Chairman Felix Beke has urged the Nigeria Premier League, NPL Board led by Victor Baribote to come out with better plans to improve the league next season rather than indulge in so much crisis.

Media Officer of relegated Premier League side JUTH FC of Jos, Olusola Alao has declared that his team will present a formidable side with quality players when the National League Division 1 kicks off next year.

Former Super Eagles midfielder, Friday Ekpo says he sees a bright future for the Eagles just as he believed Stephen Keshi’s building on the local players will bring a positive impact in the squad next year.

Newly promoted Nigerian Premier League side, Rising Stars FC of Akure have disclosed that they are not in the Premier League to make up the numbers.

Former Super Eagles coach, Sebastian Broderick has urged Eagles gaffer, Stephen Keshi to perfect his strategy ahead of the Nations Cup qualifying tie against Rwanda next year.

Sports enthusiasts in Nigeria would readily agree with any prophet of doom who revealed bad vibes for the country’s sports in the year ahead.This is because the out-going year was a miserable one for the sports industry in Nigeria.

One of the 30 home-based players invited to the Eagles camp, Julius Ubilo has said that if given the chance by Coach Stephen Keshi that they were capable of doing better than their over-hyped foreign-based professionals.

It was another hilarious day, at Thursday morning training of home based Super Eagles at the training pitch of the Abuja National Stadium, following the presence of another ‘unknown player’ from the blues, pleading to be allowed to train with the national team.

Those who had tears generously poured it out as hundreds of athletes, friends and fans were united in grief at the National Stadium yesterday as they paid their last respects to late Sunday Bada who laid-in- state on the very National stadium tracks, which brought him local and international fame.

Home-based Super Eagles got its first real test on Wednesday at the National Stadium, Abuja , with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Pro-league division One side Ranchers Bees of Kaduna.