CRITICS ARE TOO EMOTIONAL-WENGER

Arsene Wenger has responded to the criticism of Arsenal this week by saying people are “too emotional” and challenged his players to use the negativity as motivation to turn things around.

Wenger and his team have been scrutinised following their 3-2 loss at an under-strength Manchester United on Sunday, with even some former Arsenal players questioning the Frenchman’s ability to deliver the Premier League title this season.

Speaking at his news conference ahead of league games against Swansea and Tottenham, Wenger has urged for calm.

“I’m never surprised by the criticism that comes, that’s part of the media today. The opinions are always a bit excessive and emotional. But we have to deal with that, and I don’t complain about that,” Wenger said at a news conference.

“What we want to do is to transform the negatives around us into positives and create even more solidarity. Let’s not go overboard, we do not play to avoid being relegated, we play to fight for the Premiership and that’s why we have to put the criticism into the right place.”

Asked about comments made by the likes of Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness, who said Arsenal were “weak” and almost a “joke” against United, Wenger said: “I don’t want to respond to individual criticism.

“I think people are a bit too emotional, and we want to put that into perspective and analyse things a bit more in a [productive] way. I believe this club is respected all over the world no matter what people say.”

Even former Arsenal players like Paul Merson and Ray Parlour have joined in the criticism. Merson said Wenger must go if Leicester or Tottenham win the title ahead of the Gunners, while Parlour said Wenger has failed to bring in enough leaders in the team.

Wenger made it clear he doesn’t think those types of comments are helpful, adding: “This club has been built before me on values, and what we try to do is respect these values. And when we have a disappointing game, [people must] show that those values mean solidarity, togetherness and fight together.

“After that, what people say, everybody has a freedom of opinion and I enjoy very much that people care about my future, and I thank them for that. But apart from that in my life I have always taken care of myself and my future, and I have not done too badly.”

Instead, Wenger called on fans to stick together through the times, saying maintaining the support could be crucial in the final part of the season.

“What you want from your fans is to fight together until the last game of the season,” Wenger said. “What we have learned from the league is that it’s very tight, that everybody can drop points. And the teams and the fans who can show togetherness and solidarity until the end might come out of it in a positive way.

“And that’s what we want, fight together until the last game of the season and not give up when you have a bad game. That’s what fans and players and teams and clubs are about.”

Arsenal are five points behind leader Leicester and three behind Tottenham, things could look much better again if they bounce back with two victories this week. The Gunners host Swansea on Wednesday before playing at White Hart Lane on Saturday.

“We had a very bad week, and it’s down to us to make this week a very good week. That’s why you love competition,” Wenger said. “A bad week is not permanent. It’s what you make of it, and how you respond. That’s the beauty in sports, things change quickly one way or the other. And that’s absolutely beautiful as well.”

Wenger also dismissed the suggestions that Arsenal lack leadership, saying the side have “a leader in every position.”

“In the collective psyche, you need a saviour when you have a bad result,” Wenger said. “We have won many big games this season with exactly the same players. I don’t feel at all that I lack leaders.”

However, when asked to identify who those leaders are, Wenger said: “The team. In every position I think the players lead, and we try to develop that with our work to have a leader in every position.”

LEICESTER DROPS TWO POINTS TO STAY TOP OF THE EPL

 

Leicester dropped two priceless points in their quest for the Premier League title after being held to a 2-2 draw at home by West Brom.

The Foxes are three points clear of second-placed Tottenham, who go to West Ham on Wednesday, after being frustrated by the battling Baggies.

Goals from midfield duo Danny Drinkwater and Andy King cancelled out Salomon Rondon’s early opener before Craig Gardner’s classy free-kick earned a point for Albion.

Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki hit the bar for the hosts, who were the better side, and Wes Morgan blew a glorious chance to win it late on.

Claudio Ranieri’s side will now face an anxious wait when Spurs go to Upton Park, where a win for their title rivals will be enough to send them top on goal difference.

The Foxes’ pre-match points tally of 56 was already their highest ever in the top flight but cracks showed despite their late 1-0 weekend win over Norwich.

The Canaries stifled Leicester for much of the game and Albion set about doing the same early on before taking a surprise early lead.

Darren Fletcher spotted the run of Rondon after 11 minutes and the striker out-muscled Robert Huth in a heavyweight clash on the edge of the area before poking his shot through the legs of the onrushing Kasper Schmeichel.

In doing so, Albion became just the third visiting side in the league this season — after Tottenham and Aston Villa — to score first at the King Power Stadium.

It sparked Leicester into action and Okazaki volleyed over from six yards.

Vardy should have levelled on 27 minutes when, unmarked, he headed straight at Ben Foster from Riyad Mahrez’s cross.

The Foxes, though, were building momentum and grabbed the equaliser three minutes later.

A corner routine was worked back to Drinkwater 25 yards out and the midfielder’s drive clipped Jonas Olsson to loop in over Foster.

The goal, Leicester’s 50th in the league this season, was fortuitous but the hosts capitalised and maintained their drive, only for Vardy’s header to smack the bar after 36 minutes.

Since levelling the hosts had been the better side — although nowhere near their fluid selves- but did find a second in first-half stoppage time.

There had been little flowing football from the hosts but the Foxes conjured a sweeping move when Marc Albrighton’s crossfield pass found Mahrez and he teed up King to steer in from 15 yards.

The midfielder, in the team because of N’Golo Kante’s hamstring injury, had not scored in the league for 11 months.

But Albion hit back just four minutes after the break when, following Mahrez’s handball, Gardner curled a brilliant free-kick past the motionless Schmeichel from 25 yards.

It allowed the game to take a similar pattern to the first half with Albion scoring early and Leicester pressing.

And just like the first period the Foxes hit the bar when Okazaki shuddered the woodwork with a 57th-minute header.

It was a glaring miss from the striker but the chances kept flowing as Jeff Schlupp’s drive deflected at Foster minutes later.

Rondon then hacked over from close range as the game opened up before Foster denied Vardy — after he outpaced Gareth McAuley — with 20 minutes left.

Both sides pushed for the next goal, with Gardner shooting over and Huth heading wide, but the Foxes looked more likely to grab a priceless winner.

And, with four minutes left, Morgan almost found it when Olsson slipped in the area but the Foxes’ skipper was denied by Foster from 10 yards.

Mahrez then volleyed wildly over and Leonardo Ulloa could not force the ball in during stoppage time as Leicester were forced to settle for a point.

Nigeria: Subscribers Win As Consumer Protection Council Directs MultiChoice To Release Free Channels, Install Toll-Free Lines, Others

After an extensive investigation, the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has said that it has substantiated allegations of violations of consumer rights by MultiChoice Nigeria Limited in the provision of its Digital Satellite Broadcast Television (DStv) service.
A statement from the office of the Director General, Dupe Atoki said that the Council has issued far-reaching orders, including suspension of service when consumers are away; release of free-to-air channels, even when subscription expires; compensation across board to consumers for lost viewing time, introduction of local toll free lines; and reasonable equitable spread of popular sports channels, among others.
The multinational pay-media company is also
required to present written assurances in line with Section 10 of the Council’s enabling law that it will not engage in any conduct which is detrimental to the interest of consumers.
In the same vein, the company shall for 18 months from the date of the orders, subject its processes to the Council’s inspection to ensure compliance with the directives contained in the orders.
During the course of the investigation, the statement said the Council observed that the company’s billing system, whereby “billing is not contemporaneous with the provision of service” was not in the best interest of consumers and therefore ordered MultiChoice to install a billing system that ensures billing starts with the provision of service.
The pay-television company was also ordered to within 90 days provide across board compensation to its subscribers, considering the fact that many of them have over time lost legitimate and paid viewing time by its conduct of not restoring service contemporaneously after payment as well as other instances of disruptions.
Similarly, the company was also directed by CPC to within 180 days adopt a “technology that supports suspension of service when subscribers are otherwise unable to enjoy their service on account of being away for a limited period of time”, provided such a request for suspension of service is done for a period of between 7 to 14 days and not more than twice in a year with a 72-hour notice to MultiChoice.
On non-availability of popular channels in certain bouquets, the Council ordered the firm to within 90 days ensure “a reasonably equitable spread of popular sports and other channels hitherto concentrated in its premium bouquet over all available bouquets”.
MultiChoice was ordered to keep local and free-to-air channels open so that subscribers would have the opportunity of watching these channels, even when their subscriptions have expired.
In order to aid easy and fast access to the company by subscribers who wish to make complaints or enquiries, CPC directed MultiChoice not only to maintain local toll-free telephone access lines for its call centres, but should also ensure the call centres operate for longer hours during public holidays and weekends.
MultiChoice was also directed to formulate within 90 days a written compensation policy which should “outline amongst other things, the procedure for compensating subscribers for injury they suffer on account of MultiChoice conduct and take into consideration not just viewing time lost, but inconveniences suffered by subscribers”.
The agency also directed MultiChoice to “develop a Customer Care Manual which shall contain mechanisms to address customer complaints in an accurate, friendly, timely, efficient, courteous and honest manner”.
It was also directed to ensure that the list of all its accredited dealers and installers and their details be freely given to its customers at the point of subscription and also made available on its website and other information channels.
In addition, the pay-media company is not only to ensure these accredited dealers and installers carry certified means of identification issued by it, subscribers must also be periodically educated on the means of identification, while it should also reasonably and adequately compensate subscribers where they experience loss of signal on account of faulty, poor or unprofessional installation by agents of MultiChoice.
On the pay-television firm’s agreements with its subscribers, the Council disclosed that several provisions of the Service Level Agreement and the Terms and Conditions of Subscription signed on by subscribers were found to be grossly unfair, unjust and one-sided, directing that such provisions should be expunged, re-drafted and submitted to the Council.
All the orders, which have already been served on MultiChoice, are effective, not later than 90 days from their receipt.
Commenting, the Council’s Director General, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, expressed optimism that compliance with these reforms would bring about a new dawn for Nigerian consumers, who would henceforth enjoy value for money in their engagement with the company.
Mrs. Atoki reiterated the Council’s commitment towards sanitising the nation’s market-place for the benefit of consumers, assuring that no stone would be left un-turned to ensure it is no longer business as usual and shoddy service delivery becomes a thing of the past in the country.