Arsene Wenger is still the right man for the job, insists Olivier Giroud as Arsenal fans chant manager's name at the Emirates

Arsene Wenger was at last able to relax and savour an emphatic winning performance — and his name rang around the Emirates Stadium.

Only a week after Wenger was verbally abused by a group of Arsenal supporters at a train station on the way home from a defeat at Stoke, this emphatic win against Newcastle had fans singing in support of the manager.

Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla scored two goals each as they overwhelmed Alan Pardew’s team, for whom Ayoze Perez scored a consolation. 

Giroud said: ‘I did not want to talk a lot about the situation (fans criticising Wenger) because it is always the same when you’re losing; the man to be criticised is the boss. It’s part of the job and we have to deal with that.

‘We’ll always be together, keep the faith, keep working hard and I think there’s no thoughts about changing the boss as he’s still the man for the situation. It’s nice to hear the fans supporting him and it’s a fantastic night for us.’

Three points eased the Gunners, who lie sixth, closer to the Champions League places, but it was the nature of the performance which will have delighted Wenger.

He said: ‘The most important thing is that our fans go home happy because we won. I have worked in this country for 18 years and I am grateful for that, but 99.9 per cent will still have respect, even when they are not happy, so I can live with the 0.1 per cent.

‘You want the fans to be happy and when we lose and they are not happy, I completely understand.’ 

His side, still beset by injuries, were positive and fluent in attack and scored some wonderful goals, starting with a header from Giroud after 15 minutes.

Arsenal had not scored in the first half of their previous six Premier League games but they set off like a team with a point to prove. Per Mertesacker glanced a header against the bar before Giroud opened the scoring with a fine header from an Alexis Sanchez cross.

Wenger’s team thought they had the second within a minute but Danny Welbeck’s goal was ruled out by referee Lee Mason, who decided the scorer had fouled Daryl Janmaat as he jinked into the penalty area from the left.

Newcastle’s Cheick Tiote was fortunate not to be sent off after only five minutes. Tiote followed through with a waist-high challenge on Sanchez and sank his studs into the Chilean’s midriff.

Cazorla scored the second soon after the restart with a deft chip from a tight angle to deceive Newcastle’s 21-year-old goalkeeper Jak Alnwick.

Giroud appeared at the near-post to flick in the third, before Perez scored with a diving header. Cazorla chipped in Arsenal’s fourth from the penalty spot.

Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao looks ON as Money Man confirms May 2 date

Floyd Mayweather Jnr has named May 2 as the date for his shotgun wedding with Manny Pacquiao.

Speculation that the richest fight in boxing history is close to being made has been rife since the Pacman put on an impressive performance to defeat Chris Algieri in Macau two weeks ago.

Now Mayweather, put under pressure by one of his promotion companies' events, said: 'Will I fight Pacquiao? Absolutely.' 

Pressed as to when that would be he confirmed the expected date for his next appearance, saying: 'May 2, absolutely'.

The undefeated holder of the mythical title of the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world went on: 'The public want this fight. I want it. the only stumbling block has been Bob Arum (Pacquiao's promoter) but I think both fighters want it. So it's time to get it on.'

Mayweather admitted for the first time that negotiations are underway 'behind the scenes', adding: 'I'm not ducking anyone, so let's get this on.

'Years ago we had problems with random blood and urine testing. I just want to have an even playing field.

'Now he's in a very, very tight situation with his loss to (Juan Manuel) Marquez and his loss to (Timothy) Bradley. His pay-per-view numbers are extremely low, so he's desperate. I wanted that fight a long time ago.' 

For the man who calls himself Money, most of the discussions centre around the split of the biggest purse of all time.

It is estimated that the fight will gross a minimum $300million. Pacquiao has agreed to take the thin end of the 60-40 split, although there are suggestions that Mayweather may demand an even higher percentage if an agreement is to be finalised.

If Arum can pioneer pay-per-view in his new market, China, the revenue could rise to so far as to make this a billion dollar fight.

It is probable that Mayweather will insist on fighting in his adopted hometown of Las Vegas as usual. But Arum has been proposing the erection of a pop-up stadium in the famous Strip with a 50,000 capacity, more than double that of any existing arena in Sin City.

If Mayweather is indeed signalling the advent of the biggest fight of all time it will come as a disappointment for our own Amir Khan, who is hoping that an outstanding performance as well as victory here in Vegas this very Saturday night over Devon Alexander would seal his own long-awaited super-fight with Mayweather.

Alex Song was earmarked as the next Patrick Vieira at Arsenal... now he has matured and grown into a star at West Ham

West Ham have been a revelation this season but there is one player who has been at the heart of it all. Alex Song is now the club’s main man and he has the rest of the team dancing to his tune.

Signing Song on loan was one of the most astute transfers of the summer. Plenty of Arsenal fans will be looking at him and asking: ‘Why isn’t he doing that job in our midfield?’ They have a point. Sam Allardyce saw a good opportunity and grabbed it.

After my final season at Arsenal I was invited back by the club to act as a mentor and was there when Song arrived. He was only 17 but he went straight into training with the first-team group. Along with Abou Diaby, he was earmarked as a potential successor to Patrick Vieira.

Song’s talent was obvious but he still needed a lot of work and Arsene Wenger is one of the best at developing young players.

The focus with Song was always passing. Wenger likes midfielders to open up their body and receive the ball on the half-turn, giving them the chance to glance over their shoulder before receiving the ball to feet.

I watched Song work to improve for hours with Boro Primorac, Wenger’s right-hand man and a real technician. He’d do extra drills between two backboards, passing the ball to himself and learning to open up his body. If you can keep a good body shape in midfield you can open up the whole game. Now West Ham are reaping the benefits.

He can receive the ball with one foot and pass with the other, which helps him see the bigger picture very early. He rarely takes more than two touches and that gets West Ham moving quickly. He is an excellent passer, too, a real side-foot specialist, so it’s no surprise West Ham average around 50 passes more per game this season compared to last.

He is stronger and more disciplined and it’s interesting to see the West Ham staff on the touchline asking him to sit deeper. At Arsenal he was like a wind-up toy. He charged around and quickly ran out of energy. Now he is more effective at managing that energy and realises the importance of staying back.

When he first arrived in England I wondered if he was more interested in the trappings of Premier League football. He was easily distracted by the things that were on offer — as soon as he realised he could get free boots he would have them delivered from all over and his locker was stuffed with freebies. It was partly immaturity but also suggested he wasn’t always focused.

When Barcelona came calling he was quick to give in to temptation. The allure of Barca was like Aladdin’s cave — prestige, titles, financial rewards.

That’s hard to turn down, but with the players Barca have it was always going to be difficult. Cesc Fabregas tried and failed so the warning signs were there — the grass is not always greener. When Fabregas and Robin van Persie left, Wenger let them go to further their careers. 

With Song, it was more of a disappointment. Arsenal invested a lot of time in him and hoped he would want to stay and repay them.

But he is loving life at West Ham. My sources tell me he’s been a breath of fresh air at the training ground. He arrives flamboyantly dressed and trains with a big grin on his face. The fans love what he brings to the team and he is more appreciated at Upton Park than he was at the Emirates or the Nou Camp.

He has matured, too. Where he used to try to catch the eye with his dyed hair, now he’s doing so with performances on the pitch.

If West Ham can afford him, Song faces a dilemma. Will another glittery move prise him away or will he stay put? He’s loved at Upton Park and could do far worse than to stay on song at West Ham.

What a great story for AFC Wimbledon to be drawn against Liverpool in the FA Cup. I played against the Crazy Gang many times, though often it was like playing a bunch of louts!

They would turn up at your ground with the ghetto blaster music blaring. They tried to make as much noise as they could to disrupt opponents.

It was like their battle cry to get into match mode but it never affected me.

In away games in their tunnel, you would line up and look across to see Vinnie Jones head-butting the toilet door and John Fashanu going through his martial arts routine.

If anything, that wound you up even more and you just thought, ‘Right. Let’s get it on!’

TAMISEMO WATOA MAELEKEZO NA UTARATIBU WA KUFUATA SIKU YA KUPIGA KURA

WIZARA ya tawala za mikoa na Serikali za Mitaa (TAMISEMI) imetoa utaratibu wa kufuata siku ya kupiga kura katika uchaguzi wa Serikali za Mitaa kwenye ngazi za vijiji,Mitaa, na Vitongoji.

Utaratibu huo utakaotumika katika siku ya upigaji kura,kuesabu na kutangaza matokeo, umeelekezwa na kufanunuliwa na kanuni za uchaguzi wa Serikali za Mitaa za Mwaka huu.

Hakitoa ufafanuzi juu ya utaratibu huo jana jijini Dar es Salaam,Katibu Mkuu wa Wizara hiyo Jumanne Sagin alisema wizara imelazimika kutoa ufafanuzi huo ili kufahamisha Wananchi njia za kufuata katika kupiga kura na kupunguza hali ya sintofahamu.

“Siku hiyo patakuwa na karatasi ya kura ambayo itaandaliwa na halmashauri husika ikiwa na jina la mgombea,jina la chama,Nembo ya halmashauri,na mpiga kura atatakiwa kutia alama ya vema katika kisanduku kilichoko chini ya nembo ya chama ili kuonesha kuwa amempigia mgombea aliyemtaka,”alisema Sagin.

Alisema utaratibu wa kupiga kura utaanza saa mbili (2:00) asubuhi hadi saa kumi jioni ambapo wapiga kura watakao kuwapo kituoni saa kumi (10:00) jioni wataruhusiwa kupiga kura hadi watakapokuwa wamemalizika.

Alisema Msimamizi Msaidizi atajirizisha kama jina la limeorodheshwa katika orodha ya wapiga kura na baadae ataitaji mpiga kura  kuwa na kitambulisho chochote kabla ya kupiga kura ili kumtambulisha yeye ni raia wa Tanzania.

“Ikiwa Mpiga kura hatakuwa na kitambulisho cha aina yeyote lakini jina lake likaonekana katika orodha ya wapiga kura iliyoandaliwa kwa mujibu wa kanuni za uchaguzi,Msimamizi huyo atamruhusu kupiga kura baada ya kutambuliwa na wakazi wa eneo hilo,”alisema Sagin

Akizungumzia katika Mikoa iliyofanya vizuri katika uandikishwa wa wapiga kura  Sagin alisema Dar es Salaam ni miongoni mwa mikoa iliyofanya vibaya katika zoezi hilo ikiwa na asilimia 43,halmashauri ya Wilaya ya Kilindi 21,Same 22.

Akizitaja Halmashauri zilizofanya vizuri ni Katavi asilimia 79, Kagera 78, Kilimanjaro 50, katavi 107,Babati 101.

Pia Sagin alisema kuwa siku ya jumapili Disemba 14  wapiga kura waliojiandikisha katika daftari la kupiga kura ni 11,491,661 ambao wanatarajiwa kupiga na kusisitiza kuwa wananchi  kujitokeza kupiga kura bila hofu ya usalama.