Blackpool tripped up by Odemwingie mind game

STRIKER Peter Odemwingie admits he needed help from West Brom’s psychologists to “free his mind” and get him back on the goal trail after his and the club’s recent slump in fortunes.

The Nigeria international started the season in fine form which coincided with the Baggies’ successful return to the Barclays Premier League.

But he has been hit by a series of niggling injuries and then saw his confidence drop during a recent run without hitting the target as Albion slid down the table.

Odemwingie concedes he needed help from West Brom’s backroom staff and the results were there to see with his double strike in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Blackpool at The Hawthorns.

That ended a run of five successive league defeats since the 3-1 victory over Newcastle in early December — the last game Odemwingie had scored in. He said: “Personally, I will never forget this game. Hopefully it is a new start and we will keep winning now.

“It has been a really difficult period for us but hopefully the victory will help us to forget the bad period we’ve had.

“It has been difficult for me in the sense I missed a penalty against Manchester United and a few chances in the last few games.

“I’ve not been at the top of my game but this week, a lot of people stood behind me, starting from the coaching staff and the players, and the medical staff.

“I had a few meetings with the psychologists because they saw my head was a little bit down.

“We talked about a few pictures in my head, and it did relax me a little bit.

“People helped me a lot to free my mind, be myself and just enjoy the game.”

Odemwingie added: “I never knew it could help and yet, right from the first minute of the Blackpool game, I felt relaxed and that pressure on me, like I was hitting myself, it came off me.

“I took the game into my own hands, tried to do things, and it released all the tension.

“I just played as I used to.”

Albion head coach Roberto Di Matteo said: “Strikers live off goals and the confidence that comes from goals.

“Peter has had a few niggling injuries that have taken a little bit of rhythm out of him.

“I don’t have enough time to tell you everything we’ve done with him to get his confidence back — but it’s obviously worked.

“We’ve worked very hard with him and all the players to pick them up.

“We are very pleased to have got those three points under our belts and hopefully we can turn the corner now and look forward to the next games with confidence and belief.”

For his part, Blackpool boss Ian Holloway repeated his verbal attack on Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier for making public his interest in signing midfielder Charlie Adam.

The Tangerines have rejected bids of £2.5 million (€2.9m) and £3.5m (€4.1m) from Villa and Holloway believes the best time to sell Adam will be in the summer.

Holloway said: “Mr Houllier should not talk about someone else’s player when he hasn’t put up enough money to buy him.

“Will I honestly sell him to Aston Villa, the answer is no, because I am managing his career.

“I’ve told Charlie where I think he’s good enough to go to.

“I know I could sell him in the summer and I think that’s the best time for him to be sold.

“I want the boy to do well. He should trust me because I’m the governor of his career.”

James Morrison was Albion’s other goalscorer, with David Vaughan and Gary Taylor-Fletcher netting for the visitors.