Peter Odemwingie has recaptured the sort of form that made him an instant hit with the West Bromwich Albion faithful last season when he was named Premier League Player of the Month for February.
The Nigerian striker – who received the same award in September and April of last season – bagged five goals, a hat-trick in the Black Country derby with Wolverhampton Wanderers on 12 February and a brace against Sunderland on the 25th.
Most notable was the treble in the game with Wolves, not least because matches between these two clubs in the Black Country – so called because of the region’s abundance of coal in the 19th century – represent one of the fiercest rivalries in English soccer.
Not only was it Odemwingie’s first goals after a drought in his previous six starts, but more significantly it was the first hat-trick by a Baggies player in the derby since Ronnie Allen’s in the 1954 FA Charity Shield between the near neighbours.
“I’m very happy also to get my first hat-trick in the Premier League,” said the Nigerian. “Both mine and the team’s performances have been a bit up and down.
“I’ve been dreaming about a hat-trick in the Premier League – and on top of that it comes in a derby.”
Now that the Super Eagles international has regained his scoring touch, he hopes to surpass the 15 goals he scored in the Premiership last term.
“People have asked me if I can beat my record or get double figures,” said the former Nigerian national captain. “I said yes, if I have a good run, maybe it is possible. I’m happy it’s coming.”
A knee injury and a slump in form during the early part of the season saw Odemwingie score just four goals before February, which prompted speculation about his commitment and appetite at the Hawthorns club. But clear-the-air talks with manager Roy Hodgson soon extinguished any doubts.
“I had a few thoughts that something was wrong and I wanted to know his plans and if there was any doubt about my commitment to the club,” commented Odemwingie in The Independent. “He said he was ‘100 per cent’ that he wanted to work with me and that I shouldn’t take his frustration and anger [as being aimed] towards me. He said he always wanted me to play for his team.
“For me [not wanting to play] had nothing to do with it. I am the total opposite of a player who doesn’t want to play through pain.”
He added: “We needed to clear the air but it was cleared and I’m very happy here.”
Hodgson, also looking forward to the rest of the season, has put Odemwingie back out on the right wing and sees this as a factor in contributing toward his return to form.
“Peter’s been very lively,” said Hodgson. “He now has to keep it up for the next 13 games. It’s a third of the season, it’s the final third of the season and a very important period.
“This will decide our campaign so it’s good that going into this period he can hopefully build on the performance and goals he produced against Wolves.”
Confident the player can play an important role on the wing, Hodgson continued: “He came to the club as a right winger so it’s nothing new for him. He did it last year for us on a few occasions.
“It’s not unusual for him to play there and maybe he is happy there, sometimes maybe he’d be happier playing centrally. I guess with all players it depends.
“If he’s getting enough of the ball then I’m sure he’s happy out there otherwise he’ll be wanting to move back into the centre. ”
The fans’ favourite moved to the West Midlands club from Lokomotiv Moscow at the start of last season after three years in the Russian league. The Baggies’ number 24 began his career with Bendel Insurance in Benin, Nigeria before spells at Belgian club La Louvière and Ligue 1 side Lille, where he gained Champions League experience.
Odemwingie was born in Uzbekistan to a Russian mother and Nigerian father, back when it was part of the Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union was formally dissolved in 1991, Odemwingie relocated to Nigeria with his parents, a move which aided his decision to play for Nigeria.
Although eligible to play at international level for both Ubekistan and Russia, Odemwingie chose to pledge his allegiance to the Super Eagles. To date Odemwingie has made 55 appearances for his country, contributing nine goals since his debut against Kenya in May 2002.
“I had been used to good facilities in Russia and it was almost street football in Nigeria,” he said. “But the country was still on a high after winning gold at the 1996 Olympics and I was dazzled by that. And I was really small. I wasn’t strong enough.
“But I got stronger and three years later I was called up to the Nigerian team and went to the 2002 World Cup, although I wasn’t registered to play.”
Registered or not, Odemwingie began an association with the Super Eagles that stays strong to this day – and it’s a similar relationship his West Brom fans hope he’ll have with their club.
