On the Beach

Preparing to play my Wildcard in the Premier League's own Fantasy League I looked last week at the stats for Odemwingie, the West Brom striker. With only 6 goals in more than half the season, I moved on to another Nigerian - Gyan, the Sunderland forward. He, too, had only 6 goals on top of missing a shocker for Nigeria in the World Cup last summer. I decided to continue with Elmander of Bolton and Torres of Liverpool. Neither had scored for ages but hey, the time had to come!

Of course, both of my rejects scored, Odemwingie getting 2, while Gyan got a draw for Sunderland in the last minute of the local derby with Newcastle, 1-1

Related articles

• Odemwingie's brace lifts West Brom (vanguardngr.com)
• Odemwingie relief at goals (skysports.com)

Meanwhile, neither Torres nor Elmander managed a goal, once again.

Odemwingie in a post-match TV interview said that he had had help from a psychologist to think more positively about his game. I didn't get any more of the chat as I was making a cup of tea. My only experience of psychology was the usual business of having to think of yourself on a sandy beach, with a blue sea, and a bright sun. I am walking along breathing in the clear air. I forget how it went after that - my objective was to stop smoking. I didn't succeed at the time but I did eventually - and I now live by the Mediterranean. So the sun idea must have had a deep influence.

I wonder, though, if Peter Odemwingie was told to imagine the sunny scene that I got and then scoring goals galore on a balmy beach. It could be just the thing to inspire a striker playing through the English winter. I pass this on to Kenny Dalglish for use with Fernando Torres, and to Owen Coyle for Elmander.

But meanwhile I think I will get rid of these two strikers ....... or maybe not! It could just be their turn next weekend.