Build up to Christmas

All West Brom fans were left disappointed after the Black Country derby against bitter rivals Wolves was postponed due to the sudden downfall of snow. However, Roberto Di Matteo has now very much turned his full attention to the match on Boxing Day where the Baggies travel to Bolton to take on the Wanderers. In recent seasons this is a game contested by two teams who don't usually have a lot between them, the last four matches between them ending in draws, the most recent being at the Hawthorns earlier this season where James Morrison's late header cancelled out a Johan Elmander goal, which meant the result being 1-1. However, for the build up to this clash, Albion are buoyed by the return of Peter Odemwingie, who was set to miss the Wolves battle. The top scorer returns after a series of niggles to his calf, knee and groin, Di Matteo admitting he has only had little over a week to rest this year due to the Russian fixture schedule being the way it is, plus Odemwingie representing Nigeria in the World Cup of South Africa in the summer. But the Italian all but promised Baggies fans he will be available for the trip to the Reebok Stadium and also gave an update on the progress of Jonas Olsson, the giant Swede hasn't featured since hobbling off during the 2-1 over Fulham in October:

 "Jonas is progressing," he said. "Slowly, but he's progressing. We are hopeful we will know much more next week. This week we'll increase his training and we will see how he reacts. Cold weather isn't helpful, especially if you have an Achilles problem, nor is training in the dome. Early-mid January is still our target with Jonas and by the end of this week we will have a better idea about whether he can achieve that target or not. But at the moment we're still hopeful." (www.wba.co.uk)


Di Matteo also confirmed that he plans to sign one player in January- which will be a striker. He has made it clear that he does not need to sign lots of players because the players already at the club are doing an excellent job. The rumours are still floating about,  Pierre Webo and Jamie O'Hara look to be the most recognised names however the likes of Georgios Samaras and Luke Varney appear dead in the water.

Team selection for Sunday 19/12/10 et al

Interesting news today- head coach Roberto Di Matteo is considering playing wide man Somen Tchoyi as the lone striker in the Black Country derby on Sunday. After criticism aimed at the performance of Marc-Antoine Fortune following the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa last Saturday, Di Matteo was quick to defend the Frenchman:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         "We knew about Marco's goalscoring record. He hasn't yet hit his best form for us this season. He's scored a good goal and played some good games but he hasn't really hit it off as yet. He's still chasing his best form a little bit." (source: skysports.com)

However Tchoyi already has more goals than Fortune this season and with such a big game ahead- for both clubs and their fans- the Italian cannot afford to go into it with anything less than an attacking threat up front. This issue has arisen as the news that top scorer Peter Odemwingie is a major doubt after suffering a recurrence of his calf problem, as well as the groin injury which kept him out of the Villa match. The Nigerian has already been hit by injuries this season, missing games against Manchester United, Fulham and Blackpool in October and November and it may come as a worry to the Baggies that he manages to pick up regular niggles which means he is unavailable for important games. 

It may come as no surprise that Di Matteo has said himself that he is looking to bring in another striker during the January transfer window. With Chris Wood, Roman Bednar and Luke Moore all out on loan, Simon Cox in the process of being converted to an attacking midfielder, Ishmael Miller not yet 100% fit and Fortune yet to find goal scoring form, the former Chelsea star feels he needs a little extra quality to successfully fill Odemwingie's boots when injured. Cue the transfer rumours: the Baggies being linked frequently to names across Europe such as Pierre Webo of Mallorca and ex-Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman, but also domestically Luke Varney is a name that has cropped up in some newspapers. Whoever the player, prudent chairman Jeremy Peace will no doubt pay only the right price, yet sporting director Dan Ashworth has a knack of finding gems from abroad...

Many supporters this week have called for Nicky Shorey to replace Marek Cech at left back for the Wolves clash. As Shorey was ill a few weeks ago, Cech was drafted in and had done well enough in his manager's eyes to retain his place even when Shorey did get well enough to continue playing. However, Cech was considered at fault for Aston Villa's first goal last week and, following a goal line clearance the week before against Newcastle, it would suggest there is an air of inconsistency about the Slovak. Di Matteo this week has spoke of the battle at left back and claimed it can only be good for the team to have such competition:

"I think when we signed Nicky we wanted competition. We'd like competition in every role so that everyone who plays knows there is someone else to take their place. Nicky is obviously disappointed but he's a good professional and he knows he will get another chance at some point. The same happened to Marek after he got injured earlier in the season and lost his place. He had to take his chance when another one came along. I'd like to think I'm fair with everyone."                          (source: www.wba.co.uk)