Peter Odemwingie receives support from Roy Hodgson

18 October 2011 11:29
West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie has been given a vote of confidence by head coach Roy Hodgson and told he is 'one of the players the counts', despite being axed for the derby with Wolves. [LNB]Hodgson left Odemwingie out of the starting line-up on Sunday after being unsure he would recover from an ankle problem and illness in time for the game. [LNB] On target: Odemwingie scored in West Brom's derby win over Wolves [LNB]It was another setback for Odemwingie, who felt he was 'over-blamed' for Nigeria's failure to qualify for the African Nations Cup.[LNB] But Hodgson has reassured Odemwingie of his importance at club level after he came off the bench to score the second goal in a 2-0 win. [LNB]Odemwingie said: 'The coach (Hodgson) said he wasn't sure from the Monday beforehand that I would play in the Wolves game. [LNB]'I came back (from Nigeria) with a little bit of a cough and cold and didn't train for five days. [LNB] Derby delight: The Nigeria international came off the bench to score [LNB]'I was disappointed because the derby is a game you want to play in because if you do well for the club and for the fans you are the man. [LNB]'But I saw the reasons for what he said and he encouraged me. He said I should remove all the doubts about myself.[LNB] All smiles: Hodgson has backed Odemwingie[LNB]'He said: "All I should know is that I am one of the players that counts, that I was good and I shouldn't doubt anything".[LNB]'That was a lift and after my goal all of my team-mates came running to and saying: "You deserve this". That really lifted me up.'[LNB] Odemwingie was stung by the criticism he received over Nigeria's failure to reach the African Nations Cup finals in the new year. [LNB]He said: 'It's been tough. My country is so big and we didn't qualify for the African Nations Cup and football means so much to them. [LNB]'There were critics looking for reasons and I felt a little bit over-blamed for the team's failure to qualify. It was a collective effort. [LNB]'I think the personal criticism was more about my relationship with the manager. I think that's what caused this situation. [LNB]'I was always appreciated and supported in the national team because I play and give 100% for the team. [LNB]'But I had a little dispute with the coach and he has a lot of support in Nigeria so there was a little negative reaction to it.'[LNB]  Ditching relegation would ruin our game! Fury expressed at foreign owners' plansBarton: Public would bay for footballers' blood if they behaved like England rugby playersWest Brom 2 Wolves 0: McCarthy gets all shirty with Scharner after showboating

Source: Daily_Mail