Club News

Ideye backed to hit the goal trail

Albion set for Spurs clash at White Hart Lane

ALAN Irvine has backed Albion’s club-record signing Brown Ideye to hit the goal trail before long.

The Nigeria international, who arrived from Dynamo Kiev in the summer, made his Barclays Premier League bow as a second-half replacement for the injured Victor Anichebe in the goalless draw at Southampton.

Ideye enjoyed a lively debut at St Mary’s, twice coming close to getting off the mark, however he has since started back-to-back defeats against Swansea and Everton in which the Baggies have failed to find the net.

Yet Albion head coach Irvine insists it is only a matter of time before he starts banging in goals – hopefully starting in today’s clash at Tottenham (ko 1.30pm).

“He’s one who’s been thrown in at the deep end,” the Scot said.

“There’s absolutely no doubt that if Victor Anichebe hadn’t been injured (at Southampton) then Brown wouldn’t have gone in as quickly as he did.

“If I just take everyone’s minds back to the impact he made when he came off the bench, in the interview afterwards he was being likened to people like Tony Brown.

“That was probably a slight over-reaction from some people! To give him legendary status after half a game was probably going over the top a little bit.

“The fact is that he, like anybody else, needs time to adjust and adapt. 

“But unfortunately from his point of view, he been thrown in before he was given that time.

“He’s only just moved into a place to live this week, for example. There’s just so many other things.”

This summer has seen a number of strikers arrive in England’s top flight in big-money moves.

Last Monday’s 2-2 draw at the KC Stadium between Hull and West Ham – a fixture which Irvine attended ahead of Albion’s Capital One Cup tie against the Tigers – saw two such names find the target in Abel Hernandez and Enner Valencia, who bagged a stunning strike.

And Irvine is in no doubt that Ideye will soon prove his own quality having watched what he is capable of on the club’s training pitches.  

“I’ve seen Brown lash in a couple in training himself, so it’s in there and he just needs that moment when suddenly it all comes together for him,” he said.

“I still think it’s very early for us to be judging him and I hope he’s able to then show everyone what he can do soon.”