2:30pm Friday 12th March 2010
By Andy Naylor
He has mesmerised full-backs in short bursts with his astonishing pace and excited fans, especially in the last home game against Exeter.
Now Albion want to get 90 minutes out of Kazenga LuaLua.
That is the next target after completing the formalities of the 19-year-old winger’s loan extension from Newcastle for the rest of the season.
LuaLua has made five appearances so far, all of them abbreviated. He was substituted again in the second half at Colchester on Monday.
It is a pattern manager Gus Poyet is keen to change, circumstances permitting, against Swindon tomorrow.
Poyet revealed: “We came back after the game (Colchester) talking on the bus about that.
“He is a player who at the moment we are not able to keep on for 90 minutes and, of course, that is a problem.
“I think it is because of his game, the way he plays. It will depend on so many things, result, performances, the players on the bench.
“I have got plenty of strikers on there and, because you want to win the game, you will bring on one sometimes who can score you a goal or give you different qualities.
“It is not always going to be him and it is something we have been thinking about.”
LuaLua now has another 12 matches to exhibit his blistering speed and improve his delivery once he is in behind the defence.
Poyet said: “He is unique, something different. We are working with him and trying to help him to keep improving.
“He is very young and there are plenty of things he can do better. He knows that and he is happy to do it and that’s important.
“He is one of the players that every week you are going to have a special session for him, so we are looking after him and I think that is important for Newcastle as well.”
LuaLua will have to merit his first 90 minutes. The fact that he has been borrowed from a big club makes no difference to Poyet. Right-back Gavin Hoyte, having extended his loan spell from Arsenal to the rest of the season, has not kicked a ball for the first team since January 2.
Poyet said: “The situation with Hoyte I suppose, for Arsenal, is very difficult but we talk to them and we are always trying to do something special with Gavin as well, irrespective of whether he is playing or not.
“They understand why we want him to be here but everybody has to realise how well (Inigo) Calderon has been doing.
“Sometimes it happens. You bring a player who you think is going to play and you end up playing somebody else.
“It is an example for the rest. It doesn’t matter where you are coming from, if somebody performs well and is in front of you then you have to fight for your place.
“It would be too easy to say, okay because you are coming from here or there you are going to play. That is why the loan system is quite difficult for me and I don’t like it at all.”
Like it or not, Poyet has been using it, both to improve his team and get games into fringe members of the squad such as James Tunnicliffe.
The central defender is staying with MK Dons after Poyet saw him head their second goal in Tuesday’s 2-0 home win against Swindon.
“We have given him the chance to stay another month, with a recall this time,” Poyet said. “I talked to Tunny after watching him and I think it is good for him and good for us.
“He is playing and he’s enjoying it. He’s happy and players need to be happy but we have said to him we want him here for pre-season and he knows that and is comfortable with that, so everything is fine.
“He took his goal very well and he did well defensively. He coped with the strength of the opposition.”
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