Dominic Fifield talks to Bolton's Nigerian livewire about the pressures of a classic relegation battle
The camera crews had Jay-Jay Okocha retracing his breathless goal against West Ham at the Reebok Stadium yesterday, the Nigerian sauntering where once he seared, pausing to reflect rather than pummelling a winner from the edge of the area.
"Back then it felt as if we were almost safe," he shrugged in the sunlight. "Now all of our futures are at stake."
With the six-point advantage they enjoyed three weeks ago having long since been gobbled up by the Londoners, Bolton must endure the agony of life on the brink one last time tomorrow. Victory over Middlesbrough, normally so anaemic on their travels, would secure Wanderers a third season in the Premiership and Okocha a second year in the shadow of the Pennines. Anything less would prompt a madcap dash to the television monitors on the final whistle to check on West Ham's progress at Birmingham.
It does not promise to be a relaxing afternoon.
Not that Okocha appeared much concerned. Whereas Sam Allardyce confessed to have been "shitting himself" all week, his Nigerian inspiration used his two days off "trying to have fun and forget about all the pressure".
The chilled lilt in his voice and toothy grin suggests it worked, even if the gravity of Bolton's situation and the uncertainty over his own future remain.
"I'll have to move if we are relegated," the 29-year-old said matter-of-factly. Okocha, whose arrival on a free transfer from Paris St-Germain last summer represented a notable coup, is one year into a two-year contract, but Bolton could not afford to keep him in the First Division. Nor would he contemplate mixing in such lowly company. Indeed, his manager might be left with only seven contracted players should Bolton plummet.
"That's why we know we are playing for many people: for the town, for the manager and for ourselves.
"I experienced life in a struggling team at Eintracht Frankfurt, but I was still young then and didn't understand what it meant to be relegated. I was planning to leave before they went down anyway. I was on my own. Now I have a family to think about. This could be my last game here but, whatever happens, I want Bolton to stay in the Premiership and I'd love to stay in England. I've enjoyed myself here."
Most have enjoyed watching him. A sluggish start, frustrated as he was by a knee injury sustained on his debut at Fulham, initially nullified his impact, until a slicing volley at Birmingham in November served notice of his talent. Thereafter, the tricks and flicks that thrilled at Frankfurt, Fenerbahce and PSG have illuminated the Reebok, and his irrepressible displays have earned crucial wins against Sunderland and West Ham and consistently bamboozled his markers.
It is inconceivable a team including Okocha and the precocious World Cup winner Youri Djorkaeff might be relegated, though no more implausible than a team boasting Paolo Di Canio, Frederic Kanoute, Joe Cole et al going down.
Those wallowing at the foot of the league, £40 million in debt with the pressures of a club's potential bankruptcy weighing heavy on their shoulders should they sink, used to grind their way to safety. Not any more.
Ray Parlour, so baffled by Okocha's ball-juggling on the touchline during Arsenal's recent 2-2 draw, ended up raising his arm in pathetic and desperate appeal at the sheer audacity of it all.
"That's my own way of running the clock down," smiled the African. "I don't look at my opponents' faces when I do that, but I don't do it to belittle them. Nobody likes it when people dribble past them, me included, but I can't tackle. My advantage is my skill so I have to use it. This is a game, not a war. If I'm kicked I don't ask why or tell them not to do it again. It's part of the game, so I just do what I know best.
"The way I learnt to play was to go out there and enjoy myself. I never thought I'd play professionally. Here in Europe, and in South America as well, boys start playing for club sides at the age of nine. In Africa we don't have that kind of opportunity so we just play for the fun of the game. That's where I learnt my tricks, on bad surfaces to help my technique.
"The only thing that has changed is that where in the past I've been able to just play, confident that the team would get a good result, here I have to pick my moments. I'm not used to playing under this pressure. It only really sank in at Southampton last week when, because we kicked off later than everyone else, we knew that if we lost that game we'd lose all the advantage we'd built up over West Ham. That's when it hit home. I'd never felt anything like that before."
Wanderers' predicament is all the more remarkable given that they have suffered only two defeats in their past 12 matches. Back in Lagos, the Nigerian FA has urged people to pray for their survival. Allardyce believes nerves may affect his senior players more than the youngsters in his squad tomorrow.
"Some who you expect to do well just freeze because it means so much to them, while the pressure just flies over the younger ones' heads," the Bolton manager said, though he too will be praying his livewire Nigerian proves immune.
Okocha has scored six goals this season, the same tally that separates Bolton from West Ham on goal difference.
"Sam has promised to dance with me and Bernard Mendy on the pitch at the end if we stay up," added the Nigerian. "We'll have to win just to see that. I've no doubt I'll be dancing with the boss at the end."
