How The Fuck did this happen???
Liverpool FC eager for Martin Kelly to sign new contract Nov 9 2010 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
LIVERPOOL have opened talks with Martin Kelly over a new contract as reward for the defender’s impressive breakthrough into the first-team fold.
Kelly’s current deal expires at the end of the season and Anfield officials are keen to tie the 20-year-old to a lengthy agreement.
The England under-21 international made his debut two years ago and has this season become a regular feature in Roy Hodgson’s matchday squad, making nine appearances.
However, his outing against Chelsea at the weekend was the first Premier League start of his career, with Kelly’s only other top-flight exposure coming as a substitute in the 4-1 win over Portsmouth in March.
Kelly stepped in at right-back against the champions at short notice after Sotirios Kyrgiakos and Glen Johnson were ruled out on the morning of the game, and the youngster’s performance earned the plaudits of his manager.
“If you are going to single out someone then Martin Kelly deserves a lot of praise,†said Hodgson.
“It was a tough game for him to come into because the left side of Chelsea’s attack is a very dangerous one and you have to make some very nuance decisions there and I think he did pretty well.
“He might not have been in the 18 had Sotirios Kyrgiakos and Glen Johnson not gone down with sickness and injury on the morning of the game.â€
Hodgson also had words of encouragement for Lucas Leiva, the much-criticised Brazilian who produced arguably his best display in a Liverpool shirt by helping the home side dominate Chelsea’s midfield.
“Lucas has been strong mentally and he needs to be because he is a good footballer, like many of the other players who are getting stick or will get stick,†said Hodgson.
“We don’t have that many bad players here but it is a big arena to play in and people expect a lot from players.
“Where Lucas has been strong is to put the criticism he has been receiving over the last couple of years behind him and get out and show he is a very good player.
“I’ve always believed in him and to be fair my predecessor never doubted him, playing him on a regular basis, so he didn’t give the criticism any credence either.â€
Having disposed of the champions and league leaders, Liverpool face three of the bottom four in the next 10 days with trips to Wigan Athletic and Stoke City followed by a home clash with West Ham United.
First up is tomorrow’s visit to the DW Stadium, and Hodgson has urged his players not to take their return to form for granted after notching four successive victories.
“We have to be very careful,†said the 63-year-old.
“We have to get our feet back on the ground very quickly after the Chelsea victory.
“We now have to make sure any praise does not affect our work. We have to realise we are capable of performances like the one against Chelsea but we are also capable of performances like the one against Blackpool when we were beaten 2-1.
“We have to try to get rid of one of those performances and keep the other.
“But we have four good wins behind us and let’s hope we can get at least one win in the net two games as our form away from home has not been good traditionally this year.â€
Liverpool FC eager for Martin Kelly to sign new contract Nov 9 2010 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
LIVERPOOL have opened talks with Martin Kelly over a new contract as reward for the defender’s impressive breakthrough into the first-team fold.
Kelly’s current deal expires at the end of the season and Anfield officials are keen to tie the 20-year-old to a lengthy agreement.
The England under-21 international made his debut two years ago and has this season become a regular feature in Roy Hodgson’s matchday squad, making nine appearances.
However, his outing against Chelsea at the weekend was the first Premier League start of his career, with Kelly’s only other top-flight exposure coming as a substitute in the 4-1 win over Portsmouth in March.
Kelly stepped in at right-back against the champions at short notice after Sotirios Kyrgiakos and Glen Johnson were ruled out on the morning of the game, and the youngster’s performance earned the plaudits of his manager.
“If you are going to single out someone then Martin Kelly deserves a lot of praise,†said Hodgson.
“It was a tough game for him to come into because the left side of Chelsea’s attack is a very dangerous one and you have to make some very nuance decisions there and I think he did pretty well.
“He might not have been in the 18 had Sotirios Kyrgiakos and Glen Johnson not gone down with sickness and injury on the morning of the game.â€
Hodgson also had words of encouragement for Lucas Leiva, the much-criticised Brazilian who produced arguably his best display in a Liverpool shirt by helping the home side dominate Chelsea’s midfield.
“Lucas has been strong mentally and he needs to be because he is a good footballer, like many of the other players who are getting stick or will get stick,†said Hodgson.
“We don’t have that many bad players here but it is a big arena to play in and people expect a lot from players.
“Where Lucas has been strong is to put the criticism he has been receiving over the last couple of years behind him and get out and show he is a very good player.
“I’ve always believed in him and to be fair my predecessor never doubted him, playing him on a regular basis, so he didn’t give the criticism any credence either.â€
Having disposed of the champions and league leaders, Liverpool face three of the bottom four in the next 10 days with trips to Wigan Athletic and Stoke City followed by a home clash with West Ham United.
First up is tomorrow’s visit to the DW Stadium, and Hodgson has urged his players not to take their return to form for granted after notching four successive victories.
“We have to be very careful,†said the 63-year-old.
“We have to get our feet back on the ground very quickly after the Chelsea victory.
“We now have to make sure any praise does not affect our work. We have to realise we are capable of performances like the one against Chelsea but we are also capable of performances like the one against Blackpool when we were beaten 2-1.
“We have to try to get rid of one of those performances and keep the other.
“But we have four good wins behind us and let’s hope we can get at least one win in the net two games as our form away from home has not been good traditionally this year.â€
