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Don't write us off for top four

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Gerry_A_Trick

Gerry_A_Trick

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Hodgson: Don't write us off for top four

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson believes his side are more than capable of securing a top-four finish this season and their chances of qualifying for the Champions League should not be written off.

The Reds head into tonight’s game at Wigan looking for a fourth successive Barclays Premier League victory, with confidence soaring after the 2-0 win over leaders Chelsea on Sunday.

They are only five points off fourth place which is currently occupied by Manchester City.

With a run of games between now and the turn of the year against teams currently below Roberto Mancini’s side, there is a real chance to build some momentum and restore the damage done by a poor start to the season.

However, unlike predecessor Rafael Benitez, Hodgson will not be “guaranteeing†a top-four place.

“I don’t wish to play down our chances but I think it is unfair to ask coaches like myself, who have had a bad start to the season and fallen way behind, whether they will be in the top four,†he said.

“My answer will only set me up for ridicule later on. I would like to really discuss our top-four potential when we can really see whether it is a truly viable proposition or not.

“I’ll keep my powder dry and you can happily question me with six games to go and I’ll give you the intelligent answer.

“It is all to play for at the moment and I certainly wouldn’t write us off that’s for sure but, on the other hand, being five points adrift is clearly not where people want to be.â€

Although he is reluctant to say it outright, Hodgson believes his team have turned a corner after a disappointing start saw them take just six points from their first eight matches and drop into the bottom three.

He knows this is a crucial period to regain lost ground, but is acutely aware the winning run could end as quickly as it began.

“Everyone is working hard to make sure we try to become a better team, not just a group of talented individuals, because in this league you need that,†added the 63-year-old.

“The mindset has always been there. We had a bad start and things weren’t going our way and we were a little bit unlucky in one or two games.

“If you analyse the games we have lost they have mostly been against teams away from home who are capable of beating anyone – Manchester United, Manchester City and Everton in the derby.

“We have always had the feeling if we can get our players fit and we can get our best players out there we are capable of giving teams a very good game.

“We don’t have any fears in that respect, but we have a relative degree of modesty because we know unless we produce the right performances and get ourselves going in every game from start to finish, we can drop points where we shouldn’t drop them.

“Steven Gerrard has said to me on many occasions that getting through this period and then getting some good results will make us stronger because we will never forget the bad period we have had.

“But we will always be anxious it might reappear.â€

Defenders Glen Johnson (groin) and Fabio Aurelio (Achilles) return to the squad but Sotirios Krygiakos (tonsilitis) and Joe Cole (hamstring) miss out.
Click to expand...

I think this is much better, Roys improving.
 
[quote author=Gerry_A_Trick link=topic=42691.msg1215191#msg1215191 date=1289408148]
Hodgson: Don't write us off for top four

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson believes his side are more than capable of securing a top-four finish this season and their chances of qualifying for the Champions League should not be written off.

The Reds head into tonight’s game at Wigan looking for a fourth successive Barclays Premier League victory, with confidence soaring after the 2-0 win over leaders Chelsea on Sunday.

They are only five points off fourth place which is currently occupied by Manchester City.

With a run of games between now and the turn of the year against teams currently below Roberto Mancini’s side, there is a real chance to build some momentum and restore the damage done by a poor start to the season.

However, unlike predecessor Rafael Benitez, Hodgson will not be “guaranteeing†a top-four place.

“I don’t wish to play down our chances but I think it is unfair to ask coaches like myself, who have had a bad start to the season and fallen way behind, whether they will be in the top four,†he said.

“My answer will only set me up for ridicule later on. I would like to really discuss our top-four potential when we can really see whether it is a truly viable proposition or not.

“I’ll keep my powder dry and you can happily question me with six games to go and I’ll give you the intelligent answer.

“It is all to play for at the moment and I certainly wouldn’t write us off that’s for sure but, on the other hand, being five points adrift is clearly not where people want to be.â€

Although he is reluctant to say it outright, Hodgson believes his team have turned a corner after a disappointing start saw them take just six points from their first eight matches and drop into the bottom three.

He knows this is a crucial period to regain lost ground, but is acutely aware the winning run could end as quickly as it began.

“Everyone is working hard to make sure we try to become a better team, not just a group of talented individuals, because in this league you need that,†added the 63-year-old.

“The mindset has always been there. We had a bad start and things weren’t going our way and we were a little bit unlucky in one or two games.

“If you analyse the games we have lost they have mostly been against teams away from home who are capable of beating anyone – Manchester United, Manchester City and Everton in the derby.

“We have always had the feeling if we can get our players fit and we can get our best players out there we are capable of giving teams a very good game.

“We don’t have any fears in that respect, but we have a relative degree of modesty because we know unless we produce the right performances and get ourselves going in every game from start to finish, we can drop points where we shouldn’t drop them.

“Steven Gerrard has said to me on many occasions that getting through this period and then getting some good results will make us stronger because we will never forget the bad period we have had.

“But we will always be anxious it might reappear.â€

Defenders Glen Johnson (groin) and Fabio Aurelio (Achilles) return to the squad but Sotirios Krygiakos (tonsilitis) and Joe Cole (hamstring) miss out.
Click to expand...

I think this is much better, Roys improving.
[/quote]

Bit of a dig there?
 
[quote author=Brendan link=topic=42691.msg1215193#msg1215193 date=1289408249]
A stirring battle-cry from Budgie. As ever.
[/quote]

Ha. He is almost a caricature in his press conferences. If only gk macca were around...
 
I'm not sure which is worse, Benitez promising to achieve it when nobody really believes you, or this bumbling stuff from Hodgson.

Probably best to keep schtum really.
 
I have just had the pleasure of reading Bellamy Diary episodes in the vault!

Genius!

I would love it if gkmacca were to do a similar series for Hodgson!


Although....this is Hodgson's best interview yet.
 
I thought his very first ones were a fair bit better and were actually quite promising. Their quality has tailed off in a BIG way as the pressure on him has increased. This isn't as bad as most of his recent efforts, but that's hardly saying a lot.
 
That was another great interview by Roy.

What a difference a week makes! He is lucid and speaking with some real confidence which is great.

Roy's coming of age!
 
[quote author=RolandG link=topic=42691.msg1215242#msg1215242 date=1289410469]
That was another great interview by Roy.

What a difference a week makes! He is lucid and speaking with some real confidence which is great.

Roy's coming of age!
[/quote]

"Don't wish to play down our chances but"? "If we can get our best players out there we're capable of giving teams a very good game"? "We will always be anxious it might reappear"?

Your definition of "real confidence" must be very different from mine.
 
JJ, Roy is using subtle undertones.

What do you think the thread title is about? If that's not confidence I don't know what is!

He stops short of a Rafa type guarantee and rightly so. He is not a divine being able to make such guarantees. The only guarantee that he can give us in to keep Poulsen out of the team and we'd happily accept.
 
Sorry but I think you're giving the man too much credit. I don't think he's using subtle undertones, because I don't think his media skills are anywhere near sophisticated enough. It's true that giving guarantees would be a bad idea, but it wouldn't be that difficult to avoid it while still sounding more upbeat than this.
 
Roy seems to be learning from his mistakes both on and off the field.

We're winning and he is giving decent interview without coming across as a babbling old fool.

For the turnaround, he definately deserves credit!
 
On the field, yes, provided we keep it up.

Off the field, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on how much of an improvement this interview represents.
 
If he was asked a direct question how exactly should he respond?

That time when Benitez guaranteed a top four finish followed him round all season.
Now I don't rate Hodgson but i don't think this interview is that bad really.
 
JJ even you can recognise that Roy looked out of his depth in his first few interviews. He was knee deep in it.

He gave decent interviews after the the Chelsea game.

However, like you said, we can agree to disagree.
 
To be honest I never really thought Roy was the right choice of manager, but with his Press conferences if he shows any respect for the opposition he's slated and if he decides to be gung ho (well as gung ho as he can be) then he gets slated.

All manager's press conferences are riddled with cliches. This dissecting of every phrase he says at every conference is like listening to a poor man's, Dr Johnson interpretation of Shakespeare impression.
 
[quote author=Spionkop69 link=topic=42691.msg1215263#msg1215263 date=1289412627]
To be honest I never really thought Roy was the right choice of manager, but with his Press conferences if he shows any respect for the opposition he's slated and if he decides to be gung ho (well as gung ho as he can be) then he gets slated.

All manager's press conferences are riddled with cliches. This dissecting of every phrase he says at every conference is like listening to a poor man's, Dr Johnson interpretation of Shakespeare impression.
[/quote]

Yep.
 
Roland, I don't agree Roy looked out of his depth at the very start, when he was upbeat without being gung-ho. Things began to unravel as the pressure on him grew.

As for what he should say: "If we keep playing like we are, we'll be in with a real chance. We respect everybody but we fear nobody". Simples.
 
The problem Roy has is that he thinks it sounds intelligent and thoughtful when he equivocates. It doesn't, it sounds dithery and unskilled.

You're better off trading in meaningless tropes and cliches with the media than saying 'on the one hand this but on the other hand that'.
 
[quote author=SaintGeorge67 link=topic=42691.msg1215265#msg1215265 date=1289412772]
[quote author=Spionkop69 link=topic=42691.msg1215263#msg1215263 date=1289412627]
To be honest I never really thought Roy was the right choice of manager, but with his Press conferences if he shows any respect for the opposition he's slated and if he decides to be gung ho (well as gung ho as he can be) then he gets slated.

All manager's press conferences are riddled with cliches. This dissecting of every phrase he says at every conference is like listening to a poor man's, Dr Johnson interpretation of Shakespeare impression.
[/quote]

Yep.
[/quote]

Exactly.
 
[quote author=Y1 link=topic=42691.msg1215837#msg1215837 date=1289436962]
Top four?
Must be a Don Quixote dream of slaying the dragon.
[/quote]

So you're not going to adopt your "I'll tell you what I think will happen after it has happened" stance with Roy then, the way you did with Rafa..?

I'd say that, all things considered, 4th is a realistic goal for us this season, especially if there's any decent investment in the squad in January.
 
[quote author=Whaddapie link=topic=42691.msg1215843#msg1215843 date=1289443760]
[quote author=Y1 link=topic=42691.msg1215837#msg1215837 date=1289436962]
Top four?
Must be a Don Quixote dream of slaying the dragon.
[/quote]

So you're not going to adopt your "I'll tell you what I think will happen after it has happened" stance with Roy then, the way you did with Rafa..?

I'd say that, all things considered, 4th is a realistic goal for us this season, especially if there's any decent investment in the squad in January.
[/quote]

You have the memory of an elephant mate!

With Rafa I have more faith. With Roy, the writing is on the wall.
 
The unpredictability of the league this year gives us a realistic chance at 4th. However, we need to make the opportunities count. Last night was one missed.
 
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