Wigan

[elrichio86]

He did have another knock recently but good point re Aurelio. I enjoyed Sunday so much that I forgot about Konchesky

If Hodgson insists on bringing GloJo back in (which I see no reason to do as he's an arse) then I'd like to swap Kelly over to the left. He needs to keep playing to get his confidence up. We've a real talent there. I know he's not really a LB but he's played there before and done ok

Oh dear

[Dalglish]

Oh dear

It was only my attempt at joining the crowd

I'll go back to my usual - Johnson. Or that **** Johnson

[Suarez]

Got to win tonight and go ahead of those Spurs ****s. My Spurs mates have been so cocky lately.

Just or a little bit of info/ammunition in the never ending football debate, I just totaled up the cost of the 2 squads in the last games (including the bench) and Spurs totaled £143m, our team that beat Chelsea cost just £76m....£76m!!!!

[SB]

He'll probably break down before he's played 20 minutes mate.

[Lecter]

It was only my attempt at joining the crowd

I'll go back to my usual - Johnson. Or that **** Johnson

Glenda as hes known in our household

[SB]

It was only my attempt at joining the crowd

BAAAAAAAAAA

[Shaggy]

I always think Aurelio needs a few games to get himself up to his level of play. It's clearly sensible to shield him a bit as well given his injury record. I think given the circumstances it is a bit unfair to claim that Roy doesn't fancy him.

If it was me I'd be looking to give him the last 20 minutes half an hour.

Time will tell but he's had ample opportunity to give Fabio a few run outs and he's failed to do so, shy of giving him a token hour in a bloody friendly v Huddersfield.

Roy loves the Konch and I can't see him dropping him as well as Poulsen - which would be as good as admission that two of his signings have been ****ing wank. I didn't expect him to swallow his pride so quickly over Poulsen, and I'm sure he won't with PFK.

[banditos]

Time will tell but he's had ample opportunity to give Fabio a few run outs and he's failed to do so, shy of giving him a token hour in a bloody friendly v Huddersfield.

Roy loves the Konch and I can't see him dropping him as well as Poulsen - which would be as good as admission that two of his signings have been ****ing wank. I didn't expect him to swallow his pride so quickly over Poulsen, and I'm sure he won't with PFK.

He may play him at LM. He played there a few times under Rafa. At least he's left footed. Probably the most talented leftie at the club (Not counting Agger, who aint suitable for LM).

[Shaggy]

Roy Hodgson took four hours out of his preparations for tonight's clash with Wigan to chat to radio journalists about the game, Liverpool's five-match unbeaten run and the form of Lucas Leiva, Christian Poulsen and Joe Cole.

Journalist: Roy, I'm sure you'll tell me it's work in progress, but you must be pleased looking at the bigger picture with the performances and results in recent games?

Absolutely and I'm also delighted with the support we've got from everybody. Our fans have been fantastic - the Blackburn and Chelsea games at home, and also the Bolton game away. It's good we're getting that level of support and level of appreciation. The players need that and I think they're responding.

We are working hard at our game and everybody is really working hard to make sure we try and become a better team, not just a group of talented individuals. Let's hope that will continue as well because in this league you really do need that.

Journalist: There are no easy games in the Barclays Premier League and Wigan are up next. How much credit do you give to Roberto Martinez for the way in which he wants his side to play football?

I give him a lot of credit. All of the teams in this league have good managers and coaches, it's a very well organised league and you never play against teams that are not well prepared, well organised and don't have the right sort of attitude towards the game.

Most of them reflect on their manager's views or philosophies. Roberto has a very clear philosophy based on playing the ball through midfield and carving out openings, which is a way that will endear him to people because a lot of people like to see football played in that way - but it's not the only way to play.

I think he is doing a good job, just as Steve Bruce did before him, and I think Dave Whelan (Wigan chairman) has done a fantastic job in taking Wigan into the Premier League.

Journalist: After your team's fantastic win over Chelsea, Dirk Kuyt said it was the clearest indication you can beat anyone. Is that the mindset you're spreading throughout the camp now?

I think the mindset has always been there, I've got to say. We had a bad start, things weren't going our way and we were a little bit unlucky in one or two games, but you don't really get credit for that and I don't expect credit for that.

We've always had a feeling if we can get our players fit and we can choose what we think is our best 11, we are capable of giving all the teams in this league a very, very good game. We did against Arsenal in the first game of the season, albeit with 10 men for over half the game.

We don't have any fears in that respect, but also we have a relative degree of modesty because we know, as has been proven to us at the start of this season, that unless we produce the right performances and unless we really get ourselves going in top gear from start to finish, we can lose or drop points where we shouldn't drop them.

Steven Gerrard has said on several occasions to me, and I'm sure he's said it to you, that getting through this period and then getting some good results will make us stronger because we'll never forget the bad period we've had and will be always anxious it doesn't reappear.

Journalist: It's a long time until the end of the season, but how do you assess your Champions League ambitions? Carlo Ancelotti said you are a team that should be battling in the top four at the end of the season...

That's very nice of him to do that and I don't wish to play down our chances, but on the other hand I do think it's unfair to keep asking coaches, especially coaches like myself who have had a bad start to the season and fallen behind, whether they're going to be in the top four because my answer will only possibly set me up for ridicule later on.

I would like to discuss our top-four potential when you get to a certain number of games left and you can really see whether it's a truly viable proposition or not. At the moment, it's all to play for. I certainly wouldn't write us off, that's for sure, but on the other hand being as many as five, six or seven points adrift, that's clearly not where people want to be, so I'll keep my powder dry and you can happily ask me the question with six games to go.

Journalist: But with five games unbeaten, Roy, the fact you've got Wigan and Stoke coming up and the momentum that's with Liverpool now, the league table with two wins will look a completely different picture for you...

Absolutely, but unfortunately, if I play devil's advocate, with two defeats it will too. That's how close it is - it really is an incredible year in the Barclays Premier League. Normally when you're a third of the way through, which is about where were are now, you can see which teams are going to struggle to stay up and which teams are going to be the clear champions.

This year I think people are going to be loathe to put too much money on who is going to win it and there will be even less people willing to put money on the three teams who will be relegated because it seems to me from about 20th to sixth or seventh, there is not that much between the teams.

Two matches and two victories can change everything for everybody. Our three victories have certainly changed it for us enormously, so why can't it change for other teams in the league?

Journalist: Without singling out too many players, people are talking about Lucas, Gerrard and Torres following the weekend, but what kind of impact has Raul Meireles had? He's gone about his business quite quietly, but now he's producing the form that was the reason you brought him here...

I think Raul needs time. I think all players when they come in need a bit of time, but he's a very good footballer. He was very, very good to set up the second goal for Fernando Torres (against Chelsea) and I think we will get a lot of use out of him.

I am quite happy sometimes that players like him don't necessarily get put totally under the microscope from the very first day they arrive because even if you come from a top league like the Portuguese league and a top team like Porto, to actually settle into the Barclays Premier League takes a little bit of time because intensity of our league and matches is such that you need time to adapt.

Intensity doesn't necessarily equate to better, I'm not saying that, but it is a very, very different league - you get much less time on the ball and less chance to get a breather than in most other European countries. Every player who comes here has to go through that adaptation process before they can really say they know what it's all about and bring their straw to the water.

Journalist: Talking of that, I have long thought Lucas had the ability to succeed at Liverpool Football Club, although many have disagreed. In the short time you've known him, do you think he is coming of age this season?

He's only a young player, but I don't regard him as a young player and need to be reminded that he's not that old and hasn't got that much experience. I have listened quite patiently to lots of people and I realise when I came here there was a prejudice against him and people had basically suggested he is not a good player. But I listen and I don't argue until I know better, and I don't take prejudices onboard when I go to a new club. I try to take everybody at face value, give them a chance and work with them. I was certainly more than happy to do that with Lucas and I've got to say I don't see here what people really found to criticise in him, but then again I did not see his performances either.

I can only judge as I find - and I find him a very hard working, diligent player who is working hard on his understanding of the game and understanding about team performances. In him and Christian Poulsen, who has had a bad start to the season and is again the victim of a little bit of prejudice at the moment to some extent, I am convinced we've got really useful players who will serve us to great effect during the rest of the season.

Maybe Christian will have to go through a little bit of what Lucas went through, but I know that both players have got the qualities I am looking for and are going to help us win matches. Unfortunately you can't have 11 Steven Gerrards in your team because 11 Steven Gerrards don't exist!

Journalist: Looking at the bigger picture, Glen Johnson and Joe Cole have dropped out of the team through injury in recent weeks. Are you now in an ideal situation that basically they're going to have to work very, very hard to get back into the starting XI?

Yes, and they will - there is no doubt about that. Joe Cole is a magnificent professional and another one who would have wished for a better start to his Liverpool career. We all would have done because there is no-one who wants it more than him. I don't have any fears on either score with those two players. Glen Johnson will want to come back and perform better in order to maintain his England place and Joe will want to get his England place back.

Most importantly of all with Joe, he really wanted to come here. He thought hard and long before choosing Liverpool - he had other options and could have taken an easier option and stayed in London. But he moved to the north west to a top club - a difficult club to impress at - because he really wanted to do it, and I think he will. Maybe he will just need that little bit of time. I certainly haven't lost faith in him and I can only hope the fans have not lost faith in him and will give him plenty more chances.

Journalist: Could I just ask for an insight into having Torres and Kuyt up front together? Torres seems far happier with a partner and Kuyt himself was brought here as a centre-forward and seems happier in a pairing. Do you see it that way? Do they bring the best out of each other?

What Dirk Kuyt does is what Steven has been doing when he's played there, and Raul Meireles. They drop in and give us that extra help so we don't lose our shape in the centre of midfield against teams who have a three-man central midfield. A lot of teams these days are playing with three players up front, or five in midfield, and if you're not careful, if you've just got two players in midfield you can get outnumbered, so you're very dependant upon one of your forward players dropping down.

When Steven plays in that role, which he does brilliantly, he's always been set up for the criticism that he's better when he goes deeper. But then when he goes deeper, people say he should play further forward because he's needed closer to the front - he is the ultimate cleft stick really! Because we can't clone him, we have to make a choice - sometimes we have to push him further forward and sometimes we have to bring him further back.

The way Dirk and Fernando did the job (against Chelsea), I can get that job done with quite a few combinations we have at the club - we're not badly off in terms of our possibilities to do that. Where we are badly off is if anything goes wrong at the back, we don't have a vast number of experienced back players to cover. Of course, if Fernando Torres or David Ngog aren't fit to play, we certainly don't have too many options with our out-and-out centre forwards. But certainly we have to work with what we've got and I intend to do that.

I've been saying since the very first day there are a couple of areas where we've got to look for help in the January transfer window because I do think we're not as strong as a squad at the back or right up front as we are in midfield or the second centre-forward areas.

Journalist: Looking at the run of fixtures you've got, does the next six weeks to two months represent the ideal opportunity to recover from the bad start you had with the teams you're going to be playing?

What this period has shown us is that we are capable, at any stage of the season even if the games and fixtures look particularly hazardous - two matches against Napoli home and away and matches against Blackburn, Bolton and Chelsea looks like a very hazardous period, one which could push you further down. The fact we've come through that period so well gives me the confidence we can have that five-game period again at any time.

Like everyone, when you're on a decent run you don't want it to stop, you want to keep going - and we will do everything within our power to do so. You won't see any panic from me at any stage after any result because I believe this team, and the quality of players we have, are capable of putting a good run together at any time.

Whenever you put a good run together in this league, that shoots you up the table because there are so many draws and teams beating each other. That has been the case for a few years and, at the moment, is even more exaggerated than it normally is.

Journalist: Do you ever stop talking?

No, I love talking and certainly I know that if you ask me a question I'm going to take on board the question and then look to answer it as comprehensively as possible. I love talking. I'm articulate, I'm well-read, which is a rarity in the game these days, and I like to impart my knowledge and make damn sure any answer I give is given with conviction and absolute certainty. I think my approach is a refreshing approach for you guys and you should be grateful that I am happy to embrace this part of the game. I know some managers see it as a necessary evil but certainly I see these interviews, these press conferences and the like, as a real perk of the job. In fact I'd certainly go as far as to say it's my favourite aspect of the job. I love to get out on the training field and work with footballers, impart my knowledge that I've accumulated over 35 very successful years in the game. I love to sit at the side of the field of play when it's time to get down to business, to coach from the technical area and do what every good manager should do, but this is my favourite. I love talking, I love answering your questions, I love the sound of my own voice. It's tremendous. Certainly I enjoy it. But to go back to your original question, yes, I do stop eventually but I do like to ensure each question is dignified with the attention it deserves. So yes, it's a great honour to be here talking to you guys, my friends in the press, and although I've not been happy with some of the stuff that's been written, you will always be my friends. But to answer the question, yes....

Journalist: Thanks, Roy, you can stop now.

[Pablo]

Roy Hodgson took four hours out of his preparations for tonight's clash

The interview started at 6am

[Lecter]

The interview started at 6am

Yeah but he fell asleep for 20 minutes in between each question

[destinydude]

Not taking the bait this time Shaggy

[red g]

well i will await to see the official transcript before pulling it to pieces only to find out that its been shaggyfied.

[banditos]

Roy Hodgson took four hours out of his preparations for tonight's clash with Wigan to chat to radio journalists about the game, Liverpool's five-match unbeaten run and the form of Lucas Leiva, Christian Poulsen and Joe Cole.

Journalist: Do you ever stop talking?

No, I love talking and certainly I know that if you ask me a question I'm going to take on board the question and then look to answer it as comprehensively as possible. I love talking. I'm articulate, I'm well-read, which is a rarity in the game these days, and I like to impart my knowledge and make damn sure any answer I give is given with conviction and absolute certainty. I think my approach is a refreshing approach for you guys and you should be grateful that I am happy to embrace this part of the game. I know some managers see it as a necessary evil but certainly I see these interviews, these press conferences and the like, as a real perk of the job. In fact I'd certainly go as far as to say it's my favourite aspect of the job. I love to get out on the training field and work with footballers, impart my knowledge that I've accumulated over 35 very successful years in the game. I love to sit at the side of the field of play when it's time to get down to business, to coach from the technical area and do what every good manager should do, but this is my favourite. I love talking, I love answering your questions, I love the sound of my own voice. It's tremendous. Certainly I enjoy it. But to go back to your original question, yes, I do stop eventually but I do like to ensure each question is dignified with the attention it deserves. So yes, it's a great honour to be here talking to you guys, my friends in the press, and although I've not been happy with some of the stuff that's been written, you will always be my friends. But to answer the question, yes....

Journalist: Thanks, Roy, you can stop now.

[Craig_H]

Would you rather we were still festering down in the depths and the top half were uncatchable?

Obviously not. Whatever gave you that idea?