Roy Hodgson took a small break from his preparations to chat to radio journalists ahead of the Boxing Day encounter with Blackpool. Here’s what he had to say!
On the merits of festive football...
I've been brought up with it, so I can't help but be a fan of it in some ways. It's part of a football tradition but I think the sport has changed so much in terms of commercial value, that the days when teams needed a Boxing Day fixture to fill their stadium and get a big crowd in are gone. People come to Liverpool in droves to watch matches that aren't too significant. Look at the Liverpool v Utrecht game the other week, 40,000 people turned up for a game where it didn't matter what the score was, so I don't think the festive fixtures are needed in that respect anymore.
On the idea of a winter break...
I am a fan of the idea because I think people need a break from the intensity of English football. It's difficult to say when that break could be though. You can have good weather in January and bad in February, so it's not east to predict in terms of the affect it will have on pitches. Having said that, pitches are so good nowadays that you don't have that many matches called off. For me, the beauty of the winter break is that you have a nice flow to your season. You have a shorter pre-season and then when players are beginning to get a bit tired, you get a month to free your head. That month may only be a few weeks away from football, with the other weeks spent in preparation for the return to action. I think that can only be of benefit for the players and for the quality of football. I don't think the fans would lose out either. It means the games they would have been watching in unpleasant conditions in January would take place in May or the early part of June. I don't really understand the opposition to the winter break. I'm only repeating something I've been saying for many years because of course, I come from a background in European football where winter breaks are a necessity.
On the 2-1 defeat against Blackpool back in October...
It was a low point. We were expected to waltz all over this newcomer, but not only did we not do it, we ended up losing the game after a very good performance from them. I don't know if that was a watershed as far as we are concerned but I do think that over the course of time we have improved. I don't think it will be as easy for Blackpool as it was in that game when we gave them a two goal head start and found it very tough to pull it back.
On the 'revenge' factor...
I can understand you using the word revenge because having lost at home we would like to make certain that they suffer a similar home defeat and we get our share of the points. If we draw or lose they will have taken more points from us than we have taken from them and that won't please us. But I won't talk about revenge really. I talk about what we need to do to win the game and that word doesn't come into my vocabulary.
On the attacking mentality of newly promoted sides...
I'm not certain teams in the past haven't done that too. I seem to remember Hull doing a similar thing a few years ago when they were right near the top of the table after beating Arsenal, Tottenham and all sorts of other teams away from home. All teams that come up from the Championship now are ready for the challenge. We talk all the time about the league getting tighter in terms of unpredictability. There's no longer a certainty over who the top four will be or who the obvious relegation candidates are going to be. I think that can only be a good thing in general.
On hitting the back of the net...
I don't think we've been very lucky in front of goal. I don't think our goal return is a fair reflection of what we have created in terms of opportunities. I'm not talking about shots at goal. That is often a weak statistic because an effort the goalkeeper could throw his hat on is regarded as a shot at goal while a ball that whizzes across the six yard line that the centre forward misses by a whisker isn't counted. So, I'm very sceptical about shots at goal. I think we've had our chances and created danger, but I don't think we have converted enough. It's something we are working on. We do have goalscorers in the team and we have one of Europe's best in Fernando Torres. He doesn't need reminding if he misses a goal chance because I bet you he could recall every one he has missed in the past four months - they stay with people. The important thing is that players keep getting in the right positions and if we get Fernando into positions where he can score goals, he will score goals
On whether the length of time since the Newcastle defeat could have an adverse affect on team morale..
Not really. I think you dwell for a day or two and then put it behind you. If you had players who dwelt for weeks on end about good or bad results then you would find it very difficult to complete the type of season we have to cope with, playing between 55 and 60 matches. We have to be prepared to deal with the fact that every now and then we will play a game where we are dissatisfied and have to put that into context with the matches when we are playing well.
I watched the Newcastle game again to try and make certain that my initial feelings after the game are backed up by the video evidence from the match. There's no doubt that defeats affect you longer than victories, but I'm very conscious of the need to make sure you don't get to euphoric after victories. What we need to ensure is that the training sessions are of the same quality and focus regardless of the result we have just had.
On ways to improve Liverpool's away record..
We have a very analytical and organised group of people here at this club. We go as far as to even look at our travel preparations, the type of hotels we are staying in etc. We analyse all of those things and the players will have analysed their own performances. It's not an exact science. People can go out onto a football pitch with the right mental attitude, ready to go and then play badly.
On the return of Steven Gerrard and the prospect of breaking up the Lucas Leiva-Raul Meireles midfield partnership..
It won't be a headache to put Steven back in but it will require me to make a decision. We've got many more players fit now which is fantastic because going into this stage of the season with just two injured players is an incredible tribute to the work our sports science people, the physios and the doctors have done.
YNWA
On the merits of festive football...
I've been brought up with it, so I can't help but be a fan of it in some ways. It's part of a football tradition but I think the sport has changed so much in terms of commercial value, that the days when teams needed a Boxing Day fixture to fill their stadium and get a big crowd in are gone. People come to Liverpool in droves to watch matches that aren't too significant. Look at the Liverpool v Utrecht game the other week, 40,000 people turned up for a game where it didn't matter what the score was, so I don't think the festive fixtures are needed in that respect anymore.
On the idea of a winter break...
I am a fan of the idea because I think people need a break from the intensity of English football. It's difficult to say when that break could be though. You can have good weather in January and bad in February, so it's not east to predict in terms of the affect it will have on pitches. Having said that, pitches are so good nowadays that you don't have that many matches called off. For me, the beauty of the winter break is that you have a nice flow to your season. You have a shorter pre-season and then when players are beginning to get a bit tired, you get a month to free your head. That month may only be a few weeks away from football, with the other weeks spent in preparation for the return to action. I think that can only be of benefit for the players and for the quality of football. I don't think the fans would lose out either. It means the games they would have been watching in unpleasant conditions in January would take place in May or the early part of June. I don't really understand the opposition to the winter break. I'm only repeating something I've been saying for many years because of course, I come from a background in European football where winter breaks are a necessity.
On the 2-1 defeat against Blackpool back in October...
It was a low point. We were expected to waltz all over this newcomer, but not only did we not do it, we ended up losing the game after a very good performance from them. I don't know if that was a watershed as far as we are concerned but I do think that over the course of time we have improved. I don't think it will be as easy for Blackpool as it was in that game when we gave them a two goal head start and found it very tough to pull it back.
On the 'revenge' factor...
I can understand you using the word revenge because having lost at home we would like to make certain that they suffer a similar home defeat and we get our share of the points. If we draw or lose they will have taken more points from us than we have taken from them and that won't please us. But I won't talk about revenge really. I talk about what we need to do to win the game and that word doesn't come into my vocabulary.
On the attacking mentality of newly promoted sides...
I'm not certain teams in the past haven't done that too. I seem to remember Hull doing a similar thing a few years ago when they were right near the top of the table after beating Arsenal, Tottenham and all sorts of other teams away from home. All teams that come up from the Championship now are ready for the challenge. We talk all the time about the league getting tighter in terms of unpredictability. There's no longer a certainty over who the top four will be or who the obvious relegation candidates are going to be. I think that can only be a good thing in general.
On hitting the back of the net...
I don't think we've been very lucky in front of goal. I don't think our goal return is a fair reflection of what we have created in terms of opportunities. I'm not talking about shots at goal. That is often a weak statistic because an effort the goalkeeper could throw his hat on is regarded as a shot at goal while a ball that whizzes across the six yard line that the centre forward misses by a whisker isn't counted. So, I'm very sceptical about shots at goal. I think we've had our chances and created danger, but I don't think we have converted enough. It's something we are working on. We do have goalscorers in the team and we have one of Europe's best in Fernando Torres. He doesn't need reminding if he misses a goal chance because I bet you he could recall every one he has missed in the past four months - they stay with people. The important thing is that players keep getting in the right positions and if we get Fernando into positions where he can score goals, he will score goals
On whether the length of time since the Newcastle defeat could have an adverse affect on team morale..
Not really. I think you dwell for a day or two and then put it behind you. If you had players who dwelt for weeks on end about good or bad results then you would find it very difficult to complete the type of season we have to cope with, playing between 55 and 60 matches. We have to be prepared to deal with the fact that every now and then we will play a game where we are dissatisfied and have to put that into context with the matches when we are playing well.
I watched the Newcastle game again to try and make certain that my initial feelings after the game are backed up by the video evidence from the match. There's no doubt that defeats affect you longer than victories, but I'm very conscious of the need to make sure you don't get to euphoric after victories. What we need to ensure is that the training sessions are of the same quality and focus regardless of the result we have just had.
On ways to improve Liverpool's away record..
We have a very analytical and organised group of people here at this club. We go as far as to even look at our travel preparations, the type of hotels we are staying in etc. We analyse all of those things and the players will have analysed their own performances. It's not an exact science. People can go out onto a football pitch with the right mental attitude, ready to go and then play badly.
On the return of Steven Gerrard and the prospect of breaking up the Lucas Leiva-Raul Meireles midfield partnership..
It won't be a headache to put Steven back in but it will require me to make a decision. We've got many more players fit now which is fantastic because going into this stage of the season with just two injured players is an incredible tribute to the work our sports science people, the physios and the doctors have done.
YNWA
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