HODGSON WORRIED BY PREMATURE CELEBRATIONS
Fulham manager Roy Hodgson is worried that last Saturday’s celebrations, after their 2-0 home win over fellow strugglers Birmingham, were premature, and have lumped even more pressure on his players to perform in their final game against Portsmouth on Sunday.
The victory lifted Fulham out of the bottom three for the first time since Boxing Day, and prompted a lap of honour led by Hodgson and chairman Mohammed Al-Fayed to the delight of the fans.
However the 60-year-old knows that they are not out of the woods yet, and defeat at Fratton Park could spell relegation.
He said: "The reception we got from our fans after we beat Birmingham was fantastic. If anything it worried me because I don't think we deserved it. We can still slip into the Championship – there's still a big risk of that happening.
"That reception is probably the biggest pressure that has been put upon us because we realised, if we hadn't already, that it was so important to people.”
And on defeating the FA Cup finalists, Hodgson added: “If we can beat Reading, Manchester City, Birmingham and Derby, we can go and win at Portsmouth.
“But I don't think we're favourites to win and we are very much aware that Portsmouth are a very good team with some very good players.”
Fulham manager Roy Hodgson is worried that last Saturday’s celebrations, after their 2-0 home win over fellow strugglers Birmingham, were premature, and have lumped even more pressure on his players to perform in their final game against Portsmouth on Sunday.
The victory lifted Fulham out of the bottom three for the first time since Boxing Day, and prompted a lap of honour led by Hodgson and chairman Mohammed Al-Fayed to the delight of the fans.
However the 60-year-old knows that they are not out of the woods yet, and defeat at Fratton Park could spell relegation.
He said: "The reception we got from our fans after we beat Birmingham was fantastic. If anything it worried me because I don't think we deserved it. We can still slip into the Championship – there's still a big risk of that happening.
"That reception is probably the biggest pressure that has been put upon us because we realised, if we hadn't already, that it was so important to people.”
And on defeating the FA Cup finalists, Hodgson added: “If we can beat Reading, Manchester City, Birmingham and Derby, we can go and win at Portsmouth.
“But I don't think we're favourites to win and we are very much aware that Portsmouth are a very good team with some very good players.”
Labels: Fulham, Portsmouth, Premier League, Roy Hodgson
