Source: Team_Talk
Alexander grateful to Moyes support
The 38-year-old veteran, who has made more than 900 professional appearances, played under Moyes when he was manager of Championship side North End.[LNB]Alexander moved to Preston in 1999 after a spell at Luton, and he admits his time with the Hatters questioned his motivation for the game.[LNB]"At Luton, I became cynical and disillusioned," he said in The Sunday Times. "I lost the one thing I thought I could never lose - the fire in my belly."[LNB]His move to Lancashire proved a fruitful one and he went on to make more than 350 appearances for the Deepdale outfit - and he thanks the now Everton manager for rescuing him from the doldrums.[LNB]However, the Clarets star admits that his relationship with Moyes was not always plain sailing.[LNB]"I had this little chip on my shoulder and I felt that he picked on me all the time," he added.[LNB]"He said I wasn't fit enough, didn't do enough when the other team had the ball and when we reviewed games on video, it was always my mistakes that were highlighted. [LNB]"I said to him one day, 'Why do you pick on me?' and he said, 'If I didn't think you had it in you, I wouldn't even talk to you.' [LNB]"Then one day he showed me a clipping of an interview he'd done for a Scottish newspaper where he said I should be in the Scotland team. [LNB]"I was shocked. Seeing that in the paper, I thought, 'He actually rates me, he really rates me.' Then everything made sense and everything changed." [LNB]Alexander has netted five goals in 17 Premier League appearances so far this season for Burnley and his goals have given Owen Coyle's side a fighting chance of avoiding relegation this term.[LNB]His contract at Turf Moor expires at the end of the season but he says he would love to extend his stay at the club.[LNB]"If I get another year here, fantastic," he remarked. "If I have to go and play somewhere else, that'll be fine too. [LNB]"Ideally, I'd have one more year with Burnley, then two in a lower league. [LNB]"When I stop playing professionally, I will find some amateur team to play for. People will say, 'is that old goat still playing?' He will be."[LNB][LNB] Barclays Premier League Relegation 2009/2010. Click here to bet.
