Source: FOOTYMAD
Hodgson pleased with performance
Roy Hodgson was pleased with his team's performance yesterday. An inexperienced Reds side gave a good account of themselves in their opening pre-season friendly, a 0-0 draw with Grasshoppers Zurich. The performances from the reserve and Academy players delighted the manager. "The boys did very well. This is a group of boys, many of whom have never kicked a ball for the first team or even been around the first team. Players like Tom Ince, Jack Robinson and Victor Palsson are very young players," said Hodgson. "So, to take on a team like Grasshoppers, who are towards the top of the Swiss league and who've been able to use their full squad, and get a 0-0 is a remarkable achievement with some players who've never kicked a ball outside of the Academy. "We had some chances and were good value for the draw. We didn't get it through luck, we got it through hard work and determination. "They've done the club proud. I had no doubts they'd do that in terms of their determination, desire and work rate but the bottom line is that at the moment there are gaps in their play because of their age. That takes time."
