Source: Telegraph
Liverpool not too big for relegation battle, says Roy Hodgson, after Blackpool loss
'If you are in the relegation zone, then you are in a relegation battle,' the Liverpool manager said after Charlie Adam's penalty and Luke Varney's clipped finish left his side in the bottom three for the first time in 46 years, despite Sotirios Kyrgiakos's consolation goal. [LNB]'I am not going to think too much about relegation with 31 games left to play and I am absolutely convinced Liverpool will not be in the bottom three at the end of the season. Whether we can fulfil our ambition of finishing towards the top is another matter, but when you saw the way we played in the second half I am incredulous anyone can suggest we will finish in the bottom three.' [LNB] Related ArticlesLiverpool 1 Blackpool 2Kuyt sorry for horror showHodgson must act swiftly to stop the rotHodgson defends Liverpool reignLiverpool blamed for Torres formHodgson defends misfiring TorresHodgson's task was made significantly harder by the sight of Fernando Torres being substituted after just 10 minutes with a groin strain. The Liverpool manager confirmed the striker would undergo further tests to establish the severity of the injury today but insisted his team could not use the Spanish international's absence as an excuse. [LNB]'He has suffered a groin strain,' Hodgson said. 'We had no awareness that there were problems with Fernando [before the game]. We did not know he had an injury. [LNB]'Maybe the blow of losing Torres early had a psychological effect but I do not think so. They hit us and we did not respond to it. It is a bad result and a bad day and it is not a good thing to have hanging over the club for the next fortnight. [LNB]'We were anxious to get back on track but no words or anything I can say will change things or make it any better. Blackpool's great result is our nightmare result. The last few results have been very, very bad. At the moment things look really bleak because they are conditioned by our most recent results. [LNB]'There is a lot of work to do, there are a lot of things to sort out. I cannot escape that, and I will not hide from it. Things are difficult.'[LNB]Hodgson also insisted he felt no ill will towards those fans on the Kop who chose the dying minutes of the game to express their desire to see the 62 year-old replaced by Kenny Dalglish. [LNB]'The fans are frustrated,' he said. 'It is understandable. I am the manager, I am the one who has to take responsibility and I have to accept their right to aim their frustration in my direction.' [LNB]
