ROY HODGSON:

'Cardiff have been a credit to the league' - Roy Hodgson



ROY HODGSON:


Optimistic for next season?

Hodgson: “Well I’m pleased with the team. We don’t have a massive contingent and we have to get players on loan and frees. It would be nice to think we could keep the nucleus and add some fresh faces. This is a very difficult league so we have to be realistic but we have to keep moving forward. The moment we stand still is the moment we go backwards.”

Andros Townsend?

“Well, there was so many times where people picked balls up deep and made runs that got us behind and gave us goal-scoring opportunities so I wasn’t surprised but it was an excellent strike. Some of the players maybe felt that the score ending 3-2 didn’t reflect their performance but a victory in the Premier League is worth celebrating. They’re not that frequent. So I’m happy. My empathy is with Cardiff. They’ve worked so hard all season. They’ve been a credit to the league. They’ve never given up. They’ve shown all the qualities - fighting spirit and not backing down.”

Batshuayi and Ayew loans?

“We haven’t discussed yet, plus what we’d like to do and what we can do are sometimes two different things. It’s up to their clubs.”

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On the result, Hodgson says:

“Clinical play. It was an exciting game. Cardiff were never out of it. There was always a risk of them getting a strike away and scoring. But I have to say over the 90 minutes I feel our performances, our creation and how we went about our business was enough. We knew we had to fight hard against a team that had to win. We matched them and showed the necessary quality.”




Away form?

“We’d like to have won some games at home too. We always sell our away allocation. It’s a bit galling that they’re the only ones who have seen the points tally mount up. It’s something we’ll work on. Sometimes we get more space away.”




Zaha away from home?

“He sometimes gets a little more freedom. He’s improving all the time. His understanding of when to release the ball and when to do pieces of skill is better. He’s been scoring regularly.”