This is complete verbal sh*te and more depressingly its on the Official Club Site.
Roy Hodgson has declared he is (
shitting himself) after watching his Liverpool side paired with Sparta Prague in the first knock-out stage of this season's Europa League.
The Reds will travel to the Czech Republic for the first leg on February 17 next year, before the return at Anfield the following week - and the boss admits it could have been a much tougher outcome for his men.
"I think it's a very good draw," he told Liverpoolfc.tv.
"There are a lot of good teams in the competition, even the unseeded sides.
Of course a lot of those teams are from the far end of Europe ... in backward places which are difficult to get to and about which you would find it difficult to get a lot of information . ! ! (
Ed: Are they online at Melwood yet? So if we lose that means they were too far away and we couldnt find anything out about them.)"Sparta Prague are a team everyone knows well. : ? (
Of course we do.)
Prague is a very reachable ? city, a very beautiful ? city and the team will be easier to scout and easier to find information about than the
Rubin Kazan's (
http://www.rubin-kazan.ru/en/main/)
ps they are only Russian Champions Mr Hodgson FFS.and
Kharkiv's (
http://ukrainiansoccer.net/upl/onevsall.asp?champID=15&Team=FC%20Kharkiv)
ps they are only Ukraines second city.of the draw. (
That means we can only fly on cheap low cost airlines if they are under twenty quid for a seat)"It is never going to be easy at this stage of the competition because teams in the last 32 have qualified through their groups or have come into it from the Champions League, (
We never knew that Roy) but I am perfectly satisfied with the draw we have been given.
"It is important to do well if we are going to go through but I don't think we can say we have been badly treated by the draw."
Should Liverpool overcome their Czech opponents, a last sixteen clash with either
Lech Poznan of Poland (
http://www.lechpoznan.pl/) (
Beat Man City 3-1)
or
Portugal's Sporting Braga (
http://www.scbraga.pt/index.php) will lie in wait.
"It will be an even tougher task at that stage," admits the boss. "Both teams have done extremely well.
I watched Braga in a game on the television (
cos it was too far to go and I wanted to be home for my tea) and thought they were unlucky not to clinch one of the two places in their Champions League group.
And Lech Poznan did well in their group to qualify ahead of Juventus. (
Too far to go though)
Verbal diarrohea bit .....
"Again, we could have been sent to Moscow and far beyond, or Turkey which is always a difficult place to go, or the far reaches of Greece. I always think it's better to be in the central part of Europe ? because the travelling is easier, ? it takes less time and maybe as a result takes less out of the players.
(
FFS. Is he on mushrooms? Good job we dont have to play in any World Club Championships then! We'd get lost !)
"By that stage of the season we'll be playing three matches a week and I won't have the luxury I have had so far of sometimes sparing players in the Europa League competition. (
So I'll have to play the Also Rans but the owners understand my problems.)We're at the knock-out stage now and so I won't have that option because it will be important to put out our best team every time if we want to go further in the competition." (
Well Yes. Thats what you do in top flight football but you wouldnt know about that)Anfield to Prague. 1,009 miles
Anfield to Poznan 1,054 miles
Anfield to Braga 1,471 miles
Anfield to Kharkiv 2,000 miles
Anfield to Rubin Kazan 2,038 miles.
Nearest to furthest difference 1,029 miles.
Travelling time by air : 2 hours. Travelling is just too far to go.
"We will have to bribe the officials because Braga is going to be far too expensive and far too far away to go to..... plus we wont be able to find out anything about them."
" Ive told the owners all about it and again they sympathise how hard it is for me"
RH.
FFS Complete and utter sh*te Mr Hodgson.
