Coppell a happy man
Last updated : 11 February 2002 By
Reporter: You wont mind that?Steve Coppell: I think it wasn't fluent - it was one of those games. I hear top managers of the top teams saying it was these games - and it was one of those for us. To be fair to Bournemouth they have done their homework. They stopped us releasing our fullbacks forward and it made it very difficult for us. They hit so many diagonals balls to their wingers and it made it very disruptive and we couldn’t get into any flow. They put a midfielder in front of their back four, which meant Ben couldn’t drop deep and get the ball. He got frustrated. All in all, not the best. I said to the players all full time, the worst we should come off at full time is a 0-0. I’m glad they didn’t get stupid and ragged. Even though it was scrappy they kept their shape and we are ever so grateful for 3 points.
Reporter: There was a lot of aerial stuff – was that because of the conditions?
Steve Coppell: No. Are out balls – our fullbacks who get forward were being stopped as they were sending their wingers with them. We had 3 against 2 in the centre of the park. Our two forwards hardly won a header all afternoon against their centre backs. It was terrific play on there half. We couldn’t get onto the ball. On the few occasions we did, we had half opportunities. If Lloyd has scored on the break, it would have been a different game. He didn’t and they were trying to hold onto what they have got. It wasn’t the best.
Reporter: The effort was total.Steve Coppell: I told them before the game, that the difference between top and bottom is that much. It is so little. We are lucky with Evo on setpieces that he delivers such pacy quality. We got a goal through his quality. You wouldn’t have known who was at the top of the table and who is at the bottom.
Reporter: Lloyd attacked the ball for the goal.Steve Coppell: He said he got his studs onto the end of it. Evo said there was a deflection so for Evo to say there was a deflection and not to claim it, something must have happened.
Reporter: Are these the games you look back at, at the end of the season? Steve Coppell: Yep – thank god they have finished! They are just hard graft – every game is different. We have questions being asked of us. Some games, things fall into place and others they don’t. I remember speaking to Kevin Keegan about the great Liverpool side. They won Championships galore, but he reckons they only played about 4 perfect games a season. The rest of the time, they were edging things. It depends on individual ability in certain positions to get results and they strong to hold onto them.
Reporter: Tempted to bring Rowlands on?
Steve Coppell: Yeah, but he has had one reserve game and has hardly trained – he isn’t the best trainer in the world. He played in the reserves on Wednesday and then couldn’t train on Thursday as he was too stiff. I wanted to bring the real Martin Rowlands on. I wanted it to be a right sub – not simply because we had no one else to bring on.
Reporter: Tuesday is a tough one.
Steve Coppell: It’s a chance for us to get another 3 points. They have spent millions on their team. Millions, millions, millions. We haven’t. The successful equation in football is investing in the team over a number of years, then you will be the best team in the Division. Sam Hamman has thrown an awful lot of money at it – their players are earning an awful lot of money. They have bought a number of key players – Kavanagh – every team in this Division would like him in it. My players will really be up for it – I am guaranteed that against Cardiff. If anything, I need to calm them down before hand.
