Final words from Shaktar press Office on Danny Duff and Damien Murphy

[KCat]

http://shakhtar.com/en/news/12317

Roy Hodgson: "Don't be angry with your team"
26-02-10 00:29:38
At the press-conference after the second-leg match between Shakhtar and Fulham the coach of the London team was in a good mood, behaved freely and openly. And he had a lot of reasons for that.

– We had a wonderful evening. Certainly we felt the pressure, but you should believe me, that in the whole 35-year carrier of mine the team showed a high-level play. I say once more, it was difficult, but we coped with it. It seemed that our goalkeeper was tested all the time. Especially there were a lot of strong shots from the long distance. Thanks God Mark coped with everything. I want to thank Murphy individually...

– Mister Hodgson, how were you impressed by the atmosphere at Donbas Arena?
– I wouldn't say that I was surprised. It wasn't a surprise for me anyway. It was the very thing I hoped to see. Everything was wonderful. Shakhtar felt the support of their fans. The high quality of the stadium certainly impressed me. Now I understand why Shakhtar performs so nicely at the stadium of the European level.

– Could you please comment on the situation when Douglas took the field?
– I was angry with Duff. It was his fault, he didn't cope with his emotions. I adduce an excuse to the referee. Sometimes things like this happen, I think that there is a place for a foul in football. I should certainly thank the players who try to avoid it.

– Did you manage to talk to Fulham boss?
– Yes, I did. But this success has a very big part of our players' merit. They coped with the game. thanks to this we got to the next stage of the tournament. I think, when I retire, I will have the possibility to discuss the best game in my career. It may be the today's match. As for the game I can add that our hard work was rewarded by this result. We really worked at tactics a lot. especially today we felt the help of those footballers who were at the substitutes' bench. Separate thanks to Kelly. He took part in several matches, but made a good fame for himself during that time. I think he will help us greatly in Premier League.. I'd like to tell Ukrainian fans something. You can be proud of your team, your stadium. Shakhtar is the best club I have met during my career. You have the championship of your country. I'm sure that there you will gain a great success. great thanks to Mircea Lucescu. You should thant the coach for his working very hardly with the team. Don't be upset and don't be angry with your team.

FC Shakhtar
Press Office

After the clash against Shakhtar Fulham footballers looked very happy, exchanged compliments and talked to the journalists willingly.




Bobby Zamora:

– It was a very interesting game. Shakhtar is a good team of the Euro Cup level. It was very difficult for us to keep the defense from the first minutes, but Simon brilliantly coped with it, he performed the fantastic game. The stadium impressed us very much, Shakhtar fans supported their team from the first minute to the last.

Damien Duff:

– It was really fantastic game against the owner of the UEFA Cup. I'd say that this is not a simple team. I'd like to distinguish Davies and Zamora, they did their best and had a very good match.

Brede Hangeland:

– Before the game Duff said that the match against Shakhtar is important for us, but Premier League is even more important. Have you changed your mind?
– No, I haven't. Premier League is still number one for us. We constantly play there and the matches for Euro Cup are a kind of bonus, so to say. Moreover, it is the possibility to play with such a good team as Shakhtar and to come to such a luxurious stadium. I would compare it only to Emirates stadium in London.

– Could you compare Shakhtar to some team from the English Premier League?
– It's very difficult to tell because these are entirely different styles of play. Shakhtar has excellent technique and skills, but they just play another way. Maybe their play style is similar to that of Chelsea or Manchester United. I understand that it's a disappointment for you that we have won.

– Whom did you like in the rival's lineup?
– Ilsinho.

– Did something impress you in Donetsk?
– I didn't see enough. But I managed to see the hotel, the stadium and the girls – they are wonderful.

Danny Murphy:

– Shakhtar dominated during the whole game. Nevertheless, we managed to gain fantastic results. Perhaps, it was possible due to our organization and active training. Certainly, we had far less possibilities for targeting the goal, but at last we managed to use our chance, though in defense we had some problems in some moments. I think, we went further to the UEFA Europa League deservedly, defeated Shakhtar thanks to the quality of the play and we are proud of it.

FC Shakhtar
Press Office

[fulhamguy]

http://shakhtar.com/en/news/12317

– Could you please comment on the situation when Douglas took the field?
– I was angry with Duff. It was his fault, he didn't cope with his emotions. I adduce an excuse to the referee. Sometimes things like this happen, I think that there is a place for a foul in football. I should certainly thank the players who try to avoid it.

Eh? Duff's fault?!