Hodgson talks about Lacunar and why we haven't got one

[Lighthouse]

Roy Hodgson's Team return to the Cottage on Saturday for their first home league fixture of 2010, challenging Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa side, albeit without the aid of a host of First Team players this weekend.

"We've been missing seven players from the Team that finished seventh last year," Hodgson confirmed during Friday afternoon's press conference.

"The only four players that have been in the Team from last year are Mark Schwarzer, Aaron Hughes, Brede Hangeland and Danny Murphy. The other seven have been out; John Pantsil, Paul Konchesky, Clint Dempsey, Dickson Etuhu, Andy Johnson, Bobby Zamora and Simon Davies.

"Bobby Zamora is back, albeit we can't deny the fact that the shoulder is going to be a concern for everybody. Of course Simon Davies is back and technically fit but he hasn't had a chance to play a game.

"That still leaves five players and that's a lot of changes in a Team that finished seventh last year. With respect, if you take five players that did well for Chelsea, Arsenal, United and Liverpool out of their teams from last year even they would feel the pinch. I think we've done quite well considering and put up some good performances."

Hodgson's side will welcome a return to the Cottage after enduring a testing month on the road. Despite a recent run of defeats Hodgson has been pleased with the spirit and performance of his side in light of the Club's current injury concerns.

"All defeats are a concern," said Hodgson. "They were defeats in away games that were at notoriously difficult place to go. Chelsea tend to win their home games. I think it's about 95 now so the fact that we've been one of those 95 victims doesn't make me rush in to thinking what an earth is wrong with our football team.

"Our last two away performances against Blackburn and Tottenham have been very good but we haven't taken any points. I'm still quite prepared, at this moment in time, to see the positives in how we're playing and prepared to accept you go through these periods, especially at a time when we've got lots of injuries.

"We've got to survive this period and get through it. I would be much more concerned if we were losing games and I saw we were playing very badly or there were big lacunars' in our game, which I haven't seen.

"I'm hoping that now with nine home games to play out of the last 16 matches that things will start to even themselves out and I'm hoping to get some of our injured players back into the Team and make us as strong at the end of the season as we were at the start of the season.

"I'm expecting all of the players I've mentioned to play for Fulham again before the end of the season. We're going to have to go through a difficult period in the weeks ahead I am sure, working with the players we have, and accepting that players under normal circumstances who might be regular players in our Team won't be there."



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/January/RoysVillaPreview.aspx#ixzz0e1Cq6GKV

[Lighthouse]

So they you have it BIG LACUNAR was never in the game. Best point out too that Roy said the name of the Chelscum and not the dark side as that was an FOF change. Shame about Lacunar though I thought he had a future in the game.

[Hazey]

The Dark side bit had me wondering if FOF was set up to automatically replace the word Chelsea with The Dark Side....that would be as Alan from hangover would say...Haha CLASSIC!