Hodgson's Analysis

A late Nolberto Solano goal was all that separated Fulham and West Ham on Saturday afternoon and whilst there may have been some misgivings over the legality of the strike due to Solano’s challenge on Antti Niemi – Roy Hodgson was not keen to blow the events of the 87th minute out of proportion in relation to the rest of the match.

“Players make mistakes; we should have scored three or four goals out there,” he said. “We were free with the goalkeeper and failed to score, that’s a mistake from the player. They [West Ham] had a couple of chances, that’s a mistake from the defenders.

“Referees also make mistakes, and in my opinion he made one. It’s the type of decision that, when you’re at the bottom of the table and have worked very hard for your nil-nil, is a bitter pill to swallow.”

Prior to the goal, the encounter had looked set to end all-square, a result that would the Manager would not have found satisfactory.

“I don’t think I would have been happy,” he said. “I think we had enough chances to win the game and we played well enough to win the game. You wouldn’t have been turning cartwheels with a nil-nil but I certainly wouldn’t be as depressed as I am at this particular moment.”

Fulham also had two claims for handball in the box turned down, with Diomansy Kamara’s second half effort hitting Anton Ferdinand’s arms.

“I’m of the old school, I think that when balls are struck at the speed of light from two or three metres and people are trying to block and it could hit them anywhere – it’s not a penalty,” the Manager explained. “There are far too many penalties appealed for and given these days where the player is trying to do nothing more than block the ball, which happens to hit him on the arm. It has to be a deliberate hand to ball and you don’t do that when someone is two or three metres away.

“All I can say is that in the games I’ve seen us play, we’re not getting the points. I’m not seeing us outplayed; I’m seeing the boys work very hard and create goal chances. If I were to take any positives it would have to be that but, of course, if you asked whether I would swap that for bad performances and wins, of course I would.”