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Portsmouth 0 Fulham 1 GOAL hero Danny Murphy hailed boss Roy Hodgson after Fulham stayed up on goal difference.Murphy’s winner doomed Reading and Birmingham and he said: “The manager has always stuck with us, he believed in us. He has done a great job and brought in his new ideas. “I am still coming down after this result. We thought we’d left it too late but it has been a hell of a few weeks. “The players were not performing. But we got there in the end.” Birmingham and Reading both won — but still join already-doomed Derby in the Championship next term. Hodgson said: “We deserved to stay up. It is a massive relief. We kept plugging away and got our rewards. “I am delighted for the chairman, the players and the fans. It has been a tough four months since I arrived but we did it. “I wish I could wave a magic wand and for us to finish in the top six but I am happy with this.” Hodgson, 60, insisted he would celebrate by watching Match of the Day rather than go to a party. He said: “It’s not really an occasion for celebration, although I’m delighted for everybody at the club. “You used to have a glass of wine and smoke a cigar — before my wife stopped me smoking, that is. “I think there might be a party planned but I might just stay in and watch Match of the Day. “We are delighted with what we’ve done in the last few weeks — even though we left it late and left ourselves a mountain to climb. “But I am always aware that when we win somebody else has lost. I feel sympathy for Steve Coppell and Alex McLeish, who are good friends and are good managers but who have gone down with their clubs today.” Hodgson added: “Some people will say we’ve been lucky but I felt there might be something going for us. “I thought the last few minutes lasted half an hour and wouldn’t want to go through that too many times. “If you think I looked calm then I can only think it was the valium. I wanted the referee to blow the final whistle as soon as Danny had scored. “Do we deserve to stay up? I think we do. I said from the day I arrived in December that we could do it.” Hodgson’s record at Fulham since replacing Lawrie Sanchez in December is six wins, five draws and nine defeats but the former Inter Milan gaffer said: “If you want to call it my finest achievement I won’t argue.” Fulham chairman Mohamed Fayed had promised his players caviar and Viagra if they beat the drop. He said: “It was a difficult game but they had determination and fulfilled their promise to me. Fantastic!” Paying tribute to Hodgson, Fayed added: “We have a fantastic guy. “I think he will stay for us and I hope we will stay up all the time!” |
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