Hodgson wary of Pardew ´minefield´

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson does not care about new Newcastle manager Alan Pardew – he just wants to concentrate on his own team.

“I’m not worried about Newcastle and what they do, how they play or how they approach their business,” Hodgson said.

“My sole concern is Liverpool and my message to the players is a simple one: ‘The way we have played in this last month or so is how we must continue playing’.”

“We should give them something to worry about.”

“When a club changes managers it sometimes makes them play better.”

“But I have concerns about every game I go into because in this league teams always give you something to worry about. It’s a minefield.”

“Newcastle fans are very vocal and like to get behind their team like Liverpool fans do.”

“I know we will be going into an atmosphere that won’t be hostile but it will certainly be partisan.”

Liverpool made a poor start to the season and at one stage slumped into the relegation zone.

Hodgson knows they have made things difficult for themselves.

“We have given ourselves an enormous catch-up to do,” he said.

“I would like to take it one game at a time and see where that brings us.”

“We hope to be in the top half at the half-way point and not so far away from the top four at the end of the season.”

“We gave ourselves an enormous handicap by starting the first seven games badly.”

With Liverpool fighting for points to move up the table, Hodgson admitted he would not mind if his side played badly as long as they were winning.

“Sometimes as a manager I would accept a poorer performance for points rather than a good performance for no points,” he said.

“Having said that, generally if you play badly you lose and if you play well you win so we will just try our best.”

Steven Gerrard (hamstring) is edging closer to fitness but is still a week away according to Hodgson.

Daniel Agger (calf) also misses out but Fernando Torres is back in the side having missed the win against Aston Villa to be with his wife as she gave birth.