Aston Villa 0-0 West Ham United
- Monday, January 18, 2010, 0:36
- International Sports, Premier League
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Martin O’Neill insisted a verbal exchange with Aston Villa fans was “not a big issue” after his side’s goalless draw with West Ham ended with half-a-dozen stewards in position alongside and at the back of the home dugout.Aston Villa 0-0 West Ham United
Martin O’Neill: “I didn’t know about Seamus [McDonagh, Villa's goalkeeping coach, who also appeared to have words with several spectators] and I’m not so sure this is really a big issue. It does not concern me.
“The issue was we were unable to score a goal but it was a big effort by my players considering we played in the Carling Cup semi-final only on Thursday.
“It is disappointing the win didn’t materialise and when you drop points at home it can be considered a missed opportunity.
“But I think this result and other ones this weekend involving teams near us in the table highlight how difficult this league is.”
Gianfranco Zola: “It is a good point for us. They had good chances but we did as well. The way we played in the second half deserved a point and I’m proud of my team’s performance.
“We were up against a team who are in good form and we have important players missing.
“It is massive to be out of the bottom three and this result here will also give the players a big boost of confidence.”
Bolton Wanderers 0-2 Arsenal
Owen Coyle: “That was very harsh on us, with what we offered to the game on another day we could have had a positive result. We had numerous chances and the ball didn’t break for us on occasions.
“The second half belonged to us and we created plenty of opportunities, we pushed forward to get that equaliser and got caught for their second, although I thought Eduardo was offside when they crossed it and we paid a heavy price for that.
“If we play at that level we will pick up points in this league and we can make a game of it on Wednesday.
“Cesc [Fabregas] could play for anybody in world football, he is an outstanding player.
“If you give him time and space he will harm you, but I thought our lads offered plenty of effort.”
Arsene Wenger: “That was a big win and they had full commitment with a new manager, they played a lot of long balls and the pitch wasn’t easy to play on.
“We got through a patch where they could have equalised and then got the second goal.
“We have matured, some players have much more personality on the pitch and that helps us get results.
“When I speak about players with more personality on the pitch, I have to talk about him [Cecs Fabregas]. He has an authority, he scored again and was very influential.
“It is unusual to play the same side twice in three days and they put a lot of effort in today and we will face the same problems on Wednesday.”
Blackburn Rovers 2-0 Fulham
Sam Allardyce: “The pressure is felt by all of us, no-one more than the players and staff. We are more tense and nervous than anyone else and we have to accept that as a challenge.
“They were a really pleasing three points because the pitch was not in the best condition, the opposition were very good and were are in the middle of three games in six days.
“The importance of going a goal in front was clear for all to see. Then we scored the second at the right time and we managed to play the game out very comfortably.”
Roy Hodgson: “At one point we looked good value for an equaliser but they got their second goal. Overall I can’t begrudge Blackburn their victory – they got stronger as the game went on.
“Clint [Dempsey] will be scanned on Monday but we feel it might be a posterior cruciate knee ligament which would be very bad for us and he would be out for a while.
“It’s a concern up front because Dempsey is very useful for us but now, with both he and Bobby out, it makes us a bit weaker in that area than we’d like to be.
“It’s a very difficult market at the moment. There’s not many players who are moving about and we will be very limited in what we can spend.
“I’m a little bit reluctant to go and spend money on a player who maybe in the long term might not make us better. We will get players back and maybe we just have to accept that.”
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