By Mighty Reds
October 22 2005

Steve Finnan has spoken of his disappointment at not being fit to play against his former club Fulham today. A groin injury will keep him out but he’s warned his Liverpool team-mates that Fulham will be no pushover and he backs the cottagers to stay up despite mounting pressure. He said:

"I think Fulham will be slightly disappointed with the start they have made to the season but I've seen a couple of their games and they've been a bit unlucky at times and probably deserve to have a few more points than they've currently got.

"They are certainly a threat going forward. They've got good attacking players in Luis Boa Morte, Steed Malbranque and Claus Jensen, and they will create chances. Defensively, they've probably conceded a few too many goals for their liking but I'm sure they'll put this right during the course of the season."

Finnan is also a fan of Fulham manager Chris Coleman:
"I know Chris well and he's a great lad. He was always good to me during my time with Fulham and helped me settle when I first moved there. I managed to play alongside him on a few occasions but unfortunately he was then involved in a serious car crash and had to retire.

"He probably wasn't expecting to get a management job so soon but I think he's done really well. At the start of the season people were talking about him possibly being one of the first managers to be sacked.

"There's no doubt he's got a tough job on his hands but I honestly believe they are strong enough to avoid relegation. It's not the first time they've been tipped to go down but there's certainly enough quality in their squad to ensure they stay up. As an ex-Fulham player I'd like to see them start picking up points soon but not until after we've played them on Saturday!"

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