Red Roy relishing Mersey Derby

(17-10-2010) A positive result in Sunday’s Merseyside Derby will be just the tonic to get Liverpool’s stuttering season off the ground, claims manager Roy Hodgson. The Reds are currently mired in the relegation zone, with a single victory in seven starts. Their wretched form has been made worse by all the wrangling off the pitch over the ownership of the club. Hodgson insists his players can concentrate on football matters now that the club's future has been sorted out. "The international break came at a diabolical time for us. We've had two weeks to chew on the defeat to Blackpool,” commented Hodgson on Saturday. "But having this game against our fiercest rivals is the ideal way to bounce back.” He added: “But I'm dependant on the players I put out and hopefully they can get me the points I need to make me great again!"