UEFA Cup - What the managers said

Eurosport - Fri, 03 Oct 14:41:00 2008

A look at how the bosses of the British clubs in the UEFA Cup reacted to the conclusion of the first round, with Spurs manager Juande Ramos just relieved to still be in the competition.

FOOTBALL 2008-2009 Premier League Tottenham Juande Ramos - 0

Wisla Krakow 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Tottenham through 3-2 on aggregate)

Tottenham manager Juande Ramos: "At this moment, the important thing is qualification, which is the same (as a win). There was no euphoria, it was just a sense of getting the job done. To play another four matches in the competition for the club is very important. Most important now is Hull and we need to get off the bottom quickly."

Guimaraes 2-2 Portsmouth (Portsmouth through 4-2 on aggregate)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp: "It was a topsy-turvy game, and Vitoria (Guimaraes) were fantastic in the first half with their movement and passing. We played with wing-backs again after the good result it got us at Everton, but we didn't get the ball wide enough to make use of it until the second half. Technically Vitoria are a brilliant side, and we couldn't cope with them before half-time. But we changed it a bit in the second half - and after that, there was always going to be only one winner. You could say we made hard work of it, but we got there in the end - and Peter Crouch took his goals very well. The league is still our priority. But it's good to have got through to the group stage, and we'll take it match by match from now on."

Standard Liege 2-1 Everton (Standard through 4-3 on aggregate)

Everton boss David Moyes: "You can't run up to a referee and do that in his face nowadays. We all know that. In England you're not allowed to do what he did. Maybe in Europe it's different, but I thought they were stricter. I thought he should have been sent off for his reaction, and then for him not to be sent off for the professional foul on Yakubu was unbelievable. If he (Steven Defour) had been sent off it would have made a difference because he had the shot that led to their first goal. We were playing well against 11, so against 10 we would have had more space."

Manchester City 2-1 Omania Nicosia (Manchester City through 4-2 on aggregate)

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes: "We could do with a decent draw, but the clubs are strong. We will wait to see who comes out of the hat and plan accordingly. My big players were key to getting the job done, but we did not put the tie to bed as early as I wanted it. However, I was able to take some of them off in the second half - so they will be fit and well for Sunday. It is not a problem."

Motherwell 0-2 Nancy (Nancy through 3-0 on aggregate)

Motherwell boss Mark McGhee: "I thought they were very good - a lot better than they were in Nancy. We have to aspire to that level. We can look at that movement of the strikers and their touch. David Clarkson is in the Scotland squad and he has to aspire to that level. Stephen Hughes has to look at (Yousouff) Hadji and see how he influences games. They do a lot of the same things we try to do - but they do them better. We can't deny they were a class above us, but we have players who can genuinely aspire to that level."

Aston Villa 1-1 Litex Lovech (Aston Villa through 4-2 on aggregate)

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill: "I was amazed at the crowd that turned up (27,000) - because in essence, the tie was in a good position for us. Does it show Aston Villa are back? If I stop to think about it, that is right. Everyone has to fight for it, but it is a step in the right direction for the football club. We are into the proper stages, the group stages. The advantages by a million miles outweigh any disadvantage you have. We have got a chance now for younger players to experience this. We've earned it. I would have taken this way back in July - and now it is up to us to do what we can."

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