Fulham relish reunion with pals from Anfield

What a jolly nice chap. At least that is what Lawrie Sanchez thought when Gabriel Paletta, Emiliano Insua, Mark Gonzalez and a sprinkling of others who had not been heard of then, and have not been heard of since, played in a Liverpool team who were 18 days away from the Champions League final.

Fulham won 1-0, Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock went off the scale and Sanchez was even given a job off the back of it.

Well, well. Guess who is in town this weekend? Roy Hodgson will be rolling out the red carpet for Liverpool on Saturday, ushering them down the Fulham Palace Road and presenting them with flower garlands as they step off the team bus.

Fulham are four games away from the anonymity of Championship football and Liverpool will be three days away from the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Chelsea. Expect mayhem if Benitez fields the wannabes, never-wills and never-been-heardofs- again. Sounds perfect.

'We don't know what kind of team Liverpool will put out but even their reserve team isn't bad,' admitted Hodgson.

'They have a few players managers would like to work with and we might come down to earth with a bump. Liverpool are a very good team.'

Reading, evidently, are not. Steve Coppell's side were a disgrace, short-changing 24,000 supporters at the Madejski Stadium and letting down a manager who is short on self-promotion and too long in the tooth to settle for this.

Coppell did himself no favours, admitting that the game was important for Reading to win, but more important for Fulham' in the hours before Hodgson's team duly recorded their first victory on the road in 34 attempts.

Fulham were good, but not that good. Danny Murphy showed some of the fire in his belly that made him a regular in a Liverpool team who won five trophies in a calendar year under Gerard Houllier. Simon Davies also impressed, along with defender Brede Hangeland and goalscorers Brian McBride and substitute Erik Nevland.

"We controlled the game," said Hodgson. "We hit the bar a few times and it is very satisfying. I am sure I speak for all my colleagues but no one wants to get relegated.

"The Premier League is such a good league financially and an interesting league. No one wants to be out of the limelight."

Coppell's team should be lying in a darkened room after this performance. A third season in the Premier League beckoned in advance of the game but they are down among the dead men again after this abysmal performance.

The Reading manager has been here before, of course. Crystal Palace were relegated twice from the top tier under his leadership and he was replaced at Selhurst Park by Attilio Lombardo on their way to a third.

Reading are better than this but they will need a response at the Emirates on Saturday or Arsenal will put six or more past them if they turn in a repeat performance.

"Not many of my players have been in this situation before," admitted Coppell. "There was a nervousness about our play that wasn't productive.

"It's not a lack of confidence — just a realisation at this stage of the season that what you want is so close and players start to think that any mistake might be costly.

"I haven't looked at the table yet but no doubt it will be presented to me at some stage."

It does not make pleasant reading. Reading are three points off the drop and Hodgson's team suddenly have a glimmer of hope.

Murphy said: "I will speak to the boys this week and hopefully Stevie G, Fernando Torres and a few of the others will stay at home.

"After we were beaten by Sunderland last week it was as low as it has been. The most important thing is that we played well and everyone is more positive.

"We still have to play Birmingham at home and they are one of the teams we are trying to catch. To be honest, we don't really want to be playing Liverpool but they might rest a few."

If they do, expect recriminations to begin in Royal Berkshire.