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Fulham boss
Roy Hodgson |
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Roy Hodgson insists he will not be rushed into replacing Jimmy Bullard, despite the departed midfielder’s creativity being sorely missed in recent weeks.
Bullard made a surprise £5 million switch to Hull last week, ending a spell at the club that had echoed with talks of contract disputes and unrest.
And despite seeing his side stumble to another away defeat on Tuesday, 1-0 at Sunderland, Hodgson is in no rush to splash the cash.
He said: “It is a case of finding the right person and we do not have much time.
“The prices are very inflated at the moment, especially with the introduction of the transfer window.
“But I am not going to panic and take someone for the sake of it.
“Jimmy is obviously a quality player.
“I think it would be wrong to say that we miss him, but there will obviously be occasions where we lose matches when that question will be asked.
“People who do not play always seem to have good games.”
Fulham did maintain their interest in the FA Cup on Saturday with a hard-fought 4-2 win at non-league Kettering Town, to earn a trip to Championship side Swansea City, but were back to their away-day misery at the Stadium of Light.
The Cottagers have failed to win on their travels in the Premier League this season, and Hodgson admitted the Black Cats reverse was a chance left begging.
He added: “It was a great opportunity for us to win a game away from home.
“But the Sunderland defence was quite exceptional.
“We had a few chances but there always seemed to be someone there to block.
“It took us a long time to win away from home last season and then we won three on the bounce.
“But we have shown there is enough quality in this side to survive in this league and get the results to keep us up.”
Fulham’s next three matches: Jan 31 Portsmouth (h), Feb 7 Wigan (a), 14 Swansea City (FAC, a)