Fulham boss Roy Hodgson has again waved away praise for his management this season.

He refuses to take the credit for prolonging the career of Fulham captain Danny Murphy, for drawing the best out of striker Bobby Zamora and rejuvenating Damien Duff.

Instead, he launches into yet another of those mixed analogies for which he is famed.

"Coaches lead players to the water and the players either drink or decide they want to jump over the stream," said Hodgson.

"That's what our job is. We prepare, orchestrate and direct but in the end it's not the concert director who plays the violin. It's the people themselves. A good director can help them by leading them the right way and getting their talent to the fore but coaches should never take credit for individual player performances. It is the players who have to take credit."