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| Swansea City |
Rodgers declared that sentiment will play no part in which players he deems able to take the step up to the top flight.
Speaking in his post-match press conference following Swansea’s 4-2 Wembley triumph, the Swans manager said: “It can be a big mistake to get promoted and do it with the same players. In my experience, having been in the Premier League for four or five years, it is a different stratosphere in relation to pace and power.
“I want to give the payers here a chance but we need to strengthen as well. One of the things I learned from my Reading experience [as manager] was to never be sentimental again. I have shown that by dropping big players this season.
“There is no doubt we need to strengthen. I want to add to the squad. Players like Leon Britton and Alan Tate deserve the opportunity to be in the squad as they were at Swansea when we were in League Two. We want to fight to keep everybody here and bring in a number of players to add to it.
“My fear coming into this game was that if we didn’t win some of our players could have been tempted to go into the Premier League. I think we can get the players better contracts and be part of the club in the Premier League. Winning today has been a massive help to us in keeping our players.”
Rodgers paid tribute to match-winner Scott Sinclair, who became only the second player to score a hat-trick at Wembley in a play-off final, following in the footsteps of Charlton Athletic’s Clive Mendonca in 1998.
“He’s an incredible penalty-taker,” said Rodgers of the former Chelsea man, who coolly dispatched two spot-kicks either side of a well taken second. “Funnily enough, he wasn’t on it earlier in the season but when we missed a couple of penalties he stepped up to the mark.
“I know Scott from the period I worked with him before. I have always said it is a specialist technique. I knew Scott was a specialist and, once we missed a few, I nominated him to do that.
“To score a hat-trick in a game of this magnitude is fantastic. He has been unplayable a lot of times this season. He will always be a threat even when he is quiet in a game.
“It is a really ironic story that eight years ago the club won the last game of the season at Hull to stay in the Premier League 4-2 and one player scored a hat-trick, including two penalties. The footballing gods were with us today but, over the course of the season, no-one can take away from us that we deserve to be in the Premier League.
“We have shown this year over the course of 49 games, there’s substance to us. Not just style, there is steel there too. That is what you have to have if you are going to be a good team.”
