BELLAMY WILL BE DANGEROUS

NEWS STORY

BOSS: BELLAMY WILL BE DANGEROUS Joe Curran 28 November 2008

Rafa Benitez today warned of the threat former Reds striker Craig Bellamy will pose when West Ham visit Anfield on Monday.

The Welsh captain scored nine goals during a one-year spell with the Reds before moving to Upton Park in July 2007, and Benitez admitted the Hammers, who climbed to 13th in the league after a 1-0 away win over Sunderland last week, could be dangerous with Bellamy spearheading their attack.

"It will be difficult for them to take something away from Anfield, but it will be hard for us too because it is the Premier League and it's always tough," said Benitez.

"We have experience of teams coming here very well prepared and defending, and I think it will be the same situation with West Ham - they will be organised and have some good players with Bellamy up front, so they will be a threat.

"Bellamy is a good player and was a very good professional when he was with us - he worked very hard.

"We had a lot of confidence in him, he was a good player for us and he is a winner, but some players prefer to play every week and it's something you need to understand.

The Reds boss also revealed he was grateful to get a few more days before the West Ham clash and said: "Clearly it makes a massive difference when we have extra time to prepare for a game. Just one day can be important, but two or three extra days is even better.

"Maybe I will watch some of the other games on Sunday, but I am more concerned about my own team. The main thing for us is to improve and try to get the three points - you cannot do anything about the other teams' results.

"Sometimes it can be more pressure watching what the other teams do, so it's better to relax, enjoy the weekend and try to win when our game comes."