Baggies Boss Hodgson to Battle Old Club Liverpool

Liverpool travel to the Midlands this weekend to face 16th placed West Bromwich Albion; a fixture that is stoked more than usual as the Baggies are now managed by failed Reds boss Roy Hodgson.

Hodgson, who took over on Merseyside after the departure of Rafa Benitez last summer, only lasted six months before being shown the exit after poor form and inconsistent performances by some summer acquisitions saw Liverpool slide down the Premier League table. In his midweek press conference Hodgson admitted that he never felt wanted by the clubs devoted fan base.

“The fans were making it clear they wanted me gone and someone else in,” Hodgson confessed. “Everyone knows for one minute I can't suggest I felt wanted at Liverpool.”

“It is not exactly a secret I wasn't perceived by a lot of people as the manager they wanted at Liverpool. They wanted somebody else and that makes life a lot more difficult.”

His West Brom side are unbeaten in five matches, with four of those being draws. Hodgson will be hoping for three points and a good performance after battling to a 2-2 draw against Arsenal last time out. They will welcome back Nigerian striker Peter Odemwingie and Congolese midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu to the side after recent injury strains.

Somen Tchoyi will be unavailable as he is home caring for his sick wife, whilst Graham Dorrans is unlikely to feature due to an ankle knock. Goalkeeper Scott Carson will line up against his old club.

Hodgson’s replacement at Anfield was club legend Kenny Dalglish, starting his second spell at the club. Dalglish admitted this week that Hodgson doesn’t have “anything to prove to anybody”.

Dalglish added: “If you say he has extra motivation then you are doubting the man’s integrity and implying he never had enough motivation before”.

Dalglish will leave a decision on including Steven Gerrard in the squad until the last minute, as the midfielder is still plagued with a groin injury that has dogged the England man for the majority of the season.

Luis Suarez could lead the attack alongside Andy Carroll; two strikers who were brought in after Hodgson’s dismissal. They’re backed by an notable record in this fixture – the Reds have been victorious in 12 successive league games against Albion, who last recorded a league win against Pool 30 years ago.

Form
All Competitions:

West Brom: DDDWD (10 goals for, 8 against)
Liverpool: LWLDW (6 goals for, 5 against)

Premier League:

West Brom: DDDWD (10 goals for, 8 against)
Liverpool: WDLWW (8 goals for, 5 against)

Premier League 10/11:

Liverpool 1-0 West Brom