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Yet in his first game in charge of West Bromwich Albion Hodgson showed he has a quality that is even more valuable. Napoleon once said he preferred neither courageous nor brilliant generals but lucky ones, and, in his latest managerial reincarnation at least, Hodgson looks like being one of those.

He might claim his decision to send on Carlos Vela and James Morrison, who combined to cancel out Jamie O’Hara’s goal and draw the first Black Country derby ever fought out at Premier League level, was a managerial masterstroke.

But Vela’s strike two minutes into stoppage time came from a rebound when an otherwise impressive Wayne Hennessey spilled Morrison’s speculative shot. This was not planned or preordained, but really, really lucky for West Brom and their new manager, and the Hawthorns celebrated it as though they had just dealt Wolverhampton Wanderers a death blow.

Mick McCarthy, the Wolves manager, was left licking his wounds and said he was satisfied with a mere point, but it all seemed a bit false. Like overcooked pasta, Wolves remain stuck to the bottom of the Premier League, and West Brom are within touching distance of the relegation zone.

“When you equalise late in the game you feel happy, but when I look back on this in a few days I won’t feel so good,” Hodgson surmised.

The reality is that both teams demonstrated the kind of limitations which are sure to see at least one of them sent back to the Championship at the end of the season – a failure to convert the simplest of chances and the type of incompetent defending which creates them. West Brom have not kept a clean sheet since August.

Three training sessions are not enough to sort out such defensive shortcomings even for a coach of Hodgson’s experience, and Wolves found a way through just before the break when Kevin Doyle was body-checked outside the area by Gabriel Tamas.

Nenad Milijas had the wherewithal to use the free kick to square the ball to O’Hara, who struck first time with his left foot from the edge of the area into the top corner.

Hodgson said that one of his players – he would not name names – should have been level with the ball to cut off Milijas’s pass, but vaguely explained that Wolves, “through their organisation, managed to get rid of that player”. But he added that “there is not a goal scored where there is not a mistake”.

By rights Wolves should have taken a two-goal lead. Quite how Matt Jarvis did not provide Wolves with their second soon after the interval, only he knows. Tamas tried to head back to Boaz Myhill and failed spectacularly, leaving Jarvis to nip in for the simple task of volleying home. He scuffed wide.

If that was bad, Marc-Antoine Fortuné’s attempt to equalise soon after was pitiful. Peter Odemwingie found his team-mate just yards from goal and Fortuné only had to smack the ball from point-blank range past Hennessey. Instead the striker ended up hitting nothing but clean air. You don’t get much more incompetent than that.

Hodgson shook his head in disgust, and introduced Vela and Morrison. The latter sent a low shot at Hennessey, and the Welshman spilled the ball straight to Vela, who tapped in. The away support lobbed a smoke bomb – apparently smuggled into the ground inside a cuddly toy — into the Millennium corner, but the Hawthorns erupted in relief. Their new man has lady luck on his side.

Labels: Albion, Bromwich, Carlos, gives, grounds, Hodgson, lucky, strike, Telegraphcouk, Velaaposs

Hodgson’s first fixture in charge was spoiled by Jamie O’Hara’s goal a few minutes before half-time, but the Baggies showed commitment and created a host of opportunities to level up the game.

He told reporters: “They managed in some way with their organisation to get rid of the player who in my opinion should have been square of the ball, and O’Hara got his shooting chance.

“But there is not a goal scored that is not a mistake. Every goal is a mistake.”

The former Liverpool manager watched his new side score three times to put them in the lead against West Ham United with Michael Appleton temporarily at the helm, before Hodgson’s official appointment.

“Of course I have been encouraged by what I have found. I did a session on Monday and a session on Thursday and Friday,” he said.

“So I don't really feel at the moment that I really know all I should know about this group of players.

“But that's a no brainer, how could you?  When you come into a club with only 12 games to go how can you possibly know enough. I'm learning as I go and I’m having to learn very quickly.

“I'm desperately hoping the players are too, because we don't have a lot of time. I thought today there were an awful lot of encouraging signs but I am still looking forward to the time I’m going to get with them on the training ground when we can hone what we do.

“It doesn't really feel like I’ve been away that much if I'm perfectly honest. The dugout’s been my home for so long now, I'd have to be away from it a lot longer to feel like I'd missed it.

The Baggies have struggled since the start of 2011 and sit just above the relegation zone.  Having picked up a single point against Mick McCarthy’s side, they now sit in 17th spot of the Premier League.

Asked about Carlos Vela on loan from Arsenal, he said: “[He is]a good loan signing that's for sure.

“It was nice today that he could come on, look very lively and score a goal. You need to be a goalscorer to be in the right position.

“And actually the ball came back at him very quickly and he got his feet adjusted. I’ve seen those chances missed.

“So I'm very pleased with him but most importantly of all I'm pleased with the team’s performance.

“Today there aren't any players that I'd criticise and say they didn't do their very best for the team.

“I was certainly happy to see the equaliser. But if you mean am I happy because I didn't think [we] deserved any better then no.

“I thought we deserved better. I thought that the performance throughout was good. I thought that we laid siege for long periods on the Wolves goal.

“But we know they defend well and all credit to them. They are not an easy team to break down. If ever a team worked hard for an equaliser, asked plenty of questions and forced good
saves and blocks then it was us.

“In the end I suppose when you equalise that late in a game, I suppose you do have that feeling of happiness but I am pretty certain that when I think back on Tuesday or Wednesday I won't be as happy as I am at this moment in time.

“It told me there is fighting spirit among them, there is a lot of determination and character. You need that when you play against teams of Wolves calibre.

“If you don't stand up, don't win your share of challenges, you don't make certain that you are prepared to give as much effort, commitment and hard work as they do then you lose games.

“I thought we matched them very well in that area.

“They scored a great goal and had a very good chance from a missed back pass but apart from that Myhill had a quiet afternoon but I don't think we can say that about Hennessey."

Striker Marc-Antoine Fortune did not feature on the score–sheet and missed a good opportunity in the 63rd minute, but Hodgson still found praise for his player's work off the ball.

“It’s unfortunate for him because he did a very good job for the team today. His target play was excellent, his selfless running, his work off the ball,” he said.

“But what’s going to be remembered is the one or two goal chances he did well enough to get into position for but he didn't put them away.

“He is anything other than happy because he wants to score goals and he realises that the fans will only judge him on goals scored.”

Labels: against, deserved, Goalcom, Hodgson, Wolves

West Brom head coach Roy Hodgson has warned he does not have any "magic words" to offer the team ahead of Sunday's crucial Black Country derby.

Instead, new boss Hodgson is hoping that "persistent training" will provide the key to success as West Brom look to turn around their form.

Hodgson said: "You live through bad football results, and hopefully you try to put them behind you and you try to analyse why it was a bad result. Then you try to work hard to make certain that you're better prepared next time to get good results."

He added: "I think that the best way to work psychologically with players is to make sure your training sessions challenge them and that you give them plenty to think about.

"That there's a few magic words that someone can come in and say to a team and their problems are dispelled, and all the sadness of recent weeks suddenly disappears, for me is a complete myth."

Hodgson was clear on how he can improve the team.

"Persistent training," he said. "For me, football from Sunday to the next Saturday is rehearsal."

The former Switzerland boss added that the current stage of the season limits opportunities for a quick fix.

He said: "A large factor which we can do nothing about now is the area of recruitment, making certain that you have the right type of players, with the right mental attitude and with the skills.

"There's only a limited amount of training we can do at the moment without running the risk of tiring the players out and leaving a lot of what we want to bring out into the game on Sunday out on the training field."

Labels: Association, Hodgson, Press, relying, words

West Bromwich Albion have installed Roy Hodgson as their No1 choice to take over from the sacked Roberto Di Matteo, although they would appear to have plenty of work to do before he could be persuaded to take the job as the manager.

The Midlands club, who have placed the coach Michael Appleton in caretaker charge ahead of the relegation crunch match against West Ham United at The Hawthorns on Saturday, are also keen to talk to Chris Hughton, as they prepare to take the decision upon which their Premier League survival could hinge.

Hodgson and Hughton are both out of work, having been sacked by Liverpool and Newcastle United respectively, and the former has the added advantage of 35 years of managerial experience. Although Hodgson endured a disastrous time at Liverpool his work at Fulham, where he initially helped them to stave off relegation before building them up to greater heights, he has been noted by the Albion board of directors.

The worry for Albion is whether Hodgson can be convinced that they represent his most attractive route back into the game. Moreover, the chairman, Jeremy Peace, is known for keeping a tight grip on the purse strings and Hodgson might prove too expensive for him.

Hughton would seem a more viable option and so might Appleton, who hopes to audition successfully for the post against West Ham. To his mind, it is his job to lose and he hopes to have not only the West Ham game but also the one against Wolverhampton Wanderers thereafter. He has held his first meetings with the backroom and sports science staffs to outline preparations for the visit of West Ham.

Appleton, a former Manchester United and West Bromwich midfielder, whose playing career was cut short by injury, has been coaching at The Hawthorns for five years and, crucially, he has the respect of the players. He is also well regarded by the club's hierarchy, who appreciate that he has turned down the opportunity to leave for other posts on no fewer than seven occasions.

Appleton can look to the Blackburn Rovers manager, Steve Kean, for inspiration. Kean, who had coached at Ewood Park, was promoted from within by the club's owners after the sacking of Sam Allardyce and after he spent a brief period as the caretaker manager.

Albion have dismissed suggestions that the dismissal of Di Matteo on Sunday morning was knee-jerk. The team's results had been poor over a period of time – they are on a run of 13 defeats in 18 matches – while questions had also been asked about the Italian's man-management style.

The club maintain that they have at open mind over the search for his successor, with nothing as yet set in stone. One option under consideration is the appointment of a fire-fighter on a short-term contract until the end of the season, with the brief to keep the team in the Premier League. One manager who can be discounted is Allardyce, who was never an option for Peace, while Steve McClaren, sacked by Wolfsburg, would not be interested in the vacancy.

Labels: Albion, Bromwich, Chris, Guardian, Hodgson, Hughton, manager, wanted