Roy Hodgson Takes Over at West Brom in the Hope of Getting England Call

Ex-Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has taken over from Roberto Di Matteo as manager of West Bromwich Albion after the Italian was sacked following a disastrous run of results that saw the Baggies lose 13 of their last 18 games. It will be the 63-year-old's 21st management job in a football career that has spanned 46 years.

The move back into the dugout for has come much quicker than anyone expected, including Hodgson. From being unceremoniously sacked by Liverpool after just six months it was assumed by the watching football world that the well liked manager would take a well deserved break from the game.

However, it would seem that his desire to succeed Fabio Capello as England manager next summer after the Euro 2012 finals would be the main catalyst to a quick return to the game.

Premier League Sack Race: Odds for Every Manager, Hodgson-Wenger-Mancini-Ancelotti-Grant

Who will be the next manager to get the sack in the English Premier League? Are Avram Grant’s days numbered? Does Wenger have to win a trophy? Can Roy Hodgson turn Liverpool around?

You wait around all season for the first EPL manager to be sacked and then two happen within the space of a week.

Chris Hughton’s and Sam Allardyce’s removals were both strange to say the least, as neither man was doing what would normally be considered as a bad job.

Whichever way you look at it, the money is the owners at the end of the day and they have the right to decide upon who takes the key roles in their organisation.

In the end, they make their own beds and have to lie in them…

Here we take a look at the odds for each manager and assess whose job is safe, or not.

Where To Next for Shay Given, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United or Spurs?

Roberto Mancini has confirmed that Shay Given will be free to leave Manchester City. There is no doubting that the Irishman is one of the best 'keepers in the league, but who will he go to? Arsenal? Liverpool? Manchester United? Tottenham Hotspur?Fulham? Or maybe even Newcastle?

"Seven-Man" United Come Undone Against Fulham and the Title Race Is Back On

Manchester United gave Liverpool every chance to get back into the title hunt with an inept display against Fulham at Craven Cottage today. After the manner of the defeat to Liverpool last weekend, Alex Ferguson saw fit to recall his "old" guns to the team only to be let down by Paul Scholes who was sent off.

Wayne Rooney, who had come on as a substitute for the deplorable Dimitar Berbatov, was also sent off while United were losing 2-0 and with that went any chance of result...

Manager of the Year 2008: Roy Hodgson

Exactly one year ago, Roy Hodgson took over as Fulham manager after Lawrie Sanchez's ill fated run. The team were in disarray and were conceding goals at an alarming rate and relegation looked a foregone conclusion. And just to rub salt in their wounds, Roy Hodgson found himself taking over on the verge of the crunch tie with Chelsea, a match that saw Fulham sink to even lower depths after a 2-1 defeat.

Move forward a year, and Fulham sit comfortably in mid-table. They are unbeaten in seven games, only Manchester United have conceded fewer goals and today they dealt a massive blow to Chelsea's title ambitions by claiming a 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage, a real fortress under Hodgson.

EPL Game 13: Fulham 2-1 Tottenham: Spurs Unbeaten Run Comes to an End

Tottenham Hotspur's recent revival under Harry Redknapp was halted at Craven Cottage today as Fulham won a pulsating match by a score of 2-1.


Ex-Spurs player Simon Davies came back to haunt his old club with an innocuous shot that the error-prone Heurlelho Gomes fumbled into the back of the net. Andy Johnson added a close range second before Fraizer Campbell scored a late goal to give Spurs some hope.