Dalglish expects warm welcome for Hodgson

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish is convinced Roy Hodgson will be well received when he returns to Anfield for the first time on Sunday.

The former Fulham manager spent an unhappy eight months on Merseyside in 2010, ending in a dismissal that brought about Dalglish’s dramatic return to the club he had left 20 years earlier.

Whilst the Scot presided over an upturn in results at Anfield, Hodgson went on to guide West Brom clear of the relegation zone.

Speaking to reporters at the club’s training ground, Dalglish said: “It will be good to see Roy. To see him back at Anfield – obviously we’ve played them down there already – will be good and I’m sure he’ll get a warm reception from the supporters.

“He’s a man with real integrity and dignity and he tried his best for this football club. I’m sure the supporters will respect that.

“As a person I respect him tremendously so he’ll get a warm welcome from us.”

Dalglish also spoke of his admiration for what Hodgson has achieved with the Midlands club, with West Brom now sitting comfortably in mid-table despite having been tipped for relegation.

“He’s done very well (at West Brom). He’s a good coach and manager. He’s got a lot of experience behind him,” he said.

“Last year at West Brom he kept them up, this year they’ve easily stayed up.”

Liverpool were victorious in the last clash between the two sides this season, winning 2-0 at the Hawthorns thanks to goals from Charlie Adam and Andy Carroll.

And Dalglish is hoping to claim another win and build on the momentum Liverpool have gained from beating Everton in their FA Cup semi-final last weekend.

“There is always a good feel around and about the football club,” Dalglish told the club’s official website.

“Melwood has always been a nice place to come and work since I’ve come in and the positive result we got on Saturday puts an extra couple of centimetres on people’s smiles.

“We’ve got our reward for winning in the semi-final against Everton and we want to keep that momentum going.

“We want to try and play as well as we possibly can and get as positive results as we possibly can between now and the end of the season.”