Hughes upset at timing of Hodgson appointment

Mark Hughes has expressed his dismay over the timing of the Football Association bringing in Roy Hodgson as England manager.

West Brom are set to face Queens Park Rangers’ relegation rivals Bolton on Sunday and the Welshman believes the Baggies’ players may become slack, possibly giving Bolton an unfair advantage.

“It’s fine margins that we are talking about,” said Hughes.

“‘m sure Roy won’t tolerate anything other than a professional performance from his players. But subconsciously, maybe, it takes a little bit of the edge off them. It is a possibility that wouldn’t have been there if they had done it 10 days later.

“They could possibly have kept it under wraps until all the league games were out of the way and the issues that needed to be concluded were finalised.

“I would like to think and hope it will not impact on West Brom’s performance. I would like to think they will go out and work exceptionally hard for their manager who has done a fantastic job.”

The former Manchester City boss not only expressed concern for his side but also for the teams who are pushing for a Champions League spot.

“Albion’s last game is against Arsenal, so it has consequences on Champions League places as well,” Hughes said.

Hughes was keen to focus on his own side’s game against Stoke this weekend and believes that two victories from their final two games will steer his side to top-flight safety.

“It’s a huge game. We understand totally the significance of it, given our position and the position of the teams around us,” he said.

“We need to get maximum points. If we play as well as we did against Arsenal and Tottenham and Swansea, we will be fine because of the intensity we have shown. And with the support we get from the home fans, we have a real chance of getting maximum points.

“I watched Bolton’s game against Spurs in midweek. You can either take the dog for a long walk and look at your phone later or you put yourselves through it and go through all the emotions. But with them losing, it’s now in our own hands.”