No complacency as Hodgson celebrates first year at Fulham

Roy Hodgson celebrates a remarkable first full year in charge of Fulham when his side meet Blackburn on Saturday but knows there will be little time to bask in his achievements.

The former Inter Milan coach took charge at Craven Cottage after Lawrie Sanchez left in December 2007 with the south-west London club languishing 19th in the Premier League table and hot favourites for relegation.

A slow start compounded the Cottagers’ situation but an incredible late run of form culminated in the west London club preserving its top-flight status with a last-day win over Portsmouth.

Hodgson’s team brought their confidence into the new season and now occupy ninth place in the league with a game in hand over most of their rivals, although that may yield little as it against champions Manchester United.

One slight concern for the former Switzerland national team manager has been the goalscoring form of summer signing Andy Johnson, but the former Everton hitman will be confident after scoring twice in the Londoners’ 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup last weekend.

“We’re on a good run at the moment, but we can’t go the rest of the season without losing, it could happen at the weekend if we’re not careful,” the former Birmingham striker warned.

“We have to make sure we train right and prepare like we’ve prepared for every single game so far this season.

“You can’t get ahead of yourself in this division because you can win two or three on the bounce then you can lose two or three,” the England international told the club’s official website.

Much of the Londoners’ success is down to their formidable form at home, where they have lost only once, the third best record in the league.

Saturday’s fixture will have added poignancy as it comes against Blackburn, a club where Hodgson spent an unsuccessful year almost a decade ago.

This weekend’s visitors to Craven Cottage find themselves second to bottom in the league with a recently-appointed manager, echoing the predicament of their hosts at this time last year.

The arrival of former Bolton manager Sam Allardyce following the sacking of Paul Ince has seen an upturn in fortunes for the Lancashire club but whether this will be sustained remains to be seen.

A first away league win since September 27 would give Rovers something to build on as they look to extend their unbeaten run under their new boss to four games.

Allardyce is expected to be a busy man during the January transfer window as he not only looks to add to his squad but also tries to prevent his star players from leaving.

Rovers confirmed on Thursday that they had turned down Manchester City’s latest bid for Paraguayan striker Roque Santa Cruz, but the lure of playing for the world’s richest club and being reunited with former manager Mark Hughes could yet prove irresistible.

Allardyce will also have to ensure his new charges do not repeat the mistakes made in their last meeting with City, in which they they conceded two goals in the final two minutes to throw away what would have been a valuable victory.