Spot-kick sparks Hodgson fury

Roy Hodgson strongly criticised the decision to award a penalty against his West Brom team after they defeated Bolton 2-1 on Saturday.

Hosts West Brom led through a Jerome Thomas goal in the 16th minute of the English Premier League match at the Hawthorns, before Bolton levelled through Ivan Klasnic’s penalty five minutes later.

It was the second debatable penalty given against West Brom in their last two home matches, after Charlie Adam’s early spot-kick helped Liverpool record a 2-0 win last month.

This time the incident did not cost Hodgson’s team, as Shane Long struck in the second half to restore the lead and secure all three points for the hosts.

But the West Brom manager still questioned the decision of referee Neil Swarbrick to point to the spot following a collision between Thomas and Fabrice Muamba.

“I was furious about the penalty award, just as I was furious about the penalty award for Liverpool,” Hodgson said.

“In my 45 years of football as a player and a coach they aren’t a penalty, that’s the bottom line for me.”

“Unfortunately I think they will continue and I’ll use my 64 years of experience and my CV to justify that that is the way I see it, will see it and I don’t expect to ever get a penalty in a game in that situation. I don’t want to get one.”

“Because once you start getting penalties to decide games in that way the whole game changes.”

“I like the game as it’s been for the last 45 years – that’s the game I know, that’s the game I love. I don’t appreciate this new wave of penalties.”

Bolton manager Owen Coyle was disappointed by his team’s inability to build on a good performance in the opening 45 minutes.

“In the first-half we were terrific and squandered some very good chances, both before West Brom scored and after,” Coyle said.

“But we certainly felt at half-time we had earned a platform to go on and certainly achieve a positive result from the match.”

“I think West Brom to their credit got hold of the ball second half, did very well on it, but my source of frustration is that we need to be performing better in the second half than what we did.”

“For as many individual battles collectively in the first-half that we won, in the second half we didn’t and ultimately we gave West Brom enough time on the ball and they’ve got good players that can pick passes and create chances.”