Roy admits Dalglish troubles

Roy Hodgson admits the presence of Kenny Dalglish made his job at Liverpool difficult as he prepares his West Brom side to face his former employers.

Hodgson was replaced by Dalglish in January after overseeing the worst start to a Premier League season in Liverpool's history

Dalglish claimed earlier this week that Hodgson had nothing to prove after his disappointing spell at the helm at Anfield.

However, Hodgson believes his position was not helped by the fact that Reds legend Dalglish openly admitted he wanted the manager's job prior to his appointment.

Hodgson believes Dalglish's shadow hung over him at Anfield leading to calls from fans for his head following bad results.

"It's difficult to compete with icons," admitted Hodgson.

"I came to the right club, perhaps I didn't come at the right time because Kenny did make it clear at that time that he wanted the job.

"But the people who were making the decisions at that time decided to go for me, and of course as a result that left Kenny in a difficult position because he is one who wanted the job.

"So when things didn't go well, having him in the background wasn't easy and wouldn't have been easy for any coach.

"But that's such an obvious statement and that happens at virtually every football club, to be quite honest.

"There's always someone in the wings who's a little bit of an icon and who's ready to take over if the results don't go that way."

"Again I can only repeat I have nothing negative to say about the club or my time at the club other than it would have been nice to have won a few more games.

"My time at Liverpool is over, I'm very happy in my job here.

"I am disappointed of course I didn't get the full three years which i was hoping for at Liverpool but I have been in football long enough to know that is what sometimes happens especially when there is a change of ownership during your time at the club.

"I was realistic, I knew the risk when I went into the job, I still think it was the right think to do to accept the offer.

"I am still disappointed of course it did not work out in a better way, but I have no regrets or bad feelings about Liverpool as a city, certainly I don't have any bad feelings about the football club and I have only good feelings about the people I worked with there."

Hodgson admits he is unsure of the reception he will get from the travelling Liverpool supporters at the Hawthorns.

"The reaction to my appointment from a large body of the fans was not positive so I don't know if that would have changed now I'm no longer there.

"Whatever the reaction is, we as managers have to accept that and get on with it.

"It would be nice if their response was not a negative one, but if it is, I'll have to learn to live with it.

"Hopefully the West Brom fans will will try to buoy me up in the other direction."

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Terry admits to dividing opinion

EURO 2012 QUALIFIER: WALES v ENGLAND
Venue: Millennium Stadium Date: Saturday 26 March Kick-off: 1500 BST Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC Radio Wales Sport; full text coverage and reports on BBC Sport website; also live on Sky Sports

John Terry has conceded he may not be a widely popular choice following his reinstatement as England captain.

Terry was dropped from the role amid allegations over his private life 13 months ago, but has controversially returned in place of Rio Ferdinand.

"I'm not going to be everybody's cup of tea," stated Chelsea's Terry, who also claimed to be "very much wiser now".

Ferdinand, said to be appalled by boss Fabio Capello's handling of the matter, called Terry to back his leadership.

Ahead of Saturday's Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales in Cardiff, Terry continued: "Rio phoned me, which was a very nice touch and goes to show what a great man he is.

"We had a 10-minute conversation and he wished me well. He cares about England.

"He was naturally disappointed, but said the most important thing was to keep winning."

Lineker fears for England team-spirit

He added: "I feel for Rio. Even though I've got the armband back, I can see myself we've got leaders in dressing room.

"The guys have still got a massive input in and around the dressing room."

Terry lost the England captaincy to Ferdinand in February 2010 after reports he had an affair with the ex-girlfriend of then international team-mate Wayne Bridge.

Despite admitting to dividing opinion, Terry insisted that he has the backing of the whole England squad.

"When the manager confronted the team on the training pitch [to tell them], he asked the players if they had any questions," he added.

"Nobody spoke. Nobody said a word to the manager, nobody said a word to me. Respect for the players around me and the manager has always been there."

Former England captain and Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker said he was "surprised" by Capello's decision to give the captaincy back to Terry.

"It's a bit of a smack in the face for both Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard," Lineker told BBC Radio 5 live.

"You do wonder if that will have an effect on morale in the camp."

But former Chelsea team-mate Michael Ballack, who spent four years at Stamford Bridge after joining the London club in the summer of 2006, rates Terry highly as a skipper.

"If you talk about John Terry I have to protect him because I have had the experience of working with him," the former German captain told BBC Radio 5 live.

"It was always a pleasure. I saw that he did the job really well, the influence he had not just on the pitch but off it as well. He was an absolutely fantastic captain."

Terry said his passion for playing for his country never left him, and insisted that he was ready to deal with the pressure that would come with his re-appointment.

"Naturally, I'd expect nothing less," the Chelsea skipper added.

"I know what is asked of me on the pitch and away from it.

"Maybe the manager looked into that as well, that I had kept my head down and concentrated on playing well for club and country.

"On a personal note, I'm very delighted to get the armband back. People can see that in me, people can see even when I did not have the armband my passion and drive was still there.

"I'm fully fit as well so I'm very much looking forward to continuing staying fit and playing well."

England striker Jermain Defoe said he fully understood close friend Ferdinand's feelings on the captaincy issue.

"Obviously, my heart goes out to Rio," said the Spurs star. "I've known him for years since I was young at West Ham, and he's a great guy, like JT said today.

"It's only normal to be disappointed because to be captain of your country is special.

"At the same time, you've got to be professional and think about the team, and the most important thing is getting results.

"It's important for us now to just move on from this. JT is the captain and that's it. At the end of the day, you need 11 leaders out there."

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