Is Hodgson back to where he really belongs?

Barely a month after getting the sack from Liverpool, Roy Hodgson's back in the Premier League. Will this be Hodgson's chance to repair his tattered reputation after his disastrous six-month spell at Anfield? Perhaps.

In fact, ironically enough, West Bromwich Albion are languishing just above the relegation zone in the league, much like where Liverpool were under Hodgson. But the similarities end there.

At West Brom, Hodgson's main goal will be to avoid relegation. This, if you remember, wasn't among his initial targets at Liverpool although he later made it the club's biggest priority after acrimoniously leading the Reds to their worst start in over 50 years. While we'll never know if he would have succeeded in keeping Liverpool out of the relegation zone by May 2011, chances are high Hodgson will save the Baggies from the drop.

One of the key reasons for this is the fact that Hodgson has a much better record at mid-table and relegation clubs. Sure, he'll remind everyone of his time at Inter Milan (although he might skip the part about being sacked by the Nerazzuri) but it does seem as though Hodgson's not cut out as a top club manager. The mere fact that Kenny Dalglish has rejuvenated the Reds to sixth place in the Premiership with the same footballers Hodgson had only adds testament to the fact that the Englishman had gotten it all wrong at Anfield. As Daniel Agger put it: "We were s***."

Perhaps it has to do with the fact that players of top flight clubs operate very differently to those in mid-table teams. At a big club like Liverpool (no pun intended Torres), the players are generally accustomed to competing against other top flight clubs in the Premier League instead of the bottom feeders in the league. Being placed above or in the relegation zone can cause severe damage to their confidence and just about anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Only a top-rated manager is capable of placing some confidence back into the squad to get them back to their winning ways much like what Harry Redknapp did with Tottenham when he took over Juande Ramos' disastrous reign.

On the other hand, mid-table clubs and other relegation zone regulars are used to playing for their survival in the Premiership to the point where their league position has no bearing on their confidence or performance. How else can you explain Wolverhamton Wanderer's season thus far? Mick McCarthy's side are currently second from the bottom but are the only club to have beaten Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City this season.

Thus, going by this logic, one can clearly see Hodgson having a much easier time at West Brom than he did at Anfield. And in a way, this is where he belongs.