Thursday May 13^th, 2010. Everyone loves Roy Hodgson. The England manager-in-waiting has just seen his Fulham side fall valiantly at the final hurdle in their attempt to pull of a glorious Europa League win and his stock is as higher than it has ever been in his homeland. Finally, after thirty four years and a managerial tour taking in eight countries, Roy has gained the respect he clearly felt he deserved.

Saturday January 8^th, 2011. Roy Hodgson is unceremoniously booted out of Anfield’s back door. Only three days earlier his Liverpool side capitulated to a 3-1 defeat against a poor Blackburn side and so ends the shortest managerial reign in Liverpool’s long history. A thirty one game spell which yielded just thirteen wins. Though he still has friends in the national media, and though calls remain for Fabio Capello’s head, few are now talking of Hodgson as a candidate to be his replacement.

It has been a long year for Roy Hodgson. When he took the Liverpool job, less than two months after his Fulham side had tasted defeat at the hands of Atlético, there was much talk of it being a just reward for a man of his experience and dignity. There was a feeling, amongst those outside the club that what Liverpool needed in a time of such stress was a man of such honour to ‘steady the ship’ and that all Roy needed was a chance to prove himself at the very highest level.

Of course, it all played out very differently indeed. While Roy talked of being influenced by the Liverpool team of the 1970s and wanting his side to play the sort of high tempo, passing game that made the club famous, what fans were treated to, week in, week out, was the sight of Fernando Torres and David N’Gog chasing down long balls into the channels.

He spoke of a 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park having been “as good as we’ve played all season”, described a 1-0 victory at Bolton, thanks to a late Maxi Rodrígez effort as “a famous win”, criticised both the players and the fans and managed to quickly turn against him even those few Liverpool supporters who had been in favour of his appointment.

When Hodgson left Melwood for the final time, swiftly replaced by the man whose name the Kop had chanted, his reputation, both as a coach and as a man of dignity had taken some heavy blows. The fact that he had been fêted as one of England’s best managers” seemed a distant memory.

Those questions still hung over him when, five weeks later, he was appointed as Roberto Di Matteo’s successor at West Brom. Taking over at a side who had carved themselves a niche as the entertainers of the lower reaches of the league initially seemed an odd fit for someone who had proven himself set in rigid and uninspiring ways.

Five wins, five draws and thirteen games later it seemed anything but odd. Hodgson galvanised the West Brom squad, taking them from seventeenth place – outside the relegation zone on only goal difference – to eleventh and their highest finish since the 1982/83 season. However, contrary to expectation, it wasn’t shutting up shop and grinding out wins that saw Hodgson and West Brom climb the table.

Under Di Matteo, the Baggies had struggled to score goals, managing just thirty one in twenty five games – at an average of just 1.24 per game. Under Hodgson, they scored twenty five in just thirteen, averaging 1.92 per game (compared to the 1.20 that Hodgson had managed in twenty league matches at Liverpool and 1.01 in ninety five at Fulham). They did improve defensively, dropping from an average of 1.92 goals per game conceded to 1.76, but it was undoubtedly the attacking side of West Brom’s game that benefited the most.

On three occasions they scored three goals in a game under Hodgson (against Birmingham, Sunderland and Newcastle), whilst they managed two each in draws with Arsenal and Tottenham and in victories over Aston Villa and Liverpool. There is simply no doubt that West Brom played, rather than defended, their way out of trouble.

Still there remained an expectation that Roy would return to a more dour game in his first full season, but in the opening game against Manchester United his side once again tried to play some football. They lined up in what was unmistakably a 4-2-3-1 formation with striker Shane Long often dropping deep, taking the majority of his touches in the midfield third and linking up particularly well with James Morrison and Somen Tchoyi. It wasn’t exactly Arsenal or Barcelona levels of passing football but neither was it the drudgery that Liverpool fans had paid to watch for six months.

Indeed, had he played anything like that sort of game during his time at Anfield, his reign would not have been such an abject failure. It seems incongruous that he forced Liverpool’s players into a formation so entirely unsuited to their players, yet allowed far more freedom to those he managed at West Brom. Perhaps it is evidence that an old dog can most certainly learn new tricks.

With Capello set to leave his post at the European Championship next summer, Hodgson is once again being talked about as his replacement. There is no doubt that he wants the job, he recently confirmed as much, saying “I’ve said that I’m English [and] a great admirer of the English national team. I think it’s the most important job in the country for English football. If I can give it serious thought, I would be happy.” And now, having learned the lessons from his time at Liverpool, having begun to marry more of an enterprising game to his defensive organisation, perhaps he is a better candidate than ever to take England on towards the World Cup.

One thing, however, is certain. It’s okay to love Roy again.