Kenny Dalglish: Roy Hodgson has nothing to prove when Liverpool face West Brom

FA Cup – Manchester United vs Liverpool, Kenny Dalglish(Getty Images)

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Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish believes that West Brom boss Roy Hodgson has nothing to prove when the two sides meet each other at the Hawthorns on Saturday.

The former Fulham boss endure an indifferent spell at Anfield, which saw the club plunge into the relegation zone at one point.

But having parted ways with the Reds earlier in the season – with Dalglish coming in as his replacement – the Merseyside club have resurrected their season and are now chasing a European spot.

And ahead of the meeting with the Baggies, the Scot believes Hodgson’s inglorious time at Liverpool is not necessarily a measure of the man’s skill in his trade.

“Roy hasn’t got anything to prove to anybody,” Dalglish told reporters. “If you say he has extra motivation then you are doubting the man’s integrity and implying he never had enough motivation before.

“It’s Liverpool versus West Brom and we’ll face a team that has been prepared by Roy. I don’t have a problem with that. It’ll be nice to see him again.”

He added: “West Brom were tough to beat here when Roberto Di Matteo was in charge. They played very well here. We won 1-0 but it was a very difficult game.

“Roy brings his own management style to the club and they have done well since he went in there. We are looking forward to the game and it will be nice to see Roy again.

“I have great respect for him as I said when I came in here and that isn’t going to change now that we are playing against each other.

“So for me, the game is about Liverpool against West Brom and that’s the way I’ll go into it. I’ll see an old friend of mine standing in the opposite dugout.

“Everyone knows he’s an excellent coach so we know what to expect. We know how they will play so it’s up to us to be better than them on the day.”