West Brom boss Roy Hodgson believes the abuse he and Blackburn boss Steve Kean have received “makes you stronger” as he prepares for tomorrow’s vital Barclays Premier League clash.
Kean has been public enemy number one with some Rovers fans for a large part of the season, while Hodgson experienced a similar scenario when in charge of Liverpool before being sacked 15 months ago.
But Rovers are still in contention to avoid relegation ahead of Saturday’s meeting at The Hawthorns, while the Baggies need to halt a run of four games without a win after appearing safe from the drop a month ago.
Hodgson said: “I’ve been very impressed with Steve Kean because it is not easy when everything seems to be going against you and you are facing demonstrations.
“It is not easy each game when you are hearing your name being shouted in a derogatory way. It is not easy to put all that aside and keep your concentration and focus where it needs to be.
“If they survive this season, it will make him and the club a lot stronger and I’m sure he will get all the credit he deserves for conducting himself so well in difficult circumstances.
“I experienced something similar recently at Liverpool where we weren’t doing very well and the crowd were clearly displeased with my appointment and the way things were going at the club.
“I think it makes you stronger. It certainly tests you out, it tests your powers of diplomacy and your powers of patience and tolerance in the face of very unpleasant questioning or unpleasant chanting.”
Hodgson wants his Albion players to ensure they stay well above the bottom three – they are currently eight points clear – for the finale of the season.
He said: “We should be safe. We’d like to get more points, but realistically it is not easy to make up eight points in seven games.
“We would have to go on a really bad run of losing virtually every game to make it a danger. It is up to us to ensure we don’t go on that run of seven or eight games without a win.
“We need to make sure we get a win and some points along the way, and those points added to the ones we’ve got should see us safe, but we are not taking anything for granted.
“There is no question of believing we are safe until it is much more mathematically certain than at the moment.”
Hodgson rejects the theory that Albion have eased up after a trio of wins appeared to ensure a third successive season of top-flight football.
He said: “You are always going to leave yourselves open as a team to that criticism of easing up if you don’t follow up three wins with a result in the next four games.
“The first in that spell was against the wounded Manchester United after being knocked out of the Europa League.
“We did okay at Wigan and got a point, but we slipped up at home against Newcastle and lost at Everton.
“I’d like to think and be able to say categorically that it is not to do with complacency, it’s not to do with the fact we’ve found ourselves virtually safe.
“All I can assure is our fans is I certainly haven’t got complacent and the work we do in training is every bit as focused and orientated towards the games as it has always been.”
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