So little more than a month since he was sacked by Liverpool after enduring a torturous six months at Anfield Roy Hodgson is back in football management with West Bromwich Albion.
On the face of it a club such as the Baggies seem a good fit. They are a similar size to Fulham, whom the 63-year-old took from the verge of relegation to mid-table security and on a European journey that ended in extra-time defeat to Atlético Madrid in the Europa League final, and West Brom fans will be delighted if Hodgson replicates the league placing alone.
Eyebrows were raised when Roberto Di Matteo was sacked last Sunday, but the decision – hasty on the face of it – at least gives Hodgson enough time to stamp his influence and tactics on the squad and perhaps instil some rigidity in the second worst defence in the league.
Hodgson will also need to get Peter Odemwingie firing again. The striker's form was instrumental in the Baggies' rising as high as fourth in the autumn and his goals are largely why West Brom have managed to absorb a run of seven defeats in their previous nine league matches without sinking to the very bottom. They currently reside a place above the relegation zone on 26 points, but have a game in hand and a number of clubs within reach above them.
But questions will be asked of Hodgson's ability to recover from his disastrous time at Liverpool, in which supporters picked holes in his defensive tactics, bizarre dealings with the media, inability to win away from home, and heaped more pressure on to his ageing shoulders than he has likely ever had to incur.
Is he the right man for the Baggies? Or would Chris Hughton, who was the favourite for the job on Thursday, have been a better, more energetic option?
