The Baggies are unbeaten in five games under Hodgson, and moved into 13th place in the table League after their 2-1 over Liverpool on Saturday. The team have amassed 36 points so far, the same total that saw Hodgson's Fulham side escape the drop on the last day of the 2007/8 season. Yet despite this run, Hodgson has not targeted a top-10 finish. "I've never even given it a thought," he said. "What, for me, needs to be out of the question is West Bromwich Albion being relegated. Everything else is of little interest. "Since I've been here, people quite often refer to the survival with Fulham, which I am really proud of and really happy with. "That was done on goal difference, but it doesn't make the fact that we did it any less sweet." West Brom take on Sunderland on Saturday, with the Black Cats in freefall having picked up just one point from their last seven league games. Despite the teams' differing recent fortunes, Hodgson has warned his players not to let confidence spill over into complacency. He said: "I think the team is showing confidence, and I think they rightly show confidence because recently we've done quite well. "You've got to be very careful because it can so quickly turn around, so I think we should enjoy what's gone on but we shouldn't in any way allow it to anaesthetise us with the matches that we've got ahead. "We've got seven to play and they're all going to be very, very tough fixtures. "It's better going into the game with a bit of confidence, but unfortunately that doesn't necessarily help you to win it. "What helps you to win it is your performance on the day." Thirty six points has been enough to keep a team in the Premier League in each of the last three seasons, but due to the tight nature of the division this year, Hodgson is bracing himself for a much higher minimum points total. "In most years, a target of 40 points is normally good enough," he said. "But it's not a rule, it's not written in stone and if to stay in the league you need more points than you'd better get them. "This could definitely be a year, I think, where more than 40 points will be necessary because there are so many teams between 32 and 38 at the moment. "With seven games left to play, you could see many of those teams getting beyond the 40 mark."
