Odemwingie: Roy saw our potential

Published Apr. 12, 2011 3:16 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Baggies were in the middle of a slump when Hodgson joined after leaving Liverpool, with Albion a team seen in many quarters as candidates for relegation from the top flight. Yet since his arrival in the Midlands, Hodgson has led the team to three wins and three draws, form that has seen them steadily rise up the table. Now sitting 10th in the table, Odemwingie was quick to praise the impact the veteran boss has had since joining the club. "We had the difficult period but then there was a sense of urgency," he told the Birmingham Mail. "Everyone knew we were going to lose out if we didn't stay up and that made everyone really concentrate on the job in training and in games. "And with his character the manager makes it clear that's the only way and that is paying off now and everyone is working hard. "If he can see potential, he is a coach that has worked with several of the big teams. "He is experienced and if he feels we have the fundamentals that he can build on that means he sees some quality in the team. Maybe he saw that and calculated that he can achieve something. "It's obvious from the team spirit that he is a stronger person and he's really got everyone knuckled down in training and working hard and that transfers into a good performance in the game. "We're getting more confidence game after game and we know that is key to these victories."