I Have Nothing to Prove, Insists Hodgson

New Fulham manager Roy Hodgson insists he is ready for the rigors of life in the Premier League after a nine-year absence. The 60-year-old's only previous job in the top flight ended with him leaving Blackburn by mutual consent with Rovers bottom of the table in November 1998.

But now, charged with keeping Fulham in the Premier League following the sacking of Lawrie Sanchez, Hodgson is adamant he is under no extra pressure given that past failure. At his official unveiling, Hodgson was asked if he had to prove his credentials in England. "No. Why should I need to prove myself more here than if I took a job in Germany or Russia or Greece?" he replied. "You always need to prove yourself."

Since his departure from Blackburn, Hodgson has taken charge of the likes of FC Copenhagen, Udinese, United Arab Emirates and, most recently, Finland. "I'm fully prepared," he added. "I haven't been working at a low level where there is no pressure. Quite the opposite. I'm in a similar situation to the foreign coaches who come in."

Hodgson always remained confident he would get another chance in his homeland. "When I was at FC Copenhagen [from 2000-01] I knew I was being strongly linked with England, so there was no reason to believe a job in the Premier League would not be a possibility."

Having watched Fulham's 1-1 draw at Birmingham on Saturday, Hodgson claims his first priority is to get to grips with the current squad rather than hunting for replacements. "The most important thing is to know the squad fully and not just see them playing from the stand," he said. "It's important to work hard with the players here to try to improve the situation. I would like to avoid going out now and making wholesale changes and then finding out the ones we have brought in are no better.

"Like anybody the transfer window is an important time of the year, and if the right type of players come along I know I have the support of the board to move into that market. But at the moment my focus is on [the game against] Chelsea tomorrow."