Born Aug. 9, 1947 in Croydon, England. MAKING HIS NAME After successful coaching jobs in Sweden and Switzerland, Hodgson took over the Swiss national team in 1992 and led them to the 1994 World Cup, losing just one qualifying match. The Swiss finished runners-up in their group before losing to Spain in the next round. After qualifying for Euro 96, Hodgson left for a two-year stint at Italian Serie A giants Inter Milan in 1995 where he led them to the 1997 UEFA Cup final. ROVERS SACKING He returned to England at the end of that season to manage former Premier League champions Blackburn Rovers, helping them to UEFA Cup qualification in his first campaign. However in the second, Hodgson's expensively assembled squad flopped and he was sacked in December 1998. The following year he enjoyed a brief return to Inter as caretaker manager before heading back to Switzerland with Grasshoppers for a year. Hodgson spent the next six years managing sides in Italy and Norway as well as two international stints, firstly with the United Arab Emirates in 2002 and Finland in 2005, where he narrowly missed out on Euro 2008 qualification. FAIRYTALE TO NIGHTMARE Having been named on several occasions as an outsider for the England national job, Hodgson returned home with Premier League strugglers Fulham in December 2007. He received great praise for narrowly avoiding relegation on the final day of the campaign before achieving an unlikely seventh place finish and Europa League spot the following season. Hodgson's side went on to enjoy a fairytale season in 2009-2010, finishing runners-up to Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final - their first major European final appearance. His exploits earned him the League Manager of the Year award and led to his appointment at Liverpool in July 2010. His time at Anfield was disappointing, with the team winning just seven of 20 Premier League games and the manager losing the backing of the majority of Liverpool fans. Hodgson was sacked in January 2011 with the 2009 Premier League runners-up 12th in the table, 19 points behind leaders Manchester United. WEST BROMWICH ALBION Hodgson did not have to wait long for a return to management. He was appointed boss at Premier League West Bromwich Albion in February 2011 following the sacking of Roberto Di Matteo. Hodgson's arrival provided a much-needed boost for the Midlands club who rallied to finish the 2010-11 season 11th in the table. Hodgson's second season at West Brom was solid if unspectacular but three wins in five Premier League games in April lifted them up to 10th in the table. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter: @AO Sports)
