Roy Hodgson calls for resilience

Roy Hodgson has demanded strong minds and resilience as he launches his Albion rescue mission.

The new Baggies boss will kick off his Hawthorns reign in the cauldron of tomorrow's Premier League's first Black Country derby at home to Wolves - the bitter rivals' first top-flight meeting since 1984.

And head coach Hodgson today admitted the 12-game quest to save Albion from relegation will test the character of his under-pressure squad to the limit.

"In a situation like this, when you're looking over your shoulder all the time knowing if you don't take points it makes your position more precarious, it takes very strong-minded people," said the 63-year-old.

"You need strong-minded characters and you need people who have got resilience to give it absolutely all they've got, but also to get over a bad result and not take it into the next game and exacerbate the problem."

But Hodgson backed his side to handle the intensity of tomorrow's derby encounter with a Wolves team who would jump out of the bottom three and plunge Albion into the drop zone if they won by more than one goal.

"There are a few players at this club with enough Premier League experience to cope," said Hodgson.

"Most Premier League games these days are quite vociferous occasions and I would be very disappointed if the players didn't handle that."

Hodgson has inherited a side reeling from 13 defeats in 19 Premier League matches as well as last Saturday's second-half horror show against West Ham where they thre away a three-goal lead.

But the former Liverpool and Fulham chief insisted there is no 'magic wand' to repair battered belief.

"I don't think there are magic words that dismiss sad moments," he said.

Hodgson will take charge without key midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu (hamstring) but the rest of his players are available after Steven Reid (knee) and Marek Cech (ankle) returned to training.