Fulham boss Roy Hodgson is well aware that he knew exactly what he was letting himself into before he took the job. Hodgson knew it would be a tough job keeping Fulham in the Premiership, but remains upbeat after defeating Reading 2-0 last weekend.

“This is The Premier League and if you don’t like that pressure you should never take the job or agree to play in The Premier League,” said Hodgson on the club’s official website. “It’s a fact – it is a pressurised league and when you’re at the bottom the pressure if anything, gets hotter.

“I’m sure that I’m speaking for every coach in the country because I’m sure there are not many teams in The Premier League who are not under some sort of pressure. If you’re Liverpool, Portsmouth, Man City it’s the Champions League and Uefa spots and for about six or seven teams at the bottom it’s the fear of relegation.

“We've got a huge gap looking up, but there will be a few sides looking over their shoulders now at us as well. At this stage of the season teams around the bottom of the table tend to get points.

“You lose a game you get doubted, you win a game and suddenly those doubts disappear. It's not as simple as that. Instead, you must judge things over a longer period of time and I don't think we've been very lucky.”