KD: Roy will get warm reception

Kenny Dalglish believes Roy Hodgson will be afforded a warm reception on Sunday when he returns to Anfield for the first time since leaving his post as manager in January of last year The former Reds coach returns with West Brom, where he was appointed manager shortly after a disappointing half-season on Merseyside. Hodgson saved the Baggies from relegation last term and this season has guided them to a mid-table position. Dalglish told reporters at Melwood: "It will be good to see Roy. To see him back at Anfield - obviously we've played them down there already - will be good and I'm sure he'll get a warm reception from the supporters. "He's a man with real integrity and dignity and he tried his best for this football club. I'm sure the supporters will respect that. "As a person I respect him tremendously so he'll get a warm welcome from us. "He's done very well (at West Brom). He's a good coach and manager. He's got a lot of experience behind him. Last year at West Brom he kept them up, this year they've easily stayed up." Liverpool enter the game having reached the FA Cup final following last Saturday's victory over neighbours Everton. The fans will now return to Wembley on May 5, but will have to contend with a severely disrupted rail network. Asked for his opinion on the problems facing supporters, Dalglish responded: "They're fantastic fans, they'll get there anyway! "Sometimes it's a problem when fans are taken for granted - not just our fans, but any football club. "That's the decision that has been made and it's been made outside of our control. "But we're sure our fans will get there. It could have been made a bit easier for them, but they'll still get there!" Dalglish revealed how the mood at Melwood has been especially cheerful following the derby win in London, and he hopes this will provide the impetus for a winning run in the five remaining league games. "There is always a good feel around and about the football club," said the Scot. "Melwood has always been a nice place to come and work since I've come in and the positive result we got on Saturday puts an extra couple of centimetres on people's smiles. "We've got our reward for winning in the semi-final against Everton and we want to keep that momentum going. "We want to try and play as well as we possibly can and get as positive results as we possibly can between now and the end of the season. "We want the people to be happy and the way we can do that is to work tremendously hard, prepare ourselves as properly as we possibly can and make sure we're in the right frame of mind for the games coming up. "I don't think the boys as a group will get carried away because we've got to a final of the FA Cup. They should be delighted with their achievement but they've got to brush themselves down and get ready for another good performance on Sunday." Meanwhile, Dalglish was asked whether he watched our FA Cup final opponents Chelsea beat Barcelona 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final - and whether he thought the Blues reaching the final would distract them on May 5. "I did watch it," he said. "I don't know (if it will distract them). That's for Chelsea to react to, not us. It was a fantastic result for Chelsea last night and they've put themselves in a strong position."