BLACKBURN Rovers flop boss Roy Hodgson has launched a snide attack on his former club.

The former Switzerland boss was sacked by Rovers in November last season after a disastrous start to the season and dressing room unrest.

After being linked with a number of jobs including the Australian national team, Hodgson recently agreed to take the reigns at Grasshopper Zurich.

But his departure from Ewood Park clearly still rankles.

He said: "It seems to me they are in a situation perhaps 10 times worse then when I was dismissed.

"To be honest, I'm not sure how they're doing at the moment, we don't get the English First Division results in Switzerland."

Hodgson has also defended his decision to pay £7.25 million for Kevin Davies, who was offloaded back to Southampton in a swap deal which saw Norwegian hitman Egil Ostenstad join Brian Kidd's revolution.

Hodgson added: "He was given the opportunity to better himself as a player but didn't take it.

"He simply didn't perform as I, and everyone else, expected him to."

Kidd's more pressing concern, however, was the welfare of his internationals in action this weekend.

The Irish travel to Croatia for a crucial match with Alan Kelly resuming goalkeeping duties, after his excellent display on Wednesay when the Republic beat Yugoslavia 2-1. Even the Yugoslav manager, Vetrulan Boskov, was impressed by the Ewood number two. He said: "Ireland surprised me with the pure football they played but I thought their goalkeeper was magnificent.

"He made some wonderful saves and also organised his defence so well."

Kelly said: "I'm just glad to get the job again. I was pleased with the saves against Yugoslavia - pure reaction things.

"But if we had gone behind that early who knows what would have happened.

"As it was the lads did really well and I just had to keep my concentration in the second half. I didn't think I could do anything about their goal, a great header, but I'd expect to be a bit busier tomorrow."

Lee Carsley is expected to replace the injured Roy Keane in midfield.

Damien Duff and Jeff Kenna are also in contention.

Keith Gillespie is expected to start on the bench as Jon McCarthy starts on the wing for Northern Ireland as Lawrie McMenemy keeps the same side which narrowly lost to France for the game against Turkey at Windsor Park.

Nathan Blake is expected to partner Dean Saunders for Wales in Belarus, in the absence of the injured John Hartson. Anthony Williams - currently on loan at Gillingham - stretches his Welsh all-time record of caps at under 21 level to 15 tonight alongside Ewood team-mate James Thomas.

There is a strong Ewood contingent in the Scotland squad for the game against Bosnia in Sarajevo, with Christian Dailly pencilled in to start as a full back, alongside the central pairing of Colin Hendry and Paul Ritchie.

Callum Davidson is suspended tomorrow but available for Wednesday's game while Craig Brown has still to decide if Kevin Gallacher will have a starting role.

Matt Jansen is not involved with England under 21s against Luxembourg tonight.

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