Bristol Rovers football chief Lennie Lawrence has backed Fulham's appointment of Roy Hodgson as new manager.

Ahead of their FA Cup replay, Lawrence said: "It's a great appointment. Roy's one of the world's 20 best coaches. I know all the managers and he's a top man. He's outstanding in his single-mindedness and ability to improve players individually and collectively.

"Look at his record. He took Switzerland to the World Cup in 1994 and qualified for Euro 96 with them. He's been at Inter Milan. He lasted longer with the Emirates than anybody else in their history and he gained more points for Finland in a qualifying group that had Poland, Portugal and Serbia in it than England got in theirs.

"People might say not a lot seems to have happened at Fulham in his first month, but you've got to give him time to change a situation that hasn't been right. And he had to play Arsenal and Chelsea. The position he's inherited is extremely difficult and it'll be one of the performances of his career if he keeps them up. But he needs to get a win on the board, doesn't he, the old chap?"