West Bromwich Albion defender Gareth McAuley admits former manager Roy Hodgson was an enormous help during his debut Premier League season.

Out of everything that he learnt from the England manager the one bit of advice that stood out was Hodgson's advice on tackling.

"The hardest thing as a defender is staying on your feet but I managed to do that (last) season," McAuley told the Sunday Mercury.

"You can't make a rash decision as your first decision.

"It's been tough but a mark of that is that I've played 30-something games for West Brom and I've still not been booked."