Albion head coach Roy Hodgson is adamant he does not do miracles.

Nevertheless, Baggies fans will be hoping their new boss can conjure a shock or two in the weeks ahead.

Without them, the Albion faithful are in for another stomach-churning end to a Premier League campaign with no guarantee of a happy ending.

And they have had enough end-of-season heartache in recent years to last them a lifetime.

The dust was finally settling at the Hawthorns today on a two-week spell that saw Albion shaken by shocks, speculation, a changing of the guard and a good old fashioned spot of derby tension.

But no-one will be more grateful for a low-key week than Hodgson and his players.

They have barely had time to catch their breath since the dismal 3-0 loss at Manchester City triggered a chain of events that transformed the club at break-neck speed, from the sacking of Roberto Di Matteo to the appointment of Hodgson to the last-gasp drama of the Black Country derby.

Finally this week, they can retreat to a relative quiet to prepare for a sequence of matches that will rank alongside any in the club’s recent history for importance.

For Hodgson – a man most at home on the training field – the brief dimming of the spotlight will be a welcome development.

Because, for all the joy of Carlos Vela’s late equaliser against Wolves, Albion still face a huge challenge to stave off the drop, so any time away from the glare for boss and players to get to know each other will be grabbed with both hands.

Their run-in is among the toughest in the bottom six while their form is among the worst.

At least, however, the new man at the helm will be keeping his head, even if all around him start to lose theirs.

Hodgson does not do tub-thumping, rabble-rousing or false bravado, opting instead for realism and a reliance on a sound footballing logic, as he proved again when assessing the potential impact of Vela’s late strike on Sunday.

Hodgson, typically refusing the chance of a cliche that he would view as trite, said: “We shouldn’t be looking for catalysts. We should be looking for consistency of performance.

“We should be looking after every game to make certain we have done everything we can possibly do, that players have played to the level we expect and have done what we asked them to do.

“I’m a bit worried about catalysts, because if you say ‘this is the catalyst’ and then go to Stoke and lose, where do you go from there?

“I’ve got to make certain now at Stoke on Monday that the work rate, level of commitment, discipline and organisation we were able to show against Wolves is there again – or we improve on it.

“But I’m hoping the confidence will have improved somewhat.”

Hodgson will be well aware, however, that any psychological boost from Vela’s strike must fire his side to a shock or two if they are to avoid sliding back into the Championship.

Because, quite simply, the Baggies have no matches left in which they will kick-off as favourites.

Whether it is ending their hoodoo at Stoke on Monday, finally beating Villa at Tte Hawthorns in April or defeating Chelsea or Arsenal on home turf, Hodgson and Co will need some upsets to garner the points they need.

The head coach, however, believes all things are possible in the strangest Premier League season many can remember.

He said: “I haven’t checked our run-in alongside other teams.’ But the Premier League is getting more compact in terms of quality and we’re not seeing easy games.

“I was at Fulham-Chelsea the other night and, in the past, I don’t think Chelsea have lost a game at Fulham for many, many years but they almost did the other night.

“I’ve been encouraged by what I’ve found. I’m getting good help from the staff here.

“I’m learning as I go along and I’m aiming to learn very quickly.”

As he finds his feet, Hodgson can be certain of support from a Baggies fanbase still enthused by his arrival and understanding of his admission that he has no ‘magic wand.’

But, should he find one, he won’t find them complaining.

By Steve Madeley