West Brom manager Roy Hodgson believes Wolves counterpart Mick McCarthy has been a victim of his own success ahead of Sunday's Black Country derby at Molineux.

McCarthy steered Wolves to promotion and has kept them in the Barclays Premier League for a third successive season. But some fans have called for him to be sacked in recent weeks and certain bookmakers make him favourite to be the next top-flight manager to lose his job.

Hodgson said: "Mick has done a magnificent job at Wolves - and so has the club owner (Steve Morgan). Mick took them up and then stayed in the Premier League but then people want to see you move on even further and the expectations go up."

He added: "Unfortunately when you bring teams up, the barrier gets raised and, if you don't bring the players in to match that, then it can be very difficult.

"The world of football is full of people who do good jobs taking their teams up and then losing their job because they can't do as well in the league above.

"But Wolves are a very competitive team and will battle right to the end of the season."

Hodgson is hoping striker Shane Long will be available after back and digestive problems to face Wolves. Long has not started a game since early December.