A favourite of Forest's manager Brian Clough, Hodge became a first-team regular the following season as the club tried to build a new young team after the side which won two European Cups began to age and disintegrate.
Hodge was a frequent goalscorer from midfield as Forest consolidated their League position but were unable to push for trophies other than a semi-final in the UEFA Cup in 1984, where they lost in controversial circumstances to Anderlecht.
The move to Birmingham did work initially but the team was in decline and once Hodge had received England recognition, it was perceived by the Villa fans that he was not fully committed to the team's cause, typified during a 4–1 home defeat by Norwich City where his intended back pass to Kevin Poole was slotted in by a Norwich player – the boos ringing round the ground signalled the beginning of the end for his Villa career.
Tottenham manager David Pleat put Hodge wide on the left of a vibrant, attacking five-man midfield which also included England teammates Hoddle and Chris Waddle, Argentinian veteran Osvaldo Ardiles and hardworking ballwinner Paul Allen.
The club won the Full Members Cup in 1989 and then reached the League Cup final, with Hodge finally winning a major domestic medal: the 3–1 win over Luton Town at Wembley saw him play a crucial part as it was he, making a foraging run from deep, who was brought down for the penalty which Nigel Clough converted, setting Forest on the road to victory.
[citation needed] Though he was only three caps into his international career by the time Bobby Robson announced his squad for the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Hodge was given a place on the plane to Mexico, coming on as a substitute in the first two group games against Portugal and Morocco, which England lost and drew respectively.
Making urgent changes for the final group game against Poland, Robson put Hodge in the side and he responded with an outstanding personal display within a crushing team performance.
Hodge's superb left wing cross on the run gave Gary Lineker his second goal in a first half hat-trick which eased England's passage to the second round.
There they faced Paraguay, and it was a sliding, stretching Hodge who kept in an over-hit cross from Glenn Hoddle, by pushing the ball into the path of Lineker to tap home.
[4][5] Hodge retained his place in the team as England began their qualification campaign for the 1988 European Championships with victories over Northern Ireland and Yugoslavia, but was not selected for the finals squad.
[citation needed] Robson recalled Hodge for the first game after the European Championships – a 1–0 win over Denmark at Wembley – as he had been briefly back on form at club level with Nottingham Forest.