old Fulham striker Bobby Zamora has praised his old colleague Zoltan Gera.
Roy Hodgson’s recent departure from Crystal Palace will have caused some nostalgia for the Hodgson era at Fulham.
Hodgson led Fulham to a stunning escape in 2008 and then finished sixth the following season.
The most memorable moments came during the 2009-10 season, when Fulham advanced to the Europa League final before losing to Atletico Madrid.
Fulham advanced to the German final after an extraordinary voyage that included stops at Vetra, Amkar Perm, CSKA Sofia, Basel, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, Wolfsburg, and Hamburg.
It wasn’t meant to be that night, and Hodgson left for Liverpool that summer, but that team and season will live on in the minds of Fulham supporters everywhere.
Bobby Zamora discusses Zoltan Gera
Bobby Zamora and Zoltan Gera were two of that side’s heroes.
Zamora joined Fulham in 2008, leaving London rivals West Ham United for Craven Cottage.
After a slow first season at the club, Zamora surged in the 2009-10 season, scoring 19 goals across all competitions.
Zamora was key to the Europa League run, and his partnership with Zoltan Gera is legendary.
Gera and Zamora joined in 2008 from West Bromwich Albion.
When you look at Gera’s Premier League stats, five goals in three seasons does not sound too outstanding.
Gera’s six goals in the Europa League made him a fan favourite, and Zamora has now praised the Hungarian.
Speaking on the Fulham Fix podcast, Zamora lauded Gera as a ‘clever’ player who does not receive the recognition he deserves for his career.
Zamora believes that everyone in the Fulham team adored Gera, and that his ‘wonderful’ right foot made it simple for him to generate chances in the final third.
“He’s just such an intelligent player, he really is,” he remarked. “Doesn’t get the credit, but he’s one of those guys whose teammates would say ‘great lad, amazing trainer, great player.'” He just goes unnoticed, and there are so many of those in football as well, players who simply go about their business, and without them, teams would not be as successful as they are.”
“Zolly is one of them.” As I already stated, this individual is quite intelligent. He had an incredible right foot that could find you in any position, whether it was outside the boot, a little dink, or whatever,” he explained.
Zamora, Gera, and the rest of the Fulham team may not have won the Europa League, but their dream run to the final will live on.
