Former Fulham striker Bobby Zamora has hailed former teammate Zoltan Gera.
Roy Hodgson’s recent exit from Crystal Palace will have brought some nostalgia about the Hodgson era at Fulham.
Hodgson guided Fulham to a great escape in 2008 and then secured a seventh-place finish in the very next season.
The greatest memories came from the 2009-10 campaign as Fulham made it all the way to the Europa League final, losing out to Atletico Madrid.
An incredible journey from Vetra to Amkar Perm, CSKA Sofia, Basel, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, Wolfsburg and Hamburg saw Fulham go all the way to the final in Germany.
It wasn’t to be on that night and Hodgson ended up leaving for Liverpool that summer, but that team and that season will last long in the memory for Fulham fans everywhere.
Bobby Zamora on Zoltan Gera
Two of the heroes from that side were Bobby Zamora and Zoltan Gera.
Zamora joined Fulham back in 2008, leaving London rivals West Ham United for a switch to Craven Cottage.
After a quiet first season at the club, Zamora exploded in the 2009-10 season, smashing 19 goals in all competitions.
Zamora was vital to the Europa League run and his link-up with Zoltan Gera is the stuff of legend.
Gera arrived alongside Zamora in 2008, joining from West Bromwich Albion.
If you look at Gera’s Premier League numbers, five goals in three seasons doesn’t sound all that impressive.
Six goals in the Europa League run made Gera a fan favourite though and Zamora has now raved about the Hungarian.
Speaking on the Fulham Fix podcast, Zamora praised Gera was an ‘intelligent’ player who just doesn’t get the credit he deserves for his career.
Zamora believes that everybody in that Fulham team loved Gera and his ‘amazing’ right foot made it easy for him to create chances in the final third.
“He’s just such an intelligent player, he really is,” said Zamora. “Doesn’t get the credit but again, he’s one of those ones that all his teammates would say ‘great lad, amazing trainer, great player’. He just goes unsung and there are so many of those in football as well, there are so many of those players that just go about their job and, without them, teams wouldn’t get the success that they do.”
“Zolly is one of those. In terms of the understanding, like I said, such an intelligent player. He had an amazing right foot that could find you in any position, whether it was outside the boot, a little dink, whatever it is,” he added.
Zamora, Gera and co may not have won the Europa League but their dream run to the final will put them in Fulham folklore forever.