Fulham stay on road to the Europa League final with a motorway kickabout

22 April 2010 11:52
Fulham players were reduced to training at the side of a motorway near Bremen after a traffic jam made their seemingly never-ending journey just that little bit longer.[LNB] Roy Hodgson's side finally arrived in Hamburg for their Europa League semifinal at 4pm on Wednesday, more than 24 hours after leaving west London.[LNB] Stretch your legs: Fulham boss Roy Hodgson takes training after a marathon 17-hour coach journey to Hamburg[LNB] An accident on the Autobahn on the final leg of their 595-mile journey meant the two coaches carrying Fulham players and staff were at a standstill for three hours - giving the players time to stretch their legs at the side of the road.[LNB] The delay meant the players were sitting on a coach for 17 hours before the biggest match in the club's history.[LNB]VIDEO: Hodgson guns for glory... [LNB] Hodgson said: 'Liverpool were luckier than us in that they could travel by train (to Madrid). Our 17 hours was spent totally on a bus, unless you count the 30 minutes it took to cross the English Channel.[LNB] 'The plan was to arrive here at 1.30pm to have lunch, which would've given us all afternoon for the physio to work with the players. That has all got lost on the way, which is a further disadvantage, but I hope that won't hamper us.'[LNB] Hodgson read The Bridge by Iain Banks and the players listened to music, tried to follow Inter Milan's Champions League semi-final against Barcelona on a TV with an intermittent signal and watched films. 'The NeverEnding Story, that was it,' quipped Mark Schwarzer.[LNB] The goalkeeper added: 'We're fighting an uphill battle with the trip that we've made, so it's going to be really tough for us.[LNB] 'The motivation is definitely there for Hamburg to play the finalin their own stadium but with that comes extra pressure. They'reexpected to get there. They're the ones under pressure. They are thefavourites to get through, even more so with the circumstances thathave arisen in the past week.'[LNB] A timely reminder of the dauntingtask ahead for Fulham came in the form of former Manchester United andReal Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. The Holland forward will be 34in July but looked sharp in training at the Nordbank Arena as he stayedbehind after training yesterday to practise beating his man.[LNB] Goal threat: Fulham striker Bobby Zamora[LNB] Van Nistelrooy attracted interest from 'Tottenham, West Ham, Fulham and some others from the Premier League' before joining Hamburg in the January transfer window, but it was only the length of the contract on offer that prevented a move to White Hart Lane.[LNB] He said: 'I was in serious negotiations with Spurs. I had a very good conversation with (Tottenham boss) Harry Redknapp. That was all fantastic. We couldn't agree terms, though.[LNB] 'Tottenham only offered me a six-month contract. That wasn't ideal for me, with a family to get over to England just for six months.'[LNB] [LNB]Back in action: Ruud van Nistelrooy[LNB]The striker has won league titles in Holland (twice, in 2000 and 2001, with PSV Eindhoven), England (in 2003 with United) and Spain (2007 and 2008, with Real Madrid). He has also scored 62 goals in 90 appearances in UEFA competitions and is second on the all-time Champions League scoring list behind Real Madrid's Raul.[LNB] But he has never progressed beyond the semi-finals of a European competition. The last time he was in the last four, in 2002, United went out to Bayer Leverkusen on away goals.[LNB] But after recovering from the knee surgery in November 2008 that effectively brought an end to his career in Madrid, Van Nistelrooy has found the old goalscoring grove - scoring five goals in 14 appearances for Hamburg.[LNB] He said: 'I'd like to make the World Cup. I want to be a part of the Holland squad but I know my position as well. I know I haven't played (internationally) since Euro 2008 due to my injuries and stuff. 'But I hope that, one way or another, there's a role there - maybe a Becks role type of thing. Super sub, why not? It's my last chance.'[LNB] Van Nistelrooy, who worked under England boss Fabio Capello at Madrid, also regards Fulham striker Bobby Zamora as a genuine World Cup contender.[LNB] He said: 'Zamora is an effective striker. He's very important for the team. He holds the ball, he's a team player, works hard and he's an all-round striker.[LNB] 'He can score and he's got more skills than you might think. He's definitely a candidate now, but Carlton Cole of West Ham is also in the picture.[LNB] 'But getting through against these teams and scoring goals in these European games, it makes Zamora more attractive for Capello.' [LNB] Fulham's farcical journey drags on... as team coach is held up in traffic jam!Fulham head to Hamburg on buses for their Europa League semi-finalFULHAM FC

Source: Daily_Mail