Source: Team_Talk
Gera relishing trip to Hamburg
Zoltan Gera is desperate to play in Thursday's Europa League semi-final against Hamburg - if UEFA give the game the green light to go ahead.[LNB] Thursday's first leg in Germany is in doubt after a volcanic ash cloud caused by an erupting Icelandic volcano continues to linger across Europe's skies.[LNB]The cloud has caused major disruption to flights across Europe, and Britain's airports will remain shut until at least 7pm on Sunday night.[LNB]UEFA will meet on Monday to decide whether or not next week's Europa League and Champions League semi-finals should go ahead.[LNB]Gera has been one of the heroes of Fulham's Europa League campaign, where they have seen off the likes of Juventus, Wolfsburg and UEFA Cup champions Shakhtar Donetsk to make the last four.[LNB]He has played all but one of the club's European games this season having moved up from midfield to develop a strong partnership with Bobby Zamora in the absence of injured record signing Andy Johnson.[LNB]Now the Hungarian is desperate to play on Thursday night - providing UEFA sanction the match.[LNB]"For me it is the big one, I have not been involved in a game like this before," said Gera, who has 10 goals in 42 appearances so far this season.[LNB]"It's the biggest that I have ever been part of, and hopefully I will be involved. But it's not just an important one for me, but for everyone at the club.[LNB]"It's one that we're all looking forward to, and another step on what has been a fantastic journey.[LNB]"Hamburg are a good side, we know that, but so were Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus and Wolfsburg. We know that on our day we are more than a match for any side. So we'll go there with the belief that we can do well."[LNB]Fulham had planned to fly by private jet to the north German city on Wednesday morning and train at the 57,000 capacity HSH Nordbank on the night before the match.[LNB]While the journey would take little more than an hour by plane, should flights remain grounded, Roy Hodgson's team would have to either catch a ferry or train to mainland Europe and then endure an arduous journey by road or rail to Hamburg.[LNB]Hodgson doubts whether that would be feasible given many of those stranded in Britain are using the same method to get back to Europe now.[LNB]He said: "If there are no flights on Wednesday we'd have to get the train across the channel tunnel and then a train or a bus to Hamburg.[LNB]"That causes extra problems because from what I understand at the moment it's not very easy to get train tickets and it's not easy to find buses to travel on.[LNB]"Even if UEFA thought that the best solution was that a club should travel 15 or 16 hours rather than the normal travel time - then that might not be possible because there might not be buses or trains for us to travel on."[LNB]Hodgson revealed after Saturday's 0-0 Premier League draw with Wolves that striker Erik Nevland would leave for Norwegian side Viking Stavanger at the end of the season.[LNB]Hodgson had hoped to tempt Nevland to stay at Craven Cottage with a new one-year deal but the 32-year-old has decided to return to the club where he started his career.[LNB]"He's a marvellous player, a fantastic professional and a very good footballer," said Hodgson of the former Manchester United player.[LNB]"He has played a major part in the success we have had in the two and a half years he has been at the club and I must congratulate Viking on the signing. He'll score lots of goals for them."
