Hangeland welcomes Hodgson return

01 February 2012 11:16

Fulham defender Brede Hangeland hopes former manager Roy Hodgson gets a warm welcome when West Brom visit Craven Cottage on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old Norway international moved to west London from Copenhagen in January 2008 to link up with the Cottagers, who were then under the leadership of Hodgson.

During his time at the helm, he helped transform Fulham from a side battling relegation to one fighting to be in the Premier League top 10 as well as the 2010 Europa League final, and Hangeland told the club's official website, www.fulhamfc.com: "He definitely deserves a warm welcome whenever he returns to Craven Cottage."

He added: "I think all the players who were part of that era and certainly the fans will appreciate that [time he had at the club]."

"We know exactly what to expect from West Brom. It will be much the same as we played a couple of years ago and we all know how difficult that will be to break down.

"They will be a strong unit and well organised so we're in for a tough game but obviously we would like to keep our home form going and win the game."

One former player that will not be there, though, is Bobby Zamora, who completed his move west London rivals QPR on Tuesday night.

There had been much speculation in recent months of a rift between Zamora and Cottagers boss Martin Jol.

Although the pair both played down such talk, speculation has been rife that the striker could move on and Hangeland insists there was never any problems in terms of team spirit.

"One of the best things about [our] football [club] is that we always try and let people understand it is a team effort," he added. "We have nobody that stands out as star players as such, it is always a team effort."

Source: PA