Fulham v West Ham - Zamora to miss Hammers reunion

Posted Sunday, May 02, 2010 by PA

Europa League finalists Fulham are unlikely to risk striker Bobby Zamora (Achilles) against his old club West Ham on Sunday.

American Clint Dempsey is most likely to come into the attack should Zamora - who needed a painkilling injection to play against Hamburg - be rested, while right-back Chris Baird will be available again after he was suspended for the European tie.

Stefano Okaka and Nicky Shorey, both ineligible for selection in Europe, come back into contention.

Simon Davies admits Fulham were a "mess" when Roy Hodgson took over and hailed their "modest" manager for transforming the team into European contenders.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson claims Hodgson is a certainty to be named manager of the year following the Cottagers' "miraculous" march to the Europa League final, sealed with a battling 2-1 victory over Hamburg.

The 62-year-old former Switzerland, Blackburn and Inter Milan coach came in to save Fulham from what seemed certain relegation when appointed successor to Lawrie Sanchez in late December 2007.

He then led the club to its highest finish of seventh and with it what has turned out to be a memorable European campaign which included a famous win over Italian giants Juventus.

It is Hodgson's ability to get the best out of players such as captain Danny Murphy, Zoltan Gera and 19-goal Bobby Zamora which has proven his biggest attribute.

Davies - whose well-taken equaliser set up last night's stirring comeback - feels Hodgson deserves all the plaudits coming his way.

"It is hard to describe what an achievement it is to get a club like ours through to the Europa League final. The manager has done wonders with the club," the 30-year-old Wales international said.

"I have been here since he first came in, and as a team, we were really in a mess - we were struggling, conceding goal after goal.

"The first thing he worked on was our defensive shape, making us hard to beat and that carried us through to stay up and we have gone on from there."

Davies added: "We have got a modest manager, and he wants us to be a modest team - we are always the underdogs, but that suits us.

"This season, he has rotated when he had to, made big decisions when they were needed.

"The manager has such a composure and he instils that composure into the team.

"When we go away, we are compact, can frustrate teams and are very hard to beat.

"However, when we can get the ball down, we can also play some good football.

"To come back from 1-0 down says a lot about the character of this side because we kept playing for the team, not just ourselves."

West Ham have centre-back James Tomkins and midfielder Luis Boa Morte available.

Brazilian striker Ilan was replaced early in the 3-2 victory over Wigan that secured West Ham's top flight survival but he is also fit for consideration.

Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola is still without Kieron Dyer (hamstring), Herita Ilunga (thigh), Zavon Hines (ankle) and Jack Collison (ankle).

West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola has hit out at joint-owners David Sullivan and David Gold for undermining his position after he discovered about the club's transfer dealings in the newspapers.

Zola will not confirm his plans for the summer until the end of the season - but his relationship with the West Ham ownership appears to have passed the point of no return.

The Italian was stunned to learn that West Ham had lodged a #4million bid for the West Brom and Scotland midfielder Graham Dorrans - a player he had never even spoken about.

And Zola was equally surprised when Sullivan revealed in an interview that every member of the Hammers squad had been put up for sale, bar Scott Parker.

"I just found out in the newspapers. It was quite a surprise," he said.

"I know he (Dorrans) is a good player and had a very good season but I didn't know the club was interested in him.

"He is a good player but I am not prepared to say at the moment whether he would be in my interests for next year.

"If I was Mark Noble or Robert Green or Valon Behrami I wouldn't be very pleased to hear that (I had been put up for sale). I didn't know.

"It is not pleasant. You don't like it but this is the way it goes.

"I have been surprised so many times this year - so I am not surprised that I am surprised."