Fulham FC News Powered by 
Erik Nevland’s Man of the Match performance against Stoke City at Craven Cottage last weekend helped guide Fulham into seventh position in the Barclays Premier League. The striker, on as a first-half replacement for Bobby Zamora who was struggling with some discomfort in his back, netted the only goal of the match.
His display was exactly what Fulham fans have come to expect from the Norwegian international; tenacious off the ball and lethal in front of goal – precisely the characteristics that convinced Roy Hodgson to bring Nevland to Fulham at the beginning of 2008.
“His bravery and desire always impressed me,” said Hodgson. “So when I came to the Club and we were obviously desperate to get out of the situation we were in, I remembered Erik and we were lucky enough to sign him from Groningen.
“He was a player I got to know at Viking, he’d been at Manchester United as a young player. He spent several years there but he never really broke into the First Team. He’d been at Viking for a few years by the time I got back there; in fact he was in the last year of his contract.
“I had the second half of the season and the club was in the bottom two and very close to relegation. He did a fantastic job but we couldn’t hang on to him and he went to FC Groningen – but I’ve always remembered the job he did for us in those six months.”
Whilst starting opportunities have been few and far between for Nevland, Hodgson praised the Norwegian striker’s professional work ethic.
“Of course Andy Johnson, who is a very similar sort of player in many ways has pushed Erik one place further back,” Hodgson said. “He’s been unlucky not to get more chances but I was really pleased that he made the goal on Saturday and finished it off himself.
“Furthermore, all the time he’s been here, he’s been an outstanding professional. Any time we wanted him to play in the Reserves, he’s played. The man’s an ideal professional."
