“if it had been up to me, i would never have left fulham, not even for arsenal. i loved it so much”

BREDE HANGELAND

How does it feel to be Fulham’s leading appearance-maker in the Premier League, with 217 outings for the club?

It’s a good statistic, for sure! It shows loyalty and consistency over a long time, which are things I value in football. Having said all that, I hope someone overtakes it soon. I want the club to re-establish itself as a Premier League regular and hope another player will get to 200, 300, even 400 games. I had a fantastic time at Craven Cottage, so I can recommend staying for even longer than I did.

Do you enjoy returning to Fulham as a fan?

Yes, I always look forward to it. Coming back to Craven Cottage has often felt like returning home. It’s the greatest stadium in the world, in my book. To have been part of the group of players I was with at Fulham is something I really appreciate. I didn’t represent many clubs because I stayed at Fulham for so long; it’ll always be my second home. It’s been good to see the side playing well this season.

When you joined Fulham in January 2008, there had been rumoured interest in you from several Premier League clubs. What was it about Fulham that attracted you?

I was playing for Copenhagen and there was a lot of speculation and rumour. But I didn’t have any options I wanted to pursue before Fulham. Roy Hodgson and I knew each other from his time in Scandinavia; as soon as that came up as a possibility, I was keen to move.

Fulham had Erik Nevland as well as Roy Hodgson, who managed you both at Viking – how much did that help you to settle in?

A lot – but I think Roy was the initial reason why I wanted to come. Then, from the day I arrived, there were so many good people at Fulham, in the changing room and in other positions within the club, that integrating was very easy. That transition was quite smooth, I think, thanks to the people who were there.

You kept a clean sheet and were named man of the match on your debut against Bolton. A pretty good start, then…?

It was. Playing in that match, part of me was thinking, ‘What’s this, then?’ Bolton had Kevin Davies up front, so it was a real ‘Welcome to England’ sort of match. But it was a useful introduction to English football. We did OK and it gave me a decent start to build from.

How did it feel to be involved in Fulham’s great escape of 2007-08, winning the final