Fulham are in 7th place my fellow Cottager supporters. The Whites have four matches to play and they control their own destiny in terms of playing European football next season. The Cottagers reached 7th position in the table on Saturday when they defeated Stoke City 1-0 at Craven Cottage.

As has been the case all season long it was a team effort in grinding out Saturday's victorious result. Erik Nevland, who came off the bench to replace Bobby Zamora midway through the first half, made his presence felt right away scoring the only goal of the match for the Cottagers.

While Nevland has not started many league matches this campaign he has been a regular on Roy Hodgson's bench and has made many positive contributions to the team this season. He has not complained one time about his lack of starts and has been a professional all season long. He is to be commended for this and he is one of the many reasons Fulham are in the position it is in right now.

Many who read this blog have sent me emails or commented about Fulham's amazing turnaround from just one year ago completing a great escape from the drop to now possibly playing in Europe next season. The main reason is Roy Hodgson. He has bought well in the transfer market and has gotten the most out of his players throughout his time in charge at Fulham.

In years past, Fulham has been a tough team to watch. They struggled to string passes together and shipped way too many goals which lead to them fighting relegation the last few seasons come April and May. Under Hodgson though things are different. He has shored up the defense and implemented a passing style of football that is pleasing on the eye not just for Fulham supporters but for neutral fans as well.

The Cottagers have one of the top five defensive records in the league and additionally, they are a top five team when it comes to passing completion percentage. Compare those stats with Fulham teams under Chris Coleman and Lawrie Sanchez and it is night and day. Fulham can defend and they can pass the ball down the pitch and in turn they have been very successful.

It sounds simple to say this is what needed to be done to the club, but Hodgson has been able to take this team and do just that. He has played a consistent starting eleven in which each player knows his role and has also brought players off the bench like Zoltan Gera and the aforementioned Erik Nevland to contribute to the team. I cannot stress enough what a great job he has done.

While Sir Alex Ferguson may win all the year-end manager of the year awards this season Roy Hodgson should get some serious consideration for the tremendous job he has done with the Cottagers. If I was voting he would get my vote as Manager of the Year in the Premier League.

Lastly, I want to point out the fact that the relegation battle is absolutely fascinating. It is nice to be able to watch things unfold at the bottom of the table without worrying about Fulham down there. It has been a few years since this happened and I kind of forgot what relegation was like without a team I support in the mix. But with the likes of Newcastle United, Middlesbrough, West Brom, Hull and others still fighting it out for the right to stay in the Premier League it is a joy to watch. For Fulham's sake I hope a relegation fight is not in the cards any year soon. It is tough on the ticker.