Roy Hodgson has ambitions to emulate the late Sir Bobby Robson by becoming the first English manager to lift a European trophy for 13 years. Fulham hope to defy the odds when they meet favourites Atletico Madrid in the final of the Europa League at the Hamburg Arena.

The last time an Englishman tasted success while guiding a club in European competition was in 1997 when Robson led Barcelona to glory in the Cup Winners Cup.

And it has been 25 years since an English manager won a European competition while in charge of an English club with Howard Kendall winning the Cup Winners Cup at Everton.

"To follow a manager like Bobby Robson would be fantastic because as you know, we were friends for many years," he said.

"He was a great man, a great manager and it would be very nice to think I could follow him."

Hodgson offers a simple explanation for the lack of success.

"The best English teams don't have English managers and the best foreign teams don't have English managers," he said.

"Therefore, you're looking for an English manager to win a trophy with an unfancied team.

"If you're really serious about winning a title at this level, especially the Champions League, then you must make sure you're working for big clubs because it's not very often that teams like ours get to the final."