West Ham sack Gianfranco Zola
For possibly the first time in Premier League football history, the sacking of a manager can probably be described as the best thing for both parties.
Gianfranco Zola isn’t at West Ham any more. The Hammers no longer have the Italian as their manager. Both will be breathing sighs of relief today.
For much of West Ham’s troubled campaign, Zola’s expression has been a pained one, while his hairline receded with each passing defeat. The January takeover of David Sullivan and David Gold ushered in a new era at Upton Park, but it was era that the Italian never looked comfortable with.
The duo – particularly Sullivan – immediately involved themselves in team affairs, and left the Italian manager looking increasingly ostracised.
Suddenly the players were “fat, lazy and useless” according to Sullivan, and six straight defeats plunged the club into deep relegation fears. In the end they were lucky that Portsmouth, Hull and Burnley were all worse, as the 35 points they accrued wouldn’t have been enough for the Hammers to stay up in many previous seasons.
But stay up they did.
The wild celebrations that followed Scott Parker’s winning goal against Wigan Athletic towards the end of the campaign all centred on the manager. The players and fans loved him because he loved them. Ultimately though, a change at the top was probably needed.
Zola didn’t seem to able to work with Gold and Sullivan, nor they with him.
For football fans, it’s hard not to warm to the little Italian. A great player, and also it seems a very nice guy, supporters everywhere wanted Zola to succeed, but he seems to be lacking that “X Factor” required to be a Premier League boss, and despite possessing a back story that certainly touches the hearts of the watching public, he has eventually been voted off.
He will move on, as will the club. The likes of Avram Grant, Slaven Bilic and Mark Hughes have all been linked with the vacancy, and all would add their own unique qualities to a great club that could be about to experience a renaissance under their new owners – however the duo wish to go about it.
Zola was a renaissance man as a player, often producing breathtaking moments of alarming skill, but he still needs to improve as a manager. That improvement won’t be achieved at West Ham though.
Rest, recuperate and come back stronger and fitter.
That should be on the minds of both man and club today.
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