He stopped short of using the dreaded “R word,” but there was an air of resignation in Gianfranco Zola’s voice after West Ham United’s 1-0 defeat to Stoke City on Saturday.
The Italian had just overseen the Hammers’ sixth straight defeat. It was a home match that they dare not lose, a must-win encounter made all the more pressurised by the barbed comments from co-owner David Sullivan in the build up to kick-off. Ninety minutes later, only goal difference is keeping West Ham out of the relegation zone.
Yet it could have been so different. Mido – perhaps one of those on Sullivan’s mind when he claimed that many of the club’s players are “fat, lazy and useless” – missed a sitter in the first half, and substitute Ricardo Fuller’s sublime goal midway through the second had long been feared by the nervy home fans. Zola’s response? To give his players three days off.
“Mr Zola has gone to Sardinia,” said Sullivan. “He's given the players three days off to freshen up for the Everton game, they are back training on Wednesday.”
That Everton game – at Goodison Park on Sunday – has become a crucial one for the Hammers. Hull City’s 2-0 win over Fulham has seen them move level on points with the east Londoners, meaning that if the Tigers get anything at Stoke on Saturday then Zola’s men will be in the relegation zone come kick-off on Merseyside. How the Italian would react to that is questionable.
He looks increasingly like a beaten man, and while a change of manager at this stage could be catastrophic for the Irons, it is looking very doubtful that the Italian will still be there next season.
Popular in this country for his eye-catching achievements on the pitch with Chelsea, there is a real desire for Zola to do well as a manager. He is widely seen as one of football’s nice guys, and perhaps falls into that admittedly clichéd category of being “too nice” for a relegation battle. He is a skilled boss, of that there is no doubt, but is he really what West Ham need in their current situation? His inexperience could prove telling.
The danger is that the battle to avoid relegation becomes all about Zola and less about West Ham.
Already looking weary and upset by the influence of new owners Sullivan and David Gold, surely the best thing for Zola to do at this point would be to keep his team in the Premier League, and then decide to walk away in the summer.
Many more bad results like Saturday’s against Stoke – and keep in mind that Everton have only lost at home to Arsenal and Liverpool all season – and he might not have that choice to make.
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