Is Zola the right man to keep West Ham up?
West Ham are in a relegation fight, that much is clear. This season would be considered a success if they steer clear of the trap door. They currently lie in 17th position and are only out of the relegation zone on goal difference. They have been hampered by a long injury list that shows no sign of easing and Zola will not have too much in the way of funds to improve his current squad. Zola and Clarke are an impressive management duo; last season they got West Ham playing some wonderful football and the young players at the club have all improved under their tutelage; but is Zola the right man to navigate the Hammers out of their current predicament?
West Ham are not a bad side, at full strength they could command a place in the top half of the table. But injuries and the ill-advised sale of James Collins have weakened them and they are now set for a scrap to stay in the division. Gianfranco Zola likes his team to play good football; they are instructed to pass the ball and manufacture chances through slick play. For much of this season, these tactics have not worked and as a result they are in trouble. Whether Zola is willing to sacrifice his footballing principles will be key to West Ham’s fortunes. They may have to switch to a more direct, physical approach to get results. Last season, West Brom finished bottom of the league; they were applauded for their style of play but ultimately it did not yield results and they went down while the more direct and efficient Stoke City stayed up by a significant margin.
Zola has many strengths as a manager; he is a wonderful coach for young players and the likes of Carlton Cole, Jack Collison, Junior Stanislas and Mark Noble have benefitted from his wisdom. At their best, West Ham play some fantastic football as a result of Zola’s influence. But whether he possesses the grit and determination to fight for survival is to be seen. West Ham have raised their performance level for the big games this season; matches against Chelsea, Arsenal and fellow strugglers Portsmouth have brought the best out of them. But matches that do not have as much perceived importance have resulted in lacklustre performances. The recent game against Tottenham is a perfect example; West Ham were never in the game.
Zola is a popular manager and one the most promising young coaches in the world. But whether he is quite prepared for the rigours of a relegation battle is unclear. He has the benefit of a core group of talented players; the likes of Cole, Parker, Behrami, Upson and Collison will be relied upon heavily. He is also fortunate that the league is so tight in general; none of the teams in the bottom half are clear of danger so the Hammers still have a great chance to escape the drop.
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Of course he is the right man to keep us up and do you know why? At a time when we find ourselves in a relegation scrap, our players are all pulling together and working for each other because Zola has installed that mentality into them and they all seem to enjoy working under him unlike as we have seen in the past with West Ham and other sides where as soon as the team are in the brown stuff, that all want out and that simply isn’t the case at West Ham. Another thing to consider is although we have been slightly weakened defensively by losing Collins, we aren’t having too many problems scoring goals and our defence has been a lot more solid of late, so it would seem that Clarke has sorted that problem out, so it’s only a matter of time before we start to climb the table, no dizzy heights mind, but well clear of the relegation zone. Not to mention that we will have Cole and Parker back very soon, so Zola will be able to field his strongest side, which is a side that will be more than capable of kicking arse, Watch this space!!!
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