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New West Ham United manager Gianfranco Zola made a winning start to his reign as two goals from David Di Michele helped his team to a 3-1 victory over struggling Newcastle United. It was an encouraging display from the Hammers and although there is still plenty of work to be done, I think we can be hopeful of what the future may bring.

Let’s not be fooled though. Not a lot can be judged from beating Newcastle United right now. They are without a manager, their owner is looking to sell, the fans are protesting every five minutes and the players must be considering the quickest way out of the club. I don’t think Zola could have chosen more ideal opposition for his first game. Perhaps that’s why he wasn’t ‘officially’ in charge at West Brom – he wanted to guarantee a winning start and a home game against Newcastle is as close as he was going to get. The football odds are leaning towards Newcastle relegation, after all.

The win shouldn’t be considered as a write off though – far from it. There were a number of positives to take from the game. First of all - Di Michele’s home debut was superb. He took his goals very well and acted as a perfect partner to the physical Carlton Cole. Throughout his career, he has a decent enough scoring record so hopefully there is plenty more to come. Presumably, as an Italian striker himself, he will admire and respect Zola. Therefore, the new manager should be able to get the best out of his very own Italian goal scorer.

The second big positive for me was Scott Parker. I thought he was phenomenal and the driving force in the midfield – he ran the show against his former club. Perhaps more significantly though, after only playing 18 Premier League games last season, he has been an ever present so far. Not that I want to curse things, but he looks as if he could be starting to perform to the standards that saw him secure a move from Charlton to Chelsea back in 2004. Should this be the case, he will quickly become one of West Ham’s most important players.

As ever though, there were some slight concerns despite the decent overall performance. The defence was far from convincing and when Michael Owen pulled a goal back for Newcastle, there was a horrible feeling that they could get back into it. Julien Faubert in particular – who was playing out of position at right back – looked rather shaky and Damien Duff got the better of him on more than one occasion. This probably highlights the injury problems more than anything else though. I’m presuming Calum Davenport wasn’t fit enough to start the game, because I’d have preferred seeing him alongside Matthew Upson with Lucas Neil back in his comfort zone at full back.

Overall, Zola will be delighted with getting a win under his belt but he is wise enough to know that there are tougher tests to come. He will also know, having watched the game at West Brom as well as taking charge of this game, that the defence is a little shaky. Individual errors need to be cut out. If they are, the attacking ability West Ham have, combined with the positive mentality of Zola can result in a very successful season with lots of goals and attractive football.

Next up is a Carling Cup game at Watford. In my opinion, this is a much tougher game than the one just gone. In terms of football betting, West Ham will be favourites for this clash, but the Championship side will provide Zola’s men with tough game – I’m certain of that.

Then it is a trip to Fulham followed by a home game against Bolton. After these three games, hopefully the positivity surrounding the new era of management is still present because the atmosphere in and around Upton Park on Saturday was back to what it should be. Long may it continue.

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