Parker: keep Zola
Filed: Monday, 26th April 2010
By: Staff Writer
Wigan match hero Scott Parker has backed calls to keep Gianfranco Zola at the club.
Zola's position has appeared increasingly untenable of late due to a series of negative comments from joint owner David Sullivan, who has been publically critical of the manager and some of his team's performances - unlike his partner David Gold, who conversely has backed his man.
However Parker's celebration following the winning goal on Saturday - in which he and a number of team mates mobbed Zola in celebration - appeared to indicate where the players loyalty lay , someting that was confirmed by Parker after the game.
"It was clear to see from me personally that the manager has helped me throughout the season," he told whufc.com. ""I don't think I would have had the season like I have had personally without him behind me. He has given me massive belief and confidence and from my reaction you can see that I respect him.
"A lot of people say he is a nice man but he is not just a nice man, he is an extremely talented and good manager. People will say I would support him but, from the bottom of my heart, he is a good man and he is a very good manager, along with the staff he has got here. Hopefully we can go and push on next year.
"It has been a horrible season but we have put up with a lot of mess. Only four months ago we were reading this and that. I am not making excuses - at times we haven't been good enough - but hopefully we have erased some of the bad things and we can look forward to kicking on next year. Sticking together, learning from this and moving forward."
Referring to the goal that won the game, the 29-year-old - who many supporters feel should captain the club next season - said: "I can safely say it was probably the best goal I have ever scored. Whether it had been a tap-in or like the goal it was, it was the most meaningful goal of my career and it means the most to me.
"It came to me from a great header from Franco and it was one of those where if you buy a ticket you have got a chance. It has left my foot and gone straight in. The relief and every single emotion which I have gone through this season literally poured out once that went in."
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by Steve Maynard
08:03AM 2nd May 2010
''Whether Zola is the right man for next year will remain to be seen I am sure - but one thing is for sure - Gold and Sullivan need to let the manager (whom ever it may be next year) get on with the job in hand and get the best out of the talent at the club.
Constant remarks and interfering in such a public way will only damage relationships and confidence of players and staff at the club........and to be honest we have had enough of headline-grabbing reports of so called leaders sticking the boot in constantly - you don't hear other clubs chairmen constantly in the headlines making remarks. Get on and do your job please chaps - we need a solid backroom, not one that chips away at every opportunity.
Looking forward to more positive times next year!''
by Niran Ade-Onojobi
07:25PM 26th Apr 2010
''That Zola is a nice man should not be an issue. The real issue to millions connected to this football club is success. We want to win trophies, not just be in the Premier League. We want to win it and we can if we have the right management that can bring in quality players at bargain fees.
If we have to look beyond Zola to achieve this then we must be courageous to take the decision. We must aim to win a major trophy next season. I am unhappy each time we end the season without a trophy. Next season must be a season of success and not excuses for failure as Mr Zola is used to giving us this season.''
by g portugal
02:29PM 26th Apr 2010
''We all know Zola's a good guy,but unfortunately that is not enough to make him the right manager for West Ham. He has had huge obstacles to fight, on and off the pitch, but nonetheless I feel that we should never have involved in a relegation scrap. Even with all the injuries and financial problems, we had enough quality so that we should have been clear of the relegation zone a long time ago. The fact that we were not is partly down to senior players under-performing, and in some cases, not caring enough, but it is also down to tactics and player selection that were not satisfactory.
The run-in is when we should have seen the best of both the managers and the players - we did not, which calls into question the motivational skills of the manager. The basic nature of many of the mistakes, especially in defence, also makes suspect Zola's ability to communicate effectively with the players and to get them to do the essential things required to avoid conceding goals.
There is such a thing as being too nice. And in today's climate of highly paid players on guaranteed contracts, including some on long-term deals, what is required sometimes is a kick up the rear or in some cases, in the crotch. Because unmotivated, spoiled primadonnas don't respond to 'nice'. Unfortunately players lacking in commitment and determination respond to either fear and intimidation, or nothing at all. Said ,but true. And you can thank Roman Abramovich for that, for accelerating the whole trend in English football of spending mind-numbingly stupid amounts of money on men who kick a ball.''
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