Source: Telegraph
West Ham ride their luck against Boro but future looks bright under Gianfranco Zola
The credit crunch was supposed to signal the beginning of the end for West Ham. But, instead of selling all their prized assets, West Ham have secured most of their leading players on new contracts and Gianfranco Zola has revealed that Lucas Neill, the captain, is close to confirming his long-term future at Upton Park. [LNB]West Ham were poor as they attempted to return to winning ways and owed their place in today's quarter-final draw to a late equaliser, from Herita Ilunga, to the frustration of a Middlesbrough side playing far better than their League sequence of 13 games without a win suggested. [LNB]Craig Bellamy, Matthew Etherington and Hayden Mullins all left West Ham in the transfer window but that was only a small percentage of the anticipated clear-out, leaving the expectation levels high at West Ham and, therefore, fuelling the irritation with an unusually inept performance. [LNB]A relieved Zola, twice an FA Cup winner with Chelsea, was grateful for a second chance and praised the togetherness of the key figures at Upton Park. "These players have been very important on and off the pitch," he said. "They are the core of this team and I believe they can be the core of this team for a long time. [LNB]"The club know this too," he added. "It is very good for us, they are good players, positive players. Robert Green, Matthew Upson and also Scott Parker have signed new deals and hopefully soon Lucas Neill will sign a contract as well. Things are going well, we just need to understand that we want this to carry on for a long time."[LNB]Zola will be more concerned over the outcome of tests on two players this week. New England cap Carlton Cole will have a scan on his ankle while Luis Boa Morte could be out for several weeks with a damaged hamstring. [LNB]But in terms of his first six months as a manager, it has gone well. "There have been difficult times and difficult moments," Zola said. "The team were not doing well and a lot of things were going on but they [the board] kept their composure and backed the team all the time and they are getting their rewards for their patience."[LNB]Patience, though, was thin on the ground on Saturday as Middlesbrough took the game to West Ham, carving out an early lead after capitalising on a sequence of errors, with Stewart Downing, playing as a second striker behind Afonso Alves, scoring the early opener. [LNB]Both teams had chances, but when Ilunga headed his second FA Cup goal with just seven minutes remaining, it sucked the life out of Middlesbrough. The outstanding performance from Downing also gave his manager, Gareth Southgate, pleasure, particularly as he appeared keen to leave a month ago. But the professionalism of the England winger is important to Southgate. [LNB]"He did ask to leave but I'm not certain he really, really wanted to leave," Southgate said. "His ideal is that this club does well and he is a huge part of the club doing well. We've had to cut back every year and in the world of football, fans won't want to hear that but in business people say that is a reality of life. It is the same at a lot of football clubs and that is why it makes a lot of the change and turmoil a bit more ridiculous." [LNB]Fifth round replays[LNB]Hull v Sheff Utd: 26 Feb, 7.45pmMiddlesbrough v West Ham: 24 Feb, 8pmCoventry v Blackburn: 24 Feb, 7.45pmFulham v Swansea: 24 Feb, 8pm [LNB]Quarter-final draw[LNB]Blackburn Rovers or Coventry City v ChelseaSwansea City or Fulham v Manchester UnitedCardiff City /Arsenal or Burnley v Sheffield United or Hull CityEverton v West Ham United or Middlesbrough [LNB]Ties to be played on the weekend of March 7-8.
