Gianfranco Zola insists: I must be the one to blame for West Ham's demise

18 December 2009 10:53
West Ham's beleaguered manager Gianfranco Zola has taken the blame for his team's demise and insisted he would walk away from the job if he couldn't fulfil his 'dream'.[LNB]In a frank interview, Zola, whose West Ham team are rooted in the bottom three of the Premier League and play his former club Chelsea on Sunday, said responsibility for the present predicament was his and his alone.[LNB]Zola's assistant manager Steve Clarke, speaking after the Hammers' latest defeat - 3-1 defeat Bolton - had said that 'if anybody wants to blame somebody, they have to blame me.[LNB] Taking the blame: Gianfranco Zola[LNB]'I'm the guy that was brought in to help Gianfranco. He's a novice manager, just in the game, so if anybody wants to points fingers, then point them at me.'[LNB]Zola has insisted that the buck for West Ham's current woeful run stops at his own door.[LNB]'Steve doesn't have to take responsibility,' said the Sardinian, who succeeded Alan Curbishley as West Ham's manager almost 15 months ago.[LNB]'I understand what he was trying to do but I am the manager. Everything which happens here is my responsibility and I have to take it.[LNB]'I am sorry I didn't talk to the press after the Bolton game but we thought a change would have been good because I had spoken after the Birmingham match only three days earlier.[LNB]'Nobody has to be blamed for this situation other than me. The players are doing what they've been asked to do and I have no criticism of them.[LNB]'It is a tough moment and certainly circumstances haven't been with us but I repeat it is my responsibility.'[LNB]Zola arrived at the Boleyn Ground in September 2008 excited about what he called the 'project' at the east London club. In his first season, his team finished ninth and there was even talk about European qualification at the end of this campaign.[LNB]That seems a distant memory now, though, as West Ham battle to avoid what would be a disastrous relegation to the Championship.[LNB]Hisfirst-team squad looked thin to start with but following a successionof injuries to key players, Zola was even forced to send oninexperienced Portuguese central defender Manuel Da Costa as amakeshift striker for the final few minutes at Bolton on Tuesday night.[LNB] Another defeat: West Ham lost at Bolton on Tuesday[LNB]The parameters of the 'project' have also fundamentally changed since Zola and Clarke arrived from Chelsea.[LNB]Former owner and chairman, Icelandic billionaire Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, suffered financial meltdown in the global recession and main creditor, investment bank Straumur, now effectively own the club.[LNB]They have also suffered serious problems in Iceland, however, and have put the Hammers up for sale at an asking price of £80million-plus.[LNB]This week they were granted an extension on their moratorium over debt repayments and although that gives them some much-needed breathing space and no immediate pressure to sell to the Davids, Sullivan and Gold axis or anyone else, they still requirethe club to be self-financing.[LNB]Last time West Ham were in a similar predicament, they sacked then manager Alan Pardew, brought in Curbishley and then spent in January on influential players such as Lucas Neill and Matthew Upson.[LNB]They survived just, thanks to Carlos Tevez but the venture to sign the Argentine striker also proved costly with Sheffield United winning a legal case for compensation.[LNB]This time around, there is no such largesse for Zola. He knows that he will have to sell one or more of his blue chip players - Upson or goalkeeper Robert Green for example - before he can strengthen his threadbare squad.[LNB] Under pressure: Zola and assistant Steve Clarke[LNB]'I didn't want a very big squad this year but unfortunately we have picked up injuries to important players and we didn't expect the extent of what has happened,' admitted Zola, who is also ready to face the criticism which is inevitably coming his way.[LNB]'Right now it's not working and the only thing we should be concentrating our thoughts on is not what has happened but how we can get through these difficult moments,' he said.[LNB]'The criticism is fair enough. I know my job and I am ready to take my stick.'[LNB]Zola is reported to be earning £1.9m a year as West Ham manager but was already a wealthy man following a glittering playing career.[LNB]'I'm not here for the money,' he said. 'I've already been through a very difficult time last season and we coped very well. I still think I can do well in this job. If I thought I couldn't help this team then I wouldn't be here. I came here because I had a dream but if I see I cannot pursue the dream any more, then that would be it.[LNB]'The dream is still alive, though. It was to make players better, maybe make a difference to some players who were not quite good enough before.'[LNB]The contrast between the situation at West Ham and Sunday's opponents from Stamford Bridge is not lost on Zola, but he remains optimistic.[LNB]'Playing Chelsea is not the worst thing, even in this bad moment,' insisted Zola, who scored 59 goals for his former club.[LNB]'This is a big opportunity and if we perform against them we could change things round.[LNB]'Isee this match as an opportunity rather than a problem.'[LNB]The trouble is, so will Chelsea.[LNB] Crocked again Kieron Dyer's cost to West Ham revealed: £406,666 per game! Lampard reveals support for under-fire West Ham bosses Zola and ClarkeWEST HAM UNITED FC

Source: Daily_Mail