Source: Daily_Mail
Iron grip on Zola: Quit fears grow as board demand change in tactics
Gianfranco Zola has been forced to deliver a playing report to the new West Ham owners - in a bid to convince them he can still save the club from relegation. [LNB]After five successive defeats and a chronic lack of confidence in their rookie manager, senior West Ham officials have demanded what is effectively a survival dossier. The report is expected to cover tactics, formation and selection. [LNB]All have been questioned in the aftermath of the 3-1 home defeat by Wolves and they suspect Zola is making too many mistakes. [LNB] Time to deliver: Under-pressure Zola knows he must start winning games soon[LNB]Drastic changes are being called for and Zola and his No2 Steve Clarke are being asked: 'Do you have the answers?' [LNB]West Ham considered Zola's future on Wednesday, but it would cost £3.5million to sack the pair. There is also the fear that such dramatic action could be counterproductive. [LNB]Also, alternatives such as Mark Hughes, are currently unwilling to step into the hot seat. Zola, who feels the board have been over-zealous in their management since taking over in January, may find the latest intrusion intolerable. [LNB]His players have held a team meeting, with senior squad members demanding a greater all-round effort. West Ham play Stoke at Upton Park on Saturday and Zola must win that game. [LNB] Case for the defence: Tomkins error allowed Doyle to score the first for Wolves[LNB]His long-term future is already uncertain. It is expected he may resign at the end of the season, when a fair financial agreement may be thrashed out. [LNB]He and Clarke Clarke signed new four-year deals last April but West Ham co-chairmen David Gold and David Sullivan were stunned to learn, on taking over in January, that no provision had been made to reduce their salaries in the event of relegation. [LNB]Zola was handed a deal worth £1.9m a year by the previous owner, Iceland businessman Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, despite his lack of managerial experience. Clarke has a £1.2m-a-year contract, more than double that of his Manchester United equivalent, Mike Phelan. [LNB]However, the owners are understood to be furious at the naivety being shown by the pair. [LNB] Decision time: West Ham co-owners Sullivan and Gold want a turnaround[LNB]Experienced alternatives have been discussed, with Hughes a long-termpossibility. Hughes, however, is believed to be unwilling to discuss the role while Zola is in charge as he is still angry at the way Manchester City dismissed him and brought in RobertoMancini.[LNB] In footage posted on YouTube by a fan, Gold described West Ham's situation as 'a mess' and admitted the team need 'anew centre- half ' after watching the talented but overexposed James Tomkins hand Kevin Doyle an opening goal for Wolves fol lowing a dreadful back-pass.[LNB]Even so, Zola is expected to be given another chance to steer West Ham away from the relegation zone when they take on Stoke. But defeat could seal the Italian's fate. [LNB]WE HID, ADMITS MCCARTHYStriker Benni McCarthy has revealed the gravity of West Ham's situation is not lost on the players.[LNB]Following the demoralising 3-1 defeat by Wolves, he said: 'It's hard to know what to say any more because it was just shocking. [LNB]'The fans started showing their frustrations and it made things even worse on the pitch. We should have shown our character and changedpeople's minds but we didn't. We let it affect us.[LNB]'Everyone started hiding a little bit and that's no way to go about it when things are not going your way. [LNB]'In the dressing room afterwards everyone was too shy to show their faces. It was really hard.' [LNB]Gold said on talkSPORT: 'I had a chat with Franco after the (Wolves) game. He's disappointed, we're all disappointed. People are going to question the manager because people look for someone to blame. Every West Ham fan will be asking "who can we blame?". [LNB]'The fans are entitled to be disgruntled when a team loses 3-1 at home, it's the way of things but we can't carry that negativity into the next game.' [LNB]After the final whistle on Tuesday, Carlton Cole became embroiled in an angry confrontation with fans near the tunnel. Police say one fan was thrown out of the stadium 'for using abusive language towards a player'. [LNB]On the club website, captain Matthew Upson said: 'We need to have a long, hard look and change something about what we are doing. It is up to us, the management and the players, to do something. It just looks like we have lost that ability to work as a team.' [LNB] We've only got ourselves to blame, says West Ham defender UpsonBenni: We'll fight to save Zola's job after West Ham's 'horrible' defeatAs time runs out for West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola, Sportsmail remembers his highs and lows at Upton ParkHammer blow for West Ham's Olympic dream: stadium move could cost as much as £200m WEST HAM UNITED FC
