No place for 'nice guys' like Zola

11 May 2010 13:43
Following Gianfranco Zola's sacking by West Ham, TEAMtalk's Rob McCarthy believes the Premier League is no place for 'nice guy' managers.[LNB] Hammers fans will probably be torn with the decision after they escaped the drop, but I feel new Upton Park owners David Sullivan and David Gold have made the right call in ending the likeable Italian's contract.[LNB]A paltry return of 35 points would normally have resulted in relegation but West Ham were fortunate that Portsmouth were such a shambles off the pitch that it had to have an effect on it, while Burnley couldn't defend and Hull always looked likely to head back to the Championship after their shocking second half of last season.[LNB]Now I'm a big Zola fan - he is one of my favourite all-time Premier League players and has always come across as one of football's good guys, but therein lies the problem. To be a manager at the top level these days, you need to make tough decisions that sometimes players and fans might not like, and from the outside looking in, it looks as if he struggled with that side of the job.[LNB]He will undoubtedly have had the respect of his players for all that he achieved during his outstanding playing career, but there are big egos in football these days and occasionally they need slapping down for the good of the club - did that happen at The Boleyn? I'm not so sure. Seasoned managers Avram Grant, Slaven Bilic and Mark Hughes all look stronger options at this stage.[LNB]Some of Zola's January signings didn't help. Bringing in the temperamental Mido and the over-the-hill Benni McCarthy were panic additions due to a striker crisis but neither managed to find the net. Zola himself would probably have been a better bet in attack![LNB]It's also a tough ask for someone with no previous managerial experience to take charge in the world's most competitive league - just look at the experience of another 'nice guy' in Gareth Southgate. He was hugely popular during his playing days at Middlesbrough but ended up taking the club down and ruining his relationship with some of the Riverside faithful.[LNB]I feel really sorry for the Italian legend but surely it won't be long before he finds himself another club - probably in his homeland.[LNB]And with extra managerial experience and a more hard-line approach, who's to say that we won't see him grace our league again somewhere in the future?

Source: Team_Talk