Source: Daily_Mail
Stoke star Etherington calls for Zola patience as he heads back to Hammers
Stoke midfielder Matthew Etherington believes Gianfranco Zola will keep West Ham up this season and is the right man to take the club forward. [LNB] A 3-1 mauling by Wolves at Upton Park on Tuesday night has left the Hammers just three points above the relegation zone in the Barclays Premier League with seven games to go, ramping up the pressure on their Italian manager. [LNB] Next to visit the Boleyn Ground are Stoke and Etherington, who spent five and a half years there and played briefly under Zola before joining the Potters in January 2009. [LNB] Confidence: Etherington has faith in Hammers manager Zola[LNB]The 28-year-old will not be looking to do his former boss any favours when they go head to head but Etherington is confident Zola has what it takes to steer the Irons away from trouble and on to better things. [LNB]'From the three months that I was there with him, I could see that he has a lot of good ideas,' Etherington said. 'He has (assistant) Steve Clarke behind him, who is obviously very experienced from his time with Chelsea, and I think it's the right combination. [LNB]Under pressure: Zola[LNB]'They had a great season last year when they finished ninth and it's been a little bit of a blip this year, but I'm sure if they give him the time, then they will be okay and I think they will push on.'[LNB]He added: 'People talk about being too good to go down, but I genuinely do feel that West Ham have got enough in their team to stay up.'[LNB]Etherington has fond memories of his time with West Ham, where he quickly became a fans' favourite but also struggled with a gambling addiction that began to affect his performances on the pitch. [LNB]'The first season I got 'Hammer of the Year', the second season I supplied the cross for Bobby (Zamora) to get us back into the Premier League, and then the third season we had the FA Cup final,' Etherington said. [LNB]'Obviously I had a dip in form for personal reasons which everyone knows about, and that was a hard time in my life. But I like to think that I had a lot more good times than bad times. [LNB]'I just thought it was time to move on. I'd been there for five and a half years, the club were looking to sell and the opportunity came around for me to come here. I took it, and I'm glad I did.'[LNB] Gianfranco Zola's warning: West Ham co-owner David Sullivan should watch what he says while club fight for survivalALL THE WEEKEND BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM NEWS Zola hits back: Italian bans chairman Sullivan from West Ham team meetingSTOKE CITY FC
