Source: Telegraph
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola grateful for international break to plan club survival
West Ham’s 2-2 draw with Fulham at Upton Park leaves the club in the bottom three with just five points from seven games, equalling their worst ever start to a Premier League campaign.
The West Ham manager loses most of his squad to international call-ups this week and must wait until Saturday week before he can put it right, when his team travel to Stoke.
“The players are trying really hard,” insisted Zola. “I don’t think it’s a matter of commitment – the commitment is fantastic from everybody.
“We just need to improve our focus. At the end of the day a game is made by details and if you don’t pay attention to those details you will keep dropping points. It’s as simple as that.”
West Ham were losing 2-1 going into added time against Fulham but even though Junior Stanislas stile a late equaliser, Zola remains unhappy.
“We have to raise our attention and I will be working on that. I don’t think the display against Fulham was out worst performance. It’s just that we don’t have the consistency throughout the game that will give us points instead of draws or defeats.”
Meanwhile, former Birmingham City director David Sullivan, linked with a potential take-over at Upton Park, insisted that he is not currently in negotiations with the club.
Sullivan is to formally stand down as a Birmingham director after selling his stake in the club to Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung.
Sullivan has been linked with a move to buy West Ham but he said: "I'm not in negotiation with anybody. Until I am out of Birmingham, nothing. I do love football, but the problem is when you look around most clubs are in such a mess."
