Zola keeping his mind on the match

03 April 2010 10:25
Gianfranco Zola insists his club's ongoing row with Fulham will not distract him from his bid to keep West Ham in the Premier League.[LNB] The Premier League confirmed on Friday that they had received an official complaint from the relegation-threatened Hammers about Roy Hodgson's decision to rest five key players for Hull's 2-0 win.[LNB]That victory allowed Iain Dowie's team to draw level with the Hammers on 27 points, leaving Zola's side outside the relegation zone on goal difference.[LNB]The argument is the latest in a series of squabbles between the two clubs, with Fulham still suing West Ham for the £500,000 in prize money which they claim they missed out on following the Carlos Tevez affair.[LNB]Zola appeared to contradict the opinion of Hammers' owners David Gold and David Sullivan by revealing that he thought Hodgson had done "the right thing" by resting the key quintet for the match.[LNB]The argument may take up to two weeks to be concluded, but Zola insists he is only focusing on his side's bid to avoid the drop.[LNB]"Roy Hodgson is a person I respect for his loyalty and I have no complaints with that," said Zola, who takes his side to Everton on Sunday.[LNB]"He decided to do that and I'm sure he has done the right thing for the club.[LNB]"What it produces we will see in the future but for me, as a manager, I have to be focused on us rather than others.[LNB]"I didn't know anything about it so I can't say what the club will get from it. I'm not even for a second thinking about it.[LNB]"I want to be successful on the pitch on Sunday. That is my only concern.[LNB]"We have to rely on ourselves. Right now the situation is that we haven't got enough points, simple as that. I'm not hiding behind anything."[LNB]Zola flew back to Sardinia for three days to consider his future following the Hammers' defeat against Stoke last week - their sixth loss on the bounce.[LNB]The 43-year-old is determined to stay at Upton Park, but admits the decision to stay on was tough.[LNB]"It was one of the toughest days of my career but I have had worse, trust me," said the Italian.[LNB]"I never wanted to leave to be honest. The Sunday was really tough for me because the players were feeling so down. It was very emotional but it didn't last long. Sardinia can do miracles. I relaxed and ate - a lot."

Source: Team_Talk