Source: SKY_Sports
Zola rues heavy schedule
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola blamed burn-out for his side's lacklustre display against Blackburn.
The Hammers were fortunate to escape with a point after coming under intense pressure from the hosts, who could not find a way to get the ball in the net.
The match was their third in six days, after a tough defeat against Spurs last Sunday and draining extra-time victory over rivals Millwall in the Carling Cup two days later.
Zola claims his team paid for their efforts in that match during the second half at Ewood Park.
"We certainly played better in the first half but in the second half we couldn't maintain the same level of performance," he told Sky Sports after the match.
"This is the third game we've played in one week and many of them played 120 minutes on Tuesday so we couldn't give any more than that.
"But it is a good point against a tough pitch and a tough team so I'm pleased with that."
The Italian manager also dismissed suggestions that West Ham did not deserve to emerge from the match with a point, saying a draw was a fair result.
"We had a couple of chances but to be fair they also had a couple of chances so I think the result is the right one and just a pity that we couldn't play this game in a better condition," he added.
West Ham had to cope with a lot of negative publicity in the run-up to the match, with crowd trouble during their midweek clash making national headlines.
However, Zola claims that his side have faced down adversity before and will have no problems giving their full concentration to on-field matters.
He said: "We've had a lot of things going on, it's been like that since last year so, no problem, we're going to go through all these difficulties."
