• Scot backs under-pressure Italian before visit to Goodison
• ‘Sullivan is entitled to have his say but it doesn’t help’
David Moyes has said Gianfranco Zola requires support not interference from the West Ham United board as he looks to increase the pressure on the beleaguered Italian on Sunday. The Everton manager also believes stability at Goodison Park and elsewhere offers a pertinent lesson to Zola’s employers in the midst of their struggle for Premier League survival.
Zola has failed to back West Ham’s official protest against Fulham by saying he has “no complaint” against the team Roy Hodgson fielded against Hull City last weekend. The Italian’s stance threatens to widen the fracture with David Gold and David Sullivan, the Hammers’ co-owners, following the latter’s public outburst against the players’ performance 10 days ago, after the 3-1 defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers at Upton Park.
Zola said he had not been consulted over the decision to lodge an appeal with the Premier League, which received the official notice today.
“I just learnt that,” he said. “I didn’t know it was happening. I have no doubts that Roy Hodgson is doing his best for his team. He’s a person that I respect for his loyalty and I have no complaints with that. He decided to do that and I’m sure he did the right thing for his club. Plus, I read the reports and I think Fulham were not that bad, so it’s no problem.
“I want to be successful on the pitch and that’s my only concern. I like to get my points on the pitch by playing and beating the opposition.”
Zola returned home to Sardinia to consider his future last weekend after a sixth successive league defeat. West Ham are level on points with third-bottom Hull, having played one game more. Sullivan’s criticism after the defeat by Wolves intensified the spotlight on Zola’s position and Moyes, himself no stranger to difficult times during his early years at Everton, believes the comments have complicated the West Ham manager’s task at a critical juncture.
“He [Sullivan] is entitled to have his say because he owns the club but I don’t necessarily think it helps,” said the Everton manager, who is seeking an eighth consecutive home league win on Sunday. “This is a difficult time with only a few games to go and managers need support and help. I think it is better to say things like that behind closed doors. Players can sometimes jump on things like that [Sullivan's apology on the West Ham website after the Wolves game] when they want to hear it from their manager. I’m sure Gianfranco would like to get on with his job without too much interference.”
Moyes admitted the trust between a manager and his board “has to be earned” but cited his situation and Sir Alex Ferguson’s at Manchester United as two examples of how a chairman’s support can reap dividends. He said: “It is up to the manager to pick players back up after a defeat. I’ve lost a lot of games and not felt good but I’ve always had great backing from Bill Kenwright here. What you need at times like that is a chairman to give you the encouragement and the positivity to get back up.
“Sir Alex has always said he is in control of the football club at Manchester United and I am fortunate in that I’ve got control over what goes on at Everton. That might not be the way for every club to go forward but it is the right way for us.”
West Ham’s prospects of survival rest on how they can negotiate a difficult run-in, which also includes trips to Liverpool and Fulham. While Zola said he was unsure whether the latter game is “going to be spicy or not” due to the complaint, the Fulham striker Bobby Zamora said he hopes the club can win a first ever European trophy, while continuing to accrue points.
Zamora scored the opening goal — his 18th of the season — in Fulham’s 2-1 Europa Cup quarter-final, first-leg win against Wolfsburg yesterday. He said: “If we can win the Europa Cup and finish on 42 points we’ll take that all day long. I am desperate to score. I want to play, I want to score goals.” Fulham host Wigan .
West Ham UnitedEvertonAndy HunterJamie Jacksonguardian.co.uk
