Zola: Good Guys Finish Last… and Get Sacked

Saturday’s defeat to Stoke City was West Ham‘s sixth successive loss in the Premiership. A devastating run of results sees Gianfranco Zola‘s side sit within a whisker of the relegation zone. Only a superior goal difference, albeit dented considerably over the last six weeks, stands between them and Championship football.

So, with half a dozen matches remaining in which to secure their top flight status, it only seems reasonable to take a short holiday, right?

Rounding off a miserable week in which West Ham‘s survival hopes imploded at home to Wolves and Stoke, Gianfranco Zola has decided the best prelude to a relegation battle is time off. The Italian has travelled home to clear his head and consider the task at hand. But what kind of manager skips off  when the going gets tough? It is during times like these when the players and staff need to stick together, build up each other’s confidence and develop a never-say-die attitude. Fleeing to the Sardinian sun says quite the opposite.

And yet there hasn’t been a word in the press on the subject. No mention of Zola neglecting his duties or abandoning his post. Can you imagine if Rafa Benitez went back to Madrid to get away from it all? The press would go berserk. The reason Zola is getting a free pass from the English media is because he’s one of the good guys in football; a sensational player during his time at Chelsea and a humble, engaging ambassador to the English game. Still, it’s no excuse.

West Ham are on a downward spiral during the worst time of the season. While we share every football fans admiration for the little Italian, whether or not West Ham pull off a miracle in May, Gianfranco Zola has to go.

Time for a long holiday Franco

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