With Zola's Friends, Who Needs Enemies?

Cassius says to Brutus, "A friend should bear his friend's infirmities" but it seems that none of Zola's buddies want to join him on the sinking ship of West Ham. Rats famously abandon sinking ships, but the rats who purport to be Zola's mates don't even want to get on board in the first place! How many of Zola's good pals were supposedly keen to play for him and how many have actually arrived? Nobody from Chelsea, nobody from Italy's U21s, none of Zola's ex team mates. Toni was supposed to be coming to help out an old mucker, so was Kezman, and the latest, of course, was Gudjohnsen. And where are they?

Perhaps Zola thinks that people like him more than they actually do! He should listen to Benjamin Franklin on the subject: "There are three faithful friends, an old wife, an old dog, and ready money!" Meanwhile Euripides said: "I hate it in friends when they come too late to help". Let's hope Zola doesn't hear from a few friends AFTER we have been relegated!