Zola, Right Man Perhaps But Wrong Time

(The article below has been submitted by Rabelais. It is a "third way" in the Zola debate.)

Zola might make a good manager and it is a mistake to blame any one individual for the catastrophe that has been West Ham this season...but Zola is a guy caught in a perfect storm. And God, what I wouldn't give right now for an old sea dog like Roy Hodgson to have his hand on the tiller.

As HF says, Zola is tactically naive but he has other problems which are not necessarily of his own making:

1. A weak(ened) defence: look who we've lost without serious replacement - Collins, Neill, Ferdinand, McCartney.
2. A midfield light in attacking creativity - too many Nobles, Kovacs, Parkers and Behramis.
3. A slothful forward line - McCarthy, Mido, Franco.
4. And a whole lot of inexperienced youngsters all over the place, who really don't need to be blooded in a relegation dog-fight.

That said, Zola has seldom made the best of what he's got.

On the other hand, he being bullied out of his job by his employers. In any other industry he would have approached his union for advice, for he is clearly the victim of 'constructive dismissal'. But Zola has neither a union nor the guile to take his chairmen on.

So given that he is a victim of circumstance, what should he do? I bare the guy no ill-will and wish him well, but for his own sake and that of the West Ham, he has to walk. It is so patently clear that while Sullivan and Gold are in charge he has no future at the club, even if he leads the team to safety - which looks about as likely as snowball in hell.

So he should go because he has absolutely nothing to gain by standing each week on the touchline like a gimp, watching his team get beaten, without the power or acumen to do anything about it. If he decides to hold on for his P45 and the pay-off, he will look, not only an undignified figure but also a mercenary, self-serving figure.