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Zola vowing to fight on at West Ham

Gianfranco Zola is fighting to keep West Ham in the Premier League © Getty Images

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Under-pressure West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola maintains he is not about to bang his head against a wall in frustration and will instead continue to have a smile on his face as he looks to keep the club in the Premier League.

The Irons remain deep in trouble following what was a fifth straight defeat when they went down 3-1 at home to Wolves on Tuesday night.

Co-owner David Sullivan - who recently bought a controlling interest in the east London club, along with David Gold - took it upon himself to post an open letter to fans on the club's official website, in which he slammed the team's performance as "shambolic'' and "pathetic''.

England centre-back Matthew Upson immediately dismissed the comments as "irrelevant'' - and gave his support to Zola, whose position has come under increasing pressure.

"I have been thinking about this situation and have been saying: 'what the Hell is going on here? It is a football game - Jesus Christ,''' Zola declared. "This is what I think about. I question myself: 'am I doing everything that I can?' and I have to say yes.

"I am doing it with passion. I am doing it with honesty, so why should I be kicking myself or banging my head against the wall? That is what I say. I love the game and I have a fair approach to it.

"Sometimes things don't work. Maybe the job I am doing is not good, but I do it with honesty. If it is not good, they [the owners] should just tell me. I have no problem with that.''

The former Chelsea forward, however, has few complaints about the spotlight he now finds himself under in a first managerial role.

"You have to take it,'' the 43-year-old former Italy Under-21 coach accepted. "Managing a team is all about having compliments, but also having critics and having media attention and I have no problem with that.

"I did not expect so much of that, but I am coping very well. The good thing about football, the thing I love about football, is that every time I had a problem I would go and play football and forget about everything else - that is what I am going to be doing tomorrow.''

While Zola accepts Sullivan is entitled to his opinion, the Irons boss knows it is the players who will ultimately decide the club's fate.

"I understand the chairman Mr Sullivan is very much concerned about the situation,'' he said. "We are not in a very good position, and I am concerned as much as him, but I have faith in the players I am working with.

"We had a chat straight after the Wolves match and the players were devastated because they did not expect to play and perform like that. I have a lot of belief in them, so I am expecting that there will be a big reaction, and we will play better.''

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