Soccer:West Ham have sacked Gianfranco Zola after narrowly avoiding relegation from the Premier League. The Hammers finished fourth from bottom, five points above Burnley, and owners David Sullian and David Gold have decided a change in manager was needed.
The search for a successor to Zola starts immediately. The club confirmed they had terminated the Italian’s contract after months of speculation over his future at the club.
Zola, who took charge in September 2008, struggled to keep the club in the top flight this season despite managing a squad including England players Robert Green, Matthew Upson and Carlton Cole.
A statement on the club’s website www.whufc.com read: “West Ham United confirm that they have terminated the contract of Gianfranco Zo
“The Board of Directors would like to thank him for his contribution and wish him well for the future.
“The club will now be focusing its efforts on seeking a replacement. The club will be making no further comment on this matter.”
West Ham are heavily in debt following the collapse of former owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson's business empire. The club was bought by ex-Birmingham City owners Gold and Sullivan in January and Zola's future had since been the subject of constant speculation.
Zola had hinted at disagreements with the club's boardroom powerbrokers in April when he said he had not been consulted over a bid for West Bromwich Albion midfielder Graham Dorrans.
The diminutive 43-year-old said he had been surprised to learn of the bid in a newspaper.
Former West Ham striker Tony Cottee believes the timing of Zola's dismissal was correct but criticised the club's new regime for undermining the Italian during his reign at Upton Park.
"I am pleased they haven't messed around and it dragged on for months,” said Cottee. "If they are going to do it, get it done, but the fans will judge it on the calibre of the manager coming in.
"I think Gianfranco has done a decent job in difficult circumstances.
"It hasn't been easy for him, everything that could have gone wrong at West Ham has gone wrong.
"And at the end of the season Gianfranco and the players have done well to stay up.
"But having said that the results haven't been good enough and obviously the board have now made a decision."
Cottee added: "What I would criticise them (the board) for is not sacking him when they first arrived at the club.
"It did appear right from the start that Zola was not their man.
"Various things have happened through the season that have undermined the management and the players, emails and things getting into the press. That doesn't make for a happy camp. I don't think the board handled it very well."
Cottee believes Croatia boss and former West Ham defender Slaven Bilic is the man to transform the club's fortunes.
He said: "The fans want a manager who will bring success. The right man for me is Slaven Bilic, I think he is head and shoulders above the other candidates.
"I would love to see him return to West Ham.
"He has had a great experience with Croatia but they didn't qualify for the World Cup and if West Ham could give him an escape route I think he would take it.
"He has a lot of passion for the club and still has a place in London."