DAVID GOLD believes Gianfranco Zola can still guide West Ham to Premier League safety.
The Hammers co-owner watched in disbelief last night as Zola’s men crashed to a 3-1 defeat against Wolves at Upton Park.
UNDER PRESSURE … Gianfranco Zola has the full backing of West Ham co-owner David Gold
The Hammers co-owner watched in disbelief last night as Zola’s men crashed to a 3-1 defeat against Wolves at Upton Park.
But Gold remains confident the Italian will ensure the Londoners are playing top-flight football next season.
He said: “I had a chat with Franco after the game and of course he is disappointed, we are all disappointed. We know the fans are disappointed as well, of course they are.
“We are in real difficulties right now, just three points above the bottom three.
“We have got some cup finals coming up now, but it is OK.
“What we have to do is brush ourselves down, then we have to bounce back and say, ‘Now we have seven huge, huge games and we have to pull ourselves out of it’.”
Gold, who bought the Hammers with David Sullivan in January, added: “Obviously people are going to question the manager because they are looking for someone to blame.
“Every West Ham fan will be asking who they can blame. They start off blaming the players, then the manager and finally the owners. It is just the way of things.
“But on Saturday we have a huge game against Stoke and we cannot carry that negativity into the game.
“The fans are entitled to be disgruntled when their team are beaten 3-1 at home, but they know they need to bounce back and support their team in its hour of need.
“I would say that we still have a marginal edge over our competitors, but yes, I think we will stay up.”
Published The Sun 24th March 2010