Gianfranco Zola’s love for game is hammered

ARRIVEDERCI Zola – that was the sad but inescapable conclusion after West Ham manager Gianfranco revealed some of his love for the game had diminished in this fraught campaign.

Zola meets co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan tomorrow for talks – and it was a classic understatement when he said: “We’ll have a long, interesting chat.”

Finishing with an unwanted club record of the least Premier League wins in a season – eight – after just avoiding relegation did nothing to dispel the pervading gloom. And the strong odds are Zola will not be around for the next campaign.

The words of Sullivan, written large in the club programme, would have left Zola in little doubt.

Sullivan said: “The current team and management know that what they have delivered was below expectations and we simply have to do better next time.”

But does Zola want to stay? “That is a question I’ll answer after I speak to the owners to find out the best thing to do,” he said. After seeing Luis Boa Morte mark his first outing this season after a knee injury with a goal – swiftly cancelled out by Shaun Wright-Phillips – Zola added: “It has been a long and exhausting season.

For me, football has always been a joy, a pleasure. But this year, because of all the pressure, it was difficult to take it the same way.”

City manager Roberto Mancini has his own problems having only finished fifth. Mancini admitted it will be harder to attract top players now, saying: “There are some players who want to play in the Champions League, not in the Europa League.

“We are a good team, but, if we want to play for the top of the table, we must improve.”