ZOLA'S DESPERATE FOR THE ICE TO MELT

PUBLICLY, Gianfranco Zola is still managing to sport that genial grin of his but increasingly it is through gritted teeth.

Zola knows his reputation as young manager is on the line but he is constantly hindered.

He is not about to quit - but he will if things don't start to change around him soon.

That is why Zola will be desperate new owners of the club are found urgently, with a buy-out by David Gold and David Sullivan preferable to a bunch of unknown foreign speculators moving in.

Gold and Sullivan may not be everybody's cup of tea but their 16-year track record at Birmingham is impressive.

The two live in the Hammers catchment area and count themselves as fans.

It was this week last year when after a defeat by Bolton, Landsbanki, the bank which financed the club's Icelandic owners, hit the rocks.

Just a few weeks after succeeding Alan Curbishley, Zola found himself in an entirely different job.

To his credit, Zola has done well.Given the extent of the financial horrors, finishing ninth last season was an achievement.

Zola and assistant Steve Clarke deserve credit for blooding bright young players such as James Tomkins, Jack Collison, Junior Stanislas and Zavon Hines.

But Zola is increasingly concerned about heaping too much responsibility on them and is frustrated with the club's activity in the transfer market.

Zola and Clarke have struggled to develop a rapport with technical director Gianluca Nani, who is in overall charge of transfers. While it would seem Zola has been kept informed of the deals he has become increasingly baffled by the quality of the some of the players brought in compared to those sold.

Last January, they sold Craig Bellamy for £14m and replaced him with an unknown from Italy called Savio. At the time, the club were happy to boast his fee could rise to £9m.

Zola quickly decided he wasn't up to it and the player was quietly shipped out on deadline day.

Nani used to work for Italian club Brescia, whose president, is his father in law and the club from which Savio was signed.

Zola is concerned about the ability of the other summer arrivals from Italy, Luis Jimenez and Alessandro Diamanti.

West Ham's record under Zola reads P41 W13 D10 L18.

That's mid-table form. Decent, given all that's gone on.

But the next two games against Fulham and Stoke are vital. No wonder he's told his players that today's match is like a cup final.

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