Zola tells West Ham owner to keep quiet

West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola has warned the club’s co-owner David Sullivan that his public criticism of the players after their midweek meltdown against Wolves could harm their chances of avoiding relegation.

In the aftermath of the 3-1 home defeat against fellow strugglers Wolves on Tuesday, Sullivan posted an open letter to West Ham’s fans on the club’s website, slamming the performance as “shambolic” and “pathetic”.

The Hammers are just one place and three points above the Premier League relegation zone and Zola is in danger of losing his job regardless of whether his team beat the drop.

In such a fraught situation, the last thing Zola needs is his employer adding to the angst around Upton Park ahead of Saturday’s clash with Stoke.

“The owner is entitled to have his opinion and express it, because he is the owner,” Zola said on Friday.

“However, when you use those words, you have to be very careful how you use them because sometimes they can be painful and cause more damage than you can imagine, and that could be the case. How will the players be feeling?”

“I was very disappointed and he will know that, although I have not spoken to him directly.

“It is not pleasant. But I am not going to retaliate or answer back.

“I will keep my focus on my job, I have a responsibility and will turn it into a positive thing for me and players.

“I will keep my head down and focus on the job. Now we just have to focus on playing, and stop talking.”

Zola acknowledges that his team are in severe trouble but he believes they have enough talent to pull clear of the bottom three – with Sullivan’s harsh words hopefully firing them up to prove a point.

“We know that we have to produce a fantastic performance against Stoke,” Zola said.

“The good thing is that I do not need to motivate the players with a team talk, because they have already had one.

“We are a good team, but going through a difficult moment. We need to make sure we show everyone we are a good team and are going to try to show that.

“I am not happy with the situation, the position we are in, but everybody is trying very hard.

“We care and are trying to find focus in a difficult position to do a good job for the club.”