Sacked Zola to sue WH after being offered zero compensation

• Poignant

  11 May 10, 18:37

  West Ham sack manager Zola

  West Ham United have announced the sacking of manager Gianfranco Zola.

  The Hammers finished fourth from bottom, five points above Burnley, and owners David Sullivan and David Gold have decided a change in manager was needed.

  The search for a successor to Zola starts immediately.

  A club statement said: "West Ham have terminated the contract of Gianfranco Zola.

  "The board of directors would like to thank him for his contribution and wish him well for the future.

  "West Ham will now be focusing on seeking a replacement. No further comment will be made on this matter."

• kopiosatu

  11 May 10, 18:42

  when is benitez turn?

  but i dun mind if i get silenced if he get successful next season

• Saltiga

  11 May 10, 19:15

  you wouldnt get silenced like that, rest assured, at most Chelsea will sack their manager this time round according to sources from the Mod thickly head, ManU keeps winning Chelsea sack their manager, all 3 Chelsea managers didnt do a single wrong, but will gets the boot once ManU keeps winning so i presumed if Liverpool win Chelsea will sack their manager again,

   

  sorry to use your post to laugh at some thickly head mod

• Rooney9

  11 May 10, 19:18

  as expected. west ham is lucky not to be relegated this season.

• Bus&Soccer l0v3r (VO3x 1)

  11 May 10, 20:12

  haiz

  
  
  so who in
  
  mark hughes

• Rooney9

  11 May 10, 20:14

  Bilic. too bad mclaren has taken over wolfsburg, if not him lol.

• CKeer

  11 May 10, 20:52

  The return of Alan Curbishley!

• sh90

  11 May 10, 21:48

  Avram grant, mark huges and slavan bilic are favourite to replace zola

• dukedracula

  11 May 10, 21:59

  steve clark could have gotten a championship medal instead of looking for a job...

• Y_Shun

  11 May 10, 22:47

  I am expecting to see Slavan Billic to replace Zola, this Croatian maybe got something up his sleeves.

  And...I hope STEVE CLARK can come back to Chelsea as Assistant Manager.... if not I hope he can manage a EPL team at the later part of the season.

• dragg

  12 May 10, 08:29

  Originally posted by CKeer:

  The return of Alan Curbishley!

  no no.

  i dont want him at west ham.

   

• zocoss

  12 May 10, 10:20

  Gianfranco Zola's bitter exit from West Ham paves the way for Portsmouth's Avram Grant

   

  

  Coffee break: Zola brings drinks for reporters

   

  West Ham appear to be on course for another legal battle after the acrimonious sacking of manager Gianfranco Zola.

  Zola was summoned to Upton Park yesterday and fired by deputy chairman Karren Brady after a season when the Hammers finished 17th in the Barclays Premier League.

  Avram Grant and Glenn Hoddle are among names on a shortlist to replace Zola, who was told he was in breach of contract for public criticism of co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold.

  The Italian will fight the allegation. He had three years remaining on a £1.9millon-a-year contract he signed last year, which includes a severance clause entitling him to one year's pay if he is sacked. His legal team are also expected to point to provocation from Sullivan and Gold, who took over the club in January.

  The comments which are being held against Zola were made in response to Sullivan's declaration that all West Ham players would be up for sale in the summer except captain Scott Parker.

  'If I was Mark Noble or Robert Green or Valon Behrami, I wouldn't be very pleased to hear that,' said Zola at the time. 'It's not pleasant. You don't like it but this is the way it goes. I've been surprised so many times this year, so I am not surprised that I am surprised.'

   

  

  Outspoken: Sullivan (left) has voiced concerns about Zola since buying West Ham

   

   

  Zola's relationship with co-owners Sullivan and Gold has been strained. The manager came close to quitting in March after successive home defeats by Wolves and Stoke and remarks from Sullivan, who branded the team 'shambolic' and 'disorganised'.

  The Italian was also unhappy that the board had made a £4m offer for West Bromwich Albion's Scotland midfielder Graham Dorrans without his knowledge.

  Yesterday, Zola served coffee to reporters and photographers camped outside his house but refused to comment beyond a statement which said: 'I am extremely disappointed to be leaving West Ham United. Over recent weeks, I have been the subject of various adverse comments, from within the club, which have been widely reported in the media.

  'Despite what has been a very difficult period for me, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at West Ham. I would like to sincerely thank the players and my staff for their continued support, hard work and commitment. I am extremely proud of their efforts, over a long, difficult season.

   

  

  Lowest point: The knives were out after a crushing defeat at home to Wolves

   

  'West Ham is a great club with fantastic supporters and I wish the club every success in the future.'

  Zola arrived at Upton Park in September 2008 to replace Alan Curbishley, who took the club to a tribunal claiming constructive dismissal. He settled his case with Sullivan earlier this year and is understood to have been paid nearly £2m plus court costs. It followed another costly court case when the Hammers were forced to pay £25m in compensation to Sheffield United.

  Zola has enlisted the League Managers' Association to help with his case. 'Clear communication and a supportive framework at the top of a football club are essential for stability and delivering results,' said LMA chairman Richard Bevan.

  'Gianfranco has had to manage his team through a period of significant uncertainty at the club and has shown dedication, resilience and commitment to his players, staff and the fans.' 

  Portsmouth manager Grant, set to leave after Saturday's FA Cup final, is on the West Ham shortlist. Grant has worked closely in the past with Steve Clarke, Zola's assistant, who has three years left on his contract and has been asked to stay on.

   

   

  Short stay: It was all smiles when Zola was unveiled as the club's new boss in September 2008 (left) but things soon turned sour in his second season

   

  Grant and Clarke took Chelsea to the Champions League final in 2008 before the Israeli was replaced at Stamford Bridge by Luiz Felipe Scolari and the Scot joined Zola at Upton Park.

  Former Croatia coach Slaven Bilic has told West Ham he is not interested in the job but Hoddle is a surprise name also under consideration. The former England boss has spent the last two years establishing a football academy in Spain and working in media.

  Real Mallorca boss Gregorio Manzano, who has taken his team to the brink of the Champions League, is another on the list but Sullivan and Gold earned a reputation for employing British managers at Birmingham, where they recruited Barry Fry, Trevor Francis, Steve Bruce and Alex McLeish.

  Peter Reid, currently No 2 to Tony Pulis at Stoke, wants to return to management and is being actively considered, as are a quartet of successful managers from the Championship - Dave Jones, Nigel Pearson, Ian Holloway and Paulo Sousa.

  Birmingham City have made an enquiry about signing West Ham and England striker
  Carlton Cole.

   

• dragg

  12 May 10, 10:25

  i year's pay in compensation for a new manager like zola?

  no wonder so many football clubs are in financial peril.

  they have little or no control over their expenses.

  i live zola but thats crazy.

   

• zocoss

  12 May 10, 11:27

  Sacked Zola to sue West Ham after being offered zero compensation

   

  

   

   

  Gianfranco Zola will sue West Ham after being sacked yesterday without being offered a penny of compensation.

  Avram Grant is set to be announced as the new Upton Park manager after the FA Cup final. But Zola has called in the League Manager's Association to fight for his money after his £1.9m-a-year contract was terminated. He signed a new four-year deal last year under the previous owners.

  West Ham finished 17th after flirting with relegation for most of the campaign. But the Upton Park club believe they have grounds to sack the Italian for breach of contract for comments he has made in media interviews, especially after Sunday's final match against Manchester City.

  His assistant Steve Clarke will remain at the club for now and review his position when a new manager is appointed.

  Grant took Chelsea to the Champions League final in 2008 and has led Portsmouth to Wembley on Saturday despite the club falling into administration. The Israeli will be free to walk away from Fratton Park and has experience of working on a tight budget.

  Until a deal is concluded, Croatia manager and former Hammer Slaven Bilic remains an alternative. Mark Hughes has told friends he is not interested in the job.

  Co-chairman David Sullivan said: "We hope to have in place within three weeks an experienced manager. We will study people's past records to find a manager with a proven track record."

   

  10 Reasons why Gianfranco Zola had to go  

   

   

  1) His disastrous first full season in charge
  West Ham retained their Premier League status by default, staying up purely because the three teams below them were, unbelievably, even more woeful. The stats speak for themselves - eight wins, 19 defeats, 35 points - but, to add some context, compare with those of the Hammers' last relegation season in 2002-03: 10 wins, 16 defeats and 42 points.
  
  2) His overall career stats
  Zola was praised for steering the side he took over from Alan Curbishley to a creditable ninth place finish in 2009, but that season was also blighted by a disastrous run of form that left West Ham flirting with the relegation zone for a large chunk of the season. The proof of this particular pudding can be found in the Italian's overall league record as West Ham boss: played 80, won 23, drawn 21, lost 36, providing a win percentage of just 28.75. This is by far the lowest of any of the Hammers' Premier League managers - even the much maligned Glenn Roeder managed 31.39% (from a comparable 86 games).

  3) His choice of formation
  Zola is an outspoken advocate of the beautiful game played the beautiful way - for which read Chelsea's potent and fluid 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation - and while his determination to introduce such a style of football at Upton Park chimed with West Ham's own rich history, the Italian's failure to recognise that he lacked the personnel to pull it off almost ended in disaster. Whether borne out of naivety or arrogance, Zola's refusal to put substance before style was one of his major undoings.

  4) His motivational abilities
  Much was made of Zola's relationship with his playing staff - something their over-zealous public displays of affection when celebrating goals has proved - but the lethargy with which they set about their supposed relegation battle told another story. And, let's be honest here: if you had a boss who was one of the lads and potentially let you get away with murder at the workplace, you'd be quite vocal with your support as well should somebody higher up threaten to replace him with a more disciplined appointment.

  5) His inconsistent team selections
  Yes, Zola's reign was bedevilled by injury, but some of the decisions he made with the personnel that was available to him were baffling: persistently playing Mark Noble, Jack Collison and Alessandro Diamanti on the wings when none of them were suited to the role; or continually punishing mistakes by central defenders Danny Gabbidon, James Tomkins and Manuel Da Costa with a subsequent benching when a settled back four was needed.

  6) His blind allegiance to Jonathan Spector
  By far Zola's biggest blind spot involved the Hammers' left-back berth, though. Despite impressive showings by the 19 year-old Swiss international Fabio Daprela on the rare occasions he was allowed out of the stiffs, Zola insisted on picking Jonathan Spector, a competent-at-best reserve right-back whose calamitous errors on his unfavoured side cost the Hammers hatfuls of points.

  7) His injury record
  At what point does base bad luck verge on something rather less palatable instead? Zola's appointment of fellow Italian Antonio Pintus as fitness coach was heralded as a chance to confine Curbishley's walking wounded era to history. In the event, little changed, and West Ham's season was blighted by a series of - arguably preventable - soft tissue injuries sustained during early stages of games to key players.

  8) His transfer record
  Given the obfuscation over how much influence Zola actually had on the comings and goings of personnel during both regimes that he served under, it's hard to say how much he was to blame to for the exodus on talent and influx of flops at Upton Park over the past 18 months. However, the manager did go on record after the arrival of Inter Milan loanee Luis Jimenez, stating that he was the type of player he wanted to build a team around. After just 11 disappointing league starts, the Chilean was shipped back to Italy.

  9) His affiliation with Chelsea
  Of course top-level football appointments should overcome petty rivalries, but the fact that Zola was one of hated London rivals Chelsea's all-time legends rankled from the start. When results were going their way, the critics in the Chicken Run were happy to let this slide; when they weren't it became another stick with which to stir their simmering cauldron of resentment. Zola himself didn't help matters any by publicly expressing his admiration for East End hate figure Frank Lampard and also choosing to go to Stamford Bridge for Chelsea's crunch game with Arsenal in February instead of scouting upcoming West Ham opponents Birmingham and Wolves who were playing at St Andrews that same Sunday afternoon.

  10) His relationship with Gold and Sullivan
  No matter what your thoughts on West Ham's new owners and they way they go about their business ( and you can read mine here ), it's imperative that the man in the dugout maintains a decent working relationship with them. Zola's appeared to get off on the wrong foot - and then went quickly downhill from there. From the moment David Sullivan - quite rightly - lambasted Zola's side for their woeful performance in the 3-1 home defeat to fellow strugglers Wolves, it was clear that the Italian's days were numbered.

• dragg

  12 May 10, 11:32

  zola has to go alright but why no compensation?

  a contract is a contract.  the fact he didnt deliver is beside the point.

   

• Rooney9

  12 May 10, 11:35

  Originally posted by dragg:

  zola has to go alright but why no compensation?

  a contract is a contract.  the fact he didnt deliver is beside the point.

   

  yes he didnt deliver west ham to division 1 what. that is very true. he helped saved west ham millions by staying up. shame on the owners.