Zola hopes for reaction

Hammers boss looks for positivite response after defeat

By Rob Carragher   Last updated: 8th November 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Zola hopes for reaction

Zola: disappointed to lose

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West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola has reflected upon his side's last-gasp defeat to Everton by insisting that his charges must now 'react'.

Zola's men were 1-0 up courtesy of a Jack Collison strike and looked set for a first victory in six matches until a self-destructive five-minute spell saw the Hammers concede three goals.

The players looked understandably shell-shocked and the Italian boss admits that he too was struggling for words come the final whistle.

"It's difficult to come here and comment on a game like that," said the former Chelsea star.

"It's not the first time, but these are the situations in which you see young players, real men, and you have to react because you don't deserve this.

"The only thing you can do it is to react. Understand the situation and react."

Pity

As a former player, Zola knows better than most the agony of experiencing such a loss, but he feels that if his players are to emerge from their terrible run of form, then they must allow themselves to learn from his experiences.

"It's a pity really that we let ourselves down," added Zola.

"I've been through these moments many times in my career and I've always reacted.

"That is what we are trying to translate to the players."

Solutions

Indeed Louis Saha's final goal of the afternoon was the seventh late strike that West Ham have conceded since Zola took charge.

His side's susceptibility in the final minutes is becoming a real cause for concern for the 42-year-old, and Zola is worried that unless they can solve these problems on the training field then his side will continue to struggle in the league.

"Something must be going on when in the last minutes of the game we are suffering a lot so it's something that we're going to be looking into during the week

"We need to find solutions, and we've got to try and find the best ones."

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