By Matt Slater BBC sports news reporter

Zola was a star performer in the Laureus Awards' charity football game

Former West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola says current Hammers boss Avram Grant is lucky to still be in a job.

Zola was sacked last May when West Ham finished 17th in the Premier League, only five points clear of relegation.

But fortunes have not improved this season and West Ham are bottom of the table, two points adrift of safety.

"I'm surprised [Grant is still there] because in football nowadays there's no patience - it's so difficult for everybody, not just Avram," said Zola.

Former Chelsea and Portsmouth manager Grant was given a four-year contract by West Ham last June but the team have won only five of their 26 league games this season. There has been some respite in the cup competitions but the Hammers were beaten by Birmingham City in last month's Carling Cup semi-final.

That setback came only a fortnight after the club's flirtation with Martin O'Neill ended when the ex-Aston Villa and Celtic boss declined the invitation to replace the 56-year-old Israeli as manager at Upton Park.

Despite these problems, Zola is confident his former charges can get themselves out of trouble and points to last season's late rally as evidence of their ability to do so.

"It's a tough time but I believe the club, the team and the supporters deserve better and I hope they can change things around," the popular Italian said.

"We did it last year, we were in deep trouble and not many people gave us much hope. But the players have done it before so I believe they can do it again."

The former Napoli, Parma and Chelsea maestro, who finished his playing career at Cagliari, is currently enjoying a year away from the professional game, spending time with his family and finishing his coaching badges.

The 44-year-old was speaking at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Abu Dhabi, where he played alongside the likes of Edgar Davids, Steve McManaman and Patrick Vieira in a charity football game that raised 500m euros for charity.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version