Don’t hang Zola out to dry, he tried but failed

It’s difficult not to feel sorry for Gianfranco Zola. Having watched his press conference in full, he is clearly hurting.

The Italian was very apologetic to the fans who he praised for their support.

In different circumstances at a different club, perhaps Zola could have done a job. He was simply the wrong man at the wrong time.

While he couldn’t put his finger on why the results went into such a steep decline, he offered no excuses and took full responsibility for the situation.

From day one, he was on his own. The board of directors weren’t at his unveiling in December and they weren’t by his side yesterday. Zola cut a forlorn figure as 20,000 fans called for his head.

Zola gets my respect for fronting up to the media yesterday. Having given his resignation, he was under no obligation to attend a post match press conference. He did so off his own back and gave an honest and frank view into his reign as manager of Birmingham City.

If personality and popularity made for good managers, Zola would have been the best. He is a likeable man who didn’t quite have the attributes or the know-how to turn his vision into reality.

It’s a shame it didn’t work out. Many predicted it would end up this way when he was first appointed and they’ve been proved right.

But let’s not hang Zola out to dry. He tried. He failed. Now he’s gone.