ZOLA STOOD UP TO BELLAMY BOTHER

Gianfranco Zola believes confronting the fire of former West Ham striker Craig Bellamy made him a better manager.




The Hammers boss must find a way to counter the pace of Bellamy on Monday night when his side meet Manchester City at Eastlands.



While Zola admits managing Bellamy was not the easiest task of his year-long career so far as a Premier League boss he admits grappling with the feisty personality of the controversial Welsh striker was a steep learning curve.



Zola said: "I loved working with him because he tested me a lot. He has such a fire inside and it can be hard, but if you approach him in the right way he can give you a lot of satisfaction.



"He is a person you have to listen to for the second thing he says, because the first thing sometimes can be hard.



"He is honest and is not worried about telling somebody they are doing something wrong. Even to the manager."



Zola admits they did have one altercation when they fronted up to each other following West Ham's defeat at Hull last season.



Zola learned that Bellamy had been harsh in his criticism of some of West Ham's players in the dressing room and warned him not to do so again.



"He said 'Are you threatening me?' recalls Zola. "And I said 'No I'm not threatening you.'



"From then it was the break point. After that we respected each other and everything went well. I always listened to his opinion and he always listened to my advice.



"Everybody knows Bellamy. We respect him for what he is and know not to take it in a bad way sometimes when he has a go at somebody.



"At the beginning you might not like it (his honesty). But if you know that person is doing it for the good of the team you take it and it can be helpful. Sometimes it can be worse if you don't say anything.



"Sometimes it is better if someone talks even if he is hard in what he says."



Bellamy, 30, joined the Manchester City revolution last January, signing for his former Welsh boss Mark Hughes.



Zola has struggled to replace his pace and verve and could hand 32-year-old Mexican striker Guillermo Franco his Hammers debut against City in a bid to kick-start a season which has struggled to ignite since they beat Wolves at Molineux on the first day of the season.



While West Ham have gleaned just four points from five matches and been knocked out of the Carling Cup by Bolton, Zola believes he is building a side capable of qualifying for a European place, saying: "I am getting close to getting the right combination."



If City do the same then Zola believes Hughes, his former Chelsea team-mate and training partner, can break the Barclays Premier League's top four cartel.



He said: "Player-wise Manchester City have everything to be up there with the top four teams.



"The question is how good as a team they will become. Having 11 wonderful individuals does not make a strong team. But I trust the manager, he is going to do a good job."