We, the long-suffering but ever faithful supporters of West Ham United Football Club hereby state our support for our current manager Gianfranco Zola and his Assistant Steve Clarke.

As the takeover of our club nears its conclusion, we are troubled by reports in the media that our manager will be replaced once control of the club is transferred.

We, the undersigned, would like to make it clear to all parties concerned that we would not welcome this change and stand firmly behind Gianfranco Zola.

We believe that for someone who is as new to management as Gianfranco, to have coped with all of the pressures off the pitch is remarkable. He has not once placed blame anywhere other than on his own head and is a true gentleman and a credit to our club. Having never had the opportunity to work with the typical resources of any other Premier Lague Manager, we feel Gianfranco has done the best he can in a bad situation and would urge any new owner to give Gianfranco the opportunity to work with these resources and see what he can achieve.

Our manager not only has the backing of us, the fans. The players also back him. If you were to read any quotes in the media from the players you would see how he inspires them every day and happily passes on his knowledge and skill. Replace Gianfranco and risk losing the team. If West Ham are to push forward and succeed with our proud tradition of bringing talented youngsters through the ranks, Gianfranco must be a part of it.

Gianfranco Zola is one of us, and we want him to stay.