They think it's all Zola...

ItâÂÂs not a great time to be a Hammer. Last night was a big defeat that could be fatal come the end of the season. Will it be enough for the owners to cut their losses with the manager? The Porn Barons are West Ham through and through and won't want to see them go down, so what do they do?

After last night's fifth successive defeat, Gianfranco Zola has been backed into 6/5 favourite in our Premier League Sack Race.

Zola had been 9/2 for the boot last week before defeats to Arsenal and Wolves, but he looks to be hanging on by a thread â with only the late stage of the season possibly offering enough respite and time to save his position.

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He wasnâÂÂt the owners' choice of manager, so you have to think he was always onto a hiding to nothing â and the feeling is that West HamâÂÂs struggles will almost certainly lead to them bringing in their own man before too long. Zola is now odds-on at 4/6 to have left Upton Park before the start of next season.

What remains to be seen is what division West Ham are in by that stage; they're 13/5 for relegation, 1/4 to stay up.

At 5/4 Mark Hughes remains the manager most fancied to take over, followed by ZolaâÂÂs assistant Steve Clarke at 9/2 and Slaven Bilic at 6/1. But would anyone take the helm of this sinking ship? The last thing anyone wants is the tag of being the manager who put the Hammers down...

Zola to still be manager on the 1st day of next season
11/10    Yes
4/6        No

West Ham To Be Relegated
13/5      Yes
1/4        No

Premier League Relegation Odds
1/8        Burnley
1/2        Hull
13/5      West Ham
5/1        Wolves
6/1        Wigan

Next West Ham Manager
5/4        Mark Hughes
9/2        Steve Clarke
6/1        Slaven Bilic
15/2      Alan Curbishley
8/1        Stuart Pearce
9/1        Avram Grant
14/1      Paul Lambert
16/1      Phil Brown
16/1      Alan Pardew
66/1      Harry Redknapp

Prem Sack Race Latest
6/5        Gianfranco Zola
9/4        Avram Grant
15/2      Brian Laws
10/1      Steve Bruce
14/1      Rafa Benitez
18/1      Roberto Martinez
18/1      Roberto Mancini

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