GIANFRANCO ZOLA has urged his West Ham players to keep the 'faith' after their 2-2 draw with Fulham at Upton Park on Sunday.
A deflected late Junior Stanislas goal rescued a draw for the Hammers, but the game looked to be up at half-time with the hosts rampant and holding a goal advantage, while the Cottagers were in disarray having had Kagisho Dikgacoi sent off for violent conduct.
But two errors from the normally reliable Matthew Upson and goalkeeper Robert Green gifted Fulham the lead after the break.
Zola cut a frustrated figure on the touchline for most of the match and, despite Stanislas' intervention, was disappointed with his players' response after falling behind.
“I wasn't happy (at half-time) because I was expecting to be at least another goal up with the chances we created,” he said. “I warned that the game wasn't finished. I smelt something wrong in the game, it looked too easy. We were passing the ball fantastically well, getting the chances but not scoring.
“What was poor was that when we conceded a goal the whole team lost faith and belief and that's something I really hate. The Arsenal were losing twice and won 6-2, that's the kind of belief we need to keep. No matter what happens you keep playing your own football and at the end of the day we'll see what happens. I don't like that kind of attitude. We have to react and be stronger.”
The Italian, however, remains confident that his troops can reverse the current slide, which has seen them slip to second bottom in the Premier League table.
He added: “Individual mistakes are costing us but I have no doubt that this will make everybody more responsible and things will get better because as a team we're playing well and creating a lot of chances. We just need to cut out those mistakes because they are costing us very much.”
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