Zola is fashioning his team in style of Scala

Zola, though, has been in football long enough to know management is no walk in the park. There could be trouble just around the next corner, even against Bolton at Upton Park on Sunday.

With that in mind, the new West Ham manager will undoubtedly lean on his experienced assistant Steve Clarke this weekend and over the coming months.

The Sardinian could even give his old mate Diego Maradona a ring. He was the Argentine great's understudy at Napoli and the two became good friends.

"He spoke to me a lot," recalled Zola. "He is a lovely, simple guy and was always making suggestions and giving advice to the younger players."

If he wants any tips on management, however, Zola has plenty of possibilities to choose from.

Among those he could turn to are the beleaguered Newcastle director of football, Dennis Wise, Gianluca Vialli or perhaps two of his former managers, Ruud Gullit — who signed him for Chelsea — or Claudio Ranieri, who has twice managed Zola, first at Napoli and then at Stamford Bridge.

Ask Zola which manager has left the biggest impression on him, though, and the name he reveals has a much lower profile in this country.

"I've been lucky enough to have played under some fantastic managers and I have learned a lot from all of them," he said.

"But, probably, the one which had the most influence on me was Nevio Scala, my manager at Parma.

"We had a team there who used to play very good football and Scala was the architect of that style of play at the club. He made this team play the best football in Italy and it was a marvellous, enjoyable experience."

Scala has a mightily impressive CV. Now 60, he began managing at Vicenza and moved on to Reggiana before taking over from Arrigo Sacchi as Parma coach in 1989.

Scala stayed there for six golden years, during which time they won trophy after trophy.

Zola, the club's most gifted player, was in his element under Scala as Parma won the European Cup-Winners' Cup in 1992, the UEFA Cup three years later and the European Super Cup in 1997.

By that time Zola had joined Gullit in West London but he has never forgotten the management skills of Scala.

Leaving soon after that Super Cup triumph, Scala went on his travels but wherever he went, success invariably followed.

He was in charge of Borussia Dortmund when they won the World Club championship; Turkish club Besiktas when they qualified for the Champions League and Shakhtar Donetsk when they lifted their first ever Ukranian League title.

Scala's most recent job was at Spartak Moscow four years ago, but he will always be revered by Zola who is trying to employ a similar brand of management technique at Upton Park.

Zola played his football with a smile on his face and he wants his West Ham team to do the same.

"I want them to enjoy their football," he said. "I will never criticise them for wanting to do the right thing with the ball.

"Of course there is pressure, but you must enjoy what you're doing to get the best out of yourself."

So far most things on the pitch have gone swimmingly for Zola.

But he will always remember the lessons of the two men who taught him so much — Maradona, the player, and especially the maestro manager, Nevio Scala.