ZOLA’S FRAGILE FLOPS CRUMBLE YET AGAIN
GIANFRANCO ZOLA highlighted the fragility of his BIRMINGHAM side after they crashed 3-1 at home to
BRENTFORD, leaving him without a win in the four games since he took charge. Zola admitted: ‘This game is the most disappointing since I took over. We allowed them to come back strongly in the second half. It is this fragility we need to improve.’ Birmingham took a first-half lead through Lukas Jutkiewicz but Scott Hogan equalised early in the second half and although the striker missed a 57thminute penalty the Bees took the lead when David Davis deflected a free-kick past his own goalkeeper. Sub Nico Yennaris fired in a 25-yard drive for the third.
NORWICH boss Alex Neil paid tribute to Nelson Oliveira after his hat-trick beat
DERBY 3-0. Neil had gone into the match under pressure after a run of seven points in 11 games, but Oliveira eased the heat as he scored with his left and right foot and his head to sink a Derby side reduced to 10 men midway through the second half when Jacob Butterfield saw red for a poor challenge. Neil said: ‘He took time to settle after we brought him in (from Benfica), but he has been doing really well since he got a run in the side.’ Paul Lambert rounded on referee Simon Hooper over the ‘incredible decision’ that denied WOLVES full reward for the ‘best performance’ of his reign.
Matt Doherty was scythed down by SHEFFIELD
WEDNESDAY keeper Keiren Westwood late in the opening half in the clearest of three penalty shouts during a 0-0 draw. ‘It was the most blatant penalty you’ll see,’ said Wolves boss Lambert.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST boss Philippe Montanier admitted his side are in a relegation battle after they crashed 1-0 at home to BARNSLEY. Nicklas Bendtner had a goal ruled out for offside two minutes before Conor Hourihane blasted home a 30-yard winner. Montanier said: ‘We are in a precarious position. When you do not win in six games, you are going to move down towards the bottom.’ Ian Holloway believes QPR’s back-to-back wins could help them attract players during a ‘massive’ transfer window. Rangers, who lost six in a row before victory at Wolves on New Year’s Eve, beat IPSWICH 2-1 thanks to Pawel Wszolek, who scored a late winner for the second successive game.