"It is just the beginning. It is the first step and we have got a long way to go. This is the right way to start."
Gianfranco Zola has slowly begun to bring his players back down to earth after a superb start to his managerial career with West Ham United. With the focus already on Tuesday's Carling Cup third-round trip to Watford, the whole squad though could be forgiven for still having the feelgood factor. The 3-1 win against Newcastle United meant the club ended the weekend riding high in sixth and looking forward to another busy week with confidence.
While his natural enthusiasm fuels optimism, the manager knows that there is plenty of hard work needed at Chadwell Heath to keep things going. As such, he only had a "nice quiet celebration" on Saturday night before he, his coaches and the first-team squad were back in on Sunday morning. There was still time for deserved praise though for the way the players had responded to his arrival.
He said: "When you have a team like that which is playing so well and is so focused and tuned in, obviously the manager's life is easier. If they can keep that attitude for a long time, we will get a lot of satisfaction." The humble Zola is still learning the management game but has relished having to look beyond his considerable achievements as a player.
He said: "I have enjoyed it very much. It is a new challenge. It is a difficult challenge ... I really like to test myself with new things and this is a new thing where I am sure that I can do well. I have also got great people around me like Steve Clarke, Kevin Keen and Antonio Pintus. They will be helping me a lot and I am sure we can do a good job."
Zola told his players his first West Ham United selection by simply pinning the team sheet to the wall and he acknowledges that leaving players out is "certainly the hardest thing about being a manager". He added: "I know how important it is for a player to play and that is something that unfortunately has to be done. I always do that with difficulty.
"I realise that sometimes now I will have to be unpopular. As long as I make sure that all my choices are honest choices there shouldn't be a problem. What explanation can you give? They have to be intelligent to understand that I can only pick eleven players and seven can go on the bench. It is a choice. It may sometimes be a wrong choice but I am in the position to make the choice and they have to respect it."
One of his first choices was to hand David Di Michele his first start in West Ham United colours and he was rewarded with an "unbelievable match" from the striker. Zola added that he had worked with the striker during training to make sure his finishing matched the undoubted creative quality that has long characterised his game
No doubt delighted by the way Di Michele had already heeded instruction, Zola said: "He has got everything in his bag to be a successful player for West Ham. He is a quiet boy. But that doesn't matter. As long as he is loud on the pitch I don't mind." Indeed, Zola is eager for his whole squad to step up and take the limelight in the weeks to come. "Obviously we want players to become important for the club and successful. We want these kinds of players."