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Overall, things are looking a lot better for West Ham than they were a few weeks ago. The 3-1 victory over Fulham on Sunday moved the Hammers up to eighth place in the Premier League and a relatively comfortable eight points above the drop zone.

Gianfranco Zola’s men have now won four of their last five games in all competitions and it seems that the Italian’s hard work on this team is paying off. The players are looking more confident, they are working harder than ever and Zola is stamping his authority all over the place. Of course, it could all go wrong again as that’s the nature of this league, but for now it’s all good.

The only downer of the weekend was the revelation that Craig Bellamy is probably on his way to Manchester City. The striker was left out of the squad for the Fulham win and even though Zola tried to claim he ‘wasn’t fit’, it was obvious that Bellamy had probably played his last game for West Ham.

In my piece for KUMB last week I claimed that Bellamy’s future could dictate the way in which West Ham’s season pans out. Having watched the team against Fulham though, perhaps I was a little hasty. The team was full of players that wanted to play for the club, something that Bellamy clearly does not.

One man in particular was impressive – Mr Carlton Cole. The former Chelsea man was a significant presence throughout and his superb second half display was deservedly rewarded with a goal that sealed the points for West Ham.

Cole was also the man who was fouled for the Hammers penalty in the second half and I think it is clear to see that he was involved in most things that West Ham did well going forward. As a result of this, the 25-year-old has won some significant praise from his manager.

Zola believes that the forward has a lot of potential and that he can become even ‘better than he is’ right now. The West Ham boss then went on to say that Cole has ‘all the qualities’ to become an England player at some point during 2009.

Speaking specifically about Cole’s performance against Fulham, Zola said that he ‘changed the game around’ in the second half with his robust display. He was assisted by ‘ten fantastic players’ according to the manager though, as he tries his best not to single out one player in particular.

As for the player himself, well he is keeping his feet very firmly on the ground after notching a goal in each of West Ham’s last five fixtures. He says that the ‘manager putting faith’ in him has helped a great deal to increase his confidence and this, along with the help of his team-mates, has assisted his progress.

It is important that Cole continues this good form though if he is to stake a claim for an England place. I’m not sure Fabio Capello will be picking him on the back of five or six performances, so he needs to continue to perform for West Ham for the rest of the season. That’s all he can do for now. Then, maybe the football odds will expect him to be in contention for the 2010 World Cup.

As for his strike partner on Sunday, David Di Michele took his goal well. However, I’m not convinced he is the long-term answer in terms of replacing Craig Bellamy. I wouldn’t place any of my football betting money on him scoring each week, so perhaps Zola needs to use the Bellamy money to sign partner for the in-form Carlton Cole.

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