West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola is desperate to banish the memory of Saturday's crushing defeat at the hands of Manchester United by picking up vital points at Birmingham and Bolton this week

West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola is desperate to banish the memory of Saturday's crushing defeat at the hands of Manchester United by picking up vital points at Birmingham and Bolton this week.

Wanderers currently sit second bottom in the league and although the Blues are hitting a purple patch, both games are winnable for the East End club.

"These are the games that will really make a difference for us. So, starting from the game we play on Saturday, we have to forget quickly about Manchester United. They are obviously on a different level," he said.

"Saturday is a big match so we need to pick ourselves up straight away, because we need a very big performance. Right now we are there [near the bottom].

"We have to realise that is the situation right now. We need to make an effort to get out from that position straight away."

And if they do Zola believes a run from his side could push them significantly further up the Premier League.

"If you see the position, there are teams on 17 points who are in the middle of the table almost, so it depends," he said.

"If you get a couple of results, it changes. It's not only difficult for us to make points, it is difficult for others as well. It's just down to us. We need to find a little bit more consistency and also have less injuries. That would help."

One of those was Zavon Hines who had to be replaced just before the break.

"I felt sorry for him because he wanted to play and he gave everything and I think he was excellent," he said. "Now we don't know what it's going to be. I don't know if he'll need an operation."