A 3-1 mauling by Wolves at Upton Park on Tuesday night has left the Hammers just three points above the relegation zone in the Premier League with seven games to go, ramping up the pressure on their Italian manager. Next to visit the Boleyn Ground are Stoke and Etherington, who spent five-and-a-half years there and played briefly under Zola before joining the Potters in January 2009. The 28-year-old will not be looking to do his former boss any favours when they go head to head on Saturday but Etherington is confident Zola has what it takes to steer the Irons away from trouble and on to better things. "From the three months that I was there with him, I could see that he has a lot of good ideas," Etherington said. "He has (assistant) Steve Clarke behind him, who is obviously very experienced from his time with Chelsea, and I think it's the right combination. "They had a great season last year when they finished ninth and it's been a little bit of a blip this year, but I'm sure if they give him the time, then they will be okay and I think they will push on." He added: "People talk about being too good to go down, but I genuinely do feel that West Ham have got enough in their team to stay up." Etherington has fond memories of his time with West Ham, where he quickly became a fans' favourite but also struggled with a gambling addiction that began to affect his performances on the pitch. "The first season I got 'Hammer of the Year', the second season I supplied the cross for Bobby (Zamora) to get us back into the Premier League, and then the third season we had the FA Cup final," Etherington said. "Obviously I had a dip in form for personal reasons which everyone knows about, and that was a hard time in my life. But I like to think that I had a lot more good times than bad times. "I just thought it was time to move on. I'd been there for five-and-a-half years, the club were looking to sell and the opportunity came around for me to come here. I took it, and I'm glad I did." Since making the decision to leave London, Etherington has rapidly developed into one of Stoke's most important players, with a string of impressive displays that has led to him being touted for an England call-up. While team-mate Ryan Shawcross recently made the step up to the international fold, Etherington believes an injury which forced him off in the opening stages of an FA Cup tie at Manchester City last month - watched by England coach Fabio Capello - may have cost him his chance to do the same. But the Cornwall-born winger regards Shawcross' call-up as a good sign for his own prospects and he still has not given up hope he could gatecrash the party travelling to the World Cup this summer. "I got injured against Man City in the FA Cup and Capello was there at the time," Etherington said. "Obviously City have got a lot of England internationals as well, but he was probably having a little look at me and Ryan. "Ryan got called up, so having got injured in that game after 15 minutes, you think in the back of your head what could have been. "But that's life, it wasn't meant to be and I've got eight games left now (for Stoke) to try and push for it. "I'm not getting my hopes up because there are a lot of good players in my position. "But I think he (Capello) showed by calling up Ryan that if you're an English player, you're in form and you are playing week in, week out for your club, then you have got a chance. I think it gives hope for all the Premier League players. "I'm not going to sit here and say I should go (to the World Cup) or have got a great chance, because I haven't. I'm realistic and I know that. "But if I score a few more goals between now and the end of the season and my form is good, you never know."
