'What's Going On? Marvin Gaye asked it first and best, of course, but echoes of that question must surely be asked by anyone interested in the future of West Ham United football club.

Is, as David Sullivan was quoted this week, Gianfranco Zola just a coach who works with whatever players are foisted on him? If so - and it seems an odd way to work - that must surely have been put in place by the previous regime of Nani and Duxbury and, if it was, we must also assume it is something that Zola was happy to work with given as he must have trusted his previous owners, having accepted the position at Upton Park, presumably, to work with them and their ideas.

But with new owners, serious questions must be asked of the set-up and if Zola is happy to continue with players now being sought by David Sullivan who seems to have assumed the mantle of coach and scout as well as owner. Media quotes that the Italian boss was unaware of West Ham's bid for West Brom's Scottish midfielder Dorrans seem to suggest that we are either not being told something or that West Ham are being run along very strange lines currently.

It's perfectly understandable, of course, if Zola is too leave at season's end either via his own route or via the sole of Gold and Sullivan's collective boot, that he won't care too much about who the Hammers are linked with next season. But if Gianluca leaves surely a new boss will be sought and won't he want to buy his own players? Or are we suggesting that any new manager will have to work with those selected by the eagle eye of David Sullivan? But then perhaps I'm doing the man a disservice and his sartorial elegance is bettered by his eye for the silky skills of a Championship midfielder. Hell, can he cook? If he can, we may as well get him to make the pies to be sold at the Martin Peters tea bar while we're at it!

Now I'm fully aware that these paragraphs contain way too many question marks but - at the risk of inserting another - what's the option? None of it makes very much sense.

My opinion of David's Gold and Sullivan is pretty much the same as it was when they took over. I'm happy that the club is on a sounder financial footing and no longer at the behest of the Icelandic banking system but nevertheless talk of the club being run by 'West Ham people' and 'Hammers fans' does not instill confidence in itself and, in any case, is wildly misleading.

West Ham was being run - and had been run as a family club for decades - by local people and fans in 2006 and it's not entirely accurate to say all those previous years were full of continued success and sound financial decisions. The Icelandic buy-out went belly up due to matters entirely out of the hands of all but a few International bankers and, while I'm happy Messrs G&S were happy to dig deep in a pocket to bail us out, I'm not convinced that either of them are the new Alex Ferguson.

I suspect much will become clear next weekend when the final games of the season are over and we will eventually see what Gianluca's decision is. But if, as I suspect, the Italian decides to call it a day at Upton Park I assume a new manager will need to be found and I'd prefer someone along the lines of a Martin Jol - a man who likes to pick the players he wants to play in his teams. I can't help but worry that if any new boss is told he can only coach the players that David Sullivan and the odious Barry Silkman select then we're hardly going to be able to entice anyone with an ounce of experience or self-respect.

But even leaving all that aside; what is being gained by the statements currently being issued at board level? It's pointless to say, as was quoted this week, that all players are for sale except Scott Parker. All players everywhere are for sale and that has long been the case. If Manchester United can't hold onto Ronaldo then the pretence is up. If Arsenal or Liverpool come in for Parker then the only thing WHU can do is ensure they get £20m and a fond farewell. There is no other option. On the other hand, if Parker stays, it's nice to know that the side can be rebuilt around him but this is something that can be discussed on the training ground, Manager's office or Boardroom rather than the back page of the Sun!

As for the rest of the squad though, quotes like this can be demeaning and undermining. I don't think any of the younger players should be told they are for sale as there is nothing to be gained by selling a player like Tomkins or Collison. I will agree that many of the comings and goings this summer, not only at Upton Park but right throughout the Premier League, will be decided not on the pitches of England but rather on the grounds of Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg in this year's World Cup in South Africa. Robert Green may well love us and want to stay this week but I expect that opinion will look entirely different if the keeper is No:1 and England got to a World Cup semi-final or - dare to dream - final.

Who goes and who stays this summer is of little relevance in real terms; what bothers me is the message this sends out for no apparent reason. Of course, the argument probably goes that 'I put the money into the club and I can say what the hell I like' but, for me, that is no way to run a football club and it smacks of unprofessionalism while being tawdry and tasteless into the bargain.

I'd like David Sullivan to shut up and do what he has to do behind closed doors and without resorting to the gutter press to foist his ideas on people and indicate his transfer targets. But perhaps I'm missing the point? Maybe, this is what Sullivan feels he needs to do to get Gianfranco Zola to walk insted of the team having to sack him. Perhaps, this is a clever ploy to save the club several thousand in severance pay? If so, I'd just say one word 'Curbishley' and urge Mr Sullivan to think on.

In the meantime, we can only scratch our heads and wonder what the hell is going on.