Gianfranco Zola has taken a swipe at the West Ham owners after they revealed they wanted all the club's staff to take a pay cut.

The Hammers boss is angry that the revelation came via the media little more than 24 hours before the team take on Birmingham at St Andrew' in a vital Premier League encounter.

And Zola fired a warning to the owners when he said: "I am a person of principles and I am not going to allow anybody to walk on my principles."

It is thought the manager and players, along with other club staff, will be asked to take a 25% cut in the summer to slash the club's £60million wage bill.

But a clearly irate Zola said: "I think the article should have been done at another time, not just before a match like on Wednesday.

"It would have been better to talk to us before talking to a newspaper. That is my feeling."

Zola, who earns £1.9million a year, revealed he had not spoken to the owners, nor had he been consulted about the issue.

But he did have a chat with the players about co-owner David Sullivan's plans before preparing them for a match against the club so recently run by Sullivan and his partner David Gold.

Zola, however, insisted he would not be walking out on the club.

"I am what I am and I believe in what I do and I think we can produce good results," he added.

"I am too connected and tied up to the players. I have a relationship with them and the supporters. I do not like to leave a situation unfinished.

"The players are focused on the job. We had a quick chat to remind them that our job is to play football and score goals.

"I am not here for the money. Last year when I signed a contract I didn't even know how much I was going to earn.

"I had a plan and a project and I liked what I was going to do. It's not about money. It is about working for something positive. I always enjoy working for this club. The money was something that came after."

Zola maintained he "respected" Sullivan and Gold, communicated with them a lot and intended to speak with them tonight about the situation.

He said: "I am what I am and I respect them. They are different. Last year we had the same doubts and we came out doing a good job.

"This year the job has not come out the way it should but the season is not finished. We've been dealing with so many problems.

"I don't think we are the best paid players in the Premier League. Trust me, everybody would like to earn more money but we are not money-motivated. We enjoy what we are doing.

"The fans can be sure we will give it our best shot tomorrow. We always gave everything for them. The fans have been fantastic for me. I feel sorry we are in this position."

West Ham have taken two points from a possible nine since Sullivan and Gold took over.

They are rooted in the relegation zone while Birmingham are the season's surprise package, having risen to eighth and the fringes of a European place.

Sullivan, who saw the Hammers slump to a 2-1 defeat at Burnley on Saturday, says it would be "Armageddon" if West Ham were relegated.

However, Zola insisted: "I'm not thinking about relegation at all. I'm thinking about getting the points that we should have had on the table. That is my only focus.

"The defeat against Burnley was unexpected and a big blow but the fighting spirit is there and we will never give up."

On the pitch, striker Benni McCarthy is out of the Birmingham game with a knee injury picked up against Burnley, but Alessandro Diamanti is fit.

Zola also defended long-term injury casualty Kieron Dyer, whose four-hour round-trip to the training ground from Ipswich has been the subject of criticism.

Zola said: "There are players in other clubs who travel two hours to the training ground.

"Some players even fly to go to training. Dyer has been very unfortunate. He has been out a long time. He is trying very hard to come back."