Tony Mowbray has given warning that the Premier League’s possible decision to breach the rules to allow Gianfranco Zola to become West Ham United manager is a backward step for coaching. Zola will be in the stands to watch his new side play Mowbray’s West Bromwich Albion team and will take control for his first match against Newcastle United a week today.

The league’s rules state that managers must possess the necessary qualifications to work at the highest level.

Zola has completed his Uefa B licence, but must gain the A licence and Pro Licence before June 2010. West Ham are in discussions with the league about Zola receiving special dispensation to manage in the short term and are putting together a timetable for him to gain the qualifications.

Glenn Roeder, Gareth Southgate, and Paul Ince have received special dispensation in recent seasons.

“The league are the ones who have to look at this issue,” Mowbray said. “Originally, they took a very hard line and Glenn was allowed through because of exceptional [health] circumstances, then Gareth because of his international career commitments. I’m sure they’ll draw the line at some point because otherwise we’ll open the floodgates.”

Mowbray, one of only eight English managers in the top flight, paid £7,000 of his own money to take the course and, since gaining the manager’s job at Hibernian in May 2004, has become a role model, lecturing at a Pro Licence course this summer. But, after leading West Brom to promotion from the Coca-Cola Championship last season, he is not mentioned when vacancies arise at the Premier League’s more established clubs.

“Are English managers a dying breed?” he said. “I look on it as a challenge to myself and to other managers. Zola was one of the best foreign players to play in the Premiership, but as a manager, who knows? He looks as if he’s got integrity, humility and always has a smile on his face. Whether he will be successful depends not on whether he can teach a player to beat three men but by how he manages people: his players, his staff and his chairman. It’s about relationships.”

Mowbray will be wary of his opponents obtaining stimulus from a new manager after the departure of Alan Curbishley ten days ago. Zola met his players yesterday, but Kevin Keen, the reserve-team coach, will take charge of the team today. “Curbs did a great job keeping us up, but for me it’s a fresh start,” Keen said.

Keen progressed from cleaning Trevor Brooking’s boots as an apprentice to the first team at Upton Park, before playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers. “As a coach, I would like to think I’m quite knowledgeable, enthusiastic and bright,” he said. “The reaction of the players to me and to the training has been excellent.”

Keen will be promoted to work with the first team, hopefully accompanied by Steve Clarke. West Ham’s shirts will not bear the name of XL, their former sponsor, after the charter airline company went into administration. The club have been paid about a third of the £2.5 million sponsorship fee this season after entering the second year of a three-year deal.

Björgólfur Gudmundsson, the West Ham owner, has said that the collapse of the airline will not affect the club’s financial position.