Update 21:44: Confirmation of Jelavic bid being rejected on SSN. Am told a new offer will go in though and that the player himself has threatened a transfer request to push the deal through. So much info flying about and also so much news Im being sent all the time. I personally can’t wait now for the end of the window. Has been incredibly frustrating for all involved, especially the owners. Credit to them though, they keep plugging away and are hopeful a deal can be sorted soon. Have also been told to expect a big announcement by the weekend. Honestly could be anything. Time will tell. Now then…time for a lie down!!!

Follow this forum for updates throughout today on transfer news surrounding Whu:

Early Update 7:15: “Negotiations for Jelavic are extremely close, DS is very hopeful he can conclude a deal soon” Received this info 1st thing this morning along with…

Early Update continued 7:16: “A bid is likely to go in for Snodgrass today after positive talks with LUFC yesterday”

Adzman ClungeWhu has just now tweeted: “Jelavic interview in Scottish press states he would join Whu no problems. Trying to encourage a sale.”

Followed by another tweet saying: “Rangers want him to put in a transfer request and the deal will happen. 7.5 mil fee will seal the deal”

Hopefully we will start making some overdue progress on our transfer targets, with the news of bids for McGugan and Jelavic.  However, I have to say that I  have become increasingly frustrated by the club’s approach to securing its transfer targets in this January window.  Rather than going in with a firm and realistic bid to secure the players at the first time of asking, the club appear to bid low and then follow it up with an increased offer.  By the time we increase the offer other clubs are alerted and/or the owning club decide to play ‘hard ball’ and increase the price tag to promote an auction.  That is exactly what happened with our bids for both Rhodes at Huddlesfield Town and Sordell at Watford.  While the club were openly talking openly about their interest in Jelavic at Rangers, prior to even submitting a firm bid, Sam Allardyce was quoted as confirming that he wants Jelavic, but accepted that PL clubs were also interested and that we were likely to lose out  to their greater financial resources.  Some recent reports indicate the Liverpool are  in pole position and others suggest that they are not interested in the player.  You choose which version to believe.

Now, as much as we may long for the ‘cloak and dagger’ transfer deals of the John Lyall era, we must concede that we now live in very different times.  John Lyall did not have to cope with the type of saturation sports media coverage that we have now, nor clubs and agents opportunistically leaking transfer interest/bids, with a view to generating additional interest and a possible auction.  However, surely the club should at least  try to move more decisively to secure their transfer targets.  We have vacilliated in bidding for both Rhodes and Sordell and submitted bids that were clearly insufficient to clinch a deal.  Maybe, an early,firm c.£5m bid for Jordan Rhodes might have tempted Huddesfield’s board, while a c. £3-4m bid would most probably have secured Sordell at the first time of asking.  Similarly, we should have made an up front,  £5m take it or leave it bid for Jelavic early doors, before the Liverpools of this world had time to move. The latest development is that we have now allegedly turned our attention to securing Lewis McGugan, with a £3m bid and the Jelavic speculation still continues.

On the other side of the transfer equation, it is excellent news that James Tomkins has signed a new contract.  It is likely that sources in the North-East have been putting out disinformation about Tomkins being unsettled and submitting a transfer request.   This will hopefully put a stop to all that nonsense, as long as Tomkins returns to the PL with West Ham in April/May.  If not, then you can be sure Newcastle Utd and Spurs will come calling again in the summer and it will be that much more difficult to resist their financial overtures.  We must also secure Rob Green on a new contract.  It is unlikely that he will sign prior to us securing promotion, but as soon as that is confirmed we need to secure his signature on much improved terms.  It is far smarter to do that, than potentially spending far more in fees and wages to secure a keeper of a similar pedigree.

Once promoted, we must build our squad around the likes of Tomkins, Noble, Collison, Nolan, Demel, Taylor, Cole, Baldock and Green.  We have a good core around which to rebuild for the PL, although the likes of Diop, McCartney, Faye and Carew may well need replacing in the summer.  Others such as Faubert have fallen short at the top level and should definitely be sold/moved on in the summer.  The club also need to make decisions soon on the likes of Sears, Fry, Spence, Brown and Nouble. Are they going to make the grade at West Ham?   Thankfully, we have some extremely good prospects in Montano, Moncur, Potts and Hall; plus the outstanding younger generation below them, such as Voce, Elliott Lee, etc, who should also be that bit nearer, next season, to challenging for first team football. 

As for Saturday’s match against Notts Forest, well thankfully we got the three points again.  But the actual performance left something to be desired on a number of levels.  Apart from late in the second half, our passing was pretty dire, we lacked creativity going forward and some of the players looked like they had just met prior to kick off!  We were so poor at times, that we made Notts Forest look a good team and that takes some doing.  I suppose, like Sam Allardyce in his post-match interview, we can comfort ourselves with the fact that we are winning matches, while playing  poorly.  The fact that we are now  leading the Championship, and there is a four point advantage over Cardiff City, in third,  is also a comfort.  It is just a pity that Cardiff City got that last minute winner, on Saturday, or the gap would have been an even healthier six points.  We might also take Jack Collison’s optimistic view that we are leading the Championship and have not yet got out of first gear!  Collison was reported as going on to state that it was scary what West Ham could achieve once they get in top gear.  Agreed Jack, but surely now is the time to stop talking about it and for the team to actually achieve it! 

The bright spots on Saturday were the individual performances of Tomkins, Noble, Collison and Baldock, who all did well in a very disjointed team performance.  Carlton Cole worked hard, but he should be scoring more goals at this level.  Similarly, the Cole-Baldock striking partnership should have gelled by this stage of the season.  They should be supplying the goals to fire our promotion challenge, but it is just  not happening at the moment.  It is sobering to consider that we have won the last two matches with three penalities!  It was good to see Henri Lansbury back and I feel that he has a lot to offer in the remainder of this season.  He was particularly unlucky not to score with that excellent half volley in the 2nd half.  While the return of Matt Taylor cannot come quickly enough as far as I am concerned.  We look a far better, and more balanced, side with Taylor on the left flank.  Lets just hope that he can shake off his injury problems once and for all, and the same also applies to the formidable Guy Demel at right back.

Well done to Leicester City for defeating Southampton on Monday evening.  Have the wheels started to fall off the Saints band wagon?  I have been predicting that they would slip up all season and was starting to think that it might not happen.  And it still might not, remember that they still have Lambert to come back in their team!  Crucially, we are now top by three points  and the objective must be stay ahead and take the title.  As such, now would be an excellent time for the team to finally click and fulfill their true potential.  Hopefully, some good quality additions will help bring that about.  Apart from the interest in Sordell, McGugan and Jelavic, it is interesting that Snodgrass’s contract negotiations with Leeds Utd have reportedly broken down.  Snodgrass, along with King at Leicester City, is one of the best midfielders in the Championship and both players could perform at PL level. 

Finally, it was very sad to learn of the passing of Ernie Gregory.  Ernie was, of course, one of the greatest ever Hammers keepers (probably second only to Phil Parkes)  and will always be remembered for being the last line of defence in Ted Fenton’s famous 1957-58 2nd division winning side.  After retiring, he joined the coaching staff  and become probably the first specialist goal keeping coach, a position that is now standard at all top clubs.  In that role, he coached generatons of Hammers custodians and was a respected and much loved figure at the club.  He is a true Hammers legend and the club should commission something appropriate to honour and celebrate his decades of first class, loyal service to the club.  So how about it, Messrs Sullivan and Gold, after all are we ever likely to see that type of dedicated, one club service again?  I think we all know the answer to that one!

SJ. Chandos

Update Tuesday 23:03: Expect developments on Snodgrass and McGugan very soon…

UPDATE: I am being told that Rangers are satisfied with our offer for striker Jelavic. We await official confirmation that bid has been accepted and I will give full details of bid as and when I know. Ohh and 2-0 to Leicester. Lets hope its more of the same in the second half.

Apologies for not posting updates over the weekend. I have been busy with work and what not but here is the latest update from myself and across the net. Feel free to follow me on twitter: bradley_whufc… I am constantly on there giving updates from the info I am sent. I would firstly like to say that I can fully understand and respect everyone’s opinion of the news I am receiving but would just like to state that at no stage is my information made up just to get people’s hopes up. Some prefer to believe it when they see it, others get excited and follow updates throughout each day. I am only giving information that I am sent, which is often highly reliable. Yes, some of it will be far fetched but it is often very accurate. I was informed about Nolan joining very early on before he did and did not fully believe it until it happened. Others like Ilan, Reid and Barrera I have often mentioned early doors as they seemed more likely. All I am doing is giving out information I am told along with what is on the net to keep everyone fully up to date.

Anyway here it is: I have been made aware at midday today that a bid has been submitted for Jelavic after long discussions on availability over the weekend and would just like to clear up the situation for you all. Rangers are in serious trouble and are close to administration and need to sell their players this window to prevent this from happening. The story today of Jelavic’s “alleged” dad was completely false and Liverpool have today distanced themselves away from any deal. It is thought it was a publicity act to gain a wider range of interest. However, I have been made fully aware that it is only West Ham that have shown an interest and enquired about his availability. After long discussions, a bid today has gone in for the player who in fact I’m led to believe is keen to join us as an ex player of ours, Bilic, has highly recommended him to join us stating that it would be a big step in the right direction for his career. If the bid is accepted, as we are currently awaiting an answer, then and only then will the player travel to East London to have a medical, hold talks and discuss personal terms despite Sky saying there were issues with his wages. Jelavic is currently on approximately £15k a week at Rangers and it is thought that we will be able to match and improve on this amount for him to sign. Am also awaiting to see if Piq or Sears are involved in the bid that has been made today. Hope that clears it up.

Secondly, I have confirmation that an offer of £3m has been sent to the office at Nottingham Forest for playmaker Lewis McGugan. It is thought that he impressed Big Sam on Saturday after a great showing and a wonder goal which has led the owners into making an offer for his services this afternoon. It is also thought that Nottingham Forest are tempted to sell due to their financial state and need of funds to buy in other areas. Keep a look out for this one.

The bidding war for Watford striker/winger Sordell seems to have forced West Ham into looking elsewhere (McGugan), though they are still trying to lure Watford into selling their prized asset to us. Only time will tell on this one.

With regards to outgoings, not much is going on. We are hoping to sell both Piquionne and Sears, though both are refusing to leave at this moment in time.

As always, any news I will update as soon as I can. Many thanks,

Bradley Palmer (Braderz)

In her Sun column yesterday, Karren Brady alluded to two West Ham players who had refused to move to other clubs because of the amount of money they were earning at West Ham. Adzman89 has just cleared up the identity of one of them in one his reports from his club insider, Clunge. Apparently Freddie Piquionne refused to move to Wolves as it would have entailed a pay cut from £38k a week to £25k a week. That just about sums up all you need to know about the lazy good for nothing. Clunge also reports that both Rob Green and Julien Faubert are refusing to sign new contracts because they want to leave on free transfers in the summer when their current contracts are up. That’s not the first time it’s been reported, but after James Tonkins yesterday signing a four year deal, it is very disappointing. If this really is the case, then I’d put them on the market now and try to offload them over the next week. That may sound like madness, as they have been two of our best players this season, but the club shouldn’t be held to ransom like this by players who ought to know better. I am really disappointed in Rob Green. Yes, I know he hasn’t been happy at his treatment and the fact that his pay doesn’t equal others, but if he was going to find a better club, it would have happened last summer. And it didn’t.

Clunge also reports that Freddie Sears has been offered to Bournemouth on loan, but they weren’t interested. Matt Taylor will be back for Ipswich and Papa Bouba Diop should also have recovered by then. He also thinks that Guy Demel is 2 to 3 weeks away from fitness. Negotiations are ongoing with Robert Hall for a new long term deal and Sam will reportedly have £35 million made available to him if we win promotion. He’s got £10 million to play with over the next ten days.

Slaven Bilic has apparently recommended West Ham to Jelavic and he is keen to join. West Ham are trying to send Piquionne in the other direction. One can but hope.

Well, enough for you to debate there!

Apologies, I forgot to upload the Portsmouth player performances.

And here’s the one for yesterday against Nottingham Forest. For once the sponsors got the Man of the Match right…

I’ve just learned, vis THIS story on KUMB, that former West Ham goalkeeper Ernie Gregory, has passed away at he ripe old age of 90. He played 382 league games for West Ham between 1938 and 1959, a record only surpassed later by Phil Parkes, and remained a popular member of the West Ham family right up until his death. Indeed, after retiring he went on to coach the reserves, and then the first team, only retiring in 1987.

Ernie died peacefuly in an Essex nursing home.

I am sure I speak for you all when I say, Ernie, we salute you.

CLick HERE to rate the performances of the players who played against Nottingham Forest.

Please use this thread to comment on the match as it progresses.

Nothing less than a convincing win will do today, and Sam must drill that into the players. We need to improve our goal difference and if we win, we go top. We need our strikers to start scoring in the way they did in the first part of the season. I really feel that Sam Baldock will be up for this one. Let’s hope he and Carlton get the service they need and they become more clinical in front of goal.

Samm has a full squad to choose from, with the exception of Matt Taylor and Guy Demel. I do think we have missed Taylor and his abiity to cross, take good corners and score from set pieces. Let’s hope he is back soon.

In terms of team selection, I’d say the team more or less picks itself, with a slight question mark over whether Laansbury comes in for Collison. But this is the team I expect to see…

Green, Tomkins, Faye, McCartney, O’Brien, Nolan Noble, Faubert, Collison, Baldock, Cole

The speculation on West Ham’s alleged transfer targets continues apace.  It has ranged from Huddersfield’s Jordan Rhodes to veterans like Bolton’s Kevin Davies and through to the latest rumours concerning our supposed interest in Jelavic at Rangers.  However, one mooted deal that does stand out for me is the bid for Watford’s Marvin Sordell.  Sordell is an U-21 England international, who can either play wide or as an out and out striker.  He has the stamp of quality about him, together with the tools to perform not only this season in the Championship, but also (hopefully) next season in the PL.  I have seen watching his progress at Watford and he is strong, possesses pace and has shown the ability to  finish clinically. Sordell is not the finished product, far from it, but he is ready and able to do a good job at this level.  The real test for him would be adapting to the different requirements of the PL, but we can have every expectation that he could be successful in making the transition.  For me, it is a deal that ticks all the boxes.  It would show ambition and an eye to the future.  

On occasions this season, Sam Allardyce has been criticised for allegedly not trusting sufficiently in youth and relying too much on the likes of Faye, McCartney, Diop and even Nolan.  Well, the fact is that having a core of  such experienced players is essential.  They have been there, done it and have the battles honours to prove it.  I personally agree with those who have argued that Montano should have been retained in the squad, and given his chance on the left flank, with the prolonged injury absence of Matt Taylor.  In contrast, it probably has to be admitted that the likes of Lee, Brown and Nouble were not ready for the first team and the decision to loan them out was correct.  As Allardyce stated recently on TV, nothing aids the development of youngsters like going out on loan and experiencing  first team football.  Yes, you are looking for them to learn whilst on loan, but you also want to see prospects shining  at a lower level of football.  Thus, demonstrating their promise and the fact that they are ultimately a ‘cut or two above.’  In that respect, the likes of Montano, Hall, Lee and, now, George Moncur have done just that; while Frank Nouble came on significantly during his last loan period at Gillingham.  The really worrying sitation is where prospects do not deliver the goods whilst on loan.  And there are one or two that currently fall in to that category.

Anyway, I digress slightly, we have substantial experience in this squad and that has stood us in good stead at times this season.  However, I do feel that it also affords us the opportunity to sign a younger players like Sordell.  The names being mentioned for an exit this January usually include Piquionne, Carew and Sears.  Of these, Piquionne is probably most likely to depart; whilst Carew is almost certain to be retained this season.  As for Freddie Sears, well the lad’s situation has certainly proven  to be something of a enigma.  He has a very good goal scoring record at youth and reserve team level, but has largely disappointed at first team level and whilst on loan.  He originally looked to be a natural penalty box poacher, but more recently has been played wide right, with varying degrees of success.  As a result, some fans have run out of patience and have openly called for him to be sold.  Well, I suppose we might need a part-exchange ‘sweetner’ to oil the wheels of a deal for Marvin Sordell, and perhaps Sears could figure in the equation?  Although it does not necessarily have to be a permanent deal, it could be a longer-term loan arrangement to see whether Sears might be something of a ‘late developer.’  I would favour a long term loan, myself, as I feel that Sears needs to secure regular first team football somewhere to prove once and for all if he  has what it takes?  Although others would no doubt conclude that he has had his chances and its time to cash in!

Finally, we should be looking for a healthy victory at home to Notts Forest this afternoon.  Hopefully, we can win by at least a two goal margin, of say 2-0 or 3-1.  Here’s hoping, COYI! 

ps. Thanks to Bradez for his helpful and informative transfer window updates, keep up the good work. 

pps. And a concluding thought for Dylan Tombides, an outstanding Hammers youth product, who has undergone treatment for testicular cancer.  Recent reports  have suggested that he now requires further treatment for his condition.  Lets pray that it is merely a temporary set back in his recovery back to health, fitness and a successful football career.

SJ. Chandos.