Were you at the Blackburn game, or did you see the whole thing on TV? If so, please do click HERE to rate the player performances.

Please only mark those players who ACTUALLY PLAYED! This may seem blindingly obvious to most of us, but for some reason a couple of people think you have to give the whole squad at least one point. No! Only those who played!

It’s a shame that Allessandro Diamanti isn’t eligible to play against Blackburn today, but there we go. We have quite a good record at Blackburn in recent years and ought to be confident of getting at least a point. Sam Allardyce has brought in quite a few new players, which means that his team is far from settled.

With Dyer and Ilunga still out, I don’t expect many changes to the team which played against Spurs. Spector will retain his place. If Daprela was going to have been given a chance, he would have played against Millwall. The only question mark in my mind is whether James Collins will play. If he is to be sold it is vital he doesn’t pick up a knock.

So I expect the team to be: Green, Faubert, Tomkins, Upson, Spector, Jimenez, Noble, Parker, Cole, Stanislas, Collison.

Prediction: Hammers to nick it 1-0. A Collison special.

Alessandro Diamanti, as expected, has been unveiled as a major signing by West Ham this morning. Interestingly, his £6 million transfer fee has not been funded by player sales, but instead Scott Duxbury persuaded the club’s sponsor SBObet to bring forward their next payment. This could mean that James Collins’s future at the club may be safe. Personally, I think it is more likely that Collins will still be on his way and the proceeds will be used to fund the permanent signing of Marouane Chamakh or the loan signing of Gudjohnsen from Barcelona.

A lot will be expected of Diamanti. Although Mancino was Zola’s number one choice, Diamanti has been tracked by Zola and Nani for some time. He’s a set piece specialist with a Di Canio like attitude. I’m told he has that glint in his eye and that when he visited Upton Park this week all he wanted to look at was the pitch, where he immediately went to the corner flags. Apparently he has scored several goals direct from corners. So at last we have a player who can take corners and free kicks outside the area. We haven’t had one of those since Tevez and Solano.

So, one down, hopefully at least one more to go – or come!

PS Apolgies for the slight delay in posting this. I am at Gatwick on my way to Glasgow.

Well, if this video is anything to go by, we are certainly going to have a character on our hands in Allessandro Diamanti – although his goal celebrations need a bit of working on. He has also perfected the art of diving, which he will need to curb, But it is clear why people are drawing parallels with Di Canio. He may be as mad as Paolo – let’s hope he has the same skill levels!

The only positive thing about this week has been that the frenzy of transfer speculation which happened on Monday and Tuesday has stopped, and the club have been able to pursue various targets while the press have fried their other fish.

It is always frustrating for us fans when we don’t get minute by minute updates but actually I think at this stage in the cycle no news really can mean good news. We just have to sit tight and have a little faith.Yes, it makes us nervous that we are only five days away from the deadline, but it wouldn’t be West Ham if things didn’t go to the wire.

In case you’ve forgotten the players we are being most heavily linked to are Allessandro Diamanti, Goran Pandev, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Marouane Chamakh. I don’t think it is necessarily one from those four. We really do need four strikers. I am totally confident that at least one of those four will be tied up very shortly, and hopefully a second will follow. I wouldn’t rule out a third loan signing, either.

But it is clear that a player is going to be sold, and James Collins is the most likely player to go unless a stupid bid comes in for Matthew Upson. Just because Villa have signed Richard Dunne, it does not mean their interest in Collins will have waned. They’ve always needed two central defenders. Even with Davenport out of action, we’re still OK in those positions with Spector and Kovac being able to cover if necessary.

So brace yourselves. I think we may be in for an exciting weekend!

I’ve just finished reading Mark Ward’s excellent autobiography, which I’ll review sometime over the next week. But I thought you’d enjoy this little extract about our beloved former Guvnor, Mr Ince…

Paul Ince was a cocky young kid. I liked that in a player… He was nowhere near the hardman he portrayed himself to be. Once, after an argument over a game of cards on the team bus, Paul came running to me with a bloody lip. “Wardy, David Kelly has just punched me in the mouth. What should I do?” I was shocked, as Kelly was the last man you would think of punching anybody. I told Paul he should have given him a dig back.

Alvin [Martin] put him in his place in the old fashioned way. We were getting beaten on the plastic pitch at Luton and Alvin barked at Incey to keep it simple. To which the petulent, young midfielder retaliated with “F*** off, you Scouse c***.” I heard him say it and thought, ‘You’ve overstepped the mark there, Paul’.

The whistle blew for half time… Paul was just in front of me walking up the tunnel when a big hand pushed me to one side. Alvin grabbed Incey and held him up against the wall. Unbelievably, he then head-butted Incey right in the face and let him fall to the floor. “Don’t ever speak like that to me again,” Alvin told him.

Paul picked himself up and we all sat waiting for John to give his half time team tak. Incey was crying and John asked what had gone on. Alvin said, “Don’t worry, John. It’s sorted.”

I just hope Paul remembers his own attitude when he was young and can become the successful manager he hopes to be.

The rest of the book is a cracking read. Buy it HERE.

Just in case people run away with the impression that West Ham is a club full of mindless idiots, they should think again.

Jack Collison made himself available for selection last night, less than forty eight hours after learning his father had died on the way to watch him play on Sunday. None of us expected Jack to play, but the fact that he did says a lot about his strength of character.

Those who invaded the pitch did more than let down the club. They also let down Jack Collison.

Jack left the pitch in tears last night. All he wanted was to escape from the traumas of the last few days and play a game of football. He wanted to escape into normality. Those who invaded the pitch prevented that from happening and made Jack’s already parlous state of mind, all the worse.

And if that doesn’t make them feel a sense of shame, nothing will.