Can we believe what the Board are saying?

Looked in this morning to find myself headlining and attracting the usual "you can't be a proper hammer" rubbish. All I'm doing is collating the available information and asking the questions that arise. GZ has said that he wants 20/21 outfield players but neither of the two proposed signings fill any of the 5 vacant posts.

Mancini must surely play as a wide mid. and Jimenez is a creative mid. So where does that leave Behrami? He must surely be a first choice, but not RB, so where does he play?

There has been speculation about Parker and Upson and given their wages and age it's not surprising. I think both players have an exemplary attitude and in an ideal world I would keep both. Their injury history however, makes me feel that if the right offer is there we should take it. Upson I especially like, Parker for me is full of passion and endeavour, but he too often runs into space which he should pass into and consequently makes Noble look a lesser player.

With the small squad that we aspire to we just cannot afford a bunch of sick-notes, which while it puts a question mark against Parker and Upson, surely opens the exit door Dyer if Jimenez comes.

Ashton? Again, his wages and injury prone past, suggest to me that if the right offer came in we would take it. He's a good player, not as good as he thinks he is, but will he ever be fit and can we take a chance on him breaking down again? Gabbidon was excellent two years ago but I don't think many of us think he will come back.

So where does that leave us? We still have to fill five squad places, but if these two sign it will leave us with two players more than we claim to want. So who leaves and where does Behrami play?

I have serious concerns about a small squad which contains Dyer, Gabbidon, Ashton, Upson, Parker and, to a certain extent, Collins. Our very existence as a club depends on not propping up the table at the end of October. If that were to happen the "asset stripping" option starts to rear it's ugly head. The owners are only interested in maximising their investment and it is likely that if we are not doing too well they will feel that they don't want to throw good money after bad.

On an amusing note to end, they say that imitation is greatest form of flattery. Plymouth Hammer on West Ham Mad has taken to signing himself "el martillo ingles" ! Cheeky fatherless one!

The Real El Martillo!