Done and dusted?

So we got off to a flyer in the January transfer market signing Joe Cole on an 18 month deal, Marouane Chamakh on a 6 month loan deal and bringing in the promising Sean Maguire but are we going to see more signings or are we done and dusted for this window?

Joe Cole will go on to be one of our best signings in years in my opinion and although I wasn't ecstatic at the idea of signing him, I think Chamakh will do a decent job for us during his time in claret and blue.

But there have been other positives during this window with Joey O'Brien putting pen to paper on a new 3 and-a-half year deal and Sky Sports News reporting that Tomkins will not be sold. I couldn't be happier at the latter, Tomkins was our best defender last year and losing him would be a massive blow - although he wants to play every game as you'd expect, it's vital to have 3 decent central defenders no matter who you are and what league you play in.

I would expect to see Rob Hall in the first team when he returns from his loan spell at Birmingham, that is if his loan spell isn't extended until the end of the season. Their fans absolutely love him and many claim that he is their best player. And I think the fact that we refused to let him play in the FA Cup shows that he'll be back from his loan spell before the end of the season.

Allardyce has admitted himself that we need a left back and despite his impressive display against United in the cup, Dan Potts' mistake against Sunderland may just be a sign that he's not 100% ready for the Premier League just yet.

I hope we're not done yet and manage to bring in a left back because in my opinion it's by far our weakest link.

COYI.

Norwich City preview

Finally, the international break is over. Seems like months ago we humiliated Fulham in front of the Sky cameras so tomorrow has been a long time coming. If we can pick up where we left off against the Cottagers, we could be in for a treat.

Bad news - Andy Carroll is still injured and looks like he'll miss at least another game after tomorrow's match. Good news - Yossi is in place to make his debut, Jarvis looks to be available again following his recent injury and Noble's contract should be sorted sooner rather than later.

All things considered, I don't think we could have asked for a better start from our first 3 games. 6 points in 3 games is a great start for more or less any top flight team so considering our main goal would've been staying up this season, I personally wasn't expecting any more than what we've got.

I think Yossi will be handed his first start since returning, it looks like Cole making his 150th start for the club is a no brainer and if he's 100% fit Jarvis will slot straight back into the team.

Where it was arguable the main position we needed to strengthen, it seems Sam has a bit of a selection headache on the wings all of a sudden, which as the cliche goes; every manager wants. We've got Jarvis, Taylor, Vaz Te and Maiga all fighting for 2 positions and that may not sound like a lot but I don't think any of them would be happy as a squad player. Unless Taylor is moved back into the left-back position he played so well while Linda was injured, which in my opinion is a better option than our usual left back in the first place.

Also, you have to wonder exactly where Benayoun will fit in? This is my prediction for tomorrow's game:




















Now, unless he shoves him out wide, he'll have to go with a flat 5 in midfield and replace Noble, Diame or Nolan with him who would each be missed. Noble for his tireless effort, Diame for his sheer power and fearless tackling and Nolan because 1. Sam Allardyce is in love with him and 2. he does score a lot of goals (mostly tap ins, but they all count).

I suppose we'll have to wait and see!

Up the hammers!

Not a bad start

So, that was quite a transfer window for us. BFS bagged his two main transfer targets (in the end) and even managed to reel in Yossi which went down very well with the fans!

There are a few people who are concerned about the possible financial consequences of these signings. Yossi was a snip - we're paying £20k of his reported £92k wages until Christmas when we will start paying £45k which for a player of his quality, is a bargain these days.

BUT, is Matt Jarvis really worth the reported £10.75m? I'm not so sure, personally I would have preferred Adam Johnson and Sunderland didn't pay much more for him than we did for Jarvis.

Then there's the (not so) small issue of Andy Carroll's wages. When it looked like we wouldn't sign him, Sullivan came out and said they were willing to risk our finances on him. So does that mean that they have taken a huge risk in bringing him in? Well, the obvious answer is yes but how big is the risk?

I think it'll pay off, that he'll join us next summer (providing the 'pool don't get desperate and recall him) and that with both the best crosser of the ball in Jarvis and the best aerial player in the league, we'll have the foundations in place to achieve something in the coming years.

I couldn't have dreamed of a better start with 2 wins and 2 clean sheets from 2 home league games - against decent teams as well I might add - and who can honestly say they'd be happy with finishing 17th now? In my opinion, if we do our season will be considered a failure with the players we have now. I'm not getting carried away and immediately predicting a top half finish but we definitely shouldn't be among the bottom 5 teams.

My prediction is that we'll finish 12th, far safe from the struggling teams but also far from the European places. Hopefully if we're in a stable league position by January BFS will at least attempt a cup run because we all know he didn't want the distraction last year as we aimed for promotion as we were dumped out by lower league opposition in both domestic cup competitions at the first hurdle.

Onwards and upwards, as they say!

Who is Luc Constaignos?

We've been linked with Internazionale striker Luc Constaignos in recent weeks and a lot of people are thinking the same thing. Who is he!?


The young Dutchman is the all-time top scorer for the Netherlands' u17's and is very highly rated throughout Europe. He's currently 19 and is regarded as a prospect for the future but with the likes of Diego Forlan and Wesley Sneijder currently occupying the starting places in attack for the Italians, the teenager may move on in search of first team football.


The striker - who has been compared to Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry despite his tender age - has been linked with English clubs in the past following a fine season for Feyenoord in 2009. Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United have been linked with him in the past as well as Spanish Champions Real Madrid and Champions League runners-up Bayern Munich. Chances are very few of us - if any - would have seen him play but no player attracts attention from that many top quality clubs without having real talent. 


Is he a realistic target, then? It seems as though some sort of contact has been made as Allardyce is reported to have been in Italy meeting with representatives from Juventus regarding seperate deals and it is thought that he has inquired about this lad while he was in Italy, too.


A price tag of £7m seems to be the rumour going around at the moment and while that sounds like a lot of money for a player without a proven record at senior level, if he can live up to the hype that had him linked with moves to some of Europe's top clubs then who knows, he could just about be the best signing we make in years.


It seems any deal is far from completion yet but this does sound like an exciting rumour and if he's as good as some of his critics have suggested, he'll be worth every penny.


WHUT&T 

Decisions for Roy!

What a match. England are on the verge of qualifying for the quarter finals of the European Championships after a thrilling 3-2 win over Sweden, beating the Swedes in a competitive match for the first time.

Andy Carroll put England ahead with a powerful header midway through the first half meaning we went in ahead at the break with everything going to plan.

The plan then went out the window and Glen Johnson will not want to see a replay of what happened next. The ball was cleared yet he was the only defender who failed to follow the ball out, playing a handful of Swedish players onside. Joe Hart then parried the ball onto the inside of the post and despite his best efforts to make up for his earlier mistake, the Liverpool defender could only put the ball into his own net.

Things got worse 5 minutes later as England were caught sleeping at the back post allowing former Villa defender Olof Mellberg to head home and put Sweden ahead for the first time on the night.

Roy Hodgson then decided to make a change withdrawing the disappointing James Milner for Theo Walcott and Roy's faith in the Arsenal winger was rewarded shortly after when Theo fired home from all of 25 yards after a corner was cleared.

Theo then turned provider as his cross was flicked home in a very cheeky fashion by Danny Welbeck restoring England's lead, a lead they weren't going to surrender again!

With Rooney available for selection for the first time in the finals after serving a 2 match ban, Roy now has a decision to make with who will partner Rooney up front or if he starts him at all.

I feel that most people will vote in favour of Danny Welbeck and I would have to agree. I think his runs, pace and unpredictability will complement Rooney's presence, not to mention the fact that they play together at Man United and will know all about each other.

Dare we dream? Expectations were low coming into the tournament and we may have even exceeded them already. Could this be our year?

Let me know what you're feeling after that rollercoaster of a game!

WHUT&T

Shall we do a Spurs?

Spurs and Daniel Levy have a nack for swooping in at the last minute and stealing signings from under the nose of West Ham, and I think we should play them at their own game by swooping in for Adebayor.

He's currently one of many strikers that City want to get rid of along with Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko and Roque Santa Cruz, reports suggest.

He won't be cheap, obviously but he'll want first team football and we could surely offer him that as I think he's the best striker we could realistically sign this summer.

I'm not sure what he's on a week, though it wouldn't be surprising if it was nearing 6 digits but he's not getting any younger and I think the fact that he played for Spurs given his history with Arsenal suggests he's not too bothered about crossing enemy lines!

Is it ambitious? Yes. Will it be the Davids' most ambitious move this summer? I doubt it! I can't see any harm in enquiring because if we do get lucky and grab him, our strike force with him, Yakubu's signature looking imminent, Carlton Cole and Ricardo Vaz Te will surely be capable of scoring the goals to keep us in the premier league and we can sufficiently strengthen at the back!

Let me know what you think!

WHUT&T

Welcome aboard Jussi!

So you may have heard that West Ham United have confirmed the signing of Jussi Jaaskelainen on a free transfer which will go through when his contract expires at the end of the month.

Well, what do we think then? I'm not sure. He's struggled to hold his place between the sticks in a team that was relegated on the final day of the season and many are suggesting that Henderson should be given a chance.

If these two stoppers are to be our first and second choice next season you feel that either one will get their chance. If you cast your mind back to the season of 2004-05, Stephen Bywater was our first choice keeper but some fine performances in cup competitions from Jimmy Walker - most notably his performance and penalty save from Lampard at Stamford Bridge - gave Alan Pardew a bit of a selection headache and Walker finished the season as his first choice as he started in our play-off final defeat of Preston in Cardiff before his horrendous injury in the same game.

Personally I'd start with Jussi in our first couple league games and give Hendo the nod in our first League Cup game then assess them from there. Obviously we don't see them in training and there will be pre-season friendlies which would surely see them both get a start each at least, too.

Let me know what you think, leave a comment or tweet me @WHUThruAndThru

COME ON YOU IRONS!