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Manuel Lanzini is due to have a late late fitness test ahead of today's crucial game against Manchester United, Lanzini picked up the dreaded 'knock' in training and is a major doubt for selection. Should the 'little jewel' be unavailable Manuel Pellegrini does have options, and plenty of them!

Apart from blowing the chance to go third in the Barclays Premier League, Monday night's draw against newly promoted Aston Villa was earned at the cost of a red card for left back Authur Masuaku. Images of Masuaku's second yellow card saw the Villa player crash to the floor as if he had been shot by a sniper despite barely being glanced by the Hammers defender.

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Aston Villa: Heaton; Guilbert, Engels, Mings, Taylor; McGinn, Luiz, Grealish; Jota, Wesley, El Ghazi Subs: To be announced
West Ham: Fabiasnki, Fredericks, Diop, Ogbonna, Masuaku, Rice, Noble, Anderson, Lanzini, Yarmolenko, Haller. Subs: Jimenez, Balbuena, Zabaleta, Snodgrass, Sanchez, Fornals, Ajeti.

Manuel Pellegrini is spoiled for choice with his team selection ahead of Monday night's Barclays Premier League match against newly promoted Aston Villa at Villa Park, a match that could see West Ham move in to the top three ahead of arch London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal.

Fortunately the Barclays Premier League bandwagon cranks up the volume again this weekend, although the Hammers faithful have to wait until Monday for their team's match away to newly promoted Aston Villa. During the domestic break the media have, as normal, never let the truth get in the way of a good story, consequently there has been a proliferation of 'Declan Rice' stories.

The International break is always difficult for journalists who cover the domestic game, tittle tattle and rumours are all there is to go on, slim pickings indeed. The fact that England are in the opposite to the ‘group of death’ makes the situation of even less interest to the cognoscenti.

Some mischievous person must have been at the halftime refreshments over at the ITV broadcasting hub at Wembley for England's game against Bulgaria.

LSD in the tea can be the only explanation for the mass hallucinations experienced by Roy Keane and Ian Wright. Why else would they have both criticised Declan Rice's performance to the extent that they did?

Admittedly Rice had a quiet first half and a more active 2nd half, but he did exactly what he was supposed to do, a fact that is born out by his impressive match statistics.

The transfer window has 'slammed' shut in Europe, meaning only players who are free agents may be signed now, once the English transfer window closed there was speculation that Hammers might try and sign bad boy Mario Balotelli, fortunately he ended up signing for Brescia, so Hammers dodged a bullet there.

There is a certain irony that fans stump up huge amounts of money to subscribe to Sky, BT Sport and other media platforms in order to then have their games constantly rescheduled. Clubs do get extra revenue for matches shown, but what about the fans? Far too often games are rescheduled with absolutely no thought or care given to how inconvenient the new arrangements might be, and irrespective of the costs incurred by fans who have had to make plans a long time ahead.