Aaron Cresswell's magic…

Great news that Aaron Cresswell is back in the squad for the Crystal Palace match. We've missed him more than any other player and restoring his partnership with Payet on the left could be crucial for improving West Ham's fortunes. Not only can he defend better than people realise, Cresswell's crossing will also benefit Andy Carroll when he's back in the side.

We'll be re-united with James Tomkins on Saturday and I hope he gets a big cheer from the Hammers' fans. The decision to sell him still looks like a massive mistake. James might have wanted regular first team football but he should have been held to his contract; ironically he would have played in virtually every game this season because of injuries. Having a local lad in the team raises the morale of the crowd and his loss also seems to have affected Mark Noble. It's going to be tough against Benteke and a rejuvenated Andros Townsend, but let's hope memories of our 3-1 win at Selhurt Park last season inspire the lads. Irons!

Aaron Cresswell is Hammer of the Year

At least the new PM is a Hammers' fan (possibly)… and congratulations to Aaron Cresswell on winning the other election, the Hammer of the Year award. At around £3 million he was a steal from Ipswich and is proof that bargains are to be found in the Championship. And let's give Sam Allardyce credit too for signing him. Last season we were relying on the ageing George McCartney, right-footed Joey O'Brien and Matt Taylor for left backs. He's had a very consistent season, proving he can both defend and get forward with a stream of crosses. Another bonus is that he is now taking fantastic free kicks and scored a stunner against Stoke City, and almost repeated it at QPR. Running Aaron close must have been Adrian who has been excellent all season and a real character too, while Diafra Sakho has proved another bargain with a very creditable 13 goals. Now all we have to do is keep Cresswell away from Chelsea and Man City…