Hammer Hermann Hreidarsson?

I really hope this rumour is pure conjecture and not for real, because otherwise I would seriously question the club's rationale. In short, both BBC Radio and Sky Sports are reporting that Charlton have turned down a £2.5m bid from West Ham for Hermann Hreidarsson.

I like Hreidarsson; I admire his complete commitment and his leadership qualities. However he has become worryingly error-prone, is losing his pace, will be 33-years old in July and despite being our main target at set-pieces, has not scored since the Everton home game in Dec 2004. In other words, even if the £2.5m allegedly offered was not all cash up front, this is an extraordinarily generous bid for an ageing and increasingly average player, and one we should thus accept unquestionably.

Moreover, coming in the same week as the Bougherra deal for the same price, it would seem to be fabulous business to replace Hreidarsson with a far younger propsect, and all for a zero cash outlay. Pards has already publicly emphasised how highly he rates the Icelander, but even so this has 'Jason Euell' (Palace once bid £2.5m you will recall) written all over it. Perhaps Eggert Magnusson just wants a few more natives around the place; if so, we should allow them to go and eat puffin together down the Barking Road.

If true, I would also seriously question Alan Curbishley's judgment. Interestingly the BBC Radio report from West Ham's FA Cup defeat suggested fans were asking "where's Alan Pardew?", and mediocre signings like Boa Morte, Davenport, Neill and Quashie are hardly endearing Curbs to the already doubting Hammers fans. His penchant meanwhile for 'flexible players' (the Herminator fits this bill nicely too) is also frankly becoming a bit long-in-the-tooth (I'm increasingly convinced he bid £2.3m for Marcus Bent because he can also play right-wing). Bent-aside, at least, all of this bodes very well for Charlton as we approach the final straight of this relegation battle.