Brooking set to continue

Hammers caretaker boss Trevor Brooking is set to continue in his role for a third game against Reading on Saturday.

Brooking - who has already overseen wins against Bradford City and Ipswich Town this season - looks odds on to remain in charge for the visit of the high-flying Royals this weekend despite the Hammers having hoped to have installed a permanent manager by then.

Brooking, who was working for the BBC at tonight's England/Liechtenstein match finally ruled himself out of the running earlier this week despite being the clear favourite of the supporters - and the club - to succeed Glenn Roeder.

However he looks set to remain in charge for one more game due to the club's failure to install a new man during the fortnight's international break. It will, no doubt, prove to be another emotional affair.

The week-long saga involving Alan Pardew took a new twist earlier today when the 42-year-old former Crystal Palace midfielder dramatically resigned from his position as manager of Reading, shortly after it was revealed that Royals owner John Majedski had turned down a second approach from West Ham.

Talking for the first time about the situation Pardew, speaking briefly this lunchtime told reporters:

"Given the forthcoming fixture on Saturday, I will be taking time away with my family over the weekend to consider my future outside of Reading Football Club."

It seems certain now that Pardew's future lies as the new manager of West Ham - although the decision to avoid making any statement alluding to as much public before Saturday's game is probably the right thing to do in the circumstances.

No doubt there will be the odd chant of 'Trevor Brooking's claret and blue army' emanating from the terraces on Saturday; one wonders if either - or even possibly both sides - will be chanting the name of a man who is unlikely to be anywhere near Upton Park on Saturday - and who theoretically could have been sitting on either bench.