It's Good To Talk - Or Is It?

Pardew: The centre of so much speculation

News reports have today indicated that the Hammers are preparing to make an official approach for boss Alan Pardew. However, Reading club chairman John Madejski claims that there has been no approach for the club's manager, one of the hottest properties in football right now.

Terrance Brown and the West Ham board have apparently rounded a whopping fifty-seven applications down to five - with one manager, believed to be Pardew, heading their shortlist.

The Royals boss could be in discussions with the Upton Park side as early as tomorrow, that is if we believe the official story that states he has not yet been in contact with the club.

Despite being the centre of a media frenzy, Pardew is yet to pass comment on the speculation, fuelling the rumours still further. Apart from confirm he has not signed a contract at West Ham as yet the Royals boss as remained suspiciously quiet these last seven days. Something must be up.

Dillon hinted Pards is going

Kevin Dillon has accidentally, or perhaps intentionally, today dropped a hint that Pardew is in discussions with West Ham - saying that no Reading players are currently involved in negotiations with other clubs.

Madejski has today issued another denial but in effect we are looking into ridiculously murky waters attempting to interpret what is at the bottom and to no avail.

The Royals chairman maintains that West Ham have not been in talks with Reading about wrestling the boss away.

"I have had no request from West Ham. I don't want this diversion every time a vacancy comes up in the Premiership, or indeed the First Division," said the Royals chairman, speaking to the Reading Evening Post.

"Alan did mention about the speculation by just saying he's aware of what's going on."

Despite the media insisting that the Hammers are set to make an approach, Madejski stood firm, refusing to discuss what would happen if such an approach was made.

He added: "I've not asked him if he would go because there has been no request - it's all hypothetical.

Madejski insists Pardew's staying

"If there was a request then I would decide what to do then. I understand I could stop him talking to them, but there has been no approach so it's hypothetical and I can't comment further."

Whilst rumours linking the boss with the Hammers continue to grow, more speculation is spouting off at a tangent, claiming Pards is using the situation to persuade John Madejski to up his wages and offer him extra cash to splash in the transfer market.

At present, with the chairman and the assistant manager seemingly saying totally different things its hard to figure out where we are at.

OTHER PARDEW TO WEST HAM ARTICLES:

>MADEJSKI BLASTS PERSISTENT HAMMERS RUMOURS
>'I HAVEN'T YET, BUT WILL I? NO ANSWER. THANKS FOR CLEARTING IT UP PARDS.
>WE'RE ON A SLIPPERY SLOPE...
>GRAHAM FOR WEST HAM?
>SALAKO GOING NOWHERE
>SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?