England Goal vs Paraguay

England vs Paraguay

José Cardozo, Paraguay's top scorer in qualifying for the World Cup, is injured and will not be able to play in the competition. Steven Gerrard however is expected to be fit and is expected to play.

Gerrard played reasonably well for his club side in his last competetive match and personally I feel he owes me rather a lot. So come on Gerrard and COME ON ENGLAND.

Bowyer Signs For West Ham

West Ham yesterday completed the signing of midfielder Lee Bowyer. The West Ham official website makes no mention of any fee but does refer to a sell on clause (The Independent report that the undisclosed fee for the player is believed to be £750,000). The site also claims that the player is taking a big pay cut to join the Hammers.

Lee Bowyer is a player who has created trouble on and off the field and has never fulfilled his early potential. Bowyer could still be a brilliant player, let's hope Pardew's the man to get the best out of him.

Lee Bowyer himself has begun his second stint at West Ham with this statement,

"I am desperate to do well for West Ham. I loved my time at Newcastle but this is my club. I didn't play well last time. I had a bad ankle injury and kept playing on it which was to nobody's benefit. I see this as unfinished business. I want to show the fans what I can do."

West Ham's UEFA Cup Campaign

With a little tournament about to start in Germany it seems an appropriate time to have a look at the more complicated competition that West Ham will be participating in next year.

The first round (proper) of the UEFA cup will be drawn on August 25. It will involve 31 high ranked teams who have been given byes to this stage. It will also involve the winners of the second qualifying matches as well as 16 teams eliminated from the third qualifying round of the Champions League.

The 31 high ranked teams include West Ham, Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur from England, but also the likes of Roma, Lazio, Celta Vigo, Feyenoord, Paris Saint-Germain and holders Sevilla. This round is seeded, but it seems unlikely that West Ham will be one of those seeds, because of their low co-efficient and that could mean that they draw one of the highest ranked teams.

If West Ham win their round one game they will then progress to the group stage. They will go into a group of five teams, guaranteeing two home and two away games where the top three will qualify for round three. The 24 qualifiers from the group stage will then be joined by the eight teams who finished third in their Champions League group, and from then it becomes a proper knockout competition.

If West Ham get to the final they will have played 14 games and that will make it a gruelling season for the Hammers.

West Ham Warned Off Young

The Addicks and their new manager Ian Dowie are saying that Luke Young is not for sale. The defender handed in a transfer request after he was not offered a new contract by Charlton. However the club they have now offered him an improved contract and say that he is not available for transfer.

If Young is determined to leave then the club may be forced to sell, however it is likely they will hold out for much more than the £3.8 million that it was rumoured was being offered by West Ham.

West Ham Anger Addicks

According to the Daily Mirror Charlton are furious with West Ham over losing skipper Luke Young, poised for a £3.8m move to Upton Park.

The Addicks are bitterly unhappy at the prospect of losing Young and believe he has been unsettled by the Hammers, leading to him turning down a new contact with the South London club.

This seems the most believable of the transfer rumours and seems like a good deal for a good, young British player.

West Ham Crazy

Sunday Paper Rumours

The News of The World report today that West Ham are close to signing Luke Young for £3.6 million. The deal will consist of a £3.2million down payment with a further £400,000 dependent on appearances.

The People claims that West Ham are in talks with Mannure to sign American defender Jonathan Spector. The paper claims that Alex Ferguson has decided to cash in on the 20-year-old, who is behind Gabriele Heinze, Kieron Richardson and John O'Shea in the battle for a left-back slot.