Glenn Welcomes Sven

Glenn Roeder hopes that Upton Park can become a home from home for England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Not only is he running the rule over West Ham's England hopefuls against Charlton at the weekend, there are also hopes that the Boleyn ground will become his 'home' patch on at least one occasion, with talk of a future England international to be staged in east London.

Glenn certainly thinks it would be a good idea to stage an England match at the Boleyn Ground, and says: "First of all it would be an honour to put a full international on at Upton Park and it would fit the occasion.

"We could make it a wonderful occasion and with the special atmosphere at Upton Park we could make it difficult for the country that comes to play here - if we get it.

"I know Sven-Goran Eriksson certainly likes coming to Upton Park and he is coming to our game against Charlton on Saturday.

"I was very pleased with the atmosphere for our first home game last week - it was really excellent, electric at kick off time.

"The players enjoyed playing on a new pitch, the completely new surface, and there was no problem with it being nearer the new stand."

Of more immediate concern, of course, is how many Hammers make it into Sven's squad for the friendly against Portugal on September 7.

David James is hoping to get the nod, not just into the squad, but the side itself, and Glenn says: "David can only keep playing well for us. I thought he was blameless at Newcastle for all four goals, and in fact the save he made initially from Lua Lua, that eventually ended up being the second goal, was nothing short of amazing - and he was so unlucky not to have kept it out."

Whether he should get picked for the starting line up is something Glenn is understandably reluctant to discuss, and he says: "It is not for me to comment on that one, really. David Seaman had a very good game last week against us and has not said he has quit the international scene. If he was to then I think David would have exactly the same chance as the other goalkeepers.

"He has certainly done well since returning from the World Cup and he is very focused at the moment.

"But I can't speak for the England manager and I don't know what view he is going to take. If he is going to look to the future and look for another goalkeeper - it is purely down to him, and we have to trust him."

Joe Cole, Michael Carrick, Trevor Sinclair, and Jermain Defoe are all staking a claim as well, and Glenn says: "Of course, the lads will want to play well first and foremost for us, to make sure we get our first win and on the back of that, if it happens, they will then impress enough to get the call-up for Portugal.

"We will just have to wait and see, but from our point it is all about getting the win we want.

"The other players' performances against Arsenal proved they are more than ready to go and play for England."

With Joe Cole adding goals to his armoury, the claim for him to be selected is made even more compelling, and Glenn says: "Joe has always believed he can score goals from midfield and his goal was excellent last week.

"He has scored a couple of goals in pre-season games and the signs are good this season, with him already having stuck the ball in the net three times.

"Let's hope that this is the season that, as well as making goals from midfield, he can score them as well."

As for Michael Carrick, he adds: "I am a huge fan of Michael, who is a hugely talented player, and when he is in the right frame of mind, which he was last week, he can be excellent.

"He more than matched Patrick Vieira last week so we will just have to see what squad he picks, but I think they have all got a chance.

"It was very encouraging to see the three young players in particular more than hold their own last week; you could argue that they came out on the top side of who they played against."

Glenn admits that the players must put the Arsenal disappointment behind them, adding: "On Saturday evening it was hard to get out of my mind that we had let a golden opportunity slip. You don't beat Arsenal or Liverpool or Manchester United very often in your career, whether you are a player, a manager, a coach or whatever - very rarely do you get an opportunity.

"And very rarely do you get a performance where in my view for most of the game, not all of the game, obviously, but for most of the game, we were the better team.

"So to get that second goal and then to lose a two goal lead was a big disappointment.

"But after Newcastle that performance has really picked them up this week, and we are all looking forward to the next two games.

"They are two difficult games with a different emphasis, but those players who played last week have set a benchmark for the season and now what they have got to do is find their consistency.

"If we are going to be a good team, that is what sets them apart. As I said to the players, Arsenal, week in and week out, play to a certain level - and they never dip below it."