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West Ham United manager David Moyes has been dealt a blow ahead of tonight’s crunch clash with Sevilla in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie.

The Lowdown: West Ham without key men…

The Hammers have had to cope without some influential figures in recent weeks/months as Moyes seeks to maintain his side’s push for Champions League qualification.

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West Ham are still in contention for a top-four place in the Premier League and take on La Liga giants Sevilla tonight as they also eye a run in Europe.

As the Irons fight on two major fronts, players who have proven integral over this last year have been absent recently, including defenders Angelo Ogbonna and Vladimir Coufal.

Both men are sidelined and unavailable tonight with there being plenty of fears in this last week surrounding another star player in Jarrod Bowen.

The Englishman was forced off in West Ham’s 1-0 defeat to Liverpool on Saturday, and despite the club confirming his knock isn’t a serious one, it appears Moyes will also be without his star player for Sevilla alongside the likes Coufal and Ogbonna.

The Latest: Bowen blow…

Speaking to the press, via football.london, West Ham’s manager confirmed Bowen won’t be playing at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium this evening.

“It [missing Bowen] will limit us as Jarrod has an X factor,” he said when asked about the winger.

“He has been in good form the last two to three months, it will not change us a great deal but we are missing an important player.

“We hope Jarrod can make it for the second leg. He has had three or four scans and there is noting severe but we are hoping to find the cause and to get him back as he is important.”

The Verdict: Huge miss…

Bowen is undoubtedly a contender for West Ham’s player of the season so missing him for tonight is a major blow.

As consistently reiterated by Moyes, Bowen has been ‘really important’ for the club this season, as evident by his WhoScored statistics in the Premier League.

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Not only is the 25-year-old West Ham’s top provider of goals and assists combined (8G, 8A), he’s also averaged the highest overall match rating out of their entire squad (7.23) and an even better number than big name star Declan Rice (7.17).

Completing more dribbles per 90 (1.6) than any man in Moyes’ squad, Bowen is consistently the Hammers’ most potent threat and his absence could well be detrimental.

Labelled ‘incredible player’ by Noel Whelan, West Ham will sorely miss him tonight.

In other news: Chief sports writer says West Ham have opened talks to sign ‘out of the ordinary’ £22.5m-rated star, find out more here.

“Lendl Simmons had limited success in spasmodic appearances that did not allow him to establish himself.” © Getty Images

The West Indies selectors have always been a contrary lot. The present generation has maintained the reputation with some confusing choices among the 23 called to the High Performance Centre at Cave Hill to prepare for the imminent tours of Zimbabwe (for five ODIs) and South Africa (three Tests, five ODIs, two Twenty20s).The most baffling are the omission from the group of Lendl Simmons and Keiron Pollard, the two young Trinidadians who had been seemingly identified as among those for the future but have quickly been shunted aside.Over the past year, Simmons, the slim, 22-year-old opener, was in the ODI teams in Pakistan, the World Cup and England. Pollard, 19, was picked for the World Cup on the evidence of his spectacular power-hitting in both Carib Beer Series and KFC Cup in his debut season.Simmons had limited success in spasmodic appearances that did not allow him to establish himself. Pollard has not been called again since his solitary opportunity against South Africa in the World Cup, a decisive contest in which he achieved nothing.Both did no less than most in the recent KFC Cup and Simmons’ ability as a back-up wicket-keeper and Pollard’s stiff medium-pace might have added to their credentials.While they are excluded, all of the “incumbents”, as Andy Roberts calls them, are retained, even the several with little to recommend them. It is a sad reflection on the present state of West Indies cricket.

Ryan Watson will miss Scotland’s Intercontinental Cup match against UAE in Sharjah next month, but his hopeful he will be back in time for the triangular ODI series with Kenya and Canada in Mombasa.He was struck in the face while he top edged an attempted hook in the first ODI against Bangladesh last week. He underwent surgery in Dundee earlier this week to repair a fractured cheekbone and eye socket.”I’m told it’s a four-to-six-week healing process after the operation,” he said, “so at best I am looking at being back for the tri-series in Kenya.”

Simon Jones: ‘I want to try and become world No.1 in the next year’ © Getty Images

The fit-again England fast bowler Simon Jones wants to become the best bowler in the world in 2006, beginning with the tour of India next month.In a major interview in the February issue of , Jones says: “I want to try and become world No.1 in the next year. I want to have a go at it.”To achieve his goal Jones, currently ranked 18th behind top-of-the-table Glenn McGrath and England team mates Andrew Flintoff (5), Matthew Hoggard (11) and Steve Harmison (15), will once again need to prove his fitness.Talking about his well-chronicled injury problems he tells the magazine: “I’m pretty realistic, I’m as fit as I ever can be, but you can’t exactly prepare your bones to play. My knee was a freak injury. There’s nothing I could have done about that. This one has just come from wear and tear. Everyone gets injuries, every bowler in the world. I’ve just been unfortunate that mine have been quite lengthy ones.”You realise you get sent these tests every now and again, they’re there to see how you deal with them and if you can’t push yourself that extra bit harder to get back from them.”Jones believes last summer’s Ashes success has raised his stock with the England captain Michael Vaughan. Before Australia he was regarded as a reverse swing specialist, often not tossed the ball until it was dirt-brown. “There’s nothing I could do: I couldn’t go up and say ‘Look, Vaughany, I want to bowl,’ because maybe I wasn’t in his plan of attack. So I took it on the chin and worked my socks off last summer.””People labelled me a one-trick pony at the start of the series,” he says. “But when I bowled those spells at Trent Bridge I was bowling with a normal ball and swinging it conventionally.”Jones claimed 18 Aussie scalps in four Tests. “I think I’ve gone up a little bit in his [Vaughan’s] estimations,” he says modestly.But not content with his current armoury of deliveries, Jones has been working on a looping trajectory, Shoaib Akhtar-like slower ball. “I can bowl one at 95 miles-an-hour; I did it in South Africa. It’s just about getting it right; Troy [Cooley] and I have been working on different ball positions. Hopefully this year I’m going to be rolling out a good slower ball.”Talking of Cooley, Jones says his decision to return home is, a “sickening blow”. “England are going to lose a very, very good bowling coach and I’m going to lose a very good friend,” he says.A new approach to his game includes curbing his temper, which has made him the England player with the shortest fuse and the most frequent visitor to the match referee’s office. It was not always the case. “When I first came to the Academy I was a lot shyer than I am now. Rod Marsh really brought me out of my shell. Now I’m thinking you’re here to do a job and, if you’re intimidating someone, then you’re doing a good job and don’t worry about it.”So does he ever regret his actions? “No, I’ve never regretted them to be honest because I’ve never done anything that bad.” Nevertheless, he does plan to learn more self-control. “Yeah definitely. I’d be skint otherwise.”

Sri Lanka Cricket is pleased to forward the flight details of the Sri Lanka National Team tour to New Zealand 2004/2005.

• Sri Lanka National Team Departure date 16th December 2004, Time – 10.55 A.M., Flight No. EK 348.
• Team leaves Sri Lanka Cricket Headquarters on 16th December 2004 at 8.00 A.M.

Practice SessionThe final practice session of the Sri Lanka National team before their departure to New Zealand will be on Tuesday 14th December 2004 at 2.00 P.M. at SSC Grounds.

Few Australian first-class matches would test players’ commitment to the new Spirit of Cricket code more than Victoria v Queensland.But Bulls coach Terry Oliver said the fine imposed on West Australian paceman Paul Wilson during a Pura Cup match last month had shown Cricket Australia meant business with its tougher player behaviour rules.Victoria will host its arch-rival from tomorrow in a Pura Cup match at Junction Oval, followed by Sunday’s ING Cup one-dayer at the MCG.They have a history of hard-fought games, but Oliver said their conduct had been “really good” last week when they played a Pura Cup match and a one-dayer in Brisbane.”Everyone stood up and took notice when he (Wilson) was fined,” Oliver said.”We all had to learn from that – if our game had been the first one (of the season), you never know.”I’d like to think it (the new code) wouldn’t interfere with people being really competitive.”Sometimes you’ve got to get into the opposition’s face, but you can’t cross that line between gamesmanship and getting personal.”While last week’s matches might have been played in the right spirit, the five-wicket Pura Cup loss stung Queensland.Last Wednesday was the first time in 20 years it had lost a four-dayer to Victoria at the `Gabba.Oliver said his side had performed below-par in all areas – batting, bowling and fielding.”It hurt – it always hurts to lose, it’s never good fun, but the fact we let Victoria win in Brisbane for the first time in 20 years isn’t something we’re very proud of,” he said.”Let’s hope that motivates us into a bit of action.”Captain Martin Love also felt the Queenslanders knew some of the younger Victorian players a little better after last week.Love said the Junction Oval was a “bit of an MCG wicket” – probably lively early before flattening out into a good batting strip.Queensland recalled paceman Ashley Noffke for Mitchell Johnson (side), while Lee Carseldine will return for Craig Philipson.Victoria made one change, promoting leg-spinner Bryce McGain for Shane Harwood (hip), while captain Darren Berry remains sidelined with a broken finger.Squads (12th men to be named)VICTORIA: Cameron White (capt), Jason Arnberger, Matthew Elliott, Brad Hodge, Bryce McGain, David Hussey, Mathew Inness, Michael Lewis, Andrew McDonald, Bryce McGain, Jonathan Moss, Peter Roach, Allan Wise.QUEENSLAND: Martin Love (capt), Lee Carseldine, Joe Dawes, Steve Farrell, James Hopes, Shane Jurgensen, Stuart Law, Ashley Noffke, Daniel Payne, Clinton Perren, Wade Seccombe, Chris Simpson.

Nepalese vice-captain Bardan Chalise’s dominating innings of 69 set his side up for a 10-run victory over Namibia in their Plate Championship match at the ICC Under-19 World Cup match at North Harbour Stadium at Auckland today.Nepal scored only 137 runs, of which 15 were extras, and the only other double figure score on the card was 13 by Kanishka Chaugai.As reflected in the scorecard all the Namibian bowling was tight but the real destroyer of the Nepal innings was the run out curse which has probably been the prevailing problem for most sides at the tournament. Four run outs occurred in the innings, three of them in the top order.Paul Steyn, the left-arm spin bowler, took two wickets for 23 runs from his 10 overs.Namibia got off to a good start but at 86/2, the rot set in well and truly and the next eight wickets fell for only 41 runs, and the last six wickets fell for 14 runs.Hugo Ludik, the Namibian No 3 batsman top scored with 33 runs but Binod Das and Lakpha Lama tore through the innings taking three wickets each, Das for 21 runs and Lama for 23.

Steve James points the way Photo © Paul McGregor

Steve James (62) pointed the way as Glamorgan strengthened their positionagainst Northamptonshire at Wantage Road. Captain while Matthew Maynard was playing for England at The Oval, James hit eight fours in taking the visitors to 223-9, a lead of 290 runs with two days still to play.Adrian Dale (53) complemented his bowling success with a fifty from the bat. Not that it was all easy: off-spinners Jason Brown and Graeme Swann shared five wickets in 12 overs. On a day in which there had been four breaks for showers Northamptonshire were bowled out for 167. They had started at 85-7 overnight but progressed through a persistent 79 runs eighth-wicket partnership between David Ripley (44) and Darren Cousins (29 n.o.).Wicketkeeper Adrian Shaw broke the 150 minutes stand by catching Ripley downthe leg-side from Wharf’s bowling. Brown was l.b.w to the next ball but Devon Malcolm prevented him from repeating Emrys Davies’ feat of making a century and taking a hat-trick in the corresponding fixture in 1937. Wharf had the last word by catching Malcolm, running back from mid-in, from Cosker’s bowling.James and Matthew Elliott prospered from some untidy bowling in putting on 72runs for the first wicket. Tony Penberthy gave the home team a fighting chance by dismissing Elliott, Michael Powell and James.

Southampton are through to the quarter-final of the FA Cup after a superb 3-1 victory at home to high-flying West Ham, who could not find an answer up against a team who had made nine changes to their starting XI.

With just Kyle Walker-Peters and James Ward-Prowse retaining their places in the team, opportunities were given to the likes of Romain Perraud – who has had to drop out of the team due to the former’s incredible recent form, as well as Tino Livramento’s return from injury.

Despite having not played since the Saints’ draw away against Manchester United on the 12th February, the Frenchman, who arrived for £10.8m in the summer from French Ligue 1 side Stade Brestois 29, looked extremely sharp.

He opened the scoring in the 31st minute of the game with an absolute thunderbolt from almost 30-yards out, an effort which The Times described as a “wonder strike”, before a James Ward-Prowse penalty and Armando Broja strike wrapped the game up, with Michail Antonio scoring the Hammers’ only goal.

The 24-year-old left-back also completed 87% of his passes as well as making three clearances, one block, one interception and two tackles in another defensively solid performance.

The Saints star also hinted that he believes the team could go on to win the trophy in his post-match interview, with an answer that will surely be music to the ears of fans.

“We are ninth in the Premier League and in the last eight of the FA Cup. We can dream,” said Perraud.

His encouraging performance and excellent goal will give boss Ralph Hasenhuttl something to think about going into the final few months of the season, as Livramento and Walker-Peters at the moment seem to be the first-choice pairing.

However, after losing possession 16 times in the game, there are still clear areas in his game that need improvement, providing the manager with a headache over whether to use him on a more regular basis.

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And while the former Spurs wing-back has been playing in place of Perraud in recent weeks despite being a natural right-footer, and the former being described by teammate Stuart Armstrong as a “top quality player”, it’s hard to see a way-in for the French defender.

However, with Livramento being linked with a move away from St Mary’s Stadium, the Saints won’t be weakened too much should his potential sale go through, with Walker-Peters also impressing on the right-side of defence when called upon and Perraud proving that he is a reliable option more often than not this season.

In other news: Hasenhuttl howler: “Dynamic” Saints dud with 0.1 goals per game has been a huge flop

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly long held an interest in Konrad Laimer and they could make their move in this summer’s transfer window.

That’s according to German outlet Sport Bild, who claim that the 24-year-old’s form for RB Leipzig this season has alerted teams in the Premier League, in which Spurs are named as one keen party.

The Austria international has actually been considered by Lilywhites scouts for several years, ever since his involvement in the Bundesliga outfit’s two-legged demolition of the north Londoners in the Champions League in 2020.

Ahead of Laimer entering the final 12 months of his current contract, Spurs could finally strike on their long-time target.

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It’s no surprise to see manager Antonio Conte interested in the £23.4m-rated powerhouse as his playing style has earned quite the praise indeed, even drawing comparisons to the Italian’s former Chelsea star N’Golo Kante.

The 52-year-old led the Blues to a Premier League and FA Cup triumph during his time at Stamford Bridge and the Frenchman was a key signing in that run. Conte could do with a similar player over in N17 now.

‘You’ll be hard-pressed to find a player who harries the opposition quite as intensively as Laimer, who is also a dab hand at shielding the ball, recycling possession and facilitating counter-attacks. ‘Dirty Work’ could be his middle name,’ wrote Bundesliga.com.

Indeed, the 24-year-old – who grew up idolising Steven Gerrard – has earned similar acclaim from others around him.

His former boss Adi Hutter lauded him as “incredibly aggressive on the ball”, whilst former West Ham forward and international compatriot Marko Arnautovic believes he can cover a “crazy” amount of ground and that he has a “huge future”.

At the weekend, Laimer dropped two goals and one assist on Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund to take his total for the season to nine direct goal contributions, so evidently he can add more in the final third than Kante.

That doesn’t take away from his defensive attributes whatsoever, having averaged 4.78 tackles and interceptions per 90 across five seasons at Leipzig, on top of 31.6 pressures per game, only emphasising his impressive and industrious work rate in the engine room, as per FBRef.

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Compared to his positional peers across Europe over the last year, the Austrian machine ranks inside the top 1% for pressures and 4% for non-penalty xG+A (expected goals and assists) too.

In the year that Chelsea won the league title with Kante in midfield in 2017, he averaged 3.6 tackles and 2.4 interceptions per game, via WhoScored, so you can instantly see the similarities between the two players.

In Laimer, who is also dubbed an “elite presser”, Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici could well land Conte his next Kante-like monster.

AND in other news, Spurs handed big transfer boost in pursuit of Premier League enforcer…