HARRY REDKNAPP'S Hammers could well have another reason to celebrate when Glenn Hoddle announces the England squad on Friday (Owen Phillips writes).

It seems only a matter of time before regulars Rio Ferdinand and Ian Wright are joined by England Under-21 skipper Frank Lampard.

Lampard junior was once again outstanding for the Hammers on Sunday and although part of a midfield which was run ragged by a scintillating Chelsea second half showing, he was sure the experience will help both his own international ambitions and the Hammers' efforts to match the top sides in the country.

Lampard explained: "They are the cream of the crop really in terms of passing and movement in midfield. We haven't had that this season yet but we didn't really deal with it as well as we might have done in the second half.

"The blend they have got there is tremendous and on their day they are a wonderful team. They are hard to deal with, their passing is brilliant but it's something we've got to come to terms with."

And Lampard admitted he will be casting a hopeful eye on the full England squad for the Czech Republic friendly when it is announced tomorrow (Friday).

"I'll just get on with it and then hopefully I'll get the call. It would be great for a club like West Ham to get three players in the squad and on a personal note I'd be absolutely delighted.

"If I can keep playing well then maybe if it doesn't come this time it'll come next time."

Harry Redknapp was also in upbeat mood after seeing his side pick up four points from two tough games. Last week's 3-0 win at Newcastle earned his team the League Managers Association performance of the week award.

A beautifully struck Neil Ruddock free kick looked like continuing that run against Chelsea.

For fifteen minutes West Ham looked in control. Lampard and Eyal Berkovic were orchestrating the midfield, Mark Keller and Trevor Sinclair were pushing on and causing problems and a second goal seemed on the cards.

But Chelsea foreign imports soon began to establish superiority and started playing with a swagger you would expect from a team including the likes of Marcel Desailly, Gus Poyet and Gianfranco Zola and what's more can afford to leave Dan Petrescu and Tore Andre Flo on the bench.

Casiraghi's unfortunate injury and the resulting eight-minute delay seemed to disrupt the home side's rhythm and the flying start was quickly forgotten as the Blues poured forward for the remainder of the match.

The equaliser was inevitable but such is the spirit and resolve at Upton Park these days that Eyal Berkovic was desperately unlucky not to snatch all the points when his angled drive struck the inside of the post.

Redknapp said: "We started well and could have been two or three up in the first fifteen minutes and put the game beyond them. We were ever so bright but then they got hold of the ball and gave us problems. For fifteen minutes or so we were as good as I have seen in a long time. We carved them open, went one up and it could have been three.

"After that it was difficult for us to get hold of the ball but then you expect that because they have got quality players. They have an incredible squad while we were at the bare bones.

"They had an awful lot of the game and an awful lot of the ball but I thought we had taken their best efforts and Shaka didn't have to pull off that many world class stops."

On the injury front, Redknapp is still without John Hartson who has a dead leg, Andrew Impey who has a groin strain and Javier Margas who is still recovering from an operation on his knee.

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