West Ham United Football Club News

• Nickname:Hammers
• Founded:1895
• Manager:Sam Allardyce

• Ground:Upton Park
• Capacity:35,595

Pardew purrs over Bowyer

21 Aug 2006 - 14:03:09

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Midfielder Lee Bowyer won high praise from West Ham boss Alan Pardew after an impressive second debut for the club in the 3-1 win over Charlton Athletic.

The 29-year-old returned to Upton Park on a free transfer in the summer, just over three years after an unsuccessful loan stint with the Iron.

Bowyer marked his Hammers return with assists for all three goals, leaving Pardew purring with delight.

He said: "I know Lee Bowyer very, very well and I said to the board in the summer that he was a fantastic player available on a free transfer.

"It was a no-brainer for me despite all the doubts everyone had from the last time he was here. I said that once he came into our environment, he would be the Lee Bowyer of old.

"In some ways he needed that performance for the fans because their memories of him go back to the time when West Ham got relegated and there was a lot of negativity around him.

"Today we saw an England-like performance from Lee.

"He knows that we've got a side here that can win things and I hope he can now achieve that here at West Ham."