Roeder's hopes are hit again

West Ham manager Glenn Roeder has suffered another blow, with teenage midfielder Joe Cole being ruled out of Saturday's Premiership game against Southampton.

Roeder, whose position is under threat following the 5-0 defeat at Everton and 7-1 hammering at Blackburn, was hoping that 19-year-old Cole would return this weekend after missing the majority of the season with a foot injury.

The England star was due to play for the reserves against Tottenham last night but Roeder said: "Joe broke down in training on Monday and has now gone to see a specialist.

"Every time we think Joe has made a recovery he seems to break down again. This is a serious blow for us because we need him fit and firing on all cylinders.

"It is too early to say how long he will be out. We will have to wait for the results before knowing the extent of this latest setback."

Steve Lomas did give Roeder something to cheer about as he played for 80 minutes of a 2-2 draw in his first competitive game since sustaining a knee ligament injury in January. The Northern Ireland international hopes to be back in firstteam contention next month.