DRINKERS in Little Lever turned up for a quiet pint at the Seven Stars -- to find it had suddenly become the Sven Stars overnight.

But soccer-mad landlord Nick Jones says it wasn't he who climbed a ladder to make the name change in honour of England soccer boss Sven-Goran Eriksson.

It was, he claims, an act of God.

"I walked out of the pub and found the letter 'e' on the ground," he said. "The wind must have blown it off.

"I'm not superstitious but I'm sure this is a sign that England will win the World Cup.

"Argentina had the hand of God, David Beckham has the foot of God and we've got a sign from God. It's as simple as that."

Nick, who has been the pub's landlord for 15 months, has bedecked the inside of the Sven Stars with flags, streamers, bunting and balloons.

His regulars, all keen soccer fans, will be watching Sven-Goran Eriksson's lads on a big screen and will be drinking out of pint pots with England printed on the side.

Nick, aged 35, hopes the bar will be packed out on match days and he thinks the name change might bring in more customers.

But he has no plans to keep the pub's new name -- even if England win the prestigious trophy.

He said: "I'd love the pub to be called the Sven Stars forever.

"But everyone knows it as the Seven Stars so I'd better change it back after the contest.

"Hopefully, it will keep its new name until after the World Cup.

"But I don't know what the brewery will say -- I haven't told them it's called Sven Stars yet."