|
Post by nomar on Jun 5, 2012 22:14:23 GMT
England are basically going to be set up not to lose.
France are set up to win.
Should be an interesting game.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2012 22:25:59 GMT
All England fans think we have our work cut out here, i wonder what french fans think, do they think we are an easy win?
|
|
|
Post by cpr on Jun 5, 2012 22:29:50 GMT
The French are terrible pessimists and got to say Estonia created a number of chances against them but the French have some quality finishers.
They looked quick as well, must be coz they played at Le Mans.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2012 22:56:55 GMT
The French are terrible pessimists and got to say Estonia created a number of chances against them but the French have some quality finishers. They looked quick as well, must be coz they played at Le Mans. did the midfielders look like they had good engines
|
|
|
Post by cpr on Jun 5, 2012 23:46:05 GMT
The French are terrible pessimists and got to say Estonia created a number of chances against them but the French have some quality finishers. They looked quick as well, must be coz they played at Le Mans. did the midfielders look like they had good engines They did but got tyred...... Coat.
|
|
|
Post by RoryTheRanger on Jun 5, 2012 23:48:32 GMT
Actually really looking forward to the Euro's now.
|
|
|
Post by cpr on Jun 5, 2012 23:50:56 GMT
I'm missing competitive football badly, already!!!!
France v Estonia friendly doesn't cut the mustard!!!!
Bring it on! ;D
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2012 23:53:39 GMT
Actually really looking forward to the Euro's now. Yeah me to need a footy fix quick sharp, roll on friday.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2012 23:59:51 GMT
I'm missing competitive football badly, already!!!! France v Estonia friendly doesn't cut the mustard!!!! Bring it on! ;D did you watch the game online? i did yesterdays Ireland Hungary game.
|
|
|
Post by cpr on Jun 6, 2012 0:04:38 GMT
I'm missing competitive football badly, already!!!! France v Estonia friendly doesn't cut the mustard!!!! Bring it on! ;D did you watch the game online? i did yesterdays Ireland Hungary game. ESPN. ;D Funnilly enough, for some strange reason, I thought Ireland were playing, then read on SSN they'd arrived in Poland!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2012 0:17:53 GMT
Ireland look the same as us, defensive minded so if we do meet its a nailed on pen shootout.
|
|
|
Post by Lonegunmen on Jun 6, 2012 0:33:08 GMT
Once upon a time, England were an attacking side..... But even then, the defence was dodgy.
|
|
|
Post by Macmoish on Jun 6, 2012 6:46:53 GMT
Trouble is don't actually KNOW why Hodgson acted as he has done... GUARDIAN Roy Hodgson dismays anti-racism group with handling of Rio Ferdinand β’ Kick It Out in talks over issuing robust condemnation β’ Sven-Goran Eriksson defends England manager's decision Share 45 Email Daniel Taylor and David Hytner guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 5 June 2012 18.00 EDT Roy Hodgson Roy Hodgson's decision to replace the injured Gary Cahill with Martin Kelly in England's Euro 2012 squad has caused some controversy. Photograph: Tom Jenkins Roy Hodgson's problems as England fly out to Poland for Euro 2012 have intensified after it emerged Kick It Out, English football's leading anti-racism organisation, is considering putting together a robust response condemning his handling of the Rio Ferdinand affair. Hodgson's explanation that he has left out Ferdinand purely on "football grounds" and that it had nothing to with John Terry's forthcoming court case has dismayed Kick It Out to the point it is holding talks behind the scenes to decide whether to go public with its grievances. The most likely conclusion is that it will express its feelings at the end of the tournament, when it will make it clear it believes Ferdinand has lost out through internal politics and that it was morally wrong for him to be excluded if, as strongly suspected by some, it is because Terry is charged with allegedly racially abusing Anton Ferdinand during Chelsea's game at Queens Park Rangers in October. Terry denies the charge. In particular, it is aggrieved that Hodgson did not try to co-ordinate a meeting with the two players to determine whether it was possible for them to establish a working relationship during the month-long tournament. Instead, Hodgson appears to have made a straight choice between Terry and Ferdinand and failed to bring in the Manchester United player even after Gary Cahill was ruled out with a broken jaw. Ferdinand's adviser, Jamie Moralee, has since described it as "nothing short of disgraceful", linking it directly to the Terry case, and Hodgson will fly into Krakow on Wednesday knowing that the controversy is threatening to overshadow his preparations for the game against France in Donetsk on Monday. Hodgson is expected to stick to his line that it was a football decision when he speaks to the media for the first time on Thursday since deciding that Martin Kelly, Liverpool's second-choice right-back, would be a better replacement for Ferdinand after the confirmation of Cahill's injury. Terry was still nursing a slight hamstring worry as the players had their last training session at London Colney on Tueson Tuesday. The choice of Kelly ahead of Ferdinand has caused widespread surprise. The former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler wrote in a column for the bookmaker Paddy Power: "There's not a chance Rio Ferdinand was left out of the England squad for 'footballing reasons'. Not a chance. The public knows that too." Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager, is of similar mind. "I think it's a difficult decision for him," he told Sky Sports News. "There's obviously more to it. If it's just football, it's difficult to leave Rio out, because he's a fantastic player still. But that's the decision that's been made and we've just got to get behind Roy and the England team now, with the Euros coming up." Hodgson's choice was greeted with bemusement by several Holland players on Tuesday. Tottenham's Rafael van der Vaart described the omission of Ferdinand as "strange", adding: "It surprised me because I think he's still one of the best defenders in England, and maybe in the world. He's a little bit older now but he's still fit and fresh and he played for Manchester United." The Everton defender Johnny Heitinga also said he was "quite surprised". Others have leapt to the England manager's defence. Sven-Goran Eriksson has suggested that he has the inside line on why his friend Hodgson left out Ferdinand and said it has nothing to do with race rows and everything to do with the United defender's form and fitness. "We mustn't forget that Rio has suffered from injuries this season," said Eriksson, the former England manager, in his column in the Swedish newspaper Expressen. "Roy has his reasons. Otherwise, he wouldn't have rejected Rio β twice. Many try to connect the dots between the race allegations against John Terry and Roy leaving Ferdinand out. I know there is no truth in these claims. How? You're just going to have to trust me. "With less than a week to go, Roy wanted the player joining the squad to be match fit. Someone who has carried on with his training after the end of league play. It has been an entirely football-based decision. That's all there is to it. Personally, I just find the whole thing to be quite silly. "First of all, they're all good footballers. Secondly, Roy's got rock solid knowledge when it comes to the players' current form. So let me suggest that we all save our verdicts until after the tournament." The former Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt, who knows Kelly's qualities from Anfield, has also backed the England manager's choices. "Roy Hodgson is the one who decides who he selects for the national team," he said. "There's only one decision to make β he has to make the best possible team. I'm sure Martin Kelly and [Liverpool's Jordan] Henderson will do well. They are young but they're both very talented and I'm sure they will help England moving forward." www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jun/05/roy-hodgson-kick-it-out-rio-ferdinand
|
|
|
Post by Macmoish on Jun 7, 2012 6:51:27 GMT
Amazing how nasty things have become...Done a lot of damage... GUARDIAN - Sol Campbell
Sol Campbell: Rio Ferdinand should have had chance to turn England down'I for one never bought the argument that Rio Ferdinand had been left out of the original squad for "footballing reasons" ' The further this saga drags on the more it does not make sense and the more it undermines Roy Hodgson and the Football Association as a whole. We have now reached a point where big questions have to be asked over Rio Ferdinand's exclusion from England's squad for Euro 2012, such as what are the real reasons, and why? And, is there a cover-up? What we can say for sure is that this entire situation goes back to what did or did not happen between John Terry and Anton Ferdinand last season. That is the only logical conclusion that can be drawn and I for one never bought the argument that Rio had been left out of the original squad for "footballing reasons". In fairness to Hodgson, he was put in a difficult situation, and we don't know what pressures he may have been under, but his reasons for picking who he did simply made no sense Γ’β¬β Rio had played great for Manchester United at the back-end of the season and was a key reason why they finished second in the Premier League and missed out on the title on goal difference alone. He is clearly in top shape and in top form and deserved his England place as much as anyone else. Hodgson also said he wanted to involve more younger players in the squad in order for them to get tournament experience, but surely it would only have benefited them to have had Rio around, someone who has played at World Cups and, in 2002, was one of the stars of the show. Even as the 23rd man he could have been a key asset to the side and passed on his experience and know-how to the new guys during training and in and around the hotel, something they would have found invaluable. Indeed Phil Jones is learning from Rio at club level right now, but yet at national level he has been selected above him. The situation is nuts and will look even more so should England collect any further injuries in defence. The FA now find themselves between a rock and a hard place and the only way they can truly resolve the situation is to come out and admit they've made a mistake. But their continued silence suggests that they do not want to do anything about this, they do not want to be humble and say "sorry, we messed up". That is what a bigger organisation would do, for sure. None of this really surprises me as I have experienced first-hand the FA's inability to treat players properly. After I came back to Arsenal at the start of 2010, I was playing as well as any defender in the country and legitimately thought I would get a call-up for the World Cup that summer. That was certainly the suggestion I was getting from inside the FA, but then nothing happened. Fabio Capello didn't even bother coming to see me, instead he sent Franco Baldini, who kept saying "we're thinking about you Sol, we're thinking about you, Sol", before they instead picked Ledley King, who has always been injury prone, and Jamie Carragher, who was not playing great for Liverpool at that time and had stated publicly that he didn't want to play for England again. In contrast, I had always made myself available to my country and, like Rio, could have offered the squad an enormous amount of tournament-experience. The argument that it simply would have been impossible to have had both Rio and John Terry in the squad for Euro 2012 is again something I do not buy. These guys are professionals who want to play for their country and despite any ill-feeling that may exist between them off the pitch, on it they would have just got on with it and played. I would definitely have picked them both Γ’β¬β they're in form and would give the team a level of experience which is vital at a major tournament. Their names should have been the first ones down on the list and then it should have been up to the younger guys to fight it out among themselves for the other positions. At the very least Rio should have been given the opportunity to say "no, I don't want to be in the same squad as John Terry". Hodgson should have spoken to him man-to-man, face-to-face, eyeball-to-eyeball and seen where he was at, seen if he felt capable of contributing to the team and being around Terry for the next three weeks. Given everything Rio has done for his country, and how he has been playing for United in recent months, he deserved that at least. There is no doubt that those who have been chosen for England will be speaking about this issue now. Crucially many of them will now doubt if they can trust the FA and be questioning who is really pulling the strings; the manager or people behind the scenes? Some will not know where they stand. A wider issue is if this episode leads to players in the future feeling reluctant to speak out against racism in case it harms their chances of being picked by England. That would be extremely serious and would have to lead to the government getting involved in some way. And if it is ever proven true that John Terry was chosen over Rio because of race then I would tell the FA that they can take back my 73 caps and scrub my name out of the record books. I would no longer want to be known as someone who played for England Γ’β¬β that would be the end for me. www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jun/06/sol-campbell-rio-ferdinand-englandGUARDIAN - DANIEL TAYLOR
Euro 2012: England's Rio Ferdinand row rumbles on despite efforts of FA
Γ’β¬Β’ Squad arrive in Krakow with Ferdinand issue still to the fore Γ’β¬Β’ David Bernstein: grievances are 'historical, extraneous issue'Roy Hodgson and his England players arrived in Krakow with the Football Association chairman, David Bernstein, insisting Rio Ferdinand's grievances were now a "historical, extraneous issue" but no sign of the controversy relenting as another anti-racism group questioned the defender's treatment. Bernstein said he would wait until the end of the tournament before addressing the reasons why Ferdinand was left out and voiced concerns that the row about Martin Kelly's call-up was threatening to have ramifications in the form of adversely affecting the Liverpool defender. The treatment of Ferdinand has already caused dismay within Kick It Out and the Manchester United player has also received backing from Show Racism The Red Card. "We support Rio and his agent," the founder, Ged Grebby, said. "No disrespect to Martin Kelly but to leave out someone with 81 England caps who has played without injury for Manchester United since January is strange." Bernstein, however, would not comment on the specific allegation that Ferdinand had been left out purely because John Terry is to stand trial on 9 July charged with racially abusing Ferdinand's younger brother, Anton Γ’β¬β a charge the Chelsea player denies. "Let me be absolutely clear, because I'm sure there will be other questions about this," Bernstein said. "We have spent a long while building up to this tournament. We're here to do the best we can, we're here to talk about the tournament, about the 23 players who are here and I'm not prepared to discuss any players who are not here. "It's an issue I'm happy to talk about when the tournament is over maybe, but we are here to talk about the tournament and about the future and that's it. We all want to maximise our chances of doing well and we believe that the focus is on what's ahead of us Γ’β¬β not what is behind us." The chairman left the clear impression that the FA's priority is to protect Kelly's feelings rather than Ferdinand's. "I'm sure he is [affected]," Bernstein said of the Liverpool player. "I haven't spoken to him personally but as far as I understand Γ’β¬Β¦" Asked if that meant questions on Ferdinand were now off limits, Bernstein replied: "As far as I'm concerned, definitely. I'm sure he [Hodgson] can speak for himself, but I imagine you'll get the same answer from him, too. "He'll look after himself very well indeed, as he always does. There's no point in pressing. There is no way we are talking about players who are not here. We spent a deal of time preparing for this, training for it. "We've had disappointments in the past with tournaments, we want to do everything we can to focus on the positives going forward. And we'd hope you would join us in that, looking forward to do the very best we can with positive thoughts looking ahead and not dwelling on all these, quite frankly, historical, extraneous issues." That theme was taken up by Hodgson, in an interview for BBC Football Focus, in which he called for more positivity. "We have to try to get back to putting the church back in the village," he said. "It's important for us to enjoy the journey. I'm always disappointed at tournaments with the negativity that surrounds all the teams. "I saw it in South Africa [the 2010 World Cup] and the European Championships I've attended with Uefa, when I've often come away with the feeling that I have not enjoyed it. The feelings have been very negative and people haven't seemed to enjoy it. "It's a great thing to qualify for the European Championship. Only 16 teams are here out of more than 50 who started. You don't get many opportunities in your career to play in a major tournament and we've got to try to make certain we understand that it's not a bad thing to be here." Wayne Rooney also tried to strike a positive note, insisting that England could still overcome all the problems that have affected them since the turn of the year. "I don't see why we can't win it," the striker said. "You go into a tournament hoping you can win it. That's the main thing. The past two tournaments have ended in disappointment but now is the time to put that right. We've got the players and the quality and the new manager coming in has lifted the players." Hodgson said: "We want to do well. The nation wants us to do well. Any team can win this thing. Denmark came off the beach to win in 1992. Greece won it against the odds in 2004, when nobody gave them a prayer. "It's a knockout, like the FA Cup. It's not the Premier League or the Champions League, when the cream always reaches the top. It's not a tennis tournament, when it's always the first and second seeds. It's a football tournament and we have a chance. "We all want to win. Everybody wants to win. We feel this team has a good chance to win. And we will do our best to win. I would be disappointed if we came away feeling it had been a complete disaster because that's not what it should be." www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jun/07/euro-2012-england-rio-ferdinand
|
|
|
Post by Macmoish on Jun 7, 2012 6:53:23 GMT
|
|
|
Post by cpr on Jun 7, 2012 9:07:03 GMT
Defoe has returned home following the death of his father.
He will return and no replacement will be found.
Poor sod, worry for his state of mind more than anything else.
|
|
|
Post by harlowranger on Jun 7, 2012 9:13:50 GMT
Blimey , terrible news , thoughts with him and his family! Only watched family fortunes a couple of weeks back and he was on there with Mum ,Dad and Sister , very sad.
|
|
|
Post by RoryTheRanger on Jun 7, 2012 9:16:10 GMT
RIP Jimmy Defoe.
|
|
|
Post by Macmoish on Jun 7, 2012 9:17:49 GMT
How very sad Telegraph Euro 2012: England striker Jermain Defoe returns home after death of his father England striker Jermain Defoe has returned home following the death of his father. By Telegraph Sport 10:14AM BST 07 Jun 2012 The Football Association confirmed the news this morning, adding that the player is expected to return at some point and no replacement is being called up. It is not known at this point whether Defoe will be back prior to Monday's Group D opener against France in Donetsk. The FA statement read: "England striker Jermain Defoe has returned home to England this morning following the passing of his father overnight. "Jermain will re-join the England Euro squad in due course. There will be no replacement player called in. "We would ask all media to respect Jermain and his familyβs privacy at this difficult time." www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/england/9316105/Euro-2012-England-striker-Jermain-Defoe-returns-home-after-death-of-his-father.html
|
|
|
Post by Macmoish on Jun 7, 2012 11:19:21 GMT
Euro 2012 - Paper Round: Fears grow over Terry uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/07062012/58/euro-2012-paper-round-fears-grow-terry.htmlThu, 07 Jun 09:01:00 2012 John Terryβs chances of playing against France are in the balance, according to the back pages. England's John Terry controls the ball during their international friendly soccer match against Belgium at Wembley Stadium in London June 2, 2012 - 0 Related links Villarreal coach Preciado dies aged 54 Early Doors: England land with low expectations Bet on Football - Get Β£25 Free The Daily Mirror warns that the central defender is a serious doubt after only managing one light training session in the past two days after a hamstring problem surface during the friendly against Belgium. With England meeting France on Monday in their Group D opener, time is running out for the defender to prove his fitness. Terry has become a key component of the England squad, especially in the light of a spate of injuries that have robbed Roy Hodgson of central defenders and experienced players. Terryβs defensive partner at Chelsea Gary Cahill has already been ruled out of the tournament this week with a broken jaw, while the squad has also been shorn of veterans Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry in recent weeks. There will be pressure on Hodgson to play Terry regardless, but in another twist, the Daily Star claim that if Terry does line up against France, he could well rule himself out of the rest of the tournament. The paper cites top physio Stuart Mills who says that despite Terry getting the all-clear, any recurrence of the issue against France could end his summer. And the Terry Euro 2012 experience has reportedly begun with a 'robust chat' about his conduct with Roy Hodgson, according to The Times. Hodgson is desperate that the campaign is not undermined by a split in the camp as Fabio Capello endured with England in South Africa at the last World Cup. Terry upset certain members of the camp during that tournament with an outspoken press conference, but is said to have understood Hodgson's request that he toe the line. Terryβs fitness and behaviour doesnβt stop the Rio Ferdinand saga rumbling on, however, with Sol Campbellβs Guardian column creating a major talking point. Former England player Campbell adds his name to the list of people who question whether Ferdinandβs exclusion from the Euro 2012 squad was purely down to βfootball reasonsβ. βIf,β Campbell writes, βit is ever proven true that John Terry was chosen over Rio because of race then I would tell the FA that they can take back my 73 caps and scrub my name out of the record books.β If you want some cheerier news about England ahead of the tournament, look no further than Wayne Rooneyβs quotes, splashed liberally across the back pages. βI donβt see why canβt win it,β Rooney says.β Weβve certainly got the players and the quality.β Sounds familiar to what youβve heard at every other major championships? Away from England, there looks to be good news for Roberto Di Matteo, with the Daily Mail claiming that the Chelsea job is almost his. In an exclusive, the paper reports that overtures to Pep Guardiola have failed, and with Di Matteo already boasting two major trophies, including the coveted Champions League, heβs finally the favourite to keep the job. And despite having no manager, Chelseaβs transfer business shows no sign of stopping. The Mirror claims that the latest addition to the team will be Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini, who has emerged as a Β£20m target for the Blues to reinforce the midfield. Whether he will boast bigger hair than potential team-mate David Luiz remains to be seen, but he would add to the growing contingent of Belgium internationals after the arrival of Eden Hazard. The Daily Mail say that QPR have entered the race for Montpellier striker Olivier Giroud, although with Arsenal also keen on the France international they may find it tough getting their man. Arsenal are also keeping tabs on Seydou Doumbia of CSKA Moscow and Malagaβs Salomon Rondon as they look to add a striker to their squad.
|
|
|
Post by Macmoish on Jun 7, 2012 11:46:32 GMT
Been There...Done it...
|
|
|
Post by Macmoish on Jun 7, 2012 11:54:39 GMT
Cutting...
Frankie Boyle@frankieboyle
Englishness is having racial tension in your football squad and deciding to drop the black guy. #shameful
|
|
|
Post by Macmoish on Jun 7, 2012 12:16:06 GMT
AFP Testicle-biting dogs for hooligans at Euro: Report Agence France-Presse Last updated on Thursday, 07 June 2012 17:39 Krakow, Poland: From testicle-biting police dogs to sonic cannons capable of inducing involuntary urination, Polish anti-hooligan squads have an array of weapons ready for potential trouble-makers at Euro 2012. The English-language Krakow Post newspaper asserted in an editorial that local law enforcement agencies were more than ready to tackle any hooligan threat at England's southern Poland base camp. "The Polish police are going to come down on troublemakers like a bag full of anvils and you don't want to be there when it happens," the paper warned. "Krakow has a long history of hooligan violence - the local police have seen it all before and they will ruin your day if you try it on. "These lads' mums and dads rioted under Soviet machine guns - a few chairs thrown by beered-up fans is not going to intimidate them. "Do not expect softly, softly police tactics. "Poland's anti-hooligan squads are armed with: Shotguns firing baton rounds that probably won't kill you as long as you're 30m away, a truck-mounted water cannon affectionately known as βthe typhoon', a high-tech sonic cannon that can make you wet yourself on its lowest setting, dogs trained to bite you directly in the testicles." English fans are not expected to arrive in Krakow in significant numbers, with England's Group D games all taking place in Ukraine. sports.ndtv.com/football/news/item/191453-testicle-biting-dogs-for-hooligans-at-euro-media
|
|
|
Post by Macmoish on Jun 10, 2012 10:03:40 GMT
GUARDIAN/Dominic Fifield
'I wasn't going to bring in a player of Ferdinand's class as cover' β Hodgson England manager explains the 'footballing reasons' behind Rio Ferdinand's omission from England's Euro 2012 squadEngland manager Roy Hodgson has finally moved to explain the "footballing reasons" that led to the omission of Rio Ferdinand from his squad for the Euro 2012 championship on the eve of the team's opening match against France. In an off-camera briefing, Hodgson revealed that he never considered calling up the Manchester United centre half as a late replacement when injuries took their toll on the squad in the build-up to the finals. Ferdinand, who has been capped 81 times but has not played for his country in a year, was controversially left out of the 23-man squad announced by Hodgson last month. His fellow central defender John Terry, who is due in court on 9 July charged with racially abusing Ferdinand's younger brother Anton last October, was included in the original group. Since then, three significant outfield players β Gareth Barry, Frank Lampard and Gary Cahill β have dropped out after sustaining injuries. Terry, who denies the charge against him, has been warned by Hodgson about his conduct during the Euro 2012 tournament. Cahill would have been a first choice at centre half, but rather than recalling the 33-year-old Ferdinand, Hodgson opted instead to promote Martin Kelly, in effect Liverpool's back-up right-back, to his travelling squad. "People think I looked at two players when Gary Cahill was injured β Martin Kelly and Rio Ferdinand β and chose Martin Kelly, but there was never any question of that," said Hodgson. "Rio Ferdinand never came into consideration. I had my squad of 23, I had the players I knew, in Cahill's absence, would probably be the starters, and I knew who would be the covering players. When it came to bringing another player in, I wasn't going to bring in a player of Rio Ferdinand's age, class, background and experience to be a cover player. "My first thought was actually not Martin Kelly but [the Tottenham defender] Kyle Walker because he was one of the original players we'd thought about and, if his toe [injury] had cleared up, he would have been a competitor for Glen Johnson at right back. That ended up being an easy decision. The difficult decision was whether to take Rio in the original 23 or not. That took a lot of soul-searching." Hodgson added: "I'll tell you one of the things. When you've played 81 times already for your country, but only a couple of times in the last few years and had a lot of injuries β¦ I don't think those players go as travellers. They go as one of the first names on the team sheet. I had to be convinced that, if I was going to take Rio in my 23, he'd be one of the first names on the team sheet. I couldn't be convinced that would be the case. "It was a tough call to make, to tell him that I wasn't including him β one I didn't look forward to making. I did it." Asked whether Terry's presence in the squad had any bearing on Ferdinand's non-selection, Hodgson added: "It wasn't part of my decision. I can't turn round to you [and say] that it didn't occur to me. I'm a football person. I work in football day in, day out. I don't live on the planet Mars. So you can't expect me to say I didn't even give that a thought. But I chose the centre backs I wanted to come with me. I can't be clearer than that." Following a conversation with Hodgson, Ferdinand refused to divulge what was discussed but said on Saturday he thought his England career was over. RACISM AND EURO 2012 25 May Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain says his family will stay away from the tournament, citing fears over racial violence and safety. England striker Danny Welbeck says his family remain determined to travel, but other players, including Theo Walcott and Joleon Lescott, say their relatives will not attend. 28 May BBC's Panorama exposes racist behaviour among fans in Poland and Ukraine. Former England defender Sol Campbell advises supporters not to risk travelling to the tournament as they "could end up coming back in a coffin". Italy star Mario Balotelli later says that if he is subjected to racist abuse during a game he will walk off the pitch. 7 June On the eve of the tournament, the Dutch team moves its training drills to the other side of the ground to avoid a crowd making monkey chants. Uefa initially denied the incident had happened, before admitting there had been "isolated incidents of racist chanting". England manager Roy Hodgson says he fears racist abuse towards his players. 8 June The opening day is marred by reports of racist chanting towards Czech defender Theodor Gebre Selassie in the game against Russia. British cabinet ministers and Princes William and Harry confirm they will not attend matches in protest over Ukraine's human rights record. 9 June Hodgson defends his decision not to call up Rio Ferdinand amid speculation he was left out because John Terry faces charges of racism towards Ferdinand's brother Anton. www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jun/09/hodgson-refusal-to-recall-ferdinand
|
|
|
Post by cpr on Jun 10, 2012 10:16:54 GMT
As far as I'm concerned, it's time to crack on. COME ON ENGLANDAttachments:
|
|
|
Post by Macmoish on Jun 10, 2012 10:54:26 GMT
MAIL PFA urged to take lead in race cases amid Terry affair By ROB DRAPER Moves to improve the handling of alleged racism cases such as the John Terry-Anton Ferdinand affair are being discussed by the Professional Footballers' Association and anti-racism group Kick It Out.
The discussions are also aimed at ensuring that players are confident in reporting allegations of abuse.
Case: Anton Ferdinand
Kick It Out want the PFA to organise arbitration when one player is accused by another instead of stepping aside because they are expected to represent the interests of both parties.
'That is the time when the PFA need to step in and take a lead,' said a senior Kick It Out figure. Terry's trial for alleged racial abuse of Ferdinand - the Chelsea captain strongly denies the charge - was adjourned until after Euro 2012. Several players are understood to have spoken to the PFA about the courts' delay in resolving the matter. A senior PFA figure said: 'There is an anxiety about the whole situation generally because it has dragged on for so long and because there has been no resolution.'
\http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/euro2012/article-2157016/PFA-urged-lead-race-cases-amid-John-Terry-affair.html#ixzz1xO25HFad
|
|
|
Post by cpr on Jun 10, 2012 11:47:36 GMT
I now have the England flags flying on the house. ;D
What a picture it would make.
COME ON ENGLAND
|
|
|
Post by Macmoish on Jun 11, 2012 6:32:35 GMT
GUARDIAN/Richard Williams Euro 2012: John Terry saga may make England rue Roy Hodgson's choice Even an unlikely victory in the final would not silence the chorus of opinion divided by the selection of the centre-back A season of sensation on the pitch and scandal off it for English football edges towards its denouement in Donetsk on Monday evening when Roy Hodgson's side emerge to play their first match of the Euro 2012 finals, with clouds of controversy continuing to darken the new regime. The debate surrounding the appearance of John Terry in the team and the absence of Rio Ferdinand is unlikely to be halted by the match against France. Not even an unlikely victory in the final itself would completely silence the chorus of opinion divided by the new manager's use of the seemingly anodyne phrase "football reasons" to explain the inclusion of one and the omission of the other. The pivotal moment of the affair can now be seen to have occurred back in February, when Westminster magistrates' court agreed to comply with a request to put back, by a matter of several months, John Terry's trial on a charge of using racially abusive language. From that apparently routine postponement flowed a river of controversy, suspicion and bitterness. A valuable English legal maxim, with its origins in the Magna Carta, states that justice delayed is justice denied. But instead of taking the earliest possible opportunity to hear the case concerning an incident dating back to last October, the court agreed to wait until July, leaving Terry free to represent Chelsea in three major club competitions and the European Championship. It is hard to imagine such an accommodation being made at the behest of a plumber with a diary full of jobs for the next six months or a young actor engaged for a long run in a small but career-building part in the West End. Perhaps by agreeing to a postponement with Terry's lawyers, the official in question at the magistrates' court imagined that he or she was somehow serving a national interest. Instead, England now find themselves entering a tournament at which the preliminaries have been overshadowed by allegations of racism in the two countries hosting the championship β largely provoked by an excellent BBC documentary β while giving a place in their squad to a player accused of being a racist. Foreigners may be confused by this. Terry is pleading not guilty. But to arrive at the tournament with a player over whose head such an accusation is dangling is to raise suspicions, whether or not they are well founded, about the degree of scrupulousness with which the Football Association conducts its business. In the past, a handful of players awaiting trial on criminal charges have been removed from consideration for England places by the FA, most obviously Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer of Leeds United, accused 12 years ago β when both were young and thought to be on the brink of substantial international careers β of an assault on an Asian student. Bowyer was cleared and subsequently won his only cap, while Woodgate was convicted of a lesser charge and sentenced to community service, going on to make two further appearances for England. It is hard to see why those decisions were not used as a precedent when the case of Terry arose. Perhaps that was because his personality has loomed large over England in recent years. Deprived of the formal captaincy in South Africa, he attempted to reassert his leadership when things were going wrong. He was slapped down but got up and, to many people's amazement, was restored to the captaincy by Fabio Capello, the very man whose authority he had challenged but who made a decision based on pragmatism. One wonders if, two years later, a nervous FA may have been reluctant to bar a player who might, if found not guilty, have returned to the courts to sue them for having omitted him. On pure footballing grounds, it is hard to criticise Roy Hodgson for his inclusion. The new manager had watched Terry throughout the season, particularly its latter stages, and must have felt that the stupid foul which drew a costly red card against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final and the bout of uncertainty provoked by Andy Carroll during the FA Cup final were nothing more than isolated blips when compared with his general standard of performance. The quality of Terry's defending was one of the reasons why Chelsea finished the season on a high. David Luiz and Gary Cahill, both of whom had suffered difficult starts to their careers at Stamford Bridge, clearly benefited from the experience of playing alongside him regularly. Their confidence rose to the point that when they were called upon to do without him and play as a pair on the daunting stage of the European Cup final, they were able to do much as he would like to have done. Similarly, the "football reasons" for telling Rio Ferdinand that he would not be making the trip were more persuasive than the fact that, as the brother of the man allegedly insulted by Terry, he could be assumed to be short of goodwill towards his former partner in the centre of England's defence, although Hodgson was honest enough to admit, in a conversation with reporters on Saturday, that it had been among his considerations. Principally, however, Ferdinand is two years older than Terry and has suffered from persistent back problems in recent seasons. He played a respectable 18 Premier League matches between the turn of the year and end of the season but Hodgson, after conferring with Sir Alex Ferguson, could well have concluded that a possible six matches in 21 days would be too much for a player with his medical history. The manager might also have watched Ferdinand's performance at Old Trafford on 22 April when United, still fighting for the title, went from a 4-2 lead with seven minutes left to a 4-4 draw against Everton. On that evidence, he might have reached the conclusion that even a man with 81 senior caps would now be a liability. During Saturday's impromptu press conference, Hodgson said that he had not enjoyed breaking the news to Ferdinand. He might have expected a certain amount of criticism, but not the storm that broke over his head last week, when virtually the only people who did not feel constrained to enter the debate were the Queen and the Archbishop of Canterbury, both presumably occupied with other duties. It is hard to see a winner here. Posterity may conclude that Ferdinand and his agent did themselves no favours with their claims of injustice, and that others, such as the Kick It Out campaign, exceeded their brief. In no way was this the equivalent of the MCC leaving out Basil D'Oliveira in order to placate South Africa's apartheid government half a century ago. Hodgson, on the other hand, could have helped himself a month ago by announcing that he was planning for the future, making it plain that neither Terry nor Ferdinand, both in their 30s, would be part of it. Many would have applauded him for that. Others would have reminded him that there is a tournament to be won. It should have been so much simpler. But this is English football. www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jun/10/euro-2012-john-terry-roy-hodgson
|
|
|
Post by cpr on Jun 11, 2012 6:41:57 GMT
"Even an unlikely victory in the final would not silence the chorus of opinion divided by the selection of the centre-back"
Cobblers.
COME ON ENGLAND!!! ;D
|
|
|
Post by qprtobefrank on Jun 11, 2012 8:42:45 GMT
Carroll or Welbeck ? For the love of god, BOTH !!
Young wide left and Oxlade-Chamberpot wide right
Attack, Attack, Attack Attack Attack !!
|
|