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First look at Hodgson’s squad

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Now that the hullabaloo of the club season is finally over, England can begin their preparations for Euro 2012 in earnest, starting with Saturday’s trip to Oslo to take on Norway in their first of two warm-up games for the showpiece tournament in Poland and Ukraine.

It seems crazy that England are going into a major championships with a new manager who has had little time to prepare, given the fact that he only finished with his responsibilities at West Brom on May 13 – and the Three Lions are still fourth favourites at 10/1 to lift a trophy they have never won.

There have been a few talking points raised by the squad he named last Wednesday but the proof is in the pudding, and Hodgson – like the rest of us – will have a better idea of his starting XI following the warm-up games.

The first of two fixtures has been one that has caused England problems in the past with the team, which has had the better of the head-to-head record, not having beaten Norway since 1980 – albeit just five games ago.

Although there are one or two names recognisable to Premier League watchers, this Norway side does not look the strongest on paper – made evident by a 4-1 drubbing against Wales just last November.

England have been installed as the 11/10 favourites in the match betting, despite playing away, which is perhaps not surprising given Norway’s current resources with Fulham’s Brede Hangeland and John Arne Riise as well as Blackburn’s Morten Gamst Pedersen the better known faces in the squad.

It will be interesting to see the make-up of Hodgson’s first team selection for his country, particularly with just one other friendly (against Belgium at Wembley on June 2) to come before the tournament gets underway, but there are sure to be a host of substitutions as the former Switzerland and Finland boss tests his charges on the international stage.

That could give ammunition for those looking to oppose Hodgson’s men at the prices and Norway should not be under-estimated at 5/2 with the draw 23/10, given the fact that they only missed out on the play-offs for Euro 2012 due to a worse goal difference behind Portugal.

In fact, Egil Olsen’s men beat the Portuguese 1-0 on home territory in qualification, while they also held Group H winners Denmark 1-1 in an unbeaten campaign on home soil, suffering two defeats on their travels.

However, that recent defeat to Wales still leaves doubt in the mind with their goal coming from a horrendous gaffe from goalkeeper Wayne Hennessy.

The Norwegians did bounce back with a 3-0 defeat of Northern Ireland in a friendly but England are a much tougher proposition and should have the tools to pick up a morale-boosting win – even with Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing in the squad.

It would be prudent to wait for team news, given the nature of the clash – a friendly ahead of a major tournament with a new manager’s first squad – before jumping in to the goal scorer markets, although Hodgson’s options up front are somewhat limited.

Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck have been struggling with niggling injuries so could miss out, particularly with the former suspended for the first two games of Euro 2012.

That could see Carroll indeed start up front with Jermain Defoe, seemingly a substitute at Spurs, and both are available at 11/2 First/Last and 3/2 Anytime Goalscorer, with Welbeck also priced up at those odds.

Whatever side England put out on Saturday night should be good enough to come away with the win but of course whether it is good enough to go all the way in Poland and Ukraine remains to be seen.

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Hodgson reveals his Euro squad

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There are plenty of talking points thrown up by Roy Hodgson’s first England squad after the new Three Lions boss named his 23-man party for the upcoming European Championship – for which his side are priced at 10/1 to win.

In fairness to Fabio Capello’s successor, he has had very little time to prepare for the tournament in Poland and Ukraine with his commitment to West Brom not officially over until last Sunday, and he had previously suggested he was largely going to stick with experienced England performers.

With that in mind, there were just two new faces in the squad but there are surely plenty of questions over why some of the players that are set to take their place on the plane next month have made it – with England’s campaign set to get underway on June 11 (England 13/8 to win Group D).

There are just two warm-up games before then for Hodgson, who also confirmed Steven Gerrard will be captain, to finalise his plans – so taking a look at the squad, let’s start with the supposed ‘big calls’.

Rio Ferdinand was probably the biggest absentee and perhaps it was no surprise, given his recent fitness history and the fact that even his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, had doubted whether he could play games in quick succession.

Still, he would have provided plenty of experience but every footballer has his lovers and haters, and there will be those who believe his best days are very much behind him.

However, John Terry has been included and there will be more doubters about him given his form, discipline issues, the fact that an impending trial forced the previous manager to step down as well as the fact that he has been there and definitely not done it – at the World Cup in 2010.

Barcelona actually looked less likely to score when he had been sent off, while his obvious inability to handle Andy Carroll in both the FA Cup final and subsequent 4-1 drubbing at Anfield led to Hodgson actually including the Liverpool striker – who had almost been a laughing stock in the previous nine months following his £35m move from Newcastle.

What makes the Carroll selection all the more surprising is the fact that he is one of only four strikers. With Wayne Rooney suspended for the first two group games, Jermain Defoe – who has not played a competitive match for England since September 2010 – and Danny Welbeck the others, Hodgson could end up being caught short up front.

Peter Crouch has never done anything wrong for England, in fact he has done a lot right with a fantastic goal ratio for the national side, while there is no place (not so surprising) for the second highest English scorer in the Premier League this season – Grant Holt.

Norwich City, though, can celebrate the call-up of John Ruddy, who has been rewarded for his fine season with the Canaries with his first international recognition.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also wins his first call-up for the impact, albeit limited, he has made for Arsenal this season but little can be said of the impact of Stewart Downing and Theo Walcott (of late), who did make the squad, when Aaron Lennon and Adam Johnson did not.

Kyle Walker has enjoyed a superb season for Spurs but is carrying an injury, although how the versatile Micah Richards has been overlooked is a mystery.

It is, of course, a ‘poisoned chalice’, the England manager’s job, because whoever is in charge is never going to please everyone all the time – in some manager’s cases, any of the time.

The proof is in the pudding, though, and Hodgson will have more idea of the capability of his squad following the first match of the tournament against France (France 13/8, Draw 11/5, England 11/8 Match Betting).

With games against Sweden and co-hosts Ukraine to follow, England will hope that the inclusion of Rooney will amount to more than one game with the Three Lions 6/4 to be eliminated at the Group Stage. Hodgson may already have his doubters but this squad should have enough to at least make it past the first stage. After that, it’s anyone’s guess.

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Hodgson faces squad dilemmas

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Roy Hodgson will name his squad for England’s Euro 2012 bid on Wednesday and he is likely to face several dilemmas, particularly in defence and attack, before being able to identify the players he feels will fire the Three Lions to glory (10/1 Outright) in Poland and Ukraine.

Starting at the back and Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart is the only man for the job between the sticks, while Robert Green and Scott Carson have been the only other back-ups due to the dearth of talent available and Ben Foster’s steadfast refusal to come out of retirement.

However, Norwich City’s John Ruddy has been in inspirational form this past season and we feel he deserves a chance ahead of Carson, who Hodgson allowed to leave the Hawthorns for a move to Turkey 12 months ago.

Hodgson’s first big job will be selecting the right men to shut out foreign opposition, starting with a huge game against France on June 11 (England 11/8, France 13/8, Draw 11/5 90 Minutes).

The first names on the squad list in previous years have been former skipper John Terry and Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand, who have struck up a strong central defensive partnership for past managers and have over 150 caps between them.

But with the duo at odds over Terry’s upcoming summer trial for allegedly racially abusing the latter’s brother, Hodgson might feel an alternative selection will be the safer option.

If he goes with Terry, who is younger and is arguably more reliable in terms of fitness than Ferdinand, then the obvious choice of partner would be his Chelsea team-mate Gary Cahill.

The duo have played well together in the heart of the Blues’ defence and Cahill has already shown he has the capabilities to be a success against top opposition after helping shut-out Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final first leg at Stamford Bridge last month.

If Hodgson feels Terry’s involvement could divide the squad, then Ferdinand could be the man he pins his hopes on for the finals.

With his Manchester United team-mate Chris Smalling ruled out due to injury, Hodgson could see Manchester City stopper Joleon Lescott as the man who would be ideally suited to Ferdinand.

The duo would complement each other well being a right-foot and left-foot combination and that could work well in the finals.

We expect Ferdinand’s United team-mate Phil Jones to be involved given the youngster’s impressive first season at Old Trafford and his ability to operate at right-back, centre-back or in a defensive midfield role.

However, Jones is more likely to watch from the sidelines as Tottenham’s Kyle Walker is the man to get the nod at right-back with Liverpool’s more experienced Glen Johnson breathing down his neck.

But the fact Johnson has been moved to a left-back role by Reds boss Kenny Dalglish means PFA Young Player of the Year, Walker, has been the best player in that position over the past season and deserves his chance.

Hodgson’s other problem centres on which strikers he will take to the finals given that his options have been depleted due to injury and suspension.

He has already intimated that Wayne Rooney (40/1 Top Goalscorer) will travel despite being banned for the opening two matches against France and Sweden.

Darren Bent is adamant that he will be fit despite being ruled out of Aston Villa’s season with ruptured ankle ligaments since February.

However, we feels it would be too risky to take the forward as a lack of match fitness will work against him when England need their players firing on all cylinders.

Therefore Danny Welbeck is the man who Hodgson will almost certainly give the nod to given the fact he has played the majority of the season alongside Rooney at United which will work in his favour when looking towards the knockout stage (England 13/8 Group D Winner).

Another alternative to Bent would be Tottenham’s Jermain Defoe, who has struggled for game time under Harry Redknapp this season, but always manages to get goals whenever he is pitched into the Three Lions’ team.

Chelsea’s Darren Sturridge is another possibility, but he seemed to drift off the radar in the closing months of the campaign and might well miss the boat.

The fourth striker berth will be a straight fight between three target men – Liverpool’s Andy Carroll, Stoke’s Peter Crouch and Norwich City hitman Grant Holt.

Holt’s 17 goals for the Canaries this past season have led to calls for his inclusion, while Crouch has a fantastic scoring record for England and his presence terrifies continental defenders which is why he would have been a definite selection.

However, £35million hitman Carroll has forced his way to the front of the queue having finished the season strongly, in particular with his recent goalscoring substitute performance in the FA Cup final.

The former Newcastle man has struggled since making the move to Anfield in January 2011, but the signs are he is rediscovering his best form again and that could be timed to perfection for England.

A wildcard pick would be to take Arsenal youngster Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to the finals.

He is an unknown quantity to opposition managers and players and could have a big impact in the finals akin to Paul Gascoigne in the 1990 World Cup and Rooney in Euro 2004.

Although Hodgson could be put off by the fact Theo Walcott was surprisingly taken to the 2006 World Cup by Sven Goran-Eriksson but then did not play a single minute with many feeling he wasted a squad place.

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Wenger unhappy with squad rules

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Arsenal boss Arsene WengerArsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed he believes the new 25-man squad rule introduced by the Premier League is a “disastrous decision for football” (Arsenal 7/1 to win the Premier League).

Premier League clubs must now name a squad of no more than 25 players for the Premier League season.  The deadline to hand in final squad lists is 1700 BST on September 1 (the same time the transfer window closes) and clubs can make changes during the January transfer window.

Eight of the 25 players must also be ‘home grown’, although the definition of home grown is fairly broad.  To qualify as home grown, players must have spent three years between the ages of 16-21 registered at a club in England and Wales.  This means Arsenal players such as Spanish captain Cesc Fabregas, Brazilian midfielder Denilson, Frenchman Gael Clichy, Danish international Nicklas Bendtner and Cameroonian midfielder Alex Song all qualify.

However, Wenger is still not happy with the limitations that have been put in place and fears the decision to restrict clubs to a squad of 25 is a mistake.

“I am not a big fan of it because it puts, first of all, many players without clubs,” explained the Arsenal boss.

“Secondly it puts the clubs in a weak position most of the time in the transfer market because when you already have 25 players and you buy another one, you know you have 26 and now have to get rid of one. So when you buy a player, you have to integrate into the transfer how much it will also cost to get rid of a player.

“This is a disastrous decision for football and for the players. I was quite amazed that the union [PFA] accepted that. For the clubs as well it is a very bad decision.”

Wenger has so far been fairly quiet in the transfer market, adding just Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh and French defender Laurent Koscielny, from Bordeaux and Lorient respectively, to his ranks so far.  The French tactician has revealed he is seeking at least one more defender before the new season gets underway.

Arsenal kick-off their Premier League campaign with a tricky trip to Anfield to face Liverpool on August 15 (Opening day fixtures – Game with most goals, Liverpool v Arsenal 8/1).

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England squad want veteran David

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England’s players have told head coach Fabio Capello they want David James (9/1 to win the Yashin Award) to be their goalkeeper for the World Cup.

The 39-year-old Portsmouth player has declared himself fit to face USA in Saturday’s Group C clash in Rustenberg, despite sitting out training this week.

James, who has 50 international caps, is the most experienced of the three keepers Capello has taken to the finals, but he did not feature in Monday-s 3-0 warm-up victory over Platimum Stars – when rivals Joe Hart and Robert Green got 45 minutes each.

Everton keeper Tim Howard (66/1), who will be the USA’s number one choice, says he believes Hart is the best of the three and voted for him in the Professional Footballers’ Association’s Team of the Year poll.

But both Howard and James are agreed on the unsuitability of the new Jabulani World Cup football, as are Spain’s Iker Casillas (5/1) and 2006 Yashin Award winner Gianluigi Buffon (6/1).

The former Manchester United shot-stopper Howard believes the current wave of criticism from keepers and strikers alike may only be the tip of the iceberg with the finals due to begin on Friday.

“It’s terrible,” said Howard. “You will hear that a lot next week, next month.

“We are trying to get used to it, trying to read an unreadable situation. Hopefully it’s not going to come back and bite us but you are going to see some crazy things with the ball.

“What does it do? What doesn’t it do, would be a better question.

“It moves all over. If you hit five balls with the same striking motion you wouldn’t get the same result.”

Fans could be forgiven for expecting a goal glut during the finals (5/6 to be over 160.5 goals in Total Number of Goals Scored) with last time’s total of 147 under threat from the Jabulani ball.

“It’s very weird,” Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano said. “All of a sudden it changes trajectory on you. It’s like it doesn’t want to be kicked: like someone is guiding it……….it’s supernatural.”

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Walcott out of Three Lions squad

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England coach Fabio Capello has sprung a big surprise by leaving Theo Walcott out of his World Cup squad, but Shaun Wright-Phillips, Stephen Warnock and Joe Cole have got the nod.

Walcott made the headlines four years ago when then-boss Sven Goran Eriksson included him in his 23 for the World Cup in Germany, despite the fact he had hardly figured for Arsenal and never played for England.

The youngster did not make it on to the pitch back in 2006 and he will not be stepping out in South Africa either after Capello decided to leave him out.

The news does come as a surprise as Walcott played a key role in helping England qualify and he looked a certainty to be named in the squad when he scored a hat-trick as the Three Lions romped to a 4-1 victory in Croatia.

Since then the winger has struggled for fitness and form and he failed to convince Capello in the games against Mexico and Japan that he was worthy of a place on the plane.

Walcott’s final delivery came in for heavy criticism and it seems as though that could have been the deciding factor.

Capello has opted to go with Shaun Wright-Phillips, who hardly played for Manchester City in the second half of the season as he was kept out of the side at Eastlands by Adam Johnson, who has amazingly been left out of Capello’s 23.

Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole is another player to have survived the cull despite only just returning to full fitness, but it is easy to see why Capello has included him.

In the striking department, Sunderland forward Darren Bent, who banged in 24 goals for the Black Cats last season, has been left out of the squad, while Emile Heskey who managed just three goals for Aston Villa and was kept out of the side by John Carew, gets the nod.

It is argued that Heskey would complement Wayne Rooney, who is 10/1 to finish the tournament as the top goalscorer, more but that will not wash with Bent who will be left wondering what elese he could have done to get into the squad.

It also means that Capello will just be taking four strikers in the form of Rooney, Heskey, Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch, when many believe you should take five.

Elsewhere, decisions had to be made at the back with Warnock getting the nod ahead of Leighton Baines, while Ledley King made it ahead of his Spurs team-mate Michael Dawson.

Capello has also confirmed that Gareth Barry will be fit enough to be included despite struggling with ankle ligament damage that could force him to miss the opening game against the USA.

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New Zealand name World Cup squad

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New Zealand manager Ricki HerbertNew Zealand (1500/1 for World Cup) coach Ricki Herbert has named two uncapped players in his World Cup squad.

Aaron Clapham, a former under-20 international, has been included for the first time at senior level after being part of Herbert’s 15-man training squad that gathered for 12 days last month.

The 23-year-old caught Herbert’s eye in the weekend trial match when he created a goal during the New Zealand A victory against a New Zealand Football Championship All Stars XI.

Clapham set up the second goal in the 2-0 victory for Costa Barbarouses, and it was a performance that set the seal on his inclusion in the squad.

“He has come into this group and looked very comfortable,” said Herbert of the man who plays his football in the NZFC with Canterbury United.

“He is the type of player that should be around the international scene for many years and he has a big future in the professional game.”

The other uncapped player to land a ticket to South Africa is Winston Reid of FC Midtjylland.

Herbert has largely kept his pledge to the 18-strong squad which landed New Zealand only their second appearance at the World Cup finals, via a two-legged playoff against Bahrain in November.

The only player to have missed out from that group is Aaron Scott, who was axed in favour of Reid.

Reid pledged his allegiance to New Zealand only recently, having represented Denmark at under-20 level, while Tommy Smith has also been recruited into the side.

The Ipswich Town player made his debut in March in the defeat to Mexico, having played at under-18 level for England.

Herbert said he was comfortable at having named David Mulligan despite the player not having featured for 46 matches for his club Wellington Phoenix.

Herbert, who also coaches Wellington, released Mulligan in April but said: “David has been a victim of circumstances at the Phoenix where other players have come in and played well, keeping him out of the team.

“He has never stopped working hard however and his attitude has been first class.”

There are seven Australian A-League players named in the squad, five of them coming from the Phoenix.

Wellington players to earn their place on the plane to South Africa are goalkeeper Mark Paston, defenders Tony Lochhead and Ben Sigmund, and midfielders Leo Bertos and Tim Brown.

Former Phoenix striker Shane Smeltz, who finished as the league’s top scorer last season with Gold Coast United, has secured his place in the squad, as has Newcastle Jets’ Jeremy Brockie.

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Gomes aiming for Brazil squad

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Tottenham keeper Heurelho GomesHeurelho Gomes is hoping to cap an impressive season by securing the double – qualifying for the Champions League with Spurs and being called up to the Brazil squad for this summer’s World Cup.

Gomes had a patchy start to his Spurs career and made a few high profile blunders. This led to ridicule in the press and boss Harry Redknapp scouring the world for a replacement. However, under the expert tutelage of goalkeeping coach Tony Parks, he has been in consistent form this season and is now hopeful of securing his first international call-up in four years. This will add to Gomes’s nine international caps thus far.

Gomes inspired Spurs to a 2-1 success over local rivals Arsenal in the Premier League on Wednesday night. Tottenham’s first league win against their north London rivals in 11 years severely dented the Gunners’ title hopes and kept Spurs hot on the heels of fourth placed Manchester City in the battle for the final Champions League spot.

Spurs are currently 2/1 second favourites behind City (at 4/9) to finish fourth but with many twists and turns still to come, Redknapp will be hoping that Gomes’s form continues for the remainder of the season.

There was a time when Gomes’s lack of confidence was causing a problem, particularly shortly after his move from Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven. However, Redknapp had been assured by former PSV boss Guus Hiddink that Gomes was one of the best goalkeepers in the world and that he should persevere with him. Redknapp did and he now agrees with Hiddink’s sentiments.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s tough clash against Chelsea, Redknapp stated that Gomes is “up there with the very best… but it took him time to adjust. He’s had a couple of dicky moments but ever since then he has got better and better and some of the saves on Wednesday, particularly a couple from Robin van Persie and from Sol Campbell, were vital saves.”

He quantified this statement by stating; “I always knew he had the ability. I spoke to Guus Hiddink and he said he nearly took them [PSV Eindhoven] to a Champions League final in 2005, he’s that good.”

Spurs face Chelsea on Saturday with both sides needing the points for different reasons. Chelsea will be hoping to distance themselves from Manchester United in the race for the title whilst Spurs will be hoping to increase the pressure on Manchester City in the battle for fourth place.

Spurs are one point behind City, who currently occupy fourth, whilst Chelsea are four points ahead of United at the top of the League. City face United at Eastlands on Saturday so the two battling for fourth face the two battling for the title.

Spurs are 11/4 to beat Chelsea, whilst the Blues are 10/11. The draw is 12/5.

City are 17/10 to beat United, with the Red Devils 11/8 to take the three points. The draw is 12/5.

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