EURO 2012

… Sunday’s 2-0 victory against Fulham.
Norwich City goalkeeper Ruddy wins a call-up after enjoying a fine campaign for the Canaries in the Premier League and will provide back-up to Joe Hart and Rob Green.
Carroll is included in the 23-man squad after hitting form in the last few weeks and wins a place ahead of Stoke City striker Peter Crouch.
The only other strikers in the squad are Wayne Rooney – who is suspended for England’s first two matches at Euro 2012 – Jermain Defoe and Danny Welbeck.

…place in his squad for this summer’s European Championships.

Hodgson will unveil his preliminary squad for the championships next Wednesday and has something of an attacking headache ahead of the opening game against France, which England are 13/8 to win with bet365.
Wayne Rooney is banned for the first two games and Carroll is one of a number of players hoping to stake a claim for a place up front. The Liverpool striker has been impressive in recent weeks, particularly in Tuesday’s 4-1 win …

… of the coach was taken by Stuart Pierce, however, the main candidate for this position is still Harry Redknapp.

The most important players in the team of the English at Euro will be Jermain Defoe, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, and of course Wayne Rooneywho, who will be responsible for shooting goals, however, it will occur only in the last group match. This is the punishment for a brutal foul in the final qualifying match against Montenegro. In the defensive, the core person is John Terry….

… to challenge.
An upbeat King said: “I am encouraged by the report about the ground at Aintree from clerk of the course, Andrew Tulloch.
“It’s now all systems go for Rocker and, while we would not want a bog, we know that he enjoys getting his toe in, so ground on the easy side of good would do fine.”
Last year, West End Rocker fell at Becher’s Brook, but returned to Aintree in December to romp to victory in the Becher Chase, with Wayne Hutchinson taking over on board from Robert Thornton.

… tie around back at the Etihad Stadium, saying: “We have another game and we have more chances to win the next game and I think we will progress in this competition.”
Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson was similarly upbeat for his side’s trip to Spain, with Wayne Rooney’s last-minute penalty having given United a realistic chance in the second leg.
He added: “We can still win the game, no question. We showed we can make chances against them, but obviously we have to defend better.”
City and United …

… feature for his club again this season, with Villa’s medical staff waiting a further week before deciding whether Bent requires an operation.
Bent’s probable absence gives the as yet unnamed England manager a further problem to deal with, with Wayne Rooney already missing the opening two games of the tournament due to suspension.
The likes of Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge and the uncapped Fraizer Campbell will hope to impress in Bent’s absence when England take on the Netherlands at Wembley…

Tottenham defender Kyle Walker, Aston Villa striker Darren Bent, as well as Manchester United duo Wayne Rooney and Tom Cleverley, have all pulled out of the England squad for Wednesday’s friendly international against Holland.

Walker picked up an ankle problem during Spurs’ 5-2 defeat to Arsenal in the north London derby on Sunday, while Bent sustained a knee injury during Aston Villa’s goalless draw at Wigan Athletic. Rooney has a throat infection and Cleverley is struggling with a foot …

… to be in goal for Sir Alex Ferguson’s team against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, a match United are 14/1 with bet365 to win 2-0.
However, there is some good news for United, 7/5 to retain their Premier League title, as Wayne Rooney, Nani, Tom Cleverley and Ashley Young could all return to action this weekend.
Cleverley has not featured in the first team since picking up a foot problem during the victory at Everton in October, while Young has not played since the end of December.
…

… been correct despite Manchester United’s crippling injury list.

Neville, who hung up his boots last season, believes most clubs in United’s position would have attempted to buy themselves out of trouble.
United could be missing Rio Ferdinand (back), Nani (foot), Wayne Rooney (ankle) and Phil Jones (leg) for this weekend’s huge FA Cup fourth round showdown against rivals Liverpool at Anfield.
United are 9/4 with bet365 to win the Premier League title this season and can also be backed at 11/…

…worldwide. They selected a team entirely of Barcelona, Madrid and Manchester United players:

Goalkeeper (Iker Casillas); defense (Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Nemanja Vidic); midfield (Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Xabi Alonso); forwards (Messi, Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney).

Barcelona’s Guardiola wins FIFA best coach award

ZURICH (AP) — Pep Guardiola has been named the world’s best coach in 2011 after guiding Barcelona to five trophies including the Champions League, Spanish and Club World…