Defoe delighted with England call

Spurs striker Jermain Defoe has revealed his delight at being included in the 23-man England squad for the European Championship (Euro 2012 outright – England 10/1 with bet365).

Defoe struggled to hold down a regular starting spot at White Hart Lane this season but still managed to find the net 17 times and the frontman believes his fitness work last summer played a big part in his selection for Euro 2012.

“I’m delighted because I knew last summer I had a massive season coming up and I worked hard on my fitness to be as sharp as possible,” he told the official Spurs website. “I think that work has paid off.”

Defoe has earned 46 international caps since making his England debut in 2004 and has 15 goals to his name for the Three Lions.

However, the striker has never featured in a European Championship and has only competed with England in one tournament, the 2010 World Cup.

Defoe is eager to make up for lost time and the 29-year-old is desperate to impress at Euro 2012 this summer (Top team goalscorer, England – Jermain Defoe 9/1 with bet365).

“I thought the 2010 World Cup was a fantastic experience and to have the opportunity to represent England at another major tournament is amazing,” Defoe added.

“I always remember watching the tournaments on TV, watching Euro 96 and to be part of it now is something special.”

Carroll included in England Euro 2012 squad

Roy Hodgson has named his England (10/1 To Win Outright with bet365) squad for this summer’s European Championship and has included Andy Carroll among the travelling party, but there is no place for Rio Ferdinand.

The 33-year-old Manchester United defender has not been named in the 23-man squad for Poland and Ukraine but there is a place for John Terry, and Hodgson has confirmed Steven Gerrard will captain the side.

The new England manager has sprung a few surprises with the inclusion of the uncapped duo of Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy, while Wayne Rooney has been selected.

Liverpool striker Andy Carroll was named among the four forwards going to Poland and Ukraine and, with Rooney suspended for the first two games, he could have an important role to play for the national side.

Hodgson said he had spoken with Kenny Dalglish about the forward and what he heard from the Liverpool manager left him with “no further reservations” about Carroll.

“He is a different type of player to the others in the squad. He has that ability to hold the ball up, he has that aerial ability which is very useful, but he also has the ability to make runs behind defenders and use his strength and his power,” said Hodgson.

The England (9/2 To Reach Final with bet365) boss has cancelled the planned training camp in Spain, preferring for the players to meet in Manchester ahead of their friendly with Norway on May 26.

Bent talks up Euro hope

Darren Bent claims he will be fit and available for England‘s Euro 2012 campaign (10/1 Outright Winners with bet365), despite missing Aston Villa‘s last 19 matches.

The former Tottenham and Sunderland striker has been sidelined since February with ankle ligament damage, with many expecting him to miss out on this summer’s tournament.

But despite his lengthy spell on the sidelines, Bent is ready to make himself available to new coach Roy Hodgson – who is set to announce his squad on Wednesday (England 13/8 to win Group D with bet365).

The Villa frontman, who has scored 10 goals this term, has revealed that the England medical team visited him last week to check on his fitness and he hopes to be involved in the squad.

When asked about his prospects, Bent said: “My fitness is getting better every week and I go out every day working hard. I feel I’ll be ready for the Euros. I guess I won’t really know until I get into a match situation.”

The 28-year-old has also stated that he expects to be a Villa player again next season, despite plenty of speculation over his future.

Bent (16/1 Top England Euro 2012 Goalscorer with bet365) has three years left on his current contract and he is optimistic about the future at Villa Park, after what he described as a “transitional season.”

Hodgson hit by Smalling blow

New England coach Roy Hodgson has been handed an injury headache ahead of naming his squad for Euro 2012 (England 9/1 To Win Outright with bet365) after Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson ruled out defender Chris Smalling due to a groin injury.

Hodgson, who was appointed by the Football Association as Fabio Capello’s permanent replacement earlier this month, confirmed last week that he will reveal his squad for the European Championship finals in Poland and Ukraine this coming Wednesday.

However, the former Fulham and Liverpool boss, who will take charge of West Brom for the final time when they face Arsenal at the Hawthorns on Sunday, will have to do without Smalling due to the injury he picked up in United’s 2-0 win against Swansea last weekend.

“Chris has suffered a bad injury,” said Ferguson. “It is a groin muscle injury and he will miss the European Championships. We are assessing what to do at the moment but it is a bad injury.”

However, Hodgson has been boosted by the news that striker Danny Welbeck should be fit for the finals, despite him being ruled out of the Red Devils’ Premier League season finale at Sunderland on Sunday with an ankle knock.

“He is still out just now but he should be fit for the Euros,” Ferguson added.

England’s Euro 2012 campaign starts with a game against France on June 11 (England 13/8, France 9/5, Draw 21/10 Full Time Result with bet365).

Carroll should go – Johnson

Glen Johnson believes that Andy Carroll has found his form at just the right time and should be included by Roy Hodgson in the England squad for the upcoming European Championships in Poland and Ukraine (England 9/1 – Tournament Outright with bet365).

The former Newcastle United striker has had a tough time this season and struggled to establish himself in the starting XI, which of course has impacted on possible England selection.

However, he has started to show the kind of form that persuaded Liverpool to splash out £35m for his services last January, scoring in the FA Cup final last weekend before earning the man-of-the-match award in the Reds’ 4-1 drubbing of Chelsea on Tuesday.

New England boss Hodgson is set to name his preliminary squad next Wednesday and Johnson insists that Carroll deserves to be included.

“Should he go? Yes, definitely,” said Johnson. “In the last few weeks Andy has been fantastic for us – he has been unplayable.

“Chelsea have got two big centre-halves and he just threw them around. He looks like he’s quicker and he’s working a lot harder. He’s doing really well.

“John Terry looked petrified at times. Andy is a big lump but he’s good on the ball and works really hard. He will scare a lot of defenders.”

England open their Euro 2012 campaign against France on June 11 (France 9/5, draw 21/10, England 13/8 – Match Betting with bet365) and will be without the suspended Wayne Rooney, while another potential option, Darren Bent, is struggling with an ankle injury.

Spain reeling from Puyol setback

Spain’s hopes of becoming the first team to win three major tournaments in a row have suffered a hit with confirmation Barcelona defender Carles Puyol could miss Euro 2012 (Spain 5/2 – Euro 2012 outright betting bet365).

The Catalans announced on Tuesday that the Camp Nou stalwart has a knee injury that requires arthroscopic surgery, scheduled for May 12, and that he faces an estimated six week of recuperation.

The 34-year-old has already been ruled out of the final game of La Liga this weekend against Real Betis and will also miss coach Pep Guardiola’s last game in charge – the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Club on May 25 (Barcelona 1/6 Athletic Club 4/1 – bet365 match prices).

“After tests were conducted it was decided the player would have arthroscopic surgery next Saturday, May 12,” the deposed Champions League winners said in a statement on the club website.

“The estimated time he will be out of action is around six weeks.”

The recovery date means one-club man Puyol would miss all of Spain’s group games.

The winners of Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 play Italy on June 10, Republic of Ireland on June 14 and Croatia on June 18 – a day before Puyol is scheduled to return.

Capello issues Hodgson warning

Former England coach Fabio Capello has warned his successor Roy Hodgson he will have a problem creating a “winning mentality” within the England camp before Euro 2012 (England 9/1 Euro 2012 outright with bet365).

The Italian coach had a good record in qualifying for the major tournaments during his time in charge of England but failed badly when it came to guiding the Three Lions through the 2010 World Cup.

England fans will be desperate for a better showing in Poland and the Ukraine this summer at Euro 2012, despite Hodgson having just over a month to finalise his preparations.

Hodgson’s appointment has been greeted with a mixed reaction from the press and the 64-year-old will have to prove his doubters wrong with a good performance at this summer’s tournament.

However, Capello believes Hodgson could have a difficult time adapting to the job and doubts whether he will instil a winning mentality before Euro 2012 starts.

Capello told the Times: “As a club manager, you are a manager. As a national team manager, you are a selector.

“It’s not a normal job. It’s difficult to create something. You can’t do something in a short space of time.

“The idea is to create the team spirit and winning mentality in a really short time. This is very difficult. It will be hard.”

England have been drawn alongside France, Ukraine and Sweden in Group D and are 4/9 to make it into the quarter-finals of the competition with bet365.

Hodgson confirmed as England boss

The Football Association has confirmed Roy Hodgson has been appointed as the new England (9/1 with bet365 to win Euro 2012) manager and will lead the country up to the end of Euro 2016 after signing a four-year deal.

The 64-year-old has enjoyed an expansive coaching career spanning 36 years, taking charge of three national teams – Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and Finland.

His current contract with West Brom runs out at the end of June but the Baggies have confirmed that they will release him after the club’s final game of the season to allow him to begin his preparations for Euro 2012, with England opening their campaign against France on June 11 (France 9/5, Draw 21/10, England 13/8 Match Betting with bet365).

The FA released a statement saying: “(Roy) Hodgson has won a total of eight league titles in a distinguished career, and coached the national teams of Switzerland, Finland and the United Arab Emirates.

“Along with his vast experience of international and European football, Hodgson is the only English manager currently working in the top flight to have won the League Managers’ Association Manager of the Year award.”

Meanwhile, Chris Hughton has dismissed talk of him taking over at the Hawthorns as pure speculation although he is an early joint-favourite at 7/2 with bet365 alongside Alan Curbishley for the position.

Roberto Martinez and Michael Appleton are next best at 10/1, with Steve Bruce and Derek McInnes at 12/1, while Gus Poyet, Brendan Rodgers and Dave Jones are all available at 14/1.

Harry wishes Hodgson well

Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp offered his best wishes to Roy Hodgson, who has been approached for the vacant England (9/1 – Euro 2012 Outright with bet365) job ahead of the European Championships this summer.

The Football Association have taken their time to decide on a successor to the Italian Fabio Capello, with Redknapp formerly looking like the firm favourite to take the Three Lions job.

However, the news broke on Monday that the FA will be holding talks with West Brom boss Hodgson in a bid to secure his services ahead of the Euros in Poland and Ukraine this summer.

Redknapp has offered his support to his counterpart, as he focuses on helping Spurs (8/11 – Premier League top-four finish) qualify for the Champions League this season.

The former West Ham and Portsmouth manager told The Times: “Good luck to Roy. Everyone else was saying I might get it but I never spoke to Daniel Levy  (the Spurs chairman) about England.

“I’ve got a great job at Spurs and I’d like to continue that for as long as I can. It’s up to Daniel whether I get a new contract but I’d like to stay on.

“We’ve had a few difficult weeks but it’s been a great four years. I will plan the future here.”

Gartside offers Redknapp backing

Phil Gartside has given the first indication from the FA that Harry Redknapp will become the next permanent England manager, for which he is a strong 2/5 favourite with bet365, after publicly praising the Spurs boss’s credentials.

No-one on the FA’s board had previously said anything on potential candidates for the position, vacated by Fabio Capello in February and temporarily filled by Stuart Pearce, but the Bolton chairman believes that Redknapp has the potential to be an ‘outstanding England manager’.

Gartside went on to say in an interview with the BBC that the former West Ham and Portsmouth manager was a ‘good motivator with a winning mentality’.

The Trotters chief though will not play any part in appointing the new manager, which will be left to a four-man panel, although he will of course have to ratify the decision as a board member.

The men tasked with selecting the next England manager are FA chairman David Bernstein, general secretary Alex Horne, director of football development Trevor Brooking and Club England managing director Adrian Bevington.

Time is of course running out ahead of Euro 2012, with England kicking off their campaign on June 11 against France (France 9/5, Draw 21/10, England 13/8 Match Betting with bet365), with the FA previously stating that they would make an appointment towards the end of the season.