Norway 0 – 1 England : Scoring Summary

England: Ashley Young (9′)

Roy Hodgson opened up his account as England manager with a win after the Three Lions secured a 1-0 victory in Norway on Saturday night. Manchester United winger Ashley Young scored the only goal of the game after nine minutes.

Highlights of the goal after the jump…..

QPR midfielder handed 12-match ban and £75,000 fine by FA for his actions during defeat against Manchester City on May 13. Do you think 12 games is too much? Hit the poll and then weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section. Pretty curious as to what everyone thinks.

* Do you think he is finished?

** How awesome would it be if Mr. Barton himself voted in this poll and then added a comment?

via the FA [dot] com

An independent Regulatory Commission has today [Wednesday 23 May 2012] dealt with two charges of violent conduct against Joey Barton, arising from the game against Manchester City, resulting in an eight-match suspension and £75,000 fine for the Queens Park Rangers midfielder.

This eight-match suspension is to run consecutively to the four-game suspension Barton was already given for his dismissal in the fixture, making a total of 12 matches.

* He has not posted anything on twitter since May 14th.

Ready the rest of the verdict after the jump…..

Barton was charged by The FA with two counts of violent conduct in relation to the Queens Park Rangers game against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday 13 May 2012.

Following Barton’s dismissal in the 54th minute of the match, there followed two incidents involving Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany. As Barton had already been dismissed, both of these incidents fell outside the jurisdiction of the referee.

Barton accepted the charge of violent conduct against Aguero but denied the second breach of violent conduct against Kompany. The independent Regulatory Commission, however, found this second charge proved.

Barton is already serving a four-match suspension for his dismissal in the match, which consists of three matches for violent conduct plus one match as this was the player’s second dismissal of the season. The two further breaches for violent conduct ordered he be suspended for eight matches to run consecutively to the four matches, taking the total suspension to 12 matches.

The Chairman of the Regulatory Commission stated after the hearing: “There are rules of conduct that should be adhered to, and such behaviour tarnishes the image of football in this country, particularly as this match was the pinnacle of the domestic season and watched by millions around the globe.”

via TheFA

QPR midfielder Joey Barton has responded to FA charges.

Joey Barton has accepted an FA charge against him for violent conduct against Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero.

The Queens Park Rangers player has denied a second charge of alleged violent conduct against Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany. The player has requested a personal hearing, the date of which has yet to be set.

Both charges against Barton are in relation to Sunday’s match against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Following the player’s dismissal in the 54th minute of the fixture, there followed two incidents involving Aguero and Kompany. As Barton had already been dismissed, both of these incidents fell outside of the jurisdiction of the referee.

Manchester United centerback Rio Ferdinand decided to use his twitter account @rioferdy5 to express his disappointment on missing out on a place in Roy Hodgson’s England EURO 2012 squad to his nearly 3 Million followers :::

‘Absolutely loved playing for england….to say I’m gutted is an understatement of the highest order…’

After England Manager Roy Hodgson named his 23-man squad for this summer’s UEFA EURO 2012 Finals in Poland and Ukraine today, he sat down with FATV to discuss his squad selection. You get a good 8 minutes of what he was thinking about when making up the team. Good stuff.

Video after the jump…..

via Guardian

David Beckham is to make a guest appearance at the official handover ceremony of the Olympic flame in Athens and bring it back to Britain for the torch relay.

The LA Galaxy star and former England captain, who was part of London 2012′s winning bid team to stage the Games, will meet the official delegation in Athens led by the Princess Royal, the president of the British Olympic Association and London 2012 board member.

Beckham will be joined by five young people from schools and colleges for Thursday’s handover ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens.

More on David Beckham Being At The Olympic Torch Handover Ceremony in Athens after the Jump………..

They have been invited by London 2012 and the British Council as a reward for their commitment to sport and for promoting the Olympic values of friendship, excellence and respect within their school or college.

Lord Coe, the chairman of the London 2012 organising committee, said that a mix of some of Britain’s younger generation and a touch of the Beckham stardust is the right way to shine the spotlight on the 70-day relay involving 8,000 torchbearers, which will begin after the Olympic flame touches down on home soil.

“Working with one of our most inspiring sports people is fitting for this hugely exciting time for the London 2012 Games,” he said.

via The FA [dot] com

England Manager Roy Hodgson has named his 23-man squad for this summer’s UEFA EURO 2012 Finals in Poland and Ukraine.

The new England manager Roy Hodgson has confirmed that John Terry will travel to Poland and the Ukraine as part of his squad for the European Championship, while Rio Ferdinand will stay at home. Hodgson, who named Steven Gerrard as his captain, also underlined his determination to usher in a new generation of England players by including Arsenal’s 18-year-old winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in his Euro 2012 squad.

The Squad

Goalkeepers: Robert Green (West Ham United), Joe Hart (Manchester City), John Ruddy (Norwich City).

Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Joleon Lescott (Manchester City), John Terry (Chelsea).

Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Stewart Downing (Liverpool), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Manchester City), Scott Parker (Tottenham Hotspur), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Ashley Young (Manchester United).

Forwards: Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Welbeck (Manchester United), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur).

Standby list: Jack Butland (Birmingham City), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Johnson (Manchester City), Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea).