The first one out was Wayne Rooney when England's players returned to the Hutnik stadium, on the outskirts of Krakow, and back to work. In fact, Rooney was so eager to start he had a bag over his shoulder, containing all the balls, as he made his way on to the pitch. Soon afterwards, he was looking back down the tunnel to see what was holding up everyone else. His new haircut, a grade-one short-back-and-sides, looked like the act of someone who means business.
It was a short session – at least, for the players who had started against France in the heat and humidity of the Donbass Arena. Hodgson had set up a series of attack-versus-defence drills but it was the support cast – a number that temporarily includes Rooney – who stayed out in the drizzle.
Everyone else was already back inside after 15 minutes.
Hodgson, in other words, will have only one proper training session to put in place his strategy for the game against Sweden in Kiev on Friday and a slight shift in tactics from the France match, with greater emphasis on getting behind the opposition defence and showing more composure in attacking positions. Six of the last seven goals Sweden have conceded have come from headers and Hodgson particularly wants to work on the team's delivery from wide positions. Yet there was no crossing practice for James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, or any routines specifically planned to bringing Ashley Young more into the game. Not on this occasion anyway. As much as Hodgson must be itching to work with his players, the clear emphasis was on keeping the players free of fatigue.
His concerns are obvious when so many of his predecessors have cited burnout for previous tournament failures and the current system is built around two players, Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker, whose fitness needs carefully monitoring. Uefa's number-crunchers calculated the team ran a total of 104.8km – or 65.1 miles – in the punishing conditions of their opening match. To reach the final, England would have to play six games in 20 days as well as embarking on 12 different flights because of the decision to be based in a different country to their matches. Hodgson and the FA's small army of sports scientists believe they have little option but to give the players the cotton-wool treatment.
It is a gruelling schedule and Hodgson made the point that his concerns are not restricted to Gerrard and Parker, 32 and 31 respectively. Milner, for instance, ran 1.4km further than any other England player in Donetsk and though Hodgson indicated there would not be changes against Sweden, or certainly "wholesale changes", there was an indication he would give more consideration to resting players against Ukraine on Tuesday. The alternative, he fears, is to ask too much from one set of players. "Age doesn't bother me. When you go into the third group game you're going to be concerned for all your players, not just Gerrard and Parker," Hodgson said. "You've got to be concerned for them all, whatever age they are, because three games played in the Ukraine, in heat, takes it out of everybody."
Hodgson also pointed out that Sweden have "players who are considerably older" – England, in fact, have the third youngest squad in the tournament – but when it comes to Gerrard and Parker the question is not so much about their age but the fact they came into this tournament with injury issues and the alternatives, to put it bluntly, do no overly inspire confidence.
Jordan Henderson replaced Parker after he started to suffer from cramp against France. Otherwise, Hodgson talked about the possibility moving Milner, now established as first-choice on the right of midfield, into the centre or bringing in Phil Jagielka or Phil Jones, two players in the squad primarily as defenders.
The question that has still never been satisfactorily answered is why the FA decided to stick to its original plan and stay in Krakow even after the draw left them facing at least two 1,000-mile round trips to Donetsk and one to Kiev.
Hodgson, however, has never indicated any unhappiness with a decision taken long before his appointment. "I like being in Krakow and I'm convinced our performances will not suffer as a result." David Bernstein, the FA's chairman, will also repel any possible criticisms, pointing out the players are flying in luxury and that it will be considerably worse at the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.
All the same, England's hotel for the first of their visits to Donetsk was next to the stadium and after a match as gruelling as the France one, there is a clear disadvantage in long-distance travel. The French, in contrast, based themselves in Donetsk. "The team that travels less on the plane and road will get more recuperation time," their manager, Laurent Blanc, explained. "England are in Krakow, so they travel a lot. I know there are some huge distances. So when you have games that end at 9pm and if you have to go back to the camp, what time do you go to bed?"
England's game against Sweden will not actually finish until shortly before midnight local time. In other words, it could be 3am or later before the players are back in their hotel. After that, the cycle is a day of rest, then one of light training and then back in the air again. There is no let-up and for Hodgson, trying to implement his ideas, that makes it a delicate balancing act.
You wouldn't want to Occupy this! The squalid conditions of protesters' London camp are revealed - Daily Mail
By Ian Garland
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A mountain of discarded roadsigns and shopping trolleys protects a makeshift camps of tattered tents.
Eight months after they first occupied Finsbury Square, in the heart of the City of London, the anti-capitalist protesters who have set up home there show no sign of waning.
As another eviction threat looms this week, the 20 to 30 protesters - London's last remaining Occupy outpost - have barricaded themselves into their squalid camp ready to defend themselves against the police.
Occupy protesters have barricaded themselves into their camp on Finsbury Square in the City of London
Before protesters were evicted from the neighbouring camp at St. Paul's Cathedral in February, Finsbury Square was used as an overspill.
It later became an 'eco village' where sustainable technologies were showcased.
But there was no sign of that today. The once pleasant park is now a barren, litter-strewn dump.
20-30 'protestors' remain at the Finsbury Square camp - eight months after it was first 'occupied'
Residents of the square are bracing themselves for an eviction attempt on Friday and have barricaded themselves in
Islington Borough Council moved in March to start eviction proceedings against the 'residents' of Finsbury Square.
The most recent stay of execution expires on Friday after Justice Hickinbottom ruled at the High Court last week that Islington Council has the right to repossess the public space.
Islington councillor Paul Convery insists the time has come to move the camp on - claiming many legitimate protesters have been replaced by vulnerable homeless people.
He told the Guardian: 'The council has said from the outset that we support the right to peaceful protest, and we have tolerated Occupy's presence at Finsbury Square since October.
'However, it is now apparent that the character of the protest has changed and Occupy's presence is significantly diminished. In the protesters' place, we now see a group of vulnerable and homeless people who would be better cared for elsewhere.'
At one time protesters used the square to showcase sustainable technology, but it is now a litter strewn dump
But Tom McCarthy, a resident at Finsbury Square, insists the camp serves an important purpose.
He wrote on the Occupy Finsbury Square blog: 'This camp makes a political statement about our society.
'Since Occupy opened the camp on 21 October, it has become a home and community for many homeless people, for whom the system has failed.
'In evicting this community, Islington Council – who have helped to re-home some people that have ticked certain boxes – are potentially leaving some people in a much worse position than they are already in.
'We ask Islington Council to not go down the same route at the City of London Corporation – cleansing the City of homeless people is not the way forward. Helping to find real solutions is.'
Islington Council claims the camp is now just occupied by vulnerable and homeless people
Banners erected on the camp still preach anti-capitalist slogans, despite claims by councillors the square has become a haven for the homeless
Islington Borough Council are keen to repossess the square so they can start fixing the damage caused by protesters
Drop in gasoline pushes down retail sales, wholesale prices - USA Today
But even after excluding volatile gasoline sales, consumers barely increased their spending.
The Commerce Department said Wednesday that retail sales dipped 0.2% in May. That followed a revised 0.2% decline April. The back-to-back declines were the first in two years.
The weakness reflected a 2.2% plunge in gasoline station sales. Still, excluding gas station sales, retail spending rose just 0.1% in May. And it dropped 0.1% in April. That left retail spending roughly flat outside of gas sales for the two months, a sign that slower job growth and paltry wage increases may be leading consumers to pull back on spending.
Another report said companies increased their stockpiles at a faster rate in April, despite modest growth in sales.
The Commerce Department says business stockpiles grew 0.4% in April, slightly better than March's pace. When businesses step up restocking, that generally leads to increased factory production and higher economic growth.
Total inventories rose to $1.58 trillion in April, 19.7% higher than the low in September 2009, when businesses were slashing inventories in response to the deep recession.
A third report Wednesday said cheaper gas pushed down the government's measure of wholesale prices by 1% in May, biggest drop in nearly 3 years.
The steep drop in gasoline costs drove down a measure of wholesale prices in May by the most since July 2009. But outside the food and energy categories, prices increased moderately.
The Labor Department says that the producer price index fell 1% in May, after dropping 0.2% in April. Gasoline prices dropped nearly 9%, the most in almost three years. Food costs also fell.
The index measures price changes before they reach the consumer. Excluding food and energy, the so-called "core" index increased 0.2%, the same as in April.
In the past 12 months, wholesale prices are up only 0.7%, the smallest gain since October 2009. The core index has risen 2.7% in the same period. That's the same pace as last month.
The retail sales report said Americans did spend more in May on big purchases. Sales of cars, furniture and appliances all increased.
And lower gas prices could give consumers more to spend in coming months on restaurant meals, clothes, appliances and other discretionary purchases that drive growth.
Gas prices have tumbled since peaking April 6. On Tuesday, the average nationally price for a gallon of gas averaged $3.54, according to AAA. That's down 19 cents from a month earlier.
Total retail sales fell in April to $404.6 billion. That's slightly below March's record level of $406.2 billion and 21.6% higher than the recession low hit in March 2009.
The retail sales report is the government's first look at consumer spending, which drives 70% of economic activity.
But economists are worried that consumer spending may weaken if income growth does not revive.
Workers' average hourly earnings have risen just 1.7% in the 12 months ended in May. That's well below the pace of inflation during this period.
And job growth has slowed since the start of the year. Employers added 226,000 jobs on average during the first three months of the year; they have added an average of 73,000 jobs a month since April.
If job growth does not revive, that could act as a drag on consumer spending in coming months.
In the January-March quarter, overall economic growth slowed to an annual rate of 1.9%, down from a 3% rate of increase in the October-December period.
The strength in the first three months of this year was led by the fastest growth in consumer spending in more than a year.
Wholesale Prices Post Biggest Decline Since '09 - FOXBusiness
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U.S. producer prices fell sharply in May as energy costs dropped the most in over three years, a sign of easing inflation pressures that could give the Federal Reserve more room to help the economy should growth weaken. The Labor Department said ...'Arry out, Moyes in: Everton boss targeted to replace Redknapp - Daily Mirror
David Moyes is Tottenham’s number one managerial target after Harry Redknapp negotiated his way out of the White Hart Lane hot-seat.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has identified Everton boss Moyes as his most-wanted, ahead of Roberto Martinez, Andre Villas-Boas and surprise package Jurgen Klinsmann, to succeed Redknapp.
Levy and Redknapp met, and talks continued into Wednesday night, centred on reaching agreement on the manager’s severance package from the 12 months remaining on his £3million-a-year contract.
The rumour mill declared him finished - some saying he had been sacked - and Tottenham players were informed that he would be departing.
Redknapp, who has twice led Spurs to their highest finish during the Premier League era, has steadfastly refused to resign, but felt the club’s hierarchy wanted him out after they refused to extend his contract.
It is a remarkable reversal of fortunes for a man who, just 45 days ago, was the hottest property in football – a hero to Tottenham fans and seemingly a shoo-in to succeed Fabio Capello in the England job.
The final dispute was just the latest in a long line of disagreements between Redknapp and Levy, whose relationship was put under immense strain following Tottenham’s end-of-season collapse, which coincided with Redknapp being in for the England job.
Redknapp feared the worst after Spurs missed out on a Champions League place, and it quickly became clear Levy would not offer him a new contract and, at best, would allow him to go into the final year of his contract.
But another blow came when the manager wanted to start making plans for next season to find Spurs were nervous about releasing funds for targets amid uncertainty over the manager’s future.
Redknapp is a target for a Middle East consortium who are lining up a job in Qatar, but it may be that he takes a break after a stressful year which saw him miss out to Roy Hodgson for the England gig, win a high-profile tax case in court and undergo a heart operation.
Tottenham are now looking to the future, and Moyes is back on their radar having long been touted as their choice.
Levy had lined up then-Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers when they thought Redknapp was going to get the England job, but he has since taken over at Liverpool.
Moyes, who also has 12 months left on his deal, is currently on holiday in the US.
It is believed the highly-regarded Scot is up for a new challenge after a decade at Everton, who continually have to sell before they can buy.
The Toffees' left-back Leighton Baines and midfielder Marouane Fellaini are this summer’s likely departures - with, respectively, Manchester United and Chelsea keen - and there is a feeling Moyes may have taken them as far as possible.
Wigan boss Martinez is also in the frame after keeping the Latics in the Premier League again while employing a style of play that suits the Spurs philosophy.
Villas-Boas is another candidate despite his turbulent nine-month spell at Chelsea.
Another former Chelsea boss, Carlo Ancelotti, also fancied the job before taking over at oil-rich, Champions League-bound Paris Saint-Germain.
Read more:
Watch:
See Redknapp coat a Toblerone-footed Portsmouth player who hits him with a ball:
Watch 'Arry get a soaking from a jubilant David Bentley after Spurs clinch a place in the Champions League:
Ian Brazier admits pulling niqab veil from Muslim woman - BBC News
A 26-year-old man has admitted pulling a niqab veil off a Muslim woman at a shopping centre in the West Midlands.
Ian Brazier, of Shirley, Solihull, admitted racially aggravated assault after he tugged at Farhana Chughtai's hair in Touchwood, Solihull, in March.
Brazier had been smoking cannabis and was "upset" at not being able to watch two films at a nearby cinema complex.
Ms Chughtai felt "humiliated and upset" when her veil fell to the floor, Solihull Magistrates' Court heard.
Police released CCTV footage of Brazier, of Berkeley Road, following the attack, which took place at about 14:30 GMT on 3 March.
The incident was treated as a race-hate crime.
Prosecutor John McCann, said 26-year-old Ms Chughtai, who does not know Brazier, had been with her family in the shopping centre at the time of the incident.
Confessed to policeMr McCann said that she had felt a tug at her hair and her niqab [a veil that covers the face] fell on to the floor, leaving her feeling "humiliated and very upset".
Ms Chughtai turned around and saw Mr Brazier running off.
Habib Ahmed, for the defendant, told the court that after after his arrest and not commenting in a police interview, Brazier had later walked into a police station to admit what he had done as he "couldn't live with himself".
He said he had tried to see two films at the centre's cinema complex, but had become upset at one not being shown and the second being on at a different time.
Mr Ahmed said that Brazier had smoked "two cannabis spliffs" for the first time and had not appreciated the effect they would have.
Brazier had coped with learning difficulties from an early age, which might have affected his feelings at being unable to watch the films, the court was told.
He has been released on bail to be sentenced on 4 July at the same court.
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