about this play if Nino Niederreiter had maintained a lowere

England flew to France on Monday ahead of Euro 2016 with expectations dampened despite having won all three of their warm-up games and boasting a 100 per cent record in qualifying. Roy Hodgson has lost just seven of his 52 games in charge of the Three Lions, but the 68-year-old arrives at his third major tournament under pressure after a disastrous World Cup in 2014, when England finished bottom of Group D with a solitary point. Sky Sports Euro 2016 predictor Make your predictions with our interactive wall chart here. Hodgsons 23-man squad make the journey to their Chantilly training base amid uncertainty over how they will approach their Group B opener with Russia in Marseille, with the former Liverpool boss torn between two formations, his favoured 4-2-3-1 and a midfield diamond, accommodating Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy. Chris Smalling scored the winning goal for England against Portugal All three started for the first time against Portugal at Wembley last Thursday, but after a drab 78 minutes the trio were promptly hooked.Chris Smallings glancing header four minutes from time was enough to spare their blushes, but the exercise seemingly raised more questions than answers. Substitute Raheem Sterling provided an inch-perfect cross for the Manchester United defender and it was his introduction alongside Jack Wilshere and Adam Lallana that flickered England into life underneath the arch. Adam Lallana is part of Roy Hodgsons England squad Lallana will be hoping to register his first international goal in France after receiving his new PUMA evoSPEED II SL Leather Tricks boots for the tournament on Friday morning in his hotel room, which was walking distance from a cloudy Bournemouth sea front.Its always exciting wearing two different coloured boots, he said. It might not be everybodys cup of tea but its something different and I cant wait to start wearing them. Chris Smalling rises to head home the winning goal against Portugal Weve had three great results, said Lallana. You want to get in the winning habit and have a winning mentality.In every game we feel we could have played better, but its not always about performance. Against Russia Ill take a bad performance and a win.It will be Lallanas first appearance at a European Championships after making his international debut in 2013 in a 2-0 defeat to Chile, and he has been highlighted by former Barcelona playmaker Xavi as the key player if England are to go all the way to the final. Adam Lallanas Liverpool lost the Europa League final against Sevilla The winger began his career with Southampton after being spotted playing for Bournemouths centre of excellence but regularly returns to his hometown on the south coast to visit his family. Accompanied by his three-year-old son, Arthur, who was busy kicking a football at the wall and running up and down the corridors dressed in a full England kit, Lallana insisted the squad will be ready come June 11.All the teams focus will be on Russia now, he told Sky Sports News HQ.Its the first game, you dont want to lose your first match and its important we get off to a good start and build from there. I think its important to treat it as much of a normal game as you can. Former England international Rickie Lambert picks out his starting England XI ahead of Euro 2016 Theres always going to be hype but if we concentrate on our football and dont get too caught up in the emotion and what comes with it then Im sure well be fine.There are three games and Im sure six or seven points will definitely get you qualified. I think you just have to take it a game at a time.Obviously there is going to be a lot of hype and expectation about England doing well but as a player you just have to keep focused on the job in hand. Dele Alli is part of Englands young squad, the youngest at Euro 2016 It will be Englands youngest squad at a European Championships and second youngest at a major tournament after the 1958 World Cup, with an average age of just 25.8 years. On that occasion, Sir Walter Winterbottoms young side suffered an early exit after a 1-0 defeat to the Soviet Union saw England eliminated following three consecutive draws.While Hodgson has been criticised for selecting three central defenders in his squad, with Tottenhams Eric Dier likely to fill in at the back if required, Lallana insists its not a case of square pegs in round holes.Weve got the balance of a young, fearless team with a good blend of experience as well, he said. Its great to be versatile and weve got different options or plans that we can switch to. Lallana made it to two cup finals with Liverpool last season I think its good there is an element of surprise so the opposition dont know what were doing. I think thats a massive positive going into the tournament.Were not just going to have 11 players that are going to feature, if we are going to do well then you need the whole 23.The manager stressed that, so regardless of what team he picks for each game and what happens, suspension and injury-wise, you could find yourself not playing a minute in the first three games and playing in a big match towards the end of the tournament.Whatever team the manager selects, everyone will be behind him and behind the team to keep doing well. Danny Drinkwater was left out of Englands final 23-man squad Hodgsons squad announcement was met with scepticism from some, particularly the omission of midfielder Danny Drinkwater, who was instrumental in Leicesters charge to a first Premier League title.In-form Newcastle winger Andros Townsend also missed out alongside Manchester City midfielder Fabian Delph, as Hodgson opted for reinforcements in attack, with Manchester United youngster Marcus Rashford favoured alongside Daniel Sturridge, Vardy, Kane and Rooney.Roy has stressed that it wasnt an easy decision for him and the lads have taken it very well and wished us all the best and Im sure that anyone who missed out would have done the same, said Lallana.Were a team and we knew throughout the course of the season there will be players playing, like Fabian [Delph] for example, who didnt make the squad but had a big impact in qualification so its part and parcel of football. Roy Hodgson played Jamie Vardy, Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney against Portugal Following the emergence of Vardy this season - who fired Leicester to the Premier League title with 24 goals - it remains unclear what formation Hodgson will choose against Russia.Vardy has been utilised on the left on the international stage, at Lallanas expense of late, and the addition of 18-year-old striker Rashford alongside Sturridge will give Hodgson plenty of ammunition in France.Its remarkable to think three or four months ago he hadnt played a minute in the first team, said the Liverpool winger of Rashford.He looks at home with us training day-in day-out, he looks as if he has been there for years.It doesnt seem to have affected him and hes got such a mature head on such young shoulders and I think thats a big reason Roy selected him. Marcus Rashford capped a remarkable finish to the season with a place in Englands squad Rashford only made his United debut in February but went on to register eight goals in 18 appearances before scoring after just three minutes of his international bow in a dream debut against Australia at the Stadium of Light.It brings an element of freshness to the squad, its very exciting, Lallana added.Weve got a blend of young lads with experience that are fearless and havent played at a major tournament like Dele Alli and Rashford.A lot of players are playing off the back of a great season, look at Vardy and Kane and all the goals they have scored. Its very exciting a Roy has got a lot of options. Adam Lallana impressed as the season went on at Liverpool At 28, Lallana is one of the senior members of the England set-up and made a total of 48 appearances for Jurgen Klopps side, scoring eight goals.It was a campaign of mixed emotion for the German during his first season on Merseyside, finishing eighth in the Premier League and suffering penalty heartache to Manchester City in the Capital One Cup final, plus defeat in the Europa League final to Sevilla.Ive enjoyed the season, said Lallana. There have been plenty of good moments and a couple of disappointing ones in losing two cup finals. But I feel like Ive learned a lot and hopefully I can take that into the Euros. Roy Hodgson and Gary Cahill speak to Sky Sports News after arriving in France ahead of Euro 2016 Lallana is one of five Liverpool players in the squad alongside Nathaniel Clyne, James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Sturridge.Weve played for England together on numerous occasions so its quite easy to switch from club mode to international mode, he added.Sometimes its what you need, you want a change of scenery and personnel and thats what you get in international football, which can be a good thing.Sturridge has only featured for his country for 58 minutes since September 2014, but his inclusion was cemented after he proved his fitness after a calf injury, and Lallana is confident his team-mate can play an integral role. Daniel Sturridge made the England squad despite his injury concerns Sturridge was hitting great form towards the end of the season and scored some vital goals for us, said Lallana.He was always going to make the squad if he was fit; he brings something nobody else has got. He can change the game with a moment of class and Im really excited he is fit and raring to go.It remains to be seen whether Hodgson will unleash his dynamic young squad or assume a more pragmatic approach.Either way, Lallana will be hoping to announce his arrival on the international scene after a bittersweet season at Anfield.Adam Lallana wears PUMA evoSPEED II SL Leather Tricks available now at ProDirectSoccer.com #ChooseTricks Also See: Rooney dismisses streetwise fear Euro 2016 talent spotter Options please Hodgson No defence for England? Vapormax Flyknit Clearance . With the players association in the midst of meetings in Las Vegas, a vote will be held on Friday to decide the CFLPAs presidency and other executive positions. Fake Vapormax 2 .com) - The surprising Calgary Flames host the winless New Jersey Devils at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday. http://www.clearancevapormax.com/nike-air-vapormax-plus-black-gold-clearance.html . When New Zealand finally held on for an 8-7 win, France No. 8 Imanol Harinordoquy collapsed to the ground, having given every drop of energy he could muster, and lay prone as All Blacks danced around him in celebration. Few critics had given France any chance, but coach Marc Lievremonts team rallied from 8-0 down and came within one kick of taking the lead with 15 minutes remaining, only for flyhalf Francois Trinh-Ducs 49-meter effort to drift wide. Wholesale Vapormax 97 . Various media outlets, including the Detroit Free Press, indicate a deal is close, while USA Today cited an unidentified person directly involved with the negotiations as saying the pact is for two years. Fake Vapormax Flyknit . Both sides of the deal have formally announced acquisitions: TFC introduced Jozy Altidore as a designated player on Friday, while their counterparts announced a three-and-a-half-year deal with Jermain Defoe.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Hello Kerry, After watching Nino Niederreiter clobber Alex Burrows with an open-ice hit on Wednesday, do you think he should have gotten more than the two minutes for interference. He got him in the head with his shoulder! Thanks,Gary Gary: While I do not like the contact that Nino Niederreiter delivered to the head of Alexandre Burrows one bit, a two-minute penalty was about all the refs could assess on this play under the rules. A more meaningful and deserved penalty to Niederreiter should come his way via a Player Safety Committee review of this illegal check to the head. I watched Mike Milburys take on this play during the NBC intermission of the Rangers-Flyers game last night. Mike didnt agree with the "interference" call since the puck had just left Burrows stick. Beyond that, Milburys comments relative to the Niederreiter hit included, "I dont mind it. I think its more than 2 minutes he should have got." (Which I interpret as no penalty was deserved in Mikes opinion.)I completely agree with one element of Mike Milburys assessment on this play; it was not interference! Nino Niederreiter however should be held accountable for the significant contact he delivered with his shoulder cap to the head of Alex Burrows from the side; which by the way I believe was avoidable. For ongoing player safety this hit, and all similar in nature, need to be regarded as an illegal check to the head in violation of rule 48.2—on a hit resulting in contact with an opponents head where the head was the main point of contact and such contact to the head was avoidable. That can only happen if those responsible for doling out punishment interpret the rule verbiage, "main point of contact" to mean "significant" contact to the head coupled with some/secondary contact with the body. Alexandre Burrows lowered his posture to reach for a puck through the neutraal zone.dddddddddddd After gaining puck possession Burrows straightened to an upright body position, glided a couple of feet and then released the puck. Nino Niederreiter approached from the side angle position with his skates in a glide and his posture coiled (knees bent and flexed) to deliver a body check that would appear at, least through this setup, to make contact squarely through Burrows body. Just prior to delivering the hit Niederreiter stiffened his legs, thereby elevating his posture significantly upwards towards the head of Burrows. From this strike position, Niederreiter slipped his body just off the center line of Burrows and continued to elevate his shoulder that made significant contact with the head of Alex Burrows. The contact delivered off the center body line and to the head of Burrows resulted in a helicopter freefall for the Vancouver Canuck player. I doubt very much we would even be talking about this play if Nino Niederreiter had maintained a lowered and flexed posture from the setup and approach through contact of his intended hit on Alexandre Burrows. Like most players however, Neiderrreiter made the dangerous decision to increase velocity through the hit by straightening with an upward drive of his legs and shoulder cap that had no other place to connect than the head area of his opponent. Rule 48.1 (i) (ii) (iii) provides lots of reasons to determine whether contact with an opponents head was avoidable. Practically all of these allowances place considerable onus on the recipient/victim of the hit. From (iii) Alexandre Burrows did not "materially change the position of his body or head immediately prior to or simultaneously with the hit in a way that significantly contributed to the head contact." The material change in position came from Nino Niederreiter. If the rule verbiage doesnt qualify hits of this nature as a "head pick," at the very least it needs to be acknowledged that significant contact resulted from an illegal hit to the head in an ongoing effort to hold players accountable. ' ' '