England travel to Wales for Euro 2012 qualifier
LONDON — England travel to Wales for a vital Euro 2012 qualifier on Saturday with Fabio Capello knowing only a win will do after a public relations blunder that has hurt the Italian manager’s credibility.
Capello’s decision to reinstate John Terry as captain would have been controversial at the best of times — but the clumsy way in which it was announced has substantially raised the stakes as England head to Cardiff.
Trailing Montenegro by three points, England have little margin for error following last October’s dismal 0-0 draw at Wembley with the Group G leaders.
A defeat against Wales, who are bottom of the group after losing all three of their matches, and the calls for Capello’s dismissal may become deafening.
Publicly, England’s players have all voiced support for the move to restore the armband to Terry, who was sacked last year after lurid allegations about his relationship with the ex-girlfriend of team-mate Wayne Bridge.
Privately, however, there is reported to be unhappiness at the treatment of Rio Ferdinand, a popular figure in the England dressing room who learnt of Terry’s return as captain via a newspaper report.
Capello, who only last year said Terry would never captain England again while he remained in charge, said he changed his mind after seeing the armband moved between several players in last month’s friendly against Denmark.
The Italian also believes the expected intimidating atmoshphere at the Millennium Stadium will require an experienced captain.
“Wales will be a tough game. The atmosphere, everything is incredible, and we need a captain with a big personality, a leader,” Capello said.
“When John played without the armband, he was every time a leader. He is the biggest personality in the dressing room.
“He made mistakes but is normal. The players respect Terry as a leader, absolutely. One year’s punishment is enough.”
Terry, meanwhile, has responded to the furore over his return with typical defiance, stating without the merest hint of contrition that he still firmly believed he should never have lost the job in the first place.
“As I said to the manager at the time, I accepted their decision. It doesn’t mean to say I agreed with it, and I never will. That’s me being very proud and having been honest with them,” Terry said.
“Over the last year I’d like to think I’ve personally kept my head down and done the right thing.”
Terry also responded to suggestions that his reinstatement had split the England dressing room by stating that the squad was behind him whilst acknowledging he was “not everyone’s cup of tea.”
“When the manager confronted the team on the training pitch, he asked the players if they had any questions and nobody spoke. Nobody said a word to the manager, nobody said a word to me,” Terry told reporters on Tuesday.
“I’m not going to be everybody’s cup of tea, but it is the decision the manager has taken.
The captaincy saga has deflected attention away from Capello’s plans for Wales, which could see veteran midfielder Frank Lampard dropped.
Capello is expected to partner Jack Wilshere in midfield alongside either Gareth Barry or Scott Parker, while James Milner and Aaron Lennon occupy the flanks behind a strike partnership of Wayne Rooney and Andy Carroll.
England’s task has been made substantially easier with news that Wales winger Gareth Bale is unavailable after suffering a hamstring injury.
Wales manager Gary Speed meanwhile admits that his team’s chances of qualification for next year’s finals in Poland and Ukraine were remote.
“In terms of qualification from this group it’s going to be very difficult because we’ve already lost the first three games and if we win the next five we might still not have enough points to qualify,” he said.
“I think the important thing is to make sure when the 2014 qualifiers start in 18 months’ time we’re in a place to compete.”
Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved.
More »
2 Granville teachers awarded travel grants
Five Licking County teachers will get to travel the world this summer and bring their experiences back to the classroom.
Teachers from Granville, Newark and Southwest Licking school districts will travel to England, France, Italy and Japan after being presented with the Licking County Foundation’s Tibbie Leslie Travel Grant.
Connie Hawk, director of the foundation, has spent the past few days surprising teachers in their classrooms with the news about the grant.
The grant’s namesake, Leslie, graduated from Newark High School in 1950 and taught physical education in Cincinnati for 30 years. She traveled to various countries every summer and established the Tibbie Leslie Fund through her will, Hawk said. Leslie died in 1995.
Other 2011 winners were:
• Jennifer Kinsley, of Granville, who teaches visual arts and digital design at the Career and Technology Education Centers of Licking County. She will visit Japan to study individualized art instruction and the language.
• Emelie St. Cyr, Latin teacher at Granville High School. She will visit France to study ancient Roman materials and history in Gaul.
• Amy Shuppe, seventh-grade reading teacher at Watkins Middle School. She will travel to France to study a variety of topics from the Middle Ages to Joan of Arc, Napoleon and the beaches of Normandy.
• Sara Gruver, Heritage Middle School sixth-grade language arts teacher, who will travel to England this summer, visiting museums and sites her students read about in her class.
• Kathy Wolfe, kindergarten teacher at Carson Elementary School in Newark. She will travel to Italy to explore art and architecture.
The top criteria for the award are what the teachers plan to do on the trips and how they will use their experiences to benefit their classrooms, Hawk said.
Group travel can cut cost to visit England – News
My friend and I, both active seniors, would like to take a trip to England and Scotland in October or September. We’re not sure if we want to try it on our own or with a like group. We would like to leave from Springfield. Do you know of any group making such a trip?
– Linda R.
Linda, I looked into a couple of options.
Group travel has its perks and downsides. Personally, I don’t usually travel in organized groups because you have time constraints, but it can be the most economical way to go. England, particularly London, is incredibly expensive and in this case, a group tour may be your best bet. A nice thing about group trips is you know someone will pick you up when you land in a country and you don’t have to worry about taxis or metros. Taxis in London are outrageous. Another perk is you have a guide, so you tend to learn more about a country.
Here are some options:
- Gate 1 Travel, which my parents have used and love, has a 10-day Classic Britain Vacations trip in which you explore several cities in England and Edinburgh. Prices start at $1,999 if you book before April 1, $2,199 after that date. This does not include airfare from Springfield or U.S. and foreign government airport taxes and fees of up to $290.
The escorted package includes roundtrip flights from New York City to London (other departure cities available for additional cost); airline fuel surcharges; eight nights first-class accommodations; three nights at Thistle City Barbican, London; one night at Mint Hotel, Bristol; one night at Hampton by Hilton in Liverpool; two nights at the King James, Edinburgh; one night at Mint Hotel, Leeds.
It also includes all transfers; eight breakfasts and one dinner; sightseeing per itinerary in a modern air-conditioned motor coach; and services of an English-speaking driver/guide.
Gate 1 has several trips to the United Kingdom and offers shorter independent trips. For example, it offers an eight-day London and Edinburgh by rail trip starting at $1,199 (not including fees or airfare from Springfield).
You can get a price quote for airfare from Springfield. Before you do this, I would price it yourself so you know if you can find a better deal. The only downfall to booking it on your own is if you get stranded, you don’t have an agent to help you because they didn’t book that leg of your trip. Find them online: www.gate1travel.com/
- Another option comes from the Travel Group, 1736 E. Sunshine, Ste. 109. Call 887-8898.
Principal/manager Linda Overend says they have several programs from nine to 12 days and have several dates in September and October.
“This is a wonderful time of year to travel to that area. We can get air from Springfield. I recommend a group trip as it is a great value and includes entrances to a lot of the sights. If you go on your own there can be very long lines waiting to get into the attraction. The groups have set times for their tour and walk right by the long lines. There is so much to see in England and Scotland it is sad to spend valuable vacation time standing in long lines,” she says.
Groups get discounted hotel rates, entrance fees and all transportation is included.
One option is an 11-night tour of Britain and Scotland. You will stay in London, York, Edinburgh, Inverness, Glasgow, Liverpool, Newport and Plymouth. The trip is available Sept. 24 and Oct. 5 is the last tour. The land price is $2,039 per person (does not include airfare). It includes five dinners and full English breakfasts every morning, transfers, tours and hotels in good locations, she says.
- Deana Crouch, assistant vice president of leisure sales at Great Southern Travel, 3424 S. National Ave., says they have a variety of trips to England and Scotland starting at $1,199 per person, which includes some meals and airport transfers (not airfare). Call 888-4488 for details.
- I also looked into the option of you booking this on your own and the airfare was surprisingly reasonable.
Using www.travelocity.com, I found a ticket on Sept. 7 from Springfield to London Heathrow Airport on American Airlines. After four days in London, you fly out on Sept. 12 from London Gatwick Airport to Glasgow International Airport. On Sept. 15, you return to Springfield, leaving from Glasgow (none of these are direct flights). The entire ticket was $1,321.25, but things change daily.
If you don’t know how to check into flights like this, when you go to Travelocity, click on “Multi-destination” ticket.
This is a good deal for the ticket. However, it is not representative of the cost of your trip. London is outrageous. Food, taxis and hotels will cost you a pretty penny, so factor all that in before you decide.
There’s really no right or wrong with travel, it’s just what you are comfortable with.
Have a safe trip!
Travel tip
Looking for a nice motorcycle ride?
The Harrison Convention and Visitors Bureau recommends a scenic bike ride through Arkansas:
“The Jasper Disaster is 56 miles long, with 316 curves and should take you around 2 hours to complete. You will find gas stops in Harrison, Jasper, Low Gap and Ponca. It’s called the Jasper Disaster because that’s just what it is. It’s got to be the most scenic of all the Harrison rides, and certainly the most curvy. Watch for the hairpin curves as you descend into Ponca. You will pass over three mountain climbs, with breathtaking vistas and incredible views down to the valleys below. If time allows, be sure and visit the Elk Education Center in Ponca. As you leave Ponca, the view of the valley (over your left shoulder) is one of the best around.”
Directions: Take Arkansas Highway 7 south to Jasper, turning right on Highway 74 to Ponca. From there take Highway 43 north back to Harrison. For more information: www.harrisonarkansas.org
Deal of the week
This week’s deal comes from Allegiant Airlines. It’s a roundtrip ticket from Springfield-Branson National Airport to Clearwater, Fla., from April 21-24 for $205.68 (taxes included). The deal does not include hotel. Online: //www.allegiantair.com
Cricket-England linger thanks to unlikely aces up their sleeves
By Amlan Chakraborty
CHENNAI, March 18 (Reuters) – If the England team’s travel
agent is having sleepless nights, late replacements Luke Wright
and James Tredwell are the men to be blamed.
Andrew Strauss and his men looked like they would be on an
early flight home as they headed towards defeat in their final
World Cup round-robin match against West Indies on Thursday.
But Strauss’s gamble to hand Wright and Tredwell their World
Cup debuts in such a key encounter ensured England could put
their travel plans on hold — at least for the time being.
“To bring in Wright and Tredwell for such a massive game was
a bit of a gamble but they saved us,” a relieved Strauss said.
“It was a bit of a risk because the guys hadn’t played. But
they stood up and delivered when it really counted.”
Having flirted with danger all along their Group B campaign,
England might still not get to play another match in the World
Cup if Bangladesh pull off an upset against South Africa on
Saturday.
After the top order showed almost criminal profligacy and
squandered the starts all four of them got, Wright chipped in
with a gutsy 44 in a match that did not produce a single
half-century from either side.
Tredwell seemed to share the same sense of occasion and
could not be denied his moment of glory either.
Continued…