Roy Hodgson lost the second member of his original 23-man Euro 2012 squad to injury yesterday when Gareth Barry was forced to withdraw after scans revealed the extent of damage in a stomach muscle torn during Saturday's friendly win over Norway.

England manager Roy Hodgson is considering whether to heed the advice of wife Sheila as he eases himself into his new role.

Roy Hodgson was right to believe he scored a kind of triumph in Oslo and soon enough it was confirmed by the headline "The Roy done good."

Roy Hodgson last night admitted that taking Danny Welbeck to the European Championship as part of a depleted strike force could be a gamble but that he had to trust medical staff who say the Manchester United forward will be fit.

England manager Roy Hodgson has confirmed both Andy Carroll and Rob Green will start tomorrow's friendly against Norway in Oslo.

You might have thought that ruling yourself out of the first two games of football's second-most important international tournament with a shocking flash of irresponsibility was quite enough to concentrate the mind of the nation's most gifted player.

Has Neville been called in by Roy Hodgson to monitor the mood of his former team-mate?

Roy Hodgson will assess the fitness of key midfielder Scott Parker when the England squad assembles later today to launch their preparations for Euro 2012.

Roy Hodgson will have the chance to start working with the bulk of the England squad for the first time ahead of Euro 2012 when they report to their Manchester base tomorrow afternoon.

Footballer Ryan Giggs has settled his phone-hacking damages claim against News Group Newspapers.

We can be cynical as easily as we like over the fast-tracking of Gary Neville into the hierarchy of the England team. We can ask if, for example, you were the new manager Roy Hodgson, would you rather have Red Nev at your side in the potential maelstrom of the European Championship – or lurking in a TV studio dreaming up the kind of line that hit David Luiz like an assassin's bullet?

He will be Hodgson's most acute reader of the mood of the England dressing room

For all the delights that qualify the next three afternoons at Chester as a defining ritual of the British Turf, it must be admitted that the city's racecourse was not especially designed with rain in mind. But then nor was it obviously designed for horseracing, either, this dizzy circuit crammed between the city walls and the River Dee – and that does not stop it being a roaring success.

Euro 2012 kicks-off in just a matter of weeks and in anticipation The Independent will be running down the key factors and people to keep an eye on in Poland and Ukraine this summer.