Exclusive – Top stars DO care about playing for England, insists Hodgson
1 Roy Hodgson insists the Premier League’s top stars DO care about playing for England.The Three Lions boss is on course to take the national side to his third major finals next summer, having previously overseen disappointing campaigns at Euro 2012 and last summer’s World Cup in Brazil.That has led to criticism of the players, with a disappointed and disillusioned public believing the star names in the squad are more interested in success with their clubs and the rewards that come with that, than they are in pulling on the white jersey of their country.Hodgson, however, is having none of it.In an exclusive interview with Sport magazine, he insisted: “I would defend the players to the hilt on this. We have had failures, when going out of Euro 2012 on penalties, and in particular at the World Cup. But I would never believe or listen to anyone telling me it is because the players didn’t want it enough.“I think freeing people of the stress and pressure of expectation is a very easy thing to talk about, but very hard to actually then achieve. We have to try and make certain, as we go forward with a very young group of England players, that they are capable of accepting this pressure.“We can’t change it – we can’t ask the media to treat us more kindly or not ask too much from us. We can’t ask the fans not to want or expect or hope that England might win tournaments. That’s a given. It’s always going to be there, so we have to breed players who are mentally strong enough to say: ‘I know this, I understand this, but I trust in myself and my ability, and I believe that my teammates and I are good enough to do it’.“That is what we are constantly talking about and working on. I get so little time with the players on the field, so a lot of my job is on that leadership front, about man-management.”To read the full interview with Roy Hodgson, visit the Sport magazine website England’s players celebrate victory over Slovenia 
Son celebrates Tottenham got their Europa League campaign off to a winning start – and Mauricio Pochettino then challenged his players to go all the way in the competition.Recovering from the shock of conceding an early penalty against little-known Qarabag, Spurs saw off the Azerbaijan Premier League champions 3-1 in their Group J opener on Thursday night, with summer signing Heung-Min Son scoring twice on his home debut.The north London club have not reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League since 2013 but Pochettino believes his side can do better this time around and is targeting a spot in the final.“It is not easy to win the Europa league,” he said.“Whether it is more realistic or not is the big question, like last season. As a big club we have to try to arrive in the final and win the Europa League.”Son was played as a lone striker with goalless Harry Kane named on the bench – the first time the England international has not started for Tottenham since February.But last season’s top goalscorer was not missed as Son marked his White Hart Lane bow with a first-half brace – first turning home Andros Townsend’s low corner and then slotting home after smart work from Dele Alli.“He scored twice and played one hour,” Pochettino said of the South Korean’s display.“His performance you can see I am very pleased with him, very happy. His adaptation to the club has been good from the beginning.“I think I explained before the Sunderland game that Son can play like a striker. He can also play wider. He has the quality to play in different positions on the pitch.” 1
James Rodriguez and Colombia do the header-bin challenge The header-bin challenge was a craze that took over a whole host of professional football clubs over the summer.Manchester United did it, Manchester City’s youth team did it, and St Johnstone’s youth team managed an incredible 47 headers before getting it in the bin.James Rodriguez and his Colombian teammates are the latest to try it, with the entire squad getting involved.See the video below and let us know if you think it is the best one yet! 1
La alegría y la unión de la selección. pic.twitter.com/yN2VYLh4zP— James Rodríguez (@jamesdrodriguez) November 16, 2015
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has recalled Andros Townsend to first-team training.The winger had been training with the under-21 squad in recent weeks after clashing with fitness coach Nathan Gardiner following Spurs’ win over Aston Villa.However, Pochettino insists that is all in the past and has recalled Townsend ahead of Spurs’ match with West Ham on Sunday.“On Tuesday he started training with the group again,” said Pochettino.“For me it was a problem that he has apologised to the people for. He is still young and needs to improve.“I forget the past, if he deserves to be in the team or squad it is not a problem. We need to forget that and give him the possibility to be in team.” Tottenham winger Andros Townsend 1
1 Aston Villa are preparing a January swoop for Lorient striker Benjamin Moukandjo.The 27-year-old has been in stunning form this season and is second in the Ligue 1 goalscoring charts with 11.The Cameroon international only joined Lorient in the summer from Reims, but his impressive performances have seen him linked with a swift move away.Aston Villa, according to L’Equipe, are attempting to lure Moukandjo to the Premier League during the current transfer window.Manager Remi Garde is reportedly a big fan of the forward and believes his goals could strengthen the club’s hopes of survival.Villa currently sit bottom of the Premier League and are 11 points from safety. Benjamin Moukandjo 
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp bemoaned his side’s lack of cutting edge as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to bitter rivals Manchester United at Anfield.The Reds dominated much of the proceedings only to find David de Gea in inspired form between the United posts, before Wayne Rooney struck a painful late winner to snatch the three points.Jordan Henderson, Roberto Firmino and Emre Can were all guilty of squandering good opportunities and Klopp was visibly irate in the aftermath as he attempted to come to terms with the defeat.“How can I say some good things only ten minutes after we lost to Manchester United?” he said.“They didn’t play good but they feel brilliantly at the moment. We played much better but we lost.“We were in a good way in this game but we didn’t’ finish.”The Reds’ frailties from set pieces were exposed again for the Red Devils’ goal as Rooney turned home after Marouane Fellaini had outjumped the home defence and rattled the crossbar.And Klopp couldn’t believe his pupils could concede in such sloppy circumstances – the seventh goal they’ve conceded from a set piece so far this season.He added: “Again a set play – I can’t believe that!“We didn’t avoid the cross, we lost Fellaini and we completely lost Rooney. He made the volley with their only chance in the game.“It’s hard to accept but we have to.”
BEVERLY HILLS – Britney Spears allegedly ran over a photographer’s foot with her car in a Beverly Hills parking garage, according to a broadcast report. The pop star was driving her white Mercedes-Benz convertible toward the exit of a parking garage yesterday when she was bombarded by photographers and moments later one man fell and shouted in pain, ABC7 reported. “He fell almost into me and his foot was under the tire…she started going forward and I guess ran over the guy’s foot,” a photographer for celebritybabylon.com named “Michael” told ABC7. “Michael”, who videotaped the incident, told ABC7 that it appeared Spears went over the man’s foot and he pulled his foot out of the back of the tire. AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREGame Center: Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, 10 a.m.Spears appeared to realize what happened after the photographer fell and was stuck at the front of the left side of her car, “Michael” told ABC7. “She looked at him and then Britney put her hand over her mouth and almost immediately started crying,” Michael told ABC7. Once the crowd of photographers cleared, Spears drove out of the parking garage, according to video shown on ABC7. The condition of the photographer who was allegedly stuck was unclear. 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!
By Scott Wolf and Paul Oberjuerge STAFF WRITERS EUGENE, Ore. – Mark Sanchez didn’t point any fingers. Except at himself. USC’s sophomore quarterback, starting only his third game, all but took personal responsibility for the Trojans’ damaging 24-17 defeat at Oregon on Saturday. AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREGame Center: Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, 10 a.m.And Coach Pete Carroll didn’t seem to be in a mood to argue with him. “Last week I was a hero,” Sanchez said, “and this week I’m a zero.” Sanchez passed for 277 yards and two touchdowns on 26-for-42 accuracy. But he also threw two costly second-half interceptions. The first ruined a promising third-quarter drive and set up Oregon’s final touchdown thrust. The second killed USC’s last-minute attempt to snatch victory from defeat, coming 33 yards from a potential tying touchdown on a play that began with 23 seconds to play. Sanchez passed for four touchdowns without an interception in a 38-0 victory at Notre Dame last week, but his two interceptions, both by safety Matthew Harper, were too much for the ninth-ranked Trojans to overcome against the fifth-ranked Ducks. “They can be your worst enemy,” a somber Sanchez said quietly of the interceptions. “That first one was a good read, a physical mistake, just a bad throw. You can’t do that. I have to take that one on the chin. There’s no excuse for that. “The second one, we were driving, had a little momentum going. I had Fred (Davis) break open over the middle. That free safety, he must have read my eyes, but he made a pretty good play. He jumped in front of Fred. That one I have to look at on film.” Not that film will help much. “There’s no excuse for things like that,” Sanchez said. “It killed us. I let the other 10 guys on the field down, I let the 11 guys on defense down. It’s tough. It’s a bad feeling.” Carroll often finds alibis for his quarterbacks, but he didn’t rise to Sanchez’s defense Saturday. “I thought Mark battled all day long,” Carroll said. “He feels terrible about turning the ball over. “The last one he was just, he was just trying too hard … you don’t need to take the ball down low, not go downfield yet. He was a little bit late, he made a bad decision. “He made a bad throw on the other pick … Those things happen.” Sanchez has been open about wanting to keep the No. 1 job at quarterback, which he assumed 15 days ago in a victory over Arizona. He took over for second-year starter John David Booty, who suffered a broken middle finger on his right (passing) hand during the Stanford game. Booty also has been frank about wanting to return to the starting lineup as soon as he is physically up to par. What happens next? Carroll refused even to speculate. “I don’t even care to comment about it,” he said. “We’ll figure it out next week.” Questionable call Carroll was unhappy with a holding call that nullified a 64-yard touchdown run by freshman tailback Joe McKnight in the first quarter of the Trojans’ loss to Oregon. An official flagged offensive tackle Drew Radovich for the penalty, which occurred with Oregon leading, 7-0. “That was the backside tackle, that was (questionable),” Carroll said. Booty wants call Carroll said it was too soon to make a decision on who starts at quarterback but senior John David Booty (broken finger) said he wants to play against Oregon State. “I’ve got to come back,” Booty said. “I want to be out there.” Booty’s passes sailed in practice this week, which made Carroll’s decision easy. “We have to put some drives together,” Booty said. “We keep beating ourselves.” Confused coaches Oregon coach Mike Bellotti gave himself a pat on the back when he said after the victory that USC is “as talented as any football team in the United States.” Bellotti did say the victory was important because “USC has been the flag-bearer for this conference for the last three years.” Actually, USC has won the last five Pacific-10 Conference titles. But Carroll also was confused after the game when he said, “we were tied at halftime and thought we had a good chance to get back into it.” USC trailed Oregon, 10-3, at halftime. Baker hurt Offensive tackle Sam Baker reinjured his hamstring and also experienced pain in his hip. He left the game in the second half and did not return and was unsure if he would play next week.160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!
Van Nuys Neighborhood Council general meeting, 7 p.m. Nov. 14 in Room 1B at the Marvin Braude Constituent Service Center, 6262 Van Nuys Blvd., Van Nuys. Call (818) 374-9884 or see www.vnnc.org. Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council, 7 p.m. Nov. 14, Mount Gleason Middle School, 10965 Mount Gleason Ave., Sunland. Call (818) 951-7411. Reseda Neighborhood Council, 7 p.m. Nov. 19, Canoas Banquet Hall, 18136 Sherman Way, Reseda. Call (818) 832-7540 or see www.resedacouncil.org. Arleta Neighborhood Council, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 20 in the auditorium at Beachy Elementary School, 9757 Beachy Ave., Arleta. Call (818) 892-2457. Studio City Neighborhood Council, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 21, CBS Studios, 4024 Radford Ave., Studio City. Call (818) 655-5400 or see www.scnc.info. Encino Neighborhood Council, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 28, Encino Community Center, 4935 Balboa Blvd., Encino. Call (818) 255-1040 or see www.encinocouncil.org. Canoga Park Neighborhood Council, 7 p.m. Nov. 28, Canoga Park Community Center, 7248 Owensmouth Ave., Canoga Park. Call (818) 346-4892.160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREGame Center: Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, 10 a.m.Chatsworth Neighborhood Council, 7 p.m. Nov. 7, Lawrence Middle School, 10100 Variel Ave., Chatsworth. Call (818) 464-3511 or see www.chatsworthcouncil.org. North Hollywood North East Neighborhood Council, 7 p.m. Nov. 8 in the recreation room at the Park Plaza Apartments, 6755 Rhodes Ave., North Hollywood. Call (818) 982-2174. Winnetka Neighborhood Council, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 13, Valley Village, 20830 Sherman Way, Winnetka. Call (818) 676-9766 or see www.winnetkanc.com. Sun Valley Neighborhood Council, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 13 in the assembly room at the Villa Scalabrini Retirement Center, 10631 Vinedale St., Sun Valley. Call (818) 767-6766. Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council, 7 p.m. Nov. 13, Porter Ranch Library, 11371 Tampa Ave., Porter Ranch. Call (818) 360-5706. Reseda Neighborhood Council candidate forum, 6 p.m. today, Canoas Banquet Hall, 18136 Sherman Way, Reseda. Call (818) 832-7540 or see www.resedacouncil.org. Granada Hills North Neighborhood Council, 7 p.m. today, Van Gogh Elementary School, 17160 Van Gogh St., Granada Hills. Call (818) 831-0578 or see www.ghnnc.org. North Hills West Neighborhood Council will hold elections, 5-9 p.m. Tuesday at L.A. Baptist High School, 9825 Woodley Ave., North Hills. Call (818) 893-8613 or see www.northhillswest.org. Van Nuys Neighborhood Council will discuss board election information and hold a board meeting, 7 p.m. Nov. 5 in room 1B at Marvin Braude Constituent Service Center, 6262 Van Nuys Blvd., Van Nuys. Call (818) 787-2831. 
AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREGame Center: Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, 10 a.m.The workers clipped boughs from some of the preserve’s oldest and tallest trees to get genetically pure samples of some of nature’s ultimate survivors. Milarch, 58, believes these trees can provide the toughest possible stock for a kind of “genetic savings account.” He hopes that material can be used to restore old-growth redwoods in their native range up and down the state. About 95percent of the original forest has been cut down over the past few hundred years. Average mature redwoods stand between 200 and 240 feet tall and have diameters of 10 to 15 feet. The tallest trees have been measured at more than 370 feet, making coast redwoods the tallest living organisms in the world. The hardiest members of the species can live to be 2,000 years old. Redwoods have gained a prized status among nature lovers, but their high-quality timber has long been favored by home builders seeking the same durability that allows the trees to survive in the wild, which has led to widespread harvesting. Milarch said coast redwoods can reproduce themselves through a natural cloning process and by mating with other trees. A tree like Grandma could effectively be the latest incarnation of an individual tree that first saw daylight 20,000 years ago, he said. “If we’re going to pick out the strongest, longest-lived genetics, this old gal’s a survivor,” Milarch said. Horticulturists and genetic engineers plan to use the samples from the Marin County redwoods to see which of several techniques – some traditional, some cutting-edge – work best to reproduce the trees. Milarch has high hopes for the most advanced approach, known as tissue culturing, which creates exact genetic replicas by manipulating individual cells. Not everyone agrees that cloning represents the most effective way to preserve redwoods. Conservation groups have traditionally focused on curbing development and logging along the 500-mile stretch from Big Sur to the Oregon state line where most coast redwoods grow. “Protecting the habitat of the species in place – I think that’s the most important approach to conservation,” said Deborah Rogers, a redwood geneticist and director of conservation science for the San Diego County-based Center for Natural Lands Management. Rogers said a genetic storehouse that could protect the entire species from an unforeseen cataclysm caused by climate change or an imported disease would require samples from hundreds of trees across the state. Milarch hopes that samples from about 20 individual trees taken from ancient redwood stands in five distinct areas will be enough to get his restoration effort under way. Next he plans to solicit landowners and communities for plots of at least five acres where the clones will be planted and, ideally, interbreed.160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! SAN GERONIMO, Calif. – When David Milarch first visited Northern California in 1968, he thought he would see avenues of coast redwoods 100 miles long. What he found instead was a “moonscape,” he said. Nearly 40 years later, the Michigan arborist has returned to the region to realize his dream of preserving and restoring the most ancient of these trees using the latest advances in genetic cloning. “What does this tree’s immune system have in it that it has survived when other trees haven’t?” Milarch asked, leaning against a massive, shaggy trunk of a redwood he’s dubbed “Grandma.” He estimates the tree is at least 800 years old. On a foggy Tuesday in Marin County, about 25 miles north of San Francisco, Milarch assembled a team of crack tree climbers who used ropes and harnesses to clamber more than 100 feet into the treetops at Roy’s Redwoods Preserve. 