While England knew that a draw in their game against Ukraine at Donbass Arena in Donetsk, Ukraine, would be enough to achieve qualification from Group D, the return of Wayne Rooney from suspension and the resulting confidence from the victory over Sweden will have the England team eager to try and secure the top spot with a win.

Although they entered the game as favorites, England had to be alert defensively early on with the Ukraine seemingly intent on putting them on the back foot from the start, dominating both possession and territory in the first 15 minutes.

Despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession, Ukraine was unable convert this into meaningful attempts on goal, and most of their chances failed to test Joe Hart in the England goal. The best chance of the first half hour actually went against the run of play and fell to England, with Wayne Rooney, evidently rusty from his lack of game time, headed wide just yards out from goal.

The rest of the first half played out fairly unspectacularly and although Rooney’s solitary chance for England proved to be the best opportunity to break the deadlock, there was no doubting that Ukraine was in control of the game and Roy Hodgson had quite a task on his hands if he was to reverse England’s fortunes and push for the top spot in the group.

Hodgson’s team talk seemed to work instantly, with England taking the lead just two minutes into the second half. Steven Gerrard, who had already supplied two assists so far in this tournament, whipped in a dangerous cross, which Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov could not deal with and the ball fell for Rooney to head into an empty net.

With Ukraine looking desperate to equalize and hopefully take a much needed lead, much-maligned centre back, John Terry, came to England’s rescue, acrobatically clearing a ball off of the line after it had beaten Hart. Instant replays seemed to show that the ball had actually completely crossed the line and the Ukrainian team and fans will feel very aggrieved that the scores were not leveled.

The goal certainly seemed to spur on England and Gerrard’s passing began to open up the Ukrainian defense, releasing the likes of Rooney and Ashley Young into space as England looked to double their lead and confirm their position at the top of the group.

The best efforts of the Ukrainians in the dying minutes were unfortunately not enough to bring their team back into the game and they will have to settle for watching the rest of the tournament in their home nation. England, meanwhile, will be thrilled to have topped the group and, as a result, will face Italy in the quarter-finals rather than the more daunting prospect of Spain, who will be the prize for Group D runner-up, France.

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France and England shared the points in Ukraine as the two Group D rivals cancelled each other out in a rather dull affair. Joleon Lescott’s header in the first half gave England the lead before Samir Nasri equalized almost immediately for France. Laurent Blanc’s men had most of the pressure in the second half, but Roy Hodgson’s new look side-defended solidly and was probably pleased with the end result.

It was a slow start to a previously classic encounter, England met France for the last time the Three Lions were in the Euro’s but despite scoring in the opening five minutes of their last two major tournaments, Roy Hodgson’s men were happy enough to sit back and counter in the early exchanges. Samir Nasri was seeing the most of the ball and he had the first real chance when he shot wide of Joe Hart’s near post from the edge of the area.

But it was England who probably should have opened the scoring, a thrusting run from the midfield saw James Milner get on the end of Ashley Young’s pass but the Manchester City midfielder slid the ball wide after rounding Hugo Lloris. Yohan Cabaye immediately tested Hart again at the other end but the early exchanges had been fairly even.

But despite the game being played at a slow pace England made the breakthrough on the half-hour mark as Joleon Lescott headed in his first goal for his country from Steven Gerrard’s free-kick. France had perhaps shaded the opening thirty minutes but England’s opener gave them the impetus to attack a French side whose defense looked shaky. But it was the team in blue who almost equalized from their own free-kick, Alou Diarra got on the end of Nasri’s cross and made Hart make a save, before heading the re-bound just wide of the post.

It was a warning sign for England of what the French could do given the chance, the goal stretching the game more and more as France tried to find a response. They soon found it after some neat passing through midfield and it was Samir Nasri who finally beat his City team-mate Joe Hart at the near post. Nasri had looked the biggest threat to England’s defense, time and time again finding space between the midfield and defence.

England managed to get to half-time at 1-1 as France were very much in the ascendancy after the equalizer. It was more of the same after the break as France dominated possession and England was once again happy to sit back and use the likes of Oxlade-Chamberlain and Young to counter the pressure. England did get forward eventually and the referee denied them a free-kick in a good position when Steven Gerrard was clearly brought down on the edge of the French penalty area.

There wasn’t a lot to shout about as the game reached the final 25 minutes, England were still happy to allow France to come at them, but Les Blues couldn’t do anything to break down the water-tight England defense. The French passing game was easy on the eye but wasn’t producing any productivity in the penalty area, Joe Hart only being tested from set-pieces and long range efforts.

England was growing frustrated at France’s possession game, and more so at the referee who seemed reluctant to give England any sort of decision. Roy Hodgson was the first to mix things up with just over ten minutes remaining, Jordan Henderson and Jermain Defoe replacing Scott Parker and Oxlade-Chamberlain respectively.

But it was still France on top, Nasri saw a shot deflected wide before Cabaye also had an effort deflected out from the resulting corner. The game was becoming very stretched and as France looked for a winner, England’s counter attacking tactics came more into play. Laurent Blanc responded to Hodgson’s changes and introduced Hatem Ben Arfa and Marvin Martin to add some more energy with five minutes remaining in Donestk.

But the final few minutes passed by without any real drama, England held off France’s final spell of pressure as the two favourites to progress from Group D sharing a point each.

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On Tuesday May 1st, Roy Hodgson was named the new England manager, replacing Fabio Capello ahead of Euro 2012 this summer.

Hodgson met with the Football Association on Monday April 30th after being publicly announced as the leading and only candidate for the job. Talks continued into the following day, before Hodgson was called in front of the  media, as the FA confirmed his appointment.

The decision was met with some disapproval from the public, whom the majority of, had expected Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp to lead the country to the Euro’s in Poland/Ukraine this summer, after he had publicly declared his interest and desire to succeed Capello. Despite having successful stints at both Fulham and West Brom in England, Hodsgon has often been condemned for his poor reign at Liverpool, during which the 64 year old commanded a 35% win ratio, winning 7, drawing 4 and losing 9 of the twenty league matches under his stewardship.

Unsurprisingly, this poor run of form led to Hodgson’s dismissal and an immediate battering from the nations press. Despite this low point in Hodgson’s career, the remarkable story of what the Englishman has achieved prior to his management in England is impressive.

After a less than exciting playing career, Hodgson landed his first managerial role at Swedish side Halmstad BK, staying there for 5 years. In the years spent in Scandinavia, Hodgson managed to guide Halmstad  BK to their first championship title in what was considered an unbelievable achievement with a side that was tipped by many for relegation.

Following his success in Sweden, Hodgson was offered the opportunity to return to England with Bristol City, initially as assistant manager before taking the full time managers job shortly after. Despite his excitement at the role, Hodgson’s homecoming was unsuccessful, prompting an immediate return to Sweden.

Hodgson first job upon his return was at Oddevold before moves to Orebro and Malmo helped consolidate his Swedish legacy. His biggest achievement after his move back to Sweden was the five consecutive titles won with Malmo, after which he was offered a lifetime contract, an offer he politely declined.

After all the success in Sweden, extremely high taxes of around 65% saw Hodgson leave the country for Switzerland in search of a more financially rewarding home. Hodgson took over at Swiss side Neuchatel Xamax, leading the club to impressive European victories over Spanish giants Real Madrid and Celtic. Despite reasonable success with his new side during two years, Hodgson welcomed the prospect of managing the Swiss national side after being approached by the Swiss FA.

In his three years as the coach of the national side, Hodgson managed to secure qualification for World Cup 1994, losing only one game in a group that contained Portugal and eventual finalist Italy. During this magnificent run, Switzerland lost only once, rising through the FIFA World Rankings, sitting as high as third in the world at one point, a remarkable achievement for the Swiss and Hodgson himself. During the tournament in the USA, Switzerland made it to the last 16, where they were eliminated by a strong Spain side, in what was a definitive moment in Swiss soccer.

Following on from the World Cup, Switzerland, under Hodgson, sailed through qualification for the European Championship, held in England, only to see their iconic manager leave after calls from Italian giants Inter Milan.

After a less than successful, if glamorous stint in Italy, Hodgson was brought back to England with Blackburn Rover, leading this one time Premier League champions to sixth and qualification for the UEFA Cup. Despite this, Blackburn struggled the following season and Hodgson was relieved of his duties in November 1998.

This dismissal was followed by spells as caretaker at former club Inter Milan, Grasshopper, Copenhagen and Udinese. With some of these stints more successful than others, Hodgson found himself again in International management, as the new coach of the United Arab of Emirates. Hodgson spent two years in charge of both the senior and Olympic sides and despite initially struggling, Hodgson felt enriched after the experience.

 ”That was a period where I didn’t know where my career was going. But all these experiences enrich you and it was good to know I could get my message to players who many say are uncoachable. It’s hard work; they’re basically lazy. But I had them drilled and pressuring opponents almost like an English team. Most coaches who go there are just fannying around, but it’s not my nature” he said.

After leaving the U.A.E. and serving a short stay at Danish side Viking, Hodgson was appointed as the new manager of Finland. Despite failing to qualify for Euro 2008, Hodgson was praised by the nation for organizing their side in such a way that they could now develop and prosper under new management. After his contract ran out and the best effort from the Finnish FA to extend the said contract, Hodgson found himself back in England, as manager of Fulham.

In what was considered by many to be a somewhat surprise appointment, Hodgson, against all the odds managed to keep Fulham in the Premier League in his debut season, a feat which was epitomized by Fulham’s four victories in their final five games. The  following seasons saw a huge improvement by Hodgson’s men as they finished in a record high position of 7th, qualifying for the UEFA Europa League.

Hodgson’s third year in charge proved to be the most successful, with Fulham enjoying an incredible European adventure, which saw them defeat holders Shaktar Donetsk, German side Wolfsburg and Italian giants Juventus, coming back from 4-1 on aggregate to win 5-4 after both legs. Despite their incredible journey, Fulham lost in the final to Atletico Madrid, 2-1.

At the end of that year, following Fulham’s season defining European run and their solid 12th place finish, Hodgson received the LMA manager of the year award. This achievement led to increasing speculation of a move away from Craven Cottage, rumors which soon materialized into his fatal spell at Liverpool.

Despite his apparent failure at Anfield, Hodgson has been able to revive his reputation in England, leading relegation threatened West Bromwich Albion to back to back mid-table finishes, as the Midlands side look to consolidate their Premier League status.

This remarkable career seems to have peaked with Hodgson’s appointment as England manager. Although the majority of the public and even some players seemed to be backing Harry Redknapp for the job, Hodgson’s wealth of experience, both at club soccer and internationally, stands the former Switzerland boss in good stead for his new position.

The press conference itself and images surfacing from shortly after his assignment, captured an Englishman delighted at the opportunity to lead his nation into a major tournament and an individual determined to do his very best to succeed where so many before him have failed.

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As the Liverpool team celebrated their Carling Cup victory on the Wembley pitch last Sunday, manager Kenny Dalglish was also celebrating another, lesser known accomplishment. The win over Cardiff helped further seal Dalglish’s place in the annals of football history, as he joins a group of just six other managers who have led their teams to League, FA Cup and League Cup victories.

In typical fashion, however, ‘King Kenny’ was quick to divert the attentions from himself and onto his players. He then went onto state that this ‘is just the beginning’ for the club, and that he believes a large upturn in their fortune is just around the corner, with this trophy helping to inspire his players onto even bigger things.

The goal for the club this season has to be making it into the top four, and reaping the benefits that qualifying for the Champions League has to offer. Not only is it a highly substantial source of income, it also makes the club significantly more attractive to prospective transfer targets, come the end of the current season. Even with the clubs’ relatively poor form in the 1990’s, it remains almost unthinkable that a team of the caliber of Liverpool would not present in any European competition this season.

It is vital that they bounce back quickly, in order to retain their status as one of the elite teams in Europe. That is not to say that the club should neglect the FA Cup in any way, as a cup double would be fantastic for the players and fans alike. A return to the Champions League would arguably be far more beneficial to the club in the long term.

Whilst the glory days may be a fair way away, roll the clock back 18 months and every single Liverpool fan could only have dreamed of the success enjoyed by the club. The club was then owned by American duo Tom Hicks and George Gillett, with the pair almost damaging the club to the point of no return, and helped in no small part by the management of Roy Hodgson.

It is perhaps unfair to lay so much blame on Hodgson, who was shown little financial backing by Hicks and Gillett, and was unable to sculpt the team into one which he was comfortable working with. Hicks and Gillett’s tenure at the club was marred in controversy, with the owners failing to make good on promises to build a new stadium, and allowing a dispute between themselves to boil over and affect their ability to run the club.

Effectively, the once great club was poised to fall into a position of mid-table obscurity, had it not been for two shining lights on the horizon: John W. Henry and Dalglish.

The former took control of the club from Hicks and Gillett, and immediately set about restoring the club to its former glory. Step one was the removal of Hodgson as manager, who was clearly not a good fit for Liverpool, and club legend Dalglish was reinstated. Success in almost all sports can be attributed to doing the right thing at the right time, and while this is obviously vital in football, there is perhaps an even more critical ingredient: passion.

Dalglish has this quality in abundance, and combined with a high level of tactical astuteness and unparalleled management skills, he has already set about saving the club he loves, from falling into obscurity.

Many fans could be forgiven for falling in love with the fairytale return of their hero, and for bestowing all accolades on him, but the influence of Henry cannot be underestimated. Henry, who also owns the Boston Red Sox baseball team, has put his money where his mouth is, backing Dalglish extensively in the transfer market, with Kenny in return strengthening what was a very thin Liverpool squad.

He has also assured fans that he is looking into the stadium issue, and has resolved that if Anfield cannot be expanded to the level where they can compete with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United in terms of attendance, then a new stadium will be built to ensure the future competitiveness of the club.

The club is certainly moving in the right direction, and clearly has an owner with a passion for the club, evident by his emphatic celebrations at Wembley on Sunday, as he witnessed the club lift their first trophy of his tenure. If Dalglish can lead the club to the Champions League this season, there is a real feeling that it is only a matter of time before Liverpool is once again competing for a title. With the right additions to the squad this could even be a reality by next season.

However, should Liverpool fail to qualify for Europe’s premier competition, the process could be put back a season or two, with Henry unlikely to back Dalglish with the same kind of financing, should they only be competing in the Europa League. Nothing, of course, can be taken for granted in football, and winning the Carling Cup may have given Henry a taste for success.

The owner may be willing to pump more money into the club regardless of the Champions League situation. What can be said for certain, is that the club is back on the up, and that their status as one of the elite clubs of Europe seems fairly solidified with Dalglish and Henry at the reins.

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