Welsh Cavalry campaign goes to Downing Street (From South Wales Argus) - South Wales Argus
Welsh Cavalry campaign goes to Downing Street
4:12pm Thursday 14th June 2012 in News 
DEFIANT supporters of the Welsh Cavalry took their fight to save the regiment to Downing Street today.
Armed with a petition with more than 3,000 signatures, supporters of the regiment, officially known as the 1st Queen’s Dragoon Guards, attended a rally and photo call in Parliament Square, before advancing to No.10.
The regiment, which traces its history back for more than 300 years, is under threat of disbandment or amalgamation with another regiment as part of the upcoming strategic defence review, with job cuts possible as the army is cut from 102,000 to 82,000 by 2020.
Chris Gibbons, 54, from Magor, served in the Queen’s Dragoon Guards for 22 years, seeing active service in Northerrn Ireland, Bosnia and Iraq during the first Gulf war.
Speaking to the Argus from Parliament Square, Mr Gibbons, said: "Fifty-five of us came down on the coach from Cardiff and there was another 50 or so who made their own way down here.
"I want the Prime Minister and the Defence Secretary to think again about disbanding this historic regiment. They are putting a lot of people’s jobs and their families under huge pressure.
"I am proud to have served this regiment and I am not prepared to see it become part of history."
Jessica Morden, MP for Newport East who attended the rally , said: "A lot of people have contacted me who are very concerned about the future of the regiment and the strength of feeling has been obvious."
Chris Evans, MP for Islwyn, said: “Any plans to destroy the identity and proud history of one of Wales’ oldest army regiments due to the Tory-led government’s cuts would be a massive blow to Wales.
“I met with Guards from Gwent during today’s rally at Westminster and I stand full-square behind them.”
Global social media survey finds discrepencies between employers' and staff opinions on its use - HRmagazine.co.uk
It's latest Global Workforce Index, found 44% of UK employees feel that social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, is impacting negatively on workplace productivity. However, only 6% of the British workforce has been told to stop using social media at work.
Employers are not making the most use of social media, either as a recruitment tool or as a means of boosting their employer brand.
But the need to harness the potential of social media is clear - one third of employees said they were more likely to use social media than traditional methods to search for jobs, and as many as 30% consider it important that their employer has a social media presence.
The findings, the second in the series from the Kelly Global Workforce Index (KGWI) also revealed 73% of staff feel it is not appropriate to share opinions about work on social media, suggesting people have an automatic tendency to assume these opinions would be negative rather than positive mentions promoting the employer brand.
And more than half of UK employees worry that mixing personal and professional connections through social media could cause problems at work
Andrew Cook, general manager UK and Ireland at Kelly Services, said: "We need to dispel the myth that social media is for leisure time only. If used well, it can be an essential communication tool for your existing workforce to engage with customers and be vital in finding and attracting new talent to your business.
"Equally, boosting employer brands by raising your corporate profile through social media is increasingly important. Most people fear discussions about their current employer could be negative, when in fact your workforce can be your best social brand ambassadors.
"Many companies view social media as inherently risky due to its immediacy and tone, but those employers that are embracing it as part of their recruitment strategy are reaping the rewards."
These are the second findings from the latest, KGWI, an annual survey conducted by Kelly Services. Almost 170,000 people in 30 countries participated in the survey, including more than 3,500 in the UK. The last results were released in April and found that employers across the UK are disengaged, with less than half being currently happy in their job and over a third frequently thinking about quitting.
Hodgson calls for ruthless England - Football
Published: 14 Jun 2012 - 19:19:14
Roy Hodgson urged England to show a ruthless attacking streak here Thursday as they prepared for their Group D meeting with perennial bogey team Sweden.
England have never beaten Sweden in a competitive fixture but head into Friday's Euro 2012 game at the Olympic Stadium as favourites to take all three points following a 1-1 draw with France.
But while England's defensive display against the French on Monday earned plaudits, Hodgson admitted his side will have to present more of an attacking dimension if they want to defeat the Swedes.
England's solitary goal against France came from a set-piece, and clear-cut goalscoring chances from open play were few -- something Hodgson feels England must improve on Friday.
"I was happy with the start. We played quite well, certain aspects of our game were good," Hodgson told a press conference.
"We must maintain that and, if we are going to win matches, we've got to continue to work hard on the attacking side of the game.
"We have to try to make certain when we do get these good counter-attacking opportunities that we maximise them and take advantage to the full.
"When we win the ball back and break out, we've got to make certain the last pass, cross or actual finish is very clinical.
"It is hard to get good goal chances at this level of football. You are not going to get many during the course of a game and you have to be very effective when the chances come your way.
"I am not talking about the clear-cut one versus ones with the goalkeeper but the situations where you've got behind the defence and it's a question of making certain the last pass gives someone the chance to score a goal.
"That is something we've been working on consistently."
Despite his acknowledgement of England's problems in the final third against France, Hodgson bristled when asked if he felt England were technically inferior to other sides. "No, I don't (think that)," he replied bluntly.
"You work with teams to try and get yourself into a position to deliver the right ball and it all depends on how good that delivery or final pass is.
"But I would definitely question any suggestion that we are lacking in any way and our players are not technically good enough," he said.
"The Premier League is regarded quite widely as being a very good league, a very technical league and we have some of the best players playing in it."
Hodgson admitted his side would be wary of the threat posed by a physical Sweden side from set-pieces.
"We all agree in today's football set-pieces are very important and it is rare not to have respect or concern over the quality of the opponents set-plays," he said.
"All you can do is prepare in the best possible way and make it clear to your team what threat the opponents pose.
"France posed a lot of threats from their set-plays and Sweden will be the same."
England captain Steven Gerrard is confident his side will get the win they need if they are able to reproduce the form shown against France.
"With all due respect to Sweden who are a good strong team -- they're not France," he said. "So I think we can be a little bit more bold, a little bit more ambitious and get at the Swedes a bit more.
"We're confident that if we reach the same level of performance it will be good enough to get the victory."
Related England News
Cassano thrilled to share in EURO carnival - UEFA
In a season in which his career almost came to a sudden and premature end, Italy striker Antonio Cassano is thrilled to be contesting a UEFA European Championship he once thought beyond him, telling UEFA.com: "I want to make the most of it."
Antonio Cassano has come a long way in eight months. In October last year, while flying back from a Serie A match against AS Roma, the AC Milan striker suffered an ischemic stroke. He was subsequently told he would have to undergo heart surgery and that his career might be over, so to find himself returning to the Rossoneri lineup in April and subsequently earning a place in Cesare Prandelli's UEFA EURO 2012 squad is not something he took for granted.
"I'll tell you the truth – at first I thought I would quit football for good," Cassano told UEFA.com. "Then, slowly but surely, I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel and I hoped until the very end that I would make it to this EURO. It came true and now I want to really make the most of it. I'm going to give it everything I've got."
As Italy's top scorer with six goals during their unbeaten qualification campaign, Cassano has become a key player in a side committed to a more free-flowing brand of football, and 'Fant'Antonio' believes he is flourishing under Prandelli's tutelage. The Azzurri coach stuck by the former AS Bari and Real Madrid CF forward through the dark days, insisting he would wait as late as possible to give him every chance of coming to Poland and Ukraine.
"I like Prandelli a lot both as a coach and a person," said the 29-year-old. "He loves talking to you; he explains everything. He's a very well-prepared and well-organised coach and right from the start he made me feel a very important part of the team. When the person who is in charge places such great trust in you, it boosts your confidence and you always try to give your best."
Cassano gave his all for the 65 minutes he was allocated against Spain, coming close with a shot across goal in the first half, but with Antonio Di Natale coming on for Mario Balotelli and scoring, will the Cassano-Balotelli partnership be broken up Afor the match against Croatia? "The hierarchy is not decided in the press or anywhere else," said Cassano. "It's decided by the coach. Against Spain we played well, but the whole team did. Me, Mario, 'Totò' [Di Natale], even [Sebastian] Giovinco when he came on.
"We have five strikers who are important to the cause. Whoever plays must play well. Hierarchies mean nothing. Obviously, I always want to play for as many minutes as possible. But the coach is the one who decides and he is very good at seeing who is in good condition and who isn't."
With nine international goals, 30 Italy caps to his name and his 30th birthday less than a month away, Cassano is one of the elder statesmen of the side, but playing for Italy clearly remains a huge honour for the man who made his Azzurri debut in 2003 and whose wife and son were spotted in the crowd in Gdansk sporting Italy shirts and cheering him on.
"If I'm more mature now, it's because I'm [nearly] 30, but I still feel like a child inside," he said. "It's normal that things that happen to you along the way, like what happened to me at the end of October, leave a little mark, but they also really make you appreciate what's important in life."
For now, though, what is most important to Cassano is Thursday's Group C test against Croatia. Indeed, despite his recent travails, it is clear that the Milan striker has lost none of his competitive edge. "The match against Croatia is crucial for us, and it is for them too. We must try to find a way to win and continue the good work we started against Spain. After that match, we have realised we can take on anyone and go all the way."
Mickelson struggles from the start again (From York Press) - The Press in York
Mickelson struggles from the start again
7:30pm Thursday 14th June 2012 in National Sport News © Press Association 2011
Phil Mickelson struggled from the off for a second straight year at the US Open as his opening drive was lost high up in the branches of a tree.
Mickelson began by losing a ball in the water last year, and his hopes of winning a US Open title took another early hit as he was made to make the long walk back to the tee. The Olympic Club is tough enough without that happening and, although he made birdie with his second ball, the left-hander started with three successive bogeys and was soon four over par.
Mickelson was playing with Tiger Woods and Bubba Watson and while Woods impressed with his ball-striking again to be level par after 12 holes, Masters champion Watson was another really struggling as he slipped to five over and eight behind the early leader, fellow American Jason Bohn.
Bohn, twice a winner on the PGA Tour and with a round of 58 to his name on the Canadian circuit, birdied the first, seventh and 11th in a dream start to only his second US Open.
That put him one ahead of another qualifier, Michael Thompson, and Spain's Dubai Desert Classic winner Rafael Cabrera-Bello.
Scot Marc Warren - playing in his first major at the age of 31 - kicked off with a birdie on the 449-yard ninth and remained part of the group on one under after seven holes.
Dubliner Padraig Harrington was alongside him, but then ran up a double bogey seven at the monstrous 670-yard 16th, the longest hole in major history.
Harrington did hit straight back with his third birdie of the day, however, and at level par was on the same mark as not only Woods, but also England's Robert Rock.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood were among the later starters, with organisers having decided to put the world's top three in the same group for the second year running.
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