Jury selection under way in trial of accused serial killer Anthony Sowell

By Leila Atassi, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer

Plain Dealer file Anthony Sowell in court.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Eighteen months after the remains of 11 women were discovered in and around Anthony Sowell's Imperial Avenue home, lawyers will begin seating jurors today for one of the most notorious and storied serial-killing cases in the state's history.  

As many as 132 witnesses -- law enforcement officials, family members of victims, women who say they survived attacks by Sowell, even Mayor Frank Jackson and his wife -- are expected to take the stand during a trial that many anticipate will consume the greater part of the summer. 

Sowell, 51, is charged with multiple counts of aggravated murder, kidnapping, abusing a corpse and tampering with evidence in the deaths of the women, all believed to have been killed within about two years and whose remains were found in the fall of 2009.

Sowell also is accused of attacking several other women who survived.

The case, which has cost taxpayers more than any in the county's history, called for an unprecedented 1,000 prospective jurors to be summoned in recent weeks in an effort to find a panel of 12 who have been least affected by the continuous news coverage.

Sowell's defense attorneys, John Parker and Rufus Sims, repeatedly have argued that it cannot be done and have asked multiple times for a change of venue. The court would be hard-pressed, the attorneys said, to find even a dozen people in the county who could hear Sowell's case impartially after having heard the details of his criminal past, the life stories of the victims and the protests of community activists decrying violence against women.

But Common Pleas Judge Dick Ambrose, in denying the lawyers' requests, has said they won't know if empanelling a fair jury is possible until they try.

Parker and Sims, however, continued to argue that the court's jury selection process would lead to a biased jury.

At a recent pretrial meeting the attorneys said they learned that only 30 percent of jurors would be required to report for duty, and many already had been excused by the court without the attorneys' knowledge.

Parker and Sims filed a motion Tuesday for an entirely new jury pool or at least an accounting of the demographics of those who have been dismissed and the reasons why.

They also filed a motion asking the court to select two separate juries. One would decide on Sowell's guilt or innocence. The other, if Sowell is convicted, would be empanelled for the penalty phase. Those jurors would hear testimony on Sowell's upbringing, schooling, military career and abuse he might have suffered and determine whether he deserves the death penalty.

The defense lawyer's motion cited a Cornell Law Review study of 916 capital jurors in 11 states. That study found that many jurors had decided on the defendant's punishment before the penalty phase had even begun.

Ambrose denied both requests during a hearing Wednesday. He said the jurors who have been dismissed from the pool had legally sound excuses, and the remaining 300 would suffice.

Those people were called to report Friday , when a computer program randomly trimmed the field further to a more manageable 200, said Court Administrator Greg Popovich.

The jurors then set to work filling out a 36-page questionnaire probing their exposure to the case as well as their feelings on topics ranging from drug use to law enforcement and the death penalty.

The selection process is expected to last at least two weeks, with jurors reporting to the courtroom in waves of 30 for more intensive questioning by attorneys.

Once testimony begins, prosecutors likely will call law enforcement and coroner's officials to describe the investigation itself -- the days of exhuming bodies from shallow graves and crawl spaces, the discovery of a bucket containing a human skull in Sowell's basement and the weeks spent identifying the decomposed victims based on dental records and DNA.

Then prosecutors are expected to call several women who say they were attacked by Sowell and survived. Their testimony will help prove Sowell's motives, the pattern of his attacks and his methods of luring women to his home -- and some to their death, prosecutors said.

Most of Parker and Sim's strategy for defending Sowell against 11 counts of aggravated murder and 74 other charges remains a mystery, with many of their motions filed under seal.

But court records show the bulk of the defense team's nearly $600,000 budget has paid for resources that would only come into play during the penalty phase.

Among the expenses are fees for mental health specialists, brain scans, neurodiagnostic analysis to determine Sowell's brain functioning, and a military specialist to interpret records of his time in the Marine Corps.

The defense team hired a crime scene expert and a forensic pathologist to critique prosecutors' work. And a squad of researchers have been busily combing through thousands of medical records, school documents and hours of video surveillance footage shot from the property next door to Sowell's.

Tens of thousands of dollars also were paid to a mitigation expert -- a social researcher whose job is to find witnesses who can humanize Sowell, evoke jurors' sympathy and ultimately save him from the death penalty.

This task, the attorneys said, is the bedrock of any capital murder defense. And Parker and Sims have asked Ambrose twice in the past month for more time for their experts to wrap up their work and draft their reports.

The judge, estimating that the penalty phase would not begin until mid-July at the earliest, granted the experts until July 8 to complete their reports.

But seating jurors will begin Monday, as scheduled, Ambrose ruled -- drawing into view, after 18 months, a sense of resolution for Cleveland and the families of the Imperial Avenue women.

Related topics: anthony sowell , cleveland , common pleas judge dick ambrose , cuyahoga county common pleas court , john parker , rufus sims , serial killer

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Malta divorce decision poses new questions for expats - Telegraph

Where both England and a country outside the EU could entertain divorce proceedings the position is less clear cut and the English court will carry out a balancing exercise to determine in which jurisdiction it would be most convenient and fair to allow the divorce to continue. These arguments centre on the strength of the family’s connection to each country in terms of time spent in each place, where property is held and other cultural ties.

These arguments don’t generally specifically refer to money but they are almost invariably driven by financial considerations. In the case, for example, of a disagreement as to whether an American man and his English wife should divorce in Britain or in the US, there may be a prenuptial agreement that would be given full force in the US but might be given scant regard by an English judge. Thus the argument about the correct jurisdiction will centre on whether the family is more English or American but the undercurrent will be the knowledge on both sides that the winner of that argument will get the financial outcome they want.

The decision in the Malta referendum means that those expats living there will have to think carefully, in the event of marital breakdown, as to whether they should divorce there. Those couples join international couples everywhere (save the Philippines, the one country left where divorce is not possible) in having to consider the prospect of jurisdiction shopping if their marriage comes to an end.

Joe Vaitilingam is a partner at international divorce specialists Hughes Fowler Carruthers.

Kenya stands to lose African values in debate over gay rights | Spero News

In Kenya last month there was an intense debate over a newly appointed Chief Justice, Dr Willy Mutunga, and his Deputy, Ms Nancy Baraza. Christian groups raised the alarm, including the Catholic bishops’ conference which made a statement signed by all the bishops, questioning the moral integrity of the two appointees, particularly their moral values and family principles.

Here is the background: according to the new constitution approved by referendum last year, a judicial commission was to present nominees for these two posts to the president for approval and forwarded to parliament. The president has given his approval; parliament still has to give its go-ahead so the furore has died down for the moment.

Dr Mutunga is co-founder of the Kenya Human Rights Commission, which receives funding from a German aid agency to foster gay rights and get acceptance for sexual orientation. The Commission also supports liberal moral views on the right to life. In an article he authored in 2003, Mutunga wrote: “I think the influence of religion in this country is very harmful.

They don’t allow proper sex education in school; they don’t allow condoms in a country with HIV/AIDS. That kind of rubbish makes me very mad.” In 2006, he facilitated the registration of the Kenya Gay and Lesbian Trust. In 2007 he attended a conference in Naivasha, Kenya, whose focus was on abortion, sexual violence, commercial sex work and the rights of sexual minorities. One source of funding was the Ford Foundation’s regional office, where Dr Mutunga is the chief executive. (The Ford Foundation is known for its heavy funding of abortion and liberal sex education groups).

 He has changed his religious beliefs several times and is now in divorce proceedings in relation to his second marriage.

s Baraza also attended the Naivasha conference. It is known that she, like Dr Mutunga, supports “judicial activism”, which is legislation from the Bench, and is doing her Ph.D thesis on gay rights. She was head of an international organization of women lawyers called FIDA (Kenya). FIDA has made positive approaches regarding women’s rights, but has taken its stand in favour of abortion legislation and expansion, is funded by the Centre for Reproductive Rights and is campaigning to liberalize the legal status of marriage.

Christians are justified in expressing their concern since the new constitution requires all judges to be “of high moral character, integrity and impartiality”, a standard that includes every aspect of a person’s life. Also, some lawyers argue that a proper interpretation of the constitution must take into account what Kenyans understood to be the meaning of the document when they voted.

The clauses on the question of abortion and gay “rights” were left such that both can be permitted, -although at a superficial reading they appeared forbidden-, depending on the judicial philosophy and interpretation of the holders of the posts of chief justice and deputy.

 So, what is happening? Why has there been so little reaction to the new appointees apart from that of Christian leaders? Are Kenyans softening? Are they losing their “Africanness”, if this is to be typified, among other things, by opposition to gay rights and abortion?  Why do they seem so different to their neighbours, the Ugandans who so vociferously detest homosexuality, and who were internationally condemned when an anti-gay bill was tabled in parliament?

The fact is that culturally they are similar, but Kenya, especially the capital Nairobi, is much more Westernised than Uganda and its capital, Kampala. Nairobi hosts the world headquarters of UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), has good communications, is more cosmopolitan, more secular, more disciplined and better organized by Western standards, more open to outside cultural influence and less “African”.

For example, the birth rate in educated, middle-class families has been declining for several years, whereas Uganda still has one of the highest birth-rates in the world despite the growth in prosperity of the past two decades.

For the 50 years since Independence Kenya has been generally very peaceful, made impressive strides in education and sent thousands of Kenyans abroad for studies, many of whom have returned with liberal ideas; add to that an aggressively anti-Catholic, liberal media, political leaders without ethics or principles, and you have the makings of a cultural and social transformation, which the country is currently experiencing.

Kenyans were grossly deceived during the run-up to their constitutional referendum last year. Their political leaders told them (and too many Kenyans do as their leaders tell them; few work out such issues independently) that, admittedly, it was not a perfect constitution and the anomalies could be ironed out in parliament later; that they should vote in favour for the sake of national unity and to build the “new Kenya”; and that we should get rid of the old constitution which went back to colonial times. Besides, there were insufficient personnel and too little time to educate the population on the constitution’s contents and implications. Kenyans trust their leaders will look after their interests, especially their material and social development, then complain when they don’t. In ethical matters their attitude is one of “Let’s wait and see what happens!” Ugandans are more pro-active especially where cultural matters are at risk.  

Now Kenyans are being deceived again, and most will barely utter a whimper if and when the new chief justice and his deputy are ratified by parliament, and even if and when gay rights and unions are approved, except the Catholic Church and some Protestant groups.

In Uganda the gay debate was spear-headed by the Pentecostal churches, who took it to the university campuses and other forums with great success; other churches and the Islamic community supported the bill too, except its more severe penalties; the educated openly approved it. Only some more liberal media half-heartedly and very cautiously opposed it. Political leaders did not need to say anything; in this the people had spoken. Uganda is more traditionally African and respects much of its age-old culture – and abortion and homosexuality are not part of it.

Kenya, on the other hand, stands to lose its good African values, and within ten to fifteen years could be facing many of the social, moral problems of modern Western society. I just hope I shall be proved wrong.  

Martyn Drakard is Spero correspondent in Africa.   

licensed professional counselor, edwin, shockney colorado - Colorado Springs Gazette, CO

Edwin Shockney’s 2009 book “Delusional Entitlement Disorder” describes people who increasingly expect quick payoffs without hard work and “believe that standards, rules and laws do not apply to them.”

He could be describing himself.

Shockney says he has a master’s degree in counseling and a doctorate in psychology, which give him the expertise to diagnose patients, advise government agencies and testify in almost 150 local court cases.

In reality, the Colorado Springs man quit at least three colleges. He has no bachelor’s degree and no master’s. And his doctorate came from a defunct California seminary based in a strip mall.

But through an ever-evolving string of embellishments and outright lies, Shockney has hoodwinked the Colorado professional counselors oversight board, the Catholic Church, local lawyers, police, a large defense contractor and countless patients for more than a decade.

He has gotten away with it despite repeated complaints to authorities.

And his deceptions could have serious repercussions because his court testimony has influenced dozens of child custody and criminal cases that may now warrant new trials.

Of broader concern, Shockney’s years of practice call into question the effectiveness of the state system created to protect consumers from just this kind of abuse.

The state has investigated Shockney repeatedly but always found that he qualifies for a license. The apparent lack of effective oversight means there is no way to know how many other counselors like Shockney are practicing.

State rules supposed to ‘give consumers peace of mind’

Shockney, 60, is a licensed professional counselor, or LPC, and has practiced psychotherapy for more than 15 years, treating everything from depression to post-traumatic stress disorder to what he calls “premature aging.”

Colorado requires LPCs to have a master’s or doctorate degree in counseling or psychology from an accredited school. Or credentials that the state finds equivalent.

“The whole idea,” said Amos Martinez, former head of the Colorado Mental Health Grievance Board, which oversees LPCs, “is to give consumers peace of mind that we have checked that people are qualified.”

In practice, though, counselors with dubious credentials can slip past safeguards in Colorado because the state does little to verify their claims, Martinez said. “There is no proactive investigation. Anyone could do what Shockney did and get away with it.”

In an 80-minute interview with The Gazette in April, at which he insisted his lawyer be present, Shockney said accusations that he is a fraud are “groundless and without merit,” adding, “I consider it a dead point to question whether I am qualified as a psychotherapist.”

Shockney said the state has reviewed his education and found it to be sufficient. The state says its oversight system works well.

But a Gazette investigation was unable to verify any degree Shockney said he earned.

Instead, the investigation found that Shockney lied to regulators, the police and the courts; duped colleagues; solicited money from an intern; and was sanctioned by the state after allegedly offering to pay a patient for sex.

Only a fraction Shockney’s claims can be confirmed.

In Colorado, counselors are required by law to disclose their education to patients. On disclosure forms and résumés from 1994, 2002 and 2007 obtained by The Gazette, Shockney claims to have earned an undergraduate degree, but it’s not clear from where. Sometimes he said it’s from one school or another, other times it’s a mix of multiple schools.  

He names a total of three schools: Indiana Tech, Indiana University and Crossroads College.

None has any record of him graduating.

He claims to have earned a master’s from two graduate schools. State University of New York at Albany said he never attended. Crossroads Bible College, a small seminary in Indianapolis, said he never attended, and it doesn’t offer a master’s degree.

Here is what school officials could confirm: Shockney graduated from a small-town Indiana high school in 1968, then attended Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., for less than a year. He enrolled in a two-year medical laboratory assistant program at Indiana Vocational Technical College in 1971 and finished one year. He attended Indiana University part time, off and on, from 1973 to 1978 but received no degree.

In 1979, he got a degree from Excelsior College, a correspondence school in Albany, N.Y., then called Regents College. It is the only degree The Gazette could confirm. Shockney claimed it was a four-year bachelor’s degree in pre-medicine; Excelsior said it was a two-year associate degree in liberal arts.

Given copies of the contradictory disclosure forms and résumés, some with his signature, Shockney said, “I care not to look at them.”

He said the inconsistencies are typos caused by careless assistants or unfinished drafts dug out of his trash to smear him.

“Someone helped me build those, there were errors, and those errors have haunted me,” he said. In any case, he added, they are irrelevant because the state board reviewed his education and deemed it adequate.

When told that none of the schools could be independently verified, he said, “So that’s stronger than the board?”

Pressed about where he got a diploma, Shockney said, “Call Ivy Tech in Richmond, Indiana. Ask if I graduated in ’72.”

The Gazette did. The college registrar said Shockney did not graduate.

Shockney makes one somewhat consistent educational claim: He got his doctorate in psychology from a school he calls Berean College and Graduate School, though on some forms he calls it Berean College of California and on others Berean Christian College.

The name on incorporation documents is Berean Church of the Scriptures. It was a tiny Christian correspondence school registered to a strip mall in Long Beach, Calif. Founded by a Kansas woman named Adelia Bachman in 1984, Berean lasted about 10 years. Shockney said he earned his doctorate in 1991, 1992 or 1993, depending on the version of the résumé.

A newspaper obituary shows that Adelia Bachman died in Kansas in 2009. Her family did not respond to requests for information about Berean. The Gazette couldn’t find other Berean graduates, course descriptions or former faculty.

The Gazette also couldn’t find records that Shockney submitted a dissertation or completed the clinical hours typically required for a doctorate in psychology.

“Clinical hours … clinical hours?” Shockney said when asked where he completed his. “A Ph.D. in counseling psychology can come from a lot of different venues, especially coming out of the seminary. The whole idea is, and I know I sound like a broken record, but it has met the criteria for different review groups, the Department of Defense … See, I didn’t take the degree to get licensed, I took the degree because I wanted to learn more about that.”

Shockney claimed on his application for licensure that he completed 700 clinical hours while in the Navy. Shockney was in the Navy Reserve from 1983 to 1993, according to a Navy spokesman. But Navy records indicate he was an advanced lab tech, a job Navy documents describe as: “Collects and processes biological specimen for analysis.”

In 1996, a short time after Berean folded, Shockney started a new Berean with the original president, Bachman, in Colorado Springs, according to incorporation documents. Shockney listed the address on West Colorado Avenue as “Suite 221,” but it was actually a post office box.

Shockney told The Gazette he had no real involvement, but incorporation records list him as a director and his father as the recipient of all remaining assets.

Duane Smith, a local chiropractor who was also on the Berean board of directors, said Shockney started Berean to “offer people counseling degrees, but it never really got off the ground.”

Shockney later used his coursework from Berean to apply to become an LPC. As director, he would have had the ability to issue his own transcripts, though it’s unknown whether he did.

The state does not disclose transcripts submitted as part of an LPC application. Shockney did not respond to a request via email for a copy.

A former colleague said Shockney’s credentials are “a joke.”

In the 1970s and 1980s, Shockney worked as a hospital lab technician, first in rural Indiana, then in Colorado Springs, then in Tampa, Fla., according to Gazette research.

In 1988, Shockney moved back to Colorado Springs.

The same year, the Colorado Legislature passed a bill to bring order and accountability to the growing field of psychotherapy. The new law required all mental health professionals to register with the state and created a grievance board to police them.

“It was a way to protect the public. People come to therapists in very vulnerable states, and we were seeing a lot of problems with therapists having sexual contact with patients or getting into business deals with them, things like that,” said Martinez, who ran the program from its inception in 1988 until 2005.

Under state law, anyone with a master’s degree in counseling from an accredited institution or the equivalent counseling education can become a licensed professional counselor.

Anyone practicing psychotherapy who falls below those standards must register as an unlicensed psychotherapist, take an ethics test and pay a fee of $160.

In 1992, Shockney paid the fee, took the test and started offering psychotherapy.

“I was good at it, I did well at it. And I didn’t want to go back into lab medicine,” he told The Gazette.

By 1995, he had teamed up with another unlicensed psychotherapist named Ray Panetto.

Both were active in local courts as evaluators for divorce cases.

“It was a great time, you could make good money, and there was very little accountability. Unlicensed therapists could even bill insurance back then. You can’t anymore because there were a lot of abuses,” Panetto said when reached by phone in Florida, where he now lives.

The two sent a mass mailing to local attorneys that year saying they had “30 years of combined health care experience” and could provide counseling for “trauma as a result of assault, divorce, parenting issues and custody,” as well as court-ordered parenting classes, according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Gazette.

In the letter, “Dr. Shockney” claimed to be a member of the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors. Contacted this spring by The Gazette, the association said it had no record of him. Nor do other professional organizations to which he has claimed membership.

“Shockney was pretty good at bringing in business,” Panetto said. “The only thing I saw about him was he had a tendency to overstate who he was. He was always trying to aggrandize himself.”

Panetto was sanctioned by the Colorado regulatory board in 1997 for falsely claiming to have a doctorate in psychology. The board ordered him to stop practicing, and he left the state.

When told by The Gazette that Shockney had since become a licensed professional counselor, Panetto laughed and said, “That’s a joke, right? That man should never have been licensed. He does not have the credentials.”

A former local psychologist named Elizabeth Paterson said she had doubts about Shockney’s credentials, too, when she encountered him in a divorce case in 1995. She started trying to confirm the schools on his résumé. None of them had ever heard of him, she said.

“All his schools were totally bogus,” she told The Gazette earlier this year. She alerted the state board of his lack of relevant education in August 1995 but said her complaint was dismissed. She said she also filed complaints in 2004 and 2008. She said they also were dismissed. A local lawyer and former patient said they also have filed complaints, for a total of at least five.

The state does not keep records of dismissed grievances, and staff members cannot discuss the basis on which those grievances were dismissed.

“Once a case is dismissed, no one will talk about it,” said Bryan Thomas, a complaint-processing specialist for the Department of Regulatory Agencies, which oversees the board. “It’s gone, it never existed.”

Shockney said Paterson should not be believed.

He said she has made complaints about the qualifications of a number of local counselors, including Marlene Bizup, who won a $1.5 million defamation suit against Paterson in 2008. At that time, the state board found Paterson mentally unfit to practice psychology, and she voluntarily surrendered her license.

Shockney said Paterson is “mentally disturbed, a risk to self and others.”

Paterson said her accusations about Shockney are supported by documents.

Credentials aside, Shockney’s behavior as a psychotherapist fell below standards set by the state.

After Shockney incorporated Berean, he recruited a colleague and at least one patient to enroll. He promised that students could get advanced degrees through correspondence courses, Panetto said.

Shockney denies this.

“It sounded great to me,” said Panetto, who said he did not know at the time that Shockney was one of Berean’s directors. “I signed up and paid my tuition.”

But, he said, for the $500 tuition, the coursework covered material he had learned as an undergraduate, and the books he received were stapled photocopies. He said he wrote to the school asking for his money back.

Instead of refunding his money, he said, Berean sent his doctorate certificate.

“I couldn’t believe it. I had been scammed. It was almost comical,” he said.

Shockney had a heart attack late in 2010. At the start of the April interview, he said he was “having a bad cardio day” and would have to keep the interview short.

When told that Panetto said Berean was a scam, Shockney grumbled, then said, “Now this is the guy who was run out of town … And the thing is … We need to move on because I’m not feeling well.”

Shockney also talked at least one patient into attending Berean, telling her she could become a counselor like him.

She later told police that Shockney became her instructor and that there was at least one other student. The patient told police she got almost all A’s, but that Shockney often lost her papers and asked her to rewrite them.

Shockney said he never recruited students because there was no Berean College. Shown the incorporation documents he signed, he said, “I don’t even remember. I don’t know. I don’t know.” Since his heart attack, he said, “I have issues with amnesia.”

Recruiting a patient to join a college goes against ethics rules set by the state board. So did what allegedly happened next.

Shockney learned through conversations with the patient that she had worked for an escort service, according to a Colorado Springs police report. In August 1996, after learning this, he allegedly offered to pay her for sex, the report said.

She went to the police, and a detective had her make a taped phone call to Shockney to gather evidence, the report said.

In the call, according to the report, Shockney acknowledged the offer for sex and apologized for making the patient uncomfortable. “While it would be very nice,” he told the patient, he had become uncomfortable with the proposition, too.

When police confronted Shockney, he denied any such offer. According to the report, he said the patient was mentally unstable, and he offered to turn over part of her confidential file — another violation of state ethics rules.

When police told him about the taped conversation, the report said, he “expressed concern about what this would do with his career.”

Shockney was charged on Dec. 13, 1996, with soliciting prostitution.

Told by The Gazette in April that he had been charged, Shockney said, “Was I?”

When shown the paperwork, he said “Time out for a minute. I don’t remember that.”

He asked The Gazette reporter to leave the room so he could confer with his attorney.

Afterward, he said the patient had a history of making false claims, and the case was dismissed and sealed.

Then he grabbed his chest, complained of heart pain and asked to end the interview.

Because the case was sealed, there is no way to verify the outcome. The charge could have been dismissed, or Shockney could have reached a deal with prosecutors that left no record of guilt.

He has no record of a conviction. But in January 1997, police sent the report to the state regulatory board, and a few weeks later the board sanctioned Shockney, saying his practice “fell below generally accepted standards.”

The board required him to undergo three years of probation, during which time he was required to be monitored weekly by a licensed professional counselor.

It may have been the best thing to happen to Shockney’s career.

The licensed professional counselor Shockney hired to monitor him, Susan Garcia, showed him how to clean up his practice, he said, and encouraged him to apply to become an LPC.

Garcia refused to comment, citing confidentiality rules.

As an LPC, he could bill insurance and, therefore, get more business.

To become an LPC, a therapist is required to complete 100 hours of supervised clinical time. Shockney used his probation hours toward his license.

“That’s highly inappropriate,” Martinez said. If a monitor, paid to make sure the practice is not a danger to patients, is also the supervisor, paid to vouch that the therapist is qualified, he said, “there is a monetary incentive to look the other way.”

The current director of the board, Ronne Hines, said using hours of supervised clinical time toward both purposes does not violate board rules.

Colorado LPCs are also required to take the 200-question multiple-choice National Counselor Examination. Shockney told The Gazette he scored in the top 15 percent.

In August 2001, a month after Shockney finished his probation, he sent in his application to become an LPC.

On his application he swore under penalty of perjury that his graduate schools —  what he called Crossroads Graduate School and Berean C. College and Graduate School — were accredited by North Central Accrediting.

North Central Accrediting said they are not.

“I was told they were,” Shockney told The Gazette.

He said, again, that it does not matter, because the board reviewed and approved his credentials.

A patient referred to Shockney in 2002, shortly after he got his license, said she found his practice disorganized and ineffective.

Lee, who withheld her last name to protect her privacy as a patient, was referred to see a psychologist after an injury at work left her depressed.

“I thought at first he knew what he was doing. His office looked very nice, lots of wood and books. He had ‘Ph.D.’ on the door. I thought he was a psychologist,” she said.

Then she started to notice little oddities. The assessment tests he gave were photocopies, even though the pages said “do not photocopy,” she said. He lost her paperwork three times and, she said, she had to fill it out again each visit. And of most concern, Shockney talked at length about himself but asked little about her, she said.

Most sessions consisted mostly of listening to him tell stories or listening to self-hypnosis tapes while he was in another room, she said. She dropped him as her therapist after four sessions.

“It was bizarre. He just confused me and made me question my own sanity,” Lee said. “I was in a bad spot in my life, and he made it worse.”

A former University of Colorado at Colorado Springs graduate student who was Shockney’s intern in 2005 said his lack of education showed. She said she did not want her name used because she now works as an LPC.

“He did not use any technique I recognized,” she said. “He was not performing therapy as a trained therapist.”

Her internship ended early, she said, after Shockney tried to get her to invest money in a bigger office to which he was moving. Shortly after she refused, she said, Shockney terminated her.

In a program evaluation she provided to The Gazette, she warned the university that future interns should avoid Shockney, saying an internship with him could be “harmful” and one day might “involve the university in legal problems.”

Another intern and a counselor who worked for him refused to comment when contacted by The Gazette.

Shockney did not respond to questions about the intern.

Shockney said despite what he calls “mistakes” on old résumés, he is a well-meaning counselor who donates one-tenth of his services to charity, has saved patients from suicide and has been active in local charitable organizations.

“I have been practicing successfully, within the law, to the best of my knowledge, the entire time, and now all I am trying to do is retire before I friggin’ die,” he said, grabbing his chest. “With no malice did I ever intend to do anything, and I didn’t do anything. What I did was fill out the stuff to the best of my ability; I had guidance in doing it. I practiced successfully. I have 39 years of health care experience. I help people.”

As an LPC, Shockney began to practice in increasingly influential venues.

He was hired as the behavioral health consultant for the police departments in Manitou Springs in 2000 and Woodland Park in 2003, where he screened prospective cops for signs of mental health problems.

He did similar work for local defense contractor ITT Systems.

Shockney has worked for years as the psychological adviser to the Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs, providing testimony in marriage tribunals — the church’s equivalent of divorce hearings — on whether a marriage should be annulled because of psychological issues.

Often, the evaluations involved giving tests that only psychologists or psychiatrists, who have more stringent education requirements, are qualified to give, the former intern said.

Shockney said he has always worked with psychologists and psychiatrists to do the more-advanced screening, and has done nothing wrong. But two such “associates” Shockney listed on his website in 2008 said they have never had a partnership with him.  One, Cecil Deckard, was a small-town doctor in Indiana who hired Shockney as a lab tech in the 1970s, who said, “I have long since retired and have not seen him in years.”

Shockney did not respond to questions about people listed as associates.

Shockney also has performed psychological evaluations for court cases.

According to a list Shockney submitted in court in 2007, he has been called as an expert in 145 cases ranging from minor personal injuries to murders, including cases in federal and military courts.

Sometimes, he said, he was hired by the state to evaluate a defendant’s mental competency to stand trial. Other times he was paid by defense attorneys to see if defendants had the mental capacity to understand their rights. He said he also evaluated a number of families in divorce and custody cases.

“Experts play a critical role,” said local attorney Pat Marrison, who has worked on cases when Shockney was employed by another attorney. “They are the eyes and ears of the judge. If they are not accurate, if they don’t know what they are doing, they can ruin lives.”

The full effect of Shockney’s actions — whether his testimony decided a parent’s custody or whether his therapy made a troubled patient worse, for example — is impossible to measure because patient records are confidential and divorce-court records are sealed.

Shockney was hired as an expert by public defender Sheilagh McAteer in a 2007 rape case in which the defendant confessed.

“I hired Shockney to look at the issues of competency and whether (the defendant) understood his Miranda rights when they were given,” McAteer said. “Shockney was a big talker but never came through with anything he said he would.”

Other attorneys in the Office of the Colorado State Public Defender, which paid $100 per hour for Shockney’s services, said they had similar experiences.

Every time Shockney went to court, he had to lay the foundation for his expertise by stating his credentials for the record. In a 2008 federal court transcript, he said he earned “a B.A. in humanities, pre-medicine, an M.A. in counseling psychology, (and) a Ph.D. in counseling psychology with a political emphasis.” None of his claims could be verified.

“Each time, if he lied, is likely a case of perjury,” said professor Patrick Furman, a criminal law expert at the University of Colorado Law School.

Shockney’s actions could also open up each case to a new trial, said 4th Judicial Court Chief Judge Kirk Samelson. “I don’t know what the full impact will be because I’m not aware of a similar situation, but every case could potentially be looked at. It would be up to the people involved in the case to bring it back to the judge.”

Shockney’s story suggests that the system designed to catch unqualified counselors has failed.

Legal authorities have known about Shockney’s dubious credentials for years, but none has acted.

After the state board did not act on her complaints, Paterson, the psychologist, sent a letter and a sheaf of documents detailing Shockney’s false claims to the head of the Department of Regulatory Agencies in 2005.

She sent the same letter to the state attorney general, the governor, the speaker of the state House of Representatives and the president of the state Senate. None acted, she said.

She then sent documents detailing his false claims in court testimony to the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. In 2007, Randy Stevenson, deputy chief investigator for the office, wrote in a letter obtained by The Gazette that he had verified Shockney’s degrees with the state board and therefore, “We have closed our investigation.”

A short time later, attorneys from the D.A.’s office used the same documents they had just dismissed to discredit Shockney as an expert in an armed-robbery case.

Shockney was hired by the public defender’s office to evaluate the defendant’s ability to understand his rights. He testified in a pretrial hearing that the client was not competent to stand trial, according to public defender Deana Feist. “It did not go well,” she said.

The prosecutor attacked Shockney’s education on the stand.

“We did not feel he was qualified,” said Deputy D.A. Joe LeDonne, who tried the case.

The judge sided with the prosecutor discounting Shockney’s testimony.

Paterson also passed along many of the Shockney résumés she had collected to a court watchdog blogger in Denver named Sean Harrington, who posted them.

The local Catholic diocese was aware of the online documents, said Ricardo Coronado-Arrascue, the judicial vicar in Colorado Springs. The church conducted what he called “a small investigation,” but church lawyers “did not have too many concerns” and continued to rely on Shockney, who is active in the church.

The state board typically does a good job of enforcing complaints against LPCs, said Martinez, its former director.

The board receives an average of 76 complaints about LPCs per year. Of those, about nine typically have sufficient grounds to result in disciplinary actions. Two are usually serious enough to warrant revoking a license. Over the years, the board has revoked the licenses of a few counselors who lied about their credentials, Martinez said.

The problem, he said, is not enforcement of the law. It is the law itself.

When the state passed the law creating a board to license and police LPCs, it built in a statutory back door called “equivalency.”

Therapists who do not have an accredited education can qualify if they show they have an equivalent education covering eight core areas, including subjects such as human development and ethics. The classes must be taken at a school with an identifiable student body, regular testing and a faculty with the education required to teach high-level courses.

“The Legislature did not want to shut out anyone just because someone did not go to an accredited school,” said Martinez, who oversaw thousands of applications. “But they effectively left the door wide open. We have this morass of colleges and universities, some new, some online, and every year it gets worse. Who knows what those programs are really like?

“The board didn’t have the resources to properly review each application. So they just accepted them.”

Shockney applied under equivalency in 2001, using his transcripts from Berean to claim that he studied all eight required core areas.

At that time, the board staff usually took applicants at their word, Martinez said. So it is unlikely anyone ever checked Shockney’s claims.

“If he sent transcripts, that was probably enough,” Martinez said. “And every time he was grieved, the staff probably just checked the transcripts.”

Rosemary McCool, director of the state’s Division of Registrations, a unit of the Department of Regulatory Agencies, disagrees with Martinez’s criticism of the system.

“I’m very confident in our procedures,” she said. “We process 30,000 mental health licensees every year, so anything is possible. We are human, we make mistakes, but the system in place is very strong.”Assessing the growing number of unaccredited colleges has become increasingly difficult and time-consuming, she said.

So in 2007 the state began using a private company called The Center for Credentialing and Education to investigate claims of equivalency in order to “take the burden off the staff.”

Since then, the state has denied equivalency to at least 10 applicants, according to board documents.

But the state has no record of how many licenses it has granted by equivalency. So it is virtually impossible to know who qualifies and who merely slipped past an overwhelmed staff.

Asked if the state plans to change its review process or review licenses already granted, McCool said, “No.”

College is not for everyone - San Antonio Express-News

Why college?

Actually, the socio-political, if not the funding battle for tertiary education is long won; it is an article of faith in America that college is good and that everybody should have the opportunity to go. Politicians, for example, want half (if not all) of the population to attend.

College, of course, is now mandatory for the professions (as is post-graduate schooling since the early 20th century), and as 1950s-era sociologists feared, has become a necessary credential for many occupations. This is behind those oft-quoted stats showing graduates earn much more over a lifetime than high-school diplomats. Finally, even if one does not learn much, college offers a socialization process that lets attendees assimilate more easily with each other in the workplace.

In technical fields such as science and engineering, a nation today cannot have too many graduates. (Even if, in economic downturns, some spend time selling shoes.) Canada, Australia, and New Zealand allow easy entry to foreign graduates. The U.S. does not, leading to constant complaints about a dearth of visas from Silicon Valley. Here we have a dichotomy in higher education. We turn out far too few hard-core scientists — many, if not most, enrolled in our universities are foreign — and far too many lawyers and the cults crowd like sociologists, political “scientists,” and modern language types, few of whom add much to the GNP.

Also, while university training makes good techies, there is no scientific evidence that college fosters talent. The best universities do not try to teach people how to make a living but to encourage them to think, which why so much leadership comes from a few campuses. On the other hand, the most talented innovators and artists in recent decades either never went to college or were dropouts. Think Microsoft, Facebook and a few others. The geniuses and talented do not need credentials nor to socialize and assimilate; they do their own thing and change the world.

In some fields college stultifies: College English courses have burned off more potential writers than dumb editors. College does not teach literature; it dissects it like a dead frog.

I believe the notion that everybody should go to college is democracy gone wrong. Part of our problem is that we pretend there are no sheep and goats; the other part is that we lack a training process such as Germany's apprentice program to educate skilled trades. The development of IQ tests was a grave blow not to democracy but the idea of individual equality, which we confuse. This is why all testing is seen as distasteful, and aptitude testing is more and more dropped or banned.

The SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) does not measure intelligence but indicates rather accurately how one will do in college. The various so-called intelligence tests suggest than no one with a score of under 115 (average is 95-100) is capable of a “real” college education. This would restrict about 85 percent, which is why, moms and dads, you aren't getting much for your tuition at many schools. Education is a business, and it must market whatever sells.

Even if it's a bill of goods.

Former magistrate cleared of rape but facing bankruptcy - Telegraph

Mr Hunt, from Blandford St Mary in Dorset, launched an appeal with fresh evidence to back up his claim that, after he had been on duty at the Fordingbridge country show, the woman had invited him into her home for a cup of tea and consented to sex.

New witnesses said that his accuser had been content to be in his company after the supposed "rape" and did not even change her shifts to avoid working with him. The appeal court in London also found that the trial judge had misdirected the jury.

After two years behind bars, his conviction was quashed and he was a free man, innocent in the eyes of the law.

But his ordeal was far from over. When he applied to the Home Office for compensation for the two years he had spent in jail, his claim was rejected, in June 2006, because he had not proved "beyond reasonable doubt" that there had been a miscarriage of justice.

Determined to make clear his innocence, he launched a legal case for malicious prosecution against the woman he believed had concocted the allegations against him, the "victim", named only as AB.

Mr Hunt, who was sacked from his job after his conviction and has not worked since, had to remortgage the family home, use savings and take out loans to fund his legal battle, which was based on a 1995 House of Lords ruling.

But in October 2009, to his dismay, the case was thrown out by three civil appeal judges who ruled that AB was not the "prosecutor" and therefore could not be sued for malicious prosecution. "I was devastated," Mr Hunt said.

Lord Justice Sedley, sitting with Lords Justice Wall and Moore-Bick, said the prosecution was the responsibility of the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.

There was more bad news to come and today, at the age of 69, Mr Hunt – and his wife Lynn, and their 35-year-old son Paul, who have stuck by him throughout – are mired in a legal nightmare that has brought the family to the brink of financial ruin.

Hogan Lovells, the international law firm that acted for AB, is seeking nearly £500,000 costs from Mr Hunt including £80,000 AB spent on lawyers from other firms before Lovells took up the civil case.

The law firm had initially acted pro bono – free of charge – but after four months, in June 2008, switched to a "conditional fee arrangement" (CFA). This meant that although no fees would be charged to Mrs AB it could claim back its fees from Mr Hunt if he lost the case. The fees claimed would exclude the work carried out before the CFA came into effect.

The firm was voted runner-up for the 2010 Wig and Pen prize, awarded by London law societies, for its pro bono work on the Hunt case.

A spokesman for the firm said any money recovered from Mr Hunt would be given to AB to cover costs she incurred with her original lawyers, and any money due to the firm would be given to charity – although he declined to say which charity ahead of the hearing.

Mr Hunt is contesting their claim for the costs which will be decided at a hearing at Cliffords Inn in London this week (June 9/10).

He said: "I feel disgusted. It is scandalous that Lovells can change their mind.

"I spent two years in prison as an innocent man and now they are seeking over £400,000 and trying to bankrupt me.

"I have felt suicidal at times. We are all at our wit's end."

Mr Hunt's solicitor, Stephen Taylor, of Buckinghamshire-based law firm Coyle, White Devine. said: "Mr Hunt is an innocent man who has been living in a nightmare for the past nine years."

The case has also sparked a political controversy. Questions are being asked about the role of Vera Baird, the solicitor general in the then Labour government, and a supporter of AB.

Mrs Baird said the ruling against Mr Hunt in the malicious prosecution case was "good news for the courageous Mrs AB, for women and for the criminal justice system" because it would encourage women to come forward without fear of being sued for damages if the alleged attacker was eventually acquitted.

The verdict also means that if a man is wrongly accused of rape by a woman, he can bring a case to a civil court only if he can prove beyond reasonable doubt that she perjured herself in a criminal case.

In a Radio 4 interview in November 2008, defending anonymity for complainants in rape cases, Mrs Baird said: "The point ... is to avoid the shame, the guilt of having to expose that she had been treated in this way and having to be challenged about whether she consented or not."

Robert Walter, the Conservative MP for North Dorset, who is backing Mr Hunt, said he would ask Dominic Grieve, the current Attorney General, to investigate Mrs Baird's role and examine whether she had in any way abused her position by allegedly asking Lovells to take up AB's case.

Mr Walter said the law firm should not pursue Mr Hunt for costs "since they were doing the work pro bono and he was acquitted in the criminal case. He also had a strong civil case, including fresh evidence that was ruled to be inadmissible by the judge."

Lord Newby, a Liberal Democrat peer, wrote to the law firm asking them to drop the action – but it refused.

He wrote: "If you were successful ... you would not only effectively bankrupt Mr Hunt – an innocent man – but would be doing so on the basis of what appears to be a cynical and unethical approach to business."

Another extraordinary aspect of the case is that both parties were initially reluctant to take action against each other. AB did not come forward with her rape allegation until she was contacted by detectives seven years after the incident, following the complaint to police by her friend who was being investigated by Mr Hunt over expenses and sick pay claims.

In another twist, following a complaint from Mr Hunt, the Independent Police Complaints Commission has asked Hampshire police to investigate an allegation that a prosecution witness in the original trial committed perjury.

The CPS has also been asked to investigate claims that it withheld crucial evidence from the first trial in 2003 that did not come to light until 2008.

* Last month it was revealed that Christopher Grierson, 59, a partner at Hogan Lovells, was sacked following an investigation by the firm into £1 million false expenses claims made over four years. He also faces investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Volunteer Here:Bay Area Volunteer Lawyers Program - Westchase, FL Patch

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FOCUS: Mass. towns look to rebuild after deadly tornadoes - Fall River, MA - The Herald News

A number of Massachusetts communities are confronting the long and painful task of rebuilding shattered lives and livelihoods Friday, just days after three deadly tornadoes flattened more than 200 homes, killed at least three people and scattered debris across the state.

Gov. Deval Patrick said at least 19 communities reported damage from the violent storms, which came with fair warning, in an area of the country that rarely sees such severe twisters that destroyed homes, peeled-off roofs and the toppled steeple of a 140-year-old church.

“Some of the damage was particularly profound,” Patrick said Thursday.

“In West Springfield, for example, they are reporting 88 that are total losses; in Springfield itself, about 35; in Monson 77 total losses and counting,” Patrick said. “Monson was one of the communities most significantly hit.”

If the National Weather Service agrees Wednesday’s three deaths are tornado-related, it would bring the year’s U.S. toll to 522 and make this year the deadliest for tornadoes since 1950. The highest recorded toll was 519 in 1953; four deaths from Joplin, Mo., that were added Thursday tied the record. There were deadlier years before 1950, but those counts were based on estimates.

Tornadoes are not unheard of in New England — the downtown of Connecticut’s largest city was devastated by one last June — so many people heeded warnings. That didn’t guarantee their survival; among the dead was a mother who shielded her teenage daughter as they huddled in a bathtub.

But in many cases, doing the right thing — quickly — helped save lives.

Karen Irla, 50, was leaving Adams Hometown Market in the picturesque village of Monson when she heard children on their bicycles yelling, “Look at that tornado!”

“I screamed and I screamed and I screamed, and that’s why I have no voice today,” said Irla, who drove to a nearby senior center and waited until the storm passed.

Inside the market, produce manager Frank Calabrese made a quick decision that helped keep customers and employees from coming to harm.

In a move recalling a famous video from the recent deadly tornado in Missouri that documented shoppers’ terrifying moments inside a convenience store cooler, Calabrese herded them into a walk-in freezer, where six to eight endless minutes passed while the building shook and windows shattered.

“What else are we going to do?” he said. “We sat inside and waited it out.”

No one in the store suffered a scratch.

The storms hit as many people headed home from work Wednesday, paralyzing motorists who could see the twister coming at them.

A fixed television camera caught dramatic images of a debris-filled tunnel cloud crossing the Connecticut River and slamming into Springfield, a working-class city of about 140,000 residents, where it cut a swath of destruction 10 blocks wide in some spots. The city is home to the Basketball Hall of Fame, which was spared damage.

Michael Valentin, 29, said he was eating at a soup kitchen near downtown when he started hearing thunder and went outside.

“All this was chaos,” he said. “It was like a mad wind twisting. It was destroying everything. Cars were being smashed against walls. Pieces of wood and trees were flying in the air.”

Debbie Perkins, 30, was filling up a small backyard swimming pool for some children when they spotted the funnel. They ran into the home and huddled in the basement.

“The kids, they were all screaming and crying,” Perkins said. Unlike many of her neighbors, she escaped without damage to her home.

Among the injured in Springfield was a prosecutor struck in the head by debris while walking to her car; she is expected to survive, but her name was not released.

The Hampden County district attorney, Mark Mastroianni, said he barely escaped injury himself when plate glass windows shattered and blew into his office and a conference room.

“People started to scream, ‘Get away from the windows,’ and as I was just turning to run, the glass window just came flying in,” he said.

Fabiola Guerrero wept Thursday as she returned to the wreckage of her family’s home, which collapsed and crushed to death her 39-year-old mother, Angelica, as she sheltered a younger daughter in a bathtub. Guerrero said her sister was trapped for two hours before being rescued.

Guerrero said her mother always said she would die for her daughter.

“She was an amazing woman,” she said.

The devastation was repeated in town after town around Springfield. Some of the most severe damage was in Monson, about 15 miles away, where homes were leveled and a historic church was badly damaged.

“This isn’t supposed to happen here,” Sen. John Kerry said after touring the damage in Monson, usually a quiet mountain hamlet about 90 miles west of Boston.

The toppled steeple of the First Church of Monson — founded in 1762 and rebuilt in 1873 — was a symbol of the heartbreak many residents were feeling. But townspeople were relieved that no one in the town of fewer than 10,000 was killed — and were determined to rebuild.

Gov. Patrick said he was moved by gestures of goodwill.

A woman in Monson received a phone call from someone in the Boston suburb of Milton — the governor’s hometown — who had recovered her checkbook register after the ferocious winds apparently carried it 90 miles.

He also addressed the death of the West Springfield woman who died while saving her daughter’s life by covering her in the bathtub.

“I’m a dad, and I understand a mom or dad would do anything to save their child,” Patrick said.

Authorities initially believed at least four people died but later determined that a heart attack death in Springfield was likely unrelated to the storms. A man died when a tree struck a van in West Springfield, and another person died in Brimfield, though authorities have not released details.

The governor, who declared a state of emergency allowing officials to sidestep usual regulations to provide quick relief, pledged that the state would throw all its resources behind recovery and that federal disaster assistance would be sought.

“For those who are feeling, quite understandably, that they can’t imagine what a better tomorrow would look like, I want to assure that we are working to get to that better tomorrow,” he said.

Massachusetts public health officials said about 200 people sought treatment for storm related-injuries.

Dr. Reginald Alouidor, a surgeon heading the trauma teams at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, said the injured at his hospital ranged in age from 2 to their mid-60s, with many suffering broken bones or other injuries from wind-driven debris.

Seven remained at the hospital Thursday, including a woman whose liver was lacerated when a building collapsed on her.

Police and National Guard troops went door to door in Springfield to check for any residents who were injured or otherwise needed help. The police chief confirmed reports of looting and other crimes, but no arrests were made.

Tens of thousands remained without power in the region.

Given the extent of damage, Patrick, who joined Kerry and Sen. Scott Brown for an aerial tour of the devastation, said it was remarkable there weren’t more deaths.

While two or three tornadoes hit Massachusetts on average every year, they’re usually weak and rarely strike heavily populated areas.

That may explain why the twisters caught people by surprise, said Stephen Frasier, a University of Massachusetts professor who has chased tornadoes across the Great Plains.

“Two things happened: This was bigger than the average tornado that hits Massachusetts that usually just knocks over a tree or something, and of course, it hit a populated area,” Frasier said.

Tornado watches and warnings had been posted Wednesday by the National Weather Service and were broadcast by radio and TV stations, “but people just don’t react to it here the way they do in other regions of the country,” he said.

Most Massachusetts communities also don’t have warning sirens like in the South and Plains, where people know exactly what they mean and are trained in grade school on how to react. Where sirens do exist, he said, New Englanders often treat them with curiosity rather than as a nudge to seek shelter.

In 1995, three people were killed by a tornado in the small town of Great Barrington, along the New York border. Last year’s tornado in Bridgeport, Conn., heavily damaged buildings but killed no one.

On June 9, 1953, a monster tornado sliced through Worcester and other central Massachusetts communities, killing 94 people and making it one of the deadliest single tornadoes in U.S. history.

Collins reported from West Springfield and Singer from Brimfield. Contributing were Associated Press writers Stephanie Reitz in Hartford, Conn.; and Denise Lavoie, Mark Pratt, Bob Salsberg, Sylvia Wingfield and Rodrique Ngowi in Boston.

RTÉ Sport: As It Happened: FYR Macedonia 0-2 Rep of Ireland

Watch a preview of the game here from 6pm, live coverage to starts at 8:20pm (ROI only).

Get all the UEFA Euro 2012 latest scores here.

2254 Right folks, on that note from Gilesy, that's that for tonight. A great result for Il Trap's men.

All this weekend's Euro 2012 results can be found at this link.

All the Euro 2012 tables can be found at this link.

Thanks for your flood of comments. Sorry I couldn't get to all of them.

See y'after.

2252 John Giles has just been asked how he feels about Ireland's chances of qualifying, and responded by saying: 'Very good, much better than before the match!'

2251 Also, in England's group G, Montenegro have drawn 1-1 with Bulgaria. That result means England stay top of their group.

2250 There is a full report up on the match now. Click here to get it.

2247 I forgot to mention earlier that Robbie Keane was named Man of the Match. Totally deserving of the award.

2246 Well done lads and Thank You for proving me wrong..!!!

U.S.A.

2245 Match live on Russian TV! Still can't get the GAA here though! Diarmuid Fleming!

2243 At a party in Marino. Was promised I'd get the football but when I arrived and saw a Guy in a poncho playing the bongos I knew I was screwed. Come on Ireland! Alan Patrick O'Brien.

2242 My house in Honduras has no running water but it has internet! Loving the game! Kevin Shannon

2236 Ireland now have 13 points, the same as Russia and Slovakia. Because Ireland have a worse head-to-head record than Slovakia and Russia, they are third in group B. Slovakia top the group, Russia are second. The head-to-head record works out like this:

Slovakia drew with Ireland and beat Russia (four points); Russia lost to Slovakia and beat Ireland (three points); Ireland lost to Russia and drew with Slovakia (one point).

2235 Enjoying updates while waiting for The Script concert in NY!!!

2234 Park a truck in front of goal & go on to WIN WIN WIN. I AM IN MY HOTEL FORCED TO WATCH THE RUSSIANS (highlights only)!!!!!

That bus was well and truly parked Joe!

2229 And to your comments:

James Hatch: following with sleepy head - us in Japan - pass the rice crispies!!

Frank McCaughey: Sitting on beach in Clearwater Florida refreshing. Thanks for updates. Frank

Gavin O'Flaherty: In putney, london - great text-cast and great result - do or die match in the luznicki stadium.

2226 There was much talk of players not being committed to Ireland, pulling out of the Carling Cup and losing pride in the jersey, over the last few weeks. While this was not vintage soccer, in fact at times it was pretty awful to watch, there was 100% commitment out there tonight and Ireland grafted for it. Three points in the bag and Ireland are still in the battle to win this group.

90+3 min O'Dea heads clear a long ball from Macedonia. The header rolls for a throw, but referee Meyer says there is not enough time to take it. Full-time. Ireland win 2-0.

90+2 min The corner is taken short to Long, he has a pop on goal, but it's a tame effort to be fair.

90+1 min Three minutes to be played of injury-time. McGeady breaks down the right wing and crosses to the centre. The ball is bundled out for an Ireland corner.

89 mins The Red Lions win a free outside the area and Trickovski will take it. As has been his style all night, he swaggers to the ball, but the effort on goal is poor - the shot flies over the bar.

87 min Savik gets on a long ball wide right, but the referee says handball.

Ireland break down the other end, with a break down the left. McGeady skips past Sikov and crosses to the penalty area where Keane is waiting. Keano smahes it at goal from six yards out and Noveski blocks it. The hat-trick was calling for Robbie there!

85 min Long plays towards Keane but the Ireland captain is dispossessed. Ireland win it back as Popov plays a loose pass.

84 mins Hasani squares up to shoot just outside the penalty area, but O'Dea rushes up and makes a sliding tackle. O'Dea has been a good performer this evening.

84 min Declan Tyrell: No fingernails left. Listening in Hampshire England, were sitting too far back protecting a lead as we always seem to do, com 'on you boys, step up to the plate and close the game out.

82 min No shots on target from Ireland in the second half, but no goals conceded either. A return I think we will all accept.

Popov has yet another long-distance effort at goal, that must be t the sixth or seventh he's tried. Again it sails wide.

Macedonia look demoralised now.

82 min Throw to Macedonia as Ireland once more overcook it, Hunt was the offender again. Lack of precision from the winger so far tonight.

81 min Enjoying the updates while wine tasting in upstate New York. Come on, Ireland! sprahnif@comcast.net

80 min Your messages are flooding in. I will try and get to them all shortly.

78 min Hunt gets the ball on the right, he cuts inside Hasani and goes to ground, winning a free-kick. The free is taken quickly and Kelly sprints down the right wing to get on to it. His cross is awful as he lobs it way up into the sky - the Red Lions clear it.

78 min Sitting on a ferry, pretending to be a tourist but keeping an eye on the game on me phone. Michael Tierney

76 min Gjurovski tries to spread a ball down the right wing, but he totally overcooks it and the ball runs into touch. I'd have to say, we're looking good here. They are tiring and we are defending well as a unit.

76 min In my hotel in Kathmandu Nepal at 3am, keep the updates coming. Come on Ireland! Cooker3

75 min Hasani spreads the ball to the area where Savik is wating, he crosses, but Kilbane clears.

Macedonia come again, with the ball played back to Popov. He riffles an effort at goal from way out - cracking effort, but it goes just wide. I think Given had it covered.

73 min Trickovski breaks down the left and wins the corner. It is cleared before Popov lashes it back into the box. O'Dea clears and prevents the corner. Ireland are defending stoutly now.

72 min Popov gets down the left byline and crosses deep towards the back post. Kilbane heads clear for a corner. The corner is then cleared by McGeady.

71 min Following the match from a wet Madrid on the phone! (the missus won't even let me on the laptop). Come on Ireland!

71 min In London pretending to watch a DVD with the Mrs while watching updates on the iPad, c'mon Ireland!!

70 min Ireland win a corner of their own, but O'Dea gives away a free-kick for pushing.

69 min Trickovski smashes an effort on goal from outside the penalty area. Given tips the stinging effort over the bar. Great save. The corner comes to nothing.

68 min Ivan Trickovski cuts inside Kelly on the edge of the area and fires an effort at Given. The Ireland keeper gets down quickly and makes the stop with Red Lions swarming for the fumble from the keeper. Good save.

67 min Popov crosses into the Ireland box where Hasani handballs it - free-out. No major problems for Ireland yet. Macedonia have all the possession but lack bite.

66 min Stephen Hunt tries to find Long down the right flank, but Hunt overplays the ball and it goes out for a throw.

65 min Game is live on Espn3.com for anyone in the USA without a irish boozer handy!

65 min Whelan is taken down by Trickovski in the middle of the park. Free to Ireland, nasty tackle - should have been a yello card.

Shane Long comes on for Simon Cox.

63 min Trickovski chips a ball into the box toward Pandev - cleared by O'Shea.

62 min come on The boys in Green-dont sit back-we are all supporting you here in Tenerife. Anne Murphy.

62 mins Shane Long has taken off his tracksuit and is warming up.

61 min The pace has seeped out of the game and Ireland are sitting back - worrying.

59 mins Ireland lose it in midfield again and a ball is played into the Ireland box - Given comes off his line to get to it before Pandev can.

58 min Ireland in possession and they try to go down the right with Hunt, but Popov steals back possession.

Another break up the left from the Red Lions and a ball is crossed deep to the far right-side of the Ireladn penalty area. Pandev takes it down and fires past Given to the back of the net, but the assistant referee calls it back for handball!

56 min Red Lions break up the left wing and the ball is eventually passed in to Trickovski who fails to stop it and the ball rolls past him.

56 min Come on Ireland,finish it out....Marty in pacific beach san Diego

55 min Getting the text updates while fishing at the Delaware Water Gap in NJ/PA USA. Not a bad world after all

54 min The ball is played short to Hunt, who tries to cross to the box, but succeeds in smashing the ball into the stands. The less said about that the better.

53 min Free-out for Ireland. O'Shea takes it but it is poor and the Red Lions win it back, before failing to use ti adn McGeady gets possession, before breaking down the left wing. He wins a corner.

52 min Its pandevmonium for Macedonia up front!! any chance of a shout out to James, Damo, Ciaran, Cathal, Cuss and Sparrow

Pandevmonium - love it!

51 min The lazer is still being shone in Given's eyes, but his groin doesn't appear to be troubling him.

50 min Robbie Keane get on the end of a loose ball from an Ireladn free-kick. On the edge of the area he tries to chip the keeper, but he can't get the right height and it lands in the keeper's arms.

49 min Wet afternoon here in Bogotá only bright spot is watching Ireland winning!!

48 min Shay Given was administered a pain-killing injection for his troublesome groin at half-time.

47 min Ireland go wide left, but McGeady can't control the ball and it runs out of play.

46 min Andrews finds Keane, who is fouled with a bad tackle from Grncarov.

45 min The Red Lions start the second half.

2135 The teams are back out on the pitch in Skopje.

2132 Declan Lyons: Greetings, Please tell George that the stadium, Emperor Philip the 2nd in Skopje is not new. It has been built slowly over the past 20 years. I lived close to the stadium for nearly two years and went to a Liverpool match there last year. Macedonia have been building the stadium for 20 years!

Best wishes.

Cheers for the info Declan.

2130 Aidan Connolly, Washington DC: Only found one pub in DC showing the game. Fados in chinatown. I thought washington was the capital of a superpower?

I don't think superpowers are classified according to how many Irish pubs they have Aidan!

2129 For the seconnd penalty - which was given by the referee - O'Shea caught Pandev in his private parts - no doubt it was a spot-kick!

2127 The Three Wise Men in studio agree that the first Macedonia penalty shout was stonewall, so we were lucky in that regard.

2125 Hello from Mike McDonagh in Benghasi, Libya.

Howya Mikeo!

2124 One worrying development is that Shay Given is carrying a groin injiry, with David Forde warming-up throughout the first half on the sidelines. Given was given some painkillers from the Ireland medical team in the hope that it will hold off the injury.

2120 A drastic deflection and an awful error from Grncarov has led to two Robbie Keane goals - his 50th and 51st international strikes. These net-busters have Ireland leading 2-0 at the interval. However, O'Shea gave away one penalty, and the referee let another go which should have been a spot-kick. Luckily Trickovski struck the crossbar with the penalty awarded in the 41st minute and Ireland head into the second half in excellent shape for three points.

45+3 min Kilbane loses concentration and gives the ball away to Macedonia. He has to scramble it into touch. Zinedine Skillbane at his best there!

45+2 min Long ball into the Ireland box, Kelly claims it and clears to Hunt. Hunt bashes the ball up field.

45+1 min Three minutes of added time to be played.

45 min A ball almost goes through to Pandev, but Whelan cuts out the danger.

44 min FULL-TIME: SLOVAKIA 1-0 ANDORRA: Slovakia have beaten Andorra 1-0 and go back to the top of group B.

43 min In Singapore, it's 4am, watching the match on TV, but listening to the commentary from the RTE Radio 1 team over the internet - c'mon Ireland!

Another long ball into the Ireland box and Pandev races on to it. O'Shea has totally lost Pandev, and he throws out a leg to attempt to stop the ball, he succeeds only in kicking Pandev in the groin and the striker goes to ground. Penalty Macedonia.

Ivan Trickovski steps up to take the penalty and blasts it high and left. Given dives the wrong way and is beaten, but the ball hits the crossbar and bounces back into play. Ireland clear the danger.

39 min The Red Lions win a free on the edge of the Ireland box. Popov stands up to take it and lashes the effort into the Ireland wall.

37 min FYR MACEDONIA 0-2 REP OF IRELAND (Keane 36)

Boban Grncarov is passed the ball by Nikolce Noveski across the face of goal and Grncarov tries to play the ball to his keeper, but he slices the ball into the path of Keane. Robbie latches on to the loose ball, strides into the box and finishes with class into the bottom left-hand corner.

36 min Robbie Keane is caught offside trying to get on the end of a long ball and Macedonia win a free-kick.

35 min A ball is played into the Ireland area and it's right into the danger area. Given comes out and fists clear, but comes through the back of O'Dea, kneeing him in the back. O'Dea is in some pain after that and needs some treatment.

2105 Pictured below: Robbie Keane scores Ireland's opener.

32 min Popov is played the ball by Pandev across the 18-yard line. Popov tries to dart past Kelly, and does, then lashes an effort at goal. It's a decent effort and flashes low and towards the bottom-right corner - Given gets down well to make the save.

31 min Slovakia 1-0 Andorra with eight minutes to go in Bratislava.

30 min The free-kick is rolled to Keith Andrews and he cracks an effort on goal. Bogatinov fumbles it and the ball rolls clear, bu there is no Ireland players in the box to finish it. Huge chance.

29 min Kilbane tries a long throw which is lost, but Macedonia fail to clear and McGeady wins possession. He has a run at goal and Sumulikoski scythes through him. Free-in for Ireland.

28 min Andrews is involved in a clash of heads and is off the pitch to get attention. Blood is streaming from his head and onto his jersey.

26 min Trickovski smashes the free across the goal and Kilbane rises high to head clear -very important header, as several Red Lions were waiting to get on the end of the delivery.

26 mins Macedonia getting into their stride now and stroking it around. Pandev is pushed over by Kelly and wins a free wide left.

24 min Pandev is played the ball on the left and breaks past O'Shea. The Man United man is caught for pace and Pandev races past. O'Shea pulls him back and then falls over, brining Pandev to the ground. The referee says no penalty, when it looked stonewell. Lucky for Ireland.

23 min A ball is whipped into the Ireland box from wide left and Kilbane must rise high to head clear the danger.

22 min Pandev tries a return pass, but it is useless and finds O'Shea, but he fails to clear well and the ball falls to Ivan Trickovski. He swipes at the ball and it sails over the bar.

21 min The Red Lions play it down the left and find Pandev, he tries to slip a ball through to Despotovski, but the pass is cut out.

19 min Kilbane is drenched in sweat- revealing the heat and humidity out in Skopje.

18 min All Ireland in terms of possession so far. McGeady breaks down the left and crosses to the centre, but it's too close to keeper Bogatinov and he claims it easily.

17 min Cox lays off to Kelly on the right wing, Kelly tries to cross but Noveski clears the danger.

15 min Keane wins the ball in the middle of the park and strides forward, he then plays a ball wide right to Cox, who fires the ball home from outside the penalty area. But, the assistant referee says offside. Totally wrong call, Cox was a mile onside. It should be 2-0.

14 min A cat has just run across the pitch in Skopje. Weird.

13 min Red Lions play a ball over the top and it reaches Pandev, who has been played onside by Kilbane. Pandev fires at goal, trying to nutmeg Given. But the Man City man saves with his right leg, from point-blank range.

11 min The free-kick is played into the box and deflects to Cox, but he is at a very tight angle and his shot on goal is blocked and cleared by the Macedonia keeper Bogatinov.

10 min Andrew tries to feed Cox, but the West Brom man is fouled on the edge of the box and wins a free-kick.

Cox plays a ball to Robbie Keane just outside the penalty area and Keane squares-up and shoots. The effort takes a wild deflection off a Macedonia defender and loops up and over the Red Lions keeper and into the net - Ireland lead.

7 min Pass forward to Pandev, this time O'Shea wins the ball fair and square and get the ball to Hunt, who is clipped on the ankle and wins a free-out.

6 mins Pandev wins a free in the middle of the park as O'Shea forces him to the ground.

5 min There is a dropped ball to resume the game following the laser incident. The announcer has used the tannoy to tell the crowd to stop using lasers.

I live in a DRY County !!!!!!! No Pubs allowed....

Bill saw me a few weeks ago , didn't stop for a chat do....I was

too busy !!!

Didn't realize that John! You poor fella, you must have a good excuse for living there so!

3 min A red laser has been shone into the face of Shay Given in goal and he has mentioned it to the referee asking him to help. The referee has a word with his linesman to ask him to get it resolved.

2 min A long ball forward from the Red Lions, but O'Shea closes it out by stepping up and Pandev is caught offside.

1 min Early shot from Whelan from way out and in goes harmlessly wide left - nowhere close.

2032 Ireland will kick-off in Skopje and they have done so.

2030 I am living Calgary for past 15 years and certainly don't miss the negativity e g Giles let's look at draw...some things never change!

2030 All the best Ireland!

From Gerry Gregg in The Turks and Caicos Islands.

2029 This the first time that Macedonia have played in their new national stadium, they look proud as punch with their new gaff. Let's hope they are overly generous host to Ireland tonight. A glass of wine, cheesboard and three points will do nicely Macedonia.

2027 Today Over Macedonia is the national anthem of the Republic of Macedonia. Have a listen and form your own views on Todor Skalovski and Vlado Maleski's effort:

2026 Amhrán na bhFiann is aired in Skopje, with the Irish boys adorned in their 'famous' white jersey, with green shorts and socks.

2025 German lawyer Florian Meyer leads out the teams in Skopje at the National Arena Filip II Macedonian.

2022 Wating for R.T.E.'s play by play on the computer here in Conway, Arkansas.U.S.A. Dodgy looking team selection, but what else do we have? Not very confident...

Hope the lads prove me wrong .

U.S.A.

That makes two of us John! How's Bill Clinton these days? Do you see him down the local pubs in Arkansas much?

2020 John Giles reckons Ireland have too many injuries for this one and will only manage a draw.

2018 Kick-off less than ten minutes away in Skopje. The Three Wise Men in studio are questioning the credentials of the new keeper, insuating that if he couldn't keep Nuredinovski out of the side he must be even more rubbish!

2008 The full teams for tonight's encounter are:

FYR Macedonia:

Substitutes:

Rep of Ireland:

Substitutes:

2005 TheFeth: What happened to the macedonia keeper?

He was rubbish against us! He let in a soft Aiden McGeady strike and spilled a free-kick which Robbie knocked-in for our second. Obviously Mirsad Jonuz saw sense and dropped Nuredinovski to the bench.

2003 Former Ireland internationalLiam Brady has just strolled by and stolen my copy of the Irish Times!

2000 Half-time approaching in Bratislava at Štadión Pasienky, Bratislava. Slovakia still 0-0 with Andorra and looking very poor. Long way to go though, surely they will take the win?

1958 thisistheone28 Adrian: Ireland have to win tonight if they are to have chance of topping the group, going for 2-1 win....Adrian from Cork

1947 I don't want to raise hopes but Slovakia have been held scoreless by Andorra in the first 30 minutes.

1944 Macedonia have replaced goalkeeper Edin Nuredinoski with Martin Bogatinov following his personal disaster in the Aviva Stadium, while Filip Despotovski comes in for Darko Tasevski.

1942 Four ex-League of Ireland players on that bench.

1938 Subs: David Forde, Paul McShane, Seamus Coleman, Keith Fahey, Shane Long, Andy Keogh, Kevin Foley.

1936 Ireland team: Shay Given, Stephen Kelly, Darren O'Dea, John O'Shea, Kevin Kilbane; Aidan McGeady, Glenn Whelan, Keith Andrews, Stephen Hunt; Robbie Keane, Simon Cox

1912 Right peeps, I'm off for a quick break before the main big one. Back soon. Score updates on the matches currently taking place at the link above.

1905 So, the way Ireland's group B table stands after Russia's defeat of Armenia is that Russia go top on 13 points, while Ireland are second on ten points. Slovakia are third, also on ten points. Ireland and Slovakia's head-to-head record stands at one draw, but Ireland have a better goal difference, so they are second in the table.

But, if Slovakia and Ireland both win tonight, they join Russia on 13 points. Then it goes down to a head-to-head between all three teams. In that case, Slovakia will be top because they drew with Ireland and beat Russia (four points); Russia lost to Slovakia and beat Ireland (three points); Ireland lost to Russia and drew with Slovakia (one point). Bit of a statistics quagmire that one!

1902 For those of you interested in Gaelic games, the Kerry v Limerick Munster SFC semi-final has thrown-in in Limerick. Get coverage of that here.

1857 Aleksandrs Cauna pulls a goal back for Latvia on 62 minutes with a penalty. Latvia 1-2 Israel

1835 Downing crosses from the eight to Ferdinand in the Swiss area. Ferdinand heads down and into the path of the onrushing Downing. The Villa man storms in on the ball with just the keeper to beat, but he fires into the side netting. A wonderful chance to win it at the end is gone and Skomina blows the full-time whistle.

1833 Mehmedi finds possession on the left edge of the England box and has a pop at goal. The effort whistles across goal and just past Hart's far post - that was so close. Three minutes into injury time and it's next goal wins.

1831 Last minutes of normal time in London.

1830 Ferdinand fouls Admir Mehmedi on the edge of the England area and is booked. Shaqiri whips the cross into the box, nobody gets a touch and it goes out for a throw. Ashley Young is named Man of the Match.

1827 The Swiss have all the ball and England can't impose themselves at all. When they finally win the ball the passing just isn't good enough.

1826 Shaqiri takes a corner for the Swiss from the right, Milner gets a head to it and puts it out for another corner. The second effort is claimed by Hart.

1824 Milner breaks down the left and beats Djorou before pulling back to Young, but the Villa man is under pressure from another Swiss defender and can only manage to slice his effort over the bar from four yards out. Time is running out for the England boys now.

1823 England are getting precious little of the ball as the Swiss try to play keep-ball and claim a draw.

1821 A Tal Ben-Haim penalty just before half-time puts Isreal 2-0 up against Latvia.

1820 Stewart Downing comes on for Theo Walcott. England are now led by an all-Aston Villa attack of Bent, Young and Downing.

1819 Giovanni Trapattoni: 'We have the possibility to win this game. We need to believe.'

1816 Just over 15 minutes left for England to find a winner.

1812 Amazing chance for England on 71 minutes. Young beats four Swiss defenders to waltz to the edge of the Swiss area before smashing a shot at goal. Benaglio can only parry Young's effort and it falls to Bent two metres from goal. Bent blasts the shot over the bar, skying the chance into the stands. Sitter.

1809 England have 23 minutes to score a winner in London. If England only draw and Montengro beat Bulgaria in Podgorica, England slip off top spot and into the play-off spot in group G. Republic v England Euro 2012 play-off anybody?

1807 John Giles: 'I am amazed that Long isn't in the Ireland team.'

1806 Darren Bent has a glorious chance to give England the lead on 64 minutes. Bent is through on goal with the keeper to beat, but Benaglio rushes out to smother Bent's shot. Great save.

1804 RTÉ.ie's GAA guru and Sligo Rovers-addict Rory Houston believes Ireland will also concede a goal and that a draw is the best they can hope for.

Eamon Dunphy: 'Having Cox in the team is a decision bordering on crazy.'

1803 Eamon Dunphy: 'The omens are bad because we are missing so many players.'

Optimistic from Eamo there!

1801 Ashley Young came on for Frank Lampard at half-time for England. Lampard didn't appear to be injured so one must imagine that Capello wanted to change things tactically.

1758 Back in London, England are searching for a third goal to take the lead for the first time against Switzerland. You got the feeling they will get it.

Chances galore for Armenia, but no cutting edge. Russia go three points clear at the top of group B. Ireland and Slovakia will try to close that gap this evening.

1756 Yossi Benayoun has put Israel 1-0 up over Latvia after 19 minutes.

1755 Pictured below: Frank Lampard smashes home England's first goal from the penalty spot at Wembley.

1752 Ashley Young equalises for England on 51 minutes. James Milner clips a ball into the Swiss box, where Leighton Baines chests down for Young. The winger glances up and smashes a shot left to right into the bottom right-hand corner. Smashing goal. England 2-2 Switzerland

1748 On 85 minutes, Armenia's Henrik Mkhitaryan get a touch on free-kick from wide left of the Russian goal and the ball flies to the back of the Russian net. But, the referee's assistant correctly rules out the goal for offside.

1740 Well people, what are your thoughts on tonight's Ireland match? Tweet or email me with predictions and I'll try to get to as many as possible.

1735 Yuri Zhirkov is taken down by Sargis Hovsepyan on the left side of the Armenia box - penalty. Pavlyuchenko steps up for spot kick and passes a shot into the right side of the net. Keeper Roman Berezovsky was rooted to the spot. A hat-trick for Pavlyuchenko and the game is wrapped up with that 73rd-minute strike. Russia 3-1 Armenia

1734 Twenty minutes to play in St Petersburg. If Russia hold on they will go three clear at the top of group B.

1731 Lampard has a go at goal from wide left, with a free-kick. It's an awful effort and sails wide right - the Swiss fans jeer the Chelsea man. Shortly after that referee Damir Skomina of Slovenia blows for half-time. Capello and the Three Lions are booed off the Wembley pitch.

1730 In case you missed it earlier. BREAKING NEWS: Robbie Keane has come through a late fitness test and is expected to play some part in tonight's match against FYR Macedonia.

1729 After that crazy five minutes the pace has dropped down in Wembley as England try to work out how they are going to get back into this one.

1724 England pull one back with a Frank Lampard penalty on 37 minutes. Jack Wilshere was brought down in the area by his Arsenal team-mate Johan Djourou and the Chelsea midfielder smashed home the spot-kick low-left, with the effort slipping under keeper Diego Benaglio. England 1-2 Switzerland

1723 Pavlyuchenko gets on the end of a looped cross from the left to blast the ball into the corner of the net and give Russia a 2-1 lead. Russia hadn't really threatened prior to that goal so it will come as a big relief to the home supporters. Armenia 1-2 Russia

1721 Two-nil to Switzerland on 35 minutes. The Swiss win another free on the left. This time it is just outside the box, a metre from the endline.

Barnetta takes it again, the wall splits early and Barnetta curls it between the wall at the near post. Hart is caught with too much space on his near post and tries to scamper across to get to the direct effort on goal. He can't as the ball squeezes past his foot and in. England 0-2 Switzerland

1717 Switzerland take the lead in Wembley on 32 minutes. Tranquillo Barnetta takes a free-kick from left of goal, ten metres outside the penalty area. Barnetta puts serious pace on it and the ball goes right across the penalty area. Hart stays rooted to the spot, waiting for a Swiss head to get a touch, nobody does, and Ferdinand misses an attempted headed clearance, leaving the ball to float into the far-right corner. England 0-1 Switzerland

1716 Ashley Cole has come off with an injury. He is replaced by Leighton Baines.

1713 BREAKING NEWS: Robbie Keane has come through a late fitness test and is expected to play some part in tonight's match against FYR Macedonia.

1712 Rio Ferdinand gets on the end of a Frank Lampard cross from the right and makes good contact. The ball skims the crossbar and over. Best chance yet for England.

1709 Parker lobs a cross to the far-right post, where James Milner is waiting. The Man City man gets a head to it, but the effort is poor and whimpers wide.

1705 England can't really get going at all so far. Poor passing, lack of incision, no coherence. As I write that Joe Hart is tested by Shaqiri, as the Swiss player curls an effort on goal from wide right of goal; Hart had to dive to his right to palm away a powerful shot. Bit dodge so far from Fabio Capello's charges.

1701 First chance for England, Walcott gets free on the right and breaks towards goal. He gets caught in two minds as he tries to go past a defender and leaves the ball behind him. Great position, poor execution from the Arsenal winger.

1658 Both teams trying to find their feet in London. No chances yet.

1651 One minute of injury-time in Russia. Armenia get a free-kick just outside the box, it is curled over the wall, but takes a deflection as it does and goes out for a corner. That's the last action of the half as Lannoy blows-up for half-time.

1649 Dry in sunny in London for England's clash with Switzerland. A big chance for Bent to impress up front for England. The Aston Villa striker leads the attack by himself, his tenth appearance for the Three Lions.

1646 Coming up to half-time in St Petersburg and there have been no more scoring chance for either side. Low-key is the best description of the game so far.

1640 England kick-off against Switzerland at 4.45pm in Wembley. The England team is as follows: Hart; G Johnson, Cole,

Ferdinand, Terry; Parker, Walcott, Lampard, Wilshere, Milner; Bent.

1633 Action in the first of today's matches is under way, with Armenia v Russia having kicked-off at 4pm. This game, of course, is part of Ireland's group B.

Just before the half-hour mark there was high drama in Petrovski Stadion, St Petersburg, as Marco Pizzelli gave the away team the lead when he found himself one-on-one with the keeper and bundled home a shot on goal.

That joy was short lived as Russia broke downfield from the restart, where a right-wing cross found Roman Pavlyuchenko unmarked on the left-hand side of the penalty area. The Tottenham striker lashed an effort on goal, which was saved by Roman Berezovsky. However, referee Stéphane Lannoy of France ruled the ball had crossed the line before the save was made and awarded the equaliser. Russia 1-1 Armenia

1450 'Having a Macedonia': the turn-of-phrase coined by the Republic of Ireland soccer team to indicate having a nightmare of a match/training session/or just about anything that goes badly.

The expression was born from the Republic's 3-2 defeat in Skopje in April 1997, a 1998 World Cup qualifying match. Ireland were 2-1 down at half-time and a Jason McAteer kung-fu kick on Mitko Stojkovski saw the winger red-carded to compound Ireland's misery. Ireland finished second in their group and lost to Belgium in the play-offs.

It was a disaster all around and subsequently led to the worst player in training having to wear a tee-shirt saying 'I had a Macedonia'.

It got little better when Ireland conceded a late equaliser to the same opposition in October 1999. A win in that game, combined with Yugoslavia failing to win their match away to Croatia, would have seen Ireland win their group and qualify for Euro 2000. As it was, Ireland drew, Yugoslavia drew, and the Yugoslavs won the group. Ireland lost in the play-offs to Turkey - on away goals.

In Dublin, Ireland won the home legs of those ties 3-0 ( October 1996) and 1-0 (June 1999). This Euro 2012 qualifying campaign has been true to form, Ireland won 2-1 in the home match against Macedonia in March of this year. Can they buck history, start a new chapter, and earn three points in Skopje? By 10.30pm we will know the answer.

1430 Hello and welcome on this massive day for the Republic of Ireland in their bid to qualify for the 2012 European Championship.

Giovanni Trapattoni's men are in Macedonia for a crunch qualifying game. We'll guide you through every minute of the action here. Kick-off is 8:30pm.