Roy Hodgson has told Gareth Bale not to question Englands passion or patriotism ahead of Thursdays crunch Euro 2016 clash against Wales. Bale claimed last week Welsh players had more desire than their neighbours and that England big themselves up before theyve done anything. Play Super 6! Enter the next round of the Super 6 game right NOW! Wales went on to win their Group B opener 2-1 over Slovakia, while Hodgsons men were held to a 1-1 draw after Russias injury-time equaliser. That makes the stakes in Lens even higher than they already were, with qualification potentially at stake as well as bragging rights. Roy Hodgson has no concerns about Englands passion Receiving disrespectful comments is part and parcel of being a footballer and a football coach, Hodgson said.I dont ever comment on other people. Ive been in the game sufficiently long to know every opponent has got an opinion, the other day it was (Russia goalkeeper Igor) Akinfeev saying we were the worst seeded team and now its Gareth Bale. Wales goal hero Hal Robson-Kanu believes they have the players to upset England in their Euro 2016 showdown They can have those opinions but I dont have any doubts personally about our patriotism or desire and thats the important thing.If he believes that thats the case, hes welcome to that opinion.But we know who we are, we know what we are. We dont have any doubts about ourselves in that respect. Lessons for Hodgson? Five things we all learned from Englands 1-1 draw with Russia in Marseille on Saturday. Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney has said he personally rates Bale among the worlds best, but Englands collective quality means he is not getting hung up on the Real Madrid star ahead of their Euro 2016 clash.I think he is a fantastic player, probably in the top five players in the world, the England captain said.He is the biggest threat for Wales, but I dont think we will go out and man-mark him.I think we have to go out and play our game. They will have a lot to think about our team, too.I think weve got a good team, a good solid team and Im sure it will be a fascinating game.Catch up with all the latest Euro 2016 news with Euro Breakfast each morning on Sky Sports News HQ from 6am Get Euro 2016 Alerts Breaking news from Euro 2016, direct to your mobile Also See: England in wind-down mode Lessons for Hodgson England player ratings Is Dier Englands key man Air Force 1 White Cheap . The top-ranked Spaniard won his fourth Madrid Open on Sunday after Kei Nishikori was forced to withdraw with a hip injury when trailing 2-6, 6-4, 3-0 in the final. And Nadal, who is coming off to uncharacteristic quarterfinal losses on clay, said his mental strength is still lacking just two weeks ahead of the French Open. Air Force 270 China . Louis Cardinals are one of Major League Baseballs model franchises. http://www.airforce1storesale.com/fake-a...outlet.html.com) - Darius Carter and Ron Baker scored 18 points apiece to help 13th-ranked Wichita State beat Evansville 61-41 on Saturday. Air Force 1 Green Cheap . Of course that doesnt mean hes ignoring it. Thats actually rather impossible given the behind-the-scenes access to the Toronto Maple Leafs the network is getting. Air Force 1 Black Fake . A quick first step to get to the hoop for a layup. A rousing dunk on the break off a high outlet pass saved by teammate Ramon Sessions. PHOENIX -- Kevin Towers appeared to have a tenuous hold on his job as Arizonas general manager when the Diamondbacks hired Tony La Russa to run their baseball operations. Though the Hall of Fame manager said he was going to evaluate the entire organization, it seemed only to be a matter of time before the reins were taken away from Towers. The change came on Friday, when Arizona fired Towers in the midst of a third straight disappointing season, less than four months after La Russa was named chief baseball officer. "Over the past three months, I have had the opportunity to evaluate all aspects of our baseball operations and have decided to restructure our staff in order to improve our decision-making process," La Russa said. "I have the utmost respect for Kevin and a friendship with him that dates back many years which has allowed me to appreciate his talents and experience." Towers was hired in 2010 after 14 seasons as the San Diego Padres general manager. He had almost immediate success, pulling off all the right moves to help Arizona win the 2011 NL West crown, its first division title since 2007. Since then, Towers moves havent paid off quite as well and the Diamondbacks have suffered, following a pair of .500 seasons with a nosedive this year. "You can see it coming but you dont want to believe it," catcher Miguel Montero said. "Its really sad that its come to this." Plagued by injuries and subpar seasons from players it had counted on, Arizona lost 22 of its first 30 games to plummet into last place and never really recovered, entering Friday nights game at 59-81 -- 11 1-2 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers. "Its a bummer," first baseman Mark Trumbo said. "You never want to see anyone relieved of their role in the organization, especially when it comes as a result of the team underperforming." Towers said La Russa told him he wanted to restructure the front office a couple of weeks ago and was offered another position within the organization. Towers plans to stay with the organization at least until the Diamondbacks hire a new GM and decide on his future once he knows who the new person will be. La Russa said current agent Dave Stewart, a pitcher under La Russa with the Oakland Athletics, and St. Louis farm director Gary LaRocque are on Arizonas list of potential replacements. He also has talked to Diamondbacks scouting director Ray Montgomery, and asked permission to speak with New York Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler and Los Angeles Angels scouting director Hal Moorris.dddddddddddd "When I took this job in 2010, we wanted to win a World Series and we won very early here, set high standards for ourselves," Towers said. "Since 2011, we havent met the standards that we hoped, ownership had hoped for and our fan base hoped for, and ultimately Im going to be held accountable for that." With manager Kirk Gibson at the helm, Arizona had a dramatic turnaround in 2011, winning 94 games and the NL West after losing 97 games the season before. The success didnt continue. Arizona went 81-81 the next two seasons despite a slew of moves by Towers and took another step backward this season after Gibson and Towers were given contract extensions. "I look at K.T. and the thing that comes to my mind is how much better the organization is right now than we he arrived," Gibson said. "Hes done a great job." Injuries were a big part of the fall this season. The Diamondbacks lost their No. 1 starter and setup man before the season even started, when Patrick Corbin and David Hernandez underwent Tommy John surgery. Trumbo, the teams key off-season acquisition, was tied for the NL lead in homers and second in RBIs, but went down with a stress fracture in his foot less than a month into the season. Outfielder A.J. Pollock also missed significant time with a broken hand and All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was lost for the season last month with a broken hand. "Wish we could have stayed healthy and enjoyed success year after year, but this season was a very trying year and when you dont meet expectations, things like this happen -- and I know that," Towers said. Even before the injuries struck, the Diamondbacks laboured after a series of deals by Towers didnt pan out. The big trade under Towers came before the 2013 season, when the Diamondbacks sent outfielder Justin Upton to the Braves for top pitching prospect Randall Delgado and three minor leaguers. Upton has continued to produce in Atlanta while the players Arizona got in return have yet to have much of an impact. Towers also traded away several starting pitchers, including Ian Kennedy, Trevor Bauer, Jarrod Parker and Tyler Skaggs, along with outfielder Adam Eaton. With the team out of contention, Towers and the Diamondbacks began dismantling the team around the trade deadline, pulling off deals that sent right-hander Brandon McCarthy, third baseman Martin Prado -- the key cog in the Upton trade -- and outfielder Gerardo Parra out of the desert. ' ' '