# Euro 2012



## Canadian Brotha

If you're going to watch it then post your team(s) & commentary in this thread!


----------



## sporteous

Spain will probably win again.


----------



## tommo1234

COME ON ENGLAND NO EXPECTATION FOR ONCE....WE'LL GET SPAIN IN THE QUARTER FINALS AND BEAT THEM

lol jks we're going to get knocked out at the group stages.


COME ON LADS LET'S DO THIS!


----------



## sleepytime

If I have to pick just one I'll say Germany. Germany, Spain, and Holland are the 3 best teams in Europe right now.


----------



## PineconeMachine

I'm guessing that either Germany or Spain will win the tournament. (Holland have a good chance as well...) My dark horses are: France & Italy.

I hope the host nations do well too.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Traditionally my European country teams are France or The Netherlands but we all know the story of France in recent years & I'm looking forward to watching Germany go far too.

Like most I see Germany or Spain taking it with The Netherlands as the outsider but some good upsets are always fun too!


----------



## Kingpin

I'm looking forward to my team bumraping Portugal on Saturday. 8)


----------



## moxosis

Sweden will win group D

Everyone is focusing on France and England but forget Sweden.

Go Sweden!


----------



## SPC

denmark cant even get a touch right now!

edit: oh lawd i spoke too soon, denmark 1 holland 00000


----------



## Kingpin

mark101 said:


> Holland v Denmark about to kick off,come on Van Persie lets see you play at your best
> 
> Hope he's staying at Arsenal


He was a failure today, but I thought Sneijder was sublime.

Good result for my team.


----------



## 67budp

Even though they couldn't find the goal today, I still like the Netherlands to advance. They have so many weapons.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The Danes uspet & the Germans make hard work of it, loving the Euros so far!


----------



## Luna Sea

Man that game was boring. Hopefully Spain can up the quality of football from what we've seen so far.


----------



## sleepytime

TristanS said:


> Man that game was boring. Hopefully Spain can up the quality of football from what we've seen so far.


Yea that was difficult to watch, same with the earlier game. Always the way when one team are set up purely to contain the other team. My lot are playing tomorrow, they'll send everyone to sleep for sure lol


----------



## The Lost Key

Dont write off Irish, we could be the dark horse like Greece were in 2004 : )


----------



## PineconeMachine

It has been a dull tournament thus far; The last 20 minutes of Germany/Portugal notwithstanding. Hoping for better quality in the coming days..


----------



## Kingpin

Tough game, but Hummels was ace.


----------



## Loveless

Germany ALL THE WAY BABAH. Beat them dutchboys silly. Show then Danes it ain't 92 anymo'. We already beat those Portuguese. Now lets get those 9 points and then win Euro, and show the world who we are. YEAH


----------



## sleepytime

The Lost Key said:


> Dont write off Irish, we could be the dark horse like Greece were in 2004 : )


I think we might pick up a draw against Croatia and/or Italy at the very best, but I'd be amazed if we finish with more than a point or two. We would definitely need a similar type of miracle to the Greeks


----------



## moxosis

Danmark 1-0 Holland you can't believe how good this feels.
Nobody is paying attention to the Danmark and Sweden, everyone is thinking Germany, Holland, France and England will go through to the next round.


----------



## jayjaythejetplane

Denmark's coach looks like an evil scientist, no?










I'll look forward to his starring role in Hostel 4.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

moxosis said:


> Danmark 1-0 Holland you can't believe how good this feels.
> Nobody is paying attention to the Danmark and Sweden, everyone is thinking Germany, Holland, France and England will go through to the next round.


Denmark were fairly well organized. My was saying they lost to Brazil in a friendly before the comp & learned their defensive lessons from it.

Also, I agree Sweden are being overlooked, I think they will go through with either England or France


----------



## Nefury

Not doing so well with my bets so far :[ random results are random, England better beat France.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Teams seem to be adapting to the once unbeatable Barcelona/Spanish possession game & managing to stay organized for the majority of the match stifling that approach. We seen it today in the Italy/Spain game & in the Champions League with Chelsea/Barcelona. There are some quite brilliant defensive master classes coming about.

I quite enjoyed the Ireland/Croatia game, good vibe about it all around.

I love the Brits generally but the English national team tends to disappoint so I'm usually neutral when I see them play, never know what to expect. That said I can't wait to see France take them out tomorrow! For me the Swedes & French are taking this group


----------



## avoidobot3000

England vs France :O~~ Apparently Hodgson is going to start Oxlade-Chamberlain, which is a bold move. I think we will see some goals. I hope so. :teeth


----------



## Luna Sea

ENG-ER-LUND!

*cracks open a cold cider*

Now the tournament proper starts!


----------



## Luna Sea

I just went up to the co-op for it. If the game is bad, I'm not watching it sober. I have a good feeling though; not necessarily about our chances of winning, but I think it'll be a good match. Neither team is strong enough defensively to ruin it.


----------



## Winds

Lescott finally went back to putting the ball in the opposing team net instead of his own :teeth


----------



## Canadian Brotha

EastWinds said:


> Lescott finally went back to putting the ball in the opposing team net instead of his own :teeth


Priceless! haha


----------



## Banzai

mark101 said:


> Damn i have no alcohol how am i gonna drown my sorrows? lol


Hand sanitiser or mouth wash?


----------



## coldsorehighlighter

I've been watching France v England for about 20 minutes now, and I've had to resist turning the channel every time a player gets touched and falls to the ground and starts flopping around like a fish on land. It's a beautiful game, but this diving/flopping is almost too much for me to handle...do they penalize diving? Maybe start fining players who get hit in the shoulder with another players elbow but who fall to the ground and grab their head.


----------



## Nogy

Meh, not impressed with England. All they did was keep their entire team behind the ball and crowd their defensive third. They made that game quite a bore to watch. Although it was probably a good strategy for them...it just doesn't make for an exciting game


----------



## Nogy

the cheat said:


> I've been watching France v England for about 20 minutes now, and I've had to resist turning the channel every time a player gets touched and falls to the ground and starts flopping around like a fish on land. It's a beautiful game, but this diving/flopping is almost too much for me to handle...do they penalize diving? Maybe start fining players who get hit in the shoulder with another players elbow but who fall to the ground and grab their head.


 Yeah you can get yellow carded for diving, although i don't see it happen often. It usually only happens if its an obvious dive inside the penalty box in an attemp to get a PK


----------



## Canadian Brotha

So far I've been far more entertained by the teams with less hype, Russia, Croatia, The Irish put up a bit of a fight too


----------



## coldsorehighlighter

Nogy said:


> Yeah you can get yellow carded for diving, although i don't see it happen often. It usually only happens if its an obvious dive inside the penalty box in an attemp to get a PK


Without the ref having the benefit of using replay during the game, it doesn't work. 90% of dive's are probably believable in real-time, to the ref. 
Maybe post-game they can review and assess yellow cards to start the next game. Something has to happen though, it's gross and hard to watch.


----------



## Nogy

Canadian Brotha said:


> So far I've been far more entertained by the teams with less hype, Russia, Croatia, The Irish put up a bit of a fight too


Yeah, Russia and Croatia looked good in their matches. Granted, the Czech defense was wide open lol. I was probably most impressed by Italy though, they played well against Spain (playing without a forward, wtf? lol)


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Nogy said:


> Yeah, Russia and Croatia looked good in their matches. Granted, the Czech defense was wide open lol. I was probably most impressed by Italy though, they played well against Spain (playing without a forward, wtf? lol)


Italy did look good. Pirlo is a Maestro, always picking beautiful passes. The Spanish setup was dumb & it showed as soon a Torres came on, they opened up, had an outlet. You can't fill the field with passing play makers and expect goals, someone has to be selfish & go for glory running through the middle up top


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The French & Swedish kits of today's games are awesome!

Both the legends for their respective countries, Ibrahimovic & Shevchenko, score!


----------



## Donnie in the Dark

Watched the England game in someone elses dorm. Felt a little awkward as I only half know them, sort of invited myself as a couple of my friends were there...... no one minded though. England look okay but France were passing really well at times.


----------



## It Is Majora

I would like England to advance to the quarter finals but with the current squad we know the chance of this is slim...


----------



## Nogy

Ukraine and Sweden was the best match of the tournament so far, imo. I'm really happy for Ukraine, them being one of the host countries. And man, what can i even say about Shevchenko...what a performance


----------



## moxosis

I was sure before the game that Sweden would win, but Shevchenko show he is still world class and hungry for goals. Ukraina team worked much harder and deserved to win this game.


----------



## coldsorehighlighter

They really don't like tie games in Poland.


----------



## MoonlightSky

Supporting England all the way. 

Predicting Holland to win overall.


----------



## sleepytime

Looking forward to Germany vs Holland. 2 of the best teams in the world and they have a fierce rivalry too, could be fireworks. Remember this?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Portugal/Denmark was a good game

Valera's goal was priceless! He completely mis-kicked then spun around & unleashed a bullet! haha

Good stuff!


----------



## Tentative

Watching the Netherlands vs Germany now. 0-2. Hopefully the Netherlands will make a comeback.  Damn you, Gomez. Or rather, damn you, almost completely absent defense...


----------



## Tentative

mark101 said:


> Yeah everyone wants to blame Van Persie but Holland do not play as a team and as you say,your defence is awful
> 
> Im an Arsenal fan btw so i love RVP
> 
> Good luck for the 2nd half


Thanks, even though it's over. :lol Ah well, at least he did get a goal in. :yes Now Germany has to beat Denmark, which they probably will, and we'll have to beat Portugal with a difference of 2 goals to get past the first round. :| Slim chance, but it's better than nothing.


----------



## sleepytime

Tentative said:


> Thanks, even though it's over. :lol Ah well, at least he did get a goal in. :yes Now Germany has to beat Denmark, which they probably will, and we'll have to beat Portugal with a difference of 2 goals to get past the first round. :| Slim chance, but it's better than nothing.


I don't think it's a lost cause at all. I'd expect Germany to beat Denmark, Holland are capable to winning by a couple of goals if they discover their form.


----------



## PineconeMachine

The Dutch have really dug themselves into a deep hole. Sad, really. All that talent, so little teamwork--such terrible defending. Oh well, they can still advance. 

Super Mario is awesome.


----------



## lad

The Dutch team didn't have enough balance to it in the first half, the manager ****ed it up for them in that game basically. I think they can beat portugal by 2 goals if they really needed to but their defence is so average.


----------



## lad

I've heard rumuors they may move the final to this pitch after all the fights that broke out yesterday.


----------



## UndreamingAwake

PineconeMachine said:


> The Dutch have really dug themselves into a deep hole. Sad, really. All that talent, so little teamwork--such terrible defending. Oh well, they can still advance.


Heh. Sad indeed. And chances are getting smaller after tonight's defeat. The worst thing (in my opinion) is that it isn't solely in our team's hands anymore, but also on whether Denmark loses, which they probably will. Makes you wonder what happened since South-Africa. The way they play now, I don't think they even really deserve to advance. If this keeps up, I might start cheering for Germany. :drunk


----------



## PineconeMachine

Metalunatic said:


> Heh. Sad indeed. And chances are getting smaller after tonight's defeat. The worst thing (in my opinion) is that it isn't solely in our team's hands anymore, but also on whether Denmark loses, which they probably will. Makes you wonder what happened since South-Africa. The way they play now, I don't think they even really deserve to advance. If this keeps up, I might start cheering for Germany. :drunk


Yeah, they need help just getting out of the group stages. Holland has to play their best match of the tournament and hope that the Germans aren't content to play for a draw against Denmark; Though I do expect Germany to win..


----------



## SPC

de jong and van bommel were bad against denmark and they were bad in this game... holland is getting what they deserve, starting three out of form players (van bommel, de jong, afellay) in a formation that doesnt fully utilize their two best assets (sneijder, RVP)


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Gomez first goal was sublime!


----------



## jayjaythejetplane

Great games today. Varela really got Ronaldo out of jail with that late goal. 

How many do we think Spain will score against the Irish?


----------



## Nefury

Haha, Ireland won't score


----------



## UndreamingAwake

PineconeMachine said:


> Yeah, they need help just getting out of the group stages. Holland has to play their best match of the tournament and hope that the Germans aren't content to play for a draw against Denmark; Though I do expect Germany to win..


Let's hope they get whipped into shape then, seeing Portugal play against Denmark, and then looking at how Holland played against Denmark is a bit discouraging.



SPC said:


> de jong and van bommel were bad against denmark and they were bad in this game... holland is getting what they deserve, starting three out of form players (van bommel, de jong, afellay) in a formation that doesnt fully utilize their two best assets (sneijder, RVP)


Also, you talking about some players being out of form (and you would be right) and van Persie being one of our two best assets, I can't help but think about the discussion of whether Huntelaar should or shouldnt have been in the starting line-up that flared up a while ago here. Several old Dutch soccer players, and most of the dutch populace it seems, would have rather had either both him and van Persie (which would be best imho) in the starting line-up or would choose Huntelaar over van Persie. In an interview after the match, van Marwijk has stated that he too finally feels that there are some things that need to change, so hopefully he will make some changes in the line-up, and maybe replace certain players...


----------



## PGVan

mark101 said:


> Yeah everyone wants to blame Van Persie but Holland do not play as a team and as you say,your defence is awful
> 
> Im an Arsenal fan btw so i love RVP
> 
> Good luck for the 2nd half


I'm going to go on a Oranje-defending rant here. 

First thing is first, we deserve to be 0-0-2. No doubt about that. However, I am disgusted at the media's treatment of the team. It's like they've all been hoping since July 2010 that Oranje would crash out of the Euro and they are as happy as pigs in s*** right now.

They don't play as a team? I disagree. Bert van Marwijk has instilled a team mentality for the first time in recent memory. The team cares about the result now, rather than just looking good. Sorry Johan Cruyff, but sports are not just about vanity. They are about winning at the professional level! Watch the match against Denmark... we looked like a great team. Unfortunately our forwards could not finish the job and we paid for it.

Watching today's match, we came out well. What sunk us was that once Germany went up 1-0, our confidence was gone. Germany got another during their period of dominance, and when Robin van Persie scored, it woke us up and we had much better control of the game.

Watching Canadian Sports networks, who hire English people who aren't good enough for British sports channels, is mind-numbing. Arjen Robben is taking abuse for leaving the pitch where he did when he was subbed off. They never bothered to see that every time a German player was within sneezing distance of a Holland player, he went down like Mike Tyson sucker punched him. Robben simply wanted to get off the pitch as soon as he could in order to save time. His body language wasn't the best, but if any one of us were one of the best players in the world and we got subbed off at an important time, we would be upset too. Lets not crucify him! Obraniak (Poland) got subbed off and had a few words for his coach and kicked a waterbottle on the touchline yesterday, but he's just upset because he wants to be on the pitch. Robben does something we don't see every day, and he's the most selfish prick alive.

All media is again running headlines that the team is falling out behind closed doors. Wake the **** up! This is not 2004, 2006 or 2008. This is largely the same squad that made the 2010 WC Final. They know they're not all friends in their personal lives, but they do play for each other. It's just so easy and it sells more papers (and gets more web hits) when your headline reads that Rafael van der Vaart is calling out his teammates and coach. It's such bull****.

As for ze guhmans, they played well and deserved to win. There can be no denying that. I will however applaud Wesley Sneijder for telling Thomas Müller where to go and how to get there after the final whistle. (Also to Heitinga for doing the same during the match.) Müller was the worst of the German dive squad today. The sequence that led to their second goal was started by Müller falling down untouched as Willems was running next to him. How the assistant referee put his flag up for that was embarrassing. To be fair, Robin van Persie took a couple dives in the box looking for a penalty, which is also embarrassing.

My last point of frustration are a good number of Dutch supporters. It seems that the country is made up of 16 million national team coaches. A lot have the same Cruyff attitude that it only matters that we look good. I chatted with one fellow in Holland this morning who said Bert van Marwijk destroys Dutch football. HOW!? Aside from the first two Euro 2012 matches, he's been masterful in leading this squad to care most about the result. Mark van Bommel says he would rather play bad and win 1-0, and fans disagree with him! It's mind-boggling.

My only wish right now is that all Oranje supporters will see where we are now and realize how fortunate we are to still be alive after starting with 2 losses. That generally means elimination before your last group match. If we beat Portugal by 2 and Germany beats Denmark, we are in the Quarter Finals. That is a very plausible scenario to be in. No, it's not totally in our control, but it is far from impossible. I believe we can do it. If not, we only have ourselves to blame. It's time for Dutch supporters to be positive rather than giving up now and looking for somebody to blame.

HUP HOLLAND!!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

For me Germany are the only hyped team living up to the billing


----------



## avoidobot3000

Denmark v Portugal was a good game, apart from_ that_ C.Ronaldo miss. :no

Germany are playing very efficiently, ja. :yes


----------



## Ironpain

What did I say on the other soccer thread, Mario Gomez already has 2 goals, Germany has the best chance to take it, here are my thoughts that I posted on the other soccer thread. 

Who's Your Bet To Win Euro 2012? 


I don't fancy Spain to hold their title this year. With Villa out and Torres struggling for form i just don't think they will defend their trophy,but i wouldn't bet against them. 

Germany are my bet for the tournament,they have quality in abundance in midfield and up front. Mario Gomez is playing well as is Muller and Klose always seems to produce the goods in the big tournaments and then you have young Podolski. In midfield you have the impressive Ozil and Schweinsteigger. Yep i am going for Germany. 

Holland have a weak defense but seem to fail at the last hurdle in major tournaments,whether they lose their bottle or simply haven't got the class to win is an open debate. Van Persie is in sparkling form all season but it seems they are struggling with injuries in the midfield department. I expect them, to leak goals and being in the group of death i fancy an early exit for them sorry to say. 

Portugal are a decent side but lack a world class centre forward. Yes i know Ronaldo can play up front now but i still fancy he will start on the wing in a 4-5-1 formation. They have the talent with the likes of Nani but i think they will fall short again. But i think they will come through their group just about. 

In Englands group i fancy England to go through. It is theirweakest squad in recent memory i do agree with that. Years ago you could of took Shearer,Sheringham,Wright,Owen etc now they have the inconsistent Carroll,the suspended Rooney and the untested Welbeck. In midfield they have lost Lampard and Barry and that is a huge blow to me. If i had my way i would force Scholesy back for one last hurrah. I just don't think England has the strength in depth to win a major tournament. 

As for France,i expect an opening draw with England and them to progress to the next round with then a defeat to the Italians or the Croatians. Ribery is in form but i have never been really that impressed with him. 

Benzema might play on his own front and i can't see france winning many games with more than a goal. Ukraine and Sweden could cause an upset,the former with it being a home game and the latter with a good pedigree in major tournaments and likely to cause an upset. Ibrahimovic is a threat and i wouldn't rule out a Swedish progression to the quarter finals. 

Polands group is evenly balanced and any of the sides can claim a place in the quarter finals. I take Russia for an outside bet to reach the final this time and go one place further than they did in 2008. 

I rate Arshavin despite his up and down form for Arsenal and i fancy Pavluychenko to score a few goals. Poland may progress but they have to win their opener which will be tough against the resilient Greeks. Neither of the four will win. 

There could be a shock in Italy's group with Spain,Croatia and Ireland. I remember Ireland fighting the Spaniards in a world cup game not so long ago and gave a really good account of themselves. 

Italy come into the tournament with low expectation from the Italian fans and press but this might just suit them and with the controversial Balotelli up front who knows what can happen if he shows his real talent. I expect a shock somewhere in this group. Don't be surprised to see Spain or Italy go home early. Croatia are talented and dangerous and have in form Jelavic from Everton. 

I'm going with Germany and Gomez is going to be Top Scorer. 

Holland's defense is atrocious that's why they'll rank 6th


----------



## Canadian Brotha

avoidobot3000 said:


> Denmark v Portugal was a good game, apart from_ that_ C.Ronaldo miss. :no


Everyone always expects so much Ronaldo but he's just not the same at the international level. Everyone on the opposing teams knows to swarm him & he's under so much pressure being overhyped every single time he plays for Portugal


----------



## avoidobot3000

Canadian Brotha said:


> Everyone always expects so much Ronaldo but he's just not the same at the international level. Everyone on the opposing teams knows to swarm him & he's under so much pressure being overhyped every single time he plays for Portugal


Yeah, I think Portugal would benefit from having a better striker-- a poacher or someone who can finish. The have plenty of creative talent, but you can't expect Ronaldo or Nani to do it all. They've been that way for years now.


----------



## lad

Germany look like the obvious winners but I still think it will be an outsider that wins this tournament. Who does everyone think has been the donkey of the tournament?


----------



## jayjaythejetplane

The Dutch for sure. Pretty much the same team that reached the final in South Africa and arguably a more in form front line.


----------



## sleepytime

jayjaythejetplane said:


> Great games today. Varela really got Ronaldo out of jail with that late goal.
> 
> How many do we think Spain will score against the Irish?


If we actually set out to try and win the game we could get a right hammering. I think Trap will stick 10 men behind the ball though and we'll limp to a 2-0 defeat.


----------



## SPC

Metalunatic said:


> Let's hope they get whipped into shape then, seeing Portugal play against Denmark, and then looking at how Holland played against Denmark is a bit discouraging.
> 
> Also, you talking about some players being out of form (and you would be right) and van Persie being one of our two best assets, I can't help but think about the discussion of whether Huntelaar should or shouldnt have been in the starting line-up that flared up a while ago here. Several old Dutch soccer players, and most of the dutch populace it seems, would have rather had either both him and van Persie (which would be best imho) in the starting line-up or would choose Huntelaar over van Persie. In an interview after the match, van Marwijk has stated that he too finally feels that there are some things that need to change, so hopefully he will make some changes in the line-up, and maybe replace certain players...


it reminds me of 1998 when argentina refused to play batistuta and crespo together even though they were two of the finest strikers on the planet... RVP started out as secondary forward anyway, huntelaar playing in front of RVP could andshould open a lane through the center where sneidjer is best for the dutch so robben and afellay can stop failing on the wings.


----------



## sleepytime

1-0 down after 4 minute, and Fernando Torres is the scorer just to make matters worse :no


----------



## Canadian Brotha

lad said:


> Germany look like the obvious winners but I still think it will be an outsider that wins this tournament. Who does everyone think has been the donkey of the tournament?


If the Croatians make it to the next round they might surprise a few


----------



## lucyinthesky

That referee knocking a player over made my evening.


----------



## Ironpain

:um What was with Croatia's bad passing on the attack?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/the-dos-and-donts-of-euro-2012


----------



## SPC

and thats four for spain... happy trails ireland


----------



## lad

SPC said:


> and thats four for spain... happy trails ireland


Did the Irish even turn up?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The Spanish ran away with this but I thought the Irish put in an splendid performance & even had a couple chances to get one back. No shame for them in their 2 games so far(in performance, not scorelines) like the Dutch. 

I'm glad to see a confident looking Torres again since I'm a Chelsea fan & am hoping this form will follow next season


----------



## sleepytime

Massive gulf in class, this is hard to watch. I do like Spain though, good luck to them.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

whatsername75 said:


> ^This. I have mad respect for the Irish fans right now.





mark101 said:


> Yeah great supporters


I was just going to add that too! In the pre-game show they looked like they knew how to throw a party & singing for their team to the end in a 4-0 loss, unreal!


----------



## jayjaythejetplane

The beautiful game in full motion. Iniesta & Silva were unplayable.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

If the Swedes sink England's ship there's no player more deserving to do it than Mellberg! I've always been a fan of his, he's a quiet genius, doesn't seek the fame, just does his job


----------



## TheWeeknd

What a game!! Hero Theo!! I'm not supporting any of these teams, just wanting to watch an exciting match which it is.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

TheWeeknd said:


> What a game!! Hero Theo!! I'm not supporting any of these teams, just wanting to watch an exciting match which it is.


I spoke too soon about the Swedes but yeah, great game with a fitting back heel to end the scoring


----------



## Nefury

Shouted at the TV when Walcott was brought on, I soon shut up.


----------



## Droidsteel

Wow.. The sweden match..

So tense! best england match in forever!


----------



## lad

En-gerland, eng-ger-land....


----------



## Banzai

Droidsteel said:


> Wow.. The sweden match..
> 
> So tense! best england match in forever!


:yes - and I barely even watch football!


----------



## BlueBoo

England wooP!


----------



## Droidsteel

Banzai said:


> :yes - and I barely even watch football!


Same! I only watch the international stuff :boogie


----------



## Ironpain

Lescott scares me with his 'defense' play... and more importantly his hair hat's it's going to be like in however far England continue? Drifting off wandering beyond the far post (ball watching) so opponent is left in acres of space not needing to move much. Stupid shoving out wide where there isn't any danger to do so (unitl the following freekick comes in, see first point again). Hoofing a ball to places where teammates are asked too much of for getting to... brief awful brainless moments, etc. Vincent Kompany was like superb world class to ensure City won the Premier League all the season. 

At this stage I see it this way Group A: Saturday 
Greece (1pt) v Russia (4), Czech Republic (3) v Poland (2) 

• Russia will be through with a draw, and could even afford a defeat by fewer than six goals if the other game finishes level. 

• Greece will be through with a win, and out with a draw or loss. 

• Czech Republic will advance with a win. They could even afford to draw unless Greece beat Russia by five goals or fewer. 

• Poland will be through with a win, and out with a draw or loss. 

Group B: Sunday 
Denmark (3) v Germany (6), Portugal (3) v Netherlands (0) 

• Though I'm actually on the belief that Germany wins it all this year, fate has is a strange thing and you never know what can happen, in the reality of anything can happen, Germany might (Might being the operative word here) might not quite make it through through, but even if they just tie it they will be as group winners. 

They will be knocked out, though, if they lose to Denmark by any result other than a one-goal defeat in which Germany score at least two AND Portugal win. It's easy to guesstimate early on that a team like Germany will win but then momentum shifts and you sometimes forget it doesn't always come out the way you predicted early on. 

• Denmark will progress with any win. A draw will only be good enough if Portugal lose. If Denmark lose they are out. 

• Portugal will be through with victory unless Denmark win by a one-goal margin (other than 2-1 and 1-0). They will progress with a draw unless Denmark win. Portugal will also be through if they lose by a one-goal margin and Denmark are also beaten. 

• The Netherlands must win by a two-goal margin and hope Denmark also lose. 

Group C: Monday 
Croatia (4) v Spain (4), Italy (2) v Republic of Ireland (0) 

• Spain have the simplest task – a draw ensures qualification, a win ensures first place. 

• Croatia will definitely qualify, as group winners, with victory. They will also be through with any draw other than 0-0 or 1-1. If their game is 0-0 and Italy win, Croatia are out. In the case of a 1-1 draw, they will only be through if Italy do not beat Ireland by 3-1 or better. Croatia can afford to lose if Italy do not win. 

• Italy have to win and hope the other game does not finish in a high-scoring draw of 2-2 or more. If the other game finishes 1-1 they must win by 3-1 or better to finish above Croatia or better than 4-0 to top the group. If the other game finishes 0-0, an Italy win would take them through as group winners. 

• Republic of Ireland are out but will finish third with a win. 

Group D: Tuesday 
Sweden (0) v France (4), England (4) v Ukraine (3) 

• England will be through with a draw. If they lose, they have to hope France lose by enough so that England at least end level with Les Bleus on goal difference and goals scored (as England have a superior coefficient). 

• Ukraine will be through with a win and out with any other result. 

• France will be through with a draw. If they lose, they would only be out if England lose but at the same time move level with them on either goal difference or goals scored. 

• Sweden are out.

Question time

Will Mario Baby Bib Bibitelli (sp) Score a goal? 

Will he be produce at all for Italy's line?


----------



## lad

Personally I rate lescott I think he's been our better centre back and I think even though johnson had a solid game he was at fault for both goals. So what would my fellow england fans rather see, an attacking line up or a more defensive line up against Ukraine?


----------



## lad

I can't believe the greeks beat the russians..


----------



## PineconeMachine

lad said:


> I can't believe the greeks beat the russians..


Shocking result.

I feel bad for Poland.  They fought valiantly though. Best of luck in the future, Polska.


----------



## Joe

Group A surprises me, I don't think either Greece or the Czech's will get past the next round unless Denmark get through which I think is unlikely.


----------



## jayjaythejetplane

Greece. :\ Love the spirit, hate the football.


----------



## RmZ

Spain-Germany final. Would be very shocked if otherwise, Cant really see any other team coming close to them. Really disappointed with Holland aswell, All those great players and they cant hit a barn door with a banjo.


----------



## PineconeMachine

RmZ said:


> Spain-Germany final. Would be very shocked if otherwise, Cant really see any other team coming close to them.


This.


----------



## jayjaythejetplane

:cup


----------



## Reckoner7

Greece qualify.


----------



## lad

jayjaythejetplane said:


> :cup


That is what I like to see, it's because it's his last games playing for greece and he missed out on the final when they wont the euros. So does anyone else have a sneaky feeling holland are still going to go through?


----------



## Luna Sea

I completely disagree. If two teams are level on points, what fairer way is there to separate them than head to head? In this case with Russia and Greece, it would make no sense to ignore Greece beating Russia and focus entirely on the scoreline of Russia/Czech Rep.


----------



## moxosis

Xavi sets the record for passes 136/127 made, beat Ronald Koemans record of 117.


----------



## moxosis

Portugal - Holland in 2006 4 players were suspended. what will this match be like? lol


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Love the Dutch kits today


----------



## lonelyniik

forza italia


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Portugal/Netherlands is the most pacey game so far, gotta love backs to the wall football!


----------



## sleepytime

What on earth happened to the Dutch? They were rock solid 2 years ago but now they're all over the place.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Ronaldo picked some time to come on form for Portugal



sleepytime said:


> What on earth happened to the Dutch? They were rock solid 2 years ago but now they're all over the place.


Everyone wanted to be the star this time out, there was no team spirit to fight for one another


----------



## lad

Well the portugese have hit form at the right time, they look really solid in that 4-3-3 formation. I can see the czech republic swamping their midfield to stop portugal controlling the game and not allowing them to counter attack.


----------



## avoidobot3000

I really need to stop falling asleep during the half-time analysis. Worst, time-zone, ever. :b


----------



## jayjaythejetplane

What a beast. 8)

Hopefully he can carry through that form for the rest of the tournament.


----------



## forex

sleepytime said:


> What on earth happened to the Dutch? They were rock solid 2 years ago but now they're all over the place.


bad cardio and bad positioning made by the coach.
if you put a good player at a bad position , he will be useless.
put him were he feels/plays good.


----------



## sleepytime

forex said:


> bad cardio and bad positioning made by the coach.
> if you put a good player at a bad position , he will be useless.
> put him were he feels/plays good.


It's a pity. They have some great talent in their squad, it's amazing that they didn't take a single point. I'd say the manager will be gone for sure.


----------



## Winds

Portugal has got to love facing the Czech Republic in the knockout stage instead of the Russians. They should get a lot of scoring opportunities playing against that back line. If Nani can come on strong and they continue to get solid play from Ronaldo, they could make a run. Definitely a strong dark horse pick in my eyes.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Spain just don't look the same as they have in previous years/tournaments. They are getting by though


----------



## Tentative

Feel as if Bert van Marwijk panicked with the lineup he had at the start from the match. Didn't show much faith in his team. He put a lot of strong offensive players in there, which can work for a short time, but it will wear the team out pretty swiftly, which is what happened. At least, the football from the Dutch seemed rather lazy after the first 20 minutes. Better luck next time. The Dutch team didn't seem to have any of it during these matches. Bert should have adjusted his team to play more defense instead of sticking to the offensive line-up. I didn't get the feeling any of it was well thought out. Portugal is a decent team, though. That said, I really do not want Portugal to win just because of Ronaldo. So incredibly vain. He does not need more to stroke his ego with... Who changes their haircut during half-time?

Who should I root for now? :b


----------



## stewie

Go Germany


----------



## SambaBus

Go England. Watching Spain is like watching paint dry, they won't even shoot when they're 10 yards from goal and because they hold the ball for so long it doesn't allow the other team to attack often enough.


----------



## PineconeMachine

Come on, Ukraine!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

England have done just enough in all their games thus far. Ukraine got their moment of glory in the first game so they've been left with an anti-climax as they exit. The Swedes leave on a high & the French are through on a low


----------



## Luna Sea

Just enough is enough for us! We are England! We have football and we have cider! 

*bounces around excitedly*


----------



## lad

en-ger-land, en-ger-land, en-ger-land,.. eng-er-land.....EN-GER-LAND!


----------



## RmZ

England were shocking. But maybe that is a sign our name is on the cup this year if we are playing bad but still winning! We've been long overdue a cup so it would be amazing if our worst squad in years was to actually win it..
Also what is the point of those stupid officials standing behind the goal if they still couldnt tell it crossed the line? :/


----------



## jayjaythejetplane

No games today.


----------



## ShyGuy86

Oh dear. I don't like football much (in fact, almost not at all). I never watch any _Serie A_ matches, but I do watch UEFA Euro cups and FIFA World cups when they happen. And I have the feeling we'll get our asses handed to us. It's a miracle we even made it to the knockout stage.


----------



## sleepytime

StarryMessenger said:


> Chelsea won the Champions League with their worst squad in years so it won't be surprising if England win the Euros as well.
> 
> The similarities are uncanny, most of Chelsea and England's best players are old and past their best, and they have new managers who weren't most people's first choice.
> 
> And I agree with you about the goal line official.. He was standing right next to the goal line and he made the wrong decision, I really don't know what he is there for. Good thing Ukraine's build up was offside already so it wasn't really an unjust decision.












The goal-line guys mostly do nothing but stand around for the whole game. This was probably the only decision any of them will have to make a call on for the whole tournament. I've no idea how he could have missed it from his vantage point (bottom of the pic). It's almost impossible?

You're right about England, they have a chance. They seem to have a good spirit about them and they're growing in confidence. They don't retain the ball as well as other teams, but they're solid at the back and they have enough pace and quality up front to hurt teams on the counter-attack.


----------



## Winds

5 players crash into Ronaldo = not even a warning look. 

Miguel and Nani semi avg attempt for a tackle = yellow card


----------



## sleepytime

It'll be an England vs Germany semi I think. I wouldn't completely rule England out, but I still think it's Germany or Spain's to win. 

Christiano Ronaldo is a great player, but he's a complete dick also. I've never seen anyone moan and whinge as much in any sport as he does.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I had a little hope going for the Czechs to upset the Portuguese but in the end it was the expected & right result on the day


----------



## Winds

This Germany - Greece game is playing a lot like Manchester City - QPR from last month.


----------



## coldsorehighlighter

Come on Germany, let Greece borrow a goal to make this closer...they'll pay you back!


----------



## moxosis

Yaaaaaahhh Drururururururururummmm Tsshhhhhhhh


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The shot of the German coach when that one chance was missed was even better than that gif, though that is awesome too! haha

This young German squad are a powerhouse! Look out at the World Cup with a couple more years of experience behind them by then


----------



## sleepytime

the cheat said:


> Come on Germany, let Greece borrow a goal to make this closer...they'll pay you back!


----------



## Ironpain

What did I say? Gomez will be Top Scorer, Germany once again dominating like I predicted though their toughest match up is going to be Portugal, Portugal's dominant play from the pitch my prove my Germany upset wrong but we'll have to see and I hear that France is a heavy favorite to advance. 

You look at England right now and their strong ability on the attack and you look at the goals they've scored and with Rooney leading you know they are going to keep on fighting for every chance, hahaha the German Manager was funny with that shaking hand thing. 

Before the Tournament even started I made the prediction in the other soccer thread and here that Gomez would be Top scorer, now I just need to see if my predictions about Germany are going to come true.


----------



## jayjaythejetplane

You know he didn't score tonight? :um


----------



## Ironpain

jayjaythejetplane said:


> You know he didn't score tonight? :um


I didn't say he did I said he was Top Scorer, I meant in the league.


----------



## jayjaythejetplane

He's got a good chance, but I wouldn't rule out Ronaldo. Fabregas may be a dark horse.


----------



## Ironpain

jayjaythejetplane said:


> He's got a good chance, but I wouldn't rule out Ronaldo. Fabregas may be a dark horse.


I agree that Ronaldo and Fabregas have the opportunity to come out on top but that depends if they play consistent but it's a likely chance for sure.


----------



## moxosis

*Miroslav Klose*: "Beating gravity is the key to winning this tournament. It's not about the ball, I don't even look at the ball when I'm training."


----------



## avoidobot3000

^^ Maybe he has been reading some famous German philosophers?

"I would only believe in a god who could dance. And when I saw my devil I found him serious, thorough, profound, and solemn: it was the spirit of gravity-through him all things fall. Not by wrath does one kill but by laughter. Come, let us kill the spirit of gravity!" 
― Friedrich Nietzsche

And suddenly I am reminded of:





Oh wow, Germany vs Greece. So relevant like omg.


----------



## stewie

Germany **** YEAH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## sleepytime

stewie said:


> Germany **** YEAH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


They're looking really really good, better than Spain at the moment maybe.


----------



## Luna Sea

I'll be rooting for Spain all the way (unless somehow England play them). I was brought up to hate Germany, and I don't like the Portuguese or French players.

It's so sad that the tournament's nearly over


----------



## SPC

dat jordi alba crosssss


----------



## Winds

whiterabbit said:


> Because I keep catching tantalising glimpses of Collina and his eyes at these Euros, I took some time out of my busy schedule to make a gif. Just thought I'd leave it here.


:afr

10/10

:clap


----------



## Canadian Brotha

whiterabbit said:


> Because I keep catching tantalising glimpses of Collina and his eyes at these Euros, I took some time out of my busy schedule to make a gif. Just thought I'd leave it here.


If anyone watched Game Of Thrones Season 2, that guy looks like a character in it, haha



whiterabbit said:


> Anyway, Spain v France tonight. Spain bored me enough in their last game that I don't really want them to do well anymore, but I'm fickle so if they do anything interesting tonight I'll get behind them. I'd root for Portugal in a semi though.


I've not been impressed with Spain at all. Without Torres up front they just pass the ball in circles without any real outlet. I don't know why Del Bosque has gone for that approach, it's terribly unlively.


----------



## Luna Sea

You traitor! I'll never ever support a Germany team!

I'm kind of lukewarm about Portugal/Spain. Spain have been really lousy so far; tonight's match was terrible. But still better them than Hair Gel & Diving United


----------



## sleepytime

Canadian Brotha said:


> If anyone watched Game Of Thrones Season 2, that guy looks like a character in it, haha
> 
> I've not been impressed with Spain at all. Without Torres up front they just pass the ball in circles without any real outlet. I don't know why Del Bosque has gone for that approach, it's terribly unlively.


He's a dead ringer for the game of thrones guy! You're spot on about Spain too, playing 6 in midfield and nobody up front leaves them with no cutting edge, they'd be much more dangerous with Torres up front.


----------



## jayjaythejetplane

Can't call England v Italy. Two very even teams with lack of individual talent.


----------



## fonz

Poor old England,their penalty shoot out misery continues


----------



## Ironpain

England just has no success with Penalty shoot outs but both teams were evenly matched throughout, both offensively and defensively, if it wasn't for that off side in the regular half, Italy might have won this earlier but England just couldn't find an answer for Buffon. 

Baby Bib Bibetlli had what like 5 different break away chances to score, Wayne Rooney was just the wrong way with that header, plus the other header he had earlier was just too wide. England's Shoot Out misfortunate's were Italy's advantage. Germany and Italy let the games begin.


----------



## tommo1234

FOR **** SAKE ENGLAND!!! 

One penalty shoot-out in nine is absolutely shocking. 

Why the ****ING **** is it always the quarter - finals?!?!?


Oh well, its now over to Andy Murray to provide the next disappointment for England, by not winning Wimbeldon.


----------



## Luna Sea

Quarter finals, about par for England, and with this terrible collection of players to get to the semis would have been insanely lucky. I just wish they'd actually put together a decent performance. That was 2 hours of non-league quality football.

Andy Murray's a tosser though, so I'd be happy to see him embarrassed in the first round.


----------



## Ironpain

TristanS said:


> Quarter finals, about par for England, and with this terrible collection of players to get to the semis would have been insanely lucky. I just wish they'd actually put together a decent performance. That was 2 hours of non-league quality football.
> 
> Andy Murray's a tosser though, so I'd be happy to see him embarrassed in the first round.


But even with the penalties, it was Pirlo who turned it around in favour of Italy. Amazing. He won them the World Cup and now, when he seemed done, he's leading his country very far. Uhh, is Hart's strategy to scare the penalty shooter by making faces at him?

Why not have a strategy of stopping the penalty kicks? Does he really think those scary faces are effective in professional sports? Ashley Cole did nothing for England and then to have the misfortunate of having to go into Penalty shoot out's, England's worst area they were just asking for trouble, unlucky shots.


----------



## Luna Sea

I've given up hope of England ever getting better at penalties. It's just how it's always been and always will be.


----------



## jayjaythejetplane

Always great to see penalties. Pirlo was majestic.


----------



## sleepytime

I thought Italy vs England would be a close game, but England were really bad. I think Hodgson is a step backwards for England. They need a man who will encourage them to get on the ball and pass it, not sit back and invite teams onto them. They have players capable of doing it, Harry Redknapp would have been better at putting it into effect.


----------



## Hewigi

Same old same old England. one day the FA will wake up realise we need to take the German model.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Italy probably makes for a better game against the Germans anyway but I still would have liked to see England beat them. Pirlo has been amazing all year!


----------



## avoidobot3000

I didn't get to see England vs Italy last night, but I'm assuming it was as boring as I imagined.


----------



## Droidsteel

avoidobot3000 said:


> I didn't get to see England vs Italy last night, but I'm assuming it was as boring as I imagined.


Far from it actually, it was dead tense! Italy were a lot better though, of course england had to lose on penalties again.


----------



## Droidsteel

TristanS said:


> I'll be rooting for Spain all the way (unless somehow England play them). *I was brought up to hate Germany*, and I don't like the Portuguese or French players.
> 
> It's so sad that the tournament's nearly over


Lol the one thing I hate most about our country, how we still treat Germans as if it were 1945. Its like the height of bigotry!

I actually want germany to win now because I wanted them to win the world cup when they knocked us out, and I think they just deserve to win something after being such a good team for such a long time.


----------



## Luna Sea

Droidsteel said:


> Lol the one thing I hate most about our country, how we still treat Germans as if it were 1945. Its like the height of bigotry!


I just want to point out that I was speaking in a purely football sense. I have nothing against German people, just their national football team. Same with Argentina.

I'm kinda surprised that you thought it wasn't a boring game. 2 hours of pretty lousy play with barely any incident. The only tenseness was wondering if Italy would end up scoring somehow or we'd go to penalties.


----------



## SambaBus

When are the FA going to work out that the whole coaching system in this country needs to change if we are ever going to see a successful national team again? Hoofball and the blood, guts and thunder style just isn't going to work anymore.


----------



## forex

i expected a more aggressive england , 
same as france they both played very bad.


----------



## Joe

tommo1234 said:


> Oh well, its now over to Andy Murray to provide the next disappointment for England, by not winning Wimbeldon.


At least Murray gets to the semis. Also is it just me or is Murray only described as british until he goes out of a tournament?


----------



## xTKsaucex

sleepytime said:


> I thought Italy vs England would be a close game, but England were really bad. I think Hodgson is a step backwards for England. They need a man who will encourage them to get on the ball and pass it, not sit back and invite teams onto them. They have players capable of doing it, Harry Redknapp would have been better at putting it into effect.


I was hoping the strategy was sit back, defend, reserve energy, demoralise Italy then last 20 mins go on full attack. Nope, we were just as knackered as they were.

Terry, Carroll, Hart, Gerrard put in their all. The others were meh.


----------



## Rasputin_1

class


----------



## millenniumman75

Rasputin_1 said:


> class


The goalie jumped the gun on that penalty kick. Nice work on the kicker, though .


----------



## Ironpain

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18582171 Police have launched an investigation into allegations of online racist abuse during England's Euro 2012 quarter final defeat on Sunday.It is alleged black players Ashley Cole and Ashley Young were singled out by a Twitter user after they failed to score penalties against Italy.

If that's not enough here Four people have been arrested after disorder broke out in Bedford following England's defeat to Italy in Euro 2012.

About 150 England fans headed to The Embankment after the game and targeted Italian fans, who had formed a cavalcade of vehicles to celebrate.

Some of the vehicles were damaged and one person was attacked but not seriously hurt, police said.

Officers were forced to close the High Street and The Embankment and are reviewing CCTV.

About 1,200 England fans had watched the Kiev game at bars on the High Street, with the vast majority heading home after the game, police added.

'Stuck in cars'
A cordon was put in place as the streets filled after the match, but about 150 people broke away.

Police said they prevented the group from confronting a larger group of Italian fans who had gathered in Russell Park.

Supt Mark Turner said: "Sadly a well behaved build-up to the game was marred by approximately 15 minutes of sporadic disorder in Bedford High Street and The Embankment after the penalty shoot-out.

"A group of approximately 150 people broke away and ran towards the Embankment straight into grid-locked traffic as many Italian fans had formed a cavalcade of vehicles to celebrate and it was at this point some vehicles were attacked by the crowd.

"While order was quickly restored, this was undoubtedly an extremely unpleasant situation for people trying to leave the area sensibly and particularly for those stuck in their cars."

Three people were arrested for criminal damage and one for assault.

'Mindless idiots'
Bedford has had a large Italian population since the 1950s, when workers from Italy helped rebuild the town after the war.

Supt Turner added that police had expected many people to come out on to the streets after the game.

"The tournament as a whole, across Bedfordshire, has been very successfully policed, and people have been enjoying the football," he said.

"Unfortunately a small group of mindless idiots had to break away - but unfortunately that's the price we pay sometimes.

"What I would say is that the huge majority of the crowd were very well behaved."

He said he expected "no trouble whatsoever" in Bedford during and after Italy's semi-final with Germany on Thursday.


----------



## Ironpain

England playing football are like Homer Simpson boxing! Remember the episode? Moe was training Homer, and when he saw that his punch could not kill a fly, he told homer that he should just stand there and take anything his rival threw at him, then, once the other boxer had tired out he would just collapse and Homer, who´s head could resist all sorts of impacts, would win. 

That was England: Dominated by France. Dominated by Sweden, yet managing to score 3 goals (the only half-good game). Dominated by Ukraine and relying on the Ukrainian GK´s blunder and a horrible call by referee and linesman which helped England out, also lucky that Sweden beat France making England top of the group. Dominated by Italy, and lucky to get to the penalty shootout ... 

Was Roy Hodgson really thinking that England could win the Euro playing like this? I´d understand it for playing Spain ... But the whole tournament? 
Or are the players just so crap you can do no more? I seriously doubt that. Loser´s mentality maybe, but not CRAP. If this is Roy Hodgsons idea of what England should play like as long as he´s manager, then I think he should be replaced by the FA as soon as possible. 

The most pathetic thing about England is that the team stayed back waiting to come out and create danger on the break, and where the heck was the counter attack. Oh well I am looking toward a Germany vs Portugal final anyways.


----------



## tommo1234

jJoe said:


> At least Murray gets to the semis. Also is it just me or is Murray only described as british until he goes out of a tournament?


When you haven't had a British grand slam winner for over 70 years at your home grand slam which also happens to be the most famous tennis slam in the world, getting to the semis each year isn't good enough lol

Yes you are right, he British until he goes out of a tournament.. he's then Scottish until the next time. haha

COME ON ANDY MY SON.


----------



## Ironpain

1 – At times Italy came close to being as much a crock as England. There was terrible finishing and chances wasted by the dozen. Then came Ashley Cole and Ashley Young and Italy felt much better about regulation. 

2 – Wayne Rooney wasn’t fit. He looked less like a player who has only had one game in weeks and more like someone returning from a lengthy injury lay-off. He also looked like he needs to lose a few pounds. 

3 – England manager Roy Hodgson put absurd, blind faith in Rooney. Rooney was rubbish and he should have been substituted after 30 minutes. 

4 – Andrea Pirlo is worth 10 England players. 

5 – Pirlo is the coolest man on the planet. After blithely bossing the game for 120 minutes he scored the sort of penalty that makes people smile. Absolute casual disdain was in that kick. 

6 – It is impossible to control a game with mere effort and sweat. It took about 20 minutes for Italy to size up England and from then on it was a matter of England huffing while Italy dominated. 

7 – Andy Carroll is a flash-in-the-pan player. He looked lost when required to do anything more than wait for a high ball aimed at his head. 

8 – One always knew that Buffon would save a penalty and England would miss one. What one didn’t know is that Joe Hart would just close his eyes and dive this way and that, in perilous, desperate hope. Italy figured it out pretty quickly. 

9 – As a general rule, England can’t pass the ball. There were perhaps three occasions in 120 minutes when a string of passes came together for England. You could tell by the near-hysterical reaction of England supporters that this was a rare, hopeful moment. Actually, the rarity only underlined the pathetic level of technique and ball skills. 

10 – The worst lesson and most embarrassing, for England, is that the grim ordinariness of England’s performance reveals that English soccer has learnt nothing from multiple decades of failure.


----------



## Ali477

sleepytime said:


> I thought Italy vs England would be a close game, but England were really bad. I think Hodgson is a step backwards for England. They need a man who will encourage them to get on the ball and pass it, not sit back and invite teams onto them. They have players capable of doing it, Harry Redknapp would have been better at putting it into effect.


I dont think so the standard of football redknapp employed when he was at my club (portsmouth) was hardly exiting stuff to watch and whenever we played a side that was better (your man uniteds, chelseas ect) we would sit back and play for a 0-0 i dont see how this would change if he took over england and we had to play sides like germany or spain for example.


----------



## sleepytime

Luke688 said:


> I dont think so the standard of football redknapp employed when he was at my club (portsmouth) was hardly exiting stuff to watch and whenever we played a side that was better (your man uniteds, chelseas ect) we would sit back and play for a 0-0 i dont see how this would change if he took over england and we had to play sides like germany or spain for example.


Fair point. He wouldn't be the ideal candidate either, but in a straight choice between himself and Hodgson, I'd definitely have taken Redknapp. Hodgson is a great man for making his teams hard to beat, but a team that aspires to win things needs a much different setup. That's why he was the right man at Blackburn, Fulham, WBA, but completely wrong for Liverpool or England.


----------



## SambaBus

I don't think Redknapp would've got us any further in this tournament. Hodgson is an ideal manager for an "underdog" team, which is what we have become. The only way we would be able to compete with the top sides is by playing rather negative football in my opinion. 
Redknapp would've probably got us playing "pretty" attacking football but we would've got murdered by France and Italy. You only have to look at the way Tottenham performed against the "big boys" this season to see this.


----------



## sleepytime

I think Spain will win comfortably tonight if they start with Torres up front. If Spain get their noses in front and start playing keep ball then I think Ronaldo will fade out of the game completely.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I think Spain's passing game is brilliant when there is someone on the end of a final ball but far too much in this tournament it's been laps around the pitch without enough end product so for that reason I'd like to see Portugal beat them. I may change my mind if the produce some wonder goals in this one & Portugal haven't come out to play though


----------



## Ironpain

Spain Wins it 4-2 In the Penalty shoot out, Ronaldo is like What the F he's thinking he should have taken that shot, I seriously thought it would be a Portugual vs Germany final, I'm really hoping Germany beats Italy though.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I know you can't sack a manager for getting the job done but I'd fire Del Bosque on principle! lol. I was a fan previously but I've simply not like the way Spain have done things this time out.

I hope the Germans go through & slaughter the Spaniards in the final!


----------



## sleepytime

This is the poorest I've seen Spain playing for a long time, but they still make the final. That's a sign of a great team really, winning without playing anywhere near their best. I think Germany will beat them though, if they don't improve. 

Still can't figure out why Del Bosque won't start Torres or Llorente, they'd be so much more dangerous with either of those guys up front. Silva is either jaded or totally out of form, yet he keeps picking him. It's not like they don't have options on the bench, their bench tonight was so strong it's scary.....

Valdes
Reina
Albiol
Martinez
Juanfran
Fabregas
Cazorla
Navas
Pedro
Torres
Mata
Llorente


----------



## Ironpain

Soccer-Euro-Americans tuning into Euros in record numbers 

June 21 (Reuters) - Almost twice as many Americans are watching soccer's European Championship compared to four years ago according to data released by tournament broadcaster ESPN. 

The 24 games in the group stage of Euro 2012 averaged just over one million viewers compared to 552,000 for Euro 2008 - the latest sign of the impressive growth of interest in international soccer in the U.S. 

The most-watched match in the group stage was the 1-1 draw between Spain and Italy on Sunday, June 10 which pulled in an average audience of 2.113 million viewers, bigger than for any game four years ago except the final. 

The quarter-finals begin on Thursday with the Czech Republic v Portugal but ESPN will hope for their biggest numbers so far at the weekend when Spain face France and England take on Italy. 

The games from the tournament staged in Poland and Ukraine are being broadcast during the afternoon on the U.S. East Coast and the biggest audiences have been in New York and the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area. 

ESPN said figures for their digital and Spanish-language products had also risen sharply. 

The network's coverage of the World Cup two years ago set new highs including a 15.5 million audience for the final between Spain and the Netherlands in South Africa. 

The U.S. has traditionally been one of the weakest markets for international soccer but the game is increasingly popular among a young demographic and in the growing Hispanic community. 

Portugal, a team that could barely string three passes together, maybe one more than England, had a free ticket to the Semi finals, very lucky they didn't have to play Russia in the quarters. But I think the biggest relief now for his critics is that they no longer have listen to the constant penis stroking by the BBC and ITV that is that of Ronaldo's ginormous ego about how this is the tournament to cement his place into greatness. 

Now I think one of two things happened in that Shoot out. Either Ronaldo wanted to take the deciding penalty so he could have his moment, only he was too stupid to realise that it might not even be the case, as we saw this happened, which would make him a complete chump. Or, he just simply couldn't hack it. 

We all know he has history of missing penatlys in big games and he just wanted no part of this one, which would make him an utter choker. So which is it? Is he a chumper or a choker?. I don't know whether to laugh or just feel really sorry for Matin Samuel but he compared Ronaldo's performance to that of Diego Maradona in 1986 and Michel Platni in 1984


It did initially threaten to be one of the best ever. Euro 2008 started at nowhere near the level this one did. People seem to be acting like Portugal/Turkey, Italy/Romania, all of Switzerland and Austria's matches didn;t exist. Until Turkey/Czech Republic and the Dutch demolition derbies against Italy and France the first round was generally wank. 

The knockout stage - apart from the Spain/Italy and the horrible Turkey/Croatia match - I will admit was a bit special. And that's where this one is struggling to keep pace with the standard it set early on. It's beginning to resemble the Euro 96 knockout stage was probably the worst in European championship history - and worst tournament overall.


----------



## velocicaur

WHY DIDN'T RONALDO TAKE A PENALTY?!?!?!?

I just don't understand how or why the best player in the tournament didn't take a penalty shot with the finals on the line. They already had their order messed up with the Alves/Nani gaffe. They NEEDED that 4th shot and it was Ronaldo's time to shine. He didn't take it and Alves hit the top bar. No fault to Alves as the shuffling of Nani and him was quite odd to begin with. The sheer fact that Ronaldo wasn't queued in slots 1-4 just doesn't make sense. Why was he in the 5th slot as the second team? They RARELY get the chance to shoot.


----------



## velocicaur

I agree about Spain. Starting Negrado up top is a joke. I think they should have been playing Torres all along, but to bench Torres and Fabregas for Negrado is just crazy.


----------



## MindOverMood

I was waiting for the horns to start honking, but that never happened because they lost(Portugal)


----------



## Ironpain

velocicaur said:


> WHY DIDN'T RONALDO TAKE A PENALTY?!?!?!?
> 
> I just don't understand how or why the best player in the tournament didn't take a penalty shot with the finals on the line. They already had their order messed up with the Alves/Nani gaffe. They NEEDED that 4th shot and it was Ronaldo's time to shine. He didn't take it and Alves hit the top bar. No fault to Alves as the shuffling of Nani and him was quite odd to begin with. The sheer fact that Ronaldo wasn't queued in slots 1-4 just doesn't make sense. Why was he in the 5th slot as the second team? They RARELY get the chance to shoot.


Cause their Coach is a moron, some how he got the bright idea to let Alves take it, Alves's shot should have gone to Ronaldo but of course Coach of the "year" thought he should keep Ronaldo's ego in check, sometimes just sometimes you need to have an ego, when you are the teams greatest hope for victory well sometimes you got to be an egotist, The Coach is going to go down in infamy as the biggest tool, Portugual fans will be calling for his head.


----------



## Ali477

Johnni said:


> Should have had Torres on or Llorente.


Imo he was right to start negredo over Llorente, Llorente has had a long season and is very tired it makes sense not to start him when there was a risk portugal could play for extra time and pens.One of the reasons i like del bosque is that hes not afraid to move the team around and leave out key players you would never see england leaving rooney or gerrard out for example.


----------



## sleepytime

velocicaur said:


> WHY DIDN'T RONALDO TAKE A PENALTY?!?!?!?


That was pretty stupid alright. I can't help wondering if Ronaldo had it in his mind that taking the final penalty might give him the chance to get the *winning* penalty and steal the headlines. He's the most vain player I've ever seen, I wouldn't be surprised if he was thinking more about personal glory than what was sensible for the team.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

sleepytime said:


> That was pretty stupid alright. I can't help wondering if Ronaldo had it in his mind that taking the final penalty might give him the chance to get the *winning* penalty and steal the headlines. He's the most vain player I've ever seen, I wouldn't be surprised if he was thinking more about personal glory than what was sensible for the team.


So far the Germans seem to me to be the only team playing as a team rather than simply trying to get the ball to their stars & hoping for the best. They have had a series of different goal scorers.

When Meireles had that break & passed the ball to Ronaldo he didn't even consider a return pass, he just dug into his shot & skied the ball. If he cut back to Meireles, who was centred, he could have picked his spot with his shot & would have had a way better chance of scoring. Not to mention Meireles can hit "rockets" at times when he shoots/scores.

When Ronaldo plays for Portugal he can miss a host of chances but if he scores one he is always considered "God". Nobody ever mentions the lack of team play at times when he's constantly going for glory. Another example is his free kicks, as if it's always going to score them, sometimes a simple cross has huge value


----------



## CristianNC

One Balotelli to rule them all!


----------



## Ironpain

I can see why the German coach is chewing his finger nails, haha Baby Bib Bibbatelli got a yellow card for excessive celebration for taking his shirt off, how is it that England could push Italy all the way to a shoot out but Germany a far more superior team to England is letting down it's guard and letting Balotelli through. 

You have to give Italy credited, they have the superior defensive team, Buffon is the tournaments goalie for sure, he's knocked away everything that Germany has sent at him. I'm surprised at Mario Gomez, he's being out played by Mario the Baby Bib Bibetelli aka Mario Balotelli. 


He never seems to be on his toes and alert. Always looks surprised when the ball is passed to him. In contrast Balotelli is on fire. I expect to see Klose on fairly quickly and Muller, which is the opposite of what he usually does, he seems to be off his game, Germany seems ill prepared for the defense style of Italy as well as their offensive rush. 

I think I may have Jinxed Germany by Rooting for them, than again they did great prior to now and anyways the game isn't over yet, we'll see how the Germans respond under pressure and being 2 goals down, they're still great in attack, just need to keep composure, possession and not rush going forward... and defend better


----------



## CristianNC

Haha, seems like you really enjoyed that moment when Balotelli couldn't get his bib on. 

The second half will be way different, at least that's how I see it. Reus's speed and Klose's heading can do some good for the poor germans.

Still, http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/311611_10151036923059379_32442170_n.jpg .


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I think I wrote off the Italians way too soon, lol. I didn't expect them to come out of the traps like that & I didn't expect Germany to pack so little punch


----------



## Winds

This game just got interesting.

Edit: The ref could have let them go on for a couple more seconds, at least to get a cross in the box.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I never thought the day would come that I'd be cheering the Italians in a final but it is one it's way, lol. I can't let go of my rants on the Spanish approach this tournament at this stage, haha

*My Euro Assessment:*

- The Dutch were there worst team
- The Germans played the football I wanted to see(excluding the Italy game)
- The Spaniards got the job done, nothing more
- The Italians have been quietly disciplined


----------



## CristianNC

Good job Italy!

I will never forget these final moments though, Neuer is one crazy potato!


----------



## Ironpain

Lmao at the Italian fan wearing the Super Mario costume, maybe I just have a dirty mind but every time Tony Jones said Balzeretti I kept hearing Balls are ready, Germany got very lucky with that penalty shot but Italy was the far more dominant team. 

It's not that Germany just gave up, they just didn't have an answer for Buffon, who is far and away the best goalie of this tournament. The Germans :flushed there hopes away in the first half already, Italy though just was the better team.

I don't think you can go far at a tournament like this, certainly not all the way, if you have too inconsistent of a group. If you're constantly changing the line-up, you will lose. You need a group to come together as that XI and gain confidence together. 

France threw that out the window earlier, making laughable subs for the Sweden game, Germany started this problem against an incredibly weak Greece who almost took it to overtime against them, and then it bit them in the butt today. I just think that this is always a problem, no coach should allow himself to do this. 

Germany what happened argh, you came in as the clear winners and you just fell apart there :fall


----------



## PineconeMachine

German heartbreak yet again...they've been so close! Maybe the 2014 WC will be their time to shine.

Well done, Italy. Well done.


----------



## sleepytime

I didn't see that coming. I don't think there was much between them, apart from the 2 goals of course. I wanted Germany to win it but I'll get behind Spain now.


----------



## avoidobot3000

I'm still predicting Spain to win. Being able to get into the Final without playing well is the mark of a good team. However, it could go all the way to penalties.


----------



## TheWeeknd

SUPER MARIO BALOTELLI!!!!! The future of football, only 21 and has already won the champions league, premier league champ, serie A champ, FC cup champ, and now is a Euro cup finalist! 

You can all join the bandwagon but you can't hop off!


----------



## Joe

Luke688 said:


> One of the reasons i like del bosque is that hes not afraid to move the team around and leave out key players you would never see england leaving rooney or gerrard out for example.


Remember Spains got a much better backup than England, maybe Rooney should of been left out for similar reasons as Llorrente but Gerrard is quite a bit better than Henderson.


----------



## Luna Sea

Luke688 said:


> Imo he was right to start negredo over Llorente, Llorente has had a long season and is very tired it makes sense not to start him when there was a risk portugal could play for extra time and pens.One of the reasons i like del bosque is that hes not afraid to move the team around and leave out key players you would never see england leaving rooney or gerrard out for example.


Llorente and Negredo aren't Rooney and Gerrard. Del Bosque wouldn't leave out Xavi or Iniesta.


----------



## avoidobot3000

avoidobot3000 said:


> I'm still predicting Spain to win. Being able to get into the Final without playing well is the mark of a good team. However, it could go all the way to penalties.


Strikers are overrated


----------



## avoidobot3000

Torres gets the Golden Boot . . . lol


----------



## Ironpain

Nooo I accidentally closed the window, I had a nice post I wanted to share sigh anyways Spain beat Italy on every level, they had a counter for everything Italy tried to come at them with, they maintained position of the ball throughout, they were faster. 

They controlled the tempo, where Germany was slow and more offensive minded, Spain's counter attacked showed depth both on the offense and the defense, Casilla's out played Buffon who is one of the games best goalies, Pirlo was frustrated on every corner. 

There were high expectations for Balotelli to match or surpass what he did against Germany, Spain had control of him, they matched him pace for pace, overall Spain took advantage of every opening, their paces were clean and crisp, they used the space to open themselves up, Italy put up their defensive wall they just didn't count on Spain breaking through, which they did by confusing the Italians.

Spain just had a faster tempo, excellent ball control and they were able to see ahead, Italy got out played, it happens, the better team won, uhm yeah on side note Did Alan Shearer just say 'these guys have had an extreme amount of sex? I think I was hearing things.

Player of the Game: Iniesta 
Goalie of the Game: Casilla 
Player of the Tournament- Pirlo- 
Goalie of the Tournament: I'm going to go with Buffon 
Favorite Player of the Tournament- Buffon


----------



## Ironpain

That first half from Spain was akin to footballing perfection Incisive, quick witted and, most importantly, full of intent. 

Where space has been talked up as the focal point of their play in the final play, that space requires filling for it to be of any use and for the first time in moons, Spain used that space effectively as an extra man with which to seamlessly interchange and intersperse their piercing blows with. Luscious stuff and the kind of play I'm more than willing to hold my hand aloft to and say "too good." 

I'll ignore the fact that it's taken some universal criticism to get the best from a team that needn't have ever been so inclined to play so abhorrently defensively with their brand of tiki-takanaccio as it has clearly led to the team and the management coming out and playing this game with a point to prove - a point I was always aware lay dormant and one they made in the most emphatic of first half displays. 

As a guy who respects the game, soccer football what ever you want to call it is in my blood, my family loves their soccer, I've played my share of soccer, my brother in laws have played, my uncle has played, his friends play etc so that passion in that first half really was fecking beautiful. I just hope it once again becomes the norm for a team that, I've openly admitted, could be equal levels of entertaining and devastating if only they were always so inclined to do so. Exceptional display. Entertaining display.


----------



## sleepytime

Well done Spain, they're some team. I'd say their 2nd eleven would have won the tournament too, and they also had Puyol and David Villa sitting in the stands. Amazing.


----------



## The Blues man

Disappointed the Italians lost. I had a bet on them from the start to win the tournament but it was nice to see them reach the final. Italy are a classy team which I like very much but unfortunately someone had to lose.

Spain are some team though. Big congratulations to them. Totally deserve it and congratulations to Italy as well for getting runners-up spot.

Enjoyed the tournament very much.


----------



## upndownboi

was happy for Torres scoring and setting up another one.


----------



## Ali477

TristanS said:


> Llorente and Negredo aren't Rooney and Gerrard. Del Bosque wouldn't leave out Xavi or Iniesta.


This is true but i was talking about the likes of torres or fabregas (not negredo) who imo would walk into most international teams and if you look at it there has been plenty of times inesta/xavi has been replaced during games if they are tired/not playing well yet for england rooney plays the full 90 mins in all games even if he is on terrible form/tired just because he is a big name, honestly i think england played better without rooney this tournament.


----------



## Luna Sea

Fabregas wasn't a fixture in the team under Aragones either, and if Rooney had been as noticeably awful as Torres this year he'd have been out too. I'm not saying that the England team isn't badly managed, but Del Bosque doesn't deserve any more credit for going against reputations than anyone else (with the exception of Sven Sven Sven).


----------

