Euro 2012??

With all the UK members on this board I would have expected some sort of posting on Euro2012 by now.

Seems to me that getting the draw against France in the opening game was a good get for the England side that was minus Rooney. Still, they need to improve their overall play if they want to make any sort of run after the group stage.

The teams I'm pulling for are Italy and Croatia, though so far Germany seem to be the class of the tournament.

Any thoughts? Is Spain too old to repeat? Will both Portugal and Holland have their expected international collapse? Will Russia or England be the underdogs making the unexpected run like Greece did 8 years ago?

Surely I can't be the only footy fan on this board.

I would rather perform a vasectomy on myself with a wooden spoon than watch football. If it doesn't have wheels, it isn't sport.

I happened to be staying in a sleepy Greek fishing village in 2004 when Greece won the European Cup. We were kept awake all night by people on roofs firing shotguns in the air, and a procession of cars driving round the village with people hanging out of the car windows, also firing shotguns and flares. I looked out of the window to see where the police were and discovered that several of the cars in the procession were the police.

The Big Kahuna said:

If it doesn't have wheels, it isn't sport.

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I reckon we're on opoosites on this. then. I figure if a machine does the work, it's not a sport.

Ah well ...

I'm right there with you, PoiDog.... loving the On Demand streaming coverage on ESPN3 so I can catch up each night..... I'm a Barça supporter, so rooting for Spain isn't that much of a stretch for me, though I don't think they're going to be able to get past Germany this time - they're the team to beat, I think.... and I'm looking forward to seeing the French and the Dutch sent packing. I do have a big soft spot for Croatia, as well.... Modric is one of my favorite players (I'd LOVE to see him in the midfield at Barcelona with Messi, Xavi, & Iniesta) and he deserves to have a good tournament. The only downside is how much of my free time is eaten up by watching two games a day..... it's seriously messing with my ukulele practice time in the evenings....

i dislike Germany with passion. rooting for Portugal to survive the group of death

23skidoo said:

Modric is one of my favorite players (I'd LOVE to see him in the midfield at Barcelona with Messi, Xavi, & Iniesta) ...

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Funny, I was thinking Modric would be an ideal addition to the Nerazzurri!

Pazza Inter!

I've been a Germany fan ever since I moved here, but don't otherwise follow Football. I know I'll be in the minority here, but the Women's World Cup last year was amazing. The games were all quick-paced- no "let's kick the ball around to bide some time", as well as very aggressive and tactical playing.

This year I'm not so excited about the team. I've never been a fan of Gomez because in 2008 and 2010 they put him in at the end, and it seemed that things ended up going south for Germany whenever he entered. So I was surprised he was a starter, but he has quickly become the star of the team.

I am really not a fan of the Dutch team, I find their playing style difficult to watch, and pretty unsportsmanlike. It's worked for them before, but it looks like this year- not so much.

MisterRios said:

I've been a Germany fan ever since I moved here, but don't otherwise follow Football. I know I'll be in the minority here, but the Women's World Cup last year was amazing. The games were all quick-paced- no "let's kick the ball around to bide some time", as well as very aggressive and tactical playing.

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I DIG women's soccer..... I feel the same way about college basketball here in the States....watching the women play, the game isn't about one player dominating the game with spectacular skill - it's about team play, ball movement, strategy...... there's certainly individual brilliance, but I like the way the women really showcase the fundamentals of the game. Our local club (The Atlanta Silverbacks) has a team in what is essentially the women's second division (if only we had relegation and promotion in the U.S.!) and they're outstanding - they're unbeaten this season, defending champions, and the stadium is only about two miles from our house. My daughter and I haven't missed many home games the last few years - it's a joy to watch. Now if only their men's team could win a game.....

Yeah womens footie is pretty good,never thought i would mutter those immortal or immoral words lol
I am finding it hard to get into following the euro's. I ave fallen out of love with footie the last few years. And it was my first love, i used to be a season ticket holder for a club for years.
But the game has changed, far to much money involved, players attitudes suck, and it doesnt feel like a working class mans sport anymore. I cannot justify the money they earn it is disgusting. And i still cannot get over the attitude of the england players in the last world cup.
But what i have noticed this tournament, which is very rare, is that people are once are realistic about england and they are a pretty average team, nothing special what so ever, normally leading up to the comp, the press and media whip everyone up in to a frenzy of false belief about how great we are and most people get swept away with it, till we get knocked out and the realisation of the truth kicks in.
Also find it very hard to follow them with the inclusion of that scum bag john terry who is facing allegations of racism and has been picked, i really dont agree with that, i was sort of following Holland as love van Persie, but i may follow Germany now, i reckon they wil win it or at least get to the final, cant stand spain as they dive to much and any link to barca infuriates me as the way they try to poach players illegally all the time,
Damn my blood pressure is rising now, footie ust winds me up, now i gotta go play uke for a while, this is the first time i have never bothered to watch england play, then again when i was a paying supporter, my club side always meant more to me than the national team. anyway wishing all the teams you are following do well,

Dave- I know what you mean about the money and the attitudes.... it's a big turn off. I stopped watching NBA basketball several years ago.... the players were on strike - wanting more money. During the midst of the strike, I saw a commercial with NBA players asking supporters to donate money to the younger players in the league because they weren't making any money with the season suspended. I thought it was a comedy skit or a parody - when I realized it was serious.... I haven't watched an NBA game since. Plus, most of those guys are a$$hats - like the NFL players, they're off-field shenanigans are pretty disgusting.

Which is one of the reasons I like the European football leagues. I've figured out it's a matter of information and perspective. Here in the U.S., we have to actively seek out news and informations about the Premiership or La Liga - we don't really have a football culture - at least not in the south where I live..... there aren't many games broadcast and all the off-pitch controversy is unknown unless you go out looking for the tabloid news. Which I don't.... I just watch the games and that's it. And it's a beautiful game, so I just enjoy and ignore the bull$hit. I don't even know what John Terry did - although I've heard a few commentators make reference to it, I have no ideas what the details are.... I just don't like John Terry on principal because I can't stand Chelsea.....

I also know what you mean about the diving..... as a Barça supporter, it's the one thing that I can't stand. Like a lot of folks, my favorite player is Messi (have you seen my original tune 'Ode To Leo Messi'?).... I've been watching him since he debuted for Barça as a teenager and the thing I like most about him is his honesty..... he rarely goes down, even in the box. There are a few players in Barcelona that go over in a stiff breeze, though, and it is distasteful.... although it seems like the same can be said for every team outside of England and Germany..... and it seems to be getting worse in the Prem, lately, too.....

The other thing the Barça players (and most players) do that really gets me is trying to get people booked and crowding the referee.... just not cool..... all in all, though, I enjoy watching the games - I just try to ignore all the associated nonsense and enjoy the sport - from my perspective in the U.S., professional football abroad isn't nearly as bad as the top professional sports here in the States.....

23skidoo said:

[Messi] rarely goes down, even in the box. There are a few players in Barcelona that go over in a stiff breeze, though, and it is distasteful....

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Cough-Iniesta-Cough

Seriously though, for as much garbage as the Italians get for diving (well deserved, by the way), the Argentines and Spanish should get at least as much. And when you talk about complaining and crowding the ref, does it ever get any better (or worse) than Ibra and Robben? Sheesh! If those dudes would spend 1/10 of that energy in their play, they'd be unstoppable.

I'm not sure if that is more difficult to watch, or the cynical aggressive style that Holland and Russia are playing.

All in all, so far the four best teams of the tournament have to be Germany, Spain, Italy, and Croatia. They really are playing solid football, and are quite pleasant to watch.

PoiDog said:

Cough-Iniesta-Cough

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The worst are Busquets and Dani Alves, and Pedro isn't too far behind..... at least Iniesta is actually fouled most of the time he goes down too easily.....

The Dutch are funny.... I like most of their players when they're playing for their clubs, but when you get them all together, it seems to bring out the worst in them..... that World Cup final against Spain was just hard to watch.

Croatia is playing great - really looking forward to seeing them throughout the rest of the tournament - I think they might surprise some folks if they can keep it up..... my money's still on Germany although the Spanish might be warming up.....

Still waiting for a truly outstanding game, though.....

23skidoo said:

Still waiting for a truly outstanding game, though.....

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i totally agree.

i've seen the best things from Germany and from Italy and Spain in the first match. Spain doesn't seem the almost perfect team seen during the last years though. yesterday Croatia deserved the victory.

let's see tonight who we (italy of course)'ll have to face on the next round. France seems the best team of the group.

FrankBungle said:

i totally agree.

i've seen the best things from Germany and from Italy and Spain in the first match. Spain doesn't seem the almost perfect team seen during the last years though. yesterday Croatia deserved the victory.

let's see tonight who we (italy of course)'ll have to face on the next round. France seems the best team of the group.

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!!!!!! :smileybounce:

ukuleledaveey said:

!!!!!! :smileybounce:

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it's been a long time since we last meet. it's always an appealing match.
i really do like facing England.

and terry yesterday was beyond the line!!!

FrankBungle said:

it's been a long time since we last meet. it's always an appealing match.
i really do like facing England.

and terry yesterday was beyond the line!!!

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yeah it will be a interesting match, i think we are very solid at defending, just not very creative going forward, and not much choice in class forwards apart from rooney.
Yep Terry was definately over the line, but it is about time we had some luck after the goal we was denied in south africa that lampard scored was over the line, the last night was over the line, but also the player was off side as well, which was shown in the replay, swo if he had had the goal allowed it should of been flagged offside, anyway as i said it was about time we had some luck. good luck for sunday and may the best team win

Nice to see there's a bit of action on this thread!

The final group matches were, on the whole, pretty entertaining. I found the Portugal - Netherlands match to be a hoot, though while watching it I couldn't believe that any team in the tournament could miss so many clearly golden scoring chances as Portugal did. Postiga ought to be flat-out ashamed of himself on some of his bad chances. Then I watched the Ukraine completely hand the game to England after missing what I counted as seven clear chances to pot a goal. And, of course, the one they got wasn't counted. Seriously, those Ukrainian strikers were garbage, even if they did expose the England defense as being slow and constantly out of position.

It really was a tough break for Croatia, though I don't understand their strategy. Going so defensive against Spain is a mug's game, since they play such incredible possession football. It means that not only does your back have to be stout, but offensively you *must* capitalize on whatever rare chance you get, and Croatia simply aren't talented enough on either end to do that. France looked simply lazy against a very poor Sweden side, while Italy finally got to flex a bit of muscle and have some fun.

My predictions on the next round:

Both Germany and Portugal ease into the semis, earning the easy path against Greece and Czech Republic.
England loses their luck against an Italian side that seems to be gaining confidence and showing a lot of creativity
Spain beats France like a runaway servant.

This sets up arguably the best four teams of the tournament in the quarters, which is as it should be.

ukuleledaveey said:

yeah it will be a interesting match, i think we are very solid at defending, just not very creative going forward, and not much choice in class forwards apart from rooney.
Yep Terry was definately over the line, but it is about time we had some luck after the goal we was denied in south africa that lampard scored was over the line, the last night was over the line, but also the player was off side as well, which was shown in the replay, swo if he had had the goal allowed it should of been flagged offside, anyway as i said it was about time we had some luck. good luck for sunday and may the best team win

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Talking about defence, Mr. Roy is more italian than Capello! But you're a solid team now and players like Rooney, or the speed of Walcott are a good weapon for you.

I didn't like Italy against Ireland. I always liked Prandelli but i don't agree with some of his chioces during this tournament. For example I don't understand why we have to play with a player like Thiago Motta totally out of condition (btw, isn't he brazilian!?) or Giaccherini in the first two matches, and so on.

anyway, imo, the two new referees in the penalty box are completely useless. i saw it also during europeans cups.

good luck to you too.

Frank,

I wonder whether the feeling in Italy is that Prandelli ought to give Giovinco more time on the pitch? He's got tons of energy and a very clever aspect to him. I know it's difficult to find a spot for him with Balo and Cassano out front, but I can see him in an attacking midfield role or third forward in a 4-3-3 (like Spain plays)

Who do you think ought to be on instead of Thiago Motta? My first thought was Montolivo, but he seems more a playmaker like Pirlo, and not nearly a strong support/defender. Perhaps Nocerino?

Anyway, since Croatia are out, I am now no longer split in support. Forza Azzurri!