Euro 2004

[Mick]

How's your team doing? Will you be joining us Scots in Portugal, or are you from one of the weaker nations who won't be qualifying (like England :D)?

Iceland don't know what's good for them, so rather than just forfeiting the game and giving us the three points, they'll turn up at Hampden on Saturday for a right hiding.

I'm confident we can beat the Germans at home, and Lithuania should be no problem, and those fecking Faroes need taught a lesson, so a 7-0 drubbing for them at Hampden will do nicely.

Top of the group at the end, off to Portugal to win the tournament for the first time. You heard it here first..... unless you heard it somewhere else already.

Can't wait for the game to start tomorrow night, not been this excited about a Scotland match for ages. We'll go one better than the win in Iceland, 3-0 to Scotland.

[Jyrka]

I'm afraid this time (like all the previous times) we, the estonians, won't qualify.
We got Belgium, Croatia and Bulgaria in our group. Would be great to get some points off them. Very much like the 0-0 away draw against Croatia - our only point so far.
Umm and Andorra is there too. Easy 6 points:D

[charliebobo]

Tomorrow night: Italy vs. Finland

If we don't win I'm afraid it's bye bye Euro 2004... we're 3rd in our Group, behind Jugoslavia (now called Serbia-Montenegro) and Wales... :eek: I can't believe we lost against the Wales... :(

[paul calf]

Originally posted by Mick
How's your team doing? Will you be joining us Scots in Portugal, or are you from one of the weaker nations who won't be qualifying (like England :D)?

Iceland don't know what's good for them, so rather than just forfeiting the game and giving us the three points, they'll turn up at Hampden on Saturday for a right hiding.

I'm confident we can beat the Germans at home, and Lithuania should be no problem, and those fecking Faroes need taught a lesson, so a 7-0 drubbing for them at Hampden will do nicely.

Top of the group at the end, off to Portugal to win the tournament for the first time. You heard it here first..... unless you heard it somewhere else already.

Can't wait for the game to start tomorrow night, not been this excited about a Scotland match for ages. We'll go one better than the win in Iceland, 3-0 to Scotland.

i wish i had your confidence mick but watching scotland under berti i know we will be beaten easily home and away by the germans and then beaten by whoever we play in the playoff's,we are a piss poor team right now with only possibly 3 half decent players in fergie,lambert and david weir,we have one or 2 youngsters coming through that may be good enough in a few years other than that we are really struggling.

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Well I'm half English and Irish so were doing shit!

Ireland have no chance now after those opening defeats...good win against a poor Scottish side though (sorry to bring that up Mick :))

England will leather Lechinstein tomorrow and beat Turkey. I honestly believe if England make it to Portugal they will win the tournament...we always make things hard for ourselves qualifying wise.

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Originally posted by charliebobo
Tomorrow night: Italy vs. Finland

If we don't win I'm afraid it's bye bye Euro 2004... we're 3rd in our Group, behind Jugoslavia (now called Serbia-Montenegro) and Wales... :eek: I can't believe we lost against the Wales... :(

Simon Davies is quality though!

[arto_j]

We've got that Italy game today, and if we don't win it...it's pretty much all over.

But, I'm used to it, we've never made it before.

[Jyrka]

Today Estonia played a warm up game against Canada for wednesday's match against Bulgaria.
A 2-1 victory with half the first team injured is not bad one would say, great. Both our goals were scored by super-striker Andres Oper. He is indeed super...

I'm ready for wednesday :cool:

[Mick]

2-1 for Scotland, too :D

Kenny Miller scored early on, and Scotland continued to completely dominate for the rest of the first half. Iceland didn't even have an attempt on goal. In the second half some really sloppy defending allowed Eidur Gudjohnsen to get in loads of space to easily lob Douglas.

72nd minute, Graham Alexander stands ready to take the free-kick. Knocks it down the line for Paul Devlin to chase, Devlin gets to the by-line and knocks in a perfect cross for Dundee's big centre-half, Lee Wilkie, to head in. Excellent.

Couple of penalty claims, Don Hutchison was held back in the first half, and it really should've given us the chance to double our lead. But it wasn't given, and neither was Iceland's in the second half.

We'll go one better than the win in Iceland, 3-0 to Scotland.

Bah, close enough :D

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Well we won 2-1 and Doc got the winner of all people!

Dirty Georgian's throwing knives at players...I know it was Kevin Kilbane but c'mon.

We might have a slim chance of qualifying...Kate Moss slim mind.

Oh and well done England, 2-0 is still three points and c'mon lets beat Turkey on Wednesday.

A good day for the home nations.

[paul calf]

germany 1 lithuenia(how the fuck do they spell it) 1

gives scotland a bit of a chance still got to beat the germans at hampden but maybe there is a chance after all.

[arto_j]

Well, that's pretty much it for us. Got our asses kicked 0-2 last night, didn't really stand a chance...We got 3 points from 4 games, the only way we could make it is if everyone loses, we win, and the world comes to an end with only our team remaining.

And that first goal was so obviously offside.

[Jyrka]

Originally posted by paul calf
germany 1 lithuenia(how the fuck do they spell it) 1


It's Lithuania oh silly one :rolleyes:

[charliebobo]

We beat Finland 2-0... played pretty well... unfortunately Wales won too so no changes in the group standings...

[VittO OttivO]

Im Supporting three Teams This Time

Portugal , Italy and England

but i really HOPE that Portugal wins this Tournment

[VittO OttivO]

Originally posted by charliebobo
:eek: I can't believe we lost against the Wales... :(

Wales are a pretty Good Team , they got Ryan Giggs and this guy is REALLY good

[paul calf]

Originally posted by Jyrka
It's Lithuania oh silly one :rolleyes:

one letter out not a totaly disasterous attempt:eek:

[charliebobo]

Originally posted by VittO OttivO
Wales are a pretty Good Team , they got Ryan Giggs and this guy is REALLY good

I know, they have Giggs and Bellamy, but we have Totti, DelPiero, Vieri, Nesta, Maldini and so on... we really shouldn't have lost

[Jyrka]

Estonia 0-0 Bulgaria :(

What a shite, shite result. I can't belive how we managed to miss like 3 sure goals. :( :( Oh how happy a me would be if we had won. :( :( :( Bah!

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Well I've just watched one of the most boring matches ever...

ALBANIA 0 EIRE 0

Its an upward struggle for us now! :(

[Mick]

Ok, I'm obviously a bit disgusted by tonight's result. We really should've scored (especially Hutchison - english cunt), but there's no fucking way we didn't deserve a point from this match.

I'm completely baffled as to how Cuntanovakus (their no. 9) didn't even get booked for diving. He should've seen red before he was subbed, cheating cunt. The penalty incident was a complete farce. Call me old-fashioned, but I still believe that some CONTACT has to be made before a penalty can be given. Yes, McNamara was a stupid cunt, as it was obvious the little prick was going to hurl himself to the ground, but there was no contact and if the ref wasn't such an incompotent fuckwit there's no way they'd have scored.

No more qualifiers 'til June, and we've left ourselves really needing a win against Germany. Hopefully between now and then we can find a striker to replace that useless cunt Crawford.

England's "epic" win over the turkeys only makes thing worse. Bastards. Must say, is it just me or is David Beckham getting prettier everyday? That hairband really suits him - I wouldn't know whether to fuck 'im or... tackle 'im, I guess.

Bah, and fucking Scot Gemmil was hovering around again...... can't Berti learn something from Craig Brown's mistakes? Bad enough that he plays Presley, but Gemmil doesn't bare thinking about...

[Indiana Sev]

Originally posted by Bullet Tooth Tony
Well I've just watched one of the most boring matches ever...

ALBANIA 0 EIRE 0

Its an upward struggle for us now! :(

Jesus, doesn't every football match end 0-0. Once in a blue moon there's a goal.

I suppose the excitement lies in the fierce struggle for possession of the ball.:rolleyes:

I shouldn't talk though, they don't show enough of it here for me to get into it.

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Originally posted by Indiana Sev
Jesus, doesn't every football match end 0-0. Once in a blue moon there's a goal.

I suppose the excitement lies in the fierce struggle for possession of the ball.:rolleyes:

I shouldn't talk though, they don't show enough of it here for me to get into it.

Don't knock it until you've tried it! :)

[James Logan]

I'm rooting for France (always do in soccer, although that's the only moment I do root for 'em), and we just won our last two games vs. Malta (6-0) and vs. Israel (2-1). Sure they aren't great teams, but France's been playing solidly so far, and the change from Marcel Desailly to Zinedine Zidane as captain seems to be working its magic. Looking forward to the Redemption in 2004...

[blankpage]

Go Canada! :rolleyes:

Since I doubt Ireland will make it to Euro 2004..... I'm cheering for Scotland, oi.

[mattjk_17]

Well we (England) have had a better week than I had expected. Made some predictions with some mates the other day. I got one of my predictions right (the win over Liechtenstein), wish I'dve said we'd beat Turkey though!

How does everyone think their groups will finish? My prediction for group 7 is...

1. England
2. Turkey
3. Slovakia
4. Macedonia
5. Lichtenstein

That's the current standing of our group and how I think it'll finish. Turkey vs England in Istanbul will probably end up deciding first and second place, it'll be close IMO.

[deanus]

1st of all how can an ENGLISH person NOT support just england. NO they have 2 support two or mayb three teams!

2nd England have had a good week! and will continue 2 do so for the remainder of the qualifying stage! IMO!

3rd DONT support scotland or ireland, its as simple as that!

4th, CMON ENGLAND!!!! DARIUS, DARIUS, DARIUS!!!! :D

[mattjk_17]

Originally posted by deanus
4th, CMON ENGLAND!!!! DARIUS, DARIUS, DARIUS!!!! :D

Barmy Villa fan... like myself :D

[deanus]

yer i no i am

if England do not win Euro 2004 what is the rest of the football playin world gonna say!! i no.... do u?

[charliebobo]

England - Turkey 2-0
Pretty good game, England did deserve to win but Turkey are always very tough to beat and I wouldn't have been surprised if they had managed to get a draw...
I think England will probably win the group, unless they lose in Turkey that is... should be a great match

Having said that, I think England won't win Euro 2004... why? Because they're just not good enough... they lack good players in key roles (goalkeeper- James is terrible, Seaman is old; left and right midfielders) and only 4-5 of their players are really world-class: Becks, Owen (who I think is not that good though), Ferdinand, Campbell and Gerrard... Ashley Cole and Rooney are very promising and in a couple of years could be really great but for now...

One thing I don't understand... why does Erikkson get so much criticism? I think he's the best man for the job... would you rather have Hoddle back?

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Originally posted by deanus
1st of all how can an ENGLISH person NOT support just england. NO they have 2 support two or mayb three teams!
3rd DONT support scotland or ireland, its as simple as that!



I support Ireland cause I'm half Irish. Not cause I feel I have to. Keane pisses on Vassell any road.

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Originally posted by charliebobo


One thing I don't understand... why does Erikkson get so much criticism? I think he's the best man for the job... would you rather have Hoddle back?

The papers make me laugh. If you look at his record in qualifying, it speaks for itself.

Anyway England can have Hoddle back...with the shit job he's doing for us. I love Hoddle and all but he should leave now before he starts getting a tainted rep. The board wont back him!

Anyway lay off Eriksson!

[paul calf]

Originally posted by Mick
Ok, I'm obviously a bit disgusted by tonight's result. We really should've scored (especially Hutchison - english cunt),

what the fuck is that all about(english cunt) was he an english cunt when he scored against england at wembly,was he an english cunt when he scored against the germans in munich,the guy has been a credit to scotland,he is just coming back from 6 month's off with a bad injury,so remarks like that are unwarented and uncalled for,i think scotland are rubbish right now but will always get behind them,instead of coming out with stupid statements like that.

[Kastman]

Italy better make it in euro 2004, or i will brutally beat up one person of each nationaltiy that does make it in. ok not really, but i'll be thinking that.






GO ITALY!!!!!!!!!!!!


And a side note regarding world cup 2002: They were robbed, it wasn't fukkin offside, it wasn't OFFSIDE!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mick]

Originally posted by paul calf
what the fuck is that all about(english cunt) was he an english cunt when he scored against england at wembly,was he an english cunt when he scored against the germans in munich,the guy has been a credit to scotland,he is just coming back from 6 month's off with a bad injury,so remarks like that are unwarented and uncalled for,i think scotland are rubbish right now but will always get behind them,instead of coming out with stupid statements like that.

Yes, he was an English cunt when he scored at Wembley.

I wouldn't have him in the team - If it means we have to play someone who isn't as good... so be it. As it happens, we would be better off with a Scottish player in the team just now, rather than playing an obviously fucked Don Hutchison.

No need for you to be getting all dramatic about it.... I've never wanted English players in the side. The only reason guys like Hutchison and Elliot play for Scotland is because they are not good enough to play for England.... that's just not good enough for me. They should be there because they want to play for Scotland.

As for always getting behind them, I do. I don't want Hutchison to play badly just so I can give him stick. When he's playing for Scotland I'll give him my full support, but I'd rather we could play 11 Scots instead of selling out like we do.

[paul calf]

Originally posted by Mick
Yes, he was an English cunt when he scored at Wembley.

I wouldn't have him in the team - If it means we have to play someone who isn't as good... so be it. As it happens, we would be better off with a Scottish player in the team just now, rather than playing an obviously fucked Don Hutchison.

No need for you to be getting all dramatic about it.... I've never wanted English players in the side. The only reason guys like Hutchison and Elliot play for Scotland is because they are not good enough to play for England.... that's just not good enough for me. They should be there because they want to play for Scotland.

As for always getting behind them, I do. I don't want Hutchison to play badly just so I can give him stick. When he's playing for Scotland I'll give him my full support, but I'd rather we could play 11 Scots instead of selling out like we do.

when has don huchinson ever gave the impression he did'nt want to play for scotland,he has a scottish father like my son has and i would be really proud of him to play for scotland as i am sure his father is,so for someone to call him an english cunt is out of order just because he had a bad game,i dont want players of any other nationality playing for scotland either i was appalled at the idea of david johnson of then ipswich playing under craig brown,and we should never stoop as low as ireland and england in having players from all over,but if someone has both scottish and english parents and they choose to pull on the dark blue jersey then thats good enough for me.

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

So theres two big Euro 2004 games today...

SCOTLAND V GERMANY

A can see this one being quite close but Scotland (I feel) are way past their best. The current crop of players are just disappointing to the golden years. I mean wheres the next Paul McStay coming from? Germany are much the same. No skill or panache...although thats never been a strong point and no talent. I'm going with a 1-0 win to the Germans.

EIRE V ALBANIA

Albania gave us a fright back in March and will not be easy to break down, however with us at home and Duff and Keano on such electric form I can't see any other result than a Irish win. We need two wins to keep us in the hunt. 2-0.

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Yay Spurs beat Albania 2-1.

Keano and Doc get the three points!

And well done to Scotland, from what I heard a well deserved draw.

[Corpse Candle]

Originally posted by charliebobo
England - Turkey 2-0
Pretty good game, England did deserve to win but Turkey are always very tough to beat and I wouldn't have been surprised if they had managed to get a draw...
I think England will probably win the group, unless they lose in Turkey that is... should be a great match

Having said that, I think England won't win Euro 2004... why? Because they're just not good enough... they lack good players in key roles (goalkeeper- James is terrible, Seaman is old; left and right midfielders) and only 4-5 of their players are really world-class: Becks, Owen (who I think is not that good though), Ferdinand, Campbell and Gerrard... Ashley Cole and Rooney are very promising and in a couple of years could be really great but for now...

One thing I don't understand... why does Erikkson get so much criticism? I think he's the best man for the job... would you rather have Hoddle back?


Ohhhh...
Words from a frightend Italian who's team will not qualify can not understand the fact that WALES are becoming a better side.
Also a man who cannot see the wealth of talent that England produces.

Chris Kirkland
Wayne Bridge
Joe Cole
John Terry
Owen Hargreaves
Frank Lampard
Paul Scholes
Jermain Jenas
Darrus Vassel

Only four or five world class players.......im just glad your not a football scout.

[mattjk_17]

Ahh Corpse Candle, you have no idea how happy you have made me by not including one Mr. Rooney on that list :D

[Corpse Candle]

Originally posted by mattjk_17
Ahh Corpse Candle, you have no idea how happy you have made me by not including one Mr. Rooney on that list :D

I get sick of hearing about that brusier to oh I forgot UPSON and look out for MELLOR at least in the U21 to start with;)

[mattjk_17]

Upson? Me no likey, local rivalries and all, Mellor though? I'll have to watch out for him

[charliebobo]

Originally posted by Corpse Candle
Ohhhh...
Words from a frightend Italian who's team will not qualify can not understand the fact that WALES are becoming a better side.
Also a man who cannot see the wealth of talent that England produces.

Chris Kirkland
Wayne Bridge
Joe Cole
John Terry
Owen Hargreaves
Frank Lampard
Paul Scholes
Jermain Jenas
Darrus Vassel

Only four or five world class players.......im just glad your not a football scout.

Sorry, but those are NOT world class players... well maybe Hargreaves and Lampard (Scholes is overrated IMO but still good), but if you consider them world class players then Italy has loads more:

Nesta, Maldini, Buffon, Toldo, Abbiati, Gattuso, Ambrosini, Inzaghi, Cannavaro, Coco, C.Zanetti, Di Biagio, Vieri, Zambrotta, Ferrara, Birindelli, Tacchinardi, Del Piero, Di Vaio, Baggio, Corradi, Fiore, Conte, Oddo, Peruzzi, Totti, Del Vecchio, Montella, Camoranesi, Perrotta, Tommasi, Albertini, Cudicini, Panucci... and these are just off the top of my head.

English teams, apart from Manchester Utd, have bever done well in the Champions League... that has to mean something! Could you remind what nationality 3 of the 4 teams in the Champions League semis came from?
Sure, you did better than us in the World Cup, but we got to the final in Euro 2000, and almost won there

Tell me this: do you have a goalie that's even half as good as any of our 3 (Toldo, Buffon, Abbiati)? Do you really think Nesta and Cannavaro are not better than Campbell and Ferdinand? That Vieri, Totti, Del Piero are not 3 of the best, if not THE best strikers a national team has? Who do you have, apart from Owen??? Heskey? Sheringham? :rolleyes:

However yes, I am a little worried about Wales, but I don't think that we're not as good as they are...

[Mick]

Scotland 1 - 1 Germany

I've not read any of the papers yet (and I don't intend to) but hopefully the result will shut some of these idiots up and let Berti get on with his job.

I thought we played really well for the most part, although it was a disappointing goal to lose - someone really should have been marking Bobic.

I was quite pleased to hear Paul Deviln's name announced in th starting XI, rather than someone more defensive; Dailly, McNamara, Lambert and Cameron in midfield would've been far too negative. Unfortunately he had a very poor game, but we've nobody else who can play in midfield (well, nobody who wants to play for Scotland anyway :rolleyes:)

Our goal was pretty good. Really quick thinking from Cameron, and an excellent first touch from Miller and a cool finish to beat Kahn.

Rab Douglas was outstanding in goal. He pulled off numerous saves which essentially kept us in the match, and they looked even more impressive watching the highlights; he'd have been my pick for man of the match.

The atmosphere around Hampden before the game was excellent - all the media chimps might have been expecting/hoping for Germany to put four past us, but the fans seemed really up for it.

Inside the ground everyone really got behind the team, and it was nice to see the ground almost sold out - hopefully it'll be the same for the rest of our qualifiers.

A draw was probably a fair result on the whole, and it does leave us in a fairly good position. If we beat the Faroes and Lithuania at home, which, if we play like we did yesterday, we will, then we're guaranteed a play-off.

[Corpse Candle]

Originally posted by charliebobo
Sorry, but those are NOT world class players... well maybe Hargreaves and Lampard (Scholes is overrated IMO but still good), but if you consider them world class players then Italy has loads more:

Nesta, Maldini, Buffon, Toldo, Abbiati, Gattuso, Ambrosini, Inzaghi, Cannavaro, Coco, C.Zanetti, Di Biagio, Vieri, Zambrotta, Ferrara, Birindelli, Tacchinardi, Del Piero, Di Vaio, Baggio, Corradi, Fiore, Conte, Oddo, Peruzzi, Totti, Del Vecchio, Montella, Camoranesi, Perrotta, Tommasi, Albertini, Cudicini, Panucci... and these are just off the top of my head.

English teams, apart from Manchester Utd, have bever done well in the Champions League... that has to mean something! Could you remind what nationality 3 of the 4 teams in the Champions League semis came from?
Sure, you did better than us in the World Cup, but we got to the final in Euro 2000, and almost won there

Tell me this: do you have a goalie that's even half as good as any of our 3 (Toldo, Buffon, Abbiati)? Do you really think Nesta and Cannavaro are not better than Campbell and Ferdinand? That Vieri, Totti, Del Piero are not 3 of the best, if not THE best strikers a national team has? Who do you have, apart from Owen??? Heskey? Sheringham? :rolleyes:

However yes, I am a little worried about Wales, but I don't think that we're not as good as they are...


Y'know I am ready to admit that Italy still has more abilty over all however many of the players you have mentioned are very much flair and sparkle.
The reason why Italy can be beaten is because they think EVERYTHING can be won througth attack your men at the back are NOT as good as the ENGLAND back three.
Sheringham hasn't been part of the squad in ages so why you put that name up against the Italian players I don't know.
I don't think David James should be England NO.1 that's why I put down Kirkland.
When it comes down to the REAL physical side of the game the hard work the bread and butter of football Italy just don't have the players.
We may not have as much flair and style as Italy but we won't winge or flop down at the slightest of touches we battle and scrap and show you who's boss.
Even if England hasn't quite reached the complete team of what Italy has our time is coming and I don't think all the Italian arrogence in the world can save the you. ;)

[charliebobo]

Originally posted by Corpse Candle
Y'know I am ready to admit that Italy still has more abilty over all however many of the players you have mentioned are very much flair and sparkle.
The reason why Italy can be beaten is because they think EVERYTHING can be won througth attack your men at the back are NOT as good as the ENGLAND back three.
Sheringham hasn't been part of the squad in ages so why you put that name up against the Italian players I don't know.
I don't think David James should be England NO.1 that's why I put down Kirkland.
When it comes down to the REAL physical side of the game the hard work the bread and butter of football Italy just don't have the players.
We may not have as much flair and style as Italy but we won't winge or flop down at the slightest of touches we battle and scrap and show you who's boss.
Even if England hasn't quite reached the complete team of what Italy has our time is coming and I don't think all the Italian arrogence in the world can save the you. ;)

If I remember correctly Sheringham played in the last World Cup...

I don't agree with you when you say Italy only know how to attack, infact most people nowadays seem to think that we always go for the 1-0 win, that we only care about defending and that Italian football is no fun... wasn't the Inter-Milan game called the "San Zero" derby there in England?
...but anyway, you don't think Nesta Cannavaro and Maldini are 3 of the best defenders in the world??? Ask anyone and I think they'd agree with me in saying that our back 3 is probably the best in the world. Our problem is in midfield, and I admit that England's is better, but we too have very strong players who fight for every ball, like Zambrotta, Ambrosini or Gattuso (ask PaulCalf, he'll agree with me on this :))

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Here we go again...

Hopefully England will smash Slovakia (probably end up scraping a 2-1 win) and Ireland beat Georgia.

I think both games will be hotly contested and not the greatest games to watch but as long as they get the result I dont care!

[quoth_the_raven]

Originally posted by Bullet Tooth Tony
Here we go again...

Hopefully England will smash Slovakia (probably end up scraping a 2-1 win) and Ireland beat Georgia.

I think both games will be hotly contested and not the greatest games to watch but as long as they get the result I dont care!



i am going to parrot those thoughts to save me having to type too much...;)

[Mick]

Half Time

England 0 - 1 Slovakia

Shoddy finishing all round. Slovakia should have AT LEAST another one. Michael Owen should've taken his chance; what a terrible first touch to put him in an impossible position (ie, on his left foot :D). His chance in the first minute, he really should've put that in too.

The goal came straight from a free-kick which was floated into the area, bit of an odd goal, but someone should've dealt with it.

England have been playing poorly; long may it continue :D

I think they will score in the second half, but their defence looks dodgy enough to let Slovakia in again.

Turkey beat Macedonia 3-2 earlier on, so if the England game finishes at 1-0, Turkey will be 5 ahead of England, with Slovakia 1 behind (England have played one less than both of them)

May the best team win!*

*as long as it's not england ;)

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Well I predicted it right...Owen saves the day again.

Plus Eire won again...Keano and Doc, maybe they should play up front for Spurs?

Pretty shit matches, but like I said at least my home nations got the points.

[charliebobo]

Finland - Italy 0-2

Apart from the two excellent goals by Totti and Del Piero, we didn't play very well at all, and the Fins probably deserved to be 1-0 up after 30 mins... then Totti scored a wonderful goal and we managed to control the game pretty well... We really needed to win if we're gonna have a shot at winning our group, although winning all our matches may not be enough because Wales could afford to lose against us and still win the group if they win their other 3 matches, of which 2 are against Serbia-Montenegro (former Jugoslavia), and judging from the way the Jugos have been playing (lost to Azerbaijan yesterday) Wales stand a good chance of making it

[rupert pupkin]

Corpse candle

Im still a little confused at ure labelling of italy as an attacking unit whose players are not capable of the bread and butter defensive unit

i would have said that was the oppisite of reality

in recent years italian emphasis has been always on defence......relying on wonderful players such as baresi...maldini and nesta......

they have long been an extremely physical defensive unit.......look at their relaince on one nil victories and the emphasis on defence on the serie A

[Corpse Candle]

kay...sorry I think I was thinking of MALTA:p

So easy to get those two teams confused maybe the statement about Italian defense was one of instinct reaction and possibly resorting to cliches about the contintal game.

However all I was trying to say really was that England do have a team with talent to win EURO 2004.

ITALY are good but they must be missing something because they are not where you suspect them to be ...top of thier table.
I suspect they have a chink in thier armour but as I have found in many pubs in the country an Italian fan will never admit it:p

Oh and just for the record I hope we don't go to the championship with the back three we played aginst Slovakia come RIO,BROWN,CAMPBELL get well soon.

[HomerSimpson]

Bulgaria has a good chance to qualify but Group 8 is the tightest qualifying group right now. Three teams are within a point of eachother - Bulgaria, Croatia and Belgium (although they have played a game more). Bulgaria needs to beat Estonia, Andorra and tie vs. Croatia to guarantee itself first place, no matter what the other results in the group are. The perfect score would be if Belgium tie with Croatia. That would help a lot.

As for England and Spain... good luck in 2nd place playoffs. :D Also if Iceland finnish ahead of Scotland... that would be hilarious. :p

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Ok lets get discussing...

The qualifiers are back starting Saturday

England face a toughish trip to Macedonia. Could only manage a 2-2 draw at St Marys but I can see England winning uncovincingly here.

Ireland have a couple of real tough matches to play...without Keano. We need to win both and I think we might not. :(

As for Wales they have great match coming up against the Italians in Milan. Italy for me, although Wales have really improved under Mark Hughes...about time.

Last and defintely least :D Scotland who should beat the Faroe Isles but will find it tough against zee Germans.

Northern Ireland? Who cares. :)

[Puck Bond]

All I have to say is come on England! Now if I can just find a way to watch some of these games!

[Clarkey07]

Originally posted by Puck Bond
All I have to say is come on England! Now if I can just find a way to watch some of these games!

You and me both, Puck Bond. :) Anyone know if any of the games are going to be televised?

[Mick]

The Faroes at Hampden tomorrow, and if we don't beat them this time I'll need to kill someone.

According to the SFA site 40,000 will turn up for the game, which is more than I would've expected, but we'll see.

Dailly and Elvis are suspended, and Lambert and Hutchison might not make it, but it shouldn't matter. It's the bloody Faroes for crying out load.

God knows who Berti will pick, but I'd go with:

Douglas

Naysmith
Webster
Wilkie
McNamara

McCann
Ferguson
Lambert
Cameron

Hutchison
McFadden

4-1 to Scotland. We're bound to lose a ridiculously stupid goal (Wilkie's a time bomb), but we should be able to put a few past the Thistle gimp.

And just to make things that little bit nicer, it's the night before the match and my throat is killing me to death. Bollocks.

England will probably play crap for a while, then win the game as Macedonia bottle it near the end. Fed up getting my hopes up, 2-0 England :(

I'd quite like to see Wales win, but I think Italy'll stuff them.

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Some mixed results.

Ireland were disappointing against a very organised Russian side. We need Robbie back fit. 1-1 isn't too bad. Maybe a draw on Wednesday when the Swiss meet Russia would be beneficial to us. A real tough game in October. Ireland will qualify.

England were awful. The midfield were passing the ball all over the place...unfortunately to the Macedonians. I knew it would be tough, Rooney and Becks save England's ass again. Mind you there are no easy games in Europe any more. I rememer in the late 80's England used leather teams like Albania and Turkey 8-0! The Macedonian fans were absolutely awful. Racism is the worst and there is no excuse for it.

Scotland won but still have a mountain to climb...c'mon don't let Iceland qualify. I reckon a draw on Weds against zee Germans would be an excellent result. The Scots do work hard.

Wales put up a great fight but as soon as that goal went in heads dropped and the Italians true class showed. A shame but I believe Wales will still qualify...just.

N Ireland havent scored now for over 2 years and with the team they have I can't see that changing for another 2 years but again a spirited display meant that they grinded out a 0-0 draw.

A mixed bag really.

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Tonight England will turn Leichenstein over...4-0.

Good match last night Eire 2 Turkey 2. Kerr's unbeaten record continues.

Good luck to Wales & Scotland tonight!

[Shakamaker]

Austria 1 - 1 Czech Republic

Germany 2 - 0 Iceland

Hungary 2 - 1 Poland

Scotland 2 - 0 Lithuania

Sweden 2 - 0 Latvia

Russia 2 - 1 Georgia

Switzerland 1 - 2 Ireland

Armenia 0 - 2 Spain

Bosnia-Herzegovina 1 - 2 Denmark

Greece 1 - 0 Northern Ireland

Norway 3 - 0 Luxembourg

Cyprus 1 - 2 Slovenia

Turkey 2 - 2 England

Liechtenstein 1 - 2 Slovakia

Belgium 2 - 0 Estonia

Croatia 2 - 2 Bulgaria

Netherlands 4 - 0 Moldova

France 3 - 0 Israel

Italy 3 - 0 Azerbaijan

Wales 2 - 0 Serbia & Montenegro

Let's see how many I get!

[mattjk_17]

My predictions...

Armenia 0 - 3 Spain
Austria 0 - 1 Czech Republic
Belgium 2 - 1 Estonia
Bosnia-Herzegovina 0 - 2 Denmark
Croatia 2 - 0 Bulgaria
Cyprus 1 - 2 Slovenia
France 3 - 0 Israel
Germany 3 - 0 Iceland
Greece 1 - 0 Northern Ireland
Hungary 1 - 1 Poland
Italy 5 - 0 Azerbaijan
Liechtenstein 0 - 2 Slovakia
Netherlands 2 - 0 Moldova
Norway 3 - 1 Luxembourg
Russia 2 - 1 Georgia
Scotland 1 - 0 Lithuania
Sweden 4 - 0 Latvia
Switzerland 0 - 2 Ireland
Turkey 1 - 1 England
Wales 2 - 0 Serbia & Montenegro

[JCR]

Right it's Sunday morning therefore time for a little prayer session. If everyone could get down on their knees please. Thank you. Repeat after me:

"Dear God,

Please let Scotland draw a diddy team in the play offs. Please...please.

P.S. Slovenia or Latvia would be nice.

P.P.S. Please

From all at joblo.com"

[hate m all]

holland-scotland would be a nice game (not for the scottish fans:D )

[mattjk_17]

I'd like to see Turkey Vs Scotland myself ;)

[JCR]

Bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks...BOLLOCKS!


holland-scotland would be a nice game (not for the scottish fans )

No shit, sherlock!

[hate m all]

Originally posted by JCR
Bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks...BOLLOCKS!




No shit, sherlock!



just saw it on tv HOLLAND-SCOTLAND.............bring it on!!!!!!!!

[Mick]

Bah, pretty crap draw - didn't see that coming :rolleyes:

UEFA must be pretty chuffed.

Anyway, lets not go getting all worried about Holland. They are managed by that Advocaat dick after all. Yeah, they have some good players, but we've got a chance. If Holland were as good as some people like to make out they wouldn't be in the play offs, and yadda yadda.

Bring 'em on, says I.

[HomerSimpson]

You know what's cool?

I don't have to worry about the playoffs. :D :p

GO BULGARIA!!! :cool:

Hopefully sh*te teams like Norway, Latvia and Scotland (no offense) advance to Euro 2004 so Bulgaria will have a chance there.

[Shakamaker]

I just hope the Welsh somehow turn their form around and beat the Ruskies. Giggsy deserves a go on a big stage for country instead of club.

[Shakamaker]

EURO 2004 Playoffs - First Leg Predictions

Scotland 1 - 2 Netherlands - No Archie Gemmell-style heroics this time. Netherlands to take a handy lead back to Holland. Scotland's youngsters have a chance to get in behind an aging, injury-riddled Dutch defense, especially on the counter. Holland's midfield too strong though, and I expect them to create many more chances for Kluivert and Ruud VN.

Russia 2 - 0 Wales - It'd be a huge form turnaround if the Welsh were to overcome the Russians. Key injuries to Wales, and the resurgance of Russia under Yartsev (two wins and a draw from last three qualifiers) to make the difference.

Croatia 2 - 0 Slovenia - The underrated Slovenia play well against lesser teams, but fold against the better teams. Croatia play awesome football at home, and are yet to concede a goal there.

Latvia 0 - 3 Turkey - Turks too good, and Alpay's absence beneficial to the team, I think! I don't think Turkey will sit back if they get a lead, either.

Spain 2 - 0 Norway - The Spanish to have to much flair and firepower. Norway haven't got enough up front to trouble the Spaniards.

[Mick]

Holland are the ones who are ball lickers. Once we get to Holland and destroy that bunch of fuckers, we are going to make them eat our shit, and then shit out their shit, which is made up of our shit, and then eat their shit again, which is made up of their shit and our shit.

But before that, we'll need to beat them at Hampden.

I seriously think we can beat them* at home; these people wear shoes made from wood, for chrissakes. Also, they're managed by Dick Advocaat for crying out loud.

I'll go for 6-0 to Scotland at home, and Christian Dailly to be yellow carded in the first ten minutes for brutally murdering Kluivert.

*I think this all the time, no matter who we're playing and even if the manager is a complete nob like Craig Brown, so what do I know?

As for The rest of the games:

I don't care, as long as Latvia lose.

[paul calf]

scotland 1 - holland oh yes you read it right the boys really played above themselves today and got a fantastic result to give them a real fighting chance of making the finals.
superb performance's all round today from back to front,pressley and wilkie were unbeatable at the back,daily spoiled it well in midfeild and fergie and flech in the middle were a partnership made in heavan,and what can i say about the arrogant wee shyte with silly hair apart from magic,macfadden was magic today he might just be the next kenny dalgliesh who know's.
with big stam out on wednesday night it will be frank de boer who looks slower than a week in prison and someone with a lot less presance and experience than the big lump will be coming in so chances will be made of that i'm sure,the dutch may have to score more than 2 to get past us and the way they have been playing we have a real chance.

COME ON SCOTLAND

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Yeah congrats Scotland and Wales (I say through gritted teeth :D)

Only joking. Just hope they can keep it up and progress.

[Shakamaker]

Holland 6 - 0 Scotland. Holland through on aggregate 6 - 1.

Wales 0 - 1 Russia. Russia through on aggregate 1 - 0.

Norway 0 - 3 Spain. Spain through on aggregate 5 - 1.

Turkey 2 - 2 Latvia. Latvia through on aggregate 3 - 2.

Slovenia 0 - 1 Croatia. Croatia through on aggregate 2 - 1.

Obviously the big shock was Latvia scoring two second-half goals away to Turkey! :D

I'm sorry that Scots couldn't hold the Dutch, because Scottish fans get behind their team really well, and would've been fun to meet when I'm in Portugal next year. But from a neutral point of view, I prefer watching the Dutch play, and am glad I'll have a chance!

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Glad Latvia beat the cheating Turks (players!)

What the fuck happened to Scotland and Wales? 6-0 I couldn't believe that!

And Wales never looked like scoring. They missed Bellamy and Davies pace.

Ah well theres always 2006! Wales anc Scotland can make that. They have both improved so why not?

[Mick]

ah nuts........

i mean......... ah nuts.

well i suppose a woman could've cut off my penis while i was sleeping, and tossed it out the window of a moving car. actually, that doesn't sound so bad after that game last night.

God, I don't think I'll make it through the summer unless someone kills Gary and Alan. Fuckers.

[paul calf]

holland 6-scotland 0

well the wheels well and truley came off there,men against boys,lets hope berti can pick the lads up and have a real go at qualifying for the 2006 world cup with players like mcfadden,fletcher,miller,naysmith,ferguson maturing we will have the making's of a decent team.

[Mick]

Originally posted by paul calf
players like mcfadden,fletcher,miller,naysmith,ferguson maturing we will have the making's of a decent team.

To be fair to ferguson, he was absolutely awful on Wednesday. I think I had more of the ball than he did. If he behaves himself in future, and the others you listed come on as well as I hope, things should be a lot better in a few years.

Some of the U21s also look pretty good - Hammell, Maloney, Hughes, Canero, etc. If a couple of them can breakthrough, then, well, it'd be nice. The likes of Wilkie and Miller can hopefully get some more experience (stay away from Ibrox, lads) and bring their game on as well.

Berti's done a great job with them, and should be given another shot at qualifying, next time for 2006. The raido call-in monkeys were saying the team would have more passion under a Scottish manager. Umm, sure, sure. They team showed more passion in 90 mins on Saturday than they did under the combined reigns of Roxburgh and Brown.

Blaming Berti for the 6-0 defeat is just stupid, since we all know Rab Douglas single-handedly caused our exit.

[JCR]

The Draw:

Group A
Portugal
Greece
Spain
Russia

Group B
France
England
Switzerland
Croatia

Group C
Sweden
Bulgaria
Denmark
Italy

Group D
Czech Rep
Latvia
Germany
Holland

Prediction: France 7 England 0. Well more a hope than a prediction, but hey, it could happen :D.

Poor Latvia; if I was head of the Latvian FA I would wonder if it's even worth turning up.

[Shakamaker]

Yeah, England v France is very interesting, but I think the hosts vs. neighbours Spain is more so, and yeah, poor Latvia in Group D! Quarter Finals Italy vs Germany or Holland or the Czechs!

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

I know weve started chatting about this tournament in the European football thread but could we divert all Euro 2004 discussion to this one? Sev me old mucker if so could you make it sticky for three weeks?

[Chris411]

Wow, Portugal haven't progressed one bit since the World Cup. If Greece play the same way against Spain (who never really even shot the ball against Russia, look at the scoreline) then they're going to win the group. I think we have our surprise team of the tournament. Denmark/Sweden were being called that, but they aren't really the biggest underdogs.

[daddiefatsacks]

ENGLAND!!!

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Thanks man.

Lets get the conversation flowing predictions for today?

I think that the Swiss will surprise a few people. They beat Ireland twice and they looked a decent side and won't be the pushover everyone expects. Having said that they won't qualify just don't expect England to walk it. I think todays match will see Croatia sneak a draw.

England I think just need to not to lose. Sounds obvious I know but if they lose to France and do badly against the Swiss and Croats then they'll be out. Another 1-1 draw tonight I think, the match isnt going to be pretty either. Gerrard and Veira in the middle is going to be really interesting. I can't wait.

[mattjk_17]

Predictions for the next few days:

Group B:
Switzerland 1 - 2 Croatia
France 1 - 1 England

Group C:
Denmark 1 - 2 Italy
Sweden 2 - 0 Bulgaria

Group D:
Germany 0 - 0 Netherlands
Czech Republic 3 - 1 Latvia

[mattjk_17]

Group B:
Switzerland 0 - 0 Croatia
France 2 - 1 England

The Switzerland game was, as the BBC team put it, absolutely awful. A few good moments here and there, but overall, not that entertaining.

The one time I wanted England to win a game and they fuck up in stoppage time. France deserved that win, and England showed (in the second half) exactly why I will want Italy to win the European Championships.

Sorry, but England don't interest me as much as they used to.

Man of The Match: King - Gave his all, tremendous performance. He's got a hell of a future ahead of him!

[Stansfield]

I can't believe this. Leading for over 3/4 of the game...and then losing? I think I'm gonna throw up.

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40268000/jpg/_40268309_beckham245x245.jpg

[JCR]

Heh. There was a moment near the end of the 1st half where the fans were chanting "are you scotland in disguise?" And at that moment I knew France were going to win. The England fans don't seem to realize that it's when they're at their most arrogant that the footballing gods put the boot in. Ha ha ha.

[Indiana Sev]

http://sunsite.tus.ac.jp/multimed/pics/flags/netherlands.gif

[BakeTheMooCow]

Beckham's a twat. Great game tonight. It was strange how England fans were rabidly enthusiastic for the first 90 minutes, and then the pub fell completely silent in the last 3. I was supporting England, but mostly out of hatred for the French team, so it was disappointing. But my favorite team is up tomorrow against Denmark (Viva Italia!). Gonna get there early and get good seats and proudly sport my Del Piero jersey. Another cracking game on the 15th, Germany v. Holland. If Italy somehow don't make it all the way, then I'm putting my faith in the boys in Orange.

[paul calf]

thought england got exactly what they deserved tonight,went one up and then sat back for the rest of the game inviting france to attack them.if they had gone all out for them i think france were there for the taking rooney was running gallas and thuram ragged,but all england wanted to do was sit on the edge of their own box playing safe so france could not get in behind them.
great teams will eventually break that sort of play down and france did tonight.

[Kastman]

i stayed up till 1midnight to watch the first 20 mins of the croatia-switzerland game, ended up watchig the hole thing, not sure why i must have fell asleep somewhere though it because even though it was boring, i didnt think it was THAT awful.


i watched the first 20 mins of the france-england game straight after but was tired as and was fed up after watching 110 mins of soccer and not one fucking goal.



So can someone please give me some info on Italy's team, are they in good form i want info! lol they are the team i go for and im staying up again tonight to watch them against whoever they are playing sweden or denmark.



if italy don't win, ill put my money on latvia thank you very much, what do you know they could pull off what that africabn country did in 2002 i forgot the anme of their countrybut hey beat france on the opening night i thnk.

[charliebobo]

Last night was... interesting, England once again proved that they don't have what it takes to win (sorry guys), James should have saved Zidane's free-kick, it was on his side, and Gerrard totally fucked up a minute later... a shame since France had never really been dangerous up to then and England were holding well... Rooney was great, King and Campbell very solid at the back... Silvestre should have been sent off (so should have James) - I think the match would have changed with France down to 10 men.

Croatia - Switzerland was abysmal.


Tonight:

Italy - Denmark :cool:

Won't be easy, that's for sure, Denmark are a solid team, good for us they're missing Gronkjaer and Gravesen, watch out for Tomasson and Jorgensen.

Italy will play like this: (4-2-3-1)
BUFFON
PANUCCI NESTA CANNAVARO ZAMBROTTA
PERROTTA ZANETTI
CAMORANESI TOTTI DELPIERO
VIERI

I expect a great game from Zambrotta, Totti and Vieri. DelPiero has been in pretty bad form until now, many people (myself included) reckon Cassano should be in his place.
Physically the rest of the team is in pretty good shape, we've had some arguments between Trapattoni and Gattuso, because he thinks he deserves a place in the starting line-up (I agree - but Pirlo too should be there instead of Perrotta). Fiore wants Camoranesi's place and yesterday said that non-Italian players shouldn't be allowed to play for Italy (Camoranesi's Argentinian with Italian passport) - once again I agree.

Prediction: 2-1 Italy

Sweden - Bulgaria
I think Sweden will win this, or maybe a draw


As for the whole thing:
GROUP A
1. Spain
2. Greece/Portugal

GROUP B
1. France
2. England

GROUP C:
1. Italy
2. Denmark

GROUP D:
My money's on the Czech Republic here, Holland and Germany aren't looking good, Nedved's team could go on and win the whole thing with a bit of luck.

I don't see Italy winning the tournament, but we could get to the semis. Overall, my money's on France. Spain are a bunch of losers, like England, and even though every time it looks like it could be their year, sooner or later they'll fuck up (I hope).

[quoth_the_raven]

I'm gutted.

Fucking Heskey. Useless fat fuck.

[mattjk_17]

With the exception of the Switzerland/Croatia game yesterday, I'm absolutely loving this tournament so far!

Tonight's games should be something special. As much as I want Italy to win the competition, I also want to see Denmark and Sweden do well (Villa influences obviously). It'll be good to see Martin Laursen playing against the Italians tonight, give us a glimpse of what we can expect from him at the Villa next season. I also can't wait to see Sorensen in goal, saving shots from some of the world's finest players.

The Sweden match should be an interesting one, I already have them down for a 2-0 win, maybe Allbäck will get on the scoresheet.

This is a great tournament, here's hoping it gets even better!

:cool:

[mattjk_17]

Originally posted by quoth_the_raven
I'm gutted.

Fucking Heskey. Useless fat fuck.

Come on, he's a small heathen now, it has to be expected ;)

[paul calf]

denmarv v italy

i have a feeling a shock could be on the cards this afternoon,denmark have a very good forward line,rommendahl is one of the quickest players in the world and will cause any defence problems and in thomasson and sand they have two players who really know how to score,i think its going to be a tight one maybe 2-1 either way.

[horrorfreak13]

I'm not usually into much soccer excpet for the big events like the World Cup and this one(and I'm in a pool so I have financial reasons to watch as well) I watched yesterday's France-England match and man did England really blow that.

I think we might see a France-Italy final with France winning it again, although Germany has a good team.

[charliebobo]

Well Italy sucked, and hard, this afternoon. Sorensen made some excellent saves but so did Buffon so I guess the draw is fair, but Denmark played better. Del Piero confirmed my worries, he shouldn't be allowed near a pitch the way he's playing now; Totti was disappointing, Vieri didn't get decent service, Camoranesi, Cassano, Gattuso, Zanetti - all very meh today.

[quoth_the_raven]

Originally posted by charliebobo
Well Italy sucked, and hard, this afternoon. Sorensen made some excellent saves but so did Buffon so I guess the draw is fair, but Denmark played better. Del Piero confirmed my worries, he shouldn't be allowed near a pitch the way he's playing now; Totti was disappointing, Vieri didn't get decent service, Camoranesi, Cassano, Gattuso, Zanetti - all very meh today.


I'd second that. The Danes looked to have a little more...pep... to them.

[BakeTheMooCow]

Horrible showing by the Italians. Denmark played much better and deserved to win. Italy are lucky to salvage a draw after that poor performance.

The Sweden v. Bulgaria game was so much better. The header by Larsson was an absolute stunner, and he followed it up with a sweet kick in a minute later. Great stuff. He should be one of the top scorers at the end of the tournament.

I'm hoping Sweden and Italy go through from this group.

[quoth_the_raven]

Originally posted by BakeTheMooCow


The Sweden v. Bulgaria game was so much better. T


Unless you're Bulgarian of course ;)

[paul calf]

it's a bit early i know and tonight's game could be a one off but on that showing sweden could be this years dark horse,they played with great organisation and enough flair going forward to trouble most teams,they are going to be a tough team for anyone to beat and i think italy could really struggle against them.

[mattjk_17]

Predictions for Group C correct: 0

The Denmark/Italy game was very entertaining, good stuff at both ends. Some fine goalkeeping from both Buffon and Sorensen, had a feeling that Denmark may have got one at the end but, alas, it wasn't to be. Also good to see that some Danes voted Laursen as their man of the match.

The Sweden/Bulgaria game was a good game to watch as well, not as entertaining though. Larsson's double was good stuff, as were the goals scored by Ljungberg, Ibrahimovic and good old Allbäck ;)

This group is too difficult to predict just yet, I don't see Bulgaria getting through (although, let's be honest, who did?). This could all come down to the final games, Denmark, Italy and Sweden all have some fantastic players. This is going to be exciting to watch the progress of this group!

[paul calf]

todays games should be interesting for completly different reasons;
latvia v czech rep

should be a walk over for the czech's they have so much quality throughout their teams this should be no sweat i am expecting at least a 2-0 win.

germany v holland

if this game does not make you excited then you should stop watching now,these two teams have so much bad blood between them that this could be a bloodbath.i have to go with the dutch to win because of the rangers conection's our ex manager and frankie de boer still in the squad but i expect it to be close,3-2 holland for me.

[charliebobo]

Today's matches:

Czech Rep - Latvia - 3-1
Holland - Germany - 1-1

As for Group C, I did not like Sweden scoring 5 goals; they look like a really solid team and if we don't beat them we may go out in the first round. There's always a risk that it will come down to goal difference and we're known as a team who doesn't score much...

[horrorfreak13]

I watched the Italy game (TSN replays the games in the evening) and it was a very good game between Italy and denmark and the goalies stole the show but I felt Italy should have attacked more they are supposed to have so much fire power. Also I'm trying to figure out why Italy always starts out slow in these tournaments.

At least the Italians have something to celebrate about English people are cutting the wrists open still after that loss.

The way I figure is that Soccer in Italy, England and mostly anywhere in Europe is like when Canada competes in international hockey tournaments there is so much pressure from when the team is being named through the end and anything less than gold is unsatisfactory.

As for the 2 games today I'll take the Chech's and Germany in whitewashes.

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

I missed Latvia Vs Czech Rep (damn work and their stupid projects!) but well played Latvia they nearly did it.

As for tonight? Holland 2 Germany 1.

The Dutch just have more firepower. Both aren't in the best of form either.

[Stansfield]

Originally posted by horrorfreak13
At least the Italians have something to celebrate about English people are cutting the wrists open still after that loss. It's true. In the England France match, some guys were flying a flag with "England Expects" on the front. Shame. Although, considering the absolute stupidity of our loss, the british tabloids have been fairly sympathetic (for the players, at least).

On a side note, it's nice to see Holland pull one back from Germany (and far more stylish 'twas too).

[mattjk_17]

Caught both games today (when don't I? ;)), the Czech/Latvia game took some time to liven up but it was good to watch. Not the most entertaining game of the tournament so far, but it had it's moments and goals.

The Germany/Netherlands game was great stuff, wanted the Netherlands to win it, can't stand those pesky Germans. That, and my Aunt adores them! My cousin was pissed off when van Horseface equalised, I was over the moon. Loved how the Netherlands really went for it at the end. Good stuff.

[James Logan]

Hey guys, I know it's a little late to be a smart ass, but...

Zinedine Zidane is God. ;)

On all other counts, here's what I think:

-- Denmark is gonna be a dangerous team to handle
-- Portugal is gonna lose or draw tonight against Russia
-- The Netherlands won't qualify (this is less a prediction than a general wish, even though I think Germany and the Czech Republic are gonna get out of that group)
-- Switzerland won't score a single goal throughout this tournament (I'm Swiss -- so it breaks my heart. But let's be honest, we suck. Latvia would kick our asses 5-0)

[mattjk_17]

Originally posted by James Logan
[B]Hey guys, I know it's a little late to be a smart ass, but...

Zinedine Zidane is God. ;)

Git ;)

He did the same for me on Pro Evolution Soccer 3 last night as he did for France on Sunday, so I guess I'm not that annoyed.

Predictions (Groups A and B):

Greece 1 - 2 Spain (Come on you Spaniards!!)
Russia 0 - 2 Portugal

England 2 - 0 Switzerland
Croatia 1 - 3 France

[horrorfreak13]

Well Greece has guaranteed victory over Spain I don't think so I really don't see Spain losing to Greece I know Greece is an alright team but Spain is one of the top 6 teams I can't see that happening.

I also expect Portugal to break out on Russia they aren't a good team and if Portugal dosen't win this one they are screwed.

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Seems as I'm always late out of work I'll predict the rest of the results...

Portugal 2 Russia 1

England 3 Switzerland 1

Croatia 0 France 1

[Mad Maggot]

Russia is currently losing to Portugal (0:1). :mad: Like anyone expected anything else. Our players suck, no question, but sending our goalkeeper to pack his bags on the 43th minute was too much even for us.


As for other matches, England vs France was heartbreaking. Becks will be blamed for the loss till the end of his days, I'm sure. Zidane will be praised, undoubtedly. Old bald man.


I enjoyed last night's Germany vs Holland, those peeps showed some interesting football, but it was still quite far from I can call a breathtaking match... I couldn't decide whom to support until the game started, then I saw the great man Oliver Kahn and understood no Dutch can make me betray my strong feelingsfor that fella. :D

[blankpage]

PORTUGAL WINS 2-0!!!

No school tomorrow. ;)


That red card call was shit. I saw about four different angles, 3 showed he didn't touch it, one showed he did. I'm going to go with what I see. It was a bad call, and bad luck on Russia's part.

But, they did play strong at the beginning of the second half. Portugal's defense was a little weak, hell, so was Russia's. The goaltending was pretty solid, but both, all three, goaltenders were shakey at times.

Anyway, Portugal really pulled together and made me a happy camper, that's for sure. :cool:


P.S. -- Anyone else surprised with the 1-1 tie between Spain and Greece?

[ToRontoRon]

Originally posted by Mad Maggot
Becks will be blamed for the loss till the end of his days, I'm sure.

If he is, that would be pretty dumb. His penalty kick wasn't that bad of one, Barthez just made a great stop, and he did send a perfect ball in for England's only goal. Besides, Heskey with his stupid tackle and Gerrard for his careless back pass should wear the goat horns for this one.

[Mad Maggot]

When it comes to matches like this one, people always find a scapegoat, so why shouldn't it be England's captain who didn't score a penalti. Who cares if Fabien Barthez was damn good at what he's been doing since his early years? And who cares that the only England's scored goal belonged to David?.. I, for one, love Becks [for various reasons :D ] and already have my fingers crossed for the next match.

I vote England shows us some decent combinations and beautifual goals tonight.


Oh, I was just surfing Yahoo's football pages and here's a picture of some fan after the match [kinda reminds me of myself]:

http://eur.news1.yimg.com/eur.yimg.com/ng/sp/reuters/20040615/11/2671223601.jpg

[charliebobo]

http://www.dr.dk/sporten/multimedia/archive/00086/Francesco_Totti_send_86406a.jpg

Idiot.

[horrorfreak13]

That guy deserves to get suspended for spitting on a players Totti should be lucky it's not more than 3 matches.

I think England will rebound and beat Switzerland and Croatia is sitting out a bunch of thier players already conceeding defeat to France and France should win very decisively

Predictions

England 2 Switzerland 1

France 6 Croatia 0

[quoth_the_raven]

I'd just like to be the first to say

3-0!

Not as strong a performance, but got the job done

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Very boring match today but England got the result they needed. Rooney was sensational again.

As for Totti what was he thinking? Spitting is the worst I don't condone it at all. Remember when Voller and Rijkaard had that little "spat"? Sorry about the pun!

[blankpage]

Totti is an idiot. I mean, come on...is he dense? Honestly...ugh. It still amazes me that football players think they can get away with spitting on another one.

Anyway, England got a needed victory. Sure, they were a bit flat, but the Swis for even worse. Anyway, congrats to the England team.

[mattjk_17]

Denmark 2 - 0 Bulgaria

Bulgaria bored the crap out of me, good to see the Danes get a win, they're almost there now! The Denmark/Sweden match next week should be a very entertaining game.

Prediction for tonight:

Italy 1 - 1 Sweden

[horrorfreak13]

Denmark over Bulgaria isn'r really a surprise.

Nice to see Totti is taking his suspension well and not appealing it actually he should be lucky it wasn't longer than it could have been UEFA was lobbying for a 4 match ban which would have been up to the final should Italy have made it there.

Big game between Italy and Sweden and if Italy loses they are screwed but I think it will be either a tie or Italy win Italy has too much talent.

[charliebobo]

It's always the same old story. Trapattoni is an idiot. We were playing better than anyone had played in the Championships so far, but that fucking wanker, just like against Korea, starts taking all the strikers off... so Sweden can start attacking more, dominating like we had dominated for the first 60 minutes... the goal was half genius half pure luck, but I guess it's what happens when you stop playing football and just defend.

Vieri should have been substituted, he was pretty bad; Cassano shouldn't have come off, Del Piero had a good game but should have done better when he tried to lob the goalie, he should have just smacked the ball... Panucci and Zambrotta were fantastic, Buffon made an excellent save.

Now we HAVE to beat Bulgaria but even that may not be enough... if Sweden - Denmark finishes 2-2, 3-3 and so on, we're going home regardless of what we do :(

[BakeTheMooCow]

Originally posted by charliebobo
Now we HAVE to beat Bulgaria but even that may not be enough... if Sweden - Denmark finishes 2-2, 3-3 and so on, we're going home regardless of what we do :(
How come?

I understand that we have to beat Bulgaria to get to 5 points. But Sweden and Denmark are both on 4, and a draw will give them 1 point each. So all three teams will be level on 5. Is it decided on away goals then? There could still be a chance, depending on how thorough the defeat of Bulgaria is.

Either way, Italy must secure the win against Bulgaria. And Denmark has to lose to Sweden (or vice-versa).

I'm really hating these draws. Italy played great football in the first half. They were attacking well, hitting shots on target, not relying on the long ball from mid-field. Perhaps it was the absence of Totti, but there was more quick passing and penetrating of defense than usual.

Then, in the second half, suddenly things get defensive and Sweden get more oppurtunities. Their goal was a lucky back-heel, and it was unlucky that neither Buffon could reach it or Del Piero could head it out.

It sucks when your chances in the tournament are not in your hands. Italy could play their best football they have ever played against Bulgaria and still get knocked out. Oh well.

Today: go Holland!

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Well I wasn't surprised last nights game was excellent. I can see Sweden going pretty far. Ibrahimovic's goal was amazing.

As for Denmark & Bulgaria. Always going to be one winner, the Bulgarians were shit. What ground were they playing at? Accrington Stanley's? :)

Predictions:

Germany 2 Latvia 0

Netherlands 2 Czech Republic 1

[charliebobo]

Originally posted by BakeTheMooCow
How come?

Follow me with this:

If we beat Bulgaria and Sweden and Denmark draw. We all have 5 points. In that case, you look at scores of Ita-Den, Ita-Swe, Swe-Den: they're all draws, so you look at goal difference in the 3 matches, which is 0 for all 3 teams. Then you look at the number of goals scored in the 3 matches, and it looks like this:
Italy - 1 goal in 2 matches (0 vs. Denmark, 1 vs. Sweden)
Denmark - 0 in 1 match
Sweden - 1 in 1 match

Therefore:
- if Swe-Den finishes 0-0, Italy and Sweden go thorugh, since they both scored 1 goal, whereas Denmark didn't score any
- if it finishes 2-2, 3-3 and so on, Denmark and Sweden go thorugh because they would have scored more goals than Italy
- if it ends 1-1, Sweden has 2 goals and goes through, Italy and Denmark have 1 goal each; you then look at the overall goal difference: Denmark would have +2 (3 for, 1 against), which means that Italy need to do better than that. So we either beat Bulgaria by 3 goals OR we win 3-1, 4-2 and so on.
If we finish 2-0 we will have the same goal difference and number of goals scored than Denmark has. In this (highly unlikely) case, you would look at the "coefficient obtained for the qualifying matches for Euro 2004 and the 2002 World Cup". I honestly don't know which team has the better coefficient, but I doubt it will come to that.

Got that?

I'm really hating these draws. Italy played great football in the first half. They were attacking well, hitting shots on target, not relying on the long ball from mid-field. Perhaps it was the absence of Totti, but there was more quick passing and penetrating of defense than usual.

Then, in the second half, suddenly things get defensive and Sweden get more oppurtunities. Their goal was a lucky back-heel, and it was unlucky that neither Buffon could reach it or Del Piero could head it out.


We played really, really well for the first 45 minutes. then Trapattoni got scared as usual... damn shame :(

I don't think Sweden are that great... they have 2 great strikers, but I'll take Denmark any day, they're a much more organised team and are almost as good up front (Tomasson is a great striker)

[chiefxcel]

What a comeback by the Czech Republic! Down 2-0 to Netherlands, they never gave up and came back to win 3-2. It's official ladies and gentleman, Czech Republic has advanced to the medal round!

[James Logan]

Don't want to sound too whiney-Frenchy and all, but...

...am I the only one to find that the refereeing sucks since the beginning of this tournament?

Not that I'm defending any particular team. I mean, we got a referee pulling out cards left and right when Croatia and Switzerland face off, then two nights later a referee who seems not to be able to find his cards. We got Christian Wörns blatantly buttfucking Van Nistlerooy on each corner some other night, but the referee does nothing. We got Croatia getting a free penalty against France. We got Russia getting slammed on its head because its players get red cards when they don't deserve 'em. We got referees pissing players off when they're not EXACTLY 9 meters away from the ball on a free kick, but ten seconds later when someone gets a kick in the back nothing's whistled. And then the UEFA issues a statement to say they're "very satisfied with the refereeing" so far.

I say what the fuck?

[mattjk_17]

Originally posted by chiefxcel
What a comeback by the Czech Republic! Down 2-0 to Netherlands, they never gave up and came back to win 3-2. It's official ladies and gentleman, Czech Republic has advanced to the medal round!

Outstanding game!!

[jason statham]

did you guys see Baros 2nd goal. THAT WAS SUPERB !!!!!!!!!!!
cant wait till sunday for englands match, if sven plays with the same strategy that he used against france and switzerland, england is gonna get fucked and in the past 2 matches, he took out paul scholes (my favourite player) and sent in hangreaves ( I CANT EVEN SPELL HIS DAMN NAME ).
anyway, good luck for england:)

I completely agree with colinM, did you see germany vs. latvia, the refree ignored 2 clear penalties for latvia ( thank godness, as i was supporting germany my second fav. team after england )

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Great game last night. Both teams put on an outstanding show and neither really deserved to lose. The sending off was a joke and I feel turned the game. Nedved was Man Of The Match for me he was everywhere and put on the best perfornance so far in the tournament.

Predictions for tonight:

Portugal 1 Spain 1
Greece 1 Russia 0

Greece & Spain advance

[jason statham]

if portugal doesnt advance tonight, scholari is outta there in no time

[jason statham]

portugal 1 - 0 spain
greece 1 - 2 russia
portugal qualifies as first place and greece qualifies as second place

[Mad Maggot]

It's funny how Russians always start playing well in matches that mean nothing.


:mad:

[jason statham]

hey mad maggot, are you a russian ?

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Originally posted by Bullet Tooth Tony


Predictions for tonight:

Portugal 1 Spain 1
Greece 1 Russia 0

Greece & Spain advance

Well I fucked that up! :)

Tonight

England 2 Croatia 0
France 2 Switzerland 1

[paul calf]

great performance from england tonight,i thought it would be an edgy 1-0 but they played really well going forward rooney was superb,there is not a chance in hell he will still be an everton player next season.

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Originally posted by paul calf
great performance from england tonight,i thought it would be an edgy 1-0 but they played really well going forward rooney was superb,there is not a chance in hell he will still be an everton player next season.

Definitely. It would be a travesty if he went back there Everton are even worse than Spurs!

Good game. I wouldnt fear Portugal after the way they played yesterday.

[jason statham]

hey matt, change your opinion about rooney cause after this OUTSTANDING match, no one will agree with you:D.

[daddiefatsacks]

rooney was fuckin amazing today! as was Scholes playing his best match in a long while.

[mattjk_17]

Originally posted by jason statham
hey matt, change your opinion about rooney cause after this OUTSTANDING match, no one will agree with you:D.

Okay, okay, okay!

He seems to be doing quite well for himself at International level now, and I must admit his form in Euro 2004 really has surprised me, however I don't think he'll keep it up for Everton (if he's still there!) come next season.

Owen's form, however, has shocked me. I'dve expected him to have at least 2 goals by now, but he hasn't put anything away as of yet.

If you ask me, England need Vassell and Rooney up front. I know it may seem like a biased opinion, but I'd like to see it. Maybe start with it against the Portuguese on Thursday as Owen really seems to be goal-shy. Rooney is a strong physical presence up front, and Vassell has dangerous pace which threatens the opposition. I think that if these two played alongside each other for more than 30 minutes, England could be really dangerous and pose one heck of a threat to Portugal.

Looking forward to the Denmark/Sweden clash later, should be a thriller!

[jason statham]

i know Owen havent scored till now, but scholes scored because of owen`s shot >>> rooney pass = GOAL .

and about denmark and sweden, i wish they become nasty and end the match in a draw ( sorry charliebobo, but my enemies in school support italy )

[charliebobo]

Originally posted by jason statham
i know Owen havent scored till now, but scholes scored because of owen`s shot >>> rooney pass = GOAL .

and about denmark and sweden, i wish they become nasty and end the match in a draw ( sorry charliebobo, but my enemies in school support italy )

Fair enough :)

Re: Owen, I know he hasn't scored yet, but he had a pretty good game last night, he set up the first goal and also the third one, and his movement creates lots of space for Rooney and the midfielders.
Vassell is an average player at best IMO.

As for tonight, I can only hope that Denmark or Sweden win... I don't think they'll be going for the 2-2 draw, I predict a 1-1, which means we have to win by a two goal margin but scoring at least 3 goals (3-1, 4-2...) or by a bigger margin.

[Kastman]

Originally posted by mattjk_17
England could be really dangerous and pose one heck of a threat to Portugal.

Fuck, i think Latvia pose one heck of a threat to Portugal ;)

[Puck Bond]

Ahhhh yesh Euro 2004! I've been off the boards for a couple weeks but as always keeping up with the tournament and of course my boys! I heard about the England result against France while I was at work...while I was selling tickets an English dude walked up(the 2nd one that I asked about the game)...I noticed his accent right away and asked him what happened...I had heard that England had a 1-0 lead going into half-time before I went to work so I was very optimistic! But he told me the crushing news I couldn't believe it!! I was absolutely gutted...friggin Zidane! Glad to hear my boy Lampard scored for England though...I said enough of this finding out shite...so Thursday...I decided to shell out the $20 to watch England-Switzerland match...wasn't pretty and the Suisse pretty much out-played 'em to be honest(at least for the first half), but it was the result England needed. Nice set up by Gerrard, Becks and Owen for the first goal...a nice flowing move that Rooney put away. Once Haas got sent off the game was ours...Rooney's 2nd obviously set up nicely by Vassel and his injection of pace and just fresh legs...maybe a bit lucky that it bouced off the keeper but it was a ferocious shot from Rooney and if it hadn't gone in there was pry a rebound for Vassel...the 3rd was just as pure as could be! Becks held on beautifully to the ball until Neville made his run...nice cross and Gerrard slotted it away nicely.

Ok as for yesterday...I missed the Croatia match, but there is a good reason...a couple actually...the night before I went out drinkin' to this local English style pub where I used to go all the time! Hangin' out with some friends from work on karaoke night at the Britania Arms...basically didn't go home until 2:30 and slept soundly till about 12:30(got woken up by a phone call from my friend who I went to the bar with, a big soccer fan himself, unfortunately an Arsenal fan and he wanted to know how England did because he just gotten out of class at school)...game started 11:30 my time...and of course out here its PPV and some of the games are on FoxSportsWorld...anyway I tried to order the game another $20 out of my pocket, but the Cable service wouldn't let me...so I just kinda hoped and prayed England would prevail while I watched the France-Switzerland match instead...by the end of that game I heard that England had gotten through and are primed to face the hosts on thursday...

Planning on going to that English pub on thursday morning...again 11:30 to watch that game with my England shirt on and in full support!

[jason statham]

you missed england Vs. Croatia match ??!!
DAMN, that was the best match ever......anyway, i hope that see the upcoming quarter-final match cause england are gonna KICK ASS

[horrorfreak13]

Alright I keep hearing about this bullshit the Italian media and their fans are trying to do with trying to plant into their heads that if Denmark and Sweden tie 2-2 or higher it would be a fix and Italy would be gone. It is very fucking hard to fix a 2-2 tie and plus I think the winner would like the easier time with a possibility of not playing the Check Republic who have looked very good.

If Italy is out they nothing to blame but themselves they played like shit and sat back in their 2 games when they easily could have won.

This Rooney kid is looking iimpressive and he's 18 he appears to be the next superstar on that English team and they will have a tough time against Portugal they are no pushovers for sure.

France will have a tougher time with Greece than most of us think Greece has looked very impressive and France won't have it easy against these guys they tied Spain and beat Portugal so that has to count for something.

[mattjk_17]

Originally posted by jason statham
you missed england Vs. Croatia match ??!!
DAMN, that was the best match ever

Somebody never watched the Netherlands/Czech game ;)

The England game last night was fun, nowhere near as entertaining as some other games in the tournament so far, but good to watch anyway.

Not long until the Sweden/Denmark game now :D

[jason statham]

Originally posted by horrorfreak13
Alright I keep hearing about this bullshit the Italian media and their fans are trying to do with trying to plant into their heads that if Denmark and Sweden tie 2-2 or higher it would be a fix and Italy would be gone. It is very fucking hard to fix a 2-2 tie

HEHEH, fucking hard, eh ?
do you think the 2-2 draw was made up or it was a coincidence..

ok guys, read and remember this scenario :
1.Cassano scores the second goal for italy in the 93rd minute
2.every italian player is celebrating ( not knowing the result of the other match )
3.cassano goes to celebrate with Lippi
4.lippi pats his back and tells him that the other match ended
in a 2-2 draw.
5.Cassano ends up crying and its GAME OVER for italy
*****The EnD*****

even though i wanted denmark and sweden to qualify,
but i just end up is sadness remembering that scenario.:(

people whom i blame for the disqualification of italy are:
1.Lippi ( for being a jerk )
2.Totti ( for being an idiot )
3.The refree ( for being a blind and awfull )
i dont blame denmark and sweden because i think they
played truthfully

[quoth_the_raven]

I think they played honestly as well

if you'll excuse me, I'm off to find an italian to mock...;)

[jason statham]

i dont have to search for any as they are scattered all over my class tomorrow ( if they are present :D )

[quoth_the_raven]

Originally posted by jason statham
i dont have to search for any as they are scattered all over my class tomorrow ( if they are present :D )

Do you think you could pass me off as a student teacher? :D

[jason statham]

FUCK !!
i thought you went to mock an italian so i wrote what i wanted..
sorry, i wont make this careless mistake again:eek:

[DaMovieMan]

Im so fucking mad that Italy didnt make it through.
Why wasnt Totti playing?
Fuck man i cant believe the Swedes managed five goals and Italy couldnt manage more than two and baaaaarreely. Shit

iI have no one to root for now. Im not gonna root for France coz they always win this shit. Ill root for Greece, the true underdogs of the quarter finals but France will knock 'em out for sure.
If Greece goes then i guess its Chezh Rep. they've been pretty good. Aww man Im still pissed coz of Italy!! FUCK!!!





DMM

[charliebobo]

Coincidence? I think not... :(
Come on, what are the chances of a match finishing 2-2? Not very high. And Sweden scoring in the 88th minute thanks to a huge mistake by the Danish goalie... how convenient... ;)
And after that goal they just stopped playing... and alos the way the match went: first Denmark score because they need to more than Sweden (who would have gone through even with a 0-0); then Sweden get a penalty and no Danish players argue with the referee. Then Denamrk score again; after that Sweden don't do much to try and score, Denmark have lots of chances but their shots are surprisingly careless... and then out of nowhere you get that goal... hmmm, I dunno.

Having said that, we deserve to go home. We probably would have done the same in their position.

Even last night we almost didn't win, I'm disappointed obviously, but not as much as I thought I would be. Maybe it's for the best, at least I don't get to see the Czechs thrashing us in the quarter finals.

Predictions anyone?
I think Holland will go through tonight, if they don't I'll change these tomorrow.

Quarter finals:
France - Greece - 2-1
Czech Rep. - Denmark - 3-2
Portugal - England - 2-1
Holland - Sweden - 1-1 (Sweden on penalties)

Semis:
France - Czech Rep. - 2-1
Portugal - Sweden - 1-0

Final:
France - Portugal - 2-1

[horrorfreak13]

Apparently there's some betting web site in Britain I can't remember what and 81% betted for a 2-2 tie if I would have known that I would have gotten in on that.

Italy deserved to be out they didn't play hard for all of the tournament they sat back against Bulgaria and their coach took all their offensive players out so they can play defense and hope for a 1-0 win over Sweden the Italian soccer president and Italians have no one to blame but Italy I watched that Denmark-Sweden game and both teams played hard and Denmark had tons of chances to win that game.

And also why would Denmark just purposely tie and face the Check Republic when they can win and finish 1at and play whoever comes in 2nd.

Right now France and England have to be considered the favourites althought there's this soccer analyst on The Score James Sharman who has been talking about Greece before the tournament started and talked about them being the dark horse and wouldn't have been surprised if they won the tounament and they have looked very good in the games I've seen them so France better not take Greece lightly.

[ToRontoRon]

Originally posted by charliebobo
Coincidence? I think not... :(
Come on, what are the chances of a match finishing 2-2? Not very high. And Sweden scoring in the 88th minute thanks to a huge mistake by the Danish goalie... how convenient... ;)
And after that goal they just stopped playing... and alos the way the match went: first Denmark score because they need to more than Sweden (who would have gone through even with a 0-0); then Sweden get a penalty and no Danish players argue with the referee. Then Denamrk score again; after that Sweden don't do much to try and score, Denmark have lots of chances but their shots are surprisingly careless... and then out of nowhere you get that goal... hmmm, I dunno.



I don't know, when it was 2-1 for Denmark, they had at least one shot that wasn't careless, and was labelled for the net, but the Swedish goalie made a great stop. How can you have collusion, but allow a chance like that to happen? If the entire teams of Denmark and Sweden both decided to throw the match, which I think is what's being suggested, there would have been some pissed off Swedes had Denmark made it 3-1 there. Sweden still could have scored twice after that, but if there was collusion, that would have made it too obvious.

You also mention how after Denmark score, Sweden don't do much to try and score, but doesn't that go against your conspiracy theory? If it was fixed, after Denmark made it 2-1, they'd sit back and give Sweden a bunch of chances, then after they eventually tie it at some point, the two teams play rope-a-dope for the rest of the game. But that didn't happen.

You also mention how it's odd that the match finishes 2-2, but with two evenly matched teams that have a lot of firepower, 1-1, 2-1, or 2-2 would probably be the three most likely results, and one of them happened.

I just don't buy that all twenty-two guys on the field threw the match. Boxing is one on one, you can fix that. Soccer is eleven on eleven, it's a bit tougher.

Besides, it looked like a well fought game to me from both sides.

[jason statham]

http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v295/ahlyb/20040622T21515375957.jpg

[Mad Maggot]

Originally posted by jason statham
hey mad maggot, are you a russian ?

Yup. A closet patriot here.

[Kastman]

i blame three people for italy going out...

1) totti - good player, but what a moron.

2) trapattoni - i could manage the italian team better than this cunt rag and i couldnt een communicate with them cuz i dont speak italian.

3) The referee who refereed italy's second round match with korea in 2002 - sure he had no impact on this match, but i still hate him. it wasn't fucking offside.


but in conclusion...

ITALY ARE STILL UNDEFEATED

[GoldenGhost]

ENGLAND ARE OUT

One of the most tense footy matches I've seen in my time. Heart-stopping stuff.

[jason statham]

beckham is a MUTHAFUCKER

[mattjk_17]

Quite a tense game tonight, but the result came out as expected. Undoubtedly, Vassell will recieve his share of the blame, as will Beckham. Good performances from Cole and Campbell for England, they really gave it all.

It seemed to me that the second half was France all over again, grab a lead and sit back and defend. They did it against Argentina in Japan (2002) and it worked then, but I guess their luck just wasn't in tonight.

My money is firmly on the Czechs to win this tournament, they have the players, it seems as though they have the belief as well.

[jason statham]

i wish its a scandinavian victory at the final

[Mad Maggot]

Owen's goal was something unbelievable, pretty nice to look at... and that's it. Rooney "got hurt", Beckham is having a bad... year? At times I thought I was watching Portugal vs Russia once again, England couldn't manage their forces in both attack and defence, and it made me wonder what they were doing the previous day instead of training.

I love James, but it was quite depressing to see that all penalties were scored... especially the last one. :mad:

Anyway, it was one of the best matches I've ever seen, though my favorites didn't win. Two of the three teams I am/was for are out (Germany and England), so my heart is with Holland now. However, their form is faaar from being the best, so I'm starting to think they will also disappoint me.

[Mad Maggot]

http://www.kimandkerry.com/php/uploads/post-1-1088149889.jpg

[charliebobo]

GREAT game last night, really special. As I predicted, England lost, but they played a wonderful game. One might wonder what would have happened if Rooney hadn't gone off... Vassell really is a mediocre player, like I said the other day (I'm not talking about the penalty here, although it was a pretty poor one). Cole was sensational, so was Campbell, Owen scored a wonderful goal and Lampard's equaliser was well-deserved.
But Portugal were every bit as good, Scolari was very brave in taking off Figo - who IMO had a poor game - and brining in Postiga whose penalty was really something you don't see everyday... Totti had done it against Holland in 2000 but we were already ahead then, this was much more crucial. I'm extremely happy for Rui Costa, who had an unlucky season here at Milan, and who has been unjustly sitting on the bench for the past few matches, only to come in and score twice already.

In the end, it was the usual things that cost England the game:
1. Poor goalkeeper (why else do you think Seaman played for England until he was what, 152 years old?)
2. Lack of good players on the bench: take away Ferdinand, a midfielder and a striker and you go from having a world-class side to just being a good-great one. Instead Portugal had Postiga and Rui Costa who came in and scored, Simao who came in and made the cross for Postiga's goal. I just don't see Hargreaves, Vassell, Butt or Heskey doing the same, certainly not in such an importnat match. England's midfield is probably the best in the world - Becks (so unlucky, I feel really sorry for him), Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes- but they're just not good enough at the back and in the bench.

As for who will win the whole thing... like I said a few posts before, the mind says France, but I'd love for the Czechs to go all the way - they certainly have the ability. The semifinal against France will be epic.

[horrorfreak13]

Beckham what the fuck were you doing although the Portugal miss was just as bad.

I think as good as Greece is I think it's over for them France will win but it will be a close one.

Also Italain player sflew home and avoided all the traffic from the fans because they were very pissed off as the players needed security to get by the fans who were shouting in abuse and pumping their fists in the air and very angry

Man when we lose in hockey tournaments sure we are angry but not like this.

[Bullet Tooth Tony]

Last night England were terrible. I'm sorry I have to say.

Portugal played like they wanted it more as soon as England scored they sat back. WTF was Eriksson thinking substituting two attacking players and bringing on two cunts who could do nothing for us. I'm sorry Vassell is a great player for England but too similar to Owen and unfortunately it was only him to bring on or that wanker Heskey. But Phil Neville and Owen Hargreaves? What we needed was Joe Cole and Keiron Dyer. They have the pace and skills to turn games especially against a poor team like the Portugese.

Rui Costa's goal was sublime and one of the best of the tournament. And how ironic it was Helder Postiga who grabbed the equaliser I guess it shows he does have something to offer us Spurs fans after all. What I did like about England last night was the fight they exhibited. Sol Campbell, Gary Neville and Ashley Cole were simply superb and if the midfield showed any of that grit it would be the Portugese lamenting right now. Also they way they dug deep to come up with an equaliser was a good sign.

The goal that never was...the ref screwed England big time with his outrageous decision. Thats all I can really say as this has been rammed down our throats all day. I think England are a long way off of winning a major tournament. Sure they have great players but they just don't seem to know how to pull out results when needed. Maybe its a psychological barrier? I don't know. There is just too much expectation around them its time England realised they are not as good as they think they are.

England lack leaders on the field. Someone who is going to get on the back of players who don't pull there weight. Gerrard does it for Liverpool (and soon Chelsea) so does Big Sol and Gary Neville. Beckham has been absent in the competition and has been playing like a cunt. Hopefully he'll take a long hard look at himself and come back a better player.

Anyway I feel Sweden could surprise us all and win.

Some light relief somebody sent me these pics through e mail at work...

http://img51.photobucket.com/albums/v157/jizzybone/England1.jpg

http://img51.photobucket.com/albums/v157/jizzybone/England2.jpg

http://img51.photobucket.com/albums/v157/jizzybone/England3.jpg

http://img51.photobucket.com/albums/v157/jizzybone/England4.jpg

[Mad Maggot]

Originally posted by Bullet Tooth Tony

http://img51.photobucket.com/albums/v157/jizzybone/England1.jpg



Man, so true!

[mattjk_17]

The Greeks did it! They bloody well did it! :D

Methinks Holland and the Czechs will make it through next, both games should be good to watch.

[Mad Maggot]

The did it, but how boring they were!! :o :o :o I'm so glad that the French are out, finally someone kicked their asses.

[charliebobo]

Wait a minute, you mean you guys thought that Campbell's goal shouldn't have been disallowed? Come on... are you serious? There was clearly a foul on the keeper... in the 5 yard box you pretty much cannot touch the goalie, and Terry clearly fouled him because Ricardo wasn't able to jump for the ball proprerly. So sorry, but the referee made the right decision.

[chiefxcel]

Wow, Soufiane Touzani is AMAZING! If you haven't seen this kid, PLEASE check out the links below (his videos). You WILL be amazed at all three of them :D

http://users.skynet.be/jelle.spruyt/Films/Touzani.wmv
http://users.skynet.be/jelle.spruyt/Films/deel%202.WMV
http://www.otaku-universe.com/~itachi56/Touzani3.wmv

[Indiana Sev]