Friday's Euro 2012 Football Thread
FOOTBALL IS BACK. The world (Europe) rejoices.
Kicking off today with Poland vs Greece at 5pm, then Russia vs Czech at 7.45pm. Not the most exciting ties of the tournament, but I'll take what I can get right now.
Kranjcar has signed for Dynamo Kiev and I think Chelsea lost out on Battersea, but let's forget about club football for a bit and enjoy the ride.
Predictions? Bants? Hilarious spelling errors when talking about Poland's players?
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i don't this this group will be as boring as everyone makes out
I was researching recent performances, and the Russians look in really good form, and they seem to score a few.
*think
BEER
Round thing
Anger
Unadulterated joy!
Van Bommel complains about racism during Dutch training
Uefa tell them to shut up seemingly.
I was completely shocked and appalled
when I found out van Bommel was captain of Holland. Shexy fooshtball anyone?
gives him an excuse
to shout at the ref all the game
PREDICTIONS
Poland 1 - 0 Greece
Russia 1 -1 Czechs
In other news, I purchased a Panini sticker album yesterday. 50p a pack. I can see myself getting sucked in and wasting precious funds on doubles of Wesley Sneijder.
got, got, got, got, NEED
need, got, got, DESPERATELY NEED
Shiny
And the double squad stickers.
Which 90% of the time were shockingly alligned.
New Caledonia beat New Zealand 2-0 last night
i've just checked my Rand McNally atlas, and i don't think it even exists!
In the big news of the day
Paulo Sergio and Hearts part company. It was about time really, he had been there an awfully long time.
10 months, which I think earns you a testimonial as Hearts manager.
Just checked, and apparently they've only had 8 managers over the last 7 seasons.
Feels like more.
-
Poland 1 Greece 0
Russia 1 Czech Republic 1
I'm glad football is back
went to the pub the other day, and they were showing bloody cycling and golf on the tv!
i picked out Poland in the office sweepstakes. This bad because they suck, but it is good because they are the hosts and therefore might win
re: hosts
people never seem to acknowledge that this might be negated by the fact that they didn't have to qualify so haven't played competitive football in 2 years
True but hosts do tend to overperform rather than an underperform as a default norm...
yeah you're right
Poland weren't at the last world cup either though so it's more like 3 years
Expectations are low, now go on and win it boys
The BBC sports day live thing
is giving minute by minute updates on what is happening at the England training session.
I've never seen anything like it.
Is John Terry there or is he still shouting at the Dutch?
:D
10.19 Ashley Cole, John Terry and Steven Gerrard have gone back inside.
Suspicious.
Can somebody please give John Terry some bananas and then alert it to the attention of Mario Balotelli?
Apparently Thiago Motta has played senior international football for both Brazil and Italy
I didn't know that was allowed.
I think...
and I may be wrong, if a player appears for one nation in a non competitive fixture then he can still play for another he is eligible for. So, if Motta appeared for Brazil in a Friendly only then he was still eligible for Italy. However, as soon as he appeared in a qualifier for the Azzurri, he couldn't appear again for Brazil.
As I say, probably completely wrong - but fun thinking about it.
I'd always thought (correctly for most of the time) that he was Brazilian
So when he was described as Balotelli's international teammate in a few articles I got quite confused, but wikipedia lists him playing for both sides. Guess it must have been only friendlies for Brazil, seems sensible enough.
i think you're right
wasn't there some 'controversy' about Welbeck playing for England against Ghana, purely to make sure he wouldn't be able to play for Ghana in the future...then it turned out that as it was only a friendly it didn't matter anyway. Still I guess it meant England had first dibs on him
You're right.
Stupid rule, imo.
hmmm
has it always been like that? i remember Stuart McCall saying he got picked for England u21s and was gonna be subbed on but he deliberately delayed getting ready because he wanted to remain eligible for Scotland
No
Things changed relatively recently. As DK says above, it's a pretty stupid rule. But I'm a massive footballing Tory.
France are going to win the champs, no doubt.
And according to some economist on the radio yesterday, this'll be the best result in terms of the Euro economy. Allez les bleus!
i picked out portugal in TWO sweepstakes
gutting. got a bet on a holland v germany final.
france were a real value bet until this week
at least for an each way.
seem to have gone very short recently though.
I've just drawn Portugal too.
There is however a prize for the team with the most red cards. It's possible with that lot I guess.
a pal of mine has pointed out that Grant Holt has signed as Norwich manager
and is concerned with his own actions: https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/181119_10151024022875390_1620754415_n.jpg
Netherlands in office sweepstake
Happy with that.
Poland 1 Greece 0
Russia 2 Czech Republic 0
BOLD
this sounds more likely
the czechs are fucking awful these days
[/embittered Scotland fan post]
nah
Theodor Gebre Selassie's going to win player of the tournament
any relation to the 10000m runner?
best named*
also you forget that he'll be crossing to Milan fucking Baros
ugh what a twunt
they'll be lucky if he ever even looks up to see a cross coming
Poland 0-0 Greece
Russia 0-0 Czech Republic
WRONG
I hope so
I quite like the Russian team.
I reckon they'll go quite far.
Remember at the last euros when everyone creamed themselves over arshavin, zhrikov and pav?
that was amazing.
Then Juande Ramos bought Pavlyuchenko to replace about 4 strikers he sold
Ah, memories.
it will be a chap named Alan this time
I stuck a fiver on them at 20/1
worth a punt at those odds I reckon
Alan Dzagoev is the new Arshavin
I said this first so no one copy me when it becomes clear I am right
nah mate i've had him in my fantasy league team for 2 days now
he's been in mine for about a year
I shall not be defeated
oh ok
you take him
thank you
12:01
http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/social/4352267#r6801357
Ou could have meant any one of the other Alans playing in the tournament
*You
in direct response to a question about talented russian players
...yes
who knows how your mind works?
he probably meant Alan Gatagov
WHO'S NOT EVEN IN THE SQUAD
http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3284/euro-2012/2012/06/08/3156515/duncan-jenkins-guide-to-euro-2012
Had to stop reading at "increasingly hatless FA"
Laughing far too much for the office.
I didn't get that far
*His painful slide into a Bolivian* had me
i dont want to be too harsh on him, but J.T is definately to blame for absolutely everything.
:D
Can someone explain the joke with this guy?
I don't get it.
It's basically the 'where bounce you living hun?' phenomenon
extrapolated into satirical journalist form.
Also, the Guardian's pre-tournament coverage stuff has been top notch.
Animated histories of different teams narrated by James Richardson: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/series/euro-2012-animated-histories
Their so-called Expert's Network, taking nice articles about players and teams that don't really get decent coverage in the UK press: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/series/euro-2012-experts-network
Back from a week in Copenhagen. Carlsberg and 7-11 really getting
into the spirit of things with cardboard cutouts and photos of Nicklas Bendtner,Christian Ericksson and others everywhere. There's a nifty 4 storey number on the Illum building at the end of Stroget.
I hope they do well for the missuss' sake but I can't see past Joachim Low's tailored shirts and Holland in that group. I'll be in Berlin on the day of the final so throwing my support to Germany... Ozil Macht Frei.
Drawn England in the work sweepstakes.
I'm surprised they didn't have loads of English player cut-outs
I was hoping for a Kim Vilfort spotting but alas not to be.
I am also in Berlin during the semis and final
and I second that emotion. Would be pretty amazing to be caught up in the victory parade
I was in Berlin when Germany beat Argentina 4-0 a couple years ago
It was freaking awesome.
This is nice
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/brendan-s-letter-to-swansea
What a gent.
The fact that every game kicks off after work time
Is a blessing (well after work for me at least)
My journey home lasts from five til twenty to seven
Gonna miss half the games unless I hang about in pubs :(
Was much better in 2010 when I could secretly stream most of the games live
I'm trying to be not be too excited by Euro 2012
'cos last time I was real excited by an international tournament it was really pretty rubbish (I've got a bet with myself on who'll be the first person to revise World Cup 2010's history, can't lose). Then again, it'd be pretty funny to follow Platini's mental breakdown if it does descend into farce.
I'd quite like Poland to do well.
^ my favourite tournament coincided with my lowest expectations/interest in football generally
I reckon this will be a good tournament, I can feel it in my bones
the last Euros and the last couple of World Cups have been a bit poor.
The last Euros!!?!
I can't really remember much about it
apart from it being quite underwhelming
There was about three matches that were good...
much of it was garbage.
I'd like Poland to do well too.
Tournaments always seem better when the home nation performs well.
That and the fact I'm genuinely interested in their 3 players who have just won the Bundesliga with Dortmund: Lewandowski, Blaszczykowski & Piszczek.
Heard great things about them so I've padded out my fantasy teams with them as they're ridiculously cheap.
Guardian are now reporting the Poland manager has said Lewandowski is going to Man Utd, Blaszczykowski off to somewhere in England & Piszczek to Real Madrid.
http://tinyurl.com/c3kh8pp
taken from my favourite blog
can't stop looking at this
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m01yipkXfk1qaafy0o9_r1_250.gif
he's like a cartoon
So...
Ferdinand eh? Whats that all about?!
Mark Hoppus is a Chelsea supporter :')
http://www.chelseafc.com/page/Tour_News/0,,10268~2805717,00.html
Nice try
But people still remember that Tim Lovejoy supports Chelsea as well.
just got Spain/Sweden/Portugal/England in a sweep
so at least if England crash and burn i'll have a reason to back Sweden.
WTF
you're sorted.
We've signed\are signing 21-year old Icelandic goal machine* Bjorn Bergmann Sigurdsson
Who is the half-brother of Joey Gudjonsson and a couple of others who played at Stoke when they went through that mad Icelandic phase.
*Scored 11 in 13 for Lillestrom this season.
Really worried the whole racism thing's gonna be a self-fulfilling prophecy
it would make me really sad, that would.
Why are the BBC not in Ukraine/Poland?
budget cuts?
I think I've decided I want Germany to win,
purely because every Bayern fan I met and spoke to when in Munich for the Champion's League final were tops- really good humoured, keen to chat, very complimentary of Chelsea and England, very gracious about their own sides and players.
I went to Munich a fortnight before the final
and the locals were charming and helpful to a man.
Lovely place
Yep.
Should clarify, I *want* England to win, and then if not them Ireland, but ... Well, y'know.
Guys?
Remember the war, yeah? This country.
I'm sorry, but their charm has worked on me
Any sense of even jokey rivalry with 'ze Germans' has left me
and I can't help but wish them well
Fuck off you english cunts
That pianist needs to stick to his day job I think...
Ball juggling certainly isn't one of his strengths
ARGHHHHHHHHHH I TRIED TO NOT BE EXCITED BUT I STILL AM!!!
FOOOOOOOOTBALL
I hope they do another opening ceremony for the first game happening in the Ukraine...
The final will be in Ukraine
I think that's the deal they agreed on. Opening in Poland closing in Ukraine.
Fuck's sake
Why am I in work? There's football on.
You're missing a cracking match
Poland Vs Greece...gutted!
Lewandowski has nice eyes
Gooooooaaaalllll.
No.
A LOT of anti-Greek racism going on here...
Just seen the absolutely fucking brilliant news that Niki Zimling has been injured today!
FFS. Just not Christian Poulsen. Please. Not Christian Poulsen!
14 minutes into the tournament and Mark Bright is making me reconsider the whole thing
GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!
Poland deserve it. They've started very brightly and looked sharp up front.
why didn't i put money on Lewandowski top scorer?
several people said i should and i trusted and believed them but i still didn't do it.
ffs. 33/fucking1
it's not gonna actually happen though
relax guys
How many times can you say Papadopolous in a row quickly?
something about poland's ring wing
right
ffs
Piss Cech!
How shit are Greece
Can see Poland getting another two goals out of this game.
One of the Polish players has one long sleeve and one short sleeve
that's his thing
Is he the one who broke his elbow recently?
Would make sense
ah
still...looks cool
This is a Greek tragedy.
'cking hell referee :[
Incredibly biased/racist.
SHOCK HORROR as referee sends someone off for absolutely nothing
in an international tournament.
Hahaha, just remembered the last time I was posting about a player being sent off
for no reason in an international tournament, I was winding PocketMouse up about Kaka. Good times.
Hope this ref is enjoying himself
can't see him get another game.
Nah it's fine he's just being biased in favour of the hosts.
Are the men with sticks allowed to do anything other than say whether the ball goes over the line or not?
I put a bet on Lewandowski top scorer LITERALLY as that ball crossed the line.
20-1 odds. 4 quid each way.
5 seconds later the odds were down to 10. Timing (won't happen though.)
Good first half. The Dortmund guys on Poland's right side look class. The Greeks were coming back into it though, shame the referee had to go and ruin it. Neither challenge was a booking there, or even a foul- ridiculously harsh.
Where da fudge that come from?
Oh my word.
What was the keeper doing?
:DDD
Big fan of Szcz?sny fucking up.
:DDDDDDDDDDDDDD
This must be how you all feel when John Terry falls over
Checking his twitter account.
And all 4000 fans roar!
I want Greece to win this.......Not in a 'ALL POLANDISH PEOPLE ARE RACISMS' way, just think they need a boost.
That and my housemate is Greek..
That goal's taken the excitement out of this game.
It's probably over.
Greece, down to 10 men, drawing the opening game, 30 minutes left ... They won't leave their half of the pitch again.
So Greece are playing 3 in defence then...?
Gutsy move, that.
Well. certainly looked like they only had 3 defending then, anyway.
AMAZING!
Ha
Oh deary me Wojiech.
That's a bunch of people's fantasy teams ruined then.
Straight to the Internet cafe.
:((
:)
What a match
haha.
Arsenal's defending this season really is
the gift that just keeps giving
Double Ha
Great decsision making again from chesney
Liked how relieved he was that it was saved.
TY-TON
SAVER OF PENALTIES
One of the things that annoys me most about football
who stop playing before the game has stopped- why the fuck does the penalty taker drop to his knees when the ball is still in play?
I've just put £30k on Greece to win.
If they don't win, then I'll admit that i was just joking.
Samaras really is awful.
Generally agreed, but I think he's done really well today.
Can't shot for toffee, but he's held the ball up and kept possession when completely isolated really well.
He is...
4 goals in his last 26 games in the SPL is as damning a statistic as exists for a striker.
In his defense, he doesn't play up front for us - he plays left wing, and I think he managed a decent number of assists from there (double figures).
Having said that, his striking of the ball is frequently woeful - his redeeming factor is that it is inexplicably difficult to get the ball off him, so he can hold it up well. He also manages to go on baffling 50-yard runs somehow, he's quite majestic to watch once you get used to how frustrating he is.
Diamond in the rough.
Karagounis looks loads like joey barton
Entertaining game, despite being low on quality
Szczesny fucking up repeatedly- EURO 2012 has delivered
Nice bit of Joy Division there.
Come on DK!
think Denmark are my 2nd team
until you lose your first 2 games at least.
turns out i don't care about Ireland when Andy O'Brien isn't in the squad
They won't lose
but thanks for the support!
Why are ITV using Peter and the Wolf as their theme?
awww Keane and Vieira are pals now
I see ITV have picked a scenic spot for their studio.
Shame about their terrible opening titles.
Similar vein to those world's worst waxworks you see.
I was being sort of ironic...
Adrian Chiles' background appears to be a random bar and some parked cars.
Patrick and Roy - this is going to be ace!
looking forward to seeing alan dzagoev in action
very highly rated.
AND HE DELIVERS
Where's Akinfeev?
Injured or out of favour or summat?
Glad I didn't pick him for fantasy football
went for Cech instead. Anyway not playing him for the first round because I think Russia should win this.
Was it just me or did the Greek keeper's beige kit make him look like a streaker?
ITV's Olympic Coverage anchored by
Elton John, Jim Davidson, Paul Burrell and Jar Jar Binks
Okay, so I'm done with the whole laughing at goal keepers thing now.
Good anthem singing there
Italy will be the singingest as per usual, but it's nice to see some others putting the effort in.
That advert with Chris Kamara in it is going to have fucked me right off by the end of the tournament.
Is this Russian team any good then?
I think I've only ever seen 3 of them play
They were pretty good in a friendly in Denmark
Denmark did play incredibly poorly though.
they played great in Euro 2008
Really entertaining to watch
yup
they're looking impressive so far
Advocaat has them playing precisely the right tactics too by the looks of things
you'd imagine both these teams would progress from the group though
What team has everyone got in there sweepstake?
I've got Italy.
The Netherlands and Croatia (small office)
*their
dumb fuck.
The ITV studio looks like one of the X Factor judges' houses
should get Sinitta on
First black player
how's the racism been so far?
He's a long distance runner
they'll never catch him
Is anyone else still at the stage where they're manically cheering every goal that goes in?
Pretty sure I had Alan in my fantasy team despite never seeing him before.
Big fan of anyone who isn't from England being called Alan.
Fairly sure I had Cech too though.
God, so glad that I'm not one of those people who gives a shit about being good at fantasy football.
Webb's just going to get his oven gloves.
peter drury waited for liek 10 seconds then so he could come up with a new AGOALFORALLAFRICA
*the first goal, A RED RUSSIAN GOAL* weak
Might as well have gone for
"A COMMIE BASTARD GOAL". He needn't mince his words like that.
I'm not sure he's that intelligent
pretty sure he just saw they were wearing red.
IVAN HAS HAMMERED AND SICKLED THAT ONE HOME
THE RED CUNTTS!
Nice.
They're being crushed, like the Prague Spring
etc etc
a revolutionary turn of play from the red army!
the russian defence showing stalinist levels of discipline under threat!
the czechs are really under seige now!
czechmate
delightful dig, characteristically clean, red Russian...
this guy is all about the alliteration.
btw, anyone else see the reds romping this group?
Some annoying lines, but I think commentators are doing well
Getting suitably excited, done their homework on the players, and generally positive about the game.
Bbc were wayyy too cynical and negative about their game.
fuckin mark bright again
spent about 90seconds going on how they were the two worst sides in the tournament.
I prefer him to Jim Beglin
who really is the most dreary, gratingly soporific summariser.
Even if that's true, they shouldn't keep banging on about it
Usually like Lee Dixon but he was a grump too.
true,
and the linekar/hansen smugfest is nearly too much to bear.
That goal keeper is a bit rubs.
what is happening to the left side of the czech defence?!
should've been 3 easily.
this is a great game
you can get 13-6 on over 2.5 goals in first half
had a nibble
Russia are steam rolling those zany Czechs
I expect this to finish at least 5 - 0
It'll die down I reckon
could be 3-1.
Yet the Czechs still look better than Poland and Greece
Wonder which prem team's gonna bid on that check midfielder
I'm gonna say spurs. Outside bet: sunderland.
check
check
:(
Mic check, uh huh uh huh
the qui-gon jinn one?
west brom
yeah
i thought about west brom. Was gonna say wolves until i realised they'd been relegated.
arshavin's in the fackin zone
I hate slow-mo replays of football boots
stop it
Howard Webb has a kickin bod
Oh Prokofiev was born in what is now a part of Ukraine
makes a bit more sense I guess.
Technique-wise, even Russia look light years ahead of us
Something about the Czech right back being able to run all night...
LOL
Russia may regret missing all those opportunities yet, though I doubt it still, Russia to win 5 - 1
:')
Love it when a camera man gets bored and perves on a hot east European woman
Fuck me, shot of an incredibly hot Russian fan there
Actually she may have been Czech
I was too busy wanking to make sure
I've missed the whole 'zoom in on really really hot girls' thing they do at tournaments
oh god we're all massive perverts
HEY, DID ANYONE ELSE SEE THE SHOT OF THE HOT GIRL?
and how about that Howard Webb?
right, guys?
There was a lovely Polish one earlier.
I missed it
:(
.gif
surely
I believe this
is what you may be looking for?
http://i.imgur.com/fjfIf.gif
Haha! Within minutes!
awww
Delightful.
WOWZERS
hope they keep that in the highlights package
i'm in love.
seriously.
This is a fine display of missing from Kerzhakov.
Gah, wrong place
But still, timing!
i forgot how good Arshavin can be
^_^
Kerzhakov
:''''''''''')
:'D
This guy's good at finishing.
.
Somebody put Kerhzakov out of his misery!
Actually, on reflection
I'm really disappointed that he's been substituted
PAV MAN!
Just realised I missed out on 4 points on fantasy football
because Russia conceded. Damn.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL
Petr Cech
*shakes head*
?
no one wants to let in 4 goals in their first match of a tournament
got his hand to a couple as well - he'll be disappointed he didn't keep them out
TO BE FAIR
those were really powerful strikes, to the extent where I didn't expect him to keep them out
Well obviously, and I'm sure he will.
Not sure that he really needs to reflect on his performance too much though. Any keeper is fucked when their defence plays like that.
yeah, of course
I was falling bad for him, not blaming him
feeling*
well he is quite dreamy ...
Core blimey
that was a bit good wasn't it?
This Czech defence is fucking awful on tonight's evidence
BLOOTER
Arahavin and Pav look as good as they did in '08
Shit did you see that he's got a foot like a traction engine.
ESPN have mentioned the holocaust about 3 times this afternoon
take THAT David Pleat
http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/social/4352267#r6800579
Doubt I'll enjoy a performance as much as that all tourney.
Arshavin is such a player when he can be arsed. Dzagoev, what a prospect. The Zenit 3 in midfield - fluid. Liquid football.
^
Arshavin was incredible
They walked through a Czech team who couldn't even be arsed to
give the impression of defending.
Very good from Russia. Very poor from the Czech Republic.
in non euro 2012 news
sheffield wednesday sign football manager legend joe mattock on a free transfer from west brom.
impressive signing - very pleased with our transfer business so far this summer!
I was hoping he was going to stay at Brighton ...
he looked really good last season, you've def got a good signing there.
LOL @ Szczesny.
Honestly one of the worst goalies in the world.
idk
Joe Hart hasn't had time to cost England the Euros yet.
What's the craic with the English pronounciations of Polish cities?
Wroclaw, for instance. Since when was that pronounced 'rock-law'? Its's 'Vrot-suav, right? The BBC should know that.
Slightly less confident about Warsaw being pronounced 'va-shov', but i've always said it that way 'Leggy Vashov' (Legia Warsaw).
Something about Munich/Munchen.
Something about Polish mates.
grey area
Polish pronunciation of Wroclaw is 'vrot-swav', Polish pronunciation of Warsaw is 'Var-Shav-a", and it's spelt differently - Warszawa. Calling Wroclaw 'Rock Law' is fucking lazy, but I wouldn't expect anything less from BBC commentators.
Also 'Lodz' is pronounced 'Woodge', not 'Lodz'. Just as well there aren't any games there.
the commentators on BBC 5 Live were pretty good with their pronunciations
To be fair.
just had a horrid feeling i picked Cech & Szczesny as my FF goalies.
HONESTLY ONE OF THE WORST GOALIES IN THE WORLD
yep.
say something interesting, g'wan...
I'm hoping Czech Republic will pull their finger out
and perform well against Poland and Greece. My plan is to play Cech for those games. For this round I've got him on the bench and Isaksson in goal. Having said that I've never played fantasy football before.
haha
nah i'm good
did the exact same
i suck at fantasy football
which London club...
is going to pay well over the odds for Dzagoev on the back of a couple of good performances only for him to be thoroughly average for three years then?
It depresses me that he was born in the nineties.
so was wilshere
and gotze
they're both better than him. probably.
When I was looking up that Icelandic chap we're/'ve apparently signing/ed on Wikipedia
It made me feel quite sad noticing he is more than 6 months younger than me :(
Also: Dzagoev was born 3 days after me.
the BBC priding itself on knowing fuck all yet again.
GREAT BANTS, LADZ.
Zone 14 LOL!!!11one!1
Twats
Carl Cort made his competitive debut for Guyana last night
:D
predos for today?
Holland 2 Denmark 1
Germany 3 Portugal 2
Holland 2-1 Denmark
Germany 3-0 Portugal
2 cracking games
Holland 3-1
Germany 2-1 Portugal
So thrilled with how exciting yesterday's games were. Hopefully these two won't disappoint.
I bet they'll both be awful
yesterday was too good.
Not Euro 2012-related, but...
next season really might be the most likeable Premier League season ever. Quite excited about some of the managerial appointments. Big fan of Rodgers, Lambert, Hughton, even quite like Clarke. Hopefully, di Matteo will get the Chelsea job, sounds like Laudrup may be going to Swansea, and McDermott & Adkins are sound lads, too.
Course, Big Sam's a cunt, but they're becoming few and far between. Redknapp and Hughes will both be out of jobs by Christmas, which'll just leave Pulis and Taggart.
Glad Clarke has taken up a managerial position at last.
Hard to really know how much an assistant contributes from the outside, but if he was as responsible for the defensive side of things at Mourinho's Chelsea and Dalglish's Liverpool as suspected, West Brom should be a very hard team to beat next season.
Told you the Czechs were shite these days
THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SCOTLAND GETTING PUMPED :')
QUESTION for match-going DiS people
and an opportunity for many of you to mock me ...
Has anyone here ever had a PVC/vinyl banner made? I've been put in charge of getting one made, wondered if anyone had any hints or tips or had good/bad experiences with particular printers ...
Not for the football,
but I had a banner made up for a band stage backdrop from here: http://www.bandbanners.co.uk/ - I imagine they probably do a lot of football ones too. Very good service and a great product (we went for the canvas banner, so I can't comment on the PVC ones).
Cheers, will take a look.
Mostly volunteered to take the lead as I want to be able to veto the more embarrassing designs ...
ask these lads...
http://tinyurl.com/d4gw49w
in one of our premiership years
there was a "flag day" and my dad made a flag out of a bhs bag that was vaguely claret and amber (i think it was pink and yellow).
we didn't bring it in the end
My flatmate has a Fulham flag which is a Nigeria flag with 'NIGERIAN WHITES' on it
in tribute to Dickson Etuhu. I could ask him where he got it from if you like
That't be great, cheers
especially if it's local
L'Equipe apparently reporting that Mancini has told Nasri he's not in his plans
for next season. Dunno how reliable the translation is, but it's starting to get picked up on by some UK pundits. Must mean someone is on the way in, only sense in moving him on would be if City need his squad slot ...
Surprising.
He's been a real big game player for us. Made a huge difference in some title-deciding fixtures.
Hard to doubt Mancini, though. He's called virtually everything right so far.
No doubt the desperate press and certain football supporters will try and make him out to be some sort of flop.
assuming it's true, like...
bit weird how a part-time Chelsea fan's literally the first person in Britain on the ball with Man City news, etc.
a few people have suggested over recent weeks that we may go with a new system next year, maybe a 4-4-2 with orthodox wingers, or even a 3-5-2, idk. i can see how both Silva AND Nasri might not fit into that sytem every week, but i see no reason why Nasri still wouldn't be a key player.
PART TIME?!
So fucking angry right now
Cos Gareth Bale's a done deal?
i'm starting to think that Bale to City would make sense.
we have, on occasion, needed to be more direct.
it'd depend on the fee, though. i suspect Spurs think he's worth about double his true value.
£20m or so - fine. £40m+ - NAH.
He's 22 with 3 years left on his contract
If he's only worth £20m, he's barely good enough for us, never mind the current champions.
i have no idea what that second sentence means.
"If he's only worth £20m, he's barely good enough for us"?!?
It makes sense
to limit the amount of smug prima donnas in your team, so one in one out seems logical.
;-D
i can count one.
the nation wouldn't have celebrated our title win like it did had we not been amongst the, arguably *the* most likeable title-winning side of the modern era.
im just talking specifically about Nasri and Bale
and how both seem to have the same kind of attitude. There are some likeable city players.
idk.
i don't think there's much ego about Bale, to be honest.
i think he gets a lot of stick because a) he plays for Spurs, and b) he looks like an ape.
strikes me as being a nice lad.
jesus
its the euros. can we go two weeks without endless paragraphs of your paranoia and slights?
please leave the boards.
Got a feeling this is going to be a really enjoyable tournament.
Dunno why, but it felt sort of like USA'94-ish yesterday.
Mainly because
of the Hungarian pianist trying to balance the ball on his back. Very Diana Ross.
Joey Barton's latest diatribes
If [Jordan] Henderson got in, any Englishman not currently in the squad has to feel aggrieved. Yes, I wish I was there but I'm not...
As someone who spent a not inconsiderable amount of last season defending Jordan Henderson
I can safely say that his inclusion in the England squad is absolutely baffling. I would, however, take him, Jay Spearing, Jonjo Shelvey and probably even Jon Flanagan over someone who takes to publicly criticising his fellow professionals whenever the footballing press has the temerity to talk about something that isn't him.
mmm, i had quoted more than that. fecking dis
My predictions:
Holland 1-2 Denmark
Germany 3-0 Portugal
As people have pointed out yesterday was almost too good. I fear this tournament's peaked on its first day.
Places it's all kicking off, fairly predictably: Lviv
tell you who's a great guy
Andriy Shevchenko. always suspected he might be and everything i've read leading into this tournament confirms that. seems proper humble and genuine
really handsome too
i hope Ukraine beat us
2-2 for this one
I'm going for 2-2.
And a red card for Van Bommel
No chance
Van Bommel has a peculiar knack for never actually getting sent off for his myriad offences. I think he's only received two red cards in his entire career.
Don't know if this is a bit below the belt or not, but...
I'm not a fan of all this public Auschwitz mourning. Sure, it doesn't do any harm, but why are there always official photographers there to catch the players looking sad? Why not just go privately? Do people really need to prove they're respecting history? Just go, if you want, you don't HAVE to, and pay your respects as you see fit. It's as if some are treating it as a team-bonding exercise.
Worse than that, it's being openly paraded as a successful example of England's focus on postive PR.
Explosions in the Sky and Sigur Ros in this Denmark montage
Truly the sport of bedwetters.
And Mogwai...
Apparently the BBC are using a lot of Chromatics during the Olympics
Too edgy for football fans
Come on Denmark
Oh fuck off Pearce.
I wish this game was on itv.
As shit as ITV's coverage and commentary is...
Its endlessly better than the BBC I reckon.
Really empty stadium
...or lots of people in orange shirts.
BORING
Haha camera cuts to Huntelaar straight away
CHRIST ALIVE
The commentary is very dull indeed.
Shut up about the fucking ball Pearce
Why does he sound so painfully earnest and reverent all the time? He's making the game seem less exciting than it already is
he really is a bit of a shit-stirrer
Trying to make an issue out of the ball, asking if the Van Persie contact was deliberate. Keown's keeping him grounded.
Didn't realise it was Keown.
Goal!
Yesssss
That's exactly what the game needed.
Yeah, I was just about to post that it had 0-0 written all over it.
Hopefully be a bit more exciting now.
This co-commentator is an absolute plank
who is it? He keeps making terrible comments and innuendos. He just described step overs as 'leg overs'
Martin Keown.
That explains it.
He just let Robben come onto him
Krul would have saved that
Kom i!
Sådan Danmark!!!!
Kooooooooooooooooong Dehli <3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3
they played Ricky 'the dragon' Steamboat's theme before the game
highlight of the tournament, whatever happens
Robben actually trying to run down the line
:')
Harry Redknapp's neck
Jay Z's halftime 1-0 lead against Holland.
ruud gullit on al jazeera sport :DD
Daniel Agger looks like the biggest dickhead in the year below me at school
he's playing really well though
My main thought so far on this game;
Afellay is 26??? He looks about 17
Daniel Agger looks like the biggest dickhead in the year below me at school
he's playing really well th
Steven Gerrard is the most boring man of all time
When people like Brian May & Steve Davis exist?
that's a bold claim
Didn't he beat someone up in a pub a year or two back?
That's pretty exciting...
He's not even though most boring man in England's midfield
*the
fuck off jonathan pearce you moron
we haven't heard any racism YET, eh lads?
fuck off, you absolute cunt.
Martin Keown has said Simon Kjaer looks like an Italian though.
That was bizarre
If you were going to pick one person on the Danish team that looks Danish it would definitely be Kjaer
One grenade. Just one grenade and we could be rid of this commentary team.
Martin Keown has said "There just wasn't enough power on it" 3 times now
in reference to shots that weren't on target.
I'm pretty sure he's actually an idiot
so we probably shouldn't take the piss.
http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/10_04/NistelrooyDM0111_468x949.jpg
:D
I would like to see a gif of DiS's predicted top scorer miskicking
and Huntelaar smirking.
pls.
right now: Jonathan Pearce commentating on football, Craig Charles on 6music
and Phillipa Forrester is nowhere to be seen.
can Pearce stop slagging off Bendtner please?
i think he's playing well, causing a lot of problems for the Dutch defence
FOR FUCK'S SAKE
There were other one-sided games before Barcelona v Chelsea. Someone please tell commentators and pundits that that wasn't the first one.
:D
The era of 'that night in Istanbul' is over. Deal with it.
good game
hooray
Come on Clarence
Punch Redknapp. Punch him hard.
That's the first bit of money I've won from any of the games
The 'bet on the complete opposite of what you think is going to happen' tactic seems to be working.
Harry's neck looks like Ash's from Alien when he blows up.
Like it's made of dodgy prosthetics.
so Klose, yet so far
really hope both teams play to their strengths in the next game
What better way to build up to a clash between Portugal and Germany
than to waffle on about Rio fucking Ferdinand some more
Glad I'm not watching UK TV coverage (though I might for England matches)
Instead I'm listening to Henrik Larsson's analysis of Denmark's defending
OK
now Olof Mellberg is boring me with a review of his international career thus far and his summary of Sweden's approach to this tournament
dont you dare
say ANYTHING bad about Ollie
Denmark played some nice stuff, deserved to win.
Holland's front 3 didn't seem to have any interest in passing to each other. Robben's cut-in-from-the-right-and-blast-it-over-the-bar routine was embarrassing.
Good old BBC talking bollocks again. At least they managed to get back to the REALLY important stuff: Asking Roy Hodgson about Rio fucking Ferdinand AGAIN.
TV coverage & pundits
still talking about the Ferdinand non-selection issue as if the decision really was made for footballing reasons is becoming tiresome. Yes it's the official England & FA line, but we all know the real reason Terry & Ferdinand won't be playing together. Just because the official England camp's reason for not selecting him purely down to football doesn't mean the BBC & ITV should believe and act as though it is especially when the real reason is so apparent.
So happy
:D
Absolutely unbelievable
best result I've ever experienced. I really thought that was impossible. Never seen Denmark park the bus before but they did it well. Agger was unrealistically good and Kjær can still play!
Kjaer is only 23...
Assume you mean Rommedahl
No I mean Kjær
he's had a total decline in form since leaving Palermo for Wolfsburg 2 seasons ago and although things have slightly improved recently at Roma he's been very shaky for Denmark in recent games. This was him back to his best.
aboynamedgoo: "there goes the euros"
HERE IS NOT HAPPY!
...
Alan shearer's head is so so shiny
French TV does this annoying thing of only showing half the games
but Arsene Wenger is commentating on Portugal Germany which almost makes up for it
i bet he's really funny in french
I fully expect Germany to totally batter Portugal
also, I thought Nani was injured?
7..6..5.*kick off*..4..3..2..1...
You can really tell from the national anthems who the 100% German players are
Oh and fuck off that lawrenson is doing the commentary
Lawro: The Munich players won't be used to cups
:'D
Are BBC commentators under orders
to say "[English club team name] fans will remember him" when encountered with a player who used to play in England? Fucking doing my head in. As if we're so stupid we'll only remember players if they played for our club.
If they're saying this re: Ronaldo then that's brilliant
Hmmm
Only player they've said that about so far this game had never played in England
Nah he said it about Postiga mate.
Said it about Bastian Pig Destroyer first
He said
"Postiga. Spurs fans will know him. Many would probably prefer not to.... And Schweinsteiger, we all know him"
That's not how I remember it
but I haven't been fixating on the commentary, so I'll defer to you.
Yeah, I noticed that in the earlier game
About Anderson and Wilfred Bouma
And Rommedahl
Andersen hasn't played in England....
Who did they say would remember him? I couldn't hear the commentary over my shouting.
Charlton fans
He was there from 2004-2007 according to wikipedia.
Can't be arsed watching any games that aren't England games
NEUER'S GOT HIM BOOKED THERE
Yeah, damn him for reacting to that studs-up, foot off the ground tackle that was never even intended to win the ball
Lawro:
*see replay where it is clear there is contact and it is a bad challenge*
...
*Pretend it didn't happen stick to guns so I can moan some more*
:D
just said exactly the same thing
Reminds me of Ray Wilkins when Cabaye (I think it was) got crocked
He was insistant there was nothing wrong with him and he was just play acting, even as he was getting stretchered off :D
lawro is a twunt
Lawro's commentary work is a thing of beauty
He really doesn't like football anymore does he?
i'm not sure if he ever did
this is what pisses me off so royally about him, he has one of the best jobs in the world and he just whinges about it
Fuck this. Commentary off
are there, like, no other Portugese strikers on the planet?
is this why Helder Postiga keeps getting games?
Think what foreign fans must've thought when we started Heskey in the World Cup...
Haha Ronaldo getting told off for putting his arm over his mouth
if youre watching online
just stick al jazeera on. much much better commentary
Or just stop being such a commentary baby
Is that Eric the Eel in the front there?
Stay classy, Lawrenson.
I would like to see every group game played during the day
Something about a night game at this stage that makes it too finite.
Germany are a bit shit, aren't they?
LOL at the people saying they'll win it.
they've been shit and got to the final or something loads before
they're actually good this year though. They'll definitely get to the final, i'd bet you a fiver.
Gotze should be playing. I want him to play.
they're playing very shitly
I am disappoint
Why are the BBC so eager to piss on this tournament's fire?
Alan Hansen just said the first half was "torture", which is something of an overstatement.
Was just typing something similar
They are being unbearably miserable
I like that Chelsea are being implicitly blamed
for ruining Euro 2012, 45 minutes into the first dull game. Sorry for inventing defending, everyone.
I wouldn't take it personally.
A shit team will bore a good side to death again at some point and Chelsea will be forgotten about.
Remember when you convinced a load of plebs
that your wind up days were over?
Nope.
I remember when i said i wasn't particularly enjoying football and would be taking less of an active role in supporting City from next season. Do you mean that, or are you lying again?
Sorry pal, must have misunderstood.
Only follow this football lark part-time, you see.
If Schweinsteiger means pig-fiddler or whatever,
then what does Badstuber mean?
Bathroom
more like bath house really
like a cabin or shack - an outside loo if you like
I was kind of hoping
that it meant he was rubbish at stubing.
I really miss Zidane :(
Ronaldo restyled his hair at half time :''''''')
what a complete knob
* lad legend
Naaaaaaaawwww
A sprinkling of substitutes, a dash of management
SO BORING
GOALMEZ
Reckon the Portuguese coach blinked about 10 minutes too early there.
First time they open up and the Germans score two minutes later.
so yeah don't like Portugal
bunch of shit lads with shit haircuts. those slow motions of Cristiano rasping his lips make me wanna not have eyes.
still fancy Germany for the tournament
Portugal are possibly the least likeable team in the tournament
Ever since Figo and Rui Costa retired they've gradually turned into a team of horrible cunts playing horrible football. Tonight they seem to have reached their zenith.
A team with pepe, ronaldo and nani in
has to be one of the worst teams ever
anyone see Messi's latest treble then?
nice tap-in for Argentina's fourth.
He's just wellied that.
Could have ended up in row Z.
He's hit it too well.
fyi everyone if Negredo's gonna be starting for Spain then he's good value at 50/1 top scorer
thought he was 4th choice?
after Torres, Llorente, and Silva in a more advanced role (as they've tried a bit in the qualifiers/recent friendlies).
might be wrong.
according to twitter the Spanish press think he'll be starting
about 4 people on twitter
i'm going with it
Where do you get your info?
I've just added a few quid to my bet365 account for the tournament so could be tempted...
i typed "negredo start" into twitter
it's completely unfounded
Sid Lowe seems to be suggesting it
And it looks like the choices have been rattled down to Negredo or Torres.
bit racist...
flights to gdansk are only £80
got next week off and somewhere to stay, might go over for a game or two. doesnt look like itll be hard sourcing tickets
Norwich's pre-season games include
Hertha Berlin (venue tba)
Celtic away
Ajax home
Munchengladbach at home
basically, I was unaware I had been left in charge of ideal pre-season games
Seems a bit Football Manager.
When are Ajax and Munchengladbach at home?
Probably be in Norwich quite a bit over the summer ... Fuck it, I'll Google it.
Nope, can't do either.
Oh well.
I should be down south for the Berlin game although they haven't said where it will be
can't wait to see us at Celtic Park, love that stadium and I can be gloriously smug to my pals (again)
todays predictions?
Ireland 1 Croatia 0
Spain 1 Italy 0
Ireland 2-2 Croatia
Spain 1-1 Italy
ireland 2 croatia 1
spain 3 italy 1
anyone else having trouble signing into the Uefa/McDonalds Fantasy Football?
I'm using my google login and haven't been able to get in this morning.
Ireland 1 - 0 Croatia
Spain 1 - 1 Italy
Ireland 1 - 2 Croatia
Spain 0 - 1 Italy
Croatia 2 Ireland 1
Spain 1 Italy 0
Ireland 2-4 Croatia
Spain 2-0 Italy
actually i like this one better
Ireland have only conceded about 4 goals in the last year and a half
Ireland 1 Croatia 3
Spain 1 Italy 0
Okay, so I think Spain are going to struggle for goals without Villa
Torres has been scoring in friendlys again
and ended the season on a relative high, I think he'll be fine. Besides, he has silva just behind him
Think it'll be a low scoring day.
Not expecting too much excitement. Ireland and Spain will both attempt to bore their opponents to death, albeit through very different means.
Spain 1-0 Italy
Ireland 0-0 Croatia
NB: I'd be quite happy for it to be a really high-scoring, exciting day though.
I could live with the humiliation.
Richard Dunne's gonna get sent off
i can feel it
bit part-time
pal
I'm really tempted to put money on Croatia 1st, Ireland 2nd in the group.
The odds I saw are 50-1 and, whilst that's probably about right, it's got to be worth a tenner. Italy have been a bit crap in recent tournaments and might be affected by the match-fixing stuff whilst Spain are missing a couple of key players.
Don't get me wrong - I'd be shocked if Spain didn't make it through but I still think the small odds are worthwhile.
*small chance is worthwhile
Hmmm
Spain are going to be incredibly hard to score against as always, and, for comparisons sake, I'd still probably fancy any of their strikers over any of ours. Given that Croatia and Ireland have to be in 1-2 order too, it seems at least 50/1 far fetched.
Spain starting without a striker
http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/social/4352267#r6804374
David Silva plays as a striker for them.
Cheers.
False number 9
and I imagine even that will be Fabregas. "Cheers".
there's no such thing.
whoever plays in the most advanced role for Spain will be playing as a striker.
cheers.
Oh sorry
I thought we were talking about football rather than semantics.
you have a track record of not understanding football tactics.
Nah
You're thinking of part-time Chelsea fan, Daniel Kelly.
:)
you've kind of argued yourself into a corner
'as a striker', not actually 'a striker'. I know shit all about football compared to you, but I do know logic and english.
this makes no sense.
someone playing as a striker is a striker for that game.
even if not, John Terry plays AS a defender. there's no real difference saying that to saying he IS a defender.
as Zapsta said, I thought we were talking about football rather than semantics.
So if Puyol was playing up front he'd be a striker?
Can i just ask...
when did simple people start announcing defences starting with a left-back? I know it's a very minor gripe, but it's fucking odd. A mate of mine did it the other day, a guy on Sky just did it, a couple of people do it in the Fantasy Football League. Defences don't go from left to fucking right. Very, very odd behaviour.
Terrifically snobby report on a fracas at Danny Guthrie's wedding in the Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/newcastle-united/9322530/Police-called-to-wedding-of-ex-Newcastle-Utd-player-Danny-Guthrie-after-stately-home-brawl.html
'Behaved like peasants with money'.
Goodness
Let the condescending of the Irish begin.
can't believe i predicted that front six correctly
thought he'd go with llorente over fabregas.
martinez is a classy man.
Spain v Italy build up
Ideal time to talk about Rio Ferdinand a bit more.
I would pay someone good money to rip Adrian Chiles' tongue out
;-D
Paddy V's subtle digs; backing Roy over Rio, writing Welbeck off, forgetting Patrice Evra's name!
"the United player" (who you played with for several years).
false nine vs libero
it's a tasty tactical ding dong battle
Michael Cox wants his made-up words back.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDMx3kYe7ZY
lol
but i can see spain playing a little sideways, and in front of the italian three. unless fabregas can draw de rossi out enough. he did that role very well at the start of the season, i thought. pirlo will get crowded out a little though, i would've thought.
Woah, what a stadium
Aye, it's nice.
The whole area's lovely. Well worth going, though if you do i'd advise trying the other two of the Three Cities; Sopot or Gdynia - a bit nicer, a bit cheaper, fewer tourists.
I really want to go to Poland.
No idea why I didn't this summer. Oh well, next time. Thanks for the tips.
Bit surprised Evra's clung onto his place in the French team actually.
a) because he's been extraordinarily poor for two years, at club and international level, b) because Clichy's been so constantly superb in one of the most exciting club sides on the planet, and c) because he was one of the main shithouses who kicked up a fuss during the last tournament.
i know as recently ago as last week the French press were calling for Gael to be given the nod.
I didn't know you spoke french
désolé, je ne sais qui vous êtes, copain.
You just called me your boyfriend.
:D
But fair play
I should try reading more french sport coverage. L'equipe is fucking rubbish though and really hard to understand.
Google Translate's a crock of shit, man.
Instead of 'copain' use 'mec' or 'pot'
*tin pot
When Buffon has short hair he looks like David Schwimmer
Actually impressed with the ITV coverage
Totally embracing cafe culture.
I love Xabi Alonso
I shouldn't really though
he's dreamy
That KIA advert is so punk
The Spanish bench really does take the piss
as much as i love David Silva...
i'd really quite like Italy to win this.
gonna predict a first-half red card for Ladotelli.
This except with 'Xabi Alonso' instead of 'David Silva'
Craig Levine's 4-6-0 formation
vindicated by the Spanish. Nice.
He's sitting somewhere with his lad in his hand fucking loving it.
The daft prick.
don't understand spain's gameplan
there's no way they can win this without a striker. Not without getting lucky anyway.
thing about spain is...
they always try and walk it in
ffs.
did you see the tweet saying that at the bottom of the screen at half time
I like that it's spread to the actual television now.
Good to see the irish fans helping to keep the peace
https://p.twimg.com/AvB88w6CIAEI-X2.jpg:large
The thing is with Spain, is that they always try to walk it in.
Pffft, Spain have got no hope of scoring without a striker on the pitch.
Get Torres on, ffs.
Did Beglin just call that Italian guy ugly?
No, Craig Burley did.
What is it with football commentators sounding like they fucking hate football?
To be fair Craig Burley always sounds like he hates football, life and humanity.
He's like a marginally more cheerful Kevin Gallgher.
one early-round fa cup game on espn
saw him go off on a bitter rant about the olympics and how he had no interest in it whatsoever
oops
Anyone else get the impression these commentators haven't done their homework and don't know much about the Italians. They sound shocked Spain aren't rolling them over.
really enjoyed that half
never write Italy off...
particularly when Juve are strong, as the old adage goes.
itv's punditry is loads better
even with chiles.
.
Boring match
nothing will match yesterday's game. Still having to remind myself from time to time that it really happened.
On FF I've got Balzaretti who's not even playing and Xavi who I opted for perhaps foolishly instead of Iniesta.
when it said on commentary that bendtner is a danish folk hero
what's that about?
No idea.
Sounds like BS. He's an important member of the team and that is because Denmark literally have very few alternatives (the only other CF in the squad is Groningen's Nicklas Pedersen); he also scores quite a lot of Denmark's goals. Aside from that he is seen as the one big ego in a really strong collective and, as is well known, he says stupid things in interviews.
Anyway...commentator in spouting ill-informed soundbite shock horror.
LOLaLOLli.
Wtf balotelli!
man on MAN ON MMMMAAAANNNN ONNN
FUCKOFF
...
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
ITALIA
Cheers Silva
for the fantasy points while tipping your hat off the field.
cant tell if you guys support anyone or are just happy to see goals
a little from column A a little from column B
TORRES BOOOO
They just won't stop slaggin him off
Hope he scores a wonder goal to make them look like pricks.
Can't see it.
They're not playing a side of numpties like QPR.
Bar him being given an entire half to himself to score when one-on-one with a 'keeper, it probably won't happen.
How much is he worth now, do we reckon? £10m? £15m?
He's obviously not gonna score
but they're laying it on a bit thick
I felt this about Balotelli too
NO-CLASS ITV
Don't get me wrong, Torres is finished
as a goal scorer at any decent level, but 2 chances in 18 minutes, 1 an inch or so away from going in and the other more a missed opportunity than a comedic flap ... Nah.
Still, can only be a good thing if they're momentarily distracted from Rio fucking Ferdinand ...
No he's got life in him yet
KTBFFH
thought Balotelli and Cassano were both superb first half, tbh.
I'd quite like Llorente to get a game
he's not scared of goalkeepers, and he's in my fantasy team.
Yeah, he's a decent striker
and probably more on form than Torres.
;-D
more than 7 in his last 40, eh?
scary.
Shit cunts
Fawlty Torres
Bloody love Pirlo
Outstanding today, think he played the best of the fifty or so midfielders on the pitch in various positions.
Put an accumulator on before yesterday's games
for all the remaining games of this round of the group stage. put italy and spain down as drawing but lost in the first game of the accumulator because I said Holland would win. Hope the rest of the games don't go the way I predicted.
enjoyed the game today
Did they just call the mascots the Player Escorts?
Someone should really have a word with them about that.
hahaha wtf?
C'MON IRELAND!
'MON OIRELAND.
Genuienely more excited about them than England.
Those national anthems sounded MASSIVE
Great atmosphere.
COME ON IRELAND!
Polish commentary for games is great.
I can understand one word in about every 50, especially at the speed they speak. Also, the Polish noun and verb inflections means I get treated to words like Ballotelliego. Also, everyone is super-positive, as you'd expect, unlike the miserable fuckers that sound like they're being forced at gunpoint to enthuse about the second best sports tournament in the world. I remember Hansen being a cunt after some of the World Cup Games. I can only imagine it's worse this year, and I glad I don't have to put up with it.
shocking keeping
FFS
Really, really soft.
deary me.
a top goalie would save that, irrespective of starting position.
Oh dear
Ireland have the oldest average aged squad in the tournament
Which makes perfect sense after that fine display of ball watching.
alright den lads, how Irish are yeh?
ahem
I'm 1/4, which means I could play for the national team.
also GET IN!!!
Slaven's hat
Whistle in the crowd
SLEDGE!!!
...
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS
chorley!
That's how the Irish celebrate
Erm, jump up and down and cheer like everyone else?
^First bit should be in quote marks.
BLOODY YES
Whoever's blowing that whistle in the crowd should be put down
How do the players never get confused between the ref's whistle and someone in the crowd?
Has that ever happened? It's weird that it never seems to
it's probably amplified by pitch-side mics
if you're watching on tv. players wouldn't hear it as loud out on the pitch.
This has just reminded me
Of that amazing bit in Billy The Fish where the referee was practicing blowing his whistle' during a crucial goal in a game.
Get the fuck in
Don't consider myself a real Ireland supporter these days, but really REALLY want them to do well
This is so much like watching Wolves it's ridiculous.
Polish commentator just said
"You'll never beat the Irish!" in English. I wasn't aware that was a thing people said.
;-D
Corluka.
What the fuck happened to that lad?
Shame. Used to be an outstanding player.
roy keane saying his name is pretty good tho
What is that thing on the pitch around Croatia's right back spot...
bogroll
Its really annoying me.
Don't know why no one's removed it...
probably cant see due to the fireworks
Wardy!!
:(
HOW WAS THAT ONSIDE
oh ireland passed to him... cool.
I enjoyed watching every Irish player put their arm in the air
as opposed to, like, doing something.
Just a reminder
Stephen Ward has spent the last 3 years playing in the Premier League.
As I said above:
This is so much like watching Wolves it's ridiculous.
Got Croatia 3-1 and Modric scoring anytime on this
Dunno why I did Modric dunno what the fuck I'm doing
http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/234/719/c7c.jpg
I like seeing Darijo Srna and Ivan Rakitic play
It's nice to know that they do actually exist outside Football Manager.
if Croatia get out of this group Modric is gonna be player of the tournament
in a group with capital chokers Italy
nah
The view from Guy Mowbray's Hotel Room
https://twitter.com/Guymowbray/status/211787360269119489/photo/1
Poland shits on Ukraine.
;-D
Looks like Szczecin.
Szczecin is a ludicrous city
If you look at a plain map on google, the layout of the city is like Paris. It's a total dive. I stayed in a bizarre hotel there just before New Year's with a view overlooking the Szcecin team's training ground. Which is slightly better than Mowbray's lot.
OWN GOAL!
in off his face!
urgh :(
:(
:(
Clear penalty. Easy decision.
Fucks it.
I don't want Luka to go :(
Long - Cox strikeforce.
:)
Isn't Shane Long the name of the baddy from Mortal Kombat 2 or something?
nope
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheng_Long
I think the commentator just compared Robbie Keane to David Beckham
I heard 'LA Galaxy' "David Beckham' and 'podobna technika' which means 'Similar technique'
seeing a lot of subs in the last minute
time wasting right?
Ireland have had enough chances to have got a result here.
Kind of a sad irony given they usually struggle to create anything but have a miserly defence.
had 40p on 3-1, £3 on Jelavic top scorer and £1.50 on Croatia to reach the semis
https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=gold+house&ix=h9&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=685&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=AAfVT6iOMM-r8QOTzdWBAw
Does anyone know what the odds were for 3-1 Croatia?
Why did I have to fuck it up by naming a scorer as well? Why?
20/1 on bet365
WTF?!
why don't I bet more often...having said that I reckon I would've gone for 4-1.
As a surrogate Ireland supporter
that was pretty diappointing. You could tell Shay Given was out of practice. Oh well, two wins will see us through, should happen, not like we have to play anyone good, right?
In other news Andres Iniesta is a genius. Forget about Messi and Ronaldo, I reckon he's actually the best footballer in the world at the moment.