UEFA Euro 2012, June 8th - July 1st

1235711

Comments

  • DiscoVolanteDiscoVolante Stockholm, Sweden
    Posts: 1,347
    Denmark should've got the penalty kick, could have changed the whole group outcome. Oh well, Germany advance well-deserved of course.
  • SandySandy Somewhere in Europe
    edited June 2012 Posts: 4,012
    Germany and Portugal ;) Everybody happy tomorrow at work :D
  • Posts: 12,526
    What gave that away?

    Just a gut feeling i had? :D
  • St_GeorgeSt_George Shuttling Drax's lovelies to the space doughnut - happy 40th, MR!
    Posts: 1,699
    Funny how the Dutch fell apart as a team at this tournament after all they achieved - and were so tactically strong - at the World Cup. Reminiscent of them at the 1990 WC after winning Euro '88...
  • Posts: 7,653
    St_George wrote:
    Funny how the Dutch fell apart as a team at this tournament after all they achieved - and were so tactically strong - at the World Cup. Reminiscent of them at the 1990 WC after winning Euro '88...

    It was all about tactical choices the trainer made, and quite a few decisions by him were questioned before he left for the tournament. Like I stated before he cannot win with this team because his system is more important that the individual players. he made the team very predictable for any opponent. I figured before that the Dutch would not get to the quarterfinals unless the opponents would really play terrible. But they all knew what the trainer of the Netherlands system was and anticipated every step.
    The individual players have been frustrated by some of his decisions, especially when it comes to his system, the defense players were either too old or not in shape. etc.

    I was already highly critical of the teams performance at the WC in Africa. But the trainer failed to build on this team. Perhaps he has little choice but he stuck with the oldies.

    I hope that we can rebuild our team with a trainer that has some insight in where players should be used in order to achieve their best quality.

  • St_GeorgeSt_George Shuttling Drax's lovelies to the space doughnut - happy 40th, MR!
    edited June 2012 Posts: 1,699
    Yup, I read your post saying a similar thing the other day, @SaintMark, but can't agree. van Marwijk got his tactics spot on at the WC - they rightly and cannily beat both Brazil and Uruguay playing in that style and almost, almost did a number on Spain (would have done had Robben finished when he ran clear and was one-on-one with the keeper).

    The players may not have been pleased with his tactics this time, but that's tough, he's the coach - and it didn't seem to bother them when things were going well two years ago. Allowing egos to come too strongly to the fore is the biggest opponent for international teams these days it seems (perhaps because modern top footballers are mostly pampered multi-millionaires); exactly that has been a problem for England and France in recent years and with the Dutch before. I really do think this has been what's sadly done in your countrymen this time around again - maybe the catalyst was van Persie v Huntelaar? I don't know. On their day the Dutch are terrific, with incredible talent and I wanted them to go on and possibly the win the thing (let's face facts, England won't), but they just weren't enough of a team this time round...
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    001 wrote:
    It's great to see Greece through to the quarter finals.

    That's a joke right?

    Holland an absolute shambles tonight and should've been raped. Ronaldo alone shouldve had about 5. Fair play to him though - after 15 mins his team were on the brink of going out and he delivered when it mattered. That's what world class means Zlatters. Even if Ukraine beat us it made my tournament to see that prick giving Hart a load of mouth and then crash out. Hope Joe made sure to go over and laugh in his face at full time.
  • St_GeorgeSt_George Shuttling Drax's lovelies to the space doughnut - happy 40th, MR!
    Posts: 1,699
    Even if Ukraine beat us it made my tournament to see that prick giving Hart a load of mouth and then crash out. Hope Joe made sure to go over and laugh in his face at full time.

    Yup, I don't really get bothered by seeing anything like that anymore - even in real life, must admit. Life's too short. But, like you, I was more than irked by Ibrahimovic's pathetic behaviour there. And would add that I suspect Hart's way too a class act to react in any way like that in victory. More power to him for that.

    By the bye, did anyone actually notice any England fans on the pitch at all in that match? Weird. The idea they'd invade the pitch, given they're mostly squeaky-clean, middle-class fans who pay a hell of a lot to follow the side and few probably have a shred of hooliganism in their blood, seems rather bizarre to me...
  • Posts: 7,653
    St_George wrote:
    Yup, I read your post saying a similar thing the other day, @SaintMark, but can't agree. van Marwijk got his tactics spot on at the WC - they rightly and cannily beat both Brazil and Uruguay playing in that style and almost, almost did a number on Spain (would have done had Robben finished when he ran clear and was one-on-one with the keeper).

    It did work during the WC but it was often awefull to look at, and I was not a fan. But one thing he had at the WC was good people at the wings.

    The players may not have been pleased with his tactics this time, but that's tough, he's the coach - and it didn't seem to bother them when things were going well two years ago. Allowing egos to come too strongly to the fore is the biggest opponent for international teams these days it seems (perhaps because modern top footballers are mostly pampered multi-millionaires); exactly that has been a problem for England and France in recent years and with the Dutch before. I really do think this has been what's sadly done in your countrymen this time around again - maybe the catalyst was van Persie v Huntelaar? I don't know. On their day the Dutch are terrific, with incredible talent and I wanted them to go on and possibly the win the thing (let's face facts, England won't), but they just weren't enough of a team this time round...

    Perhaps these players have large egos, but this tournement was not the first time they played badly. They did qualify with a different team most of the times, with the best performance against Sweden when he had so many subs that the trainer let his "system" rest and they made mincemeat of Zlatan and co and it looked beautifull as well.

    The trainer went to this tournement with ancient defenders and the rest was so out of form that it was ridicolous, used a leftwinger constantly on the right and his tricks were so bloody wellknown that he was made redundant. (Robben) He has two of the worlds great strikers and both were in shape, but they were not used and they did not have the players to serve these goalgetters, because nr. 3 (Robben again) did play for himself instead for the attackers. One of the major mistakes in this campaign was his reliance upon the strengths of the WC that had by now shown to be untrustworthy.

    Van Marwijk has proven himself to be an average trainer that wants to train one of the 16 great teams of Europe. But they did not want him after the finale at the WC and they most certainly will not now. He has proven that he can make a team of egos, but the quality of the team is somehow less than the quality of the individuels. He has made so many mistakes this tournament with this team, which started in the selections.

  • Posts: 7,653

    Holland an absolute shambles tonight and should've been raped. Ronaldo alone shouldve had about 5. Fair play to him though - after 15 mins his team were on the brink of going out and he delivered when it mattered.

    Trust me the loss was enough to make a point, that this Dutch team had nothing to offer to this competition.
    EXCEPT for its fans, they are as always bloody brilliant and a great sight to see.

  • Posts: 154
    RONALDO FOREVER!!!!
    the best of europe

    PORTUGAL PORTUGAL
  • 001001
    Posts: 1,575
    001 wrote:
    It's great to see Greece through to the quarter finals.

    That's a joke right?

    I follow the greeks in the finals, why should it be a joke.Who do you follow?
    It's also good for the people in greece who need a lift because the government and banks are trying to destroy them.

  • Posts: 7,653
    001 wrote:
    I follow the greeks in the finals, why should it be a joke.Who do you follow?
    It's also good for the people in greece who need a lift because the government and banks are trying to destroy them.

    If the Greek themselves will not clean up their house and want to live off the other European nations they should have voted against the Euro and the EU. That they made a mess of it is not the discussion but how they are going to clean it up will be.

    While I am happy for Greece that they made it to the next round I do not hope for a repetition of the previous time Greece won the EC, that was sheer anti-football. And the matches so far in this tournament did show teams that were willing to play football.
  • Posts: 3,274
    The greek team has what Milos Columbo would call "thrasos". I like when underdogs beat all odds.
  • 001001
    Posts: 1,575
    SaintMark wrote:
    001 wrote:
    I follow the greeks in the finals, why should it be a joke.Who do you follow?
    It's also good for the people in greece who need a lift because the government and banks are trying to destroy them.

    If the Greek themselves will not clean up their house and want to live off the other European nations they should have voted against the Euro and the EU. That they made a mess of it is not the discussion but how they are going to clean it up will be.

    While I am happy for Greece that they made it to the next round I do not hope for a repetition of the previous time Greece won the EC, that was sheer anti-football. And the matches so far in this tournament did show teams that were willing to play football.

    Can you blame the greek people for the mess they are in, or the spanish people for the mess they are in, or the italian people for the mess they are in.
    Look at the usa and their debts and problems,again you can't blame the people for their problems.
    It's all the government and the banks that have caused the problems not the people.





  • You're no Saint....it's another form of control by the boys at the top. Cripple us with debt that the banks set up and now they can buy up countries by giving them impossible conditions to pay back huge loans. Quantum again?

    The Greek Germany game is going to kick off big time. The Greeks say the Nazi looted their country to value of £60 billion. And that's how they became dependant on Europe grants and funding after WW2.

  • 001001
    Posts: 1,575
    Yeah that Greek v Germany game should be a fantastic one.
  • Posts: 12,526
    The whole Euro is an ill thought out idea IMHO. Its a money superstate thats crashing around there ears. Germany is like a benefits agency that is dishing out all this cash on behalf of other states too.

    It will never all be recouped back! I mean in the UK it looks like we won't get the money us tax payers gave our banks! Politicians seem to be clueless the world over! We should start a world political party called the COMMON SENSE PARTY. Slogan: If its unaffordable? You can't have it!

    Rant over! Come on England :D
  • Posts: 7,653
    The Greek Germany game is going to kick off big time. The Greeks say the Nazi looted their country to value of £60 billion. And that's how they became dependant on Europe grants and funding after WW2.

    It is the Nazi's again, that will spice up the game against the Germans.

    We always joke about getting our bicycles back they nicked during WOII, for most of us it means that after the match against the Germans we go back to liking them. We don't blame them for the current crisis which is mostly the result of greed and bad decisions by indeed goverments. But also its citizen. Greeks own minister of finance admitted that they miss out on 5 to 10 billion euros on not collected taxes a year. That is a lot of money every year. Dependance upon other nations does not imply not a lack responsibility for your own fiscal system and finacial household. If you lie about it you get the bill. We are also in financial crisis and get budgetary cuts that really hurts my wallet far more than I am comfortable with. I blame it on politics by populists and the people that vote for parties with a shortterm vision.

    That said The Germans, the SPanish and the Italians have so far made the best impression on me this tournament from a football point of view.


  • Posts: 12,526
    SaintMark wrote:
    The Greek Germany game is going to kick off big time. The Greeks say the Nazi looted their country to value of £60 billion. And that's how they became dependant on Europe grants and funding after WW2.

    It is the Nazi's again, that will spice up the game against the Germans.

    We always joke about getting our bicycles back they nicked during WOII, for most of us it means that after the match against the Germans we go back to liking them. We don't blame them for the current crisis which is mostly the result of greed and bad decisions by indeed goverments. But also its citizen. Greeks own minister of finance admitted that they miss out on 5 to 10 billion euros on not collected taxes a year. That is a lot of money every year. Dependance upon other nations does not imply not a lack responsibility for your own fiscal system and finacial household. If you lie about it you get the bill. We are also in financial crisis and get budgetary cuts that really hurts my wallet far more than I am comfortable with. I blame it on politics by populists and the people that vote for parties with a shortterm vision.

    That said The Germans, the SPanish and the Italians have so far made the best impression on me this tournament from a football point of view.


    Perhaps we should get there footballers to run their countries? ;)
  • Posts: 7,653
    RogueAgent wrote:
    SaintMark wrote:
    The Greek Germany game is going to kick off big time. The Greeks say the Nazi looted their country to value of £60 billion. And that's how they became dependant on Europe grants and funding after WW2.

    It is the Nazi's again, that will spice up the game against the Germans.

    We always joke about getting our bicycles back they nicked during WOII, for most of us it means that after the match against the Germans we go back to liking them. We don't blame them for the current crisis which is mostly the result of greed and bad decisions by indeed goverments. But also its citizen. Greeks own minister of finance admitted that they miss out on 5 to 10 billion euros on not collected taxes a year. That is a lot of money every year. Dependance upon other nations does not imply not a lack responsibility for your own fiscal system and finacial household. If you lie about it you get the bill. We are also in financial crisis and get budgetary cuts that really hurts my wallet far more than I am comfortable with. I blame it on politics by populists and the people that vote for parties with a shortterm vision.

    That said The Germans, the SPanish and the Italians have so far made the best impression on me this tournament from a football point of view.


    Perhaps we should get there footballers to run their countries? ;)

    Heck NO, they have even worse egos and are in it for the money. But I give them one thing they at least have a skill something that can hardly be said for a politician. Most of them crave power and money and have only the gift of the gab.

  • Posts: 7,653
    Good luck Spain, Croatia, Italy & Ireland. Give a good football show. O:-)
  • Stuff the Italians, Spanish and the murdering Croatians.
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,244
    Stuff the Italians, Spanish and the murdering Croatians.
    Don't think they killed anyone on the pitch yet..

    but I understand it's exit Croatia. Oh well. All the teams I've been willing to support are out now (Dutch, Danish and Croats). So my question to you is: who do you want out? I'll go and suport them! ;)
  • I want the Germans out.
  • Posts: 12,526
    Feel sorry for Croatia as i felt they were the much better side tonight and that Spain were pretty poor. There defence did look pretty suspect too which gives us all hope! lol!
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Spain were abysmal last night. They are worse than Arsenal of a few years back in wanting to pass the ball into the net rather than have a dig.

    I fear Italy more than them - I reckon tiki taka has been found out.

    Time for the big one now. Ukraine have got nothing to worry us and no need to be scared of Spain or Italy either. Krauts the only ones who look decent and we'll see them in the final.

    Now bollocks to all this effeminate, continental passing malarkey - we're England for f**ks sake. Lets get stuck in and if in doubt just get it up the park for big Andy to get his head on.

    LETS HAVE IT!!!
  • Posts: 1,143
    Come on England. I fancy Rooney to do well tonight. I bet he's raring to go!! Got to go for the win, attack, attack, attack!!!
  • Come on England. I fancy Rooney to do well tonight. I bet he's raring to go!! Got to go for the win, attack, attack, attack!!!

    Rooney this Rooney that - pah. Shrek is going to get him sent off within 30 mins.
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,244
    I want the Germans out.

    Allright, as there are no others who put in a country, I'll go and support ze Germans. Niemals Kapituliern, Immer zu Angriff! Deutschland!

    or something to that extend.

Sign In or Register to comment.