Official Euro 2020 thread

[SaintK]

Yes of course you are!! No doubt you know all about that as well

Oh and congrats on not being insufferably smug

No one cares about your desperate attempts to needle me - talk about football or fuck off, because despite our mutual antipathy, I'm not the one jumping into random threads to loudly declare how much I don't like you or your posts.

Ooh get her - I am spot on here, all I have pointed out is your supreme arrogance. It IS your MO you won’t brook any disagreement and when perfectly reasonable points are made you end up declaring your expertise on the subject and telling people that they don’t know what they are talking about. I could see that scenario developing a mile off which is why I felt compelled to comment.

As far as needling you it is you that started the insults way back, your overarching sense of superiority is a balloon that needs pricking maybe if you could laugh at yourself a bit you wouldn’t be so prickly.

......oh that's hilarious!

[Openside]

As someone who only watches soccer during the World Cup and European Championship, or the Africa Cup of Nations if Bafana Bafana are playing, I agree with JMK. A dive, which is an actual offence, is only if contact is not made but the player pretends it has.

A player can exaggerate contact, but they can't be punished. Doesn't mean the rules are best like this, but it's the reality of how soccer is played and officiated.

The main thing I dislike is how the referees automatically give a foul at corners for any contact, or when a player very gently touches another player's back and they fall over.

Actually a dive by definition is a fall to the ground when that fall is ‘voluntary’ rather than caused by the contact. If you get tapped on the ankle and fall over to draw the foul by definition that is a dive. Unfortunately sport having become what it has rewards players for doing so rather than vilifies them as cheats.

Whose definition is that?

It's definitely isn't FIFA's.

The definition of the word!

[Openside]

No one cares about your desperate attempts to needle me - talk about football or fuck off, because despite our mutual antipathy, I'm not the one jumping into random threads to loudly declare how much I don't like you or your posts.

Ooh get her - I am spot on here, all I have pointed out is your supreme arrogance. It IS your MO you won’t brook any disagreement and when perfectly reasonable points are made you end up declaring your expertise on the subject and telling people that they don’t know what they are talking about. I could see that scenario developing a mile off which is why I felt compelled to comment.

As far as needling you it is you that started the insults way back, your overarching sense of superiority is a balloon that needs pricking maybe if you could laugh at yourself a bit you wouldn’t be so prickly.

No

One

Cares

Your reply suggests otherwise

[westport]

The reason Mount and Chilwell have to isolate.. is wee Billy Gilmour had both them in his pocket

[ScarfaceClaw]

https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/sport/e ... 0622209399

ENGLAND have vowed to strike terror into opponents at Euro 2020 by scoring a second goal.

The goal may come as early as tonight’s game with the Czech Republic or be prudently saved until the next round, but will leave all other countries in fear of the mighty English scoring machine.

[Biffer]

The likes of Bimbo are engaged in greeting about the behaviour of the Tartan Army over on PR. The irony is just mindblowing. I've been foolish enough to engage.

Went for a look, but was distracted by a notification that said I'd been quoted by Bimbo in April. He was in the middle of a rant about the Indian variant being scaremongering. The joys.

[Woddy]

Didn't we leave PR to get away from these personal duels? They're boring for everyone else and detract from what's an interesting (for me, at least) discussion about the extent of allowable contact in football, or what should be allowable if not under current strictures.

I'd agree that diving/simulation/whatever includes voluntary falling under minimal contact. Anything that does not unlawfully impede your oppo or is fair competition for the ball (e.g. two players sliding in at the same time) should be allowable and encouraged. Similarly, players should be encouraged to stay on their feet and keep play going, positively. It pains me to read or hear commentators talking about (for example) Grealish's ability to draw fouls and win free-kicks: it's so negative and cynical. He should be encouraged to use his quick feet to get himself or the ball around players instead. I'm sure it's led to fewer players trying to ride tackles and beat a man. They just wait for contact and drop, while play stops for the free-kick.

Other manifestations of the cynicism include making a trailing finger/hand near your face look like an intentional haymaker.

And before we scoff at football, the same cynicism is creeping into rugby, from simulated headshots and props slipping off each other to draw penalties.

[Biffer]

Didn't we leave PR to get away from these personal duels? They're boring for everyone else and detract from what's an interesting (for me, at least) discussion about the extent of allowable contact in football, or what should be allowable if not under current strictures.

I'd agree that diving/simulation/whatever includes voluntary falling under minimal contact. Anything that does not unlawfully impede your oppo or is fair competition for the ball (e.g. two players sliding in at the same time) should be allowable and encouraged. Similarly, players should be encouraged to stay on their feet and keep play going, positively. It pains me to read or hear commentators talking about (for example) Grealish's ability to draw fouls and win free-kicks: it's so negative and cynical. He should be encouraged to use his quick feet to get himself or the ball around players instead. I'm sure it's led to fewer players trying to ride tackles and beat a man. They just wait for contact and drop, while play stops for the free-kick.

Other manifestations of the cynicism include making a trailing finger/hand near your face look like an intentional haymaker.

And before we scoff at football, the same cynicism is creeping into rugby, from simulated headshots and props slipping off each other to draw penalties.

On Grealish, apparently McGinn told O'Donnell that when he came on he ha to get in his head, lots of chat etc - but that the best way to rattle him was to be complementary. So O'Donnell spent all the time after Grealish came on saying how good his hair looked, how good looking he was and asking him how he got his calves looking like that

[JM2K6]

He really does have great calves. Looks more like a rugby player.

[Woddy]

Classic! Good on the Scots.

[Biffer]

I honestly don't know if McGinn was winding up Grealish or O'Donnell. Or both.

[sturginho]

I honestly don't know if McGinn was winding up Grealish or O'Donnell. Or both.

4D Chess

[GogLais]

Didn't we leave PR to get away from these personal duels? They're boring for everyone else and detract from what's an interesting (for me, at least) discussion about the extent of allowable contact in football, or what should be allowable if not under current strictures.

I'd agree that diving/simulation/whatever includes voluntary falling under minimal contact. Anything that does not unlawfully impede your oppo or is fair competition for the ball (e.g. two players sliding in at the same time) should be allowable and encouraged. Similarly, players should be encouraged to stay on their feet and keep play going, positively. It pains me to read or hear commentators talking about (for example) Grealish's ability to draw fouls and win free-kicks: it's so negative and cynical. He should be encouraged to use his quick feet to get himself or the ball around players instead. I'm sure it's led to fewer players trying to ride tackles and beat a man. They just wait for contact and drop, while play stops for the free-kick.

Other manifestations of the cynicism include making a trailing finger/hand near your face look like an intentional haymaker.

And before we scoff at football, the same cynicism is creeping into rugby, from simulated headshots and props slipping off each other to draw penalties.

On Grealish, apparently McGinn told O'Donnell that when he came on he ha to get in his head, lots of chat etc - but that the best way to rattle him was to be complementary. So O'Donnell spent all the time after Grealish came on saying how good his hair looked, how good looking he was and asking him how he got his calves looking like that

A sort of Hensonlite then.

[Slick]

Well that wasn’t fun while it lasted

[Lobby]

Well that wasn’t fun while it lasted

England win the group and Scotland go home; the natural order is restored.

Having said that, you’d have to expect that Southgate’s England will be thrashed by whichever of France, Germany or Portugal they play next.

[JM2K6]

I dunno about thrashed, though you'd hope a team that plays so conservatively would look less panicky against a team that can cross the fucking ball (which is another thing we do poorly)

[Saint]

For the love of god, can we just get knocked out of this so that the TV schedules return to something vaguely approximating normal and we don;t have to listen to something football related on the radio every two seconds?

[ScarfaceClaw]

For the love of god, can we just get knocked out of this so that the TV schedules return to something vaguely approximating normal and we don;t have to listen to something football related on the radio every two seconds?

Word on the street is that this is coming home. If it does indeed return home then you’ll be hearing about this until the end of time.

[JM2K6]

For the love of god, can we just get knocked out of this so that the TV schedules return to something vaguely approximating normal and we don;t have to listen to something football related on the radio every two seconds?

Oh no a major international tournament of the national sport is happening and partly hosted here and England are doing well, after over a year of pandemic and lockdown

I think we can forgive them this once!

[Biffer]

For the love of god, can we just get knocked out of this so that the TV schedules return to something vaguely approximating normal and we don;t have to listen to something football related on the radio every two seconds?

Oh no a major international tournament of the national sport is happening and partly hosted here and England are doing well, after over a year of pandemic and lockdown

I think we can forgive them this once!

Not well. Just the usual before they get beaten by somebody far better and the nation goes into a howling abyss about these terrible foreigners beating England at the game they invented (handily ignoring the fact that Scotland made most of the significant changes that made the game what it is now).

[Saint]

For the love of god, can we just get knocked out of this so that the TV schedules return to something vaguely approximating normal and we don;t have to listen to something football related on the radio every two seconds?

Oh no a major international tournament of the national sport is happening and partly hosted here and England are doing well, after over a year of pandemic and lockdown

I think we can forgive them this once!

1 - We're not actually in the running to win this
2 - The whole thing is actually s hugely depressing letdown even if we were in the running

Thus has sweet FA to do with "the public" and everything to do with selling advertising space on TV

[JM2K6]

For the love of god, can we just get knocked out of this so that the TV schedules return to something vaguely approximating normal and we don;t have to listen to something football related on the radio every two seconds?

Oh no a major international tournament of the national sport is happening and partly hosted here and England are doing well, after over a year of pandemic and lockdown

I think we can forgive them this once!

Not well. Just the usual before they get beaten by somebody far better and the nation goes into a howling abyss about these terrible foreigners beating England at the game they invented (handily ignoring the fact that Scotland made most of the significant changes that made the game what it is now).

England's "usual" at major tournaments is not winning the group without losing a match.

Of course we're likely to lose the next match - because somehow the reward for winning is to put us up against one of the best teams in the competition, and we've not got our attack going.

Christ, unless we wipe the floor with everyone, there's really no end to ways people will find to snipe at England. Forgetting Scotland made changes to the sport? Who even cares

[SaintK]

Oh no a major international tournament of the national sport is happening and partly hosted here and England are doing well, after over a year of pandemic and lockdown

I think we can forgive them this once!

Not well. Just the usual before they get beaten by somebody far better and the nation goes into a howling abyss about these terrible foreigners beating England at the game they invented (handily ignoring the fact that Scotland made most of the significant changes that made the game what it is now).

England's "usual" at major tournaments is not winning the group without losing a match.

Of course we're likely to lose the next match - because somehow the reward for winning is to put us up against one of the best teams in the competition, and we've not got our attack going.

Christ, unless we wipe the floor with everyone, there's really no end to ways people will find to snipe at England. Forgetting Scotland made changes to the sport? Who even cares

I for one don't give a fuck about England football or the Premier League come to that

[JM2K6]

Not well. Just the usual before they get beaten by somebody far better and the nation goes into a howling abyss about these terrible foreigners beating England at the game they invented (handily ignoring the fact that Scotland made most of the significant changes that made the game what it is now).

England's "usual" at major tournaments is not winning the group without losing a match.

Of course we're likely to lose the next match - because somehow the reward for winning is to put us up against one of the best teams in the competition, and we've not got our attack going.

Christ, unless we wipe the floor with everyone, there's really no end to ways people will find to snipe at England. Forgetting Scotland made changes to the sport? Who even cares

I for one don't give a fuck about England football or the Premier League come to that

[Tichtheid]

There is a road that runs from Brighton station down to the beach, it's about a 20 minute walk straight down. We used to live in a flat just off that road and there was an off licence, an Oddbins I think, around half way down.

At Euro 96 Scotland had just beaten Switzerland 1-0 and England had beaten Holland 4-1 to progress to the knock-outs. The way the cards fell was that Scotland and Holland had equal points, the head to head had finished 0-0 and the teams' goal difference was the same. However, in true Scottish style Holland progressed at our expense because they had scored more in the pool games.
Classic Scotland.

So, "Fuck It", thinks I and headed for the off-licence, this was Saturday and I was going to make a night of it anyway. I headed up to the aforementioned Queens Road and it was packed, cars and taxis hooting horns, people leaning out of windows waving flags, people dancing about on the street. By the time I had battled my way to the beer shop it was heaving, people jumping up and down swigging beer and sparkling wine out of the bottle.

I got my case of cooking lager and the guy at the counter said, "Cheer up mate, we won".

I said, "I'm Scottish".

He said, "Oh well, we tried for you" and gave me the beer half price. I wasn't even pissed off, I just had a bit of a surly look about me as per normal.

That was one of the best experiences I've ever had to do with football, and I'm not talking about the beer, the atmosphere in the town was just brilliant.

Some folk say sport doesn't matter, I'd say otherwise.

[ASMO]

There is a road that runs from Brighton station down to the beach, it's about a 20 minute walk straight down. We used to live in a flat just off that road and there was an off licence, an Oddbins I think, around half way down.

At Euro 96 Scotland had just beaten Switzerland 1-0 and England had beaten Holland 4-1 to progress to the knock-outs. The way the cards fell was that Scotland and Holland had equal points, the head to head had finished 0-0 and the teams' goal difference was the same. However, in true Scottish style Holland progressed at our expense because they had scored more in the pool games.
Classic Scotland.

So, "Fuck It", thinks I and headed for the off-licence, this was Saturday and I was going to make a night of it anyway. I headed up to the aforementioned Queens Road and it was packed, cars and taxis hooting horns, people leaning out of windows waving flags, people dancing about on the street. By the time I had battled my way to the beer shop it was heaving, people jumping up and down swigging beer and sparkling wine out of the bottle.

I got my case of cooking lager and the guy at the counter said, "Cheer up mate, we won".

I said, "I'm Scottish".

He said, "Oh well, we tried for you" and gave me the beer half price. I wasn't even pissed off, I just had a bit of a surly look about me as per normal.

That was one of the best experiences I've ever had to do with football, and I'm not talking about the beer, the atmosphere in the town was just brilliant.

Some folk say sport doesn't matter, I'd say otherwise.

Queens Road, used to be some good pubs on the way down there, all a bit shit now, Trafalgar Steeet that runs under the station has some decent watering holes now and some good live music venus

[Tichtheid]

Queens Road, used to be some good pubs on the way down there, all a bit shit now, Trafalgar Steeet that runs under the station has some decent watering holes now and some good live music venus

Our flat was on Over St, the first one you come to off Trafalgar St on the way down.

The Nelson has changed, it's become gentrified, The George at the bottom has been like that for a while. The Great Eastern hasn't re-opened yet, but I did see someone painting benches outside it the other day - fingers crossed.

The live venue would be the Albert, that is a brilliant place for bands. On the other side of the street is the Green Door Store, where the sound guy mistakes volume for quality. I always wore plugs in there.

[Slick]

There is a road that runs from Brighton station down to the beach, it's about a 20 minute walk straight down. We used to live in a flat just off that road and there was an off licence, an Oddbins I think, around half way down.

At Euro 96 Scotland had just beaten Switzerland 1-0 and England had beaten Holland 4-1 to progress to the knock-outs. The way the cards fell was that Scotland and Holland had equal points, the head to head had finished 0-0 and the teams' goal difference was the same. However, in true Scottish style Holland progressed at our expense because they had scored more in the pool games.
Classic Scotland.

So, "Fuck It", thinks I and headed for the off-licence, this was Saturday and I was going to make a night of it anyway. I headed up to the aforementioned Queens Road and it was packed, cars and taxis hooting horns, people leaning out of windows waving flags, people dancing about on the street. By the time I had battled my way to the beer shop it was heaving, people jumping up and down swigging beer and sparkling wine out of the bottle.

I got my case of cooking lager and the guy at the counter said, "Cheer up mate, we won".

I said, "I'm Scottish".

He said, "Oh well, we tried for you" and gave me the beer half price. I wasn't even pissed off, I just had a bit of a surly look about me as per normal.

That was one of the best experiences I've ever had to do with football, and I'm not talking about the beer, the atmosphere in the town was just brilliant.

Some folk say sport doesn't matter, I'd say otherwise.

I must say I've had some of my best and worst football moments watching England. When I was in London I could just about get myself to support them in the big tournaments with the bonus of then not caring if they got beat. The atmosphere that used to build in London in the lead up to a big game was amazing and I really enjoyed being kind of part of it.

Funnily enough the worst moment I've had was the England v Holland game at Euro 96. I was working in a bar at a campsite in the South of France. During the day all the Dutch kids came and made lots of flags and orange coloured stuff and put it around the terrace and had a great time. For the game it was obviously packed with families watching on the big screen. All the Dutch took it in good spirits but at the end a load of the English dads (and some mums and kids) started taunting all the Dutch, then a pint got spilt and a bloody great fight broke out amongst the English. All the Dutch families just ran, really disgraceful stuff.

[JM2K6]

I remember going to watch an FA Cup Final in a local pub with my dutch housemate of the time and having to leave at halftime because it got very violent.

I've had virtually no good experiences for football in a pub that has opposing fans in it - mind you, it's kinda been the same overseas as well, only once in Athens did I have a fun time. Having said that, my sister had a great time watching Chelsea beat Bayern, in a pub in Munich! You couldn't pay me to go watch an important match in the pub now though.

'course, had some shitty experiences with rugby too. Being mocked and taunted by some absolute cunt of a Welshman when Australia beat England in 2015 was pretty awful - even worse considering it was bloody Henry! (But seriously though, as soon as England get into the latter stages of a tournament, the blow-ins make things unbearable)

[Saint]

Well, it looks like we only have to put up with the football nonsense for another week. We play Germany, we lose to Germany, it was always thus, Remaining tournament coverage moved to ITV3/4 and we all get on with the real world

[Hugo]

To my untrained eye it looks as if England's side of the knockout draw is the one you would rather be on. Being able to avoid France, Belgium and Italy is key whereas I see the other side of the draw as being relatively open. Anyone from that side can realistically dream of making it all the way to the final with no clear favourite.

[clydecloggie]

To my untrained eye it looks as if England's side of the knockout draw is the one you would rather be on. Being able to avoid France, Belgium and Italy is key whereas I see the other side of the draw as being relatively open. Anyone from that side can realistically dream of making it all the way to the final with no clear favourite.

That's a bold claim. Chances of it being Germany or The Netherlands must be pretty high, with England and Denmark realistically the only other two options. Sweden, Wales, Czechia and Ukraine are not going to make the final. It's knock-out football now, so matches will be much more negative which should suit the Germans; even though they're shite, they're still Germany and they have big performances in them, like the Portugal match showed.

I do agree with the first line - the best teams on the evidence of both the group stage and the world ranking are all in the other half.

[Niegs]

Well, it looks like we only have to put up with the football nonsense for another week. We play Germany, we lose to Germany, it was always thus, Remaining tournament coverage moved to ITV3/4 and we all get on with the real world

It'll either be a loss on penalties or a drubbing. Having watched a ho-hum Germany struggle to draw with Hungary yesterday, you might have to put up with it for longer than that! Could be ...

[Niegs]

Also, this made I larf...

[ScarfaceClaw]

That’s Wales done for.

[ScarfaceClaw]

And that’s that for the Dutch. Clear red card for deliberate hand ball and they’ve fallen to pieces.

[salanya]

And that’s that for the Dutch. Clear red card for deliberate hand ball and they’ve fallen to pieces.

De Ligt was our only 'tough' player, all the others are soft as shite, whatever their skills.

And they seemed to be coached to keep passing backwards and sidewards ad infinitum, rather than actually trying to score goals. Having an all-out striker would help too.

Nevermind; come on Germany!

[Lobby]

And that’s that for the Dutch. Clear red card for deliberate hand ball and they’ve fallen to pieces.

De Ligt was our only 'tough' player, all the others are soft as shite, whatever their skills.

And they seemed to be coached to keep passing backwards and sidewards ad infinitum, rather than actually trying to score goals. Having an all-out striker would help too.

Nevermind; come on Germany!

Apparently the Dutch didn’t have a single shot on target during that game. No way you can win if you don’t even try a shot at goal.

[ScarfaceClaw]

Portugal looking very ragged. Massively misplaced passes. Plenty of diving and rolling around is all they seem to have left.

[ScarfaceClaw]

In a shock Pepe acting the complete twat and mullers someone just for the sake of it.