EURO 2020 ('21) THREAD

[DavidM]

So if we win next week we play Sweden , Ukraine , Czechs or Switzerland in the QF after Spain didn’t finish top

[Maximus Decimus]

23 minutes ago, HawkMan said:

At the present the two third place teams missing out are Slovakia 3pts GD -5, and Finland 3pts GD -2. Third place in group F will qualify unless they end up with a GD of worse than -2, so both Portugal and Germany can lose by 2 goals and go through with GD of -1.

That's a shame for the sake of tonight's football. Really takes the pressure off Portugal especially.

A good example of another decent night of football lost because of the move to 24 countries.

[HawkMan]

1 hour ago, Maximus Decimus said:

That's a shame for the sake of tonight's football. Really takes the pressure off Portugal especially.

Yes that's true, for a big team to go out tonight, Hungary need to win, if they do a draw will put Portugal through and Germany out. Germany need a draw to stay in, unless Portugal lose too, then Germany will qualify on head to head, France are through but could still finish third. 

[Futtocks]

 

[Cumbrian Fanatic]

20 minutes ago, HawkMan said:

Yes that's true, for a big team to go out tonight, Hungary need to win, if they do a draw will put Portugal through and Germany out. Germany need a draw to stay in, if Portugal lose then it depends by how much, France are through but could still finish third. 

Well, Hungary are currently winning after 15 minutes so that should keep it interesting

[Futtocks]

25 minutes ago, Cumbrian Fanatic said:

Well, Hungary are currently winning after 15 minutes so that should keep it interesting

Germany are the taller team, so if the weather continues like this, they will win because they will be the last to drown.

[DavidM]

The ref in the France game is doing his best Mike Dean its about me routine

[Futtocks]

It'll be England v Germany on Tuesday. Should we start a sweepstake on who misses the vital penalty?

[The Hallucinating Goose]

18 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

It'll be England v Germany on Tuesday. Should we start a sweepstake on who misses the vital penalty?

Put me down for Rashford. Tbf, out of the three teams that were obviously gonna qualify from group F, Germany is probably the team I would have chosen to play England. They've been a bit up and down in recent times, certainly more so than France or Portugal. 

[GUBRATS]

England to score first , the " Germans " to equalise and then the " Germans " win on penalties

[Futtocks]

2 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

Put me down for Rashford.

Just imagining the collective hategasm of the red-tops and their fellow-travellers if it was Rashford. Ugh.

[Old Frightful]

With apologies to any Jocks on here...

[The Hallucinating Goose]

53 minutes ago, Old Frightful said:

With apologies to any Jocks on here...

Best one I've seen was someone pointing out that at least Jocks who bought their teams shirt just before the tournament can now return it for a full refund with sport direct's 14-day return policy. Assuming they left the tags on it of course. 

[Bob8]

7 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

Put me down for Rashford. Tbf, out of the three teams that were obviously gonna qualify from group F, Germany is probably the team I would have chosen to play England. They've been a bit up and down in recent times, certainly more so than France or Portugal. 

Yes. I think England can and will outplay them.

It will be a very heroic elimination.

[DavidM]

11 hours ago, GUBRATS said:

England to score first , the " Germans " to equalise and then the " Germans " win on penalties

Probably this . Maybe after having a goal disallowed and a man sent off . Must say though I watched a fair bit of their game last night , and I while I never for one second thought it’d be anyone other than Germany , they weren’t that good tbh and their squad depth isn’t great by their standards . I look at france and Portugal and although there’s all that history and mental scarring id have taken Germany . 

[Gerrumonside ref]

We can do it.

[gingerjon]

2 minutes ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

We can do it.

And, to be honest, this is where you need a man like Southgate in charge.

The moron element is already humming the Dambusters theme, making sunbed jokes, repeating the word "Chermans" like it's something new, and plenty more besides.

England don't need to be pumped up, passionate or any of the other nonsense that people who believe games are won by "who wants it more" think. England need to know what they're doing, practice that like mad in the next few days, and then get out there and do it. They absolutely should be favourites.

[Gerrumonside ref]

6 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

And, to be honest, this is where you need a man like Southgate in charge.

The moron element is already humming the Dambusters theme, making sunbed jokes, repeating the word "Chermans" like it's something new, and plenty more besides.

England don't need to be pumped up, passionate or any of the other nonsense that people who believe games are won by "who wants it more" think. England need to know what they're doing, practice that like mad in the next few days, and then get out there and do it. They absolutely should be favourites.

Just as a bit of perspective on this I once spent 6 weeks in Hamburg and talked to many Germans about all matters football.  We got onto the subject of the national sides and I tried to explain what I felt at the time was the burden of expectation placed upon the England team to ‘do well’ or win a tournament by the nation at large.

This of course was greeted with a fair degree of surprise and a bit of laughter.  Basically it was put to me that winning was seen as a mere blip on the map for the German national side and doing it in a degree of style in the dogged face of unpopularity was expected.  Basically if the English players thought there was expectation then try being German!

I think although we can try to focus on systems of play, the player’s individual tasks etc.  There does seem to be a mental aspect to performing when it matters.  Many top professional athletes do talk about this across all sport.  It must be a thing.

There’s no reason for this particular group of players to have an inferiority complex to their German counterparts, but in the footballing subculture that follows it is still there in England if a little outdated now based on actual recent performances.  We feel that they carry extra mental toughness.

Where I do feel the red herrings lie are when we start to drum up talk of English patriotism and any kind of inferred advantage to that against any other country’s nationalistic fervour.  Then we waste time auditing our sporting failures with redundant talk of not ‘doing it for the shirt’.  That to me really is pointless.

 

 

[DavidM]

I’m not saying we’re going do this and that but I think overall the draw has worked out ok for us when you look at it . We’re in the opposite side of the draw to France  , Italy , Belgium and Portugal . This game is gonna be mega hyped up of course , and although I don’t think we’re the greatest I don’t think this is a vintage Germany , and they’ve not had the best time lately so we should be slight favourites with home advantage - which is a big thing in tournaments I reckon . 

[LEEDSLADGONE SOUTH]

18 hours ago, JohnM said:

Make sure your wife doesn't catch you sniffing clean sheets.

Sniffing dirty sheets and not you’re own would be more worrying 

[gingerjon]

56 minutes ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

There does seem to be a mental aspect to performing when it matters.  Many top professional athletes do talk about this across all sport.  It must be a thing.

Absolutely. But this is not the same as "who wants it more". Any good set up will have sports psychologists and the like on hand for the players.

[DavidM]

11 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Absolutely. But this is not the same as "who wants it more". Any good set up will have sports psychologists and the like on hand for the players.

‘ he looks up for it …. they’re really up for it today etc ‘ . There’s lines that just get trotted out . I find football commentary in general now full of waffle and set lines like they’re from a manual . Maybe everyone goes to commentary school to learn the spiel . I miss Barry Davies . Then I’m getting old so ya know ….

[HawkMan]

Deleted 

 

[Maximus Decimus]

16 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

Put me down for Rashford. Tbf, out of the three teams that were obviously gonna qualify from group F, Germany is probably the team I would have chosen to play England. They've been a bit up and down in recent times, certainly more so than France or Portugal. 

In the craziness of last night, it really crystallised who I wanted for the next round. 

I desperately didn't want France, because that would just seem like inevitable defeat. Portugal would've been OK but a defeat to them would be annoying. Hungary seemed like the best chance of progression but at the same time, it's probably only a 50% shot that we would beat them and say Sweden to make the semis. If we lost it would be hugely disappointing, I want to avoid the possibility of another Iceland style exit. 

It turned out I wanted Germany and am glad we got it. They represent the best mix of a genuinely big game to get excited about and possibility of winning. If we lose, the manner of defeat will be the talking point not the opposition. If we win, it could be time to actually get excited about our prospects. 

[Maximus Decimus]

5 hours ago, DavidM said:

Probably this . Maybe after having a goal disallowed and a man sent off . Must say though I watched a fair bit of their game last night , and I while I never for one second thought it’d be anyone other than Germany , they weren’t that good tbh and their squad depth isn’t great by their standards . I look at france and Portugal and although there’s all that history and mental scarring id have taken Germany . 

That Gazza miss in Euro 96 still keeps me awake at night.