Euro 2016 thread

Desert Orchid

Desert Orchid

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Is anyone else having trouble opening that thread?

I've been trying now and then since last night and am just getting a blue-grey page. All other sections and threads seem fine.
 
I'm guessing it's the same for all of us.

I presume the 'G' in Dave G is 'Griffiths' and he's made a claim that Wales will win it. Not surprisingly the servers won't have it and we can't get on. :ninja: :D
 
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Maruco said:
I presume the 'G' in Dave G is 'Griffiths' and he's made a claim that Wales will win it. Not surprisingly the servers won't have it and we can't get on. :ninja: :D
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Oh pity the poor English as they desperately seek to salvage something from their football teams woe. Still, I understand that your footballers are damned good on a jet ski so I'm sure you can all take immense pride in knowing that, indeed, it appears some of them would rather be Ibiza anyway.

In the last World Cup they failed to score Costa Rica, but they did at least improve on that against a frozen food shop. I think England should be optimistic with this progress. If they carry on making this level of improvement they could get round to learning how to tie their own laces before long. Or perhaps their agents will intervene and prevent them doing this unless they get paid another 10K a week
 
A lot of teams would love to have got as far in the competition as Wales did.
 
Well done to Wales for the twin achievement of reaching the semi-finals of a major competition - the first home nation to do so for 20 years, and also for their progression on the BBC's sport's home page from a side note in the bottom corner because England were playing the same day to top billing.

If they'd made it to the final, no doubt the English press would have taken to referring to them as "British". Maybe next time.
 
You have just reminded me that the novel Candlenight by Phil Rickman was a splendid read and contained a delightful introduction to the Welsh language. The "ffwcio y Saesneg" atmosphere he created was a pleasure.
 
Poorest international semi I can recall. Two rank bad footballing sides. Hopeful punts up the field was about the sum total of it. A few championship sides could have outplayed either

but good to see the one truly great player on the pitch reach the final and Sanches looks very exciting.

and pleased Portugal won of course. Best side and know some nice people from that part of the world

also no more blockhead windbag drivel from that retarded ape john Hartson on the radio
 
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I think the lessons are increasingly clear that third tier nations can over-perform now and then if they possess the bottle and character, but they rarely go on to create a dynasty or impression much beyond the tournament they did well in. Turkey are probably the expection on the list below as they feature twice

2016 - Wales
2010 - Uruguay
2008 - Turkey
2004 - Greece
2002 - South korea & Turkey
1998 - Croatia
1996 - England
1994 - Bulgaria & Sweden
1992 - Denmark
 
Beef or Salmon said:
Gives hope to England I guess!
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Well England have twice had to rely on home advantage to secure two of their best three tournament finishes. For the most part this lef-up is denied to their fellow lower strata nations. The exception (1990) saw them given a partciularly soft passage through to a semi (despite the best efforts to freeze) but where they inevitably failed to win when they first had to play a top team.

You might of course point out that South Korea owe their place on the list to similar home advantage
 
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Warbler said:
I think the lessons are increasingly clear that third tier nations can over-perform now and then if they possess the bottle and character, but they rarely go on to create a dynasty or impression much beyond the tournament they did well in. Turkey are probably the expection on the list below as they feature twice

2016 - Wales
2010 - Uruguay
2008 - Turkey
2004 - Greece
2002 - South korea & Turkey
1998 - Croatia
1996 - England
1994 - Bulgaria & Sweden
1992 - Denmark
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its embarrassing when posters post about sports they know zero about

croatia and Bulgaria were amongst the world's top teams at those times. Both sides had a clutch of top players. Neither "over performed". Denmark too. Some genuine class in that side .

Sweden nearly always qualify and are emphatically not a team that hasn't qualified for over 50 years. Turkey are always there or thereabouts and Uruguay are nearly always the third best side in South America. Never short of class players . Didn't they win the copa recently?

Its ts just as often the luck of the draw rather than nonsense about spirit
 
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Juventus should be planning an open top bus parade for its owners if they manage to get £100m for Pogba.
 
clivex said:
its embarrassing when posters post about sports they know zero about

croatia and Bulgaria were amongst the world's top teams at those times. Both sides had a clutch of top players. Neither "over performed". Denmark too. Some genuine class in that side .

Sweden nearly always qualify and are emphatically not a team that hasn't qualified for over 50 years. Turkey are always there or thereabouts and Uruguay are nearly always the third best side in South America. Never short of class players . Didn't they win the copa recently?

Its ts just as often the luck of the draw rather than nonsense about spirit
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England are a team of chokers who wouldn't even win the African Cup Nations, because at some point they'd have to play a game under pressure and they'd fold like lil girls (it wouldn't be their fault though) oh no, it would be the referees, the selection, the tactics, the formation, the other teams deciding to play, anything other than the fault of their precious players

Croatia were ranked 19th in the world going into that world cup and in pot B (same as Scotland)
Bulgaria were ranked 31st in the world going into their world cup and in pot c
Denmark hadn't even qualified and were only allowed into the Euros because Yugoslavia were kicked out

Any team amongst the top seeds Clive (usually 8) are seeded to reach the quarter finals as their par performance. Any team outside of the top seeds (pots 2 and 3) are not expected to recah this stage. So any team from these pots who have reached the semis, are by definition over performing. Dead easy. However much you want to try and cover your eyes to it and pretend otherwsie, the other teams on the list are over performing.

Just look at England's record in major tournaments over the last few cycles (a decade now) their performance is that of a borderline second tier nation with claims to be third tier

The last decade is pretty poor

Euro 2016 - eliminated by Iceland at stage of 16 :lol:
W/C 2014 - Group stage - dumped out by Costa Rica :lol:
Euro 2012 - QF totally outplayed by Italy
W/C 2010 - Last 16 smashed to pieces by Germany after failing to beat Algeria and the United States
Euro 2008 - Couldn't even qualify for the finals :lol:

As a matter of interest, when was the last time the mighty three lions actually beat a team in a knock out stage when the pressure is on? I have recollections of them beating Ecuador and Denmark. Come to think of it, when was the last time they beat a top drawer team? 1998? (discounting friendlies)
 
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you are clueless and certainly don't watch the game

everyone knows that the rankings mean nothing at all. Weren't USA ranked second or something. Who cares? no football fan took a blind bit of notice of them

Bulgaria beat the top france side in paris to reach 1994 finals. they were a class side

In fact i just checked. They memorably beat germany of course but i had forgotten how they dumped out argentina too. Was it lechkov the baldy forward who ripped teams apart with his runs and cracking end ball? they were for many people the worthy world champions

So what if denmark got a wild card. They had arguably the worlds best keeper, a genuine wonderful forward in Laudrup and the excellent molby, jensen and nielsen (as i recall).

the worst thing about these events is that we suddenly get wikipedia experts who wouldn't know brian laudrup from stoichkov
 
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AliGupter said:
Low is useless, you'd think Germany might get rid now.
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back to those who watched the match and understood what was going on...but why Ali?

It could easily have swung the other way although I felt germany were a bit easy to read when going forward perhaps

As it happens i think it was a penalty

Griezman is a player i love. theres nothing of him but he's brave and calm. Great forwards demeanour. Pogba i would kill to have in my side. Didn't show his best throughout tournament but can stroll that midfield.
 
Nice to see that clivex is consistent and can be an arrogant, insulting, misinformed prick on more than one thread, Icebreaker had the right idea, kunts like him have this forum ruined, night all!
 
clivex said:
you are clueless and certainly don't watch the game
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Don't flatter yourself Clive. I used to watch for decades, home and away, but saw through the game for what it is, and started to get very pissed off with paying my money to over paid prima donas who were shite.

So what if Denmark had individuals, didn't England have a 'golden generation' of these as well not so long ago? Shame they didn't have any balls for the big moment and decided to spend their talents on cultivating their collective brands instead and organising their much publicised shopping trips with the WaG's circus in close attendance

Bulgaria were a team of two players as I recall (Lechkov being the other), and the fact they beat Germany (as I recall) illustrates the point. When was the last time England beat a top team? Argentina in 1998 I reckon? once every 20 years - that's a poor return.

Your excuse that it all comes down to the "luck of the draw" is just risible. England, (if they hadn't panicked) against Russia would have had the draw open right up for them. Instead they choked. They can't complain that they weren't given ample opportunity. They failed to take it. Same in 2010, you can't complain about facing Germany in the last 16 without looking at how England came to be there. That's nothing to do with bad luck, it's do with not being able capitalise on the seeding they were handed. If they can't beat Algeria, then they don't deserve to finish top. Uruguay are an impoverished South American population of 3.5M. There's no real excuse for not beating them. And why shouldn't they be able to beat Italy either? Someone has to win. Top teams beat top opposition. They don't cower from them. Less said about Costa Rica the better

They had a great opportunity in 2002 as well with the likes of Italy, Portugal, France and Argentina eliminated. They only had to beat one team, held the lead, but choked.

England feckless chokers. Their return is no where near being acceptable. But you carry on if you want with them, pretending that they're unlucky losers. You must be really pleased at the spirit they show when the like of Jamie Garragher explained that he at least didn't miss a penalty for Liverpool, or Kyle Walker who would rather be in Ibiza than representing his country
 
you are obsessed with england.

where was i mentioning england. take your chippiness elsewhere.

Bulgaria were a team of two players as I recall (Lechkov being the other), and the fact they beat Germany (as I recall) illustrates the point

yeah that makes sense

So what if Denmark had individuals

and dismissed as a "third tier: nation. had a clutch of top players (including one great and certainly a better player than the chimp)but were "third tier". what bollocks


idiotic no nothing about uruguay. They have always always produced top teams at regular intervals. won the copa in 2011 and 1999. Population has nothing to do with otherwise india and china would run world football ffs.

clueless

you don't know the game or get it. anyone who believes that sweden turkey denmark uruguay bulgaria have routinely been playing at the same level as wales should find something else to do


 
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