Euro 2004

10 Days to go

[limbo]

...An attacking minded, well rounded, youthful England team with plenty of talent and imaginiation went onto the pitch last night to face a inexperienced Japanese side away from home, and showed us nothing new, at all!....

Bar a few moments of genuine skill it was worrying to watch. Is that how they will march out against the French next Sunday?

There is 10 days to go till the first ball is kicked and as an avid football fan I am looking forward to some excellent matches - and with the tables set like they are there will hopefully be no shortage of excitement. But England look tired :(

The French side are awesome, but remember the world cup? The Dutch and the Spanish are beautiful footballers but are they beatable? and the likes of Germany and Italy can never be ruled out even if they are not the forces as they once were. There are also outsiders in the form of the Czech Republic and Croatia, and the stalwart Sweden and Denmark. Not to mention the hosts!

Not one match looks like a no brainer, every one a challenge. I would love to see the English football team win something in my lifetime, but am I being that overly common thing; an blindly optimistic England fan? I hope not.

So who do you think has the best chance this time?
Anyone lucky enough to be visiting Portugal in June?
Anyone taking part in Fantasy Football? (I am yet to pick a team)

Ta, (a very hopeful) Limbo

[HelenDev]

Well, I like to think that England play better against a good team :)

I'm not sure that we have much chance of winning the whole tournament, but I'm hoping for at least a good run - one like in '96 would do me!

Will you be doing fantasy footie online or in a newspaper?

[trillianjedi]

Euro '96 was an amazing result for an England team.

We really are rubbish at football - it's a shame really.

If we can repeat something like Euro '96 I'll be very happy as an Englishman. Expecting more than that is asking to be let down.

TJ

[Sinner_G]

Probable final standing of Group B:

1. France
2. Switzerland
3. Croatia
4. England

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

[defanjos]

Sorry guys, but this is Portugal's year. All they have to do is use the entire Porto team :)

(I cannot believe, as a Benfica fan, I wrote that)

[limbo]

Will you be doing fantasy footie online or in a newspaper?

Both - one with the sun and in the office sweepstake too.

My team looks like this at the mo:

Sorensen - DEN
Jankutovski - CZE
Ignashevitch - RUS
Henchoz- SUI
Dabizas- GRE
Zidane - FRA
Beckham - ENG
Ballack - GER
Tomasson - DEN
Makaay - HOL
Henry - FRA

making them fit into £50m is very tricky, any tips welcome!

1. France
2. Switzerland
3. Croatia
4. England

I bl:):)dy hope not!

Sorry guys, but this is Portugal's year

Home team, loads of talent but is it enough? Probably have a better shot that our lot!

[troels nybo nielsen]

I remember in '92 when Richard Møller Nielsen quickly assembled a team of players who had already gone on holiday. And Flemming Povlsen answered a journalist: "90 minutes? Of course we can go on for 90 minutes. 30 minutes against England, 30 minutes against Sweden, 30 minutes against France."

Ah, nostalgia.

Switzerland? Switzerland has a national football team? At Euro 2004? Amazing. Where do they put their skis during the games?

[Chndru]

>Beckham - ENG

He plays football?

Thought he is in news for marrying a pop-singer and a media dream to satisfy the hunger of brit paparazzi :)

[foxtunes]

As an England supporter I hate to say it, but judging by last nights performance it's looking like another mediocre european championship for England.

Beckham had a stinker last night, his crosses were unusually poor, and he did little tracking back to win the ball.....Lampard had a great season at chelsea as an attacking midfield player but Erikson played him sitting in front of the back four again the japs?....Gerrard had a great season for Liverpool in the center of the park, but Erikson again played a key player out of position by sticking him on the left?.....Owen and Rooney are both great talents, but they both rely on balls to feet, there's no height in the attack.....

I'd drop Scholes who always seems to blow hot and cold in an England shirt, play lampard there in the hole behind the front two, or Rooney and put Heskey up front alongside Owen.

Beckham on the right, Gerrard and butt (or lampard) in the center and Ashley cole on the left. (play bridges at left back)

The defence I'd leave as is.

But then again when did my opinion ever count,

Cheers, Brian Clough

[edit_g]

Seeing as Norway didn't make the cut this year, I will be boycotting any coverage.

[Sinner_G]

>Switzerland? Switzerland has a national football team? At Euro 2004? Amazing. Where do they put their skis during the games?

Skis are left at home, along with all of our military gear :).

And don't forget, the Swiss team features:

- The number 2 striker from the french league, with a goal average higher than Cissé (Frei, Stade Rennais)
- 1 player from the french champion (Müller, O. Lyon)
- 1 player from UEFA Cup finalist O. Marseille (Celestini)
- 1 of the best defenders in the Premier league (Henchoz, FC Liverpool)
- Another soon to be Premier League defender (Haas, W.Bromwich)
- 1 player from the german champion (Magnin, W. Bremen)
- 4 other Bundesliga players
- 2 players from dutch number 2 PSV Eindhoven (Vogel, Vonlanthen)

The rest of the 23 players to go to Portugal includes 4 players from the swiss champion FC Basel (which some Celtic fans might remember from Champions League a couple of years ago ;)). And that is a team that has been heavily taxed by injuries, would be better otherwise.

[limbo]

Cheers, Brian Clough

LOL!

Foxtunes - I have to say I aggree with much of what you say. Although I'd drop Ashley Cole from the start for Bridge and play Lampard on the left in a 4:4:2. Leave scholes and Gerrard to challenge and create play in the center and push Beckham and Lampard wide to wind up the opposition defence with by line passes. Then bring on the likes of A.Cole, Dyer, Vassel and Heskey later on in the game to introduce a zippier, intimidating last 15.

Cheers, Eriksson-sson.

[foxtunes]

"Then bring on the likes of A.Cole, Dyer, Vassel and Heskey later on in the game to introduce a zippier, intimidating last 15."

Yeah that could be a great tactic to use in the portugese heat when the opposition starts to tire. Definitely a lot of pace to call on from the bench.

Who knows maybe you can't read much into the Japan game, all the players may raise their standards against the big guns like France.

[TheVisitor]

Heskey?

Are you having a laugh?

[limbo]

I too have always thought it best to leave heskey grazing somewhere on the touchlines, but he is in good form, playing as well as he ever has - and acts as good foil to Owen. Sometimes when it's not working brining on a big lump of a forward does the business.

[foxtunes]

Heskey is pacy and can hold the ball up well with his strength, but admittedly he has his limitations, namely the arial ability of a norweigan spruce. For a big chap he's very weak at heading the ball.....I think the lack of heading ability up front will be England's achilles heel. Possibly the best crosser of the ball in the world in Beckham, but it's doubtful little guys like Owen and Scholes will get on the end of the crosses. It'll mean Sol Cambell and Terry pushing up all the time for free kicks and corners which will leave England open at the back to counter attacks by lighning fast strikers like Thierry Henry.

Now I'm no longer in football management, and am not asked to do tv commentary by itv or the beeb, there's little else for me to do than polish off my 3rd bottle of dewars, and go test my half soaked theory on championship manager.

Cheers, Cloughie

[limbo]

Now thats a bit more like it!

OK it was a friendly against Iceland - but what ever you can say, 6-1 is an excellent scoreline for any international match.

I said it before here - maybe Sven was listening - 4:4:2 is the way to go ;)

It was also good to watch the Irish play excellent football and beat the Dutch. No mean feat - shame the Irish are not in the Championship too.

Only 1 week to go, and I am starting to really get excited, I watched the 'greatest ever england' team last night on Channel4, to get me in the mood, and to be honest I think I could've picked a team to beat their choice! :)

[foxtunes]

Yep limbo your 4-4-2 suggestion worked like a dream....Gerrard and Lampard were powerhouses in the center of the park. Even Scholes (who I've always regarded as lightweight) showed great vision playing out of position on the left. If they play with that passion England have a great chance of reaching the semis at least.

[TheVisitor]

> "but what ever you can say, 6-1 is an excellent scoreline for any international match"

I was suprised there were 11 adult males in Iceland...

[limbo]

I was suprised there were 11 adult males in Iceland...

Have you ever seen the worlds strongest man competition?

---------------

Picked my final 'fantasy football' team today:

Sorensen - DEN
Hinkel - GER
Senikov - RUS
Ferreria - POR
Jankutovski - CZE
Zidane - FRA
Costinha - POR
Beckham - ENG
Morientes - SPA
Trezeguet - FRA
Rooney - ENG

Can't hep but put in Rooney. feel like the kid is going to pull off quite a coop as far as the critics go. Would love to pick Henry but just too much cash!

[HelenDev]

Have you seen the BBC Euro predictor [news.bbc.co.uk]?

[limbo]

Have you seen the BBC Euro predictor?

niceone :)

[limbo]

--------------------
Apologies for the profanity!

Bad move on my part, too depressed to make a clear shot at summing up how I felt about Englands last minute defeat by France yesterday.

Sorry - should have thought more about that when the hangover had subsided. It has, finally.
--------------------

All I can say that is positive is; now we have the measure of the French Side, I hope that we meet them again. And if we do it'll be the final! and perhaps the roles of Zidane and Beckham in the result will be reversed? I can but dream.

[HelenDev]

I would have made a comment, but I was, frankly, speechless.

[foxtunes]

If Rooney is fit he'll destroy the Swiss defence.....Erikson was right to bring off Owen, but Rooney was substituted too early against the French - just when he was beating silvestre for fun.

How is it the Lizarazu, (34), Zidane (31) can make it through 90 minutes and Rooney (18) has to be rested?

[HelenDev]

Rooney was substituted too early against the French

I agree totally - he was on fire.

My mates thought however that he was substituted because he was getting hot-headed and liable to get sent off.

[ukgimp]

If you need to get involved play here :)

kiwi.co.uk/euro2004/keepyups/index.htm

[limbo]

Rooney was substituted too early against the French

I agree totally - he was on fire.

The boy needs to play 90. No doubt. As a blue myself I am going to be biased - but I think even the most hard nosed Liverpool fan would conceed that much.

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I would have made a comment, but I was, frankly, speechless

I don't usually miss the mark (by much), but that was way over the line. I should remeber that what seems relatively harmless to me, might well offend another.
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[foxtunes]

".....My mates thought however that he was substituted because he was getting hot-headed and liable to get sent off....."

Yeah that could have been Sven's thinking. Ironically though it was Heskey the substitute, who lost his head just outside the box and conceded the free kick :(

Rooney reminds me a little of Gazza in Italia 90, an explosive creative player. If he can avoid the late night beer and kebab binges that plagued Gascoigne's career, and steer clear of hangers on like Jimmy five bellies, he could become one of the all time greats.

[HelenDev]

I would have made a comment, but I was, frankly, speechless

I don't usually miss the mark (by much), but that was way over the line. I should remeber that what seems relatively harmless to me, might well offend another.

Just to clear up any confusion Limbo, I was speechless about the footie, not about your remarks! Whatever they were - I never saw them! I'm sure whatever they were they were no worse than what was being said in my front room on Sunday night ;)