UEFA Euro 2024: Expectations?

[dunover]

Newspapers tommorow.....

Southgate tactical genius, a new pep in the making. Haha

You beat me to it. Mouthgate has more spawn than even I do sometimes on Bonanza. This is 8-scatter 5,000x bonus stuff. The two players he brought on, a brilliant pass from the first and a good finish from the second, now the tw*t's going to be a Guardiola-type tactical genius.

Sadly, I'm thinking this is written in the stars and England will have more utter spawn against the Spanish. How the fuck can a side that's only been ahead twice in 90 minutes in 6 games be in the final? Well, sometimes ugly wins.

 

[Jono777]

Always said 'luck' plays a part in matches, something England in previous years have rarely had.

Maybe it is our time that the 'D' finally drops in????

Either way love or hate him, we are in the final......again

Good luck on Sunday to the lads and good night all for now.

 

[mcgameboy]

You beat me to it. Mouthgate has more spawn than even I do sometimes on Bonanza. This is 8-scatter 5,000x bonus stuff. The two players he brought on, a brilliant pass from the first and a good finish from the second, now the tw*t's going to be a Guardiola-type tactical genius.

Sadly, I'm thinking this is written in the stars and England will have more utter spawn against the Spanish. How the fuck can a side that's only been ahead twice in 90 minutes in 6 games be in the final? Well, sometimes ugly wins.

It's tournament football mate.

Going back to the first WC I watched in '82, there have been scores of undeserving finalists.
Starting with West Germany in '82 (lost to Algeria, rigged a final group game against Austria to ensure they both qualified, Schumacher trying to murder Battiston on a football pitch).

Look at England in Italia '90. Bailed out by Platt in the 120th minute. Needed two penalties to get past Cameroon. And YET, they were the unlucky ones in the SF (deflected Brehme freekick, Waddle hitting the post in the final minute).

Or '96 when Anderton hit the post and Gazza missed scoring the winner by the width of a stud on his boot.

Sometimes events just conspire to deliver unforseen/undeserved results.

 

[mcgameboy]

Always said 'luck' plays a part in matches, something England in previous years have rarely had.

Maybe it is our time that the 'D' finally drops in????

Either way love or hate him, we are in the final......again

Good luck on SUNDAY to the lads and good night all for now.

FIXED.

SHIT. TO. A. BLANK. ET.

 

[goatwack]

Gotta get over that hurdle and actually win a tournament first before England can begin talk of dominance.

Southgate's tournament tenure is actually becoming rather impressive, with Semi-Finals and Finals strewn all over the shop, the sort of record any of the other major nations would deem great.

England have squandered entire generational talents for fun, nevermind the 'Golden Generation in the early Noughties.

If they do triumph over Spain it might well usher in a great age of England actually being feared as opposed to being serial chokers. The recent penalty-taking antics have already shown that they've improved their mentality.

Yet you also need luck to build up momentum, and it's looking more than ever that this crop might actually swing it this year.....

 

[YouTubeSlots]

You beat me to it. Mouthgate has more spawn than even I do sometimes on Bonanza. This is 8-scatter 5,000x bonus stuff. The two players he brought on, a brilliant pass from the first and a good finish from the second, now the tw*t's going to be a Guardiola-type tactical genius.

Sadly, I'm thinking this is written in the stars and England will have more utter spawn against the Spanish. How the fuck can a side that's only been ahead twice in 90 minutes in 6 games be in the final? Well, sometimes ugly wins.

Yeah talk about needing some luck to win a tournament, We have scraped through it by pure luck, subs, and even miracles. Seems like its written in the stars like you say, I could actually now see them getting really lucky against Spain.

If we win it really wont feel like a justified victory to me, We haven't won because we were the best team in the tournament and that does take a lot of the integrity away from the reward itself.

If we win it.

 

[DreamRJ]

 

[Jono777]

FIXED.

SHIT. TO. A. BLANK. ET.

Lolol mate....

Fetch me out of bed just to edit a bloody post

Gonna need another fag now too

 

[itsme123]

In all seriousness, I want to see Southgate gone after this Euros.

But the future for England is looking very bright.
Even when Kane eventually retires there is plenty out there to fill the void.
Plenty of good, young and pacey players.

Get a manager who takes the leash off those speedy players and they could terrorise opponents.

England have the tools to be the major threat to Spanish dominance in Europe for the next decade.

Southgate is one jammy c*nt though.

I know where you are coming from, Southgate is becoming the most frustrating, irritating, punchable, kickable, piss all overable England manager of all time, and i think he has made some serious mistakes over the last few years BUT I think he deserves a hell of a lot of praise with what he has done with the whole England set up and the squads over the past few years.
2 x Euro finals, 1 x WC semi final and 1 x WC quarter final. Compare this with previous managers and he leaves them standing, and also remember back to 2016 and Woy's boys debacle against Iceland.
I just hope he takes the handbrake of and lets them play the football they can play and they will have every chance of lifting the trophy on Sunday.

 

[goatwack]

Looking back at when we first Met

 

[mcgameboy]

I know where you are coming from, Southgate is becoming the most frustrating, irritating, punchable, kickable, piss all overable England manager of all time, and i think he has made some serious mistakes over the last few years BUT I think he deserves a hell of a lot of praise with what he has done with the whole England set up and the squads over the past few years.
2 x Euro finals, 1 x WC semi final and 1 x WC quarter final. Compare this with previous managers and he leaves them standing, and also remember back to 2016 and Woy's boys debacle against Iceland.
I just hope he takes the handbrake of and lets them play the football they can play and they will have every chance of lifting the trophy on Sunday.

That's the biggest gripe I have with him. The apparent reluctance to even flirt with the idea, let alone fully embracing it.

Yes, I would agree that his work behind the scenes with the overall setup has been good and deserves to be applauded.
And when it's all said and done, his record WILL stack up very favourably in comparison to previous managers. Others might have delivered better/more attractive looking football, but the results did not accompany it.

His record in WCs is only matched by Sir Bobby and bettered by Sir Alf.
As for his Euros record, he has done more than all of the other England managers put together.
2 finals for him, 2 SFs by everyone else combined (Venables and Sir Alf).
So yeah, the record books will put him in a good light.

But his in-game management, his tactics and his sometimes blind loyalty to players during his tenure have been rather questionable. In this tournament, he can be summed as "more dumb lucky than good".

He has appeared to look almost afraid to let his players off the leash, like they were foxes being released into a forest full of bloodhounds.

This Spanish team is JUST TOO GOOD to be thwarted by the kind of uber-cautious tactics that Southgate has been employing in this tournament.
They scored twice against France, arguably the best defensive team in the tournament.
If England keep a clean sheet on Sunday, I will be truly astonished.

And let's not forget, Spain are also up there with the best in the world when it comes to the ugly side of the beautiful game...namely the dark arts and general all-round Sergio Ramos*-esque shithousery.

So with all that, England's only way to win this is to score....OFTEN.
They cannot do that playing Southgate-ball or by relying on dumb luck.

Southgate needs to realise that by getting to the final, and knowing that they are underdogs against Spain, that he is playing with house money on Sunday.

He MUST take the handbrake off. AT LEAST 4 out of Watkins, Toney, Palmer, Gordon and Bowen need to be getting minutes on the pitch on Sunday. It has to be a case of when it happens, not if.
Has to throw the kitchen sink at it to try and get Spain a bit rattled.

Otherwise it's going to be a repeat of the Womens WCF.
Spain winning 1-0 with England barely getting a sniff.

* A serial winner, but by god I despised that c*nt.

 

[sufferinsilence]

England winning on Sunday would be a fitting end to a shite tournament dominated by the VAR and own goals.

 

[mack341]

Didn't Scotland beat Spain in the qualifiers?

They don't look as solid as previous tournaments, I think we can take them

Every time I see Palmer play and remember mancity and Pep decided to let him go...

 

[Webzcas]

Hats off to Gareth Southgate, never have I rated him as a manager, always believed he has been lucky in the major tournaments he has taken England to. From the side of the draw England have been picked in, to actual luck during the course of the game.

I mean the penalty we got was not a penalty.

However, we did actually play well last night and Southgate's subs were spot on. What a goal by Watkins to win it in the dying minutes!

 

[goatwack]

Didn't Scotland beat Spain in the qualifiers?

They don't look as solid as previous tournaments, I think we can take them

Every time I see Palmer play and remember mancity and Pep decided to let him go...

View attachment 198773

I think Pep really wanted to keep him, but Palmer wanted first team football, and more likely to feature as a bit-part player that season, so Man City let him go begrudgingly.

He could have stuck it out at City, and with de Bruyne and Silva looking to move at some point, Palmer would definitely have got in the team at some juncture. Foden could've had the same view a couple of years ago but chose to establish himself.

Mind you, Palmer has single-handedly kept Chelsea going and thrived there. We can certainly attribute this to Pep making a mistake. Should've just blocked the move and not gone soft

 

[dunover]

A sobering thought.

Since the turn of the century, Spanish teams (whether female or male, international or club tournaments) have won 22/22 finals they've been in.

The WC 2010, Euros 2008/12, women's world cup 2023, Europa league, champions league (both men and women's finals) European Super Cups etc.

 

[goatwack]

Yes but England have Southgate

Between '08-12 opponents simply got bored of Tiki-Taka and downed tools, the 5-yard back-passes creating a new brand of anti-football, from players plying their trade in a farmer's league.

Coupled with their gamesmanship if not blatant violent conduct, because it's part of their 'footballing culture', they've been no great shakes. Beating a disinterested Italy, plucky Georgia and lazy French team, not to mention being outplayed by Germany for large parts (and buying the ref off) doesn't a powerhouse make.

But I will say Spain's half of the draw has been far more hazardous than that of England, the latter of which I've never seen with such favourable routes in two out of the last three tournaments. You couldn't hand-pick 'em any easier if you tried. And yet, England have conspired to make the thing look like playing 1970 Brazil on repeat

A poor tournament, hyped up at its beginning as being one of the greatest in living memory, up until the last few games where the truth of the matter is all but acknowledged, namely that it's just been 'meh'.

There's no flow to anything, with play selectively scrutinized and spectator involvement curtailed as a result, VAR and bad refereeing the main culprits. After the last WC, the writing was on the wall with how the game's commercial interests have now seeped into the International scene.

Spain win, England win, who cares. It'll never evoke any real sense national collective euphoria, like '90, '96 especially, or even anything prior to VARmageddon. Kill it with fire already

 

[jasonuk]

It was quite telling watching the '96 replay of England v Netherlands - how much more flowing the game was.

When the changes are over an extended period of time, it's easy to kid yourself that it was always that way - but when you see them side-by-side, it becomes a night and day comparison. We've seen one or two decent games, but the tournament as a whole has failed to catch fire...

Three takeaways from this tournament so far:

• an urgent review of some of the recent rule changes which have caused some bizarre on-field decisions;
• a review of how VAR works - the technology works well in many other sports, but football seems to keep getting it wrong (whether lack of communication, lack of interpretation, or being excluded from "clear and obvious" decisions like a corner being awarded as a goal kick - which happened with some regularity this tournament)
• how jammy Southgate has been so far - that round of 16 draw was spectacular... and somehow we're still in it despite fairly lacklustre performances in the first five games.

 

[goatwack]

It was quite telling watching the '96 replay of England v Netherlands - how much more flowing the game was.

When the changes are over an extended period of time, it's easy to kid yourself that it was always that way - but when you see them side-by-side, it becomes a night and day comparison. We've seen one or two decent games, but the tournament as a whole has failed to catch fire...

Three takeaways from this tournament so far:

• an urgent review of some of the recent rule changes which have caused some bizarre on-field decisions;
• a review of how VAR works - the technology works well in many other sports, but football seems to keep getting it wrong (whether lack of communication, lack of interpretation, or being excluded from "clear and obvious" decisions like a corner being awarded as a goal kick - which happened with some regularity this tournament)
• how jammy Southgate has been so far - that round of 16 draw was spectacular... and somehow we're still in it despite fairly lacklustre performances in the first five games.

Imagine the killjoy nature and national flatline if VAR had spent four minutes checking Gazza's iconic goal against Scotland, and the sheer embarrassment of chalking it off after that 'drunken' goal celebration!

 

[Oscar Arnhem]

I hope Spain will beat the Cheaters .

 

[Jono777]

I hope Spain will beat the Cheaters .

When do they play them?

 

[goatwack]

Whoa there, hold on a minute.

You telling me Spain are playing Spain tomorrow??

 

[DreamRJ]

COME ON ENGLAND!

 

[paul7388]

Hope the Spanish hump them.

 

[DreamRJ]

Hope the Spanish hump them.

Nice to get support from Scotland (last I checked it is still part of England )

 

[paul7388]

Nice to get support from Scotland (last I checked it is still part of England )

YW. I have nothing against the English team. Normally i even want them to win but Spanish deserve it having been the only decent team in the poor tournament.

And let's face it. If England wins we will hear about it for next 50 years and it will be how great they are. And in my opinion they have been a poor team. Lucky to scrape through the easiest of sections against poor teams with last minute goal and a dodgy penalty.

And just for the record i might be Scottish but i class myself as British. And whenever asked for nationality its British i put.

 

[pereblue]

vamos España!.. we got wimblendon.with alcaraz. best of luck and hoping to enjoy the game.
Salut!

 

[pereblue]

 

[goatwack]

Pretty open Final thus far, surprising to see.....

 

[goatwack]

Both of Spain's fullbacks have been lunging in all tournament, including this game, yet Kane wins the ball and gets booked!

I can see how that would make sense

 

[goatwack]

Nice studs-up red card challenge from Elmo there

 

[goatwack]

 

[sufferinsilence]

It's not coming home, is it?

 

[YouTubeSlots]

Just waiting for 2-0

 

[goatwack]

This is becoming a tad embarrassing. England defending like it's a kickaround in the park

 

[YouTubeSlots]

Harry kane walking around with his zimmer frame again... get him of

 

[YouTubeSlots]

The Ollie Watkins Emergency button is about to be pressed....

 

[YouTubeSlots]

Bellingham has had his best game yet tonight. He seems determined to drag these tossers to the win himself if he has to.

 

[DreamRJ]

England is going home empty handed

 

[sufferinsilence]

Laaaaaaaaaaads, there's still a chance it's coming home!

 

[goatwack]

Goooooooollllllll

 

[YouTubeSlots]

Cole Palmer!!! The blackest white guy you will ever meet.

A true legend cold hearted killer with the ball.

 

[YouTubeSlots]

Palmer on

 

[goatwack]

 

[YouTubeSlots]

Momentum has just done a 180 literally!!!

 

[itsme123]

The right substitutions at the right time, best move Southgate has made all tournament.

 

[YouTubeSlots]

We are not losing lads not tonight!!!!

That's the energy I'm seeing.

Come on ya bastids!!!

 

[goatwack]

I see the Spanish supporters aren't doing "Ole!" anymore after each pass

 

[goatwack]

What a save by short arms

 

[YouTubeSlots]

So glad he left tossers like goolish and gashford at home. Those 2 bellends would have got subbed on and just thrown there arms around crying.

These young lads instead are coming on hungry and changing the game. Each one of them has played a big part in our success. Connor Gallagher aside