Euro 2012 : England v France..plus
- Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
25 June 2012 20:09179992and not forgetting there 6 reverse gears in there tanks,oops forgot they had 2 forward gears in there tanks.
- 25 June 2012 20:49180001Lol!! Howard and Brian
At least you both raised a smile in the aftermath of a dismal england game. - Alec Sheldon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 18 Aug 2008
- Posts: 1,037
25 June 2012 22:23180012The Germans were hoping for an English win as they don't fancy facing the Italians. - 26 June 2012 07:49180042What you can say about the current tournament is this...
the cream has most definitely risen to the top. The best teams made it through to the semi finals. No doubt about it.
In a way there is something satisfying in that. Some big tournaments have been marred a wee bit in recent times by the inferior overcoming the superior..as an example one thinks of Chelsea's victory over Barcelona in recent times, greater injustice has never been done! Not a victory for pure football but a victory for the block and tackle.
The two semi finals we have to look forward to are
Portugal v Spain
Germany v Italy
both mouth-watering prospects. But who do we think will win through??
On paper you would have to go with Spain and Germany but should such a final take place it will be intriguing in that both play a totally different style. Spain play pass-pass with the ball tied to each player's boot as if it was on a piece of string. The opposition cannot get hold of it. Possession football on a grand scale. The Germans are much more physical. They are tall and fit and play in the northern european style of a more hurried approach...perhaps in the more northern climates there is a need to keep warm during those long winter games, hence the style difference.
But how-so-ever we got at the different styles it will be a fascinating clash...if they win through!!?email: dover7@msn.com - 26 June 2012 08:25180047As much as I admire Spain Portugal are in with a chance the Ronaldo factor has to be taken into account, he is a special player who can create a goal from nothing, too close to call. I have to go with Germany on the second game, they look a complete team.Audere est facere.
- 27 June 2012 21:39180313what a cracker tonight, best nil nil draw i have seen for a long time..
i hope that portugal prevail in extra time and if necessary penalties. - 27 June 2012 23:05180318
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson - 28 June 2012 06:56180327lol! That reminds me of the new strapline at the bottom of Terry's posts which made me laugh...Terry will no doubt have enjoyed 11 hours of cosy Wimbledon coverage yesterday before switching over to the football last night, and the football went on for soo long too ..almost into the wee hours...Wall to wall sport for all!!
Spain emerged triumphant last night after an epic battle which basically saw the two teams cancel each other out for most of the game. However in extra time Spain found their usual hugely admired rhytmn and Portugal were just hanging on for survival towards the end.
Then came the penalty shoot out. Oddly Portugal didnt get Ronaldo up to take a penalty. He is after all a spot kick specialist, although since he has adopted that new rather grandiose posing before each kick his shots have gone downhill and over the bar!...if thats not a contradiction in terms. But no they sent up burly fullbacks to do the necessary and of course they failed. Spain won through in the end, and will now be flexing their muscles in preparation for Germany on Sunday night.
That is of course on the understanding that the Germans beat the Italians tonight.
Although Ronaldo is good and has shone, the player of the tournament for me has to be Pirlo. He has shone in an outstanding way, completely bewildering England for example when switching the direction of play from side to side and forward with passes of precision. Pirlo will be on display tonight possibly for the last time in international football as he is well into his thirties now.
The Germans will have seen what he can do and will be ready to try and extinguish his flame. Who will ever forget that penalty he took the other night. It has already been reshown over and over and over.
And now, on a cheerier note, I'm away to the dentist!email: dover7@msn.com - 28 June 2012 11:55180360Well following on from the above post...I have returned from the dentist and am still in one piece. But as my dentist is Portuguese and a football fan to boot, I had to handle the situation with the utmost delicacy this morning. And seeing as I was his first customer/victim of the day...I was in a vulnerable position and no mistake..."why did not Ronaldo do the first penalty" said he, and I agreed wholeheartedly showing reams of enthusiasm... especially as he had a 12" pneumatic drill in his hand at the time spitting fire and brimstone!
I told him to cheer up as he could have been an Ireland fan. This seemed to lighten the load as nothing could be worse in footballing terms.
I'm just kidding, he's a good guy really...email: dover7@msn.com - 28 June 2012 17:40180414I'm with you there PaulB why on earth did Ronaldo not take his shot first or even second, you could tell by the look on his face he had messed up big time,
LOL!!! having seen you emerge from the dentists chair unscathed 
you have a forgiving dentist. 
- 28 June 2012 18:18180427the portuguese bloke is the best one in that surgery.
anyway much as i wanted portugal to win we were treated to the sight of the self loving ronaldo losing out. - 29 June 2012 08:06180482The German Machine grinds to a shuddering Halt.
I must have put the abbalonian curse on the Germans after tipping them to win this one. They came nowhere near winning it. For some reason best known to the management, they adopted their game to suit the Italian style of play, but their first half affort was abysmal and lacked all cohesion, all co-ordination. Their right hand didnt know what their left hand was doing. They should have stuck with their normal pattern. By the time they were able to make solid changes at half time they were.. to everyones shock...2 - 0 down thanks to a spiffing goalgetting display from Mario Ballotelli.
But even though the German team was trailing by 2 goals you still expect them to win. What is it in their demeanour that leads a chap to think that these guys are always going to win. I dont know.
Even well into the second half I still thought they were going to win it...this despite the Italians under the guiding hand of midfield ace Andrea Pirlo playing very well indeed.
The goal the Germans got from the penalty spot late in extra time was little more than a consolation goal. The Italians deserved to win the game.
The Germans, not known as emotional individuals particularly, yet many of their fans were in actual tears in the stands at the end, so convinced were they and everyone else that they were going to win not only this game but the tournament as a whole.
Stand by yer beds...the big one hits central stage this Sunday Night.
Spain v Italy. A wholly palatable mediterranean dish of mixed spices, yet with oodles of subtle flavour.
email: dover7@msn.com - 29 June 2012 08:45180485"Fab-fast-food-fad-fan-fest-football."
As the headline may read.Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing. - 1 July 2012 22:051810224 nil to the world champions, wonderful performance from both sides.
there is no way that italy deserved a scoreline like that against them, the match said rather a lot about how far we have to go to compete at this level. - 1 July 2012 23:15181029I shall cling to the fact that Italy have played three matches in the past week, but tonight Spain did to them what they did to Germany. Viva Espania!Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
- 2 July 2012 06:25181036I don't generally watch football but as it was the final, I thought I would (wasn't much on the TV anyway) and was impressed with how well Spain played - head and shoulders above us, we have a long way to go - players and manager-wise.
Roger - 2 July 2012 07:16181038"This is the greatest european national team ever seen"
said Mike Ingham chief football correspondent of the BBC when he referred to Spain this morning on R4. And who could argue with that. They truly are superb. bewildering brilliance stemming from a culture of exploring home grown talent through the two master teams...Barcelona and Real Madrid. Players from these giants make up something like 90% of the squad.
But...Italy wont be too disappointed this morning even though they lost 4-0. They had a terrific run in the excellent tournament which is only going to get better in the years ahead, with 8 new countries being accepted for the finals forthwith.
In the game itself the Spanish midfield, all six front players were midfielders, clearly stemmed the creative flow of Italian Andrea Pirlo like no other team was able to before. Pirlo's long balls through to Ballotelli were brilliant previously but didnt happen last night. This normal service supply going straight through to Ballotelli didnt happen..it was nullified...as the Spanish midfield, imported en bloc from Barcelona secured all the play.
Spain were as ever incisive when coming forward, a hot knife through butter, and they truly deserved to win. They have now won the previous European Championship, the World Cup, this European Championship..first time any team has pulled off such a feat. Three in a row...
The tournament all round was totally brilliant...great stuff indeed.
email: dover7@msn.com - 2 July 2012 08:46181051Yes Spain is way out in front but does it not tell a story. Apart from two or three all their players play in Spanish Clubs that have mainly Spanish players playing for them. Now look at the top 7 clubs in England and it is a case of spot the English player.
Whatever happened to bringing youngsters up through the Academy's and into the first teams, all the big clubs do these days is look abroad and pay millions to get their man. I am not saying this is the only reason we are way behind Spain but I believe we need to make changes if we are ever going to get back up there. - 2 July 2012 18:57181112Well what can you say about spain except they are unbeatable, and are going to be hard to beat in the future as it is with total ease that they sweep down the field passing the ball, just a dream to watch and as said a really good tournament all round.
- 4 July 2012 16:10181363Ah yes, the weeping German fan whose picture graced TV screens around the globe as Germany went two down...or was it...
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/world-of-sport/uefa-under-fire-faking-crying-fan-footage-110329796.htmlIgnorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.