Euro 2024 Thread

[ITFC2024]

Germany 5 v Scotland 1

One more goal would have been a tennis score! First set to Germany! Ad Germany! Double fault Scotland!

[marko69]

Germany 5 v Scotland 1

One more goal would have been a tennis score! First set to Germany! Ad Germany! Double fault Scotland!

The only slight “bother” last night was a jambo in the pub saying, “Everyone loves a 5-1”……. Which i actually thought was quite witty and humorous……. Sadly one nuggetheid didn’t like it and was thankfully turfed out.

[AzzurroMark]

Earlier result Hungary 1 - Switzerland 3

Well the goals are certainly flowing so far in the Euros! Spain, like Germany were, are 3-0 up at half time against a much better team than Scotland!

That's 13 goals in 2.5 games!

Looking good for Mach Polish Blue, not so for Wellywood!

[arana peligrosa]

Haven't always had chance to keep track of all that's gone on or match progress. Been as busy and involved as Johann Sebastian Bach's pecker last 24 hours, got more done than some could ever realize or imagine but for all effort and endeavor it's a sense of relief opening games went kind of to plan.

Scotland getting a thumping in Bavaria or wherever it were at were a shame, it's too bad they're not in another group with other opponents but can still make the next stages if they recover quick and other scores go their way. Italy appeared lame and uninspired by all reports and what the f*ck Albania are doing in a Euro Championship Finals remains open to question, hell they nearly took a result from the holders and champions of all things.

Switzerland are a better squad nation than many would comprehend and possible outsiders to go a long way while last but far from least the Spanish appeared vibrant and ready against a Croatia team that in the recent past would have provided a far tougher test of character. Pinning hopes on the former to win it once again.

[Bluemike]

Today's Games......

Group C

Slovenia V Denmark

Serbia V England


Group D

Poland V Netherlands

[hallamblue]

Cheers Mike


C’maaarn England

[marko69]

Cheers Mike


C’maaarn England

You any idea if there is a Serbia T-Shirt shop in Edinburgh?

Joking of course, …….. had my t-shirt for MONTHS!!

No, seriously, you guys should be winning at the very least, 2-0 tonight.

[hallamblue]

lol well I doubt you’d last 2 mins in Edinburgh wearing an England T -shirt.

Gives us your address marko, I’ll send you one lol . What size ?

I think this game is far from a saw fire win unfortunately. But we MUST win arguably our potentially most difficult game if the group to avoid any upsets…… cue upset!

[AzzurroMark]

Today's Games......

Group C

Slovenia V Denmark

Serbia V England


Group D

Poland 1 V Netherlands 2

All results going according to FIFA rankings so far. Soon be England's turn to step up to the mark.... !

[Charnwood]

The team looks as strong as we have. No way would Greaslish or Maddison got a place in that starting line up. If we can’t win this comfortably then we do have serious problems.

Hope to be able to watch the second half.

[marko69]

Polish fans on the rampage in Hamburg.

So far reports of:
50 cars valeted
27 boilers repaired
7 walls built
30 bathrooms tiled
42 living rooms plastered
20 hallways painted.

[AzzurroMark]

Polish fans on the rampage in Hamburg.

So far reports of:
50 cars valeted
27 boilers repaired
7 walls built
30 bathrooms tiled
42 living rooms plastered
20 hallways painted.

[hallamblue]

Jude Bellingham is utter class, a Rolls-Royce of a player!

[Bluemike]

Polish fans on the rampage in Hamburg.

So far reports of:
50 cars valeted
27 boilers repaired
7 walls built
30 bathrooms tiled
42 living rooms plastered
20 hallways painted.

Lol

[hallamblue]

I don’t think Kane or Foden are in this game….

[hallamblue]

Phew! Glad to get that one out of the way … Serbia are a good side.

[marko69]

I don’t think Kane or Foden are in this game….

And Fabregas is right now agreeing with you 100% , Hallam.

[AzzurroMark]

Phew! Glad to get that one out of the way … Serbia are a good side.

Definitely! A nervy second half but when you look at our first game stats in big competitions you have to take 3 points regardless.

[Shed on tour]

Typical England performance under Southgate. As I have already said we will probably get out of the group but the first decent side we come across and we will be coming home. France, Spain and Italy must be quaking in their boots having watched that.

[Ricco]

Having lived under McKenna's positive mindset, aggressive tactics, instrumental waves of substitutes, tonight was unbelievably negative. Whiffs of McCarthy and I second what Shed said, one of the top half dozen teams would have made a mockery of that England team tonight, and we're meant to be superstar favourites??

You can't win tournaments with negativity and caution, but by gum is Southgate going to try!!!

[ITFC2024]

I can’t wait until Southgate is gone. We should have gone on attack after the early goal against Italia in the last one. We have the most talented team in decades, but Southgate’s tactics strangles the abilities of players like Kane & Foden. Hope we fail so Southgate gets fired.

[Bluemike]

Today's Games

Group D

Austria V France


Group E

Romania V Ukraine

Belgium V Slovakia

[hallamblue]

I can’t wait until Southgate is gone. We should have gone on attack after the early goal against Italia in the last one. We have the most talented team in decades, but Southgate’s tactics strangles the abilities of players like Kane & Foden. Hope we fail so Southgate gets fired.

I think you may be underestimating the danger the opposition could inflict. I thank god that they showed us almost too much respect in the first half because they were a totally different team second half. You only play as well as your opponents allow you to.

For me, Kane was largely shackled for 90 mins, Foden went AWOL ( that's not Southgate’s fault is it). Foden is a number 10, but is he better than Bellingham? I’d say no, by a country mile JB is the better player.

First half the opposition deployed this low block so we had to be patient and pass the ball about. We managed to get the early goal, but still they didn’t really attack us much in that first half, largely because we kept possession. Second half , different story. They attacked us and we had to defend deep. The tables were completely turned.

I’d say that was a very good result against a very strong yet underrated team, who I reckon will finish 2nd in the group.

England just need another win now.

[marko69]

I can’t wait until Southgate is gone. We should have gone on attack after the early goal against Italia in the last one. We have the most talented team in decades, but Southgate’s tactics strangles the abilities of players like Kane & Foden. Hope we fail so Southgate gets fired.

[Ricco]

Foden went AWOL ( that's not Southgate’s fault is it). Foden is a number 10, but is he better than Bellingham? I’d say no, by a country mile JB is the better player.

I would say it is Southgate's fault, he is the manager, he is meant to know whether a player will be affective in a certain role and posistion. I said before the tournament that Foden shouldn't start, and I stand by that. I think Foden is a Scholes problem, he's so bloody good that the manager feels compelled to make him fit. Problem is, he doesn't fit, and the fact that Southgate hasn't realised that, or hasn't grown a pair to make a tough decision, suggests to me that we are doomed to repeat history.

[The Odious Mr Rossi]

I can’t wait until Southgate is gone. We should have gone on attack after the early goal against Italia in the last one. We have the most talented team in decades, but Southgate’s tactics strangles the abilities of players like Kane & Foden. Hope we fail so Southgate gets fired.

I think you may be underestimating the danger the opposition could inflict. I thank god that they showed us almost too much respect in the first half because they were a totally different team second half. You only play as well as your opponents allow you to.

For me, Kane was largely shackled for 90 mins, Foden went AWOL ( that's not Southgate’s fault is it). Foden is a number 10, but is he better than Bellingham? I’d say no, by a country mile JB is the better player.

First half the opposition deployed this low block so we had to be patient and pass the ball about. We managed to get the early goal, but still they didn’t really attack us much in that first half, largely because we kept possession. Second half , different story. They attacked us and we had to defend deep. The tables were completely turned.

I’d say that was a very good result against a very strong yet underrated team, who I reckon will finish 2nd in the group.

England just need another win now.

But it is Southgate's fault, Liz. He's had 8 years in the job and still hasn't sussed the difference between club and country management.

Most club managers identify a system they want to play and build a team to play that system. If you want to use the same method for country management then you have to pick the players that best fit that system. Southgate goes the other way, picks the best players, but instead of coming up with a system that suits them he sticks with his preferred formation and ends up trying to fit square pegs in round holes. You cannot use a hybrid method in international football, it has to be one way ior the other.

Of course, it also does not help that Southgate seems to be a natutally cautious and defensive manager - we have so much attacking talent but it's being suffocated by his sterile tactics.

I have read much about players going missing last night - specifically Foden and Kane.
For me, by far our worst player was, once again, Declan Rice. I cannot for the life of me understand why so many pundits say that he's an automatic choice - every time he got the ball last night he slowed the game right down to a dawdle and passed the ball (more often than not inaccurately) sideways or backwards but never forwards. Sure, he does a good job of blocking dangerous through balls, but there again so did Cole Skuse

[Bluemike]

It's bizarre isn't it, Sky Sports have Declan Rice at 9/10 and a near faultless display lol. Maybe Skuse wasn't as bad after all

[Blue Wilf]

It's bizarre isn't it, Sky Sports have Declan Rice at 9/10 and a near faultless display lol. Maybe Skuse wasn't as bad after all

Yep - Skusey for England!

[Ricco]

I don't think Rice was that bad to be fair, although I certainly wouldn't give him a 9/10!! Maybe a 7.

I think he was isolated for large periods, I think the whole core were isolated, Bellingham is so bloody good you wouldn't know it, but Kane certainly had little support for much of the game. TAA is another player like Rossi points to, Southgate tries to make him fit, but he's not the right player, he can spray flashy long passes all he likes, but what do they achieve? 4 assists in the Prem last season, hardly Pirlo is he?! His cross pitch balls find who? Foden? The shortest, weakest player on the pitch? Nice tactic Gareth.

Honestly, I despair. How can a team like Ipswich play out from the back, draw teams on, pass and move etc etc, yet England with "the best forward thinking midfielders and attackers of all time" remain static and revert to hoofing it against the 15th best team in the tournament? Gordon and Cole Palmer sat on their arses achieving nothing, how about bringing someone on after an hour for the ineffective Foden, backing your players, taking the game to Serbia and putting it to bed? At 60 or 65 minutes we should have seen three changes positive changes, save some legs, give players a chance to stake a claim, but instead he dribbled negative subs on too late in order to protect a one goal lead, how McCarthy is that? How negative? How CB from the 90s does that feel?

I think it's an embarrassment, I think Southgate is being reprieved time and again by the individual ability of some of the players, it's some of the worst modern management I've seen. There is time to change and improve, maybe they're keeping their powder dry, playing cards close to chest, saving legs, however you want to spin it, but I think it's poor and I'd give Southgate a 2/10 for his performance last night. Pathetic. Rant over I think...

[The Odious Mr Rossi]

It's bizarre isn't it, Sky Sports have Declan Rice at 9/10 and a near faultless display lol. Maybe Skuse wasn't as bad after all

It's not bizarre, Mike. I have long accepted that I am a dinosaur that likes to see attacking football like it was in the old days, and it's difficult for me to accept some of the changes in the game over the last 50 years or so. Mind you, I absolutely fail to see how Sky could have rated Rice 9/10 last night but I suspect politics (not wanting to fall out with his club) has a lot to do with it, same as for many of the absurdly high ratings given to certain players last night by various media. That's the trouble with English media - too afraid to speak ther minds when it comes to England performances.