The ONLY Euro 2016 thread

[gp543]

It is regularly claimed that footballers play too many games, yet UEFA organise a tournament where 36 games are played, 16 teams go through to the knockout round and only 8 go home, leaving a lot of mediocre teams in the competition.

I'm pleased for the Brits and Irish, but it's still a bit of a borefest.

Nonsense. Half of the teams in Pot 2 before the draw are going home and half of Pot 4 are going through. That's brilliant. Seeing the same 8 teams in the knockout round every time is actually boring.

[Yankee_Gooner_Dandee]

I've enjoyed the Euro's and the Copa, so I don't know why everyone is complaining.

Alexis has been immense for Chile so far. Looking like a Chile vs Argentina rematch. Messi has also been his normal brilliant self.

Alexis plays well for us but he's on another level for Chile.


The Croatia Portugal match should be good, and the Ireland France match. Spain Italy will be a bore.

[augie]

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I'm getting in a big old bag of cocaine for tonight's snooze-fest between Oireland and Italy. I'll fucking need it to stay awake. With the Italians' notorious "defensive ability" and our absolute ineptitude as an attacking team, we will witness one of the most stale, boring excuses for a football match ever suffered by humanity.

Nil all bore draw (at best). Or one-nil to Italy (most likely).

Italy making an apparent seven changes which apparently gives Ireland a greater chance...Not convinced by that argument, they are not bringing in amateur players, these are players chomping at the bit after watching their two wins from the bench..
I think Ireland would be better playing a full strength Italy who may be minding themselves a bit for the Spain game, rather than playing fresh players wanting to prove themselves for the Spain game..
Either way I think the Euros end tonight for Ireland..

Bang on there wasn't I ..Ireland played well but Italy were awful , their keeper was a joke..O'Neill like many managers may find his best team more by luck than judgement. Going to have to listen and read about the revenge for Henry's hand ball til sunday.

Aint that the truth - bad enough coming on here and having the piss taken out of us by steve o ( ), but to see all this bullshit in the media for the next 4 days will be unbearable

The meeja are clueless crunts though - in this mornings Irish papers most are giving Robbie brady grades of 9/10 (with one fool giving him 10/10)
but for me he was absolute garbage (except 2 great early corners) and I was screaming for him to be subbed before his goal O'neill had real balls to make the changes he did last night (I especially like the fact that he dropped Whelan who is a useless c.unt ), but f.uck me his substitutions are clueless - his mentality in the last 2 games seems to be to get as many wingers on the pitch at the same time as humanly possible For the last two games we have finished with 3 wingers on the pitch and I am thinking where is the team balance ffs ?

[DB10GOONER]

We will win it now, apparently... Probably because our fans are sooooooo lovable.

We won't. We most likely will get raped 3-0 by France but fuck it, it's nice to actually win a game at a tournament and at least get out of a tough group.

It was a terrible game to watch but the Oirish lads showed heart and passion - but technically we were woeful, as were the Italian B-Team. Worse still was the atrocious refereeing - he basically got almost every decision wrong. Would do the PL proud he would!

For all the penno claims the RTE pundits were whining about (at least 35 at the last count! ), the only one for me that was nailed on was when Ogbonna wrapped his arm around (I think) Murphy’s neck and wrestled the fuck out of him. The McClean one I'm maybe not so convinced after seeing the 55,000 replays RTE showed of it - he went down a bit too easily for me tbh. I've seen them given and not given.

Have to say brilliant by Hoolahan for the inch perfect ball for Brady's winner - especially after he had choked the best chance of the match only a couple of minutes earlier.

[augie]

We will win it now, apparently... Probably because our fans are sooooooo lovable.

We won't. We most likely will get raped 3-0 by France but fuck it, it's nice to actually win a game at a tournament and at least get out of a tough group.

It was a terrible game to watch but the Oirish lads showed heart and passion - but technically we were woeful, as were the Italian B-Team. Worse still was the atrocious refereeing - he basically got almost every decision wrong. Would do the PL proud he would!

For all the penno claims the RTE pundits were whining about (at least 35 at the last count! ), the only one for me that was nailed on was when Ogbonna wrapped his arm around (I think) Murphy’s neck and wrestled the fuck out of him. The McClean one I'm maybe not so convinced after seeing the 55,000 replays RTE showed of it - he went down a bit too easily for me tbh. I've seen them given and not given.

Have to say brilliant by Hoolahan for the inch perfect ball for Brady's winner - especially after he had choked the best chance of the match only a couple of minutes earlier.

You're kidding right ?? It was one of the most nailed on penalty you will ever see - he barged mclean in the back and was off the ground when he did it. I can excuse the penalty not being given for the choke hold on murphy cos sometimes it is hard to see those things in a crowded area on corners, but the mclean one should absolutely have been a penno.

Re the heart and passion comment I agree 100% with you, but that is exactly what we are about - we don't have the technical/skillful players anymore, so we have to battle and grind out results and when we do it like last night, I am happy enough I always maintained that playing Italy suits us - they too don't have great players anymore and their game is built on negating opposition teams, but we don't have anything worth negating so they didn't know how to react They like getting in and having a physical battle but again that suits us to a tee

There is no doubt that, on paper, france are a much better team than us - the only thing that would give me the slightest hope is that they are a country that is always on the edge of implosion - if we (or any other country that plays them) were to score first against them, then it wouldn't take long for the crowd to turn on them. They are a country that is constantly divided by a racism undercurrent, and the fans opposition to giroud has been loud and very vocal. Obviously no-one wants their country to take a hammering, but I would accept it as long as we actually go out and try and win the game (like last night) as opposed to playing not to lose

[Bradywasking]

Bimbo on TV3 this morning saying is the first time Ireland have qualified for the knockout since 1988 or something!!!

[DB10GOONER]

We will win it now, apparently... Probably because our fans are sooooooo lovable.

We won't. We most likely will get raped 3-0 by France but fuck it, it's nice to actually win a game at a tournament and at least get out of a tough group.

It was a terrible game to watch but the Oirish lads showed heart and passion - but technically we were woeful, as were the Italian B-Team. Worse still was the atrocious refereeing - he basically got almost every decision wrong. Would do the PL proud he would!

For all the penno claims the RTE pundits were whining about (at least 35 at the last count! ), the only one for me that was nailed on was when Ogbonna wrapped his arm around (I think) Murphy’s neck and wrestled the fuck out of him. The McClean one I'm maybe not so convinced after seeing the 55,000 replays RTE showed of it - he went down a bit too easily for me tbh. I've seen them given and not given.

Have to say brilliant by Hoolahan for the inch perfect ball for Brady's winner - especially after he had choked the best chance of the match only a couple of minutes earlier.

You're kidding right ?? It was one of the most nailed on penalty you will ever see - he barged mclean in the back and was off the ground when he did it. I can excuse the penalty not being given for the choke hold on murphy cos sometimes it is hard to see those things in a crowded area on corners, but the mclean one should absolutely have been a penno.

Re the heart and passion comment I agree 100% with you, but that is exactly what we are about - we don't have the technical/skillful players anymore, so we have to battle and grind out results and when we do it like last night, I am happy enough I always maintained that playing Italy suits us - they too don't have great players anymore and their game is built on negating opposition teams, but we don't have anything worth negating so they didn't know how to react They like getting in and having a physical battle but again that suits us to a tee

There is no doubt that, on paper, france are a much better team than us - the only thing that would give me the slightest hope is that they are a country that is always on the edge of implosion - if we (or any other country that plays them) were to score first against them, then it wouldn't take long for the crowd to turn on them. They are a country that is constantly divided by a racism undercurrent, and the fans opposition to giroud has been loud and very vocal. Obviously no-one wants their country to take a hammering, but I would accept it as long as we actually go out and try and win the game (like last night) as opposed to playing not to lose

Nope. Dead serious. They went hip to hip and the Italian put his arm on his back - if a well built, supposedly strong adult man can get knocked over by that then they need to get him in the gym! As I say, I've seen them given and not given, but for me it wasn't as nailed on as it first looked. I suppose it comes down to our own definitions of what constitutes a foul, and at what point you can point at a player and say he could have stayed on his feet. For me, I think McClean could have. Ask yourself this - if that had happened out just inside the Italian half as we were breaking, and overrunning the Italian defence, say 4 players on 2, would he have managed to use his considerable upper body strength and stayed on his feet? I reckon he would have.

The ref not seeing the choke on Murphy is immaterial for me - we have the linesman and the fifth official supposedly also watching for things like that. Sure there is lots of wrestling and jersey pulling in the box nowadays at set pieces but that was one of the worst most blatant headlocks I've ever seen - appalling reffing and officiating not to spot it.

[armchair]

I reckon it was a pen. Whether he stayed on his feet or not is irrelevent for me He got a push in the back inside the box. And he was just about to pull the trigger when the Italian bundled into him. Penno for me all day long.
And the pushing, holding, shirt pulling, etc at set pieces should be blew for too.

But a great win for the GAWA. Hope they get revenge against the French.
Now that really would be worth losing your shit over.

[Herd]

You won ,end of ,beat the French .
I would love Henry to be Pitch-side if Ireland win !
Much as I love Henry what he did stank and the fact that Blatter bribed the Irish to not kick up a fuss is a scandal !

[DB10GOONER]

You won ,end of ,beat the French .
I would love Henry to be Pitch-side if Ireland win !
Much as I love Henry what he did stank and the fact that Blatter bribed the Irish to not kick up a fuss is a scandal !

The fact that the cúnts he bribed are still running the FAI is also a scandal!!

[augie]

You won ,end of ,beat the French .
I would love Henry to be Pitch-side if Ireland win !
Much as I love Henry what he did stank and the fact that Blatter bribed the Irish to not kick up a fuss is a scandal !

The fact that the cúnts he bribed are still running the FAI is also a scandal!!

John Delaney is a god to me

He seriously lost it when the goal went in last night

[DB10GOONER]

You won ,end of ,beat the French .
I would love Henry to be Pitch-side if Ireland win !
Much as I love Henry what he did stank and the fact that Blatter bribed the Irish to not kick up a fuss is a scandal !

The fact that the cúnts he bribed are still running the FAI is also a scandal!!

John Delaney is a god to me

He seriously lost it when the goal went in last night

Your God is a cuntbag.

Just saying.

Also who was that little dancing leprechaun behind him? I honestly thought Spuddy or Lefty had come over to the dark side and were now Oireland fans!!

[Bradywasking]

Return of The League of Ireland this weekend. Obviously the Green Army will be out in force following their local clubs...

[DB10GOONER]

Return of The League of Ireland this weekend. Obviously the Green Army will be out in force following their local clubs...

Unless there is the Rugby bandwagon to jump on...

[Herd]

You won ,end of ,beat the French .
I would love Henry to be Pitch-side if Ireland win !
Much as I love Henry what he did stank and the fact that Blatter bribed the Irish to not kick up a fuss is a scandal !

The fact that the cúnts he bribed are still running the FAI is also a scandal!!

Their Offices are palatial I had to pick some tickets up there in the early 90's when Denmark were playing in a WC Qualifier which ended 1-1 I think , bang in the middle of town near trinity on some georgian square, stone the crows I thought I was in Bath.
Via a tout aquantance I got 20 tickets for the game (at a price of course ) and a very nice lady handed them over to me and sent her regards back to the Tout ,it was clear they did a lot of business !
Funny cab ride from the burlington , im dressed in a red and white NY Vikings track suit and a red n white cotton Arsenal 1950's shirt and I'm chatting to the cabby who tells me my English was very good for a Dane , I told him we all watched eastenders and picked it up , your man says "ah thats why ye sound like one of them london feckers" . . . . . made me chuckle !