Trying to make out Ronaldo, the top goalscorer in this tournament, is over the hill and past it Don't worry CC, the boys will win the trophy for your queen and our country
It seems the football doesn't vary much from team to team, other than the effort they put in. Pass the ball to each other a few times then across to the other side of the pitch, via someone deeper in their own half. Then a sudden burst forward up the wing and, oops, now what?, turn round and pass it back to someone who passes it back to the goalie who either passes it to one of the defenders or hoofs it up the field and possession lost. Final 20 minutes someone is trying to win
He isn’t my favourite player in the world, tell you the truth I think he’s a ****, but at 40/1 for Player of the Tournament, Pickford is worth a couple quid. Another clean sheet on Saturday night and he will be a single figure price
I've hardly got any nails left after that. I was sure Spain would get a late goal. I hope the Swiss go through but I doubt they will after that heroic performance
Early team news from the England camp. Clemence in goal, Moore in at centre half, up front Keegan and Brooking. It’s coming home
Being realistic, we have drawn with Scotland, beat a poor looking German side and thrashed a knackered Ukraine side who were the last of the group qualifiers. Still have the energised Denmark and the winners of Spain/ Italy to beat. I suspect they will be more difficult, especially the final, if we get there.
I’m not getting carried away, but if this was the Premier League or the Champions League 4 wins and a draw and not conceded a goal, you would take that any day. Agreed, England haven’t played a top top team yet but that isn’t our fault. I’m old enough to know this is England and it’s never straight forward but I’m looking forward to Wednesday night. Ups and downs for sure, but I think it’s there for the taking. Best chance we’ve had in years
Agree, best chance for a title in donkey's years, but Denmark are extremely dangerous opponents and have an excellent squad. I stay with a previous comment and repeat that I don't think England are quite good enough to go all the way, but I DO HOPE I'M WRONG! The rest of the football world will be rooting for Denmark, of course, after the awful tragedy that Christian Eriksen endured. That's understandable. ****stirrer that I am, talking about 'donkey's', get a bag of carrots ready for the forum expert on everything, one Boris Fenster, who has probably already prepared his backlash if and when England bite the dust! Must mention his remark on North Sea oil, as I didn't know people from his side of Scotland knew anything about oil exploration? Be careful, Boris, I for one worked for an oil company who had the 5th drilling rig to venture out into the North Sea, and one which was nearly lost before it ever drilled a foot due to being caught in a violent storm off Whitby. It survived, however, and drilled many exploratory Wells in the southern (Gas) section of the North Sea. Spent two years myself up in Aberdeen, helping to train mostly local lads from Ayrshire in my line of business. Enjoyed my time up there very much, must say. So, be careful young Boris, you are most certainly not Europe's top expert on ALL things bright and beautiful. Bag of carrots at the ready for you! Have a great day lads and lasses, and enjoy the rest of this football tournament too. It hasn't been at all bad, frequently darn entertaining and exciting.
Just an observation on how the tournament has played out that all four of the semi-finalists played all of their group games at home (Holland did also for you sharped eyed readers...) This has obviously meant that they have tralleved the least distance compared to the other squads, had a solid base to work from and in my eyes benefited greatly because of it. Now, you can argue that Spain were very very fortunate to get past the Swiss in the shoot out, and that Denmark got out of a group with just the one win to their name. But make the semi's they have and i am sure that this helped them along the way. To be fair to the English lads they don't look like conceding at all, so playing away from Wembley might not have mattered but the Italians have conceded on each of their 2 knockout stage games since leaving Rome, so you can read in to it all you like if you want... The fact that England can play both the semi-final and final now at Wembly MUST give them a great chance of actually wining this tournament outright...?!?
Ron, is this the same Germany that slapped Portugal 4-2 in the group stages? Our intensity wasn't there against Scotland for whatever reason but a draw was also a good result because it guaranteed we went through to the next round. No mention of us seeing off a fairly decent Croatia (Drew with Spain) and the Czech Republic who managed to make it to the quarter final. We also won our first game at the Euro's this time around and we've not conceded a goal yet which I believe is a tournament record. Every team we've faced, we've made them look ordinary. Nobody has been able to lay a glove on us. All of that is also realistic, I guess it just depends on which way we choose to view things... So far we are the best team in this tournament and if there's any justice in the world we will win it this time.
Semi-finals... Italy v Spain... If it's all about form then the Italians will have the beating of the Spanish and go through comfortable winners in my eyes. Taking out the Belgiums in the Quarters was a big win for the Azzuri holding the Worlds No.1 ranked team at the moment to very little in the way of scoring a goal. They out ran them, had more of the ball and made more chances than them so deserved to be favourite to go forward to the final. The thing with the this Spanish side is that you are not sure which one will turn up. The turgid one that couldnt hit a barn door from two paces against the Swedes or the Poles or the rampaging goal scoring machine that put 5 past both Slovakia & Croatia. I fancy that this could be an open match with chances a plenty and will take the Italians to go through 3-1 in the end... Italy to win in 90mins @ 7/5, 3-1 in 90mins 16/1... England v Denmark... Ok, lets take the emotion out of this fixture, England will win, probably 2 or 3-0 and we will all be very happy that they have done. But the emotion in the game is what might swing it back in favour of the Danes who are definitely playing as a man for each other, so be warned...!! England look the best team left in the tournament now, they don't conceded, the strikers found his form, we have players who know what their jobs are and are carrying them out to almost military precision such is Southgates tactics. But this is England, this isnt something we do on a regular basis, the wheels are gonna come off soon...?? I would imagine that the Danes will keep up this strong running style of play and try and keep us out for as long as possible but ole Arry has found the net now and so this team are growing in confidence and can see it being a 2-0 victory with Arry scoring one of the goals. Kane or Maguire, im not fussed... England to win in 90mins @ 4/6, 2-0 in 90mins 6/1, Kane to score anytime 11/10, Maguire to score anytime 7/1... We shall see, but it's the semi-finals of the Euros and England are in them...!!
Best team in this tournament, come on Saff dont let your patriotic fervour carry you away to cloud cuckoo land. England came out of an extraordinarily weak group where they couldnt even beat a Scottish team plucked from the Championship and in the quarter finals came up against a Ukraine team that were totally lifeless and failed to man mark anyone in the box. The result against Germany I would mark as a B against a German team that were not given much chance pre tournament and really only scraped out of their group. Holding up Portugal as a benchmark cuts little ice, they cannot defend. Even then the result v Germany was fortunate in as much as Muller fluffed the chance of dreams. Against Ukraine our defence was opened up easily when they decided to go forward, so much so that Pickford was getting knickers in a right twist. It's hard to crab a team that is yet to concede a goal but that says more about the opposition than our defence. England have and continue to have the luck of the draw but their only chance of winning this competition is if Spain somehow manage to take Italy down. That Italian team with its speed of transition and world class technical ability will rop Englands defence to shreds if we face them in the final. Italy are surely the best team there by a mile and in Insigne have the best player.
