Euro 2016 thread

Here's hoping Bri.

 

You can but hope.
But at Chelsky in his first season back Jose was able to take a "legacy" squad and have them in
the PL title running until close to the end.

So from the Spurs viewpoint, just assume the worst from all our rivals (quality of players signed, speed
of integration into their squads etc) and raise our own game accordingly.

 

It's just a feeling. Mourinho's not been a real loser before. That can go deep for some people. He seemed to lose it last year - didn't his father die? That may still be an issue if things get tough.

Add in that there's no legacy of success at United other than De Gea compared to the Terry/Cahill pairing that Mourinho inherited along with Cech's presence and the return of Drogba. They had won a number of things for Chelsea. At Unite there will be a number of players that will be facing questions:

• Can Zlatan do it, week-in and week-out in the most competitive league in the world, aged 35, when he's not even in one of the top 4 teams?
• Can Rooney play up front, given he doesn't look a potent striking force any more? What does he do with him if it doesn't work?
• How quickly can Eric Bailly adapt? Man City's centre halves have had problems as have others (cough, Fazio, cough).
• Will Rashford be given the chances his performances deserve or will Mourinho go with the big wage players?

My money's on them not making the top 4 again in the coming season. Yes, of course, they'll win the lot now.

 

Our players featured more in the Euros than anyone else in the Premier League, apparently:
http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/foo...-minutes-than-any-other-premier-a3292926.html

It's good that they're getting recognised for their efforts, but none of them are getting any rest.
Our system's tough and you could see that some of them were really flagging at the end of last season.
Hopefully we'll have a deeper squad for this one and it'll help to limit it a little.

 

Zoltan Gera has won the Goal of the Tournament award, which was decided by a fan poll.
Good goal, but I'm not even sure that it would make my top five, to be honest.

 

Shaqiri and Modric can both feel robbed, that's for sure.

 

It's a rare occasion that I agree with Alan Shearer. I think it has occurred on 2 issues:

1. How good Harry Kane is;

2. Shaquiri's goal was obviously the best goal at The Euro's. By a street.

 

Did Portugal really win it?

 

It's more like they were the 'last team standing'. They won it more because nobody could beat them rather than their ability to beat others. May not make any sense and sound like sour grapes. Probably is. At least they didn't win it because of some brilliance by the chosen one - I couldn't have coped with the headlines if they had!

 

Wilmots quits as Belgium coach. Probably something to do with the KBVB statement from a few days previously where they said they couldn't afford to sack him...

 

It reminded me a lot of Chelsea winning the CL. They were a boring team playing ugly football. But if you play ugly football with talented players who are well organized and fully commited to playing it effectively, you have a good chance at beating anybody. And if it’s long, grueling tournament, maybe sitting back is a crucial element in saving energy.

In any case, we have the most intriguing buildup to a PL season ever (after the best PL season ever). Three new or newish big names at the three top clubs which have fallen on hard times (well, relatively hard times in the case of Man City). Who knows which, if any of them, can bring the glory back? My mind boggles at the idea Man U have Zlatan, Mikhtriyan (sp), Martial, Rashford and Rooney. I would think that you can have too much of a good thing, and that’s exactly what they have, but what do I know? I would also say that new managers generally need at least a year to get their team playing their style effectively. We’ll see.

 

Anyone looking for work? Belgium are advertising for a new manager on their website:
http://www.belgianfootball.be/fr/nouvelles/profil-entraîneur-fédéral

 

The Sunderland board are convinced that Allardyce has got the England job and that Moyes is taking over there.

 

I understand that a bloke called Hodgson is looking for a job.

Sounds like the ideal candidate....

 

For some reason this puts me in mind of the Switzerland speech in The Third Man:

"In Italy, for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci and The Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace and what did that produce? The Cuckoo clock (and Roy Hodgson, international football manager.)

Belgium is kind of Switzerland-lite. If anyone could appoint Roy "I don't know what I'm doing here" Hodgson after us and Switzerland, it would be The Belgians.

 

please log in to view this image

 

Orson Welles. A real genius.