The Euros start on Friday! So it's about time we had a thread for it. To get the ball rolling, who are people's pre-tourno tips for winning it? I'll take the safe option and say Spain. What do YOU think?
If I told you what I think, odds are I'd get permabanned. Suffice to say, I wish I could hibernate until July.
I'm tipping England. Why? Because I think they'll do a Chelsea. Just sit on their backfoot and go for the sly counter. Defensively they're actually not too shabby, though it still needs work. Hodgson needs time past the Euros to build his squad and no matter what happens here he will end up on the bad side of the press and the fans. It's a thankless job unless you do what everyone else wants you to do, but that's not what management is about. He needs to do what he feels is best and what he feels will work best. He's in charge. I think they're the wild card of the tournament, the underdogs, no one expects them to be a major threat, no one really knows what to expect, and I think/hope this is what will get them through. I guess we'll have to wait until Monday to see how they fare agianst the French. I think they'll do better than people think they will. I certainly hope they will because I like Hodgson and he deserves a fair go at the job.
We did look pretty solid at the back in the two recent friendlies, I'll grant you that. But we don't have an established striker (apart from Rooney, who's banned for the first two games) and the midfield still seems to lack any creativity or energy. If we get through the group stage then I think Roy will have done well.
I think Defoe looked pretty sharp. I would give him a start. For too long he's been far overlooked and he looks hungry. He was more of a threat in the short time he played than any other striker that was playing. He wanted the balll and when he got it he was having a good go. Not to mention he's still got pace. I think Welbeck and Young will pull through but they need time and service. They both scored so we cannot knock that. Rooney was just a waste of a team slot. He can do wonders at club level but for England he rarely shines since his injury. Defence looks ok, but Right Back is suspect. Johnson looked shaky, probably still recovering and our replacements don't really seem to fit the role. We really need someone of Coles ability at the right. Hart is one of the best keepers in the world at the moment, and I don't think many will argue different. He will make a difference behind the back four. It's a big shame we lost Cahill. Midfield seem scared to go forward except Gerrard but he's just not in his prime anymore.
Defoe has always looked good enough every time he has played for England, IMO, and I think it's a pity that he's never been given a decent run in the team. Welbeck looks like he could be a good long-term bet. Took his goal superbly on Saturday. Young can get lost as far as i'm concerned, because he's a diving cheating little piece of poo, and I'd rather win nothing than win stuff by cheating. But that's just my opinion. I don't think that we lack decent strikers, I just think that we've tried to many for a few games here and there and never given them a chance to get established. We seem to be going into yet another tourno badly prepared. I totally agree. Dropping him might give him the kick up the **** that he needs. I'd rather see johnson playing in midfield. he's better going forward than he is at defending. Whereas Cashley is the opposite: for England he looks like a headless chicken in the last third, but in defence e is probably still one of the best left backs in the world. Agreed. Not much depth of quality at centre half. between Terry, Lescott and Jagielka we should be OK, but can't afford to pick up any injuries there. Losing Lampard and barry should be a blessing in disguise. Lampard is one of those players who just can't seem to reproduce his club form at international level, and never has. Waste of a place. Barry hasn't cut it for England for about three years now. I'd rather play Parker. Gerrard still has moments of greatness, but I don't think he really has the quality to be a playmaker at international level. And if he isn't the main man then he's a bit of a square peg in a round hole. I just hope that one or two young fringe players really come through and make a mark, to give us something to build on for the future.
It's the worst England team I've seen in my lifetime. Even the failures of 1994 had more stars in the squad than this bunch of overpaid underachievers.
You may be too young to remember all the times that we failed to even qualify for the Euro and WC finals. When I was (were) a lad, the Euros was an exotic foreign competition which we never featured in, and therefore BBC and ITV didn't show it. (Yes, we also only had two television broadcasters then.)
94 was the first major championships I can remember. I hope England don't win with this squad, because it would feel really unjust to the good teams who didn't quite come good. That said, Greece won it with a load of part timers, so anything could happen
I think the first major game I remember was 96, I remember a penalty shootout Germany Vs England, England in the blue was that 96? We lost obviously. In terms of talent at a club level this is one of the most talented England teams ever. Id that was a club team they would get great results, why? Money, England do they really care about playing for country? Not today's players. Would love it if England win, and I always shout at the TV when they don't, who do I think will be there at the end? I'm predicting Spain too, that team is ridiculous, Germany perhaps the tireless hard workers, who will I be supporting? As always England followed by Netherlands (I always liked the orange shirts when I was a kid, I thought it was a team of super saiyans.). Who I wouldn't want to see win, France and Italy.
Holland are always pretty strong. Have they improved since the last World Cup? And do they have a top quality striker to step in if Van Persie gets injured? It's always nice to see a rank ouitsider really shake things up, and home advantage can often be the key. (Like South Korea in 2002.)
Actually, Van Persie is one of my least favorite players in the team. I think you forget about Robben and Sneijder ^-^. Good prodigy's are Kuit and De Zeeuw.
I wouldn't class either Robben or Sneijder as strikers. Kuit is a hard worker but he's not exactly prolific in front of goal - which is why Liverpool tend to play him as a wide man. Must admit that I haven't a clue who De Zeeuw is.
Robben and Sneijder both have a pretty high scoring precentage though. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demy_de_Zeeuw
