Euro 2016 thread

[DropTheHammer]

Superstars win titles in sport.  Wales have one.  England have none.  I would love to see Wales win it all.  They have got a lovely draw now.

But when we had all the superstars we still got no-where! Greece were a good example of a no-superstar team winning something.

Well done to Wales I hope they kick on even more. Didn't you tip them to win the euros or WC at some huge price a while ago arbboy?

[david3103]

It's always tough to play against a team that defends as deep and as organised as Slovakia were tonight. Especially so when you lack the spark of genius.
Most of the best creators of chances in the EPL aren't English, we're left with lots of players who are ball winners and recyclers, and strikers who need the ball played to their specific strengths. Had Vardy's one significant moment ended in a goal who knows how the game would have gone.

KO games will suit us better, as long as we don't get to a shootout obviously.

[bergeroo]

Draw opening up nicely for Spain now if they can avoid defeat against Croatia.

Will be fantastic for them if Portugal also end up in the bottom half of the draw. Great opportunity for Wales to progress to the last eight here and even beyond as Belgium are not playing to their potential. England could be ruing the team selection if we end up playing Portugal and Wales play against Albania.

Just poor tonight though, yet the commentators are just so positive. I don't get it.

[arbboy]

Superstars win titles in sport.  Wales have one.  England have none.  I would love to see Wales win it all.  They have got a lovely draw now.

But when we had all the superstars we still got no-where! Greece were a good example of a no-superstar team winning something.

Well done to Wales I hope they kick on even more. Didn't you tip them to win the euros or WC at some huge price a while ago arbboy?

Yes but that isn't why i want them to win.  I have a few quid on but nothing life changing.  I think they are under rated outside of Bale (who is always relatively under rated for me).  I think the gaffer is under rated.   People under rate Ashley Williams massively (he would start for England for me at CH).  Ramsey is hardly ever spoke about (an upgrade on club mate Wiltshire?)

[arbboy]

Draw opening up nicely for Spain now if they can avoid defeat against Croatia.

Will be fantastic for them if Portugal also end up in the bottom half of the draw. Great opportunity for Wales to progress to the last eight here and even beyond as Belgium are not playing to their potential. England could be ruing the team selection if we end up playing Portugal and Wales play against Albania.

Just poor tonight though, yet the commentators are just so positive. I don't get it.

We have been piss poor in all three games.  Let's not forget who we are playing in this group.

[arbboy]

Superstars win titles in sport.  Wales have one.  England have none.  I would love to see Wales win it all.  They have got a lovely draw now.

But when we had all the superstars we still got no-where! Greece were a good example of a no-superstar team winning something.

Well done to Wales I hope they kick on even more. Didn't you tip them to win the euros or WC at some huge price a while ago arbboy?

We hadn't had a true world superstar since Gazza and Lineker whatever the media will fool the public into thinking in recent years with all the EPL hype.

[DungBeetle]

Roy is delighted as usual I see.  5 points in that group but Roy's take is "the way we are playing I don't fear anyone.  We could not have done more"

[arbboy]

I really hope Portugal finish second and drill us in the 2nd round.  Properly drill us as well.  30 years i have been watching England and listening to all the same bullshit event after event from the media/managers/players.  As it stands that looks 10% likely we play Portugal and 80% likely we play Hungary or Iceland.  So we fall into the last 8 and then get drilled as usual and say 'that's where we should have finished' blah blah the same as the last 20 years.

Who are people selecting for the 11 against the mighty Iceland or Hungary then?

[vegaslover]

Draw opening up nicely for Spain now if they can avoid defeat against Croatia.

Will be fantastic for them if Portugal also end up in the bottom half of the draw. Great opportunity for Wales to progress to the last eight here and even beyond as Belgium are not playing to their potential. England could be ruing the team selection if we end up playing Portugal and Wales play against Albania.

Just poor tonight though, yet the commentators are just so positive. I don't get it.

We have been piss poor in all three games.  Let's not forget who we are playing in this group.

Gonna be the same problem for Wales.
They were shocking against us and their defence will get taken apart when they do play someone decent.

[mondatoo]

Piss poor is just a beyond ridiculous statement to make, nearly as much so as the cringeworthy Woy posts itt. This is ofc coming from a blinkered, idiotic, patriotic (PC wanker re the Woy criticism obv) England fan (ignoring the fact I said we may not get out the group of course). Germany played a drab 0-0 draw, does that mean they are awful also ? France took 89 mins to break Albania down so they are surely woeful as well.

It's just fucking drivel, why England fans have to be so negative I have no idea. Who of the players that have played in 3 games so far would you say hasn't gave 100% ? If the answer to that is nobody then wtf is there to complain about ? We aren't a team full of stars, we don't have one Superstar in the whole team, why not just be glad they are through and appreciate they are giving it there all instead of wanting to rip shreds off them ? Plenty in the past rightfully deserved criticism, I just don't see that here at all. When we play a Germany or a Spain we will very likely get hammered and be on the next plane home, why fucking bitch and moan every game until that point if we are giving it everything and not playing that poorly either.

[hhyftrftdr]

Can we still blame Sterling for tonight? I'm unsure.

[anthonyl]

Extremely poor. At least Hodgson won't now have his contract renewed.

God knows how Barkley didn't come on, albeit off form towards end of season he would have been the player to unlock such a negative team.

France are beatable though and so is anyone from group F.

[david3103]

Piss poor is just a beyond ridiculous statement to make, nearly as much so as the cringeworthy Woy posts itt. This is ofc coming from a blinkered, idiotic, patriotic (PC wanker re the Woy criticism obv) England fan (ignoring the fact I said we may not get out the group of course). Germany played a drab 0-0 draw, does that mean they are awful also ? France took 89 mins to break Albania down so they are surely woeful as well.

It's just fucking drivel, why England fans have to be so negative I have no idea. Who of the players that have played in 3 games so far would you say hasn't gave 100% ? If the answer to that is nobody then wtf is there to complain about ? We aren't a team full of stars, we don't have one Superstar in the whole team, why not just be glad they are through and appreciate they are giving it there all instead of wanting to rip shreds off them ? Plenty in the past rightfully deserved criticism, I just don't see that here at all. When we play a Germany or a Spain we will very likely get hammered and be on the next plane home, why fucking bitch and moan every game until that point if we are giving it everything and not playing that poorly either.

Well said Way 

[david3103]

Can we still blame Sterling for tonight? I'm unsure.

Yes, if he'd converted any of his chances vs Russia we would have been top.

[TightEnd]

to answer Ray's question, i think he is far too harsh on the fans

Yes there has certainly been an unwarranted sense of entitlement about Egland's prospects for many major championships

and yes we don't have world class players

but finishing second in the group is entirely self-inflicted by the manager

of course this is results orientated, we should have been winning at half time and job done

but he's made six changes when we weren't guaranteed to win the group without a result. I could understand the strikers and could understand both full backs possibly but resting Rooney and Alli seemed a step too far to me

Surely he must have started with a first choice team and then rested players through substitutions if the situation allowed it? the imperative to anyone even with a cursory glance at the draw was to stay out of the bottom half and france/germany/italy

from a broader perspective he's picked two players in Wilshere and Henderson for the squad who are just coming back to fitness. Not a single winger in the squad (Townsend would have presented a very different challenge for Slovakia in the second half).

Compare to France for whom Payet and Kante didn't play qualifying, got picked on 2016 form and have both made a huge difference in the early stages of this championship. Deschamps went for form not reputation.

Wilshere and Henderson played qualifying, Hodgson is stubborn and loyal and picks them on past form and they are both disappointing when required.

As for Barkley, what's he doing in the squad? Awful season, devoid of confidence, Hodgson doesn't see him as an option off the bench even when he is rotating in a third group game.  

I think all of this is the frustration that gets expressed, and you don't need to think that England should be winning the competition or every game to express it. Nor do you need to think that any player isn't giving 100%, clearly they are and its an irrelevance to the complaint. The complaint is with Hodgson. We're average but better tactics and selections would maximise outr chances, such as they are, more