The EURO 2012 Thread

[Beanz]

Yeessssssssss!

[AdamGB]

Anyone who wouldn't pick Rooney to play for England has a serious hate problem and a very limited grasp of what constitutes a great player, which he is and always has been.

Don't follow football much but where was this great at last tornemant? He looked like he couldn't be bothered.

Is he only a great when he's not playing for england?

[OumaFan]

woah

[Cressa121]

Top of the group and Italy in the next round. Whatever happens we've done well to get out of this group with 7 points.

[Beanz]

We're not going home, we're not going home, we're not going,we're not going, we're not going home!

[OumaFan]

France are an odd team. 2-0 to Sweden is a shitty way of backing into the next round.

I saw somewhere that maybe the Ukraine were offsides on the non-goal, but they didn't mention that on ESPN. Probably because Steve McManaman and Ian Darke hate England. Its still not an easy call to make in real-time but its just odd how they resist goal-line technology.

I thought England were pretty good in the second half. Gerrard the player of the tournament for them so far.

[Saddo]

I knew we could do it

[Mark TKO]

and so to Sunday and the torture continues

completely underwhelmed tonight

Didn't know about the offside till ITV studio reviewed it after the game. In which case justice done - as I think Ukraine would have gone on to win it

four days stress free to come then Sunday. Am I not looking forward to Sunday....

[TitoFan]

I enjoyed the game. I thought Ukraine played well, and probably even got screwed out of a goal, but that's the breaks. England got screwed in the World Cup on an even worse goal non-call..... so at least they got this one in their favor.

So to my British saddo buddies.... congrats for the win, and good luck against Italy in the next round!

[OumaFan]

I'm a bit surprised how much Gerrard has stood out for this team. He has carried England. Wasn't sure he was at that level at this point in his career. Far and away England's best player.

Bit disappointed there was no more Croatia because of Modric, what a player. Amazing.

[OumaFan]

Memphis, its time to go to sleep.

[Memphis]

I don't want to go all Miles and moan after every game so I'm just going to say that I'm made up we're into the quarters.

In Roy we trust!

[Beanz]

I listened to 5 live after the game yesterday and realised why I usually give it a miss. It was full of people moaning, including the host, an Irish guy who said that Steve Mcmanaman had just passed him and given a thumbs down sign. The host and some callers were saying that England reminded them of Greece a few years back and that even if they won the tournament playing in such a way would remove all the joy from it. One caller agreed saying it was a disaster for English football. What is wrong with these people? For more years than I care to remember I have watched an overrated English team struggle to perform under unrealistic expectations. Talented club players have imploded trying to emulate a Continental style of football that an ill equipped national youth and coaching system has ill prepared them for. We have recently employed highly rated foreign club coaches at exorbitant fees who have despite being indulged by the FA and similarly indulging the players have failed to achieve. We now have a fairly young team, coached for just a few weeks by an English manager with ample international coaching experience and have qualified at the top of our group. We may be playing more like the Greece of 8 years ago and the Italy of 12 years ago, but both those teams won the championship they played in. We look like a team, better when not in possession than when on the ball granted, but we have shown glimpses of great creative attacking play with the passing of Gerrard and the runs of Walcott, Wellbeck, Oxlaide- Chamberlain and Rooney. Whatever happens here on in is a bonus, but if we do win it by playing ugly I will not be moaning and missing the histrionics and failures of the past.

[Cressa121]

See Master, he's class

[Kirkland Laing]

In the last sixteen years, when they've got past the groups stages in tournaments, England have won exactly two games. They beat Denmark and Ecuador who were both considered the weakest teams to make it through the group stages at each tournament. Basically, on the occasions that we manage to qualify for a tournament and then make it through the group stages we lose to the first half-decent team we come up against. To win this one we'll have to beat Italy, Germany and Spain. So let's not get too carried away.