Euro 2016 thread

fnpt

Se didn't even need Ronaldo!! Lol

quarky

Pleased for CR. The ultimate professional. Shame for France though. Better side in the Tournament, but there you go.

metale

Payback for 2004?

jpttaylor

And thus ends a poor tournament. The expanded group stage is a dreadful idea that I pray UEFA abandon before 2020.

Clarky

jpttaylor said:

And thus ends a poor tournament. The expanded group stage is a dreadful idea that I pray UEFA abandon before 2020.

I can't say this was the most gripping tournament I've ever seen..
interesting though that so many lower teams did pretty well..
and also interesting that so many teams that did not dominate with possession won games..
defend like nuts, hit on the break

EricTheWeary

I liked that they won without Ronaldo, nothing against him as such just nice to see that it was a team effort and not just about one or two star players.

metale

Everytime the press mentions that team, even Portuguese press, it's only Ronaldo, Ronaldo, Ronaldo. So I agree with you, nice of the team to win as a team. The Portuguese's goalkeeper was great, nice saves.

Neil

Amazing win for Portugal considering they came third in their group stage and couldn't beat Hungary, Austria or Iceland. Boring game though, like many throughout this tournament. I don't think the 24 country format has bought anything to the competition. Quite the opposite in fact. Too many teams just parking the bus and not enough actual football IMO.

FX_Munkee

jpttaylor said:

And thus ends a poor tournament. The expanded group stage is a dreadful idea that I pray UEFA abandon before 2020.

Apparently EUFA think it works really well.
Nothing to do with having more teams in equalling more money, no nothing like that.

Snap

Second half of ET was pretty gripping to be fair. Quite enjoyed the tournament as a whole. It was fairly unpredictable in that the supposedly weaker teams were often quite good. England however were predictably disappointing, again.

TheBlueWolf

I enjoyed the tournament as a whole, it was great to see Wales and Iceland get so far and add a little romance to the game. I had hoped France would win but that's footie for you. England were so far beyond shit it was almost funny; Hodgson's leaving was inevitable but someone really needs to sit the players down and ask them what in the actual fuck they are doing that warrants their wearing the shirt IMHO. They seem to have gone from a team that used to have a chance to just turning up.

BigBearKris

For my team (Poland) it was a good tournament indeed. Overall though - I think it was rather boring and I got a feeling that either Italy or Germany would beat Portugal in that final. Of course it's a sport - so they did get knock out by France in earlier stage but France seemed to give its best in that game and was non existing in last night's final. Griezmman, Payet - nothing... lacking speed and energy. It was 50th minute of "The great Finale" and both teams were basically standing there waiting for something to happen. Apart from another astonishing English performance and smoke flares being thrown during Czech-Croatia game I don't think there was a single moment worth remembering format that tournament. Wasn't dreadful either, but just very mediocre. Fair play to Portugal though. Congrats!

Chuffola

I think the tournament was no worse / better than most World Cups / Euros I've seen (and the first I remember in detail was Argentina 78).  

Not sure I agree that the expanded tournament was to blame. Certainly not for the fans of NI / RoI - although even as a NI fan, I'll agree that the last 16 match against Wales was poor. But, my God, I had a ball during it in a pub in Portugal surrounded by NI fans in our tops and Wales fans in their's. Isn't that what it's all about really?

Tournaments are generally shite and, if you're lucky, there are 3 or 4 great matches and a few superb goals which, in future years we all look back on and think - what a tournament. But, in reality, they rarely are.

Japan / South Korea, South Africa, Germany - the three recent World Cups - were all awful. Spain 82 was good, I seem to remember - but mainly due to the brilliant Brazilians, who went out. And, of course, NI beating Spain to qualify from the group. Mexico 86 was awful until the England v Argentina match. Italia 90 was appalling in the group stages - filled with 0-0 and 1-1 matches. USA 94 had as poor a final as last night. Etc. etc. etc.

The best thing about Euro 2016 was the smaller nations and their fans - Wales, both sets of Irish, the Icelanders. 

Anyway, I'm glad its over. A few weeks of respite before the PL starts up again.

Rocker

Overall it was a very poor tournament. The expanded format worked fairly well IMHO. The biggest problem is as I see it is Extra Time. 90 minutes is long enough for teams to sort themselves out and score more goals than the opposition. But when they finish level, it should be straight into a penalty shootout. Using all the players, the best of eleven. Every player on the pitch caused the problem so they all should sort it out. I have written in the past that the same format as a Tie Breaker in tennis should be used. Team A takes one penalty, Team B takes two penalties, Team A takes two penalties and so on until all the players have taken their penalties or one side wins. It is not good to see good players cramping up or simply jaded in extra time play.

Ro_S

the final was a disappointing match.  I was expecting penalties come the end.

Ro_S

quarky said:

Pleased for CR. The ultimate professional.

Ronald[o] is the ultimate professional?  Uh?   He needs to sort out his sportsmanship; he's a poor role model in that respect.

fnpt

Ro_S said:

quarky said:

Pleased for CR. The ultimate professional.

Ronald is the ultimate professional?  Uh?   He needs to sort out his sportsmanship; he's a poor role model in that respect.

Really? Why? What bad examples did he set? He certainly did not get convicted for tax evasion. I'm not a die hard Ronaldo fan btw and he's too cocky sometimes but other than that, I don't see how he's a poor role model.

fnpt

And what happened last night is just really bad loosing from France (in addition to the aggression from Payet to Ronaldo): lighting the Eiffel tower with the French colours then turning it off? Really?

Ro_S

fnpt said:

Ro_S said:

quarky said:

Pleased for CR. The ultimate professional.

Ronald is the ultimate professional?  Uh?   He needs to sort out his sportsmanship; he's a poor role model in that respect.

Really? Why? What bad examples did he set? He certainly did not get convicted for tax evasion. I'm not a die hard Ronaldo fan btw and he's too cocky sometimes but other than that, I don't see how he's a poor role model.

As I said, I'm referring to Ronaldo's sportsmanship,   I'm referring to his career generally and in this tournament, too.  

When Portugal drew v's Iceland, at the final whistle Ronaldo's wouldn't acknowledge any of the Iceland players or shake any of their hands.  He went off in a strop.  I saw it happen at the time.  Later, he made sore loser type remarks about how Iceland played.

Snap

Football would be so much the better if FIFA issued an edict on behaviour, and each FA worked at it.

No-one talks to the ref but the captain
Diving, and other gamesmanship is 10 mins in sin bin
No swearing or dissent, 10 mins in sin bin
Ref is mic'd
Intro a TMO/similar

All the above work superbly in rugby and I think footy would benefit hugely from it. I don't see or hear any valid objection to any of those ideas.

I love the game, played it since I was a kid, but in the last few years as the players have got more and more up themselves, the on field antics, fakery and lack of respect  is making it less enjoyable to watch.