EURO 2012

you know i'm obliged to do an "England did not play competitively this year" line now, right?

there was some complaint in italy when roma scored seven vs someone crap a few years ago (when they were playing the og 460)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yvk-M2KPG1U

oh yeah well i'll believe anything with italian's bizarro honour/corruption confection

i do quite like prandelli's code of conduct thing although he'd probs get sued or something doing that in england

what was the reaction when united gubbed roma that time, fair dos theyre foreign savages or this is just not cricket?

"Last night was an epochal beating that Italian football has never previously suffered at the hands of the English," says Roma fan and columnist Candido Cannavò. "Now I run to father Dante to find out what circle of Hell my beloved Roma has fallen into: maybe that of the proud and vainglorious. Conceding three goals in eight minutes could only have happened to a squad that thought it was divine."

conceding three goals in eight minutes is forgiveable, conceding a goal to alan smith (who hasn't scored in any of the five following seasons iirc) will besmirch their name for eternity

actually he scored two whole goals on his loan spell at mk dons last season, no word on which teams were responsible though

sheff utd of course

Wow, I'd forgotten Alan Smith existed.

For many it felt like a necessary game too, one that not only closed a unique cycle, of Euros-World Cup-Euros, but closed the debate too. Amid the criticism and accusation, the final felt like the kind of performance Spain needed.

XA: No, no, no. We were secure and calm, confident in what we were doing, confident that we were doing things the right way. I thought a lot of [the criticism] was demagogic. I laughed at a lot of what I read.

You read it? Footballers always say they don't read the papers

XA: No, I read things. I read things, but I don't change my mind because of them. I am very clear in my own mind. I knew what was being written in 'X' country or the other country. I laughed a lot. A lot.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jul/03/spain-euro-2012-xabi-alonso

awes quotes

I'm watching the final now. I was in a pub with a non-football-liking person on Sunday night and saw bits out the corner of my eye, knew the score etc. but didn't get to fully appreciate it. At half time now. I think Jordi Alba's goal is gott if only because the run he made was oh so very spectacular in a way you never really see. It is things like that which should make Spain a lovable team and it is a shame they were much more reserved in the France and Portugal games.

This Spain isn't the best international team of all time. The Spain of 2008 is imo. If only because 2012 Spain have two positions not playing to ABSOLUTELY-PERFECT-STANDINGS as Cesc just isn't a v good false 9 and they do not, now or ever, actually need XA AND SB when they could have someone provide width. But these seem like such minute details regarding what is 9/10ths of the same team. Oh and I've obviously not seen those Hungary or Uruguay or Brazil teams to compare.

Spain 08-12 basically counts as the same team. Villa and Puyol would have been in there had they not been injured.

Marcos Senna, how quickly we forget

Capdevilla and Torres rip

This sort of thread is why I Love Football exists. It is ILX's version of the pub where endless footie conversations take place every single day and night of the week.

***---> Endless! Footie! Conversations! <---***

When such a heaven exists, why would anyone not want to go to heaven?

One day, eventually, we will run out

one day we will tog out, you mean

'Only' the one nine, isn't it? (v Ipswich in 95)

Ipswich totally deserved that stuffing after the misery of the 6-0 defeat they dished out to Man Utd in 1980 iirc.

― gonna send him to outer space, to hug another face (NickB), Wednesday, July 4, 2012 1:31 PM (7 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

totally deserved. as an ipswich fan living in manchester i'm not sure where to start with that sort of one-eyed nonsense.

haha. reading about that cruyff testimonial. pretty funny in a cruel kind of way.

Actually the real best thing about the Cruyff testimonial is Cruyff unashamedly having a fag in the middle of the game.

are there any good articles on it

Is that real, Matt?! Awesome.

Tiny bit in The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/jun/22/least-successful-testimonial-match-ever):

And take Johan Cruyff's farewell fixture for Ajax against Bayern Munich. You might think the result doesn't matter in a testimonial and, by and large, you'd be right, but what about when the team you invite turn up and give you a proper shoeing?

"The German champions wanted to show their Dutch counterparts something after earlier defeats and not being welcomed at Schiphol Airport," writes Dave G Boham. "They even had to sleep at a sub-par hotel. After jeers from the crowd, they showed their hosts something. Three goals were disallowed during the 8-0 hammering dished out by the Bavarians. The Ajax players just wanted to have a good time. In 2006, Bayern apologised."

I didn't get to watch much of the tournament (combo of working when games were on/not actually being fussed about it at all), but did I get any predictions right? http://noisey.vice.com/blog/euro-2012s-most-predictable-soundtrack--cliches

The Song They'll Probably Use: "Sexy And I Know It" by LMFAO. It works on two levels, one for the actual sexy shots of buxom Swedish girls picked out by pervy camermen (no doubt on the behest of Lineker) and for ironic purposes when juxtaposed against some beer-bellied brute from Dagenham doing the Macarena.

I feel like this was done at some point.

The song at least; I can't remember the setting.

England's exit got a cover of 'In The End' by Linkin Park. I don't think anyone could summon the enthusiasm for a Torres montage, but his kids were cute.

who did the horrible cover of "thriller" after the final?

Imogen Heap.

Zonal Marking's TOTT http://www.zonalmarking.net/2012/07/04/zms-team-of-euro-2012/

---------------------------Casillas--------------------------
--Pereira-----------Pepe----------Ramos-------------Alba-----
---------------------------Pirlo-----------------------------
--------------------Khedira-------Mountinho------------------
-------Jiracek-------------------------------Iniesta---------
---------------------------Fabregas--------------------------

Jiracek?

where did rooney go?

went to grab lunch