Euros 2024

comrade powell wrote:Very entertaining semi final tonight with Spain just doing enough to win and we saw the goal of the tournament from the wonder kid. Let’s hope England and the Dutch can provide something similar tomorrow.

Who cares about the quality. Let's get a result.

comrade powell wrote:Bletso is the Euros champion (we'll never hear the end of it! )

It's Coming Home! It's Coming Home! It's Coming Football's Coming Home!

2weirdtown wrote:

comrade powell wrote:Very entertaining semi final tonight with Spain just doing enough to win and we saw the goal of the tournament from the wonder kid. Let’s hope England and the Dutch can provide something similar tomorrow.

Who cares about the quality.  Let's get a result.

And like it or loathe it we did. It's a results business and we got the result. Spain? That's for another day.

I actually thought it was pretty entertaining. For about 60 minutes of play that was England's best of the tournament and with a player as sharp as Watkins on much earlier would probably have been spared second half anxieties. Will Southgate be brave and start him against Spain?

League table after the semis

total points/name/SF points/predicted winners and the stage they reached...

22 bletso 2 france SF
20 mid chris 2 england FINAL
20 wsp 1 england FINAL
19 2weirdo 2 england FINAL
19 beau nash 2 england FINAL
18 mrs white 1 france SF
17 ashley 2 spain FINAL
17 ben e 1 neth SF
17 powell 1 france SF
10 ctwr 1 no entry

Predictions for the final

Please make 2 predictions for the final...

Spain v England

time of first goal....

A reminder that those level on points after the final will be ordered by how far their predicted winners progressed (winners of final take precedence over runners up)

A further tie breaker may be necessary and this will be based on your forum compos coefficient which minute you predict the first goal of the final to be scored in. Please don't choose the same minute as someone on the same points as you! Understood?

Spain v England

time of first goal.... 17

England 6

85

Ashley wrote:85

England or Spain?

comrade powell wrote:

Ashley wrote:85

England or Spain?

Spain, because of my original prediction.

England 20

I'll go for Spain on 60 just to keep my predictions going.

Spain v England

time of first goal....53

Spain v England

time of first goal....42 minutes

Spain 53

3 very exciting games for England in knock outs. Many a last minute goal and penalty shoot out win. I've Buzzed off every knock out game. Bellingham over head kick. 5 penaltys with composure and of course Watkins stunning finish in 90th minute. Hope we can beat the best team in tournament so far. Be hard but we've shown resilience and fight after ghastly Cup throwing and terrible support for Southgate and the team when they needed support the most. Team clearly united as a band of brothers and that's not as easy as people think. Some cliches in some teams. Coming from 0 1 down in 3 knock out games shows pure fight. Bring on Spain. Land of hope and glory.

As I said earlier in the compo, Southgate has a plan. It may not be what people want to see but it has been consistently successful. Modern players are incredibly pampered so he has done a great job moulding the evident team spirit. Good luck to him and his backroom staff and hope we do better than the women did against very talented Spanish players.

Too little too late from Southgate, thanks but he has to go now. Continuous failure of in game thinking.

Yes we did so much better under managers like Taylor, Erikson, Capello and Hodgson.

BenE wrote:Yes we did so much better under managers like Taylor, Erikson, Capello and Hodgson.

Taken us forward but total number of titles in last 58 years is still 0. Results business at the end of the day.

Yes his team selections were sometimes odd especially concerning his loyalty to the badly out of sorts Kane. But his record has fallen short of only Ramsey’s. He comes over as a really decent bloke which is becoming increasingly rare in football and he should hold his head high.

Luton Roman wrote:

BenE wrote:Yes we did so much better under managers like Taylor, Erikson, Capello and Hodgson.

Taken us forward but total number of titles in last 58 years is still 0. Results business at the end of the day.

So who’s going to convert this progress into titles? The FA probably won’t go near another foreign coach and I can’t think of an English coach knocking the door down.

Potter favourite amazingly, no elite experience, and Howe 2nd favourite who it may suit before given the push for lack of success with Newcastle.

I just hope that for once the FA will ignore the loud voices in the media and whoever tv asks down the pub. After the disaster which was Allerdyce, the decision to go with Southgate seemed almost enlightened and he has turned out to be a safe pair of hands as well as bringing relative success. I guess both Potter and Howe would be similar.