Euro 2020/21

[-james-]

Seen a few murmurings of the UK hosting the Euros this summer and it makes almost too much sense. The thought of it has perked me right up tbh even though yes, the Euros are wank.

They're not getting cancelled, and having 24 teams flying around for group games seems even more of a logistical nightmare than just binning the current plan and hosting it at a bunch of 90s FA cup semi final venues.

[Waffdon]

Will be held in Israel

[Giggles]

Euros are infinitely better than the World Cup.

[Lewis]

Israel isn't hosting anything with its Sunday league grounds and security considerations.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I saw this reported too, but if people think the Europeans are going to hand the borderless championship to Brexit Britain on the strength of its fast vaccination programme then I think they're being a bit naive.

It makes complete sense to do so though.

[Shindig]

Nah, not unless you're fine with the crowds being exclusively British as we quarantine all the new arrivals.

[-james-]

Euros are infinitely better than the World Cup.

Bollocks.

Both are largely quite bad in terms of on field entertainment, but at least the world cup has a bit of variety about it. A bad Uruguay - Egypt is better than a bad Austria - Portugal. Not to mention the 24 team format which means nobody bothers trying to score during the group stage.

[Giggles]

Should be back to 16 but it’s still better by not having the token African and Asian teams.

[Spikey M]

Jimmy is going to go nuclear at that.

[-james-]

What about the token Irish?

[Giggles]

What about the token Irish?

We rarely qualify for such things. And if it was 16 we never would again, as it should be.

[Giggles]

Jimmy is going to go nuclear at that.

You can be a fan of shit soccer, I know only too well given the club action I see every week and fair play to him, but that still doesn’t mean they belong at the top level.

[-james-]

Ireland are eternally around the 16th best team in Europe. Should really just cut it down to 4 teams though and have England, Italy, Germany and France duke it out every four years.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The clue's in the name with 'World' Cup, if it was 10 European teams and six sets of diving Latins you wouldn't be getting a good representation of the global game. 'Quality' simply does not matter at all, as the best teams will always qualify regardless.

[-james-]

You can be a fan of shit soccer, I know only too well given the club action I see every week and fair play to him, but that still doesn’t mean they belong at the top level.

All international football is shit. I'm pretty sure the way you win tournaments is just to be as boring as possible.

[Giggles]

Ireland are eternally around the 16th best team in Europe. Should really just cut it down to 4 teams though and have England, Italy, Germany and France duke it out every four years.

I never mentioned Ireland anyway, you lot don’t have to turn every thread into the Daily Mail comments section. Jimmy has already made a better stab at it 4 or 5 posts in anyway.

There probably is a good argument for it to be less than 16 teams though, you’re correct. 4 would be too few though as you’d need the likes of the Spanish, Belgians, and Dutch there too. 6-8 and play it as a league.

[Giggles]

The clue's in the name with 'World' Cup, if it was 10 European teams and six sets of diving Latins you wouldn't be getting a good representation of the global game. 'Quality' simply does not matter at all, as the best teams will always qualify regardless.

The ‘World’ Cup should be the best X number of teams in the ‘World’ rather than some geographical tokenism.

[Spikey M]

It should be every nation in the world, unseeded and every game is a knockout. :drool:

[Jimmy Floyd]

The ‘World’ Cup should be the best X number of teams in the ‘World’ rather than some geographical tokenism.

How would you determine that?

[-james-]

It should be every nation in the world, unseeded and every game is a knockout. :drool:

I can get behind this. The seethe on Giggles at an Iran - Top Ireland final.

[Manc]

The Euros isn't real.

[Giggles]

How would you determine that?

I would be the one to do it.

[-james-]

There probably is a good argument for it to be less than 16 teams though, you’re correct. 4 would be too few though as you’d need the likes of the Spanish, Belgians, and Dutch there too. 6-8 and play it as a league.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020%E2%80%9321_UEFA_Nations_League_A

[Ian]

It should be every nation in the world, unseeded and every game is a knockout. :drool:

:drool:

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'd be up for a global qualifying group of 6 teams each or whatever it would be.

'Gareth Southgate said he was 'cautiously optimistic' last night after Jesse Lingard's late deflected strike rescued a point in Turkmenistan. The Three Lions now visit Sri Lanka needing to win by three clear goals to hold off a late-charging Paraguay and clinch a place at next summer's finals.'

[Baz]

I’m not really bothered.

[phonics]

The Euros is better argument died the day they expanded it to the point that you no longer need a qualifiers for it. Just have the shit teams play a few playoff ties to decide like top/bottom Ireland vs Albania/whichever former Yugoslavia country didn’t beat the cut.

[Spikey M]

At this point the only interest international football has for me is the shit teams with part-time decorators and goat herders.

Most of the England team is deeply unlikeable. As are the French, Spanish, etc

[Shindig]

The World Cup still has a pull for me. That and the chaos of the African Cup of Nations.

[Raoul Duke]

I've got tickets for England vs. Scotland but no idea whether a) the game will happen and b) whether I'll be able to go

Might have to travel back to the UK and quarantine for a couple of weeks first :cab:

[Ian]

The crap teams being added to the Euros is rubbish but kinda irrelevant because who gives a shit about the group stages of any tournament (I say this but will watch all of it for Euros a d World Cups)? International tournament knockout is the best football and Andorra having an increased chance to lose 9-0 to Germany in group D round 2 doesn't change that.

[Mellberg]

Nah, it's bollocks. Any team finishing third in a group containing Iceland, Austria and Hungary should be on the plane home, not winning the tournament.

[Shindig]

I mean, if Hungary or someone managed to drag themselves to the semi finals, that'd be something.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Portugal won it last time having barely scored a goal in the group stage.

[Pen]

Euros are great, but with 16 teams, not 24.

[Pen]

We made it for the first time to this edition, so it’s fitting for our footballing history that no one gets to go and witness it. I have tickets for our Belgium game, but I’m not very hopeful I’ll get to see that.

[Ian]

Portugal won it last time having barely scored a goal in the group stage.

Only 4 teams scored more than them in the groups. Though admittedly three of Hungary's 6 came against Portugal, in a game I feel like I should remember but absolutely do not.

Looking through the scores I actually remember very little of it that wasn't the England/Wales game and the "fuck this" feel of the Iceland game.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I misremembered it as no goals, when really it was no wins.

[igor_balis]

The crap teams being added to the Euros is rubbish but kinda irrelevant because who gives a shit about the group stages of any tournament (I say this but will watch all of it for Euros a d World Cups)? International tournament knockout is the best football and Andorra having an increased chance to lose 9-0 to Germany in group D round 2 doesn't change that.

For me it's less the quality of teams, more the fact that over half the teams go through. I'd rather a 32 team euros than 24, but 16 would definitely be my preference.

[Mellberg]

Only 4 teams scored more than them in the groups. Though admittedly three of Hungary's 6 came against Portugal, in a game I feel like I should remember but absolutely do not.

Looking through the scores I actually remember very little of it that wasn't the England/Wales game and the "fuck this" feel of the Iceland game.

It was a really, really shit tournament. Wales - Belgium was decent and that Sturrridge goal was good for lolling at the Welsh, even if you knew it'd all end in tears for us eventually.

Think we drew with Russia in the opening game? 0-0? No idea who the other group game was against. A draw with Slovenia/Slovakia?

The best thing about the final was those fucking moths.

[Mellberg]

1-1 with Russia. 0-0 with Slovakia. What a load of shit :lol:

Still better than Portugal though.

[Browning]

In my head, the Iceland game was at least 5-1 to them. I've definitely added more goals in my head to account for just how shite we were.

The only good bit of 24 teams (though 32 would be better) is us getting an extra round of straight knock out. Needing just 3 points to be basically guaranteed to go through is shite.

[Jimmy Floyd]

16 was perfect for the Euros. Are you shite? You're not invited. Didn't buy off enough federations though so RIP.

And yeah the 2/3rds going to knockouts is awful due to the Guatemala problem.

If they have to have 24 then they should do 4 pools of 6 and in into the QFs, TV would like that too.

[Giggles]

Looking up some of those results because I’d no recollection led me to the fact that the Błaszczykowski lad that played for Poland owns the club he currently plays for.

[Giggles]

If you finish 3rd in a 4 team group then you should be fucking off home.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Looking up some of those results because I’d no recollection led me to the fact that the Błaszczykowski lad that played for Poland owns the club he currently plays for.

He's a part owner.

Their finances were a mess so he put some money into the club and instead of retiring decided he'd play for them without taking a wage.

[Ian]

that Sturrridge goal was good for lolling at the Welsh

The Scots in my case. We had it on in the office and I was surrounded by people gagging for England to lose and trying to get a rise out of me when they took the lead.