Euro 2024 - Group Stage: This format is bollocks

[Ian]

Euro 2024 Group Stage


OPENING MATCH: Germany vs. Scotland - Friday 14th June

The Groups


The Knockout Bracket

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So yeah, not a huge surprise but shoehorning extra teams in is a bit crap, innit? Not sure if I'm being a dimwit but from the bracket it's not clear to me how it's decided which 3rd placed teams end up facing who, and this whole thing meaning some runners up just get to play each other is rubbish. Runner up of group D in particular looks to get a particularly cushy number on paper. That on top of the presumably even higher rate of drama-free games. Group stages can be naff enough without lowering the stakes.

Also have another plug for this: Euro 2024 Competition - free to play

Don't say I'm not good to you, Baz.

[Magic]

Best way to do it.

We're going to get absolutely thumped.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Something really bothers me about the middle two groups only having three flag colours between the eight teams. What are we doing here?

[Waffdon]

Even if by some miracle Scotland get 2nd we face either Spain, Italy or Croatia? Amazing. Belgium, Italy or Spain if we finish 3rd and go through.

Fuck me

[Jimmy Floyd]

It's the European Championship, pal, not Nations League B.

[Waffdon]

Of course but I was hoping with the sheer amount of teams going through the bracket might flip and they’d be dossing it up with the mongs in group E and F.

Runners up in France’s group loving life

[-james-]

Even if by some miracle Scotland get 2nd we face either Spain, Italy or Croatia? Amazing. Belgium, Italy or Spain if we finish 3rd and go through.

Fuck me

3rd place would be the winner of Group B, E, or F. The latter two could easily throw up a Ukraine/Turkey.

[Baz]

Also have another plug for this: Euro 2024 Competition - free to play

Don't say I'm not good to you, Baz.

Cheers Ian. 217 responses so far.


Got my wallchart up and permission slip signed to go the pub on Father's Day for England's opener.

Also if anyone fancies doing Fantasy Euros, how about a TTH league?



https://gaming.uefa.com/en/eurofanta...61006C0066/Baz

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I assume Spikey will be cheering for Germany.

[Spikey M]

Only against Poland.

[Yevrah]

I hated the format going in last time but the group stages were pretty good, so whatever. It's probably one of the least objectionable tournament structures UEFA and FIFA have presided over lately.

[Baz]

Too many thirds go through.

[John Arne]

Excel tracker for those geeks. https://www.excely.com/football/uefa...schedule.shtml

[John Arne]

Futmob have a cool little predictor thing... https://predict.fotmob.com/euro2024

[niko_cee]

Does that have Denmark winning England's group? Look at the state of the bracket they end up in. Southgate should be summarily dismissed if they fail to win the group.

[Shindig]

I'm not sure about Germany making it that far. The goals can't all come from Leroy Sane.

[Ben]

Do an Ivory Coast and lift the trophy with Harry Maguire as gaffer.

[Waffdon]

I'm not sure about Germany making it that far. The goals can't all come from Leroy Sane.

Why would any of the goals come from him? He barely ever scores

[Magic]

Hoping Belgium finish with nil pois.

[Kikó]

The in laws are joining in a few days and the father in law is going to all three Scotland games. Unfortunately, my gran in law just died so it's thrown all the initial plans into the bin.

Next week Lee, Duke and I will be throwing chairs at England Denmark.

[Magic]

Sorry to hear. Is he still going to the games? My soon to be brother in law has cycled over lol.

[Kikó]

Yeah, he's having to now fly directly to Munich with my brother in law. Luckily the flights aren't crazy expensive from Lisbon.

[Waffdon]

The in laws are joining in a few days and the father in law is going to all three Scotland games. Unfortunately, my gran in law just died so it's thrown all the initial plans into the bin.

Next week Lee, Duke and I will be throwing chairs at England Denmark.

Hope he drops the Scot’s patter over there

[Kikó]

I don't think he's going to be mute.

[Spikey M]

Next week Lee, Duke and I will be throwing chairs at England Denmark.

Cheers for the invite lads. Nice one.

[Kikó]

It was in the group which you chose to mute.

[Kikó]

Also Mellin is waiting on his latest cash installment for the risk free investment scheme.

[Shindig]

Why would any of the goals come from him? He barely ever scores

I just picked a name at random, to be honest. I just can't see Germany going that far without someone having a revelatory tournament.

[Manc]

Germany hosting means they'll lose in the final as is tradition.

[Shindig]

Can't be that much of a tradition. They didn't even make the final in '88.

[Manc]

England, France, Portugal. Obviously you can ignore the smaller nations.

[Shindig]

I don't remember us getting to the final in '96 either.

[Spikey M]

I got France in the work sweepstake so that's them not winning.

[Baz]

I got France in the work sweepstake so that's them not winning.

Was it in a kinder egg thingy? What’s the prize(s)?

[Spikey M]

Nah, just paper folded and picked from a cup. Dunno what the prizes are. Only £2 to enter so won't be much.

[Waffdon]

Bet they still award prizes to the top 3 or 4 like my pathetic work. Should be all or nothing and none of this runners up nonsense

[Shindig]

There's a bottle of whiskey up for grabs and a half-day for ours.

[Dquincy]

Bet they still award prizes to the top 3 or 4 like my pathetic work. Should be all or nothing and none of this runners up nonsense

Should be top two and a wooden spoon prize for the worst team.

[Spikey M]

I'm with Waff. At £2 a pop, there's £48 up for grabs. That should just go to the winner, but at a minimum it will be first and second place splitting it. Possibly more than that, which would be bollocks.

[Shindig]

Ayoze Perez being in the Spain squad completely passed me by.

[Dan]

Dutchies falling apart before the tournament even starts - Frenkie de Jong was ruled out at the start of the week, then Koopmeiners picked up an injury & is out too, and now Bwian Bwobbey has gone down.

[Baz]

So long as Xavi Simons stays fit.

[John Arne]

I keep swinging from optimism to pessimism with England.

I think I'm going in the negative.
We face Serbia with a CB who ended this season pretty terribly and was dropped (Stones) alongside... Well, we don't know, probably a recently crocked Palace defender. Our left back is a right back and our right back is 33 and hasn't played well for England for a long time. Keeper has short arms.
Our midfield will feature a player who has started ZERO games for his club in that position last season (ex for 1 EFL cup game), but to be fair, Rice (I don't personally rate that much - way too immobile, but seems to be loved by everybody else) should be decent enough as a water carrier and Bellingham, who is class.
Front 3 are decent.
2-1 Serbia.

[Ben]

Piss off.

3-0 England. This is our year.

[Spikey M]

It had better be, because the next opportunity comes after 60 years of hurt and I'm not sure I can stomach another Three Lions reboot.

[John Arne]

Piss off.

3-0 England. This is our year.

[Baz]

Jones is ill isn’t he? Guehi and Gomez.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I have no idea what Serbia have done since that pathetic game at the World Cup when they decided to draw 3-3 with Cameroon for absolutely no reason, and for that reason I think we will win 6-1.

[Shindig]

Well, I picked out Georgia and Switzerland for the work sweepstake.

[phonics]

I have no idea what Serbia have done since that pathetic game at the World Cup when they decided to draw 3-3 with Cameroon for absolutely no reason, and for that reason I think we will win 6-1.

All I know is I'm certain that even if you factored in 6000 years of tactical innovations that Serbia would still be doing near post flick ons on every corner.