European Championships 2016 Draw

[Reg]

Nice to play Wales. Not sure we'll get through.

How many "best runners up" slots are there?

[Giggles]

Portugal aren't progressing from that group.

They're winning it at a stroll.

[Lee]

They're winning it at a stroll.

Austria will win that group unless Ronaldo can carry the rest of his team.

[Giggles]

Austria will win that group unless Ronaldo can carry the rest of his team.

There's few Austrians who would be head and shoulders above the rest of the Portuguese. The difference is that Portugal have a Ronaldo and Austria don't.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Nice to play Wales. Not sure we'll get through.

How many "best runners up" slots are there?

Four. Generally 4 points is more than enough. As ever I'll flag up the classic Guatemala situation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_F...ld_Cup#Group_D

[Boydy]

How does getting out of the groups work? Top two? That'd make 12. Are there some third place qualifiers for a round of 16? A playoff?

[Giggles]

How does getting out of the groups work? Top two? That'd make 12. Are there some third place qualifiers for a round of 16? A playoff?

Four best third place. Like the world cup used to work.

[-james-]

How does getting out of the groups work? Top two? That'd make 12. Are there some third place qualifiers for a round of 16? A playoff?

Yes, there's a week long mini-league before the knock-out games. 60 minute games, straight penalties if draws. Lisbon rules.

[Reg]

Ah, we'll get through. They really should leave it at 16 teams but heyho.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Yes, there's a week long mini-league before the knock-out games. 60 minute games, straight penalties if draws. Lisbon rules.

During which the group winners go and play a couple of exhibition matches in the Middle East.

[Boydy]

Yes, there's a week long mini-league before the knock-out games. 60 minute games, straight penalties if draws. Lisbon rules.

Shut up.

[Manc]

They're winning it at a stroll.

Fancy a wager?

[Baz]

Can someone post the groups? Don't wanna go searching in fear of spoiling MOTD.

[Giggles]

RTE are fucking doing my head in with this northy shit. Michael O'Neill interview my hole, let BBC Ulster cover that.

[Giggles]

Fancy a wager?

I don't gamble. If I started I'd be homeless by the summer.

[Bernanke]

The group stage is pretty useless if it only knocks out 8/24 teams.

[Browning]

Can someone post the groups? Don't wanna go searching in fear of spoiling MOTD.

France, Romania, Albania, Switzerland
England, Russia, Wales, Slovakia
Germany, Ukraine, Poland, N.Ireland
Spain, Czech Rep, Turkey, Croatia
Belgium, Italy, Ireland, Sweden
Portugal, Iceland, Austria, Hungary

[Foe]

Wales vs Slovakia
Austria vs Hungary
England vs Wales
Spain vs Croatia
Last 16- Probably Italy/Croatia

Woof.

[Baz]

Northern Ireland can get through that, yeah?

[Spoonsky]

That's a quality draw for Iceland. Belgium's group should be interesting too.

[Amigo]

Our allocation for the game against Austria - played at Stade de France - should be somewhere around 16,000.

Our national stadium holds 10,000, for comparison.

[Giggles]

Our allocation for the game against Austria - played at Stade de France - should be somewhere around 16,000.

Our national stadium holds 10,000, for comparison.

As with all the tinpot footballing nations, you'll get a huge amount of hangers-on for the likes of this. We'll have plenty of the same cunts that wouldn't even know how to find Lansdowne Road.

[Lewis]

We'll piss that, and lol at Mahow. Has he ever seen Poland in an actual tournament before?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Yarmolenko and Konoplyanka are better than just having a centre forward. Krainers for the win and hopefully a knockout game with Russia.

[Byron]

We'll piss that, and lol at Mahow. Has he ever seen Poland in an actual tournament before?

Probably not but he sure does like to support England losing, the traitor.

I'm just surprised he's not supporting Ukraine.

[Serj]

I'd like to have teams in the group that we haven't played very often in the last couple of years. England/Portugal, Hungary and Iceland would do nicely. If it's Germany, Sweden and Ireland again I'll be furious.

[Mellberg]

What's Scotland's group like?

Oh lol.

[Foe]

A friend of mine has Belgium vs Ireland and Italy vs Ireland tickets.

He's quite pissed off that Ireland got that playoff place.

[Jimmy Floyd]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/35085893

I reckon we should give him the job for life, like Stalin.

[Mellberg]

Four. Generally 4 points is more than enough. As ever I'll flag up the classic Guatemala situation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_F...ld_Cup#Group_D

England getting out the group stage without scoring a goal is better. Then proceeding to get knocked out 1-0.

[Foe]

Anyone got any plans to go to this?

I've just booked my flights to / from France. I'm going from 18th June - 1st July (despite Scotland not qualifying )

Hopefully catching 5 games whilst I'm there:
Bordeaux 21st June: Spain vs Croatia
Lille 22nd June: Italy v Ireland
Lille 26th: Someone vs Someone else.
Paris 27th: Winner of group vs runner up (probably Italy/Belgium vs Croatia/Turkey)
Marseille 30th: QF

Quite excited now, even though I've booked nothing outside of flights.

I've also got these tickets which I'm either going to shunt back / swap or sell on.

11th June Bordeaux: Wales vs Slovakia
14th June Bordeaux: Austria vs Hungary
16th June Lens: England vs Wales.

Any of you lads planning a jaunt across the channel?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Bordeaux to Lille in that time will be entertaining.

If the number of people I've heard claim they're going to the Euros actually go, I'll have the country to myself in June.

[niko_cee]

I'm going to both semis.

How the fuck did you get so many tickets Foe?

[Foe]

I'm going to both semis.

How the fuck did you get so many tickets Foe?

Me and two friends applies for a fucking load of tickets, assuming we would get none.

I got 5 games, my friend got 5 games and my other friend 3.

There's only one overlapping game too. We've got 4 tickets to each game too. If we were Austria, Ireland or Wales fans we'd be sorted. Unfortunately, we're not.

Both semis is though, how'd you wangle that?

[Foe]

Bordeaux to Lille in that time will be entertaining.

If the number of people I've heard claim they're going to the Euros actually go, I'll have the country to myself in June.

It's a 9pm game on the 22nd, so effectively got all morning to get there via plane or train. It's not pleasant, but it's comfortable.

[niko_cee]

Same strategy, applied for a fuckton of tickets with 4 other people, all we came up with was 2 sets of 4 for the semis, which was unexpected (and fairly brilliant). Was supposed to be going for the first week, but am now there for 6 days from July 10th. Amsterdam (fuck knows), Lille, Paris, Lyon, Marseille or something like that.

[Foe]

Same strategy, applied for a fuckton of tickets with 4 other people, all we came up with was 2 sets of 4 for the semis, which was unexpected (and fairly brilliant). Was supposed to be going for the first week, but am now there for 6 days from July 10th. Amsterdam (fuck knows), Lille, Paris, Lyon, Marseille or something like that.

I think we got incredibly lucky. Maybe because we applied really close to the deadline and the system was borked. The England v Wales tickets I got are bitter sweet. On the plus side they're desirable tickets I'll have no bother shifting them on (£££) but on the downside if it was a non England 1st seed game I'd have probably gone. Would've been cool if it was Germany or Portugal.