Everything Euro 2012!

Renn

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=79063861&postcount=218

mike65

(not to self, always check the previous page)

kitakyushu

fryup wrote: »

could ireland do a greece in the euros???

win every game 1-0 whilst playing ultra defensive football..boring all neutrals to tears in the process

They could. I reckon they won't tho. Greece were already systematically grinding out 1-0 after 1-0 in the qualifiers. Ireland by comparison have been unconvincing. It's a generally a myth that teams suddenly just "turn it on" in the finals. That goes doubly so for small teams like us.

Beefy78

Denmark just turned it on in 92. That's the exception though.

kitakyushu

Beefy78 wrote: »

Denmark just turned it on in 92. That's the exception though.

I'd say there's some exception alright, but I wouldn't even count Denmark as one tbh. Check them out in qualifying. They had better results than some of the qualified teams. They won their last 5 quals in a row, even beat Yugoslavia in Belgrade.

I reckon teams who finish their qual groups strong (and esp ones who get big away wins) should be taken seriously no matter what country they are.

steelcityblues

Rekop dog wrote: »

They *could* but for every Greece there's tonnes of teams who turn up at Championships like this trying to play containing football and fail which you never hear about years on unlike the Greeks.

Switzerland in the last World Cup are a good example, apart from the Spain win.

Beefy78

kitakyushu wrote: »

I'd say there's some exception alright, but I wouldn't even count Denmark as one tbh. Check them out in qualifying. They had better results than some of the qualified teams. They won their last 5 quals in a row, even beat Yugoslavia in Belgrade.

I reckon teams who finish their qual groups strong (and esp ones who get big away wins) should be taken seriously no matter what country they are.

They had a very strong team as well.

kitakyushu

steelcityblues wrote: »

Switzerland in the last World Cup are a good example, apart from the Spain win.

Yeah, they were even more extreme than us in terms of defense. Between 2006-2010 they played 10 finals games conceding 4 goals.

Iirc they're the only team to ever get knocked out of a world cup without even conceding a goal.

Jimmy Iovine

homerjay2005 wrote: »

hotel looks a right s*it hole, very strange to put them in the middle of a town like that, you would think they would be well outside the city with places to walk around and relax away from the people.

Yea it's pretty dirt looking. I think one of their officials said they are aware that there will be problems with fans outside, especially female ones, and that the nightlife would be loud around. It's madness having it there. Throw them 10 miles outside the city in a 5-star hotel where no one can get within 700 metres without a pass. Perfect situation. This isn't.

Dolph Starbeam

Irish father of three goes AWOL for four days... ends up at the Euros

http://www.joe.ie/euro-2012/euro-2012-news/irish-father-of-three-goes-awol-for-four-days-ends-up-at-the-euros-0025572-1

greendom

Jimmy Iovine wrote: »

Yea it's pretty dirt looking. I think one of their officials said they are aware that there will be problems with fans outside, especially female ones, and that the nightlife would be loud around. It's madness having it there. Throw them 10 miles outside the city in a 5-star hotel where no one can get within 700 metres without a pass. Perfect situation. This isn't.

They should be 500 - 1000 miles away in the country where they are actually playing their matches.

Beefy78

A fair few teams are staying in Poland even though their games are in Ukraine. I'm sure Germany are doing it as well.

England never seem to get their base right. If they're in the centre then it's too noisy and too in the middle of things, if they're in the sticks then the players get bored.

Orando Broom

Beefy78 wrote: »

A fair few teams are staying in Poland even though their games are in Ukraine. I'm sure Germany are doing it as well.

England never seem to get their base right. If they're in the centre then it's too noisy and too in the middle of things, if they're in the sticks then the players get bored.

Do the FA pamper them too much? I remember 2002 they got all kinds of accoutrements, DVD players, MP3 players all top of the range stuff. None of which they needed really. Is there a culture of spoiling them to a point that they can't really be satisfied?

Oat23

Mark! wrote: »

Irish father of three goes AWOL for four days... ends up at the Euros

http://www.joe.ie/euro-2012/euro-2012-news/irish-father-of-three-goes-awol-for-four-days-ends-up-at-the-euros-0025572-1

Runs off and leaves his wife to look after 3 kids for a month over the summer? Arsehole if you ask me.

greendom

Beefy78 wrote: »

A fair few teams are staying in Poland even though their games are in Ukraine. I'm sure Germany are doing it as well.

England never seem to get their base right. If they're in the centre then it's too noisy and too in the middle of things, if they're in the sticks then the players get bored.

I saw a stat showing that England would travel 8000 miles or thereabouts. I'm not sure if that was just the group stages or for the whole tournament but it was definitely the second most (behind Holland). France in comparison are expected to travel a little over 1000 miles.

kitakyushu

Without wanting to give Capello or the FA too much credit I reckon there's something almost deliberate about Englands preparation. Putting them in the centre of a fairly busy city, making them train on a 4th division teams ground. They're even bringing them to Auschwitz concentration camp one of the upcoming days.

If I was a psychologist I'd almost guess it was a not too subtle way of telling the players "you are not special" and to put the prima donnas back in their place.

Beefy78

Orando Broom wrote: »

Do the FA pamper them too much? I remember 2002 they got all kinds of accoutrements, DVD players, MP3 players all top of the range stuff. None of which they needed really. Is there a culture of spoiling them to a point that they can't really be satisfied?

I think they probably do get pampered too much but I think that's a symptom of the bigger issue rather than the cause itself. I just think it's a cultural thing. Many of the England players are used to being 'the man' at their clubs, they've probably been accustomed to having everything their own way since they were 14/15 and suddenly they're shunted into this environment where they're locked in a hotel for 18 hours a day for a month (or two and a half weeks more usually ) with not a huge amount to do but think about the match and hear the English media cranking up the pressure.

I know the other big nations have similar issues but they seem to be less susceptible to the pressure-cooker environment than England do, possible due to a more grounded upbringing for talented young players, or possibly due to England not taking U19/20 and even U21 tournaments as seriously as they should. I think that's a big factor behind why Hodgson decided he could only take one of Ferdinand or Terry. Any problems are going to get magnified.

Obviously the plans for this tournament were all put in place months ago but if we qualify for Brazil 2014 I'd expect the campt to be set up perfectly if Gary Neville is involved as he's been involved in a load of these set-ups as a player and has been outspoken about the many issues they've had.

greendom

kitakyushu wrote: »

Without wanting to give Capello or the FA too much credit I reckon there's something almost deliberate about Englands preparation. Putting them in the centre of a fairly busy city, making them train on a 4th division teams ground. They're even bringing them to Auschwitz concentration camp one of the upcoming days.

If I was a psychologist I'd almost guess it was a not too subtle way of telling the players "you are not special" and to put the prima donnas back in their place.

Roy Keane wouldn't put up with it

Beefy78

greendom wrote: »

I saw a stat showing that England would travel 8000 miles or thereabouts. I'm not sure if that was just the group stages or for the whole tournament but it was definitely the second most (behind Holland). France in comparison are expected to travel a little over 1000 miles.

It'll be first class chartered flights though. They won't be stuck on Ryanair. It's not ideal but won't be at the top of my list of excuses if we come home early.

greendom

Beefy78 wrote: »

It'll be first class chartered flights though. They won't be stuck on Ryanair. It's not ideal but won't be at the top of my list of excuses if we come home early.

Perhaps not, but at this level matches are won and lost on the finest of margins. Why give your opposition an advantage before the match has even begun ?

Felexicon

DeFoe has flown back to England as his father died. He will not be replaced and will join back with the squad in due course

Beefy78

greendom wrote: »

Perhaps not, but at this level matches are won and lost on the finest of margins. Why give your opposition an advantage before the match has even begun ?

I'm sure Capello and his team felt that staying in Poland and commuting in was giving them the advantage over France, otherwise they'd be staying in Ukraine.

greendom

Beefy78 wrote: »

I'm sure Capello and his team felt that staying in Poland and commuting in was giving them the advantage over France, otherwise they'd be staying in Ukraine.

Perhaps.....
http://shakhtar.com/en/club/stb/

fryup

greendom wrote: »

And why base themselves in Poland when all their group matches are in the Ukraine - madness !

the ukraine must be worse than we thought

Felexicon

There are only 3 teams basing themselves in Ukraine and one of them is Ukraine. It's supposed to be a kip and the locals are clearly mental.

Also why are people saying Cappello and his team made the arrangements for the team base. It would have had very little to do with him. All associations employ someone to look after that side of things.

Do you think Trapp is looking at lastminutedeals.com to see where we'll be staying

Beefy78

greendom wrote: »

Perhaps.....
http://shakhtar.com/en/club/stb/

Yeah, looks amazing. But I think Capello was keen for a city-centre location after the dramas of South Africa two years ago.

Beefy78

Felexicon wrote: »

There are only 3 teams basing themselves in Ukraine and one of them is Ukraine. It's supposed to be a kip and the locals are clearly mental.

Also why are people saying Cappello and his team made the arrangements for the team base. It would have had very little to do with him. All associations employ someone to look after that side of things.

Do you think Trapp is looking at lastminutedeals.com to see where we'll be staying

Capello chose the location. The FA, and other associations, may well employ someone to handle the bookings but it would be completely directed by the manager and coaching staff. Picking the right base is a major part of the preparation for any national team.

Renn

Felexicon wrote: »

There are only 3 teams basing themselves in Ukraine and one of them is Ukraine. It's supposed to be a kip and the locals are clearly mental.

Also why are people saying Cappello and his team made the arrangements for the team base. It would have had very little to do with him. All associations employ someone to look after that side of things.

Do you think Trapp is looking at lastminutedeals.com to see where we'll be staying

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/feb/28/stuart-pearce-england-euro-2012

Jimmy Iovine

Pretty sure that Capello had a large part to play in the location. A lot of other people would have researched the area and what not but the final say would have been Capello's.

It's a crazy location. They've got to travel 1,500 km each way for two of their matches. It's a joke really. They could have found a hotel in Azerbaijan, or even Kazakhstan and they'd have been a few hundred kilometres closer.

Then there's the proximity to the main square in Krakow. What's to stop drunken fans walking past at night and keeping the players awake?

There is no way that this could be called a good choice.

Oat23

Ukraine isn't that bad, Poltava at least. It's got a terrible rep the past few months because of the dog thing (rightly so). I wouldn't call it a kip though!

They have waterpipes on the tables in hotels. Badass.

Felexicon

Renn wrote: »

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/feb/28/stuart-pearce-england-euro-2012

Are you trying to argue against my point with this link? It's a puff piece with no clear definition of what is happening with regard to preparations. Alot of "we'll sit down and look it over"

Obviously the manager will have a say in where the pre tournament camp is.

There was a documentary on RTE before the 2002 WC that showed a team from the FAI going to Japan to pick the team hotel and McCarthy was no where in sight

Beefy78

Felexicon wrote: »

There was a documentary on RTE before the 2002 WC that showed a team from the FAI going to Japan to pick the team hotel and McCarthy was no where in sight

Considering what happened later, maybe McCarthy should have been there then.

Felexicon

Beefy78 wrote: »

Felexicon wrote: »

There was a documentary on RTE before the 2002 WC that showed a team from the FAI going to Japan to pick the team hotel and McCarthy was no where in sight

Considering what happened later, maybe McCarthy should have been there then.

Not rally sure what you mean.

What happened later was 4 good performances and the team being unlucky to lose on penos to Spain

Renn

Jesus Felexicon, we're not saying Capello whipped out the credit card to book it ffs.

Jimmy Iovine

A lad I know in college is off to Poland today. Here's a picture of him and a few others in Dublin Airport. It's just so stupid it's brilliant.

Felexicon

Renn wrote: »

Jesus Felexicon, we're not saying Capello whipped out the credit card to book it ffs.

OK chill out. Didn't realise Englands hotel arrangements were such a touchy subject

Irishvillian

A few lads I know are heading over in this

The_Kew_Tour

Irishvillian wrote: »

A few lads I know are heading over in this

They the guys who won the competition on TV3?

Irishvillian

Yeah they left this morning some prize in fairness.

briany

I wonder is anyone going to chance driving a chip van over to Polkraine to provide a bit of an 'auld feed to hungry Irish fans before and after the games? :P

tolosenc

briany wrote: »

I wonder is anyone going to chance driving a chip van over to Polkraine to provide a bit of an 'auld feed to hungry Irish fans before and after the games? :P

Had looked into it. McDonald's sponsorship means relatively large exclusion zones around the stadia, unfortunately...

Jimmy Iovine

tolosenc wrote: »

Had looked into it. McDonald's sponsorship means relatively large exclusion zones around the stadia, unfortunately...

Drive out the campsites and park there. Pitch your tent at night and sell chips by day.

Felexicon

tolosenc wrote: »

Had looked into it. McDonald's sponsorship means relatively large exclusion zones around the stadia, unfortunately...

What no room for a Bimbos Burgers?

At least there will be no one getting a deep fried nappy

briany

Felexicon wrote: »

What no room for a Bimbos Burgers?

At least there will be no one getting a deep fried nappy

"Cheerio now, baldy conscience - KEEP IN TOUCH!! *Slams hatch*"

chillywilly

Can anyone tell me where to pick up some tri-colour bunting in South Dublin? Or anywhere in Dublin for that matter?

Jimmy Iovine

101 Great Goals is one of the greatest sites on the internet. They've just put up a link to the highlights from all of the European Championships, as far back as 1960. There aren't as many links to the earlier championships as you'd expect. The most recent ones have a lot of highlights of the games from the group stages and all the way up to the finals.

Link

shefellover93

Put down a few tips for the Euro's, would be honoured if you'd have a quick look at em. One wins back 2500 on a tenner bet! If you like don't be afraid to share around

Here

mike65

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jun/07/euro-2012-holland-racist-abuse

Euro 2012 was plunged into its first racism controversy after the black players in the Holland squad were subjected to monkey chants during an open practice session in the same city where England will also invite the public to watch them train on Friday.

Several hundred people targeted players such as Nigel de Jong and Gregory van der Wiel when 25,000 spectators attended the Dutch practice session at the Stadion Miejski, the home of Wisla Krakow.

The players, on the instructions of the captain, Mark van Bommel, responded by moving their training drills to the other side of the ground. "It is a real disgrace especially after getting back from Auschwitz [the Dutch squad had visited the concentration camp on Wednesday] that you are confronted with this," Van Bommel said. "We will take it up with Uefa and if it happens at a match we will talk to the referee and ask him to take us off the field."

Rekop dog

Ugh I've a bad feeling racism is going to rear it's ugly head all too often during this tournament.

cherryghost

Rekop dog wrote: »

Ugh I've a bad feeling racism is going to rear it's ugly head all too often during this tournament.

It was on the cards with the whole Ukraine ****e that's been leading up to it.