England vs France

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Comments

  • Oh I forgot to say that I share your sentiments about the Italians, Brunswick! Those people have done more to damage the beautiful game than any other nation.
  • wayfarer..you definitely come from the brian clough school of coaching. :-)
  • Apart from the drama at the end, that was actually a boring game. When you think how much ability there was on the pitch (not to mention the obscene amounts those players on show earn in a year), I think we're entitled to expect a little bit more entertainment.

    The good thing is that both teams will get better, I am sure. To do that though, England will need to start playing positive (as in attacking and not be afraid of conceding all the time) football and, yes, keep it a little better. Remember, the other team can't score while you have the ball!!
  • Err ... can someone explain what happen there?!?!!

    Sorry!
  • BR, I'm not making a negative comparison of Italy to England, I don't care what England do I'd hoping Germany defy the odds & win it, or failing that France - I just don't like the Italians. Granted they've got top quality defenders but I don't find them interesting to watch (ever seen the Serie A football on TV - marginally less exciting than that programme about pain drying). Also I don't like their persistent cheating.

  • what scots don't like is the way in which the pundits think England have a God given right to win and it is a national disaster if they lose. Winning means all we get for years a la 1966 is getting shown the team wining good old Jules Remy on the English, sorry British broadcasting company. At least the Scots are realistic unlike the English. By the way the rugby team has fallen a bit since the world cup. Does this mean they have to score tries and not just play for penalties since good old Johnny departed.
  • Wayfarer, you made a very strange point...twice! I can't agree the game was boring, it was far more subtle than your usual Premiership fair, but all the more enjoyable and gripping for it.

    On reflection, I think there is some comfort to be taken from the outcome. Unlike the 1998 World Cup when we screwed up in the league format and ended up in the top half of the draw having to beat Holland, Brazil and France to win even if we had beaten Argentina (as if!) finishing second as opposed to first this time does not have the same consequences.

    As long as the team react positively to the defeat, then all is not lost and we could meet France again in the final and have a reasonable chance of beating them. For all their possession last night there wasn't much end product until the nightmare injury time.
  • Go to France and their pundits think that France have a God given right to win and it is a national disaster if they lose.

    Same thing goes for Italy.

    Ditto Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Holland etc etc.

    And quite rightly so but it seems that it's only wrong for the English to be so supportive of their national team.

    Our other 'home nations' have such a big log on their shoulders about this.
  • It's better that England lost as they'll have something to play for if they meet France again this tournament. If they'd have won then it would have been the French with something to prove.

    Agree about the Italians, really boring football. They always managed to show a dire 0-0 match on Ch4's coverage, meanwhile there'd be a 6-5 ding dong going on elsewhere.

    It'd be good if the Dutch can earn their rep as the Brazil of Europe. The tournament needs a team that has more of a look of winners about it.
  • Not in the first game with any luck. As far as I am concerned Germany v Holland is THE game of this tournament. The first time they have met competitively since the semi-final of 1988 when Germany...well,...sort of didn't win in Hamburg. Germany must settle the long over overdue score tomorrow then I'll be content with Euro 2004 no matter what else happens. (except Holland winning the whole thing of course!)
  • anyway I see the knuckle draggers where out in force again last night as England lost. see what I mean about bad losers. Its ok going on about England winning but if Scotland (laugh) or Wales win then we never get the same coverage.
  • I really didn't understand that. Team loses so what's the solution? Set fire to a couple of police cars! Can't really see the logic of that. They weren't even French police cars!

    Is this a good sign for Portugal though. Perhaps the efforts to keep the hooligan element at home has worked and the riots will be here this time instead of the venues themselves.
  • HW2 - I am sorry but that's not how I saw it. If you have these supposedly world-class players who couldn't carve a clear-cut chance for a whole 90mins, I am sorry (call it 'subtle' if you want - others do!) but that is not what I call 'gripping & enjoyable'!!

    Arsenal, for instance, played a lot of gripping & enjoyable football in the Premiership this season. Know what I mean?!

    Brunswick, I think you're living a bit in the past! Holland v Germany might be a grudge match, but you just do not have enough good players to make it a great game of football. Holland CAN raise their game though but I doubt it - they need a psychotherapist in charge not a coach (they know how to play football - they just don't know how to behave themselves or be friendly with each other!).
  • brunswick,
    didn't holland and germany meet in 1990?i seem to recall voller and rikjard being sent off..rikjard for spitting.thatwas the dullest tournament of the lot.england/cameroon was the game of the tournament.
  • think they need a coaching session about what to do when you are winning 1-0 with 3 minutes to go .. basic stuff - get the ball up in the oppositions half, keep possession, dont give silly free kicks and fouls, anyone who plays a team sport should understand that and professional internationals even more so .. they lost it from a winning position ..werent mugged or robbed -just didnt concentrate and do a professional job of hanging on to a slender lead
  • here here buney! said with truth!
  • Yes, you're right Travis. Forgot that one. '88 was the last European Championship meeting & tends to stick in the mind as it was in Germany and Holland went on to be champions.

    I wouldn't say it was the dullest game of the tournament, that accolade must go to the final. Sod all of any consequence happened before Andrea Brehme's penalty won it five minutes from full time. Probably the least action packed final of all time.


    (but be honest, how many England fans were secretly pleased that Germany stopped Maradona & Argentina getting their hands on the trophy after THAT incident in Mexico?)
  • "Andreas" even. Changed his sex in a single slip of the keyboard!
  • As I said earlier - England lost (idiots!) rather than France won.

    If you know what I mean.

    As soon as Heskey came on I buried my head in my hands. He's a donkey and shouldn't even be in Portugal!!
  • If you say so Slide, but I hope for England's sake Erikkson doesn't think that because playing most of the game in your own half and allowing the opposition that much possession isn't my idea of a team in control of things.
  • Wayfarer, we are diametrically opposed it seems, all part of the fun.

    I think you have what is known as 'a bad point, well made'.

    But let's throw it open to the expert panel of formites, a quick straw poll, on a scale of 1-10 (1= dull as ditch water, 10= truly momentous and gripping), where will this game sit in the memory, pleasant or otherwise.

    For me, it's a 9.


  • I couldnt see the point of defending a slender 1-0 lead for the whole of the second half. England's strength is going forward not sitting back.

    Buney is absolutely correct. It was schoolboy football (with apologies to schoolboys everywhere). What was Gerrard thinking of??

    Its not the end of the world though. I cant remember Becks playing a poorer game for England and I'm sure he wont repeat his perfomance. And the performances of Rooney and King were top drawer. Even Cole played a blinder. Now if only Ericsson would take the blinkers off and drop Owen, Scholes and Heskey.

    Incidentally, talikng of Owen and Heskey, what sort of international team is it where neither of your two strikers have the bottle to take a penalty??
  • Beckham's captain and he did score a memorable one against the Argies.
  • ....by the way, at what stage do England lose to Germany on penaltys?
  • maybe a more experienced and inspiring captain would have been able to rally the team to keep discipline in that last few minutes - the lack of a really experienced old head in the middle of the defence maybe showed there ?

    Robson etal ?


    ( not a slight on Beckham more an observation that teams need someone with more experience to lead them - although he is a very marketable figurehead for England)
  • Dodge - Semi final, 1990 Italy and 1996 England :)
  • Italy didn't look much cop this evening. Mind you, they'll probably go and win it now.
  • both keepers were busy tho at least
  • True Buney - and I guess the heat comes into it for the early kick offs. Certainly did me in the Dunstable 10K yesterday!
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