Dead tournament tbh. Don’t like the multi-country format or the structure of qualification from the group.

Apathy probably compounded by the dire performances Southgate has managed to coach out of a talented attacking squad.

comment by RB&W - Always a Legacy (U21434)
posted 9 hours, 6 minutes ago
Gareth will now probably rest players tomorrow.
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And probably play his best team.

Let’s be honest, we’re better off finishing second or third.

comment by Bãles left boot (U22081)
posted 4 hours, 18 minutes ago
At what point do they arm wrestle?
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Only after a stalemate in a game of chess. But the chess game only happens if they can’t decide a winner in the dance off

comment by Busby (U19985)
posted 15 minutes ago
Let’s be honest, we’re better off finishing second or third.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

We will have to play a good team at some point. We got the easy path to the final 3 years ago and still didn't make it losing to a country with a population less than half the size of London.

comment by Glazers_Out (SE85) (U21241)
posted 18 minutes ago
comment by Busby (U19985)
posted 15 minutes ago
Let’s be honest, we’re better off finishing second or third.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

We will have to play a good team at some point. We got the easy path to the final 3 years ago and still didn't make it losing to a country with a population less than half the size of London.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, but let’s have the good teams play each other first and tire one another out. I’d rather have another run to a semi than get slapped in the last 16. Dead tournament after that.

comment by Glazers_Out (SE85) (U21241)
posted 9 hours, 19 minutes ago
England vs Germany or England Vs Spain are the two most likely outcomes now although there are other ones too.

Not easy either way. I think I'd fancy Spain more than Germany. However it's nice being able to watch the games with no anxiety and pressure. Even though I'm English I don't get anywhere near as emotionally attached as I do with Utd and never have done. If they lose I am over it within 5 mins. When Utd lose it can take days or more before I am over it.
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Same with Spurs and England for me, I just don’t invest much time in England for it to become a long term disappointment

It’s a tuurd format and the multiple venues has made it ridiculous as it has given most of the home sides a huge advantage - and for some reason they have given the stronger sides that advantage.

comment by Striketeam7 - Was against the ESL from day one - Give quiche a chance (U18109)
posted 14 minutes ago
It’s a tuurd format and the multiple venues has made it ridiculous as it has given most of the home sides a huge advantage - and for some reason they have given the stronger sides that advantage.
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Partly agree with the last bit… but then Scotland, Hungary, Denmark and Russia all have home games while France (world champions), Portugal (European champions) and Belgium (top-ranked team) don’t.

You could argue that it’s not a home tournament for any side and thus more open.

I don't really relate to the Euros hate. We've had some great matches already (including Denmark's joyful win over Russia last night). The spread across multiple locations works for me, creating way more matches coloured by the passion of home fans. We've seen players emerge and players announce themselves (and we know from experience some of them will become stars while for others this will be their one moment). Fair enough: the 3rd place teams qualifying I don't particularly like, and if you want to include more teams, might as well go the whole hog and have 32 qualifying. I'm enjoying it, anyway.

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 7 minutes ago
I don't really relate to the Euros hate. We've had some great matches already (including Denmark's joyful win over Russia last night). The spread across multiple locations works for me, creating way more matches coloured by the passion of home fans. We've seen players emerge and players announce themselves (and we know from experience some of them will become stars while for others this will be their one moment). Fair enough: the 3rd place teams qualifying I don't particularly like, and if you want to include more teams, might as well go the whole hog and have 32 qualifying. I'm enjoying it, anyway.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't mind seeing some teams getting a good home crowd but I do think we have been a bit shafted having to play in Baku twice. I kind of understand playing Turkey there but we could have played the Swiss in Rome (with maybe Italy playing Turkey in Baku). For fans voted the best in France in 2016 it hasn't been great it being made that difficult. Having said that I do know we're in the middle of a pandemic and needs must and all that.

If it is spread across Europe again though I'd like it played in countries that can't host it's own Euros but do have one or two stadiums that do meet the criteria.

As for 3rd I don't mind that format really as it ensures the majority of games have something riding on them.

I don't mind the four 3rd placed teams concept to be fair, it gives other nations in tougher groups a chance of qualifying for the latter stages which I personally don't mind. Giving others an opportunity isn't a bad thing.

comment by Busby (U19985)
posted 1 hour, 55 minutes ago
Let’s be honest, we’re better off finishing second or third.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I think it will probably be a drab draw tonight and we'll stay in second.

I deliberately waited until we had finished second before praising the third place thing!

If they did want to get rid of the third place teams going through they could perhaps have a second group stage with four groups of three. Winners to go to SF. Or, perhaps a bit too much though, top two going into a QF.

comment by Clockwork Red (U4892)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by Busby (U19985)
posted 1 hour, 55 minutes ago
Let’s be honest, we’re better off finishing second or third.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I think it will probably be a drab draw tonight and we'll stay in second.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
England will win tonight. If Southgate makes changes the players coming in will want to impress. If he doesn't then those staying on the team will want to improve.

I think England will win the game fairly comfortably as they usually do in the group stages when the pressure is on. It’s the knockout stages that they start to wilt. Apparently Mount is missing the game due to a COVID scare so that might weirdly work out in Englands favour and get Grealish into the side. Maguire is back too apparently. The Czechs aren’t great and lost 5-0 at Wembley a couple of years back. 2-0 is my prediction. Take that to the bank.

comment by The Lambeau Leap (U21050)
posted 1 hour, 29 minutes ago
comment by Glazers_Out (SE85) (U21241)
posted 18 minutes ago
comment by Busby (U19985)
posted 15 minutes ago
Let’s be honest, we’re better off finishing second or third.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

We will have to play a good team at some point. We got the easy path to the final 3 years ago and still didn't make it losing to a country with a population less than half the size of London.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, but let’s have the good teams play each other first and tire one another out. I’d rather have another run to a semi than get slapped in the last 16. Dead tournament after that.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's be honest, we barely celebrated England went to semi final of the WC last time. It wasn't the same excitement as in WC90 or Euro 96. If Southgate managed England in Euro 96, Gascoigne would be benched so he can play an extra DM

comment by Diafol Coch 77 (U2462)
posted 27 minutes ago
comment by Clockwork Red (U4892)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by Busby (U19985)
posted 1 hour, 55 minutes ago
Let’s be honest, we’re better off finishing second or third.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I think it will probably be a drab draw tonight and we'll stay in second.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
England will win tonight. If Southgate makes changes the players coming in will want to impress. If he doesn't then those staying on the team will want to improve.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hope you’re right. I’d probably rather go through with some momentum and confidence, even if it means a potentially tougher second-round match, than scrape through with two disappointing draws.

Everyone is assuming France will win the Group of F, but they were held to a draw by Hungary and Portugal will quite likely revert to ultra defensive football in the final match.

comment by red_evils (U19878)
posted 33 minutes ago
comment by The Lambeau Leap (U21050)
posted 1 hour, 29 minutes ago
comment by Glazers_Out (SE85) (U21241)
posted 18 minutes ago
comment by Busby (U19985)
posted 15 minutes ago
Let’s be honest, we’re better off finishing second or third.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

We will have to play a good team at some point. We got the easy path to the final 3 years ago and still didn't make it losing to a country with a population less than half the size of London.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, but let’s have the good teams play each other first and tire one another out. I’d rather have another run to a semi than get slapped in the last 16. Dead tournament after that.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's be honest, we barely celebrated England went to semi final of the WC last time. It wasn't the same excitement as in WC90 or Euro 96. If Southgate managed England in Euro 96, Gascoigne would be benched so he can play an extra DM
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Isn't it also an age thing? If we were young enough to get caught up in the excitement of 1990 and 1996, we're definitely old enough to be jaded husks of the fans we used to be. Also, let's not forget that drab, disappointing performances outnumbered good ones in those tournaments.

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 11 minutes ago
comment by red_evils (U19878)
posted 33 minutes ago
comment by The Lambeau Leap (U21050)
posted 1 hour, 29 minutes ago
comment by Glazers_Out (SE85) (U21241)
posted 18 minutes ago
comment by Busby (U19985)
posted 15 minutes ago
Let’s be honest, we’re better off finishing second or third.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

We will have to play a good team at some point. We got the easy path to the final 3 years ago and still didn't make it losing to a country with a population less than half the size of London.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, but let’s have the good teams play each other first and tire one another out. I’d rather have another run to a semi than get slapped in the last 16. Dead tournament after that.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's be honest, we barely celebrated England went to semi final of the WC last time. It wasn't the same excitement as in WC90 or Euro 96. If Southgate managed England in Euro 96, Gascoigne would be benched so he can play an extra DM
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Isn't it also an age thing? If we were young enough to get caught up in the excitement of 1990 and 1996, we're definitely old enough to be jaded husks of the fans we used to be. Also, let's not forget that drab, disappointing performances outnumbered good ones in those tournaments.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Even in WC98, we went out quite early but we gave it a go, and there’s Michael Owen’s goal to remember. What do we remember about 2018? Penalty against Panama or some headers?

I don’t remember much from 2018 because I was very drunk every time England played. Think games just stick in your head and are of far greater importance when you’re a kid.

Euro 96 and France 98 are the two I remember best, aside from Germany 06 because I was there.

Venables and Hoddle were attacking managers. Either of them would’ve been better than Sven with the wasted (aka golden) generation.

I suppose Hoddle should count himself lucky though. If the cancel culture generation had been born/old enough to use a computer in 1998 then he’d have been lynched.

comment by red_evils (U19878)
posted 1 hour, 22 minutes ago
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 11 minutes ago
comment by red_evils (U19878)
posted 33 minutes ago
comment by The Lambeau Leap (U21050)
posted 1 hour, 29 minutes ago
comment by Glazers_Out (SE85) (U21241)
posted 18 minutes ago
comment by Busby (U19985)
posted 15 minutes ago
Let’s be honest, we’re better off finishing second or third.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

We will have to play a good team at some point. We got the easy path to the final 3 years ago and still didn't make it losing to a country with a population less than half the size of London.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, but let’s have the good teams play each other first and tire one another out. I’d rather have another run to a semi than get slapped in the last 16. Dead tournament after that.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's be honest, we barely celebrated England went to semi final of the WC last time. It wasn't the same excitement as in WC90 or Euro 96. If Southgate managed England in Euro 96, Gascoigne would be benched so he can play an extra DM
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Isn't it also an age thing? If we were young enough to get caught up in the excitement of 1990 and 1996, we're definitely old enough to be jaded husks of the fans we used to be. Also, let's not forget that drab, disappointing performances outnumbered good ones in those tournaments.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Even in WC98, we went out quite early but we gave it a go, and there’s Michael Owen’s goal to remember. What do we remember about 2018? Penalty against Panama or some headers?
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Lingard scored a really nice goal in 2018. You're right - it didn't stick in my mind, but I think that's because at my age I'm not wired to care about football the way I did. Similarly, Norman Whiteside's 1985 cup final winning goal and Mark Hughes' finish from the tight angle in the 1991 Cup Winner's Cup are etched in my mind in a way the 2008 Champions League final isn't. It's a matter of perspective. By the time we're old farts, we've watched a lot of football, we've experienced all of the emotions many times before, there's a lot of data in our brains that new stuff competes with, and we're much harder to impress.

As it happens, I think the England side in the 1998 WC probably was more impressive (despite struggling in the group stage) than the sides that progressed to the semis in 1990 and 1996. In 1990 (and by the way in all the "isn't everything worse now" nostalgia no one is mentioning that the great WCs of our 1980s and 1990s childhoods there were also 24 teams and 3rd place sides qualifying) we scored two goals in the group stages, drawing against Ireland and the Netherlands, before getting a narrow win against Egypt thanks to a header from Mark Wright. Thereafter we scraped past two sides we were expected to beat and then lost (ironically) the first time we played well.

In Euro 1996 we had a drab draw against Switzerland, played poorly against Scotland (who of course should have equalised just before Gazza's wonder-goal, which is the only thing we remember), then came possibly the greatest England performance I can remember against the Netherlands, followed by a bad one against Spain, whom we were fortunate to beat, and then the inevitable semi-final heartbreak.

If the rest of the world remembers anything about England's 1990s tournaments, it's basically Paul Gascoigne and the team performance against the Netherlands.

"If the rest of the world remembers anything about England's 1990s tournaments, it's basically Paul Gascoigne and the team performance against the Netherlands."

...and that bloody song