European championships 2020 thread (19 Viewers)
- Thread starter Evo1883
- Start date
COV
Well-Known Member
I think Euro 2008 was blatantly about McLaren, whereas we had a reasonably strong squad, the manager was the problem as opposed to serious issues, we were off the back of ok performances under Sven.
It all felt a lot more directionless after Iceland. Just my view obviously.
Grendel
Well-Known Member
COV
Well-Known Member
They had a petition to replay the Switzerland game because the keeper was in front of the line on the winning penalty save, think it got almost 300,000 signatures
SlowerThanPlatt
Well-Known Member
If we win tomorrow I don’t think there’ll ever have been a manager who’s taken over at such a low point and turned the situation into such a massive success, and changed the whole perception of the team…
.. apart from Jimmy Hill
Massive exaggeration. Eddie Howe took Bournemouth from bottom of L2 to the Premier League?
COV
Well-Known Member
How much funding did he have?
SlowerThanPlatt
Well-Known Member
Liquid Gold
Well-Known Member
COV
Well-Known Member
He was after Allardyce wasn’t he, after he had to step down due to his ‘personal issues’
Grendel
Well-Known Member
Beyond pathetic
www.thenational.scot
Bitterness or banter? How the UK reacted to The National's Euro 2020 front page
THE National’s front page has garnered a fair amount of reaction from all corners. Some of that attention is, to put it mildly, negative ...
COV
Well-Known Member
Beyond pathetic
Bitterness or banter? How the UK reacted to The National's Euro 2020 front page
THE National’s front page has garnered a fair amount of reaction from all corners. Some of that attention is, to put it mildly, negative ...
Let them get on with it, just makes them look bitter & very small time
oscillatewildly
Well-Known Member
COV
Well-Known Member
Makes them 'look' very small time?
If we weren’t doing well they wouldn’t care, it’s a good thing
Wyken Sky Blue
Well-Known Member
Watching the '66 final on Channel 4
Always wondered why so many fans carried UK/Union Jack flags rather than England flags, anyone explain why this is?
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Always wondered why so many fans carried UK/Union Jack flags rather than England flags, anyone explain why this is?
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COV
Well-Known Member
Not sure, but it carried on right up to the early 90s
oscillatewildly
Well-Known Member
I think even as recent as Italia 90 the UJ was preferred over the SG. Euro 96 saw the re-emergence of the St George flag.
oscillatewildly
Well-Known Member
Where's Stuart Pearce amongst that crowd, the pre recorded slag.
You've been sucking helium from those balloons man!
Tommo1993
Well-Known Member
A far cry from that weirdo throwing a wobbly after failing to beat Scotland. It wasn’t me!
Earlsdon_Skyblue1
Well-Known Member
Grendel
Well-Known Member
why would someone impartial on politics find and then show this SNP twerp on here and give him credence?
COV
Well-Known Member
It’s not politics, it’s decency, and the opinions of the England Manager himself. He comes across as a really good bloke. You just don’t like it because as was said above it makes some people uncomfortable, clearly people like you. Like it or not part of Southgate’s appeal is that he vocally says what he thinks is right. Not sure we’ve had a manager before that is willing to make statements like he does. Wouldn’t change whether I supported him or not but it’s just nice to see.
And this time tomorrow he might be about to top it all off with our first trophy in 50+ yrs
Beyond pathetic
Bitterness or banter? How the UK reacted to The National's Euro 2020 front page
THE National’s front page has garnered a fair amount of reaction from all corners. Some of that attention is, to put it mildly, negative ...
Just the way they are. I cheered them on and Wales. I am English but all the home nations feel part of the country I belong to so wish them no ill unless they are playing us. To be fair most my Scottish mates are only like this around sport and look after me well when I am up there
COV
Well-Known Member
I wish Scotland and Wales the same amount of good fortune in tournaments as they wish us
Liquid Gold
Well-Known Member
Brexit is politics. Leave it out.It’s not politics, it’s decency, and the opinions of the England Manager himself. He comes across as a really good bloke. You just don’t like it because as was said above it makes some people uncomfortable, clearly people like you. Like it or not part of Southgate’s appeal is that he vocally says what he thinks is right. Not sure we’ve had a manager before that is willing to make statements like he does. Wouldn’t change whether I supported him or not but it’s just nice to see.
And this time tomorrow he might be about to top it all off with our first trophy in 50+ yrs
D
Deleted member 4439
Guest
Interesting piece
France
'First Brexit, now this'
By Pierre-Etienne Minonzio, L'Equipe
A lot of people in France are disappointed. They think that this tournament has been organised for England to win. The typical French football supporter doesn’t understand why France have to play in Budapest and Bucharest, and couldn’t leave their hotel room, and then hear that England have had Ed Sheeran come and sing for them.
There is a feeling that Uefa have done everything they can to help England win. Which makes no sense to your average France fan - after all, this is the country of Brexit. It’s like an old friend who says ‘I don’t want to see you any more’ - and now they’re getting all this help?
Personally, though, I’m completely amazed by England. I love English football culture. I’ve covered England since 2015 and I’m fascinated by the weight of history that England feel. There’s a line in the Great Gatsby - the last sentence - that says: “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” It always felt like that with England - being thrown ceaselessly back into the past.
I reported on the Iceland game and I saw it there - when they went 2-1 down, England knew it was over, even though there was still an hour to go. You could see the players thinking ‘it’s happening again’; the curse had struck.
But now this England side have overthrown the weight of history. Huge credit to Gareth Southgate, the man responsible for this, he has changed the state of mind for the players. It was obvious in 2016 that it was over but against Denmark they stayed calm, said ‘OK, that’s fine’ and they won. Incredible. So impressive.
What is also impressive is the way that they are all such good examples. I interviewed Raheem Sterling for L’Equipe last year and what he told me about racism, and social issues - I’ve never interviewed a footballer as socially bright. I’m totally fascinated by this coach, it’s so impressive. I’m quite in love with these players too.
At the end of the day, football is for the kids, and now they have these role models to look up to. It’s wonderful. If you are a young English player you know you can make a difference now.
It’s such a diverse team. It’s the same as France in 1998. When we won the World Cup it was exactly the same, everyone came together, all races, all people. I mean, don’t get too carried away; three years later, Jean-Marie Le Pen reached the second round of the Presidential election - but it planted a seed and had a huge influence on the next generation.
One thing to remember is: you’re in a final. Enjoy this. It doesn’t last forever. Things change so quickly in football, you have to savour moments like these when they come round.
Italy
'Italians will always appreciate a team that concedes no goals'
By Luca Bianchin, Gazzetta Dello Sport
We’d always thought that this England team would find a way to implode, sooner or later, just like Italy did at home in 1990; Euro 2020 is Wembley 2020, after all.
We thought there’d be too much pressure. And we thought you had too many players with too little experience in the key positions. A midfield with Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice winning the Euros? 'Buona notte', as we say in Italy. Not possible.
The truth is, in the last 30 days we did not care about other teams. We liked this England team, of course, because Italians will always appreciate a team that concedes no open play goals in a month of football. We respected the Three Lions, even if some of us also think that the referees showed too much respect for those white shirts.
Despite this, we did not spend hours discussing England, Germany or Portugal, this time. We are in love with our girl dressed in blue and when you are in love, you do not have eyes for other women. Italians only had one wish and Switzerland granted it, one Monday night in Bucharest.
But now people in Italy are talking about England. They’re saying that Raheem Sterling is playing like a champion, and that the player we would love to have in our side is Harry Kane. He is everything Italy need to become the best team in th
I admit that you, England, are playing the best football of the tournament; and that you, England, are going to win it. Am I saying this because Italians are too superstitious to write the opposite? Perhaps. See you at Wembley.
Holland
'
People are saying England are a typical Italian side'
By Rob Fleur, Dutch football journalist
This isn’t like your usual English team and in Holland, people are saying they are more like a typical Italian side. They play for the result, they do what they have to do to win and it is built on a compact team, really strong in defence. When you don’t concede goals, you have an excellent chance of doing well in tournaments. It is funny because England are going to come up against a team that is just like them in the final.
We recognised that this is an excellent team and there is a lot of praise for the job that Gareth Southgate has done. We like him… but the team, I think previous English teams have been more popular here even though they were less successful. We like the traditional English style, always looking to attack.
There are also complaints that players like Grealish and Foden are not starting games. They would both be in the Holland team if they were Dutch. They are creative players, exciting to watch, but Southgate has other options and they are in the final so…
The player who has really caught the eye over here is Kalvin Phillips, perhaps because we did not know much about him before the tournament. There has been a lot of praise for him.
The other player is Grealish, we like him a lot. But we do not know why Jordan Henderson is not playing, he is very well known and very well liked here.
Spain
'Everybody here will be supporting Italy on Sunday'
By Dani Gil, Spanish football journalist
In Spain, England have always been seen as the team who fail to deliver. At the big moments, they’ve always 'fracasado'.
But this is different. On the streets of Spain, people are saying that Euro 2020 is now England’s to lose.
England are seen as a fearsome team, with the biggest, strongest and most versatile squad in Europe, but also a lucky one. They’ve played six of their seven games at Wembley, after all, which has created a fair amount of resentment towards them in Spain.
There are a few conspiracy theories doing the rounds. Some people here even think that Uefa have given England favourable treatment for helping break up the Super League. Untrue, of course, but Raheem Sterling’s dubious penalty did not help things on that front.
More people will be supporting Italy on Sunday, even if it was the Azurri who knocked out Spain in the semi-finals.
Germany
'Germans now look to England with envy'
By Stefan Bienkowski, German football journalist
As most German fans sort through the rubble of their own team’s Euro 2020 campaign, a begrudging respect has been applied to Gareth Southgate’s England team.
Like their own pundits and ex-players, German fans thought a last-16 clash with England would have proved to be the perfect tonic after a gruelling group stage but the 2-0 defeat at Wembley ultimately underlined where both of these two nations are at the mome
With one generation retiring and the other being bled through a little too quickly, Germany now look to England with envy as a country a few years ahead of them on a similar path.
Whether it be the abundance of central defenders, strength in depth in the shape of Jadon Sancho and Jack Grealish or “England’s crown jewel”, as Kicker have taken to calling Harry Kane, Southgate’s team are exactly where German fans hope to be at next year’s World Cup.
Over the course of this tournament, Germans have grown to like and respect this English team for what they’ve done on and off the pitch. And that may turn into full-blown admiration if Southgate’s side can ensure Italy - Germany’s biggest rivals, even if the English don’t know that - don’t lift another trophy on Sunday.
TomRad85
Well-Known Member
His appeal is that he's winning games atm, that's literally it. His politics matter to no one but a few social media warriors trying to prove a point.It’s not politics, it’s decency, and the opinions of the England Manager himself. He comes across as a really good bloke. You just don’t like it because as was said above it makes some people uncomfortable, clearly people like you. Like it or not part of Southgate’s appeal is that he vocally says what he thinks is right. Not sure we’ve had a manager before that is willing to make statements like he does. Wouldn’t change whether I supported him or not but it’s just nice to see.
And this time tomorrow he might be about to top it all off with our first trophy in 50+ yrs
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TomRad85
Well-Known Member
Completely. When I was young and naive I used to wish them all well, especially Rep of Ireland, what with having an Irish Grandad. As I got older I of course realised they wish us no well at all so they can forget it. Petty? Possibly... but oh well.
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COV
Well-Known Member
Don’t think that’s true, he’s very widely admired for being a decent bloke.
COV
Well-Known Member
Heard plenty about Scotland & Wales but what do our Irish friends make of all this, are they all supporting Italy as well?