crackerjack

Well-known member
Isn't it more traditional for them to beat England? It will certainly be trampling over a long-established and noble custom if we actually beat them.

When did Sweden last win? Last two games I remember are World Cups '02 and '06, both draws.

Think Sweden won a Euro qualifying match for 2000 and drew back in England.
 

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Can you imagine how many times they'd be showing Thomas Brolin's goal over the next 24 hours had he been English. One of the best goals ever, mind.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
Yeah, I was thinking of that Brolin one. I guess it was ages ago but it's burned into my brain. As a young child the realisation we weren't gonna win... or draw... or even lose by just one was hard to take.
 

crackerjack

Well-known member
So apparently head-to-head takes priority over goal difference. If Spain & Croatia ends 2-2 Italy are out, regardless of what they do to the Irish. I don't understand how Uefa gets itself into these positions.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
So does that mean that if Spain and Croatia draw 0-0 then Italy can top the group by beating Ireland 1-0? Seems strange I have to admit. I've never understood why a 2-2 draw is better than a 1-1 draw anyway, sure you scored more but you conceded more too - basically I have a problem with goals scored being used as a decider when goal difference is equal. I guess you could argue that it encourages attacking football. The away goal doesn't make much sense on paper but it works in practice I think.
 

paolo

Mechanical phantoms
I was thinking Germany would win the whole thing but after Spain's performance yesterday I'm not so sure (even if it was against Ireland). I also think England and France will win today
 

yyaldrin

in je ogen waait de wind
Holland still has a chance to go through as well. Germany will have to win against the Danish (likely to happen) and Holland will have to beat Portugal with two goals difference, 2-0 or 3-1 for example. The Dutch play so extremely poor this tournament so I don't have much faith in it but on the other hand, the Portugese aren't impressing me either. Let's hope Van Marwijk finally saw the light and decides to go all the way in the last game. It's kind of painful to see that Holland is now playing like the Germans always used to do: sober and defending and Germany is playing the total-football of the Dutch, attractive and attacking.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
Thinking still about this parking the bus thing - I kinda think that that is the word (phrase) of the day and people use it when it's not appropriate. Also, I'd be wary about talking about the shots on target stat - that values Benzema's hopeful punts from twenty-five yards over Milner's open-goal miss. In fact, in general, statistics are a very bad way to think about football, I was reading City AM today (it was free ok) and it says that contrary to belief about Sweden's aerial prowess they won only 63% of headed challenges over the last three years or something, putting them 9th (or whatever) in Europe. But without telling you how difficult the headed challenges were and where they were on the pitch, the stat is totally worthless.
 

Slothrop

Tight but Polite
The other thing with the whole "parking the bus" thing is that it's fairly unimpressive if you do it weekin week-out against Wigan and Blackburn in the premiership, but doing it against France without ballsing up isn't easy and is quite useful.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
Damn - I was climbing the walls when that was delayed but so far it's the worst game of the tournament. Could be the conditions I guess.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
After the second goal Ukraine's defence have fallen apart in a way that makes Ireland yesterday look like Arsenal of the early nineties. If that Kabaye one that hit the post had gone in it would have been like one of those amazing goals by Spain but at a quarter of the pace.
 

franz

Well-known member
hearing the seven nation army chant constantly is really irritating. all the branding around this tournament is pretty terrible, in fact.
 

crackerjack

Well-known member
AMAZING goal by Wellbeck.

It looked great on first viewing and gets better with every subsequent one.

Have to say that was a rarity – a thoroughly enjoyable England match. Even their complete uselessness at the start of the second half was more comical than tragic.

Makes the line-up for the next match very interesting. Rooney back, obviously, with Carroll probably dropping out, and Walcott maybe replacing Milner, depending on how enterprising Hodgson feels he needs to be.

Alternatively Milner can move to the left in place of Young. Young made one great pass early in the first from which Milner missed a sitter. Since then he's done fuck all.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
Did England deserve to win? By the second half I was too drunk to tell. First half they looked kinda comfortable but uninspired - thought they could hold that lead to the end without much difficulty... second half was like schoolboy football, seemed like there was no shape to the game with chances coming almost randomly at either end but that could be a function of the state I was in.
 

paolo

Mechanical phantoms
If England win their group I could actually see them making the semis, I think they'd have a decent chance against Italy or Croatia (I'm assuming Spain will win Group C). Also, is anyone else getting annoyed with the super slow motion replays of things that no one could care about (chanting fans, player glowering at referee)?
 
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