Euro 2012

[Liam]

Legitimately, my family go back (100 years or so) to Germany.

I'll call that one in around now I guess. Works for some of us around here.

Ironically, the other part of my family go back to Scotland, but I wouldn't want to admit to that.....wooops.

[METALMAN]

yes well 100 years is bleddy ages ago. doesn't count. :/

[MDK]

I have Andy Scots address, I can send him a shite!

I will start a petition.

[Liam]

It is in my bloodline.

And they'll beat Italy.

And I'll cheer.

I win.

[METALMAN]

If Italy lose I will just stop being Italian.

[METALMAN]

I have Andy Scots address, I can send him a shite!

I will start a petition.

would you like me to take you off the list :/

[Liam]

And go back to being Scottish.

Losing 5-1 to the US, eating haggis and wearing no underwear under your kilt.

Either way, you are fucked.

[MDK]

I have Andy Scots address, I can send him a shite!

I will start a petition.

would you like me to take you off the list :/

The list of awesome?

[METALMAN]

And go back to being Scottish.

Losing 5-1 to the US, eating haggis and wearing no underwear under your kilt.

Either way, you are fucked.

why do you English people hate the Scottish so much? Are you just in a bad mood because you lost a football game? :/

[MDK]

And go back to being Scottish.

Losing 5-1 to the US, eating haggis and wearing no underwear under your kilt.

Either way, you are fucked.

why do you English people hate the Italians so much? Are you just in a bad mood because you lost a football game? :/

[GoN_]

The top four european are in the semi-finals and that makes me happy, but didn't want England to go out in the Penalty shootout... It's such a cliché. I've been liking this Italian team since the first game against Spain. It's not the typical defensive, catenaccio team, but an organized team that know how to make the ball flow and attack very smartly. Tonight they fully deserved the win and I'll be rooting for them against the Germans.

[Lineker]

I still have most peoples addresses from Secret Santa

[Crybaby Bunting]

I say we all somehow manage to shit in a pizza box and deliver it to metalmans address.

[Colly]

Lucky for me I'm Italian, Spanish, German and Portuguese, so I'm a winner regardless. Superb. In your face everyone else.

We really didn't deserve to win that shootout last night, I think I was actually half hoping we wouldn't simply for the injustice of it plus the potential of having to watch that all over again against Germany. At least the semis should be vaguely entertaining based on Italys performance.

[IAceI]

Pirlo was without equal last night, Rooney stuck to him like glue in the early periods of the match but whenever Pirlo got space - and he is too good not to find it - his choice of pass was sublime and there were players on the pitch who could have got a few pointers from him.

Can't have a go at the penalty takers, regardless of how much Young and Cole irk me, a little bit lower and Young's penalty goes from "going for too much" to "unstoppable" and if Buffon went the wrong way then Cole's "poor penalty" suddenly becomes "cool and calmly slotted away", the margins are too thin in terms of a penalty shoot out. And at least this way we don't have to suffer at the hands of Germany, again. And I don't have to hear "10 German Bombers"..

Italy didn't deserve to win by virtue of playing prettier football than England, that's just 'Barca-syndrome' kicking in, after 120 minutes they hadn't score any more goals than England. However they held their nerve in the shoot out better than England and got through. They'll have a tough time of it against Germany, and as for England - well there is promise there, nobody expected anything really, our Golden Generation have long been proben to be anything but that. Terry and Gerrard had good tournaments but the team on a whole isn't on the same level as some of the other nations and it's good that the wider audience now know that, even if it is somewhat belated. Time to go back, look at the future options and see whether it's good enough (probably isn't), but let's hope the FA and the relevant bodies are looking at why we aren't producing as many talented players as other nations.

Look at the German team, they can take out a player like Podolski and bring in Marco Reus with no discernable difference to the team, and they can leave Mario Goetze on the bench too. They overhauled their youth system 12 years ago now and are now reaping the rewards of it. England could stand to look at teams like that, and a country such as Croatia and wonder why a nation with such a small population in comparison to their own are capable of bringing through such talented players. Now the rose tinted glasses are off, England can stop being so insular and go out and look at places that are getting it right and find out why they are getting it wrong.

Portugal, Spain, Germany and Italy. There is no surprise in seeing them four nations contest the semi finals and beyond, four of the best footballing nations in Europe, four of the best domestic leagues in the country contested largely by home nation players. We should have three very good games to come.

Edited June 25, 2012 by IAceI

[Berober]

Is there not a third place playoff?

[IAceI]

Not at the Euro's. Hasn't been for ages now has there?

[Lineker]

Four people have been arrested after disorder broke out in Bedford following England's defeat to Italy in Euro 2012.

About 150 England fans headed to The Embankment after the game and targeted Italian fans, who had formed a cavalcade of vehicles to celebrate.

Some of the vehicles were damaged and one person was attacked but not seriously hurt, police said.

Officers were forced to close the High Street and The Embankment and are reviewing CCTV.

About 1,200 England fans had watched the Kiev game at bars on the High Street, with the vast majority heading home after the game, police added.

A cordon was put in place as the streets filled after the match, but about 150 people broke away.

Police said they prevented the group from confronting a larger group of Italian fans who had gathered in Russell Park.

Supt Mark Turner said: "Sadly a well behaved build-up to the game was marred by approximately 15 minutes of sporadic disorder in Bedford High Street and The Embankment after the penalty shoot-out.

"A group of approximately 150 people broke away and ran towards the Embankment straight into grid-locked traffic as many Italian fans had formed a cavalcade of vehicles to celebrate and it was at this point some vehicles were attacked by the crowd.

"While order was quickly restored, this was undoubtedly an extremely unpleasant situation for people trying to leave the area sensibly and particularly for those stuck in their cars."

Three people were arrested for criminal damage and one for assault.

Bedford has had a large Italian population since the 1950s, when workers from Italy helped rebuild the town after the war.

Supt Turner added that police had expected many people to come out on to the streets after the game.

"The tournament as a whole, across Bedfordshire, has been very successfully policed, and people have been enjoying the football," he said.

"Unfortunately a small group of mindless idiots had to break away - but unfortunately that's the price we pay sometimes.

"What I would say is that the huge majority of the crowd were very well behaved."

He said he expected "no trouble whatsoever" in Bedford during and after Italy's semi-final with Germany on Thursday.

David, you must learn to control your emotions! Keep them in check!!

[Herr Matzat]

I am not a fan of the yellow press but i like the humore.

[IAceI]

Surprisingly restrained from The Sun. Think they're still in the dog house over their incessent attacking of Roy, mind you.