EC Day #13: Portugal v England (GDT)

I will cry if England wins today. If they win the whole tournament I will quote Denis Law in 1966: "It was the blackest day of my life".

GO PORTUGAL!

I'm hoping both France and Enlgand get knocked out. *runs and hides*

I'll edit the thread to make it look more like an official GDT!

Because this amateurism is not to be tolerated :)


************************************************** *********
As for predictions, I scored 12 points yesterday wich brings me up to 81 for the tournament!


Portugal v Greece: 2-0 (Figo)
Spain v Russia: 2-1 (Raul Gonzalez Blanco)
Switzerland v Croatia: 2-1 (Frei)
France v England: 1-1 (Owen)
Denmark v Italy: 0-2 (Totti)
Sweden v Bulgaria: 1-1 (Berbatov)
Czech Republic v Latvia: 3-0 (Baros)
Germany v Holland: 1-2 (Ruud)
Greece v Spain: 0-2 (F Torres)
Russia v Portugal: 1-3 (Pauleta)
England v Switzerland 2-0 (Gerrard)
Croatia v France 1-3 (Trézéguet)
Bulgaria v Denmark 0-1 (Sand)
Italy v Sweden 1-1 (Ibrahimovic)
Latvia - Germany 0-2 (Ballack)
Holland - Czech Rep 1-2 (Nedved)
Russia v Greece: 1-0 (Izmailov)
Spain v Portugal: 2-1 (F Torres)
England v Croatia: 2-1 (Owen)
Switzerland v France: 0-2 (Henry)
Italy vs Bulgaria: 2-1 (Cassano)
Denmark - Sweden: 2-2 (Larsson)
Holland v Latvia: 3-0 (Ruud)
Germany v Czech Republic: 2-1 (Ballack?- tough to predict a scorer for these Germans)


England v Portugal: 2-0 (Owen)

I missed my predictions yesterday... My predictions in another game, which we had to submit earlier, would have given me 12 points (9 for Hol-Lat, 3 for Ger-Cze). I could also settle for 50% (9 pts), or stop counting because my score was pretty bad anyway... What do my peers think?

And are the scores of the knockout rounds counted after 90 mins or 120 mins?

England - Portugal: 2-1 (Beckham)

I will also support England, because Figo annoys me like hell.

Day 1
Portugal 2:1 Greece (Pauleta)
Spain 3:1 Russia (Raul)

Day 2
Swiss - Croatia 2-1 (Hakan Yakin)
France - England 3-1 (Henry)

Day 3:
Denmark v Italy: 0-2 (Totti)
Sweden v Bulgaria: 2-1 (Larsson)

Day 4
Czech Republic 3 : 1 Latvia (M. Baros)
Germany 3 : 1 Holland (M. Ballack)

Day 5
Greece 0 : 2 Spain (Raul)
Russia 0 : 2 Portugal (Pauleta)

Day 6
England 3 : 1 Switzerland (Owen)
Croatia 0 : 2 France (Henry)

Day 7
Bulgaria v Denmark 2-1 (Berbatov)
Italy v Sweden 1-2 (Larsson)

Day 8
Latvia 0 - 2 Germany (Ballack)
Holland 2- 1 Czech Republic (RVN)

Day 9
Russia 1 - 2 Greece (Charisteas)
Spain 2 - 1 Portugal (Raul)

Day 10
England - Croatia: 2-0 (Lampard)
Switzerland - France: 1-3 (Henry)

Day 11
Italy 1 - 0 Bulgaria (Casano)
Denmark 2 - 2 Sweden (Larsson)

Day 12
Holland 2 - 0 Latvia (Ruud)
Germany 2 - 0 Czech Republic (Ballack)

69 Points
Day 13
Portugal 2 - 1 England (Nuno Gomez)

Meh, only 66 for me..

England 2 - 1 Portugal (Rooney) (I've been saying Owen all the time.. f' him)

I missed my predictions yesterday... My predictions in another game, which we had to submit earlier, would have given me 12 points (9 for Hol-Lat, 3 for Ger-Cze). I could also settle for 50% (9 pts), or stop counting because my score was pretty bad anyway... What do my peers think?

This peer thinks you should settle for 75%, but that's me.

This peer thinks you should settle for 75%, but that's me.

Me thinks you shouldn't get any points whatsoever.. :p:

81 points and the games will not be very though to predict.
I'll go with a surprise :
Portugal 1-2 England (Scholes)

England v Portugal: 1-2 (Owen)

Portugal's starting 11:

----------------------------Ricardo-------------------------------

------Miguel-------Andrade-------Carvalho------Nuno Valente------

-------------------Costinha-----------Maniche---------------------

--------Figo-----------------Deco------------------Ronaldo--------

-------------------------Nuno Gomes------------------------------

Expect Ferreira to possibly play for Miguel if Miguel doesn't play well, but aside from that, this will be Portugal's line-up.

I just love how they`ve replaced Couto with Carvalho. It was about time. Couto is horrible...

Wow, finally Scolari realized Nuno has to play in place for Pauleta, great!
It took three games for that, and two for realizing C.Ronaldo deserved to be starter..another brilliant coach here i would say..

Is this the start of the knockout round? I only see one game scheduled

Is this the start of the knockout round? I only see one game scheduled

You bet. The real tourney starts today.

What is a silver goal??

I wonder how fatigue will affect England. Two days rest is not alot of time. IMO, they should have waited for one more day before they started the knockout round....

What is a silver goal??
The game can also end at the half of the overtime. In other words, if a team scores during the first 15min of overtime and the others don't , the game will be finished. That one goal is the a "silver goal" because it decides the game prematurely, but not instantly like the "golden goal" they used to have.

:) :) :)

Viva Portugal!

DAY 1: 3 points
DAY 2: 6 points
DAY 3: 3 points
DAY 4: 6 points
DAY 5: 6 points
DAY 6: 6 points
DAY 7: 6 points
DAY 8: 3 points
DAY 9: 3 points
DAY 10: 12 points
DAY 11: 12 points
DAY 12: 12 points
--------------------------
TOTAL 78 points

Portugal 1 - 2 England (Rooney)

Portugal-England: 2-1 (Deco)

75 points so far.

Portugal 1 : 2 England (Rooney)

England 2 - 1 Portugal (Rooney) (I've been saying Owen all the time.. f' him)

:lol:

now you hate owen even more, eh? :lol

:lol:

now you hate owen even more, eh? :lol

And now Rooney is off. :lol:

Salt in the wound...

I wonder if Coppo is still going to say how good Neville and Cole are after this game :)

So... when does the game start?

England 2 - 1 Portugal (Rooney) (I've been saying Owen all the time.. f' him)

All I can say is.... :lol

now you hate owen even more, eh? :lol

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

So typical me.. :mad:

James didn't really look good on that one.. seemed like he never really bothered to jump or to give it all he got..

Oh well.. 1-1..

England got what they deserved there.

And no it wasn't James' fault. take a look at beckham, Neville and Terry, IMO Terry is at about 50% responsible for that goal.

Furthermore: WHAT THE HELL WAS SVEN THINKING WHEN HE PUT NEVILLE ON??????
England were in desperate need of someone to help them keep the ball in the team and he put on arguably the lest technically gifted player of his selection (and that means something when your selection includes the likes of Gary Neville, Emile Heskey and co)

Anyone know what time the re-broadcast is and on what channel? (Bell ExpressVu EST btw).

Please PM me, I don't want to stumble onto the score while trying to find it on the net, which also eliminates looking back into this thread for details.

Thx in advance.

Ashley Cole :bow:

England got what they deserved there.

And no it wasn't James' fault. take a look at beckham, Neville and Terry, IMO Terry is at about 50% responsible for that goal.

Never said it was his fault, but he just didn't look good on it..

Also, I'm starting to love the Cole/Ronaldo one on one duels.. Ashley is doing a great job..

Ashley Cole :bow:

You beat me to it..

Hell, now Cole saves a Ronaldo header from the line.. :bow:

Oh man..

EDIT: 2-1 Rui Costa..

What a goal!!!!!!!!!! By Rui Costa!
(btw, look who got beaten there by Rui Costa on the dribble)


Can't say they didn't deserve it.

And yes, Ashley Cole played a fine match today, all credit to him.

my GOD! 2-2 Frank Lampard.
This one is unbelievable!

Wow!

2-2 This match is looking like a minor classic now.

not very well defended though

Woooooooooohooooooooooooooooo!

2-2! Thank you Lampard!

my GOD! 2-2 Frank Lampard.
This one is unbelievable!

You're fast, you stupid Swedish *****.. ;)

Nothing wrong with a little bit of trashtalking before the game..

But yes, this is quite the thriller.. Anyone knows how both teams usually fare on free kicks? They Dutch like or German/Brazilian like?

I can't believe this game.

England aren't known for the best of luck on penalties even they won the last time (I think that was in '96)

Before that they had a trauma from '90 against Argentina.

Don't know about the Portuges.


BTW James isn't a good keeper, but he's above average on penalties.

You're fast, you stupid Swedish *****.. ;)


I'm so excited about the game I can't come up with a good come-back. :D


in 48 hours or so, we will know...

90 - Stuart Pearce
96 - Gareth Southgate
98 - David Batty

....

90 - Stuart Pearce
96 - Gareth Southgate
98 - David Batty

....

True that, I forgot all about Batty against Argentina!


I hope England will win it.
But if they loose, I hope Beckham is the one to miss the deciding penalty (I've got a bad character you know)

haha, oh Becks

So this makes me smile! What a miss!

Now hopefully the rest of the guys can put the record straight.

The Portuges seem to have more confidence. 2-1 now, go Lampard!

2-2!
Portugal with the penalty in hand Rui COsta up!


And he misses! Level 2-2 now :banana: :banana:

thank you Costa! :P

I want Ronaldo to miss to!!

BTW 3 straight down the middle for England


Damn! 3-3

YES! Hargreaves!

Next penalty could be deciding if the Portugese miss!

Come on James save it! Down with Maniche !


****! Well taken! 4-4 Cole coming up now, he's gonna miss after this good game he had

5-4 he didn't miss!

COME ON ENGLAND!!!!!!!!!!

5-5 A panenka penalty! What a cocky display by Postiga

Vassel up next

saved!!!

If Portugal score they've won!!!

dammit vassel

2004 Darius Vassel

WHAT A PENALTY BY THE GOALIE!!!!!!!!!


Too bad England are out, but Portugal deserved it in fact.

What A F$#%@% Game!!!!
Yeah Portugal!

WTF are they nagging about on the BBC?

I think the decision about the foul of Terry on Ricardo was correct IMO. He had his hand holding down Ricardo, that's always gonna be whistled :dunno:

Don`t blame Vassel nor Beckham...Blame the Swede!

Forza Portugal

Don`t blame Vassel nor Beckham...Blame the Swede!

Forza Portugal


Agreed, bad substitutions.

Gerrard should've stayed in the centre of the midfield, not Phil ****ing Neville.

Poor Darius. Too bad the portuguese won, but it was a great game nonetheless.

Wow, finally Scolari realized Nuno has to play in place for Pauleta, great!
It took three games for that, and two for realizing C.Ronaldo deserved to be starter..another brilliant coach here i would say..
Pauleta is suspended.

Meh.. wanted England to advance.. Hate Portugal..

:) :handclap: :)

That was nerve racking, but it turned out okay in the end.

"Ate mais tarde Becks"

Yes Portugal.

If there was one ref mistake, it was done in the shootout.
Indeed, two portugese penalties were taken completely against the rules as both Ronaldo and another guy whose name escapes me stopped their run before shooting, which is totally prohibited.
The ref blew it there (pun intended;)).

Meh.. wanted England to advance.. Hate Portugal..
I said it from the start Jordi. A long way to go, but can't be happier right now.

Meh.. wanted England to advance.. Hate Portugal..

Me too.

In the history of Football, I don't know if there's ever been a WORST spot kick than the one Beckham took. Not only was it over the bar, it was also wide.

In the history of Football, I don't know if there's ever been a WORST spot kick than the one Beckham took. Not only was it over the bar, it was also wide.
except he couldn't take it normally. He made a slide while shooting.
Try this at home and then come back and tell me how it went.
BTW, I'm still waiting for your PM.

In the history of Football, I don't know if there's ever been a WORST spot kick than the one Beckham took. Not only was it over the bar, it was also wide.


and once again Beckham chokes at an international tournament. Aside from one good cross, I don't remember him doing anything in this Euro.

and once again Beckham chokes at an international tournament. Aside from one good cross, I don't remember him doing anything in this Euro.

That's Beckham.. If it weren't for that right leg of his, he'd be playing pee-wee cricket..

I wonder if Coppo is still going to say how good Neville and Cole are after this game :)
Cole was actually very good, especially in the second half of the game.

That's Beckham.. If it weren't for that right leg of his, he'd be playing pee-wee cricket..


What right leg? The one he used to miss his last three spot kicks?

What right leg? The one he used to miss his last three spot kicks?

The one where he arguably provides the best crosses and free kicks in the business with, that one..

Furthermore: WHAT THE HELL WAS SVEN THINKING WHEN HE PUT NEVILLE ON??????
I. Don't. Know.

I've been asking the same question all the time.

Some thoughts:

- It was a great game. Hopefully we'll see more of this kind.

- I wanted England to win, but I have to admit that Portugal probably worked harder for it. Plus Eriksson will have to answer some questions about his substitutions.

- Figo is a whiner and should not be the captain anymore.

- I find it absolutely unbelieveable that the English press is already blaming the loss on the ref. Meier was 100% correct in disallowing that goal, it was clear goaltender interference. He might even have shown one of the best, if not the best, refereeing in the tournament, especially as it was not an easy game to supervise. One can argue about the Portuguese shooters slowing down when shooting the penalties, but there are no clear lines between slowing down and stopping, and it's almost impossible to judge whether this should be disallowed or not.

Yes! A deserved victory for Portugal. They were the more active side throughout the game. Ashley Cole was outstanding against Ronaldo, playing exactly like you should - as dirty as he could, tackling R. before he even received the ball; not giving an inch of space for him. Best defensive work by Cole I've ever seen. Campbell was also rock solid, but that was somewhat less surprising...

For Portugal, Ricardos were great. :handclap:

All in all, an excellent match. Portugal is rising rapidly on my sympathy list!

Italy and England have a LOT in common

Both teams have :

- well dressed, defensive minded coaches
- widely overrated top player (Beckham & Totti)
- catencio style of soccer (God, England was even more defensive than Italy tonight)
- Perputual losers in shoot outs
- more emphasis on star player hair-dos than play on the pitch
- dive after dive after dive... to think English fans lable the Azzurri as divers. :shakehead

This ****ing sucks. :cry:

At first I thought that the Campbell goal should have counted... now I'm not sure. :dunno:

Anyway, that was a great game... too bad England didn't win. :cry:

- dive after dive after dive... to think English fans lable the Azzurri as divers.
The portuguese were diving a lot more.

- well dressed, defensive minded coaches
- widely overrated top player (Beckham & Totti)
- catencio style of soccer (God, England was even more defensive than Italy tonight)
- Perputual losers in shoot outs
- more emphasis on star player hair-dos than play on the pitch
- dive after dive after dive... to think English fans lable the Azzurri as divers. :shakehead
- Err... cool?
- :lol R i g h t . . .
- So what?
- Um... what?
- Yeah, ok there.
- :lol How 'bout the Portugese?

- Figo is a whiner and should not be the captain anymore.


After watching Figo in this tournament I have to say that he is not a player I would want on my team. How can you, as a captain, just head to the dressingroom after being subbed after playing a poor game. I don`t even think he was out there during the penalty shootout. Not even mentioning how he coped with being brought off in the game vs Spain. Making a huge number out of it and verbally attacking the coach during the game is hardly captain material.. :shakehead

Portugal would be better off without him...

Ashley Cole was outstanding against Ronaldo

I agree. I've been a Cole hater in the past, but he was incredible. England is set at left back and central defense (Bridge, Cole, Campbell, Terry, Rio, Woodgate, Southgate). Too bad they have no decent goaltender (James made some easy saves look incredibly difficult) and nobody better than Neville on the right.

What a crappy camerawork.

I've rarely seen so much amateurism. With every goal from Portugal, you got to see Eriksson's face but you didn't see Scolari with the English goals, brutal. And what about the penalty's, with a bit of bad luck you would almost miss two/three penalty's, especially the last one. This director was a joke.

Since I don't like Beckham and wanted England to lose so I could poke on some of my friends, I have to say that this game was thoroughly appreciated. :lol:

I agree. I've been a Cole hater in the past, but he was incredible. England is set at left back and central defense (Bridge, Cole, Campbell, Terry, Rio, Woodgate, Southgate). Too bad they have no decent goaltender (James made some easy saves look incredibly difficult) and nobody better than Neville on the right.

Terry kind of dissapointed me today. Postiga was his man and he left him unmarked. Still..he came through in extra time and created Lampards goal. Not much to do about Costa`s goal for the English defense..except of course Phil Neville :p:

Cole played exeptional well at the left back, Campbell is a rock (one of the best, if not the best central defender in the world) and Terry is emerging as a good one too. All they need is a quality right back and a great goalie...and they`d pretty much be set.

Terry kind of dissapointed me today. Postiga was his man and he left him unmarked. Still..he came through in extra time and created Lampards goal. Not much to do about Costa`s goal for the English defense..except of course Phil Neville :p:

Cole played exeptional well at the left back, Campbell is a rock (one of the best, if not the best central defender in the world) and Terry is emerging as a good one too. All they need is a quality right back and a great goalie...and they`d pretty much be set.

Carlo Cudicini will be eligible for England soon, hopefully he will be persuaded to play for the national team (although he has stated that he woundn't because he is Italian). Glen Johnson is a very promising right back, but is probably a few years away from being able to compete at this level (he's still a teenager).

In the history of Football, I don't know if there's ever been a WORST spot kick than the one Beckham took. Not only was it over the bar, it was also wide.

Platini (WC'86), Stam (EC'00) and several others comes to mind.

Platini (WC'86), Stam (EC'00) and several others comes to mind.

Beckham vs Turkey also come to mind...

I was wondering about that....but I have never seen it called. Whenever Figo takes a PK, he seems to stop at least twice on his run, but is never called for it.

I heard on Finnish radio from former (and hopefully future) Finnish national team coach Martti Kuusela, that as long as the player's momentum doesn't stop, it' legal. So slowing down is fine, as long as you don't stop fully. Jari Litmanen has scored numerous penalties this way as well.

Also, if I was Beckham, I'd consider switching from Adidas to Nike.

Beckham vs Turkey also come to mind...

Left foot slipped on a rainy pitch. Sure, it's the shooters fault. :rolleyes:

Also, if I was Beckham, I'd consider switching from Adidas to Nike.

I think he should grow long hair again...

Left foot slipped on a rainy pitch. Sure, it's the shooters fault. :rolleyes:

The problem with Beckhams penalties is the force he use when he puts his left foot down. If the pitch is bad like today..the ball can start moving, and when the pitch is rainy his left foot may slip. Owen said that the English team trained on penalties from the same spot last night so Becks should really now about the bad pitch in that specific area....

In Turkey I don`t know. Pretty much the same problem. Too much force and his foot slipped. Time to learn and not repeat the same errors over and over again IMO

Italy and England have a LOT in common

Both teams have :

- well dressed, defensive minded coaches
- widely overrated top player (Beckham & Totti)
- catencio style of soccer (God, England was even more defensive than Italy tonight)
- Perputual losers in shoot outs
- more emphasis on star player hair-dos than play on the pitch
- dive after dive after dive... to think English fans lable the Azzurri as divers. :shakehead

Totti scored 20 goals in the hardest league to score in the world. And he was great in qualifying. Certainly not overrated.

Italy won the shoot out in Euro 2000 against Holland. But I suppose you forgot that.

Your hair do comment pretty much makes your points baseless.

WTF are they nagging about on the BBC?

I think the decision about the foul of Terry on Ricardo was correct IMO. He had his hand holding down Ricardo, that's always gonna be whistled :dunno:

The BBC and the whole british medias have lost it in the last few days.
If the 'Rooney=Pelé' comparaisons all days long were a hint, the BBC pre-match coverage was just delirious with the 4 pundits on show (Lineker, Hansen, Wright, Reid) making pub-like comments about how good was England supposed to be.
Disappointing from the BBC. I understand partiality is tolerable in a game like this but the least I expected was a bit of decent and interesting football analysis. And a bit of awareness that Portugal was a serious threat.

The problem with Beckhams penalties is the force he use when he puts his left foot down. If the pitch is bad like today..the ball can start moving, and when the pitch is rainy his left foot may slip. Owen said that the English team trained on penalties from the same spot last night so Becks should really now about the bad pitch in that specific area....

In Turkey I don`t know. Pretty much the same problem. Too much force and his foot slipped. Time to learn and not repeat the same errors over and over again IMO


He is the highest paid athlete in the world, but he can't kick PK's? :lol

England are out! :gman: England are out!


(Now all we need is for Ireland to win.....hold on a sec..)



Woooo!

England (and more specifically, Eriksson) had complained about the penalty spots a couple of times before today.

About the condition of the penalty spots, Eriksson added: "Twice before both games we played at this stadium we complained.

"I complained personally to the Uefa official responsible about the penalty spot.

"Then on Wednesday for a second time we talked about it again to Uefa and they said they would replace some of the grass on it."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/euro_2004/england/3835415.stm

I'm at work today and I have my Portugal flag draped over my cubicle, my Portugal banner around my shoulders and my Luis Figo, Rui Costa, Nuno Gomes and Ricardo Carvalho bobble-head dolls on my desk.

VAMOS A GANAR HOJE!

Portugal 2(Deco, Nuno Gomes)
England 1(Owen)
Portugal showed some guts today congrats.

After watching Figo in this tournament I have to say that he is not a player I would want on my team. How can you, as a captain, just head to the dressingroom after being subbed after playing a poor game. I don`t even think he was out there during the penalty shootout. Not even mentioning how he coped with being brought off in the game vs Spain. Making a huge number out of it and verbally attacking the coach during the game is hardly captain material.. :shakehead

Portugal would be better off without him...
Agreed disgusting display. They won despite his atrocious free kicks and lack of pace.

I was wondering about that....but I have never seen it called. Whenever Figo takes a PK, he seems to stop at least twice on his run, but is never called for it.
I've seen it called a dozen times and it's forbidden. Don't know why the ref didn't see it here. Maybe he decided not to call it because of the pressure of the home crowd?

Platini (WC'86), Stam (EC'00) and several others comes to mind.
Baggio 94.

I heard on Finnish radio from former (and hopefully future) Finnish national team coach Martti Kuusela, that as long as the player's momentum doesn't stop, it' legal. So slowing down is fine, as long as you don't stop fully. Jari Litmanen has scored numerous penalties this way as well.

Also, if I was Beckham, I'd consider switching from Adidas to Nike.
They both stopped. Clearly. And lost all momentum. No way it's legal.
The reason I don't like it is that from now on, players in this competition will use this weapon because of the precedent set yesterday.
It's completely unfair for the goalies, who really don't need that in a penalty shootout.

Yes, the ref is always in a tough situation when that happens.
He calls it and the penalty goes in, the crowd goes wild, as much as the players, especially if the shooter misses it on his second attempt.
Now let's say he calls it while the shooter misses. Then the english go wild.

See it's always tough for a ref to make a guy take a penalty again.
That's why you often see some players get into the box before the shot is done, which is forbidden as well.

Anyway, on another subject, when talking about overrated, one has to give Deco's name. Today, as soon as someone was physical enough with him, he lost the ball or dived.
Good thing for him he doesn't join Chelsea because he's really not fitted for the premier league.
Not that he's been much better in Round Robin either.
He's been pretty much useless all tournament long.

I won't say it's not a tough spot, but these referees are the best of the best in UEFA. If any of these referees could be affected by the crowd, they wouldn't be assigned to such a tournament.
In fantasy yes. But like it or not, be it either conscient or not, refs ARE affected by crowds and media reactions.
They're human, they can't be blamed.

It's completely unfair for the goalies.

Indeed, things are really tough on them as it is. Correct me if I'm wroong, but I believe there was only one save on the 14 shots in that shootout.

In fantasy yes. But like it or not, be it either conscient or not, refs ARE affected by crowds and media reactions.
They're human, they can't be blamed.

Evilo, are you some kind of insomniac or something? You seem to post at all hours of the day ;).

Evilo, are you some kind of insomniac or something? You seem to post at all hous of the day ;).
Nah:)
I post the morning before going to work (and after this post, I'll do), in the later afternoon as soon as I get back from work, and after the game.
So that's around 7AM, 6PM and 11PM every day my french time.
But it happens that I post from work too.

Also, not to be biased or anything, but if there is one team who I would fear more than anybody, it's Holland.

The Czechs and the Dutch are the two most fearsome teams left, IMO. Portugal would match them, but they don't have any striker who is lighting it up (which seems to be a must in winning one of these tournaments), and some of their players *cough* Figo *cough* seem more intrested in themselves than in making sacrifices for the team. Team France has not looked good. Denmark, Sweden, and Greece don't really match the talent of the previously mentioned teams.The Dutch are my choice right now. The Czechs have looked great, but the Dutch would have beaten them if Robben wasn't subbed off. And I'm certain that mistake won't me made twice.

What a match.. Damn i'm begining to really like this sport!!

The Dutch are my choice right now. The Czechs have looked great, but the Dutch would have beaten them if Robben wasn't subbed off. And I'm certain that mistake won't me made twice.
I'm not sure if they would have beaten them, it was already tied. But a rematch in the final would be awesome!

I'm not sure if they would have beaten them, it was already tied.

My mistake, had a memory lapse.



But a rematch in the final would be awesome!

I agree :).

If there are two things that do not affect a professional referee in a major championship, they are the crowd and the media.

How would you know? Are you a referee? Oh wait...

The interesting thing is that the English players and media are only whining about the disallowed goal (which was a good call IMO), and not about those penalty kicks. Obviously even they are used to that, because as we already discussed there is no clear line between stopping and slowing down.

But to be honest, I'm getting sick reading these English articles where they complain about having been robbed of the winning goal. I always held the mentality of the English football players in high respect, but here they look like whiners. And that comes from a guy who wanted England to win.

Even Franz Beckenbauer, who's got an old beef with Meier, said that the game was perfectly refereed.

About the penalty..

I laughed my ass off ofcourse, especially when Beckham blamed the grass or the penalty spot, but I've seen the reply in ultra-slomotion about a hundred times, and right before he wants to give it a swing, the ball rolls away, resulting in a badly taken penalty. Beckham seems to experience such things more often..

Forget the Pens, im an english guy we didnt deserve to win, and to be fair it would have been an injustice to have won that game. We were horrible in midfield, we couldnt get the ball hold it,pass it do anything.

Fair enough campbells got is legit, and I think if you watched the game that ref did seem to favour the portuguese in free kick situations. There was a horrendous decision when cole made a sliding tackle on ronaldo clearly won it and was blown up due to the fact cole tackles hard. That was not the only 1,how did he give a freekick against rooney when he had is boot taken off by the portuguese defender.But we can moan about it all day and it wont change a thing. We were poor deserved to lose.

When will we be able to take penalties, when will our goalies ever look like saving 1 that would help,instead of flopping to the right every pen. Good luck to Portugal and Holland! I do hope the dutch go on to win the tournament they play the best football.

But I will be disappointed if Rooney,Campbell and Cole are not in the uefa nominated team of the tournament!

I'm not sure if they would have beaten them, it was already tied. But a rematch in the final would be awesome!

Nope.. when Robben got taken off the score was 2-1.. I blame our loss more on the pathetic red card for Heitinga more so than the substitute.. That changed our entire formation and game plan. We lost due to an indentical situation in the qualifyers when Davids got red in like the 10th minute. And though that one was more deserved, it seems like the Dutch are the better off the two when they both play on full strenght.. These two teams deserve to be in the finals moreso than anyother team left, they've both played entertaining football.. Too bad I don't see them winning against Sverige..

But I will be disappointed if Rooney,Campbell and Cole are not in the uefa nominated team of the tournament!

Considering the competition and the fact that they are already out, I doubt it..

Nope.. when Robben got taken off the score was 2-1.. I blame our loss more on the pathetic red card for Heitinga more so than the substitute..
Oops, my bad. I thought he was referring to the red card. Sorry.

Oops, my bad. I thought he was referring to the red card. Sorry.

Yeah, you better apologize..

Dutch cheese > Swiss cheese..

That was not the only 1,how did he give a freekick against rooney when he had is boot taken off by the portuguese defender.But we can moan about it all day and it wont change a thing. We were poor deserved to lose.
What else should he whistle? Penalty or indirect free kick for England because the other guy incidentially stepped onto Rooney's foot? Fact is that he had to break up the play because of the shoe lying on the grass. And as there was no foul to whistle, he had to give the free kick to Portugal (it was Rooney's shoe lying there). Of course the Portuguese could have given the ball back to England, but that's a different thing.

As for England being disadvantaged in freekick situations, I did not notice anything like that apart from slight mistakes every referee (including the hailed Collina, who sometimes also makes bad mistakes like all the others) makes, and they evened themselves out IMO.

Dutch cheese > Swiss cheese..
Make sure to quickly apologize for that!

Make sure to quickly apologize for that!

What if I don't?

What if I don't?
Then you've officially lied in public.

Then you've officially lied in public.

A lie is only a lie if you can prove me wrong.. prove it!

This penalty kick thingie is interesting...cause even though this is far from the first time I've heard of it, I'm having trouble finding an official rule that prohibits stopping before taking the kick. The only rule I could find that was in some way related to it was that feinting the GK before hitting the ball *is* allowed.

Anyone knows where to find that specific rule?

Too bad I don't see them winning against Sverige..

You're out of your mind. Beating Sweden won't be any problem at all for the Dutch only if they take their job seriously. But if they underestimate Sweden, then they have their work cut out for them.

You're out of your mind. Beating Sweden won't be any problem at all for the Dutch only if they take their job seriously. But if they underestimate Sweden, then they have their work cut out for them.

Zlatan's ability to suddenly rise and appear out of nothing scares me. I've seen him doing it for my Ajax side a hundred times, such moments are not to defend. Add Larsson, a quick, fast, agile, accurate and clutchy striker, and Ljundberg behind them, we could only wish we had 3 Jaap Stam's..

You don't see the Dutch winning any match.

Nope, not true.. so far I have all Dutch matches correct..

Predicted a 1-1 tie against the Germans
Predicted a 2-1 loss against the Czech's
Predicted a 2-1 win against the Latvians

Now I am predicting a 1-1 draw, but we'll lose in extra time.

Nope, not true.. so far I have all Dutch matches correct..

Predicted a 1-1 tie against the Germans
Predicted a 2-1 loss against the Czech's
Predicted a 2-1 win against the Latvians

Now I am predicting a 1-1 draw, but we'll lose in extra time.

Let's hope you'll be correct this time too! ;)

I'm off To Oranje-Country now!

Zlatan's ability to suddenly rise and appear out of nothing scares me. I've seen him doing it for my Ajax side a hundred times, such moments are not to defend. Add Larsson, a quick, fast, agile, accurate and clutchy striker, and Ljundberg behind them, we could only wish we had 3 Jaap Stam's..

This doesn't matter since there is basicly no defense present on the swedish flanks and a midfield made up by cross-country runner Tobias Linderoth & friends. The Dutch only have to keep Zlatan and Larsson under control and they'll win easily.

Having 3 Jaap Stam would certainly look cool. But I doubt it would make your defense better..

One thing is that England have got a potentially very good team for 2006.

Kirkland
Johnson/Neville
Ferdinand/Woodgate/Terry/Campbell
Cole/Bridge

Beckham
Hargreaves
J Cole
Milner(future star)
scholes
lampard
gerrard
Dyer
Carrick
Parker


Defoe
Rooney
Owen
Vassell(still not sure)

I have officiated Junior hockey in Canada. I have had media rip the work my partners and I have done, and have had entire arenas make all the noise they could. Neither affects the job I do on the ice.

These UEFA referees have been trained to not let the crowd and media affect their jobs.
OK, sorry to bring the news to you Van, bu junior hockey media pressure ius a tiny bit different from the pressure international refs experience in the biggest sport on earth in front of millions of people in the world, media from countries that have replays to look at and of course 22 international world class players (well except Neville :)) and a crowd of 20.000 people.

OK, sorry to bring the news to you Van, bu junior hockey media pressure ius a tiny bit different from the pressure international refs experience in the biggest sport on earth in front of millions of people in the world, media from countries that have replays to look at and of course 22 international world class players (well except Neville :)) and a crowd of 20.000 people.

20.000? Make that between 45 and 70..

Neville has been excellent in this tournament, When you guys going to get off his bac, he is a very dependable right back with a good cross! Only Panucci has been on a par. He has certainly been better than heitinga and gallas!

Neville has been excellent in this tournament, When you guys going to get off his bac, he is a very dependable right back with a good cross! Only Panucci has been on a par. He has certainly been better than heitinga and gallas!

I don't think so, Heitinga has been quite solid for us, not making any real mistakes to my notice.. And considering his age (turned 20 a few months ago), he's handling the pressure extremely well. He gets the nod above Michael Reiziger, named best right back in the Primiera division. Not an easy thing to do..

Gallas has been solid. In fact he's been better than Thuram :eek:

I think the call on the Cambell goal was correct. I think the referee allowing a quick free quick was not, as even his own LINSEMAN was confused. Portgual nearly scored on the counter off of that free kick, which would have been a HUGE controversy.

I also though the referee did a MUCH better job in extra time than he did throughout the match. Portugal were diving ALOT, and until extra time, were getting rewarded for it. A few yellow cards would have also gone a LOOONG way to prevent all the diving. He also did a poor job of ensuring Portugal were back 10 yards from a free kick, and a comparably good job for Portugal. This was irrelevent due to Figo's incompetance, but was a clear "bias" in the ref. I'm also positive he made a few calls that he didn't see, but just reacted to a player on the ground.

BTW, stepping on someones foot IS a foul, even if accidental. That probably should have been a penalty, but whatever he invented on Rooney was absurd.

BTW, stepping on someones foot IS a foul, even if accidental. That probably should have been a penalty, but whatever he invented on Rooney was absurd.
Would you have seen this? Be honest.

I don't even particularly like Meier, he's reffed too many games where my favorite Swiss team participated, and where I came to the impression that he sometimes is a bit arrogant. And I don't like his wife, who's a ref too. But I just find it funny how certain people *always* look for ways to blame the ref, even if he did as good of a job as he could possibly do. Of course you sometimes see things on TV in the 5th replay that he did not see, but there certainly was no blatant mistake that had an impact on the game, and it was one of the best-reffed games in that tournament so far IMO (especially considering how close the game was). The English did not lose because of the ref at all.

The only exception to the rule that the ref will always be blamed is Collina, who is allowed to make mistake without losing his nimbus.

I've seen it called a dozen times and it's forbidden. Don't know why the ref didn't see it here. Maybe he decided not to call it because of the pressure of the home crowd?

I think it's another one of those thing like the 6 second rule or foul throws, it exists, but no-one ever calls it.

Neville has been excellent in this tournament, When you guys going to get off his bac, he is a very dependable right back with a good cross! Only Panucci has been on a par.

What about Puyol!?

[QUOTE=Coppo]Neville has been excellent in this tournament, When you guys going to get off his bac, he is a very dependable right back with a good cross! Only Panucci has been on a par. [QUOTE]

What about Puyol!?

The only exception to the rule that the ref will always be blamed is Collina, who is allowed to make mistake without losing his nimbus.
:snide: ;)

With a lack of a new thread I would like to make my prediction for tonight here:

France-Greece 3-1 (Henry)

France-Greece 3-0 (Henry)

DAY 1: 3 points
DAY 2: 6 points
DAY 3: 3 points
DAY 4: 6 points
DAY 5: 6 points
DAY 6: 6 points
DAY 7: 6 points
DAY 8: 3 points
DAY 9: 3 points
DAY 10: 12 points
DAY 11: 12 points
DAY 12: 12 points
DAY 13: 0 points
---------------------
TOTAL 78 points

France 3 - 1 Greece (Henry)

I have officiated Junior hockey in Canada.

I know, it was a poor attempt at a joke ;).

A bit late to this thead.

Very disappointed we lost, mainly because this tournament was by far our best chance to win in recent memory. Its incredibly open with so many of the traditional favorites home already. Not to mention we played some pretty impressive football in the group stage.

Meier was absolutely dreadful. And my god, they are talking about giving him the final. Atrocious refereeing. Although it must be said he was not the reason England are out. We just didnt play well enough.. our midfield didnt turn up at all. Though I think its rather strange every single one of them was below par - perhaps they really didnt have enough time to rest. We will see in the Portugal - Sweden/Holland quarter final where Portugal will have had 2 more rest days.

Terry apart, England's defense was immense. Im not all that gutted though because it doesnt really matter.. I dont think England would have won anyway without Rooney (with his broken foot). Just look at the football they played before and after his injury. I dont think Portugal are good enough.. they lack a real cutting edge like an Owen, Rooney or van Nistelrooy. They had about five times as many shots as England and didnt even win the game. I would say they have no chance without a real striker but since its pretty open this year maybe.

I will be supporting Sweden from now on :)

Meier was absolutely dreadful. And my god, they are talking about giving him the final. Atrocious refereeing.
You probably have been reading the Sun too much, right?

I will be supporting Sweden from now on :)

You aren't exactly a lucky charm are ya? Just refrain from rooting us Dutchies.. ;)

You probably have been reading the Sun too much, right?
Well, Stevex is a fervent reader of the English tabloids, that's correct.



Did you already notice some Dutch lockerroom problems this tournament, Steve ?

Figo not bothering to practice. What a team guy, making sure he's a distraction before AND during the tourney. I dislike him more every day.

I dislike him more every day.
Same for me, though I will soon get to the point where more's not possible anymore.

So who's having dressing room problems now? :joker:

Figo not bothering to practice. What a team guy, making sure he's a distraction before AND during the tourney. I dislike him more every day.

Pretty pathetic. Especially after the subsitution worked like a charm. He's old and lacks stamina to make a charge at the end of a game. He should get over it.

I have 3 problems with the referee for this game

1) There was nothing wrong with the second England goal, The only fould he could have seen was the Portugal defender pushing John Terry or Sol Campbell with his hand on Terry's neck

2) How many times did the referee book an England player for something (which they probably deserved to get booked for) and then a Portugese player does the exact same thing five minutes later and gets nothing more than a arrogant look from the ref. The worst case of one-sidedness i've seen so far.

3) Going back to the arrogance factor, the guy looked as if he felt everyone had come to watch him not the damn football match, especially after he disallowed the goal.

As far as i am concerned he should never be allowed to referee a major tornament again. I can deal with a couple of mistakes, afterall he is human but all the mistakes he made were unbelievable.

As far as i am concerned he should never be allowed to referee a major tornament again. I can deal with a couple of mistakes, afterall he is human but all the mistakes he made were unbelievable.
You certainly live in England. What about "all the mistakes he made"? Only the England fans seem to have seen them. I watched the game on German TV (who have no ties to anybody involved), and he got praised by the commentators, by Beckenbauer (even though he's got an old beef with him), and by Eugen Striegel (the German referee supervisor). I guess Beckenbauer and Striegel know more about reffing than we all do... But of course, if your glasses are coloured and you lose a dramatic match (which nobody deserved to lose), your perception might be a bit influenced.

But you will get your wish soon, because he's going to be too old in a couple of years ;)

Hey I have a fan club!

You probably have been reading the Sun too much, right?

Nope I dont like The Sun. I see you are from Switzerland which pretty much explains the cheap shot at me. But I thought Meier was abysmal all game long and England were winning for most of it. I think my opinion is also different - I stated Meier was not the reason England lost - I havent bothered to read The Sun but I believe that's not what they think.

Well, Stevex is a fervent reader of the English tabloids, that's correct.

Did you already notice some Dutch lockerroom problems this tournament, Steve ?

Another member of my fan club! For your information I read The Guardian and The Indenpendent mostly. I occasionally read The Times or The Sun when other people have them. The Sun is good for a laugh. I hate reading The Daily Mail or the Telegraph. Is that enough on my reading habits? After all you seem to have a very short term memory problem since you have forgotton the Seedorf incident which apparently "doesnt count" like so many others in the past.

Also in fairness to me I did say the only other team to even come close to the Dutch in dressing room trouble was Portugal. I called that. But Im sure a Portuguese fan could easily use Frolov's rather myopic excuse and say "it doesnt count! its an individual problem! its nothing to do with the dressing room!"

You certainly live in England. What about "all the mistakes he made"? Only the England fans seem to have seen them. I watched the game on German TV (who have no ties to anybody involved), and he got praised by the commentators, by Beckenbauer (even though he's got an old beef with him), and by Eugen Striegel (the German referee supervisor). I guess Beckenbauer and Striegel know more about reffing than we all do... But of course, if your glasses are coloured and you lose a dramatic match (which nobody deserved to lose), your perception might be a bit influenced.

But you will get your wish soon, because he's going to be too old in a couple of years ;)

Equally you'll forgive us for thinking your view a bit influenced since you're Swiss.

Why would Striegel publically criticize another referee on a giant stage? That's a major taboo for them to break! Meier would have to score a goal himself to get publically criticized. As for Germans being neutral? Please. Holland might be their biggest rivals but they certainly dont have much time for England.

After all you seem to have a very short term memory problem since you have forgotton the Seedorf incident which apparently "doesnt count" like so many others in the past.

So, please enlighten us how the Seedorf incident has developed into a dressing room problem which has had a negative impact on the Dutch team... :help:

Equally you'll forgive us for thinking your view a bit influenced since you're Swiss.

Why would Striegel publically criticize another referee on a giant stage? That's a major taboo for them to break! Meier would have to score a goal himself to get publically criticized. As for Germans being neutral? Please. Holland might be their biggest rivals but they certainly dont have much time for England.
You still have not said why you think he was bad. You just rant without giving reasons. And so does Fedoruk_#29.

As for my supposed bias, I already explained why I'm not particularly a fan of him. And believe me, the Germans on TV were *not* against England at all.

So, please enlighten us how the Seedorf incident has developed into a dressing room problem which has had a negative impact on the Dutch team... :help:

Seedorf said he would like to play more central, that's a dressing room problem for our Steve. I've tried to explain that he's talking nonsense but he refuse to listen. This is just one example, he has a couple of more of these stories.

If he continues then I won't extend my membership of his fanclub.

So, please enlighten us how the Seedorf incident has developed into a dressing room problem which has had a negative impact on the Dutch team... :help:

I am simply stating the existance of the Seedorf incident. I dont have to explain any developments or negative impacts. I posted a link to respectable media reports at the time. This is not "nonsense". Seedorf did not simply say he wanted to play more central.

Indeed I actually stated these things are can have a positive impact where the Dutch are concerned. It is usually a flaw in most teams but perversely can often be a strength of the Dutch as one of their defining national characteristics.

You still have not said why you think he was bad. You just rant without giving reasons. And so does Fedoruk_#29.

As for my supposed bias, I already explained why I'm not particularly a fan of him. And believe me, the Germans on TV were *not* against England at all.

I have tried to forget the match as quickly as possible. Apologies but I dont feel like trying to obtain a copy of the match, watching it again and detailing the incidents for you. All I can say is that I thought he was bad for most of a game that England were winning.. its not like I suddenly turned around in the 120th minute and said "oh actually I think he was bad".

From memory I recall being shocked Valente didnt even get a booking. He put in some pretty nasty tackles. I remember also being surprised Cole was not booked in his duel with Ronaldo. Both Valente and Cole had superb games but both should have been booked. Carvalho had a great game but he should not have been on the pitch after the professional foul on Vassel bursting on goal. Its not just a few decisions, Meier was consistantly weak the whole game and his calls often made no sense at all. His bookings were often on incidents no different to others.

And let me just say once again I am firmly of the opinion Meier was NOT the reason England lost before you try to hang that one on me. However fortunately he has not been given the final or a semi-final which he was a pre-tournament favorite for. That says something about UEFA's private evaluation of him.

As for your supposed bias, if you would like not to be judged on your nationality, please extend that to other posters you would judge.

Ahahahaha (http://www.wewererobbed.co.uk/) :lol

Seriously, get over it!
This is pathetic!

[QUOTE=Stevex]
. Carvalho had a great game but he should not have been on the pitch after the professional foul on Vassel bursting on goal.[/QUOTE It looked at first glance like he could be in trouble for a red but the replays clearly show Maniche right along side therefore wiping out a possible professional foul call.

It looked at first glance like he could be in trouble for a red but the replays clearly show Maniche right along side therefore wiping out a possible professional foul call.

I dont have a copy of a rulebook but I believe the rule is whether there was a covering defender - not whether Maniche was alongside. Maniche was not between Vassell and the goal and would not have been able to intercept before Vassell could shoot.. therefore I dont think he qualifies as a covering defender.

In any case I was saying that Carvalho should actually have been on a yellow before that professional foul and therefore this means he was off regardless of the color. Also there was no consistancy in Meier's decisions - Carvalho's foul was far worse than others which received bookings, yet he only received the same punishment.

:d