The Euro's Draw

[Beefymcfc]

Anyone watching, I'm bamboozled already!

[mr_nool]

Totally forgot about it. How are Sweden playing?

[Beefymcfc]

Totally forgot about it. How are Sweden playing?

Ukraine, France and England

[Slim]

Check out this nasty piece of work.

Group B
Holland
Denmark
Germany
Portugal

[Tokyo Blue]

Check out this nasty piece of work.

Group B
Holland
Denmark
Germany
Portugal

I hope it finishes in that order actually.

[mr_nool]

Totally forgot about it. How are Sweden playing?

Ukraine, France and England

Apart for having to travel to Ukraine instead of to Polen that's as good of a group Sweden could have hoped for. I don't see us stand much of a chance, but we know we are capable of squeezing a draw from France and England and can beat Ukraine with a bit of luck.
France and England are big favourites to go through, though. Your second string team arse raped our first a few weeks back.

[Slim]

I think the Danes will already be planning on a short holiday after the group stage, same with Ireland, they picked up Croatia, Spain and Italy.

[kinkylola]

guess group B is the group of death then? Holland, Germany, Portugal, Denmark.

England - France should be a good game, I think england could have trouble with that group.

May be a long shot but i'd like to see Ireland and France meet up at some point, it'd be fiery I imagine.

[mr_nool]

Check out this nasty piece of work.

Group B
Holland
Denmark
Germany
Portugal

I hope it finishes in that order actually.

Must be the tournaments "group of death". Denmark are in great form and actually ended up ahead of Portugal in the qualifications.
Holland v. Germany is pure hate!

[Sideshow Bob]

I think Italy has to be pleased with their lot here. Avoids Spain in knockout until final, easy enough to escape the group (in 2nd), reasonable chances in the quarters against France/Eng. Balo will love it if they draw Eng.

[Alioune DVToure]

Totally forgot about it. How are Sweden playing?

Ukraine, France and England

Apart for having to travel to Ukraine instead of to Polen that's as good of a group Sweden could have hoped for. I don't see us stand much of a chance, but we know we are capable of squeezing a draw from France and England and can beat Ukraine with a bit of luck.
France and England are big favourites to go through, though. Your second string team arse raped our first a few weeks back.

So you wouldn't rather have drawn Poland, Greece and Russia? None of those sides are as good as England or France.

[LookMumImOnMCF.net]

Opening game, Poland v Greece. What a glamour tie.

[Slim]

Opening game, Poland v Greece. What a glamour tie.

Weak host teams are annoying.

If England get through the group stage they have Spain or Italy in the first knockout round most probably. Group B may be the group of death, but getting paired with group A in the first knockout will make up for it.

[phips]

Check out this nasty piece of work.

Group B
Holland
Denmark
Germany
Portugal

that group is terrible. although im confident that Germany will smash and progress.

[Goaters 103]

At least thats over with then, cue 24 hours of press speculation and a Sun "10 things you didnt know about Donetsk" article tomorrow. Then it will focus on the pivotal moment of the upcoming frivilous Rooney appeal, lodged on the grounds that its just not fair/Wayne is a knucklehead/Wayne is world class etc etc blah blah. Hopefully the ban will be increased to 4 games and Rooney can fcuk off out of the picture.

Come May the tub thumping and national bravado will have reached fever pitch with the "We can win this" brigade in full swing and our national team being built up with war analogies, Englishness and bulldog spirit. A defeat to France and a tepid draw with the Swedes later, and that will all but kill the enthusiasm, but a flicker remains that if we beat Ukraine 8-0 and the France and Swedes draw 4-4 - hey, we can still qualify by a mathematical quirk. The tabloids will once again big England up on the day of the game as its only Ukraine and we taught the world the game of football; The Sun will have a picture of Gerrard's face on Churchill's body, and Wilshere done up like Prince William. Then after a 2-1 Ukraine win, England return home to be slagged off as bums, overpaid ponces who dont care, and technically inept.

Then in July renowned world football geniuses in the media like Stan "pissed his career away" Collymore, Mickey "could pass a ball better than he could a betting shop" Quinn, and Garth "world expert on any subject in his own mind" Crooks will state how the whole English system is wrong, we need an English manager and need to start again. They will also state how Jack Wilshere is "world class" and Scott Parker is still the best player in the Premier League, ever.

In August Harry Redknapp is released with a security tag and after a whirlwind tabloid campaign is appointed manager. His first game is a friendly and we thump the footballing titan that is Norway 2-0 at which point the press launch into a new period of fawning about it being "the next generation" and England have finally got it right .... and then the cycle will start again.

[mr_nool]

Totally forgot about it. How are Sweden playing?

Ukraine, France and England

Apart for having to travel to Ukraine instead of to Polen that's as good of a group Sweden could have hoped for. I don't see us stand much of a chance, but we know we are capable of squeezing a draw from France and England and can beat Ukraine with a bit of luck.
France and England are big favourites to go through, though. Your second string team arse raped our first a few weeks back.

So you wouldn't rather have drawn Poland, Greece and Russia? None of those sides are as good as England or France.

It would actually have been Poland, Russia and the Czech Republic, but never mind.

I honestly think I prefer Sweden playing England and France. Sweden tend to buckle under pressure when they are "favourites". We're better when we're the underdogs and can play boring, defensive counter attacking football.

Edit: And if we go through I will be delirious, whereas I would be devastated if we didn't from the other group.

[Alioune DVToure]

Totally forgot about it. How are Sweden playing?

Ukraine, France and England

Apart for having to travel to Ukraine instead of to Polen that's as good of a group Sweden could have hoped for. I don't see us stand much of a chance, but we know we are capable of squeezing a draw from France and England and can beat Ukraine with a bit of luck.
France and England are big favourites to go through, though. Your second string team arse raped our first a few weeks back.

So you wouldn't rather have drawn Poland, Greece and Russia? None of those sides are as good as England or France.

It would actually have been Poland, Russia and the Czech Republic, but never mind.

I honestly think I prefer Sweden playing England and France. Sweden tend to buckle under pressure when they are "favourites". We're better when we're the underdogs and can play boring, defensive counter attacking football.

I thought you were in pot 4 rather than 3. My apologies. I suppose you give a reasonable defence of your opinion. HOWEVER, I'd fancy you to get out of Group A. I don't fancy your chances at all in Group D. I might be wrong - there's always at least two surprise packages.

I find it interesting that you don't refer to Sweden as 'we'/'us'.

[mr_nool]

I did. Not the whole time, but in the last sentence.

To be perfectly honest I wouldn't give Sweden/us much of a chance at all this tournament regardless of group. We've had a fantastic couple of decades, but it seems that reality have caught up with us and that we are back to the level we had in the 70's-80's.

The previous generation with Mellberg, Ljungberg, Larsson etc. spoiled us supporters, and the new generation just aren't up to par. It's nothing strange about that. Sweden is a small country (only nine million people), and frankly the consistency we've displayed since 1990 is amazing.

Based on my very low confidence in this Swedish team, I rather see us face stronger opposition and hope for a miracle, then to meet lesser and fear the failure.

[Alioune DVToure]

[highlight]I did. Not the whole time, but in the last sentence.[/highlight]

To be perfectly honest I wouldn't give Sweden/us much of a chance at all this tournament regardless of group. We've had a fantastic couple of decades, but it seems that reality have caught up with us and that we are back to the level we had in the 70's-80's.

The previous generation with Mellberg, Ljungberg, Larsson etc. spoiled us supporters, and the new generation just aren't up to par. It's nothing strange about that. Sweden is a small country (only nine million people), and frankly the consistency we've displayed since 1990 is amazing.

Based on my very low confidence in this Swedish team, I rather see us face stronger opposition and hope for a miracle, then to meet lesser and fear the failure.

Fuck me I'm all over the place tonight. It's been a long week.

The population-to-standard measurement doesn't really seem to carry much water in international football. The Dutch and the Portuguese have been good-to-great throughout my entire lifetime. On the other hand, the Mexicans have been utter dogshit. The half-arsed States have even had the better of them for the last decade. And Mexico has a population upwards of 100 million and is one of the most fanatical footballing nations on earth. Can't understand it.

[failsworthblue]

At least thats over with then, cue 24 hours of press speculation and a Sun "10 things you didnt know about Donetsk" article tomorrow. Then it will focus on the pivotal moment of the upcoming frivilous Rooney appeal, lodged on the grounds that its just not fair/Wayne is a knucklehead/Wayne is world class etc etc blah blah. Hopefully the ban will be increased to 4 games and Rooney can fcuk off out of the picture.

Come May the tub thumping and national bravado will have reached fever pitch with the "We can win this" brigade in full swing and our national team being built up with war analogies, Englishness and bulldog spirit. A defeat to France and a tepid draw with the Swedes later, and that will all but kill the enthusiasm, but a flicker remains that if we beat Ukraine 8-0 and the France and Swedes draw 4-4 - hey, we can still qualify by a mathematical quirk. The tabloids will once again big England up on the day of the game as its only Ukraine and we taught the world the game of football; The Sun will have a picture of Gerrard's face on Churchill's body, and Wilshere done up like Prince William. Then after a 2-1 Ukraine win, England return home to be slagged off as bums, overpaid ponces who dont care, and technically inept.

Then in July renowned world football geniuses in the media like Stan "pissed his career away" Collymore, Mickey "could pass a ball better than he could a betting shop" Quinn, and Garth "world expert on any subject in his own mind" Crooks will state how the whole English system is wrong, we need an English manager and need to start again. They will also state how Jack Wilshere is "world class" and Scott Parker is still the best player in the Premier League, ever.

In August Harry Redknapp is released with a security tag and after a whirlwind tabloid campaign is appointed manager. His first game is a friendly and we thump the footballing titan that is Norway 2-0 at which point the press launch into a new period of fawning about it being "the next generation" and England have finally got it right .... and then the cycle will start again.

Quality Post