Euro 2008

[lionelhutz]

Seen it all so often. A team flatters to deceive. The so-called experts are astounded and don't know what's happened. The Spanish, managed by the so-called "clown" stiffled the Russians and barely let them get a kick in. Great performances by Fabregas and Silva.

You're a genius owls. We must all bow to your superior knowledge.

Self praise is no praise at all. I think there was a poll done on one of the football websites yesterday and over 70% thought Spain would win - so thats some call out of you.

Aragones is an absolute clown. The Spanish are winning despite him. I love watching Spain and hope they win it and he's the only doubt I have about them in the final. It's like he has ADD and needs to be the centre of the universe. He could do somehing idiotic for the final like start Guiza ahead of Torres or Fabregas just to be in the spotlight again.

Agree with you about Fabregas and Silva though. Iniesta, Ramos and Senna put in excellent performances too

[old git]

You're a genius owls. We must all bow to your superior knowledge.

Self praise is no praise at all. I think there was a poll done on one of the football websites yesterday and over 70% thought Spain would win - so thats some call out of you.

Aragones is an absolute clown. The Spanish are winning despite him. I love watching Spain and hope they win it and he's the only doubt I have about them in the final. It's like he has ADD and needs to be the centre of the universe. He could do somehing idiotic for the final like start Guiza ahead of Torres or Fabregas just to be in the spotlight again.

Agree with you about Fabregas and Silva though. Iniesta, Ramos and Senna put in excellent performances too

aragones seems to be doing alright so far reached final of a major european competion not a bad return ... would agree some of his decisions seem a bit strange but it has worked for him so far :D:D so he must be doing something right

[OwlsFan]

You're a genius owls. We must all bow to your superior knowledge.

Self praise is no praise at all. I think there was a poll done on one of the football websites yesterday and over 70% thought Spain would win - so thats some call out of you.

It's not the fact that Spain would win. That's no big call. It's the fact that the panel were mystified as to why Russia had suddenly gone backwards when it was obvious to me that the Russian team had peaked and were most unlikely to be able to match that performance against Holland again. Great teams can do it but teams that haven't shown any great form, and then suddenly produce a couple of great performances, can seldom repeat it when the chips are down. No mystery but the panel seemed to think so.

[lionelhutz]

It's not the fact that Spain would win. That's no big call. It's the fact that the panel were mystified as to why Russia had suddenly gone backwards when it was obvious to me that the Russian team had peaked and were most unlikely to be able to match that performance against Holland again. Great teams can do it but teams that haven't shown any great form, and then suddenly produce a couple of great performances, can seldom repeat it when the chips are down. No mystery but the panel seemed to think so.

Some would say the chips were down when they played the Dutch after an excellent performance against Sweden. And they produced a great display of attacking football against the team of the tournament at that stage

[bennocelt]

here are my predictions................

Five Euro on Torres at 8/1
(villa is 16/1)

and spain to win at 7/1


PP for my odds

im smiling anyway, although i have only 3 euro on Villa, i do have 50 each way on spain...............nice:)

[bennocelt]

i had germany to win that thing


as for the real deal
i predict a germany-spain final with spain to win, and torres to be top scorer (or villa)


or this.......and yeah i have a b:)ig head

[jmurphyc]

or this.......and yeah i have a b:)ig head

Good for you. I hear that when it comes to betting, guys with big heads are exactly who the bookies are scared of. ;)

[stojkovic]

Have Germany-Spain Final at 8/1 before a ball was kicked :)

[rambler14]

Is there any 3rd/4th place playoff?

[superfrank]

Nope. They scrapped it years ago.

[stojkovic]

Nope. They scrapped it years ago.

Yeah 1980 was the last time, Italy beat Czechoslovakia 9-8 on penos. No wonder they scrapped it, I wish FIFA would do the same.

[jebus]

Have Germany-Spain Final at 8/1 before a ball was kicked :)

Girl at work said her brother got 14/1 on it, don't know where, but he put a grand on so was on his way to pick up 15k yesterday :eek:

[stojkovic]

Girl at work said her brother got 14/1 on it, don't know where, but he put a grand on so was on his way to pick up 15k yesterday :eek:

I got it with Paddy Power at the start.

Maybe he placed it after the Huns lost to Croatia.

[Mr Maroon]

Germany: Lehmann, Lahm, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Friedrich, Podolski, Frings, Hitzlsperger, Ballack, Schweinsteiger, Klose.

Spain: Casillas, Capdevila, Marchena, Puyol, Sergio Ramos, Iniesta, Senna, Fàbregas, Xavi, Silva, Torres.

[OwlsFan]

Well done to Spain. Well deserved. Great tournament.

Only two black marks: the continued exaggeration of injuries and the game being stopped when someone pretends to be injured (other than for head injuries).

Viva Espana.

[Pauro 76]

Yeah, absolutely delighted. Best tournament I can remember. Even the winners were deserved. Well done Spain. My only regret, not lumping on Villa for top scorer when I was skint before payday. Well done Spain, best team won.

[Noelys Guitar]

Great tournament. Best team won without a doubt. My only regret is backing Luca Toni to be top scorer. Does anyone else have a bookie who greets them with a wide grin and slap on the back?

[superfrank]

Delighted Spain won. It was a brilliant finish from Torres to seal the victory.

Although, I thought Silva should have been sent off for the headbutt.

[lopez]

In seven heaven about Spain winning, being half Spanish myself. Two notes from the final.

Firstly this has been a team without a singular star player. Who is the Spanish player of the tournament. Mine is Senna followed by Silva. For others there's Fabregas, Villa, Torres, Iniesta, Casillas even Puyol, Sergio Ramos or Marchena. Actually I'm going for Capdevilla as he's a former Depor man.

Secondly, the team remembered the dead, namely Antonio Puerta of Sevilla, of whom Sergio Ramos wore a t-shirt with his photo at the final celebrations.

A team that has brought the best out in this sport.

[pineapple stu]

Only three red cards, two 0-0s and two penalty shoot outs in the whole tournament. Impressive stuff to add to the points already made about the good football.

[jmurphyc]

Amazing tournament and the team that I wanted to win it from the start did so (even though I doubted them doing so). As Pineapple Stu's post above shows, the stats speak for themselves; the tournament was fantastic.

[OwlsFan]

The team remembered the dead, namely Antonio Puerta of Sevilla, of whom Sergio Ramos wore a t-shirt with his photo at the final celebrations.

I was wondering what that was all about as I thought the white jersey stuck out like a sore thumb among the Spanish jerseys. What was the green and white flag he was also wearing?


Although, I thought Silva should have been sent off for the headbutt.

I have seen red cards for that ok but it wasn't a headbutt Zidane style. It was only the slightest movement and I am glad the German didn't go down rolling in agony. Others wouldn't have been so restrained.

[Stuttgart88]

Well done Lopez. I'm delighted Spain won it.

[lopez]

I was wondering what that was all about as I thought the white jersey stuck out like a sore thumb among the Spanish jerseys. What was the green and white flag he was also wearing?
The green and white flag was the Andalucian flag.


I have seen red cards for that ok but it wasn't a headbutt Zidane style. It was only the slightest movement and I am glad the German didn't go down rolling in agony. Others wouldn't have been so restrained.I thought they both did a nod. Ref took the right decision. Looking at the size of Podolski to Silva and the fact he went over to him, he would have looked a right prat rolling around. El 'Abuelo' did the right thing taking Silva off though.

BTW: Anyone witness Lehman's rant about it all being a 'fix'. He should try being Spanish for the past 24 years. Boston 94 (Luis Enrique has a nose broken in the area), Wembley 96 (two, not one, but TWO, good goals dissalowed), Korea 2002 (bent linesman). Germany might have had a point if that had happened to them, but they couldn't get a shot on target the whole game. And let's not forget Matt Damon out of Team America's push in the back to get the third goal against Portugal.

Stuttgart, muchas gracias, hope many of you have a sore head like mine this morning. :D

[gustavo]

Xavi got player of the tournament
http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_3757262,00.html
Squad of the Tournament
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Iker Casillas (Spain), Edwin van der Sar (Netherlands).

Defenders: Bosingwa (Portugal), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Carlos Marchena (Spain), Pepe (Portugal), Carles Puyol (Spain), Yuri Zhirkov (Russia).

Midfielders: Hamit Altıntop (Turkey), Luka Modrić (Croatia), Marcos Senna (Spain), Xavi Hernández (Spain), Konstantin Zyryanov (Russia), Michael Ballack (Germany), Cesc Fàbregas (Spain), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Lukas Podolski (Germany), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands).

Forwards: Andrei Arshavin (Russia), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Russia), Fernando Torres (Spain), David Villa (Spain).


Disappointed that Deco didnt make it

[TonyD]

Only three red cards, two 0-0s and two penalty shoot outs in the whole tournament. Impressive stuff to add to the points already made about the good football.

I was thinking that about the penalty shoot outs alright. This must be the least amount of games decided on penalites in a long time. Great to see. I'm also delighted Spain won. Was supporting them from the start.

[pineapple stu]

In Euro 88, I think there were no penalty shoot outs, red cards or 0-0s. Though obviously that's from a lot fewer games. Even still, it's commented on in the wiki article as being rare.

[Junior]

Xavi got player of the tournament
http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_3757262,00.html
Squad of the Tournament
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Iker Casillas (Spain), Edwin van der Sar (Netherlands).

Defenders: Bosingwa (Portugal), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Carlos Marchena (Spain), Pepe (Portugal), Carles Puyol (Spain), Yuri Zhirkov (Russia).

Midfielders: Hamit Altıntop (Turkey), Luka Modrić (Croatia), Marcos Senna (Spain), Xavi Hernández (Spain), Konstantin Zyryanov (Russia), Michael Ballack (Germany), Cesc Fàbregas (Spain), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Lukas Podolski (Germany), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands).

Forwards: Andrei Arshavin (Russia), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Russia), Fernando Torres (Spain), David Villa (Spain).


Disappointed that Deco didnt make it

LAhm was muck in more than a couple of games - must have been his winning goal that got him in!!

Though V Nistlerooy did well in the games Holland played.

[pineapple stu]

LAhm was muck in more than a couple of games - must have been his winning goal that got him in!!
Ditto Torres, you could argue.

[jebus]

Xavi got player of the tournament
http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_3757262,00.html
Squad of the Tournament
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Iker Casillas (Spain), Edwin van der Sar (Netherlands).

Defenders: Bosingwa (Portugal), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Carlos Marchena (Spain), Pepe (Portugal), Carles Puyol (Spain), Yuri Zhirkov (Russia).

Midfielders: Hamit Altıntop (Turkey), Luka Modrić (Croatia), Marcos Senna (Spain), Xavi Hernández (Spain), Konstantin Zyryanov (Russia), Michael Ballack (Germany), Cesc Fàbregas (Spain), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Lukas Podolski (Germany), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands).

Forwards: Andrei Arshavin (Russia), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Russia), Fernando Torres (Spain), David Villa (Spain).


Disappointed that Deco didnt make it

Lahm wasn't great, but neither were the defences so that can slide. Very surprised Deco didn't make it as I though he was outstanding in Portugals games, certainly I would have him in over Modric. Van Nistelrooy should have made the team, ahead of either Torres or Pavlyuchenko to be fair

[cheifo]

Xavi had a couple of quiet games.I would have gone for Senna.
Also kudos to Marchena who was tipped to be exposed by a lot of commentators before the Tournament started.

[Closed Account 2]

Xavi had a couple of quiet games.I would have gone for Senna.
Also kudos to Marchena who was tipped to be exposed by a lot of commentators before the Tournament started.


Agree 100%. Xavi was good, but Senna was the key ingredient for Spain. He was the best player in the tournament IMO. He was great at marking the oppositions creative midfielders out of the game (Arshavin, Ballack etc didn't really get a look in). He would also burst forward and create attacks, and hardly ever gave the ball away (and he passed the ball forward, unlike other holding players like Carrick). Overall a great player and IMO the difference for Spain in this tournament. Thought Silva was good for them too and Casillas was dependable when called on.

I got to go the Final in the end and the Spanish fans very loud and colourful, fair play to them, they had great support even though numerically there were more Germans in the actual stadium. I was sitting in and amongst the Spanish support and they were all very friendly and passionate and always singing (except in the last few mins when, naturally, they were very nervous and could hardly even look at the pitch). The stadium was actually really good, I thought it might be dodgy due to the big spaces from the edge of the pitch to the front of the seating, but they've designed it very well and the view is good from all over the stadium.

[Over the post]

Iniesta was hospitalised with gastroenteritis shortly before the tournament started and you could see in the first few games that he wasn't 100%, but he was man of the match against Russia. Etoo rates him as the best player at Barça, above even himself and Messi.
I think over Spain's entire campaign Senna and Xavi were the key players. Hard to choose between them for player of the tournament; as Xavi's contributions are more eye-catching I suppose that helped him get the nod over Senna (UEFA may not have liked the idea of naming a Brazilian best player).
Silva did very well considering he (like Iniesta) was playing out of position and the suspect centre-half paring stood up to scrutiny (Senna is also partially to thank for this), with Marchena in particular standing out. He's not the most subtle of players and his rashness tends to get him into trouble, but he was uncharacteristically restrained here.
All in all a great team performance, everyone played their part and no prima donnas moaning because they weren't getting a game.

[bennocelt]

Agree 100%. Xavi was good, but Senna was the key ingredient for Spain. He was the best player in the tournament IMO. He was great at marking the oppositions creative midfielders out of the game (Arshavin, Ballack etc didn't really get a look in). He would also burst forward and create attacks, and hardly ever gave the ball away (and he passed the ball forward, unlike other holding players like Carrick). Overall a great player and IMO the difference for Spain in this tournament. Thought Silva was good for them too and Casillas was dependable when called on.

.

Likewise, man i love Senna, a complete man mountain. I guess these kind of players rarely win the accolades.

[OwlsFan]

Nice pictures of the winning scenes back in Spain here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/euro_2008/spain/7482511.stm

[OwlsFan]

Why aren't those people at work?

Why aren't you ?:p

[HarpoJoyce]

....
Now there's an advert....

.....Cocoa Butter?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxX3KCqN9S0

[Junior]

.....Cocoa Butter?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxX3KCqN9S0

seriously, why the fcuk would somebody bother to upload that on to youtube?

[OwlsFan]

Pedro and Jorge cut up and purify the produce, and the lovely Milena counts the bills, .

Is it good quality stuff? Also picture of Milena for Totty Watch please.

[OwlsFan]

Have you told her that ;)?