I find the RTE Euro 2008 coverage horrible.

[mypost]

Well I was 3-4 years old so I dont remember too much of that. Technology has advanced a lot in the 22 years since.

One such match was Mexico, the host nation against Germany in the group stage. Mexico were one up, when the pictures started going throughout the second half. Germany equalised late on, and everyone asked what happened. Mexico were replacement hosts for Colombia, but there was an earthquake there 9 months before, which was said to have affected the country's technical and communication network during the finals.

Anyone who watches La Liga on Sky, knows that it's not uncommon for the feed to go at times during games. Noone's at fault for last night. These things happen.

[pineapple stu]

Various broadcasters looking at sueing UEFA. (http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/euro2008/2008/0626/uefa.html)

[superfrank]

That german team is rubbish, so what if they are in the final
Oh dear. Where do you get that from?

[TonyD]

thats not so true
the BBC panel all got it totally wrong last night.
hansen with his Ballack player of tourna rubbish, and how Turkey were going to shut up shop
I thought the RTe guys had it spot on. Turkey should have and so nearly did pull off a result
If turkey won last night what would all ye guys be spouting today?
That german team is rubbish, so what if they are in the final

I was mainly talking about the aftermatch comments of Hansen & O'Neill(and yeah, I agree re Ballack - don't know where Hansen got that) Giles and Brady, as I said, talked sense on RTE, Dunphy was even more off the wall than usual. Your point about Turkey is largely irrelevant. Yeah, they could have won last night. The fact is Germany did win. As usual, they did what they had to do. As I said in my first post, their record in major championships simply cannot be a coincidence. They know how to win, even against what appear to be "better" teams. You say they're rubbish, well 14 out of 16 teams are gone home, and yet the "rubbish" Germans are still there. What does that tell you ? Yes, I think Spain look a better team than Germany, and I hope they win on Sunday, but if you think the Spanish will have it easy then I think you're very much mistaken.

[OwlsFan]

One of the buffoon's finest hours last night :D :D

A team managed by a "clown" (Aithnionn ciarog ciarog eile), with goals from a "donkey" (Daniel Güiza) and someone having a "nightmare" (David Silva) beat the team managed by the best manager in the world. I knew that in order to cover up the utter tripe spoken before and during the game, the WHOLE focus of the after match "analysis" would be on Fabregas not starting. David Silva had an excellent game and as for Father Time's and the Buffoon's hero, Torres, he had a stinker and missed SIX chances and frequently lost possession but in the land of the blind, the one-eyed is king. When Roman Pavlyuchenko missed a chance in front of goal just before half time, Father Time says "if that had been Torres, he would have put it away" - ignoring his 3 missed earlier in the half. Cue the second half and the ball flies across the box to Torres who collapses on his knees and doesn't know what to do with it.

So according to the Buffoon, we have a "rubbish team with no hope of winning the tournament" and a team managed by "a clown" in the final. I laughed myself to bed last night. The trouble there of course is that no matter which team loses the final, he'll be able to say he was right about it!

[Roadend]

Forget that, when the coverage cut back to the studio from the post match celebrations you could see Dunphy doing his nut at someone off camera. It was hillarious.

[EAFC_rdfl]

Forget that, when the coverage cut back to the studio from the post match celebrations you could see Dunphy doing his nut at someone off camera. It was hillarious.
he was in a bit of a rage alright,Im mad to find out what it was about, I'd say they had told him to wise up, was it just me or did Bill avoid putting questions to him up until the break?

[gaiscíoch]

In fairness to Dunphy I think he has Arshavin down to a tee.... At 27 years old exploding onto our TV screen 5 weeks or so before a major tournament and suddenly becoming world class over night aint right. The lad couldn't even pass the ball five yards. He reminds me of Karol Poborski who was going to take the premier league by storm... While he has obvious attributes I don't think he could be considered world class as the media have hyped him up to be. Even a broke clock is right twice a day...

In general he is a terrible pundit I used to love listening to him just to hear what he would say next. But this tournament has been unbearable. Germany "crap", Spain managed by a "clown"? While Aragones is not exactly the most likable of mangers (to a point racist) he has a competent international record and a has won LA liga 4 times? What does he base his arguement on?

[OwlsFan]

In fairness to Dunphy I think he has Arshavin down to a tee.... At 27 years old exploding onto our TV screen 5 weeks or so before a major tournament and suddenly becoming world class over night aint right. n?

Did he say this before the game? No!

[pete]

In fairness to Dunphy I think he has Arshavin down to a tee.... At 27 years old exploding onto our TV screen 5 weeks or so before a major tournament and suddenly becoming world class over night aint right.

He was excellent in the two games but any one declaring him world class based on that was foolish.

RTE EPL bias is amazing despite the fact they keep tell us it is poor quality. Torres was muck again & deserved to be taken off. 1 goal in 4 games says it all.

[gaiscíoch]

He was excellent in the two games but any one declaring him world class based on that was foolish.

RTE EPL bias is amazing despite the fact they keep tell us it is poor quality. Torres was muck again & deserved to be taken off. 1 goal in 4 games says it all.


Just watching a few bits on Sky yesterday they hounded him to a height-(Rte were guilty of over-hyping pre-game too... Brady) world class this and world class that. I don't know why countries let the media near the team in the build up to a game as big? He was clearly affected by the pressure of the big game.

I agree with you about Torres he never was a really prolific goalscorer at Athlethico. Personally i can't see Torres scoring as many goals in the EPL this year coming. For a player many people had tipped as top scorer he has been awful.

Did you hear Brady saying about Pavluchenko being better than Villa? He shut Dunphy up striaght away...:D

[Closed Account 2]

Well a fair bit of it could be down to match fitness and also he was pretty much marked out of the game by Senna and co. (BTW Brazil must be kicking themselves for not getting Senna in their team). Like I say he didn't really get any support from the other midfielders so was basically crowded out. I still think if Pogrebnyak had not got injured 2 days into the competition Russia would have probably beaten Spain.

I have a feeling the Germans will have too much for the Spanish. Most Spanish play seems to come via short balls in midfield (which Frings and co will cut out) or long diagonal balls (which Metzelder and Mertsacker should be able to deal with). There is a risk that Lehmann will be beaten by a long range shot, but I still think the Germans will just about have enough.

[pete]

Euro 2008 showed club teams if they did not know already that to stop Torres & Ronaldo you close them down & do not give any space. Both players need space to run onto.

[Roadend]

he was in a bit of a rage alright,Im mad to find out what it was about, I'd say they had told him to wise up, was it just me or did Bill avoid putting questions to him up until the break?

Bill definitely avoided asking him questions and he spent the rest of the night in super pout mode.

[Roadend]

I agree with you about Torres he never was a really prolific goalscorer at Athlethico. Personally i can't see Torres scoring as many goals in the EPL this year coming. For a player many people had tipped as top scorer he has been awful.

To be fair his international record is something like 1 in 4 as it is, he was tipped due to the season he just had in the EPL.

[TonyD]

Does anyone else think the RTE panel are going just ever so slightly over the top about Fabregas. I'm not denying his quality, but Christ. John Giles practically wants to have his babies ! They keep saying he should start, but don't say who they would leave out, Xavi or Senna ? It would have to be one of them, as Silva is a wide player, and Iniesta is also playing wide. I think Spain will play 5 in midfield for the final to accomodate him. They'll miss Villa up front though. Also, though he did have a fine game last night, he played one awful pass, stright to a Russian under no pressure, which if it had been for instance, Silva, the panels whipping boy, he'd have been slaughtered for it. They also raved about his part in the last two goals, ignoring the superb finish for the second, and the great little ball down the line from Iniesta to Fabregas which sent him away for the third.

[Newryrep]

Does anyone else think the RTE panel are going just ever so slightly over the top about Fabregas. .... They also raved about his part in the last two goals, ignoring the superb finish for the second, and the great little ball down the line from Iniesta to Fabregas which sent him away for the third.

Noticed that too, it was the ball down the line for the third was the better ball than the square pass to score

Senna barely gets a mention but in the 2 games i seen Italy and last night he barely misplaced a pass (and i am not talking about the 5m backwards ones)

[jmurphyc]

While Aragones is not exactly the most likable of mangers (to a point racist) he has a competent international record and a has won LA liga 4 times? What does he base his arguement on?

I agree that Aragones is far from being a clown, but as a manager he has only won La Liga once back in 1977.

I have to laugh at the panel's obsession with Fabregas though (could it be anything to do with Brady?). He did excellently when coming on but Iniesta was every bit as good as him IMO and like someone else said, it's not easy to decide who he should replace. If the panel had their way it would be Silva meaning that Spain would start the final with four central midfielders! Besides Silva has been excellent after he had a poor start to the tournament against the Russians. Watching the clips that they chose of his "poor" performances, almost every ball they showed going in to him was a poor one where he was under pressure and not in space. It was very selective.

Also, whilst Torres has been quite poor in this tournament, Spain haven't played to his strengths. Him and Villa do not seem to work as a partnership and he's often out wide or linking up play for them when he's best at playing off the last defender. By the time he got to play in this role for Spain (after Villa went off in the semi) he looked frustrated and I think his confidence was completely shot at playing a role that was unnatural to him this season.

[TheBoss]

Does anyone else think the RTE panel are going just ever so slightly over the top about Fabregas. I'm not denying his quality, but Christ. John Giles practically wants to have his babies ! They keep saying he should start, but don't say who they would leave out, Xavi or Senna ? It would have to be one of them, as Silva is a wide player, and Iniesta is also playing wide. I think Spain will play 5 in midfield for the final to accomodate him. They'll miss Villa up front though. Also, though he did have a fine game last night, he played one awful pass, stright to a Russian under no pressure, which if it had been for instance, Silva, the panels whipping boy, he'd have been slaughtered for it. They also raved about his part in the last two goals, ignoring the superb finish for the second, and the great little ball down the line from Iniesta to Fabregas which sent him away for the third.

I agree Tony, Senna was brilliant, stopping every attack, Iniesta was super also, his movement, passing and awareness was almost perfect in the game. Fabregas was ok to me, nothing special, I think they want to hype the Premier League again.

[jmurphyc]

I agree Tony, Senna was brilliant, stopping every attack, Iniesta was super also, his movement, passing and awareness was almost perfect in the game. Fabregas was ok to me, nothing special, I think they want to hype the Premier League again.

Senna should be a contender for player of the tournament IMO. He has been excellent in every game he's played in.

[OwlsFan]

Does anyone else think the RTE panel are going just ever so slightly over the top about Fabregas. .

As I mentioned above, it was to avoid having to discuss the fact that the players described as having "a nightmare" and as a "donkey" respectively both scored. Giles decription (again)of Torres as someone who might do nothing all game and then MIGHT score is laughable. Imagine if all 11 players were like that? You'd be 15 goals down by the time the players might do something :confused::rolleyes:

[osarusan]

Giles decription (again)of Torres as someone who might do nothing all game and then MIGHT score is laughable.
Why is it laughable? There are lots of players who fit that description, Torres is one, in his opinion.

[jebus]

Fabregas was ok to me, nothing special, I think they want to hype the Premier League again.

I disagree with that. In every game Fabregas has come off the bench he has added something new to the Spanish attack. His passing is as good as it gets in the modern game, he works hard and tracks back and he's always getting into space and pulling markers with him. Keep in mind how hard it is for a player to come off the bench and make their mark, usually with less than a half hour to play, and then look at his contribution to this tournament. Amother point is that he hasn't sulked like so many world class footballers would in his predicament too

[bennocelt]

No team that makes a European final is rubbish. This German team is by no means their best historically but they have some good individuals and are a decent unit. If such a rubbish team went on to win the competition, what does that say about the rest of Europe?

na still rubbish
jeez greece won the thing, and ireland once were a top 6 team in the world, and westlife have the most number ones
Seeing is believing:rolleyes:

[pineapple stu]

Does anyone else think the RTE panel are going just ever so slightly over the top about Fabregas. I'm not denying his quality, but Christ. John Giles practically wants to have his babies! They also raved about his part in the last two goals, ignoring the superb finish for the second, and the great little ball down the line from Iniesta to Fabregas which sent him away for the third.
Yeah, was thinking that watching it alright. The pull back for the third was good, but I'd expect him to spot it and pull it off. It was the superb chip down the line from Iniesta that started the move off (and the five short passes in the space of about two seconds for Spain to break clear from defence; had me thinking Brazil v Italy, and the rest wasn't far off it), but his contribution was overlooked entirely.

[old git]

I disagree with that. In every game Fabregas has come off the bench he has added something new to the Spanish attack. His passing is as good as it gets in the modern game, he works hard and tracks back and he's always getting into space and pulling markers with him. Keep in mind how hard it is for a player to come off the bench and make their mark, usually with less than a half hour to play, and then look at his contribution to this tournament. Amother point is that he hasn't sulked like so many world class footballers would in his predicament too

so who would you drop for fabregas to start.. spains midfield has played extremly well all tournament without him starting .. plus the rte panel are going totally over the top about him .. p.s his little brilliant chipped pass for the 3rd goal was not meant for guiza if you look at it again another player was blocked on his run for this pass

[Closed Account]

Its a tough decision, personally, if Villa was fit, I'd stick with the same line-up. If not, I'd play Guiza up front and bring on Fabregas in the second half for either Torres or Silva depending on who has contributed the most in first half. The way Spain play, Silva isn't really needed for his crossing because Capdevila and Ramos regularly get to the byline. However, in the final I don't think they will be given the same license.

Fabregas definitely adds something to the Spanish midfield but is probably vying for Iniestas position rather than Xavi or Sennas. Iniesta is a better player..... for now.

Interestingly, Fabregas has been on the pitch for 8 of Spains 11 goals this tournament and has 3 assists and a goal to his name. If it were Fantasy Football I know who'd I pick....

[jebus]

I'd drop Xavi.
He's had a good tournament, but I think Fabregas does everything Xavi does and more. Couldn't drop Senna or Iniesta, and David Silva's pace is needed, so I'd drop Xavi.
But hey, that's just me.. :D

I'd go along with that. It would be harsh to leave Xavi out but in a head to head with Fabregas I'd take Fabregas. And before anyone says I'm Premiership bias I actually prefer La Liga

[John83]

I also prefer La Liga...

On a side note, watch Ronaldo flop in Spain..
Defenders there aren't as moranic as in Engurland....
Yeah, a washed up Ian Harte would never get a game there, unlike in England where he's still considered a great defender. The stupid extremes some people take on standards in leagues... :rolleyes:

[old git]

I'd drop Xavi.
He's had a good tournament, but I think Fabregas does everything Xavi does and more. Couldn't drop Senna or Iniesta, and David Silva's pace is needed, so I'd drop Xavi.
But hey, that's just me.. :D

ruben

on last nights performance (fabregas ) nothing special when he started game .. eventually taken off .. xavi did everything fabregas does and better last night .. also delighted for aragones he gets a lot of bad press and we were all disagreing over his team selections
but what the hell the end product paid off he won spains first major tournament in over 40 years ..

[Morbo]

Yeah, a washed up Ian Harte would never get a game there, unlike in England where he's still considered a great defender. The stupid extremes some people take on standards in leagues... :rolleyes:
What does Ian Harte have to do with anything? Harte was released from Levante cos he was ****e, Keane signed him because he used to play with him back when he was slightly better than ****e but he proved not to be up to either premiership or la liga standard so I'm not sure how the Harte situation shows how 1 league has better defenders than the other. I think Torres has a point about defenders in the premiership being overly reliant on the physical side of their game rather than using their head, I'd also expect to see a dramatic drop in Ronaldos goal tally if he moves to Spain

[tetsujin1979]

I also prefer La Liga...

On a side note, watch Ronaldo flop in Spain..
Defenders there aren't as moranic as in Engurland....
don't know if I'd go as far to say he'll flop, just that he won't be the same success in Spain as in England. He'll probably have more time on the ball than in the average Premiership game, but Raul and Van Nistelrooy (especially) aren't going to work as hard to take defenders out of his way as Rooney and Tevez have. Remember, Ruud was one of Ronaldo's biggest critics when he first started at United, he just wanted the ball in the box to shoot, none of the fancy stuff.

[OwlsFan]

I see Motson is hanging up his microphone for live games, thank God. Any chance George H could follow suit. I don't know how often he incorrectly called throw ins, corners and free kicks.

By the way, despite the panel and Hamilton/Houghton almost having apolexy when Fabregas was substituted as the Germans for the first time (since the first 15 minutes) were getting a foothold in the game, I thought it was a master stroke by the "clown" Aragones: Germany lost that foothold and barely threatened again. Every move the Spanish manager made paid off.

[superfrank]

Motson retiring is far from voluntary. BBC lost out in the latest telly rights and, afaik, they won't have any more live English internationals or the FA Cup.

[bennocelt]

I see Motson is hanging up his microphone for live games, thank God. .


yeah agree, what a buffoon
On Saturday morning he tipped germany cause no team in the champs won 3 exciting games in a row - ie holland, Russia, etc - talk about fuzzy logic
Never mind that spain were way and a head better than germany going on form and players

[pete]

Xavi justified his place ahead of Fabregas last night who I thought did not play so well. The decision to bring on Alonso for Fabregas may also have won the game for Spain as Germany were on top at that stage & afterwards they got no space between defence & midfield - something RTE panel overlooked.

[DmanDmythDledge]

Euro 2008 showed club teams if they did not know already that to stop Torres & Ronaldo you close them down & do not give any space. Both players need space to run onto.
The vital difference between the Premier League and football on the continent is that continental defence's tend to sit back while defenders in the Premiership have a much higher line. This allows strikers with pace to get in behind and have goalscoring chances. This makes Torres and Ronaldo appear to be better players than they actually are.

[Junior]

Motson has only retired from International Tournaments I believe, he'll still be working for BBC 5 Live and Im not sure about TV, but as BBC have fcuk all left perhaps it will just be radio?

Just thought he will be still heard on MOTD highlights....

[Mr Maroon]

Yeah the Fabregas thing was nonsense. Xavi and Iniesta are just simply better players than Fabregas and far too similiar to him to warrant 3 in the same team. Silva is their only bit of width so I don't understand how the panel can be baffled at how he should be replaced. Aragones made the right decision with the old situation of picking the best players for the right positions instead of the best 11.

And Fabregas was ineffective in the final, I can't recall very many positive contributions he had so complaining when he was replaced was unfounded.
Though they did the same with Torres. Hypocritical when they call the Irish and British game naive to world techniques.
Xavi is better than Fabregas for sure but Iniesta?

[DmanDmythDledge]

Xavi is better than Fabregas for sure but Iniesta?
Definitely not. I'd rate Iniesta higher than Xavi too.

[mypost]

Motson has only retired from International Tournaments I believe, he'll still be working for BBC 5 Live and Im not sure about TV, but as BBC have fcuk all left perhaps it will just be radio?

Just thought he will be still heard on MOTD highlights....

:confused:

[OwlsFan]

Fcuk all left of live football.

[Junior]

I just corrected my original point. The BBC have lost rights for Home Internationals so now they only have (Match of The Day) MOTD on a Saturday night and Motson will be heard commentating on some of those games.

Id forgotten about MOTD when I typed the first paragraph.