Dunphy's analysis last night

[Countyman]

After the Italy / Bulgaria game Dunphy said :

..." A dictatorship and poverty are the key to a succesful national side"


Eamonn reckons deprived children have nothing better to do than play ball on the streets and learn the skills of the beautiful game whereas kids in richer countries are distracted by gameboys and playstations and dont play ball anymore....hence the reason for the decline of once great footballing superpowers Italy, Spain, Germany and Holland.

My money is on Afghanistan to make a big impression in the next world cup.

Classic Eamo, he's priceless!!!!

........although he may have a point.

I think its more to do with underage coaching myself but who am i to disagree with the Wrinkly one.

[lopez]

After the Italy / Bulgaria game Dunphy said :

..." A dictatorship and poverty are the key to a succesful national side"

Sweden and Denmark. Very poor countries with dictatorships!

[Drogman.]

I was really annoyed last night listening to those eejits Dumphy and Brady talking as if the the Denamrk and Sweden game was fixed! They just couldn't accept that Italy were sh*te and that the other game ended that way. I mean they didn't even just make a comment they immediately suggested that it was a complete fix Ar*eholes the lot of them! At least Giles said that he thought that there wasn't a fix but he was very unsure in saying that.

[lopez]

I was really annoyed last night listening to those eejits Dumphy and Brady talking as if the the Denamrk and Sweden game was fixed! They just couldn't accept that Italy were sh*te and that the other game ended that way. I mean they didn't even just make a comment they immediately suggested that it was a complete fix Ar*eholes the lot of them! At least Giles said that he thought that there wasn't a fix but he was very unsure in saying that.

Let me see, who would have gone out if either Denmark or Sweden had won? Erm...the losing team. Definitely no way there could have been a fix, especially from those honest Scandinavians. Mind you your right about Italy. If they scored more goals they wouldn't have needed to worry about the other game.

[Macy]

Probably was fixed, last 10-15 minutes v Holland in the 1990 World Cup anyone?

Think Dunphy has a point about the kids playing football - the kids of today are more interested in playing computer games than getting outside and playing ball.

[drummerboy]

I watched the entire Sweden v Denmark game. There is no way on earth that it was fixed. It was a great game, loads of crunching tackles, efforts on goals. It had the lot. The last 2 minutes was obviously a non event. Remember Holland v Ireland 1990

[parnell ranger]

I was really annoyed last night listening to those eejits Dumphy and Brady talking as if the the Denamrk and Sweden game was fixed! They just couldn't accept that Italy were sh*te and that the other game ended that way. I mean they didn't even just make a comment they immediately suggested that it was a complete fix Ar*eholes the lot of them! At least Giles said that he thought that there wasn't a fix but he was very unsure in saying that.

u have to admit the swedes second goal was a farce-the danish keeper couldnt have exaggerated that "flapped" attempt at a save more.

[higgins]

and even if italy won 65 -0

the 2-2 draw would have seen sweden and denmark go through,,

[corkharps]

After the Italy / Bulgaria game Dunphy said :

..." A dictatorship and poverty are the key to a succesful national side"


Eamonn reckons deprived children have nothing better to do than play ball on the streets and learn the skills of the beautiful game whereas kids in richer countries are distracted by gameboys and playstations and dont play ball anymore....hence the reason for the decline of once great footballing superpowers Italy, Spain, Germany and Holland.

My money is on Afghanistan to make a big impression in the next world cup.

Classic Eamo, he's priceless!!!!

........although he may have a point.

I think its more to do with underage coaching myself but who am i to disagree with the Wrinkly one.

Absolute rubbish!,if it was true Derry wouldn't be fighting against relegation every year!

[Metrostars]

Speaking of fixes, remember the West Germany 1-0 win over Austria in the World Cup in 1982 when a 1-0 German win would get both through to the next round. Hrubesch (who Jimmy Magee called 'The Monster') scored in the 10th minute and both teams spent the rest of the game passing the ball back and forth.
Plus there was Italy-Mexico in 2002, when the Italians got their goal for 1-1, both teams took it easy.

[lopez]

and even if italy won 65 -0

the 2-2 draw would have seen sweden and denmark go through,,

If Italy had scored 65 they would have had the same points as Denmark but with a +66 goal difference instead of Denmark's +2. Denmark did not beat Italy, therefore goal difference is then taken into account.

[Schumi]

If Italy had scored 65 they would have had the same points as Denmark but with a +66 goal difference instead of Denmark's +2. Denmark did not beat Italy, therefore goal difference is then taken into account.

No, Denmark, Sweden and Italy would all be level so it would come down to the results between the three of them. All three games were draws so it comes down to goals scored. Italy drew 1-1 and 0-0, Sweden 1-1 and 2-2, Denmark 0-0 and 2-2 so Italy's worse goals scored record would put them out regardless of the results against Bulgaria.

[lopez]

No, Denmark, Sweden and Italy would all be level so it would come down to the results between the three of them. All three games were draws so it comes down to goals scored. Italy drew 1-1 and 0-0, Sweden 1-1 and 2-2, Denmark 0-0 and 2-2 so Italy's worse goals scored record would put them out regardless of the results against Bulgaria.

Second time today I've had to apologise to you.

[Pat O' Banton]

Ah, Italy and fixing matches. Don't notice them looking to remove a star from their shirt because of the dubious nature of the 1934 World Cup win.

[Gary]

Yeah, think that was at the expense of Morocco or Tunisia too, or some team from the north of Africa.

Algeria. Thats why all last group games are now played simultaneously.

[lopez]

Ah, Italy and fixing matches. Don't notice them looking to remove a star from their shirt because of the dubious nature of the 1934 World Cup win.

Ahh, yet another injustice in the chronicles of Spain's perpetual underacheivement. BTW, ssshhh , but nice to see you (and me for that matter) are still allowed on this board after the ruckus with the Chief and his henchmen.

[Pat O' Banton]

Spoke too soon hombre

[pete]

Dunphy never analyses anything. He just has opinions.

[joeSoap]

Dunphy never analyses anything. He just has opinions.

Thats why RTE still pay him shedloads even if he turns up half-canned to the studio. It's what the public love....bitching....and boy are we good at it.The mans worth his weight of dead wrinkly skin in gold to RTE when he comes out with something like this.

[Coltron]

You can see where he is coming from, although you have to translate it from Dunphy talk to English.

To win this tournament you have to work as a unit, each player works as hard as the next helping each other and relying on each other. The players from the likes of Italy, Spain and England perhaps are too egotistic, glory hunters instead of giving way to the greater good of the team. Picture France with all their stars, all trying to win an important game you have Zidane trys, fails, next Henry, trys, fails etc. These are world class players and so have the quality to get them out of situations against poorer opposition some of the time but over the course of a major tournament the unit has the edge. They can pass around these world class players or defend as a unit against them. Mourinho spoke the trueth when he said that when a team doesn't have four-five individual players who are among the best in the world they have to work as a unit. You can recognise a when a team is playing as a unit when they can go many games with out defeat.

With regard to this tournanment, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Denmark, Greece are excellant examples of units. Portugal seem to be gelling and the fact that Scoleri is perpared to take off Luis Figo and he accepts this is evidence of it. So I believe that one of the above will win Euro 2004 and hope they might come from the Czech Republic-Denmark quarter final.