Euro 2012 - Group Stages

[TBM]

Before the game mine said that Sweden will beat France quite comfortably - i laughed

[Hoop Blah]

To be fair to the official on the goal-line, however good a view you have, at full speed and with such a marginal decision, it's not that easy to get that one right.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Before the game mine said that Sweden will beat France quite comfortably - i laughed

Sock puppets are funny to be fair.

[Wax Jacket]

Not a fan of Gerrard. Didn't want him in the squad to be honest. He's shut my mouth with another excellent performance. Good man. Someone needs to hobble Frank Lampard permanently.

yep he's been excellent in this tournament. him, Terry and Hart have really given England a spine and that's not usually something you can say about England teams

[TBM]

Before the game mine said that Sweden will beat France quite comfortably - i laughed

Sock puppets are funny to be fair.

Don't add the wink - it ruins the "joke"

[Pepe the Horseman]

Not a fan of Gerrard. Didn't want him in the squad to be honest. He's shut my mouth with another excellent performance. Good man. Someone needs to hobble Frank Lampard permanently.

yep he's been excellent in this tournament. him, Terry and Hart have really given England a spine and that's not usually something you can say about England teams

I've actually found myself warming to JT. Makes me feel a bit dirty. In a good way.

[Hoop Blah]

Terry has done well, but I think Lescott has been even better.

Terry has made more mistakes and been more 'by the seat of his pants' with some of his defending (which often looks better) but Lescott has just got on with his job and has rarely been caught out. He does have the advantage of playing in his favoured position (unlike Terry) and have Ashley Cole alongside him instead of Johnson, but he's just looked very comfortable all tournament.

I think he's playing himself into the side for a few years as the left sided centre half.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Before the game mine said that Sweden will beat France quite comfortably - i laughed

Sock puppets are funny to be fair.

Don't add the wink - it ruins the "joke"

That's some handsome advice.

[Franchise FC]

Hart - 8
Johnson - 6
Terry - 9
Lescott - 7
Cole - 8
Parker - 5
Gerrard - 7
Milner - 4
Young - 4
Welbeck - 5
Rooney - 6

With all the respect I can muster, I must've watched a somewhat different match if you are seriously giving Rooney a higher score than Parker.
Rooney's first half consisted of :
- failing to leave the ground to get his head on a great cross
- standing on the ball when presented with a great opportunity to drive at the centre backs
- giving the ball directly to a blue shirt on at least half a dozen occasions when simply keeping the ball would have been easier

And a massive LOL at the England fan interviewed on 5Live this morning saying the reason England are doing better is because we've got a young and hungry team. The only way that is true is because Ashley Young is playing and we haven't fed any of the team for a week. Johnson, Terry, Cole, Gerrard & Rooney are all from the old guard. Milner very nearly qualifies, Parker is not part of the 'young' element and neither is Lescott

Having said all that, RH has clearly got a game plan that they are all buying into - it ain't pretty but it's pretty effective.

I was going to give Rooney a 5, but +1 for the goal, as if it wasn't for him we wouldn't have scored...

Not true I'm afraid - the ball was going in anyway. He did exactly the right thing to finish it off, but I'd rate my chances of being able to finish that one - and on that basis Andy Carroll would have had another. AC may even have had two by then.

[TBM]

Not true I'm afraid - the ball was going in anyway. He did exactly the right thing to finish it off,

lol wtf

no it wasn't

[ZacNaloen]

It was going out for a throw or whoever was outwide if Rooney didn't get the ball. Is Franchise still drunk?

[No Fixed Abode]

LOL @ Franchise FC

ITV commentary last night was woeful. As a nation, we're technically inferior to a lot of teams, including Ukraine. Tildsley and Townsend were bigging up passes even a novice footballer should be able to make - Made me laugh when Gerrard put that ball across when Rooney scored. They said it was 'superb' cross. Now, it was hardly superb. Mostly luck, went through a players legs, got deflected, poor goalkeeping before finding Rooney.....just thought the commentary made England sound like schoolboys to be honest..... "Great bit of play from England, they've strung 3 passes together"...

[Ian Royal]

To be fair to the official on the goal-line, however good a view you have, at full speed and with such a marginal decision, it's not that easy to get that one right.

Kinda why the use of them is ludicrous in the first place. But I agree it was a hard one to be sure on. Although he had a better view than me and my first inclindation was 'Goal'.

[Hoop Blah]

It's a different ball game thinking its gone in from the comfort of your sofa (or the pundits studio) than actually having to make the decision which is so close to call you won't really know is over or not.

It's amazing the number of times these so called experts get it wrong even after a couple of views let alone live and with a split second to make the right call. They also don't get their decisions reviewed endlessly in front of millions if they might've got something slightly wrong.

There were some poor decisions made last night, but I don't think this one was that bad really (might feel differently if it was the other way round of course!).

[SpaceCruiser]

Does anyone find it a bit curious that there's only been two sending offs (the Polish keeper and the Irish bloke) and one penalty (which was missed) in the entire group stage? Or have I missed something here?

Greek centre half was sent off in the first game too but, yes, the attrition rate is low and the lack of penalties remarkable.

Maybe UEFA are fed up with teams in the latter stages being weakened by multiple suspensionand have asked refs to ease off. Don't know about the penalties though, haven't seen too many blatent ones not given.

Platini has put the lack of penalties down to having the extra officials on the goal line! He thinks there are less fouls being committed because players don't think they'll get away with it whilst the extra eyes are watching. I think he's spent too much time with Blatter and he's losing the plot.

There have been a few shirt pulls and other fouls in the box not given, that in previous tournaments I think might've been pens (Carroll last night for example) but I can't think of any stonewallers.

Just goes to show what a MASSIVE fool Platini is. And a tool to boot.

[Ian Royal]

It's a different ball game thinking its gone in from the comfort of your sofa (or the pundits studio) than actually having to make the decision which is so close to call you won't really know is over or not.

It's amazing the number of times these so called experts get it wrong even after a couple of views let alone live and with a split second to make the right call. They also don't get their decisions reviewed endlessly in front of millions if they might've got something slightly wrong.

There were some poor decisions made last night, but I don't think this one was that bad really (might feel differently if it was the other way round of course!).

I agree with all of that. It's incredibly hard to spot some of these things with certainty with a game going by at full pelt. Almost to the point if the guy had blinked at the wrong time he couldn't have made the call.

[Bumblebee]

LOL @ Franchise FC

ITV commentary last night was woeful. As a nation, we're technically inferior to a lot of teams, including Ukraine. Tildsley and Townsend were bigging up passes even a novice footballer should be able to make - Made me laugh when Gerrard put that ball across when Rooney scored. They said it was 'superb' cross. Now, it was hardly superb. Mostly luck, went through a players legs, got deflected, poor goalkeeping before finding Rooney.....just thought the commentary made England sound like schoolboys to be honest..... "Great bit of play from England, they've strung 3 passes together"...

Rare thumbs up to a Kes post.

We know what our weaknesses are and I'm sure they'll be developed. Hodgson will instigate a top down culture change, I reckon. In the mean time, he's got them working to our strengths - soak up pressure with a decent (though not outstanding) back 5 then counter attack - and it's paying dividends at the moment.

[chilipepper91]

Think everyone realises that ITV commentators are rhetotic-laden, jingoistic idiots though.

[Franchise FC]

Mmmmmmmmmmmm, mmmmmmmm this humble pie is delicious - pass the custard will you.

Still, with my anti-Rooney glasses on full beam I still maintain that we'd not have needed his one yarder if Carroll had been on to score with the first chance.

[Elmer Park]

Mmmmmmmmmmmm, mmmmmmmm this humble pie is delicious - pass the custard will you.

Still, with my anti-Rooney glasses on full beam I still maintain that we'd not have needed his one yarder if Carroll had been on to score with the first chance.

As has been pointed out though, Rooney created the space for himself by his movement. We cannot know for certain that Carroll would have made exactly the same movements. Who knows, he might have been in a position where the cross was too high.

Wazza was pants overall though. Maybe he was affected by the fact that the hair product he borrowed off Andy Carroll seems to have made his newly grown hair recede back into his scalp.