Euro 2024

[LUX]

Kerpow, take that Portugal.

Oh, hang on.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

I’m not sure i understand the bit about mismanagement.
Southgate played the entirety of the forward looking group in their natural positions and between them they failed tp produce. Kane, Saka, Maddison and Bellingham all fell way short of their current club form. Nothing to do with management tactics as far as I can see.

This feels a bit like the position with Henderson and the Ukraine goal …… escapegoating. Point the finger at Southgate rather than the underperforming players

It's the managers job to get the best out of the players. If the players are underperforming at International level but potentially not at club level, that comes down to the manager.

What a clever and nuanced analysis Players can never be at fault for playing shit.

Sorry, but Bellingham, Maddison and Kane all played like turds and it was on them, not Southgate.

Players perform poorly consistently at all levels, the manager gets sacked for it. Everyone can have an off day, but it's down to the manager at the end of the day, it falls on their head.

[Snowflake Royal]

It's the managers job to get the best out of the players. If the players are underperforming at International level but potentially not at club level, that comes down to the manager.

What a clever and nuanced analysis Players can never be at fault for playing shit.

Sorry, but Bellingham, Maddison and Kane all played like turds and it was on them, not Southgate.

Players perform poorly consistently at all levels, the manager gets sacked for it. Everyone can have an off day, but it's down to the manager at the end of the day, it falls on their head.

[Franchise FC]

It's the managers job to get the best out of the players. If the players are underperforming at International level but potentially not at club level, that comes down to the manager.

What a clever and nuanced analysis Players can never be at fault for playing shit.

Sorry, but Bellingham, Maddison and Kane all played like turds and it was on them, not Southgate.

Players perform poorly consistently at all levels, the manager gets sacked for it. Everyone can have an off day, but it's down to the manager at the end of the day, it falls on their head.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly what’s wrong with the way that football has progressed (or otherwise).

For example, Chelsea are shit (sorry, Chelsea fans, just a case study)
Answer, must be the manager despite the fact that they’ve been consistently shit under the last four, or is it five, managers

[Royal Rother]

What a clever and nuanced analysis Players can never be at fault for playing shit.

Sorry, but Bellingham, Maddison and Kane all played like turds and it was on them, not Southgate.

Players perform poorly consistently at all levels, the manager gets sacked for it. Everyone can have an off day, but it's down to the manager at the end of the day, it falls on their head.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly what’s wrong with the way that football has progressed (or otherwise).

For example, Chelsea are shit (sorry, Chelsea fans, just a case study)
Answer, must be the manager despite the fact that they’ve been consistently shit under the last four, or is it five, managers

And then there's Reading....

[Snowflake Royal]

Players perform poorly consistently at all levels, the manager gets sacked for it. Everyone can have an off day, but it's down to the manager at the end of the day, it falls on their head.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly what’s wrong with the way that football has progressed (or otherwise).

For example, Chelsea are shit (sorry, Chelsea fans, just a case study)
Answer, must be the manager despite the fact that they’ve been consistently shit under the last four, or is it five, managers

And then there's Reading....

owner.

Appoint shit manager, sign ropey players, run club badly.

[RG30]

Euro 2024 ticket ballot opens tomorrow via UEFA.

[Winston Biscuit]

Ronaldo has now scored 73 goals since he turned 30 years old

More than most other countries all time top goalscorer has got

[Sutekh]

Ronaldo has now scored 73 goals since he turned 30 years old

More than most other countries all time top goalscorer has got

And only 68 were penalties.

[Sanguine]

Oh, Erling. Unless Norway seal a place at Euro 2024 through the Nations League play-offs, Haaland will be at least 26 before he plays in a major international tournament. And Odegaard a year older.

[Sanguine]

Luxembourg's qualifying campaign so far.

vs. Portugal W0 D0 L2 F0 A15
vs. Others W3 D2 L0 F8 A2

They drew 0-0 in Slovakia. If Luxembourg could somehow get a result tomorrow night at home against them, they would be in second place in the group and might start dreaming of the impossible.

[Silver Fox]

Hats of to Scotland and (albeit through slightly gritted teeth still) Steve Clarkw

[NathStPaul]

Ugh the Welsh could still qualify automatically. Makes you sick.

[Stranded]

Republic of Ireland are in a situation whereby they are better off losing their next game against the Dutch (they probably would anyway) than winning it.

If the Dutch lose they would likely need finish outside the top 2 and require the Nations League play-offs to qualify - Ireland are not currently in a high enough position to make those but if the Dutch automatically qualify, then it raises the chances that Ireland will take one of the play-off spots.

[Stranded]

Euro 2024 ticket ballot opens tomorrow via UEFA.

Have applied for every match in Frankfurt and one on opening weekend in Berlin. Will be about €1400 if I get the lot but unlikely I will - would be happy with 1 or 2 games.

[Stranded]

Luxembourg's qualifying campaign so far.

vs. Portugal W0 D0 L2 F0 A15
vs. Others W3 D2 L0 F8 A2

They drew 0-0 in Slovakia. If Luxembourg could somehow get a result tomorrow night at home against them, they would be in second place in the group and might start dreaming of the impossible.

Luxembourg can dream irregardless - they are guaranteed a play-off place through the Nations League play-offs.

It is a slightly complicated draw but if it were based on positions now they would face a tie against Kazakhstan before playing the winner of Georgia v Azerbaijan for a spot in the Euros.

It is possible upto 2 more League C sides could qualify, if so they would be Bulgaria and the Faroe Islands - Slovakia may also end up in the play-offs but if they do Luxembourg will likely have already made it. If those 2 qualify, then a draw will be made and the 2 who miss out will be placed into the higher division to face, on paper, tougher sides.

[Sanguine]

Republic of Ireland are in a situation whereby they are better off losing their next game against the Dutch (they probably would anyway) than winning it.

If the Dutch lose they would likely need finish outside the top 2 and require the Nations League play-offs to qualify - Ireland are not currently in a high enough position to make those but if the Dutch automatically qualify, then it raises the chances that Ireland will take one of the play-off spots.

Thankfully the Dutch win in Greece last night probably makes this less important. Not sure how Ireland would have approached the game with Netherlands had the above been the case.

[Stranded]

yep, bullet dodged.

In other news, Bosnia and Georgia the first 2 sides confirmed in the play-offs - the first in the League B play-offs, the latter in League C.

As it stands today, play-offs would be:

League A

Croatia v Estonia
Poland v Iceland

League B

Israel v Ukraine
Bosnia v Finland

League C

Georgia v Luxembourg
Greece v Kazakhstan

If Croatia and Poland qualify then Norway and Ireland will join the play-offs.

[Sutekh]

Joining Germany in the finals next year are

Group A

Scotland and Spain both qualified

Group B

France through, Netherlands or Greece for the runners up spot

Group C

England through, Italy still have to play Ukraine which will decide 2nd place.

Group D

Turkey qualified, Wales or Croatia battling to join them

Group E

Still wide open. Albania lead the way and should make it given their remaining fixtures. Czech Republic, Poland and even Moldova could still qualify automatically.

Group F

Belgium & Austria

Group G

Should be Serbia and Hungary but Montenegro still hoping

Group H

It should be Slovenia & Denmark but the right results in the final games will see Kazakhstan through.

Group I

Between Romania, Switzerland and Israel.

Group J

Portugal home and hosed, Luxembourg chasing Slovakia for the final spot.

Then there's the play offs to ensure all the failures have another chance to make it through.

[Sanguine]

Albania - would be only their second ever major tournament appearance, after the Euros in 2016.

Luxembourg would be one hell of a story, but likely through the play-offs. Slovakia should be able to get two points from their last two games.

Israel have only reached one major tournament in their history - the 1970 World Cup. Romania's qualification record is poor in recent times too, but they should have enough to win the group. The Swiss play both teams still, and those games will likely decide qualification.