Euro 2004!

[Barmy Army]

Another quickie!

Who do you guys think are gonna win Euro 2004?

I can't see past France myself! They have an absolutely immaculate team!

I mean, just look at it:

- Sebastien Frey / Fabien Barthez

- Philippe Christanval
- Marcel Desailly
- Mikael Silvestre
- Lilian Thuram

- Patrick Vieira
- Claude Makelele
- Zinedine Zidane
- Johan Micoud

- Thierry Henry
- David Trezeguet

What a team!

If they trip up though, teams like England (especially!) Spain, Italy, Sweden, Portugal etc. will be hot on their heals!

Who do you think?

[Harbourboy]

The time has come for Spain to finally live up to their promise (it must be have been hard work being a Spanish fan over the years). Home advantage can't be ruled out for Portugal but they have flattered to deceive more often than Spain even. France will have to overcome the mental block that railroaded them in the World Cup if they are to fulfill their top billing.

In my very limited opinion, England have too few match-winners and only one quality striker. They should get past Croatia and Switzerland but I predict they will stumble in their quarter final v Spain or Portugal.

[Barmy Army]

Too few many match winners.

Aww bless him!

Rooney
Defoe
Beckham
Owen
Gerrard

Need I go on? England stand a very good chance of winning!... if someones breaks Thierry Henrys leg!

[Harbourboy]

Bah! I have had looney Rooney in my fantasy football team all season and he has done NOTHING for me!

If he's such a 'match-winner' how come he never scores any goals in the Premiership? And don't say it's because he plays in a crap team because there are other strikers in crap teams who score all the time. Half the time Everton don't even seem to play him.

Plus there's no guarantee that Defoe will even play!

But I will defer to your greater experience in this sport and look forward to having lots of happy work colleagues when England narrowly lose in the final to France.

[Oxymore]

Yes, France sure seems like a steamroller. However, they looked that way back before Japan, and we all know what happened there...

Capitalising on the home advantage, Portugal could do very well imo.

But, never oh never count out Germany or the Netherlands. Or Italy for that matter. Or England, or ...

*ahem* This will be interesting indeed. When do I get time to study?

[Barmy Army]

lol

Well, I think we have established you really know f*ck all about English footy mate!

No offence .

[Harbourboy]

No offence taken; half the fun of sport is the debate (so long as the debate remains about the sport and not the watchers).

Anyway, you still haven't explained what miraculous change is going to come over Rooney to turn him into a match-winner if and when he plays for England in Euro 2004 . . . . . . . . .

The proof of the pudding will be in the eating, as they say.

[Barmy Army]

Hehe. Rooneys is the best young player in the Premiership. The kid is barely 18 years old and has already scored 3 goals for his country. His scoring record for Everton isn't bad for a boy of his age.

He has strength, power, a great array of passes, an unbelievable technique, a great eye for goal and a superb footballing brain.

He may only be 18 but has a old head on young shoulders! Does have moments of madness such as getting straight red carded earlier in the season but if he keeps his head down and curb his temperament he could become one of Englands greatest ever players.

He has the unique skill that few other players have of being able to grab a game by the scruff of the neck and make things happen. The footballing brain of a seasoned veteran mixed with the enphusiasm and fire of a hungry youngster. It is easy to forget he is barely 18 sometimes. I hope he stays at Everton for many years, under the watchful eyes of David Moyes. A big move would ruin him imo.

[Sarevok•]

Rooney has some amazing amount of talent indeed. I think a club like Everton is just perfect for him right now at his age. I wonder how much he is worth.

[Harbourboy]

I just wish Rooney would actually score some points for my Fantasy Premiership team. He is my worst player by miles! And I picked him because I listened to people like you rave about how good he is.

[Sarevok•]

Fantasy football teams haha ah well Rooney would not have been a good choice on a fantasy football team this year. I won't explain why though

[Barmy Army]

Find me another 18 year old in a top flight league that not only forced his way into the first team choice to represent his country but can also match his record. Then I'll agree he might be a bit overrated. If he continues to progress the way he is then he will be one of the best in the world by the time he is 23-24. As it stands he is still somewhat inexperienced. But he is still an enormous talent!

[Harbourboy]

Man, o man, do you like twisting my words....

Did I ever say he was over-rated?

All I said was that England had insufficient match-winners for Euro 2004 (not World Cup 2010) and that Rooney was by far the worst player in my Fantasy Premiership team THIS SEASON, despite everyone telling me otherwise.

I reckon my prediction of England going out to Spain / Portugal is every bit as likely as yours of France winning the whole thing.

We'll just have to see what happens!

[Barmy Army]

Hehe not to worry. I enjoy our little tit for tats

[metal leper]

France are interesting - they should be a fantastic team (and have been), but then there was the whole World Cup debacle. I don't think it'll happen again, but its a possibility

After what happened in Madrid I wouldn't be suprised if euro 2004 doesn't go ahead, or if it does some big name players might choose not to play

[Baldrak]

I think France, Spain or the Netherlands will become the next European Champion. I'm a little biased toward the Netherlands...
With younger players like Robben and Sneijder and with established players like van Nistelrooy, Makaay, Davids and Stam they have a good chance. As long as they keep Frank de Boer on the bench...

[joacqin]

I think Italy looks real good this year, their offence is awesome. France may have Henry and the Netherlands may have van Nistelrooy but Italy have Totti, Del Piero, Vieri, Cassano, Inzaghi and manym more. In general I think France, the Netherlands and Italy are the big favourites. Spain is Spain and can never pull themselves together, I have thought it to be their year many times before and it never have been. Germany however should never be dismissed, they have an ability to go long in a tournament no matter what.

I think the Czech Republic can be an outsider and maybe maybe home turf might boost Portugal to new heights.

As for the rest of the teams I think they are going to be hardpressed exceed any expectations. England as usual think they are a lot better than they really are and it has an ability to lash back at them. Sweden as many other teams have troups a long way from the top nations. We just dont have the material to do something, teamwork and tactics cant do everything. I am going to warn a bit about Denmark though, if they get past their group I think they can rattle any team.

[Nocturnal Nomad]

Hmmm, Italy versus France in the final. France wins.

Netherlands and Spain get their ass kicked in the semi's.

[Barmy Army]

England as usual think they are a lot better than they really are and it has an ability to lash back at them

We think we're good because we are good. For an island so small we have a great amount of talent in nearly every sport. We should have won that last World Cup. Daylight robbery I tell ya!!

[teekc]

We should have won that last World Cup.

How do you propose England to do that? "Daylight robbery I tell ya!! ", cheat a goal from penalty and play extra cautious passive defensive 10-0-0, good job, way to go, nice one.

[Harbourboy]

Hooray! Some other people agree with me that England are over-rated and have too few match-winners. England to lose to Spain or Portugal in the quarter final. The winner of that game to meet France in the final. Who cares what size the island is? You're no smaller than Portugal or Italy!

[Barmy Army]

I think you must be referring to the Argentina match teek. Hehe, how pedantic.

It was a penalty. And we won the match. Who cares how. We went through and lost to what was an extremely lucky goal at the end of the day. I think that is out of argument to even a person with your vigour towards a bias.

The winner of that match would have gone on to win the World Cup and no others teams left in it were any good.

But anyway, arguing with Harbourboy is near enough fruitless anyway, but at least he is entertaning. By the looks of it arguing with you would be even worse.

Just try and open your eyes and stop being such a silly boy .

[edit: no smaller than Portuagal or Italy? Look at a map mate! . We tiny! ]

[Harbourboy]

Arguing you would be fun if you got your facts straight! Surely you were talking about population rather than geographical size (which would be even more irrelevant).

Population of England (approx 51m) is hardly tiny compared to Portugal (11m), Spain (40m), Italy (58m), and France (60m), and Netherlands (41m).

So, no excuses. England had better win now with all that talent.

[Barmy Army]

Have faith my friend!

Nah, England aren't good enough to win it atm imo. Although that doesn't mean we don't have a team of great players. We will go far in it, but I doubt we will win it unfortunately,

I wasn't gonna reply further to this but teek's aggressive response kicked me into action!

As always Harbourboy you have proven a worthy adversary (in other words, you beat me! lol) but other's pfft, lol. You would be a great ally to my cause. Alas, the time for such possibilities has passed!

Sit down and have a beer mate. Your paying.

[teekc]

Doesn't a nation has a national pride or something? Especially aganist an old rival like Argentina. i did not expect England to display such passive playing style before that match. Or, should i say i had so many confident in England that i did not think they will play the match just for the sake of winning it. i guess you are old enough to know the outcome of winning or losing is not everything.

To be a champion, you have to show the champion quality in you. Playing passive 10-0-0 is not the dictatorial attitude a champion should have. Think about it, if, at that time, your national coach was not a foreign Eriksson but a native English. Do you think that English national coach will go all out to display that kind of passive-ness to all the world? Eriksson was a hired national coach, that's it. His job is to protect his job. i don't think he would care much about what kind of football the English should show to the world. And you have it, for the first time, England is playing like the, already outdated, Italian 10-0-0.

Go back some years, how Germany won Euro 96? One by one their player went down. It was so bad that they had to give their backup keeper an outfield jersey. With all those second choice players, did they play passive at all? That is the kind of football that gives people meaning to get involve.

i can't even imagine you feel happy with that kind to attitude display on that day.

By the way, i am a Liverpool fan, i am not bias, just disappointed.