The general Euro2024 chit chat thread

[Orion1871]

French lucky to win that. Was hoping it might be a draw.

Not really.

They were unlucky not to win by more. Mbappé one on one miss, Giroud air shot, ball across the box that just needed a toe on it.

[Loafer]

I'm finding the refereeing and var to be very good tbh

Commentary and pundits..... not so much

[Uke]

Glad to see the Ukraine getting battered

#edgefail
#trollwin

You proudly posted a video of you shouting at someone in the street.

Back on the tramadol again Brobe?

[BRO_BOT]

#edgefail
#trollwin

You proudly posted a video of you shouting at someone in the street.

Back on the tramadol again Brobe?

You posted a video of you at some protest. Apologies if I've mixed that up because it's really molded my opinion of you.

[tulip]

French lucky to win that. Was hoping it might be a draw.

Not really.

They were unlucky not to win by more. Mbappé one on one miss, Giroud air shot, ball across the box that just needed a toe on it.

Ofcourse they were lucky, got gifted a goal by the Austrians. It would have been a nil nil draw otherwise.

[Stranded]

Ooo that is harsh as a handball! Looks pretty natural movement to me.

Rules are if the attacker uses a hand in the build up to the goal then handball. So yeah perhaps harsh but within the rules, would have been "one of those things" pre-VAR.

Reverse argument is, without the ball hitting his hand and coming under his control, no change is created.

Of course the funniest thing, is Lukaku, well being Lukaku - missing a hatful and then knocking in a goal bound ball from an offside position when leaving it would have seen the equaliser stand.

He really is the kind of striker that will score you a hattrick - when you are already 4-0 up.

[Snowflake Royal]

Ooo that is harsh as a handball! Looks pretty natural movement to me.

Rules are if the attacker uses a hand in the build up to the goal then handball. So yeah perhaps harsh but within the rules, would have been "one of those things" pre-VAR.

Reverse argument is, without the ball hitting his hand and coming under his control, no change is created.

Of course the funniest thing, is Lukaku, well being Lukaku - missing a hatful and then knocking in a goal bound ball from an offside position when leaving it would have seen the equaliser stand.

He really is the kind of striker that will score you a hattrick - when you are already 4-0 up.

I did enjoy his disallowed reactions.

[Hendo]

Thought we were decent in the first half, dominated the game and didn't really give them a sniff.

They obviously got an absolute bollocking at half time and we didn't react - was like watching Reading over the last couple of seasons.

Bellingham, Rice, Saka, Walker, Pickford, Stones and Guéhi all decent. Kane a bit unlucky with his header, amazing save from the 'keeper - 9/10 that goes in, game finishes 2-0 and everyone goes home happy.

Not super impressed with Foden or Trent - might look at doing something different for the next game. Hard to rate Trippier, playing out of position - thought he did fine.

Always going to be a meh performance in the group stages:

2018 - could argue that both Tunisia and Belgium were meh games.
2020(1) - could argue that all group games were a bit meh, Scotland being the most meh.
2022 - USA

Agreed with that - their LCB in particular must have got a rollicking as he went from the worst player on the pitch to completely marking Saka out the game second half

Don’t really need to go full throttle in the group stages with the new format layout as the majority of teams make it to the next round. As a result, probably an element of conserving energy for latter and more difficult stages of the tournament. Not my preferred way of doing it but Southgate’s records in the group stages speaks for itself

Yes, he was the one I was mainly thinking of. Massive unit of a bloke as well.

[Hendo]

No 2pm game today

[Uke]

You proudly posted a video of you shouting at someone in the street.

Back on the tramadol again Brobe?

You posted a video of you at some protest. Apologies if I've mixed that up because it's really molded my opinion of you.

Not me, IIRC posted some pictures of the two years of war event at Forbury Gardens, nobody was shouting.

I'm saving my shouting for Friday, in Dusseldorf.

[6ft Kerplunk]

No 2pm game today

This is utter bullshit, the whole point of the group stage is so I get to watch three matches a day.

[6ft Kerplunk]

Rules are if the attacker uses a hand in the build up to the goal then handball. So yeah perhaps harsh but within the rules, would have been "one of those things" pre-VAR.

This is one of those rules that irritates me as if it happens and no goal is scored its not deemed to be an infringement. If it touches a defender's hand and its not deemed deliberate that its not an infringement, accidently brushes against an attacker's hand and it is. Its either handball everywhere on the pitch against every player or its not a handball. Having a different rule just because a goal has been scored is nonsense.

[Hendo]

No 2pm game today

This is utter bullshit, the whole point of the group stage is so I get to watch three matches a day.

Quite, in an "expanded" tournament especially.

[Stranded]

No 2pm game today

This is utter bullshit, the whole point of the group stage is so I get to watch three matches a day.

Quite, in an "expanded" tournament especially.

But it's just as a result of having 1 game alone on Friday - otherwise there would have been 3 today. It is the last 2 matches of the first round of games, so they want to avoid having a side playing their 2nd game on the same day some play their first.

If you want to get "annoyed" then I suggest you check out Sunday and it's complete lack of any games at all until 8pm UK time when the last group A games take place. Monday the same. That happens due to their being 3 games a day meaning Group B can't play Sunday as Spain v Italy is played a day later than Croatia-Albania.

Then back to 2 sets of 2 games on Tuesday and Wednesday - will then be 2 games per matchday up to the semi finals.

[Royal Rother]

Don't mind whether it's from the bench or on the pitch (the former is more likely I'd have thought) but hoping for some Ronaldo twattish tantrums tonight.

[WestYorksRoyal]

On having an "expanded" tournament, anyone else think it's time to go from 24 to 32 teams? I get the debate about diluting quality, but I think the argument was lost when it went from 16 to 24, as were arguments about volume of games and player welfare. Would having space for teams like Norway, Bulgaria and Finland really dilute it much? It's not like Wales would qualify.

It also makes the groups better and brings back jeopardy. Belgium have a shock loss so far but will surely still qualify as it is so easy to in this format. Plus more games for fans, and a fairer draw in the last 16 (1st place teams play 2nd place, no complications).

I was opposed to going from 16 to 24, but now it's happened just finish the job and make it 32.

[Winston Biscuit]

On having an "expanded" tournament, anyone else think it's time to go from 24 to 32 teams? I get the debate about diluting quality, but I think the argument was lost when it went from 16 to 24, as were arguments about volume of games and player welfare. Would having space for teams like Norway, Bulgaria and Finland really dilute it much? It's not like Wales would qualify.

It also makes the groups better and brings back jeopardy. Belgium have a shock loss so far but will surely still qualify as it is so easy to in this format. Plus more games for fans, and a fairer draw in the last 16 (1st place teams play 2nd place, no complications).

I was opposed to going from 16 to 24, but now it's happened just finish the job and make it 32.

I think its all about the jeopardy really. That is what makes sport what it is from a viewers POV.

The danger is that the more teams you have the easier it is to progress through the early round, with dead rubbers etc, and can even make qualifying for it a bit of a procession (which it has pretty much become anyway)

[Winston Biscuit]

Turkish and Georgian fans fighting each other in the stadium 1 hour before kick off

[Winston Biscuit]

will be fascinating to see if Kvaratskhelia can bring any magic to the Georgian team today

[Mr Angry]

Re: England.

I thought the least effective player on the team v Serbia was Foden; he offered nothing down the left, and wasn't helped by having Trippier as the left back who is so right footed its an embarassment and so he offered no overlapping option.

Personally, I would have brought on Gordon to play as a genuine left winger and to run at the Serbian defenders.

I would have also taken Kane off on about 70 minutes and played Carlton Cole up front.

Liked Guehi; he looked composed.

TAA was a bit meh; I hated the way Shearer kept calling him Trent however, as if he was a personal friend, and the way he creamed himself whenever TAA made any sort of pass. Keep some objectivity please!