That Euro 2004 Thread

[jonffm]

With the premiership drawing to a close, and the Euro's only a month and a bit away, I believe it's time to start the hype.

This thread is purly for your conversational and informative needs regarding Euro '04, with a small compo thrown in for good measure.

So untill euro starts, this be a nice place where banter and chat regarding the european football championships can be placed, without the need for lottsa threads.

The Groups

Group A

-----------P--W--D--L--GF--GA--Pts
Portugal---0---0---0---0---0---0---0
Greece----0---0---0---0---0---0---0
Spain------0---0---0---0---0---0---0
Russia-----0---0---0---0---0---0---0

Group B

-------------P--W--D--L--GF--GA--Pts
France-------0---0---0---0---0---0---0
England------0---0---0---0---0---0---0
Switzerland--0---0---0---0---0---0---0
Croatia------0---0---0---0---0---0---0

Group C

-----------P--W--D--L--GF--GA--Pts
Sweden---0---0---0---0---0---0---0
Bulgaria----0---0---0---0---0---0---0
Denmark---0---0---0---0---0---0---0
Italy-------0---0---0---0---0---0---0

Group D

-----------P--W--D--L--GF--GA--Pts
Czech Rep-0---0---0---0---0---0---0
Latvia-----0---0---0---0---0---0---0
Germany---0---0---0---0---0---0---0
Holland----0---0---0---0---0---0---0


The Fixtures

12th June
5:00pm - Portugal v Greece
7:45pm - Spain v Russia

13th June
5:00pm - Switzerland v Croatia
7:45pm - England v France

14th June
5:00pm - Denmark v Italy
7:45pm - Sweden v Bulgaira

15th June
5:00pm - Czech rep v Latvia
7:45pm - Germany v Holland

16th June
5:00pm - Spain v Greece
7:45pm - Portugal v Russia

17th June
5:00pm - England v Switzerland
7:45pm - Croatia v France

18th June
5:00pm - Bulgaira v Denmark
7:45pm - Italy v Sweden

19th June
5:00pm - Latvia v Germany
7:45pm - Holland v Czech Rep

20th June
5:00pm - Russia v Greece
7:45pm - Spain v Portugal

21st June
5:00pm - Croatia v England
7:45pm - France v Switzerland

22nd June
5:00pm - Italy v Bulgaria
7:45pm - Sweden v Denmark

23rd June
5:00pm - Holland v Latvia
7:45pm - Germany v Czech Rep



The News

Woodgate out of Euro 04' as Englands defensive worries mount

Newcastle defender Jonathan Woodgate has been ruled out of England's Euro 2004 squad because of a thigh problem.
The 24-year-old tore a muscle in last week's win over Chelsea and Magpies boss Sir Bobby Robson said: "It will need at least two months to repair.

"That is without him being involved in serious training so we do not know how long it will take for him to get fit."

With Gareth Southgate also a doubt because of a knee injury, England could turn to Manchester United's Wes Brown.

England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson had hinted earlier this week that a question mark over Brown's fitness could mean he would miss out on a place in the squad.

And Brown's inclusion could also put Eriksson on a collision course with United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ferguson feels that Brown, who has fought back after two cruciate ligament operations, should be rested completely over the summer.

However, Brown has hinted that he would relish being involved in Portugal and, with Eriksson's defensive concerns mounting up, England may have to turn to the Old Trafford star.

The Compo

Heres how it works. The numbers below represent teams. You pic a number from 1-16, then leave for a while. When it's closer to Euro, I will use randomizer.org to assign a number to a team. Should that team then go on to win, all the members that picked that number win.

Prize: 500 rupies

Compleatly free to enter.


1. Greece
2. Sparrow France
3. Latvia
4. Dingbat Holland
5. dr. derrice Denmark
6. sheep go moo Russia
7. dogincognito Spain
8. Mr Jones Germany
9. LooNaTicUK Switzerland
10. Blueberrymuffin Bulgaria
11. Peej Croatia
12. AngryPaul Portugal
13. Zola England
14. Streety Sweden
15. Italy
16. Plastic Vicar Czech Republic


Thanks to BBC.com for most of the information

[dogincognito]

form guide nicked from the bbc:

Group A
PORTUGAL
Last 5 games: DWDLD
Injuries: Couto
Selection problem:
Whether to play 4-5-1 or 4-4-2
Hosts Portugal have failed to win their last seven friendlies against Euro 2004 opponents and their only recent victory was against Kuwait.

Coach Luis Felipe Scolari's main problem is how to combine his front-line and, though he played in the 1-1 draw with Sweden, Fernando Couto has been suffering with a series of niggling injuries. Form: 3/5

GREECE
Last 5 games: WDWWL
Injuries: Kapsis
Selection problem:
Whether to play 5-4-1 or 4-4-2
Greece were unbeaten in 15 matches and will hope that the defeat in Eindhoven, which key defender Mihalis Kapsis missed through injury, was merely a blip in their preparations. Form: 4/5

SPAIN
Last 5 games: WWWWD
Injuries: Puyol/Marchena
Selection problem:
Reyes or Luque
Spain are unbeaten in eight games and coach Inaki Saez's only worry is the luxury of having to worry about which additional players join their established strikers.

Carles Puyol and Carlos Marchena missed the 1-1 draw with Italy through injury. Form: 4/5

RUSSIA
Last 5 games: WDWDL
Injuries: Ovchinnikov
Selection problem:
Balance of midfield
Russia sneaked past Wales in the play-offs and have been in unconvincing form in their warm-ups.

Goalkeeper Sergei Ovchinnikov suffered an injury scare and coach Georgi Yartsev must also decide how to balance his midfield. Form: 3/5


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Group B
FRANCE
Last 5 games: WWWWD
Injuries: Govou
Selection problem:
Balance of midfield
With a 100% record in qualifying and unbeaten in their warm-ups, France are favourites to retain the title.

Sidney Govou is struggling with a recurring hamstring problem and Djibril Cisse is suspended. Manager Jacques Santini's only 'problem' is how to balance a host of riches in midfield. Form 5/5

ENGLAND
Last 5 games: WDLDL
Injuries: Southgate/Woodgate
Selection problem:
Left midfield/defence
Having narrowly won their qualifying group, England have failed to impress in their warm-ups with defeats by Sweden and Denmark.

The suspension of Rio Ferdinand and injuries to Gareth Southgate and Jonathan Woodgate means problems in defence to add to the usual leftside-of-midfield dilemma. Form 3/5

SWITZERLAND
Last 5 games: LWLLW
Injuries: Murat Yakin/Streller
Selection problem:
Defence
The 2-1 win over Slovenia was Switzerland's first win of the year after winning their qualifying group.

Stephane Chapuisat and Alexzander Frei are potent up front but Marco Streller is a doubt and Murat Yakin's injury absence is a worry with a leaky defence their main concern. Form 2/5

CROATIA
Last 5 games: DWLDW
Injuries: Kovac/Prso
Selection problem:
Midfield
Since the retirement of Zvonimir Boban and Robert Prosinecki, Croatia have struggled to find the right playmaker in midfield.

Dado Prso has been in form for Monaco but missed the 1-0 win over Macedonia and key defender Robert Kovac is battling an ankle injury. Form 3/5



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Group C
SWEDEN
Last 5 games: LLLWD
Injuries: Jonson
Selection problem:
Wide players
Sweden won their qualifying group but understrength sides have faltered in recent friendlies.

The return from international retirement of Celtic striker Henrik Larsson is a massive boost, especially as Andreas Andersson is injured and only Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in consistent form. Form 3/5

BULGARIA
Last 5 games: LWLDW
Injuries: Martin/Stilian Petrov
Selection problem:
Right-back
The bright young Bulgaria side qualified as group winners and the two Petrovs are expected to recover from injuries sustained in the 3-0 win over Cameroon.

Coach Plamen Markov's main problem is who takes the right-back role left vacant after Radostin Kishishev quit internationals. From 3/5

DENMARK
Last 5 games: WDWLW
Injuries: Lovenkrands/Bogelund
Selection problem:
Defence
The national press has lambasted Denmark for recent defensive weakness and they will not be helped by the absence of Kasper Bogelund.

Rangers' forward Peter Lovenkrands is also a doubt but they have quality up front and have been solid in the build-up. Form 4/5

ITALY
Last 5 games: LWDWD
Injuries: Tacchinardi
Selection problem:
Wingers
After finishing second in Euro 2000, Italy hope to go one better and have looked good in their warm-ups.

Roberto Baggio, 37, featured in the 1-1 draw with Spain but insists he does not want to be considered and a lack of natural wingers is their one weakness. Form 4/5


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Group D
CZECH REPUBLIC
Last 5 games: WWDLL
Injuries: Rosicky
Selection problem:
Defence
The 1-0 defeat by Japan was the Czech Republic's second successive defeat after a 20-game unbeaten run and their problem is inexperience in defence.

And though Tomas Rosicky, Vladimir Smicer and Karel Poborsky all returned, they may not be in top form in time for Portugal. Form 3/5

LATVIA
Last 5 games: DWLDW
Injuries: Pahars
Selection problem:
Forwards
Latvia rely on a counter-attacking style and struggled to score during their qualifying campaign.

There is an injury concern over striker Marian Pahars and that puts more doubt on Latvia's ability to cope in their first major finals. Form: 2/5

GERMANY
Last 5 games: WLWWL
Injuries: Lauth/Rau/Worns
Selection problem:
Defence
Romania embarrassed Germany's weakened team in Bucharest and fitness battles for defenders Christian Worns and Tobias Rau are a worry.

Benjamin Lauth's absence does not help coach Rudi Voeller's concerns over his lack of goals up front. Form 3/5

NETHERLANDS
Last 5 games: LWWDW
Injuries: Robben
Selection problem:
Playmaker
Forced through the play-offs, the Netherlands look to be reaching the right form and managed to crush Greece even with star players missing.

Dick Advocaat's main problem is who to play in the playmaker role in midfield and there is plenty of cover for Arjen Robben, should he fail to recover from a hamstring injury. Form 4/5

[NIGHTCOW]

oh how wank is that, im outta the country from end of may til 26 th june.

nice thread tho johnny, keeps it all organised

[jonffm]

Thanks...hay! You used the dare to believe moto in your sig. Good for you.

Fly like a mouse.
Run like a cushion.
Be the small bookcase..

EDIT: dogincognito, thanks BTW. And NIGHT, I stole your sig idea.

:D

[Cap'n Zola]

All the hype...Hmm....As a neutral (Damn you Scotland team), I'd just have to say that I'd like to see some stormers from Henry, wanna see Gallas playing regulary for France, John Terry playing in Rio's position and I think that the Czech Republic will win! :twisted:

[jonffm]

Heh. I think France will win. Theres no defence in the world that can stop Henry. We're in deep shit.

But still, COME ON ENGLAND.

[NIGHTCOW]

wanker.

:D :D

I think france are gonna be very difficult to beat as always but like in the world cup, they don't always fire on all cylinders. I think England might have a good run. It''s been long enough

[jonffm]

Yes. This year I think we could do it. With Gerrard back to his best, Rooney, and a fully fit Owen, it'll be our best chance since the early 90's

[dogincognito]

Its a really open tournament imo, could be anyone, France, Czech republic, Holland, Italy, England, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Sweden?

[eejit]

me and my mates are heading down to blackpool for the England - France game, so if your in the area and see some distinctly Scottish-like frenchmen you can say hi.

Vive La France!

[jonffm]

A scottish frenchman? Thats some mix. You must have an odd accent...

edit: Compos now up. Take a gander. Pick 1-16. Max 5 people per number. bla bla bla.

[AngryPaul]

When it comes a bit nearer I will place bets for the tournament in my betting thread ;) I will do the single matches but also odds so people can choose an outright winner :D

England can beat France!! :D [/optimism]

[jonffm]

Of course, I wasn't planning to do bets here because I want to have a bet myself. Like most people I'm going to throw all my rupies on England to win.

[AngryPaul]

Originally posted by JonnyFFmaster
Of course, I wasn't planning to do betsDidnt think you were, just thought I'd say I was plannig it so that people would know to look ;)

[jonffm]

Oh..Ok..Just covering my tracks..that or I'm in a very paranoid mood. ;)

[Sketch]

What England need is a good goalkeeper. I just don't think David James is good enough...

[AngryPaul]

Originally posted by AngryPaul
What England need is a good goalkeeper. I just don't think Anyone is good enough...

[dogincognito]

watch the premiership yesterday? he was superb.

[Sketch]

He was on good form, I admit that, but the shots were mainly right at him.

The main problem is, most of the time he makes basic errors and lets in goals that an international class goalkeeper shouldn't.

[jonffm]

I do agree. James is good, but seems to ruin most his games by one or two silly mistakes. Robinson hasnt progressed enough and Kirkland is doing no good sitting on the Anfield bench.

Its whats gunna lose us games. Our defense & goalkeeper. Campbell and Terry are our saving grace, let us pray they don't get injured.

[dogincognito]

kirklands bones are like dry twigs, i dont think hes ever gonna be englands no 1. I dont think James is too bad, other teams dont have the greatest goal keepers, Bhartez, Kahns been bad for a while, theres probably others. Im more worried about Michael Owens lack of form than anything else.

[jonffm]

Naw, hes playing ok now. Still averaging a goal every 2 games, and thats him playing BADLY. Says something about Owen.

Besides, with Gerrard on TOP form, along with Beckham, our midfield should run the show against the smaller teams. France will be alot harder to break down.

[dogincognito]

i suppose. Hes been quite wasteful this season and not his usual self :( he should play better in a better team though, especially if he wants to go to real ;)

[jonffm]

He only wants to go if we don't get in the Champions League, and it looks like we are gunna. Plus, I don't think Real really need him anyway.

P.S- Compos open. you just select a number 16. Prizes to be conformed. See first page for more info.

[dogincognito]

can i have number 7? do you have to pay to be in it?

[jonffm]

Yeah, number 7 it is. And nope, it Compleatly free. The winner will prob win all the rupies I have at the end of Euro 2004, because weebl put my monkey avvy on the main avatar page, so theres nothing i want to save for.

[dogincognito]

i want to get an avatar and a glowing name :( its gonna take ages
hence the gambling!

[jonffm]

heh. I'm not even gunna bother. 5000 rupies will take about a year to save up with my compolsive gambling.

Good luck with that though... :p

[Dingbat]

Supporting France and Holland at Euro 2004 - guess where I come from?

:p

[Nuclear Spoon]

germany? switzerland? belgium? my geography of europe is utter crap. anyway owen isnt that good. we've got plenty of other good strikers. vassell, rooney, beattie(if you're wondering about heskey he isn't the greatest). and if they come up with some sort of great britain squad they should include robbie keane. up the spurs.:D :D :D

[jonffm]

Ithink, like him or not, heskey will start most matches. Simply because Rooney and Owen don't play well together, they are too simular.

[Dingbat]

Originally posted by piemanchris
if they come up with some sort of great britain squad they should include robbie keane. up the Spurs.

They can't.

He's from the Republic of Ireland, which is a separate country to the UK.

[jonffm]

he wouldn'tget a game anyway. Englands midfield is one of the best in the world, we don't need any more midfielders. Its defenders and a decent goalie we need.

[jonffm]

News Update

Boro Boss McClaren set for England

Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren could return as England assistant coach if Brian Kidd fails to recover from his cancer surgery in time for Euro 2004.
McClaren, part of England's backroom set-up at the World Cup before quitting to concentrate on Boro, revealed Sven-Goran Eriksson had been in touch.

"It's hypothetical at the moment," admitted McClaren, who did not rule out a return to the international scene.

"I spoke to Sven and it was just a general chat."

Kidd has cancer surgery

McClaren added: "Brian is the coach and hopefully he will make a speedy recovery."

Kidd had surgery last week for prostate cancer and his availability for England's first match against France in five weeks' time is in doubt

McClaren is understood to have signed a contract to act as a television summariser for the tournament but will be allowed to go with England if need be.

Thanks to BBC.com for news updates

[Sparrow]

Let me take door number 2...

Umm... I hope that didn't sound gay at all... but back to the point, can I please have my name at Team Number 2.

Thank Youuuuuuuuuuu very much.

[jonffm]

Ok.

And yes...it did sound a little dodgy.

[dogincognito]

Originally posted by piemanchris
anyway owen isnt that good. we've got plenty of other good strikers. vassell, rooney, beattie(if you're wondering about heskey he isn't the greatest).

are you mad? owen is our only top striker atm. Vassell is like Owen but worse. Id put Defoe in ahead of Vassell, and Beattie or Smith instead of heskey.

[jonffm]

Owen has alot of critics, but then what other striker can have a bad season yet still average a goal every two games?

[PJ]

i will have 11 ( i used the randomizer to choose weeeeeeee)

by the way make sure you dont let fatmanskinny and insertnamehere as they are spammers

[Dingbat]

Originally posted by JonnyFFmaster
he wouldn'tget a game anyway. Englands midfield is one of the best in the world, we don't need any more midfielders. Its defenders and a decent goalie we need.

Robbie Keane's a striker.

He said Robbie, not Roy.

[jonffm]

Originally posted by Peej
by the way make sure you dont let fatmanskinny and insertnamehere as they are spammers

I already said in another thread that I won't let either of them play this game. I won't let anyone play the game that I dislike, becuase at the end of the day, why would I give my rupies to people I don't like?

edit: Ahh, but we don't need strikers either, lol

[streety]

Ello!
Can I have number 14 please.

Personally I think that Italy will win. They will have a hard job beating some teams but they have the players to do it.

[Cap'n Zola]

13 for me, please, me lucky number!

I'm wanting teh Czech Republic to win!

[jonffm]

Added both your numbers :)

NEWS UPDATE

Portugal's Rui Jorge may miss Euro 2004

Portugal and Sporting Lisbon defender Rui Jorge is a doubt for Euro 2004 after being provisionally suspended over a positive drug test.
Jorge failed the test in February for a substance used as medication and which is allowed if it is declared.

The club's doctor allegedly said he had failed to notify officials that Jorge was on the prescription drug.

A disciplinary committee will decide his fate but he could be out for at least six months if found guilty.


Meanwhile, Portuguese star Ricardo Quaresma has broken a bone in his foot and will miss the European Under-21 championships in May.

Barcelona winger Quaresma suffered the injury in his club side's 4-1 win against Espanyol and is likely to be out for at least three months.
Thanks to BBC.com for news updates.

[Cap'n Zola]

Quaresma is a top notch player!

Seems like a fair bit of bad news for Portugal...:/

[jonffm]

Yup, poor ol' portugal.

Jorge would be very hard to replace, hes a great player if you ask me.

[streety]

I don't think that Quaresma have lived up to the hype about him though. He was billed as a player equal to Ronaldo. I think that Ronaldo is much better. Shame about the stepovers.

They might miss him... :confused:

[i-am-the-eggman]

ill have a 10 please

I think that itll be out of us (we can live in hope) and france (who im petrified about us playing).

If eriksson keeps a balanced, straightforward team instead of chopping and changing i think we could well be in with a shout. Hopefully this just isnt the patriotic bias talking.

Who would you like to see in our england team?

my team

..........................Robinson

Mills...........Campbell......Terry......Bridge

Beckham....Gerrard......Scholes......Cole

....................Owen.........Vassell/Heskey

Ive thought for ages now thatcole should play LM as when he plays at LB he is always up the other end anyway which drags the rest of our defence out of position and makes them vulnerable.

As much as i would like for smith and beattie to get called up, i think vassell and heskey should be 2nd choice, because even though we all love to give them stick, they always seem to do the job when its important. The rest of the team is pretty straightforward IMO

[Cap'n Zola]

Yeah Joe Cole should play left-wing. Not Ashley. You missed out Lampard aswell.:rolleyes:

[jonffm]

My england team..

..........................|.James.|............... .............

Carragher .......Campbell......Terry......Cole

Beckham......Gerrard.........Scholes........Dyer
......................................Heskey
...........................Owen.........

[streety]

This looks very doubtful but this is my england team.
_________________Kirkland_______________

Carragher___Campbell___ Terry_______ Bridge

Beckham __Gerrard_______Lampard____A.Cole
_____________Owen___Vassell_____________

[Cap'n Zola]

I may aswell do one...I'm a Scottish Chelsea fan btw...

_________________James_______________

G.Johnsen___Campbell___ Terry_______ Bridge

Beckham __Gerrard_______Lampard____J.Cole

___________Owen___Vassell_____________

:p 5 Chelsea players ;)

[streety]

Joe Cole!?!
Can't even get in the Chelsea team!! The short fat showpony.

Wouldn't put Glenn Johnsen in there either above Carragher, Mills or Neville.

I think the chelsea...ness has shone through :D

[jonffm]

Joe Cole would be good if he wasnt at Chelsea. He needs to go to somewhere like Villa or Bolton.

Since this is proving to be quite popular, once loads of pople have done it, I'll find which players got voted for the most and make an ultimate dream team from it.

[Cap'n Zola]

Great idea, Jonny.

And I was only putting Johnsen in because of his Chelsea-ness, Carragher should play. Joe Cole is a good player, I think he'll leave. Ranieri is leaving too but we're getting Walter Samuel!

\o/ Walter Samuel! \o/ Best centre-back in the world in my oppinion!

Roma, Walter Samuel and his agent all said that Chelsea have offered them so much that they just cannot refuse at all.

:D

[streety]

What an ultimate England team?
You could have a european dream team...


*thinks of idea for thread*

[dogincognito]

Originally posted by JonnyFFmaster
Joe Cole would be good if he wasnt at Chelsea. He needs to go to somewhere like Villa or Bolton.

Since this is proving to be quite popular, once loads of pople have done it, I'll find which players got voted for the most and make an ultimate dream team from it.

Joe Coles good, but hes not a left winger anyways. we tried him there and he always drifted in leaving Ashley Cole exposed. Like every non left footed player we play there.

_________________James_______________

Carragher___Campbell___ Terry_______ Bridge

Beckham __Gerrard_______Lampard____A.Cole

___________Owen___Beattie_____________


European dream team:

_________________Casillas_______________

________Puyol___Mellberg___ Terry______

Beckham __Gerrard_______Viera____Duff_____
______________Zidane________________
___________Owen___Henry_____________



There's a lot of great players to choose from :eek:

[dr. derrice]

i dont think engkand can win the tournament, unless the forwards really pull out the stops, and defoe, heskey, owen,rooney etc. aren't doing that right now, as good as lampard and gerrard are at scoring, we can't rely on them.

england (NOT niel sullivan grrrr)
................................walker............ ...........
...........woodgate........terry........campbell.. .......

beckhm......gerrard.....parker.........J/A cole (or) bridge
............................lampard............... .........
.............sutton..............shearer.......... ....

o.k., that team isn't going to happen, i'd also like to see thompson in the squad. shearer is englands best striker but won't go as obviously he retired. parker is a classic english midfielder and would win a lot of ball if he played. also, if england are leading, sutton started his career as a centre back and could drop back if needs be.

euro all-stars:

...................................buffon......... .......................

.....jorge costa........terry..........maldini(3yrs ago)

deco........viera......zidane.....valeron......... ....pires

..................schevchenko...........henry..... ........


subs: gronkjaer. morientes. totti(go totti \o/). cassilas. lampard. seedorf. davids.

manager: claudio ranieri or morinho


my favourites(for betting purposes) for euro 2004 are portugal, france and holland, but never rule out italy, spain, germany or the englands.

[PJ]

_______________________james______________________ _____jamie carrager_____cambell_______terry_________bridge__
wright-phillips_____gerrard_________scholes_______beckham _
_____________________owen_______________rooney____ __

my england dream team and france will win

[dogincognito]

Originally posted by dr. derrice
i dont think engkand can win the tournament, unless the forwards really pull out the stops, and defoe, heskey, owen,rooney etc. aren't doing that right now, as good as lampard and gerrard are at scoring, we can't rely on them.

england (NOT niel sullivan grrrr)
................................walker............ ...........
...........woodgate........terry........campbell.. .......

beckhm......gerrard.....parker.........J/A cole (or) bridge
............................lampard............... .........
.............sutton..............shearer.......... ....



Sutton instead of Owen, Rooney, Defoe, Vassell, Beattie, Smith, Phillips, Fowler, Davies, Ameobi, Sheringham, Cort, Huckerby etc :p youve got to be joking :D

[Dingbat]

Originally posted by dr. derrice
england (NOT niel sullivan grrrr)
................................walker............ ...........
...........woodgate........terry........campbell.. .......

beckham......gerrard.....parker.........J/A cole (or) bridge
............................lampard............... .........
.............sutton..............shearer.......... ....

subs: gronkjaer. morientes. totti(go totti \o/). cassilas. lampard. seedorf. davids.


Neil Sullivan's Scottish by choice.

Sutton would be useless. He'd back into people and they would go down. It wouldn't be like the SPL where they stand their ground and he falls instead.

Gronkjaer??? I think even Twig would disagree with that. :D

[dogincognito]

News update from uefa.com


Sweden name 23 for Portugal
By Jan Juhlin

The deadline for naming UEFA EURO 2004™ squads may be 2 June but, almost a month in advance, Sweden have already announced their provisional 23-man party for the finals.

Question mark
The return of Henrik Larsson has already generated much discussion in Sweden, so the main talking point today was the question mark against three players - Michael Svensson, Johan Mjällby and Marcus Allbäck - named in the party but whose places are dependent on their proving their fitness.

'Must be sure'
"We know what Allbäck, Svensson and Mjällby are capable off, but all of them have been injured and we want to be sure that they're fully fit," said co-coach Lars Lagerbäck. Svensson, who plays for Southampton FC, will not feature again in the Premiership this season because of a knee problem, on which he is currently having tests. Lagerbäck said: "Svensson is definitely in our minds, but we must be sure that he's fully fit before including him."

Time to gel
The same applies to Mjällby who has just recently returned from injury at Celtic FC, and Allbäck, who has made only one league start for Aston Villa FC this term. These three players apart, Lagerbäck is hoping that naming the squad this early will help the players to gel. For the Sweden coaches, teamwork is the key. "We've seen the players over a long period and we look at how they work as a part of the unit," Lagerbäck said of his selection.

No1
There were no surprises in the goalkeeping position, with Djurgårdens IF's Andreas Isaksson, FC København's Magnus Kihlstedt and Celtic's Magnus Hedman, currently on loan at Ancona Calcio, the men named. Andreas Isaksson is Lagerbäck and co-coach Tommy Söderberg's No1 choice.

Wahlstedt included
In defence, the inclusion of Erik Wahlstedt caps a remarkable change of fortune for the Helsingborgs IF player. Before last week's friendly in Portugal, he had not played for his country since winning his first cap in a January 1998 friendly against the United States. Having been converted to a right-back during a spell in Denmark with Esbjerg fB, he is now excelling in that position for Helsingborg. He is one of only three home-based players in the party, together with Isaksson and Halmstads BK midfield player Mikael Nilsson.

Wilhelmsson wins place
In midfield, Christian Wilhelmsson's inspirational recent displays against England and Portugal earned him a spot in the squad, while Anders Andersson of Portugal's CF Os Belenenses was also included. RC Strasbourg's Pontus Farnerud will be relieved to have seen his name on the list after missing the last three games. Up front, the uncertainty over Allbäck, means there are only three strikers definitely going to Portugal - Henrik Larsson, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Mattias Jonson.

Goalkeepers
Andreas Isaksson (Djurgårdens IF)
Magnus Hedman (Ancona Calcio)
Magnus Kihlstedt (FC København)

Defenders
Petter Hansson (SCHeerenveen)
Andreas Jakobsson (Brøndby IF)
Teddy Lucic (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
Erik Edman (SC Heerenveen)
Olof Mellberg (Aston Villa FC)
Erik Wahlstedt (Helsingborgs IF)
Johan Mjällby (Celtic FC)
Michael Svensson (Southampton FC)

Midfielders
Pontus Farnerud (RC Strasbourg)
Fredrik Ljungberg (Arsenal FC)
Anders Svensson (Southampton FC)
Mikael Nilsson (Halmstads BK)
Kim Källström (Stade Rennais FC)
Anders Andersson (SL Benfica)
Tobias Linderoth (Everton FC)
Christian Wilhelmsson (RSC Anderlecht)

Forwards
Henrik Larsson (Celtic FC)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AFC Ajax)
Mattias Jonson (Brøndby IF)
Marcus Allbäck (Aston Villa FC)

[jonffm]

Thanks for the update dogincognito

I think Sweeden are getting abit ahead of themselves..what if someone gets injured? now they have announced the squad, they can't change it. Waaay too early if you ask me.

[dr. derrice]

yeah, i know about gronkjaer, but my dad and friends hate him, and i mean hate in the strongest terms, but i have a strange fondness for him, and stand my ground.

it's true about sutton, maybe not starting, i forgot beattie and phillips, but on recent form, he should be in the squad as he can play anywhere in the centre (cm, cf, cb) and can hold the ball up exceptionally.

what do you all think of alan smith, because i'm still undecided on him, he can be superb or mediocre, like viduka.

[dogincognito]

He better than Sutton :D

[jonffm]

Eriksson looks to Gerrard

England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson expects Liverpool's Steven Gerrard to fill the left-flank role at Euro 2004.

Gerrard has been outstanding in central midfield this term but Eriksson plans to use him in his problem position.

He said: "I think we have solutions, and maybe the best solution so far is when we play with a diamond system and use Steven Gerrard to the left side.

"He always played very well for us there so that might be a solution," Eriksson told www.leaguemanagers.com.

He added: "You have other players. You have Kieron Dyer who could play there, you have Joe Cole, who plays there for Chelsea a lot of times and is doing very well.

"So I think we have solutions but maybe so far the best one is Gerrard."

Eriksson also hinted that he may use England captain David Beckham in a more central role, which the former right-sided midfield man has become accustomed to with Real Madrid.

"He has showed all this season that he can play in a central role and he's doing a very good job there.

"It will depend a little bit on who are the other players available for the first game, second game and so on in Euro 2004.

"I think the move to Real Madrid did David Beckham good because he now shows that he is the complete midfielder.

"He can play outside-right, he can play central and, of course, that makes him all the more available and important for us."

Eriksson is scheduled to announce the squad he intends to take to Euro 2004 on Monday 17 May and confirm his final 23 to Uefa on Wednesday 2 June.

Thanks to BBC.com for updates

[dogincognito]

boo. hiss. Gerrards wasted on the left. Hes only putting him there so he can accomodate Butt :mad:

[jonffm]

Why I ask. Why. Butt is pants if you ask me, he's a waste of space. It should be Dyer/Cole on the left, Gerrard and Scholes in the center and Becks on the right.

Silly swede.

[PJ]

no gerrard and cole in center beckham on the right and wright-phillips on the left

[jonffm]

Lose scholes just to put in a fairly average midfielder?! Madness.

I dont think wright-phillips will even be in the squad, let alone the team. He's good at club level, but international, no. There are plenty of better players.

Oh, and Cole is a winger. Why play him out of position?

[PJ]

listen i was joking and imganing what it would be like with him getting past figo and us city fans showing off. David James in net forever

[dogincognito]

Cole isnt a winger. Hes an attacking midfielder, who always gets played out of position :rolleyes: I prefer Lampard to Scholes, hes been bettter this season and doesnt play for Man United. Butt might make my squad just about, but no where near the first team, id play Parker, Beckham, Gerrard, Scholes, Lampard or Cole in the center of midfield before him :p Wright Phillips is a great prospect imo, but is definately not a left sided player.

[jonffm]

Ok, but could you put that when you post, just a little (j/k) notice att he end, because no matter what you hear, I'm in fact not telepathic.

Plus you put him on your dream-team and all other posts have been serious posts.

[PJ]

Originally posted by JonnyFFmaster
Ok, but could you put that when you post, just a little (j/k) notice att he end, because no matter what you hear, I'm in fact not telepathic.

Plus you put him on your dream-team and all other posts have been serious posts.

its because you lot was talking about butt getting on and i hate man united so i brung in city and i was jking in my dream team aswell and im pissed if you look at previous posts.(in different threads)

[jonffm]

Being pissed isnt an excuse, just don't post if you are unable for some reason or another to post with some sence or reason.

Have some commen sence man, or I'll get out my smiting stick and smite you.

Anyway..back on topic..

[PlasticVicar]

not many people have choosen a number.... go on then ill have 16

[BlueberryMuffin]

i'll take number 10, but have 5 rupies for the prize anyway.

[jonffm]

Added you both

[sheep go moo]

i will take number 6

[dr. derrice]

i'll take no.5
gronkjaer has 3 goals in 3 games wooyay, things look good for denmark now, their finest player is on form.

[Dingbat]

I'll have 4.

[streety]

The Englnd squad has finally been revealed,,,

Goalkeepers: David James (Man City), Paul Robinson (Tottenham), Ian Walker (Leicester)

Defenders: Gary Neville (Man Utd), Phil Neville (Man Utd), Ashley Cole (Arsenal), Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Sol Campbell (Arsenal), John Terry (Chelsea), Ledley King (Tottenham), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool).

Midfielders: David Beckham (Real Madrid), Paul Scholes (Man Utd), Nicky Butt (Man Utd), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Kieron Dyer (Newcastle), Joe Cole (Chelsea)

Strikers: Michael Owen (Liverpool), Emile Heskey (Liverpool), Darius Vassell (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Everton).

Standby: Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Richard Wright (Everton), Matthew Upson (Birmingham), Gareth Southgate (Middlesbrough), Scott Parker (Chelsea), Alan Smith (Leeds).

What are your views on this?

[jonffm]

I dont think Phil Neville should go, he's even worse than Gary.

And also, I don't rate Ian Walker very highly. Maybe like..4 years ago, but there are plenty of better goalkeepers. One being Chris Kirkland.

Oh, you'll have to edit that tommorow. Heskey will be at Birmingham.

[streety]

Yeah I don't rate Phil Neville still can't see past the tackle against Romania plus he's an ugly ****. Hopefully Carra will start at right back and Gerrard will be captain. I thik that we will see another level to his game if he is made captain.

Heskey will be going :D I can't believe the misses that he made on Saturday. He worked very hard but should be finishing the chances tat he got. We are going to get £6.25m for him!! :rolleyes:

[jonffm]

I think Defoes much better and a bigger prospect.

Vassel is a pretty average striker. Theres nothing reall special about him at all. He's goood..I suppose.

I didn't know so many where injured O_O Doesnt matter I suppose, 3rd goalkeeper will never play.

[dogincognito]

Originally posted by JonnyFFmaster
I dont think Phil Neville should go, he's even worse than Gary.

And also, I don't rate Ian Walker very highly. Maybe like..4 years ago, but there are plenty of better goalkeepers. One being Chris Kirkland.

Oh, you'll have to edit that tommorow. Heskey will be at Birmingham.

Chris Kirklands broken as usual. Nigel Martyn turned the offer down. Robert Green is injured. Who are the other keepers?

a lot of people, not really on here, but other places have been criticising the inclusion of Vassell over Defoe, and to them i say
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/848/40096.jpg
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/3553/62887_351X180.jpg
you can keep your defoe :D

[AngryPaul]

It just doesnt fill me with confidence that the 4 best strikers we have are:

Owen: Class - but has been lacking this season
Heskey: The less said the better
Vassell: great talent, but not quite consistent enough
Rooney: 9 goals all season, Everton finish one place above relegation :eek:

Would have liked to have seen Defoe in there ;)

Also Upson instead of P.Neville would have been good, and thats from a United fan - He has improved but is still a bit gormless and clumsy.

[dr. derrice]

Originally posted by AngryPaul
It just doesnt fill me with confidence that the 4 best strikers we have are:

Owen: Class - but has been lacking this season
Heskey: The less said the better
Vassell: great talent, but not quite consistent enough
Rooney: 9 goals all season, Everton finish one place above relegation :eek:

Would have liked to have seen Defoe in there ;)

Also Upson instead of P.Neville would have been good, and thats from a United fan - He has improved but is still a bit gormless and clumsy.

couldnt agree more; jon stead and glen johnson will be there in a couple of years, world cup 2006, but england no longer have a true centre forward like shearer, or great goalscorer like teddy. also, the goalkeepers england were fromerly famous for are scarcer and less talented.

[Dingbat]

Originally posted by Streety
Emile Heskey (Liverpool)

You made a mistake :p Joking.

I think it was a smart move putting Carragher in there. He's probably the best right back England have at the moment IMHO.

JonnyFFmaster?

Originally posted by Dingbat
I'll have 4.

[LooNaTicUK]

Can i pick number 9 please
and great thread + for you.

[jonffm]

Ok, added you all aannndd added the prize, which at the moment will be 500 rupies. Might go up if I win some bets...might even go down ;)

I'l be drawing the teams on Saturday, so you have untill then.

[AngryPaul]

12!

[jonffm]

OK!

[LooNaTicUK]

whens the draw?

[jonffm]

At 8:30.

Less than an hour to pick a number!

[jonffm]

And so, here are the numbers!


1. Greece
2. Sparrow France
3. Latvia
4. Dingbat Holland
5. dr. derrice Denmark
6. sheep go moo Russia
7. dogincognito Spain
8. Mr Jones Germany
9. LooNaTicUK Switzerland
10. Blueberrymuffin Bulgaria
11. Peej Croatia
12. AngryPaul Portugal
13. Zola England
14. Streety Sweden
15. Italy
16. Plastic Vicar Czech Republic

[dogincognito]

Spain, not to bad, Dark horses :p no ones got Italy then? if i donate to the prize can i have them? :p

[jonffm]

lol, not a chance :p

If Italy wins, then no prizes! :eek: Not like you spent money on it anyways ;)

[dogincognito]

True, im quite happy with Spain anyways. Howabout if Italy win the runners up get the prize?

[jonffm]

Maybe. I'll think about it ;)

[Dingbat]

Holland?

Are you just taunting me?

It echoes in my head...6-0...6-0...

[jonffm]

It could have been worse..you could have got..latvia?

[dogincognito]

Originally posted by Dingbat
Holland?

Are you just taunting me?

It echoes in my head...6-0...6-0...


hahahahahaa..... Scotland :p At least youve got a good chance of winning it ;)

[dr. derrice]

jonny, you gave me denmark, how did you know, you big genius you.
they won in 1992 even though they didnt qualify, coming through because yugo dropped out. and with jesper gronkjaer scoring 3 from 3 for chelsea, how can they not be at least joint favourites, if not outright favourites, are you trying to deliberately fix this so i win.
thankyou, and plussed severally

[jonffm]

o_O Glad you got the team you like...

[dr. derrice]

yeah, and thanks for effectively giving me the prize, (check you're rated posts)

[Cap'n Zola]

Originally posted by Dingbat
Holland?

Are you just taunting me?

It echoes in my head...6-0...6-0...

You get Holland and I get England!? :|

Conspiracy against Scots! :evil:

Damn England with no chance of winning! :evil:

I wish I got Czech Republic :^)

[dogincognito]

Originally posted by JonnyFFmaster
o_O Glad you got the team you like...

haha, more like the player he likes :rolleyes: ;)

[jonffm]

Twas compleatly random.

And yeh dogincognito, thats probrably more accurate.

[LooNaTicUK]

SWITZERLAND!!!!!



oh joy.........

[streety]

Oooo I have got Sweden. I think that they have an outside chance of winning it. They are well organised, play good football and have some talented players... Ibrohimovic, Kallstrom, Svensson.

I would rather have got one of the favourites but nevermind.
Cheers
jFFm

[Dingbat]

And Larsson too. He's a great player, really talented.

I say this now because he's no longer contracted to Celtic :p

[dogincognito]

Eriksson drops Lampard hint

Sven-Goran Eriksson has given a hint that Frank Lampard might have forced his way into England's Euro 2004 team.
The England coach has said he will play his first-choice team for Tuesday's friendly against Japan.

On the eve of that game, at Monday's training session, the Swede put Chelsea midfielder Lampard in his 'first team' for a game against a back-up side.

Manchester United's Nicky Butt, Lampard's rival for a midfield place, was playing for the second string team.

Eriksson was also seen in deep conversation with Lampard and the three players who will definitely fill the other midfield slots - David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard.

If Lampard has made it into Eriksson's preferred team, it would cap a remarkable season for the former West Ham man, who was voted the second best player in the Premiership behind Thierry Henry.

But it would also seem to go against Eriksson's earlier statement that he would use a diamond formation with a defensive midfielder - Butt's speciality - in the opening game against France to combat Zinedine Zidane.

"We may play a diamond formation against France," said the Swede.

"It's a good option. The space in front of our two central defenders is very important because a certain Mr Zidane pops up for France."

Eriksson did reassure Scholes that he would play, after the Manchester United man expressed doubts, due to a lack of goals in an England shirt for three years.

"I must say that from the moment I came to this country up to this point, I have never thought about leaving Paul Scholes out," Eriksson said.

"I know that he hasn't scored goals for a long while but he is not only a goalscorer. He's a brilliant footballer and so far he's been working very well for us.

"I heard what he said about the risk of being dropped and I think it shows, once again, that he's an extremely big professional.

"I have never been worried about him. He will score again sooner or later. Let's just hope it is sooner. I will talk to him to see if that's a problem but I don't think it is."

Meanwhile Eriksson has said his England team is far better prepared for Euro 2004 than they were for the World Cup in Japan and Korea two years ago.

England went to the World Cup missing Steven Gerrard and Gary Neville, and with a half-fit David Beckham.

Eriksson is missing three key central defenders this time, but insists the squad is in much better shape.

"The fitness level is much better, we don't have such bad injuries and it's looking much better," he said.

Centre-halves Rio Ferdinand, Gareth Southgate and Jonathan Woodgate are all missing, but Eriksson insists there is adequate cover.

"We don't only have Sol Campbell and John Terry, we have Ledley King and Jamie Carragher who can play centre-half," he said.

"We were unlucky to lose three defenders before this tournament. They are all good players.


Im happy about this, i'd rather have Gerrard in the center even in a holding role than on the left, and Lampard deserves a place on performance, unlike Butt :D

[Psychokilla]

Can you change the name i had for SWITZERLAND!!!! please, form LooNaTicUK to Psychokilla.
Its still me but i had a sudden change in accounts , yes it was banned .

[AngryPaul]

\o/ PORTUGAL! \o/

[dr. derrice]

bumped as the tourny has started.
Portugal beaten. they dominated possession but made no eral chances, they didn't battle hard enough in my eyes, greece always seemed to pounce on the loose ball.

[Nuclear Spoon]

But Greece were overall the better team. Portugal kept on trying to penetrate their defence with crosses but for some reason they just didn't get it into their heads that they were quite simply crap at crossing. It was always too long with nobody at the back post. If you ask me they needed Postiga.... But Spain did much, much better.

[dogincognito]

Thats because Spain are a far superior side to Portugal imo. Also it was plain to see that everyone was underestimating Greece, including the portugese players i think.

[jonffm]

Oh dear. Thats dogincognito out of the sweepstakes then.

With Portugal through top, it looks like it's gunna be an England v Portugal quarter final this thursday...assuming we get through Croatia.

[dogincognito]

Dang, dam Raul can't finish, Helguera can't defend, coach cant see Morientes is quailty etc :p

[jonffm]

AP has the only chance to win. Greece win the final, and nobody wins.

...and that will really upset me ;)

[AngryPaul]

Well this is quite odd really :eek:

I have been rotting against the Portugese all thoughout this competition especially after the England game and yet they keep winning! What would I win if they do?

I still support Greece though because they were amazing whuile I was over there a week ago

\o/ Hellas!

[dogincognito]

i will support good football :p (not Greece then :shock: )

[Shpox]

Someone has to support portugal :p