what a crap tournament

[ScouseFox]

Made a mockery of the format which was questionable to start with when a team that would have been out in previous competitions have gone on to win it.

 

yeah mate they didnt win the previous competitions they won this one 

[Donut]

The worst in living memory. Probably the worst team to ever win a major tournament as well. Made a mockery of the format which was questionable to start with when a team that would have been out in previous competitions have gone on to win it.

 

Almost all of the games were shockingly dull and it's been a poor advert for international football. I can't wait to watch Leicester City again.

 

And on the subject of Leicester, it's further proven that slow build up and possession football is not only boring but out of date in terms of effectiveness. Teams dominating the ball have often struggled against deep defences and well organised sides like Italy, Portugal and Iceland have been able to capitalise with less of the ball whilst Spain, England and to an extent Belgium have faltered with more of it.

 

 

 

Well that's what happens when you put it to a public vote. It shouldn't have even been on the shortlist

 

What we need is more games where neither team want to have the ball, both defending as deep as possible and playing to make sure neither wins the possession battle .

[Swarles Barkley]

Imagine being a football fan who has just woken from a coma

Patient: So doc what have I missed?

Doctor: Well Portugal have just won the Euros

Patient: WHAT? How is that possible, I bet Ronaldo must've carried them to the win!

Doctor: Actually no. He went off injured after 20mins and the only goal of the game was scored by Eder from 30yrds. You know the player that couldn't get a game for Swansea

Patient: that's crazy! Tell me that at least England did well

Doctor: errr no im afraid. They actually got knocked out by Iceland in the last 16

Patient: This is all too much to take doc. I need some normality restored. So who won the premier league: man U,Chelsea or man city?

Doctor: well sir, actually it was err Leicester city...

Patient: *flatlines*

[Chester Dontlie]

Cons:

 

Riots

Yawns

Woy

Refs

Stinkin' Yogi

Cristina crying her way to the medal

 

 

Pros:

Iceland and their supporters

Stinkin' Yogi

 

 

Pros 6 - Cons 2

 

I'm afraid even the surprise appearance of Cheese's T-Rex wouldn't save this mess

[Finnegan]

Nothing wrong with the format. The smaller teams the most interesting bit of the tournament.

Worst teams to watch were Portugal and England and they'd have qualified anyway.

Equally, the quarters, semis and final had shit games just as much as the groups.

The format wasn't the problem - defensive football was. Not because people were scared of losing but just because it's becoming vogue at the minute.

Might be a slightly abstract thought but I actually think LCFC are partly to blame. We've helped perpetuate an idea in football that's been building for the last couple of years.

Football goes in cycles. Possession football was the thing, you can blame Pep and Barca for that, so naturally counter attacking defensive football rises to beat it.

Dortmund, Atletico, Leicester, Chelsea to an extent, we've all popularised rigid pressing and defensive football with a counter attacking element.

It's a way for crap teams like Portugal, Northern Ireland, ROI, Iceland, Wales and so on to be successful without needing great players. Leicester have taught everyone that having good group cohesion and defensive discipline and organisation can compensate for talent.

As have Atletico. As did Dortmund.

Problem is, when everyone starts doing it to each other..... zzzzz.

Wales Belgium was exciting because it was a possession team against a defensive counter team. Likewise Croatia Spain and Italy Spain.

But most of the tournament was crap, well organised teams playing each other.

That's not "the format", it's just football in 2016.

[filbertway]

Bang on. Hungary and Iceland were probably the most entertaining teams in the tournament, they can both leave the tournament with heads held high and with a lot more pride than the other 21 teams that played and didn't win the tournament.

 

Wales and Italy both exceeded a lot of people expectations as well, so shouts out to them to be fair.

 

I still have nightmares of that Croatia v Portugal game, the clip from the Simpsons isn't even exaggerating just how bad it was.

 

[WigstonWanderer]

Nothing wrong with the format. The smaller teams the most interesting bit of the tournament.

Worst teams to watch were Portugal and England and they'd have qualified anyway.

Equally, the quarters, semis and final had shit games just as much as the groups.

The format wasn't the problem - defensive football was. Not because people were scared of losing but just because it's becoming vogue at the minute.

Might be a slightly abstract thought but I actually think LCFC are partly to blame. We've helped perpetuate an idea in football that's been building for the last couple of years.

Football goes in cycles. Possession football was the thing, you can blame Pep and Barca for that, so naturally counter attacking defensive football rises to beat it.

Dortmund, Atletico, Leicester, Chelsea to an extent, we've all popularised rigid pressing and defensive football with a counter attacking element.

It's a way for crap teams like Portugal, Northern Ireland, ROI, Iceland, Wales and so on to be successful without needing great players. Leicester have taught everyone that having good group cohesion and defensive discipline and organisation can compensate for talent.

As have Atletico. As did Dortmund.

Problem is, when everyone starts doing it to each other..... zzzzz.

Wales Belgium was exciting because it was a possession team against a defensive counter team. Likewise Croatia Spain and Italy Spain.

But most of the tournament was crap, well organised teams playing each other.

That's not "the format", it's just football in 2016.

I know what you're saying, but Leicester have played much more exciting football IMO than most of these teams. City might play with low possession, but in most games, whenever they got the ball it was full on attack.

[Finnegan]

I know what you're saying, but Leicester have played much more exciting football IMO than most of these teams. City might play with low possession, but in most games, whenever they got the ball it was full on attack.

But we've got all the right personnel. You can pick your players in club football.

That said, the second half of the season was pretty dreadful when people started sitting back against us. How many scrappy one nils?

[Beliall]

beats a scrappy 0-0

[Manwell Pablo]

I know what you're saying, but Leicester have played much more exciting football IMO than most of these teams. City might play with low possession, but in most games, whenever they got the ball it was full on attack.

 

Yeah but it's bollocks though isn't it.

 

Lets say for example England did decide to play on the break and approached the Iceland game like Leicester, it is literally impossible to counter attack a team that doesn't have an interest in attacking you. If a team wants to play a defensive game and their any good at, as most international sides are, they're going to make the game boring.

 

We were great to watch for the most part of the season, well our pacey break aways were anyway, but I think everyone must have completely forgotten post Manchester City away when the vast majority of the league finally realized the way we play could literally damage any opponent who played into our hands. After this I think it was 2 months of either dropping points or grinding out 1-0 wins with one bit of magic as nobody over committed forward players against us. You can tell yourselves those 1-0 games were great to watch for the neutral if you want but trust me, they were not. 

[Finnegan]

Exactly. And that's precisely what this tournament has been.

Defensive teams vs defensive teams, both unable to counter because neither will commit.

That's not "the format", it's just the current vogue in football and we're partly to blame.

[Arriba Los Zorros]

Hoping some visionary will come up with an effective way of playing against teams that sit deep and look to counter soon then so we can go back to entertaining football!

[Finnegan]

Hoping some visionary will come up with an effective way of playing against teams that sit deep and look to counter soon then so we can go back to entertaining football!

Sod that, we'll get relegated!!

[m4DD0gg]

Wales and Iceland the high lights.

[Dan]

The format is wrong. No-one will convince me a format where you can be the third best team out of four over three games and more than likely still go through is the way forward. That however does not change any of what Finnegan said from a tactical point of view, which is pretty much spot on.

 

Hungary were the best side to watch at the Euros.

[AyewJoking]

Yeah but it's bollocks though isn't it.

 

Lets say for example England did decide to play on the break and approached the Iceland game like Leicester, it is literally impossible to counter attack a team that doesn't have an interest in attacking you. If a team wants to play a defensive game and their any good at, as most international sides are, they're going to make the game boring.

 

We were great to watch for the most part of the season, well our pacey break aways were anyway, but I think everyone must have completely forgotten post Manchester City away when the vast majority of the league finally realized the way we play could literally damage any opponent who played into our hands. After this I think it was 2 months of either dropping points or grinding out 1-0 wins with one bit of magic as nobody over committed forward players against us. You can tell yourselves those 1-0 games were great to watch for the neutral if you want but trust me, they were not. 

 

This proves just how good we were last season and how deserving we were of the title (if the 10 point gap wasnt enough)

 

we kept winning/getting results despite opponents going out of their way not to lose against us.

 

still hasnt sunk in for me, winning games every week, top of the league every week. words cant describe!

 

sorry for going off topic.

[Captain...]

The problem wasn't  teams being defensive it was teams not attacking quickly enough, and being content to just knock the ball about when they won it back. Portugal were defensive but they did attack and did go forwards. France's problem was when they won the ball back they fannied about with it giving Portugal time to get back and get their defensive shape sorted. France were too slow to get forwards and didn't get forwards in numbers, I was screaming at the TV when Coman had it on right 80+ minutes on the clock got himself in a good position and there was nobody in the box, that is just criminal (then the daft sod crossed it in to nobody). Almost as criminal as not playing Kante (he will win the ball back high up the pitch and look to attack) and taking off Payet the player most likely to breakdown their defence and then leaving it so long to bring on Martial.

 

Portugal had given them a few warnings, that free kick onto the bar should have sparked them into life, but Pogba (£100m my arse) and Matuidi were too deep all game and had 0 influence on the game there was too much space between those 2 and the attacking players, they needed to get forward and support the attack. Giroud and Gignac were donkeys, Sissoko was full of energy but there is no intelligence to his game, too many sloppy balls and daft mistakes from him and others.

 

It was all so similar to our games against Slovakia and Iceland, no creativity no invention no urgency almost an arrogance that they would win the game because they were the better individuals.

[Finnegan]

Payet was having a shit game and Martial is bollocks.

[RonnieTodger]

Exactly. And that's precisely what this tournament has been.

Defensive teams vs defensive teams, both unable to counter because neither will commit.

That's not "the format", it's just the current vogue in football and we're partly to blame.

 

 

The format could be to blame for teams playing like that in the group stage. Thoroughly depressing as England were, our best spell throughout the tournament was the last 30 mins against Wales because we couldn't really afford to not win. 36/51 games to knock out 8 teams is a joke. 

 

Agree regarding this modern style of play, though. The later stages would've been shite regardless, but I just think 16 teams would've made this competition less crap. 

[Guest]

It was a tournament that showed how both the good and the bad teams are moving to the mean.

 

Lots of mediocre teams in a mediocre tournament.

 

The one shining light was the high standard of goalkeeping everywhere except England.

 

Format is a failure

 

If they want so many teams then I suggest the group stages take place in the no.1 ranked's country (within the group) and then the knockout stage moves to the tourny host country.

 

Is it right that 2020 is going to be played in 13 different countries still?

[Manwell Pablo]

I can't believe anyone would use the word arrogance to describe our performance against Iceland.

 

We looked scared and bereft of confidence if anything,

[Guest MattP]

It was pretty bad, the format is clearly wrong when 3 draws can see you through but the rapid rise of the counter attack certainly plays it part as well.

I'm convinced the standard of football has peaked though, it's not getting better at the top end, probably for a variety of reasons.

If Pogba is genuinely considered a top 5 player on the planet the game is in a bad way.

[Finnegan]

It was pretty bad, the format is clearly wrong when 3 draws can see you through but the rapid rise of the counter attack certainly plays it part as well.

I'm convinced the standard of football has peaked though, it's not getting better at the top end, probably for a variety of reasons.

If Pogba is genuinely considered a top 5 player on the planet the game is in a bad way.

I don't really see that he is tbh.

He's just big, strong, reasonably quick and can stick it top bin from thirty yards sometimes.

He's not a dazzling, creative talent. I don't get the hype.

He's not shit but he's not one of the best in the world and he's not worth 100m

[purpleronnie]

Commentators using the phrase 'Game changer'.

 

German manager sniffing his own balls.

 

Rio rubber lips ferdinand

 

Worst champions ever.

 

I don't know why I'm here...well you weren't for very long Roy.

 

Fourth officials.

 

Mohawk making a comeback.

 

Harry Kane.

[Beliall]

Commentators were the worst, bemoaning both teams while it 0-0, then spuffing over the team that gets a goal, "oh, well they are really great, they deserve it, fantastic quality in this team" **** off.