Of course this summer we have Euro 2012 to look forward to in an attempt to whittle down the hours until our beloved NUFC are back in action, with the added bonus of having players from the club at the tournament like Tim Krul and maybe Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa.
The focus will be on the big hitters once more as the powerhouse nations of Europe look to walk away with the trophy mid-July. Spain are defending Champions and are once again favourites to lift the trophy, but teams like Holland, Germany and France will be looking to have a say in that. I would say England as it’s a tournament and anything can happen, but then again the only thing that tends to happen with the England football team is a weak surrender.
Anyway, what I’m looking at is seeing what you guys think will happen. Who will win? Who will be the surprise package? Will we have another Greece/Denmark kind of upset? Who will be the star player or perhaps the revelation of the tournament? Which team is set to score the most goals at Euro 2012? That kind of thing…
I honestly don’t think you can look any further than Spain right now. They have to be the favourites when you look at their squad sheet. From goalkeeper to attack they have strength and depth in pretty much every department. I mean even Jose Enrique is still waiting for that call….
I don’t think they will score the most goals though. I believe that honour will fall to Germany who have an array of attacking talent and a striker in Lucas Podolski (if picked) who always finds the back of the net at major tournaments.
Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll see any real upsets and I can see why teams like Republic of Ireland, Greece and Denmark are priced at 80/1. If there us to be one I’d put money on one of the host nations, perhaps Poland looking at their group, progressing well into the tournament.
Top scorer (in terms of individual players) is a toughie as anyone can have a blinding tournament. However I’d be looking at someone like Robin van Persie, who tends to be the focal point of the Dutch attack.
Those are my picks anyway, but hopefully we can start a bit of a discussion about what your picks would be and why?
England to crash out at group stage. Spain to be found out by a hard working nation such as Germany, maybe Holland who are a bit more robust these days. Ireland to give a good account of themselves.
Shamrock(Quote)
2nd
Shamrock(Quote)
If they avoid each other until the final then it will be Germany -France in the final and the Germans are going to win it .
Axel(Quote)
I fancy France to cause a surprise of two, and a good surprise, not a bad one!
Glad the boys at PaddyPower took my recommendation 🙂
Doocey(Quote)
or*
Doocey(Quote)
France to get back to winning ways. Better league than theyve had for years, better mentality, superb coach. Even some of their fringe players would grace any starting XI in the World, let alone their best, right from any one of three ‘keepers to some of the best attackers in Europe.
Germany also very, very strong. Stronger league than we Brits seem to be able to see – Bayern, much better side than Chelsea, finished second to a German-heavy Dortmund. Solid players in every position and with a winning mentatlity.
Holland, unlikely. Too reliant on one or two, expect them to be the Arsenal of the tournament, flattering to deceive.
Spain absolutely not for me. Absence of the killer instinct of Villa is critical, and they don’t have Messi! Same failure as Barca in the Champs League – as soon as a team parks the bus, they’re done. I could see RoI getting a point or more off them, just because there’s that little bit of vulnerability about them.
England will probably mumble throgh on a few 1-0’s to the Semi’s, which will be a success. For a surprise package, I’m staggered Russia seem to have been ignored – they’ve got a strong domestic league these days, are used to the climate’s of the Euro’s and have real impact players and a very solid team. I’ll be sticking a few quid on doubles for both France and Russia with top scorer as either Benzema or one of Kerzhakov/Pogrebnyak respectively.
Nedders(Quote)
Germany v Spain in the final
France v Netherlands for 3rd and 4th
If that’s even a possibility … I fancy Ze Germans to win it this time round though. It would take a hell of a lot for Spain to win it off the bounce but they certainly have the players capable.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Holland All the way.
England out in the second stage.
BillytheFish(Quote)
Sharpy@7- I’m with you mate ,I can’t see past the Germans ,they ALWAYS turn it on for the big games and after what happened with the pens in the CL ,they will want to show German dominance in football once again. Spain won’t do it again imo . I can see England getting to the 1/4 finals possibly the semis if we don’t get convincing wins cause the expectation won’t be too high,however if we perform really well the whole nation will go nuts and that will put the mockers on any further progress. 😉 Ireland will get stuck in and I can see them having a good tournament and the Dutch will implode and fall out with each other as they always do.We already know RVP rubs a lot of his team mates up the wrong way ,should be fun watching anyway. France will either be sublime or **** and i think Russia could pose a real threat ,not sure about the rest ,looking forward to it but not as excited as I’ve been befor previous tournaments for some reason.
kimtoon(Quote)
Well Englands chances of a decent tournament have improved Barry has been ruled out Jaglielka takes his place .
Axel(Quote)
i have backed Germany and France
john(Quote)
England should be able to scrape by the group stage although it won’t be pretty.
Semis will prob be contested between Spain, France, Holland and Germany dependant on the draw, can see Spain Vs Germany in final and Spain winning a close game
stevep(Quote)
Holland or Spain for me…..
Germany’s Bayern stars are reeling at the moment, and the German defence is in a bit of turmoil. Germany have peaked too soon….
England may scrape through the group stage with a couple of unconvincing 1-0’s……
Munich Mag(Quote)
I can’t really see past Spain (yeah yeah, my binoculars aren’t that powerful) 🙄 , and will probably be hoping for a third time lucky when I back them again.
I think Portugal could be a bit of a dark horse actually, and could be responsible for knocking out one of the big guns in Group B. With Nani and Ronaldo in your team you’re capable of beating any side.
As for England, errr………….who knows.
Could we actually be the dark horses this time? I believe we’re very bad value at 10/1 as 4th favourites, which I suppose makes us not dark horses. Be interesting to see how our odds looked in some of the foreign bookies.
Rodzilla(Quote)
Holland for me. Portugal as darkhorse
MDS(Quote)
Hey Denmark are Winners!!!!
We won in 92 and we Will do it again!!!
“vi er røde, vi er hvide”!!!
Danishtoon(Quote)
Du har ingen chance! 😆
Rodzilla(Quote)
Germany to win it. Spain getting a little long in the tooth. France came back well against Iceland but the defense was porous. Ben Arfa looked decent as did Cabaye. Great to see. Looking forward to a great upcoming season for both of them for us. England already look tired and uninspiring. Can’t expect too much from them especially as Hodgson has had so little time with the squad.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
I thought Sweden won it? and that Engelbert Humperdinck was **** 😯 😆
richietoon(Quote)
Geordie2, have to disagree about Spain getting long in the tooth, they only have 1 outfield player over 30 in the whole squad(Xavi).
I’ll be routing for England but Germany or Spain for me, France also in with a shout if they manage to “click”
richietoon(Quote)
no one fancy scotland or wales then 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆
hate to say it, but i think the germans will do it 🙁
toonsoldier9(Quote)
Danish….”wir er Danske Dynamit”….or summat I recall……
The last time the Danes were on holiday and got called back to participate in the tournament….and won it !!
Munich Mag(Quote)
Ikke faen….!!!
Munich Mag(Quote)
Just saw the headline
‘Frank Skinner dad at 55’ and thought it said ‘Frank Skinner dead at 55’ needless to say I quickly hit the link only to go “oh, he’s not then” and decided I didnt care, followed by guilt for being a bit of an **** 😕
My money is on Germany to win it, France won’t make it past the quarter finals and England won’t get past the first knockout match. Reckon Ireland could be a ‘dark horse’.
andymag(Quote)
What’s with the ‘Teamtalk.com recommended site’ thing at the top?
andymag(Quote)
Germans are the ones to beat. Young side who now have experience.
Really don’t fancy our chances this time, I think France will beat us and if we qualify we’ll finish 2nd and likely play Spain in the quarters – good night!
Stuart79(Quote)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ab-xsjJpSaU
ben arfa vs iceland by benarfacomps
seeing ben arfa combines with benzema make me realize again what a player we have in this club..i dont think it is out of place to see ben arfa playing for top team in europe challenging for the title.i sure hope we keep this lad as long as we can
ron(Quote)
See Sky have us linked with yet another midfielder!!!
Sharpy17(Quote)
Argentina for me
I Love Mike(Quote)
Spain or maybe the Germans for me though I would like to see England do well 😀
ILM hows it going Lad ❓
Big Dave(Quote)
Anyone watching Panorama on BBC1? About the Euro’s, uncovering the racism and violence that goes on.
toonsy(Quote)
Toonsy just switched over and caught the start by chance 🙄
Big Dave(Quote)
Aye Toonsy, these boys are a different kind of hooligan aren’t they?
Sharpy17(Quote)
It seems like its a real nice place with lots of good supporters 😆
Big Dave(Quote)
At least our fans only spray paint SJP onto our stadium 😆
Sharpy17(Quote)
Seems like a really friendly place like. Can’t wait for UEFA “expanding the football family” to take place in the summer 🙄
toonsy(Quote)
Just been reading an interview by our new boy amalfitano . He strikes me as being a very confident ,even cocky ****** .He says about himself that he has a winning mentality and that Newcastle is the place for him . I already like the lad before i have seen him kick a ball .
Axel(Quote)
Nazi salutes at games. Nice. Real classy….
Casually forgetting the he killed millions of Polish people then 🙄
toonsy(Quote)
Chief copper saying that it doesn’t happen. Says they weren’t Nazi salutes, they were just pointing 🙄
Not shady AT ALL like 😆
toonsy(Quote)
TOONSY that is going to be a massive problem at the Euros ,they are rasists and i only hope the authorities have plans in place to protect all the non white footballers . I have also read they want too pick a fight with the English .It would of been advisable for the English FA to advise fans not too go .
Axel(Quote)
The thing with these “fans” is that they will just want to fight, black or white, they will look to fight and cause bother … and I reckon they will look for the England fans.
You can understand why Walcotts family and Chamberlains family don’t want to go out there.
This isn’t even the underworld of footy hooliganism … Mental this like.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Toonsy
Just finished watching it, thats disgusting, UEFA should set an example and prevent the competition from taking place there. Hold it last minute somewhere else, like holland and belgium. Russia is really bad aswell FIFA shoudnt have choosen Russia for 2018.
andymag(Quote)
Andy…. Uefa knew all this before they awarded the tournament to them in the first place, any rascist attacks on fans or players is on UEFA’s head. Fecking idiots 👿
richietoon(Quote)
The Poles are mental when it comes to football hooliganism, though I think the authorities are cracking down big time on things before the Euros…
Munich Mag(Quote)
Well that last game was truely horrific.
Forget how we get on on the pitch, I really hope that if that **** is going on in the stands, that Hodgson has the balls to pull our players off the pitch and refuse to put our black players through that. If teams accept that then it is almost condoning it. I’d be immensely proud if the 3 lions took a hard stance but I don’t see it happening unfortunately.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Agree with you Sharpy. You could probably make a documentary anywhere and find a bunch of hardcore morons, but the scale and openness of it was shocking. It’s clear that they didn’t fear punishment at the time or retrospectively.
I just don’t understand why FIFA and EUFA award these countries with big tournaments. For example, why is the World Cup being held in a country where people are regularly put in jail for being homosexual? Is that acceptable in 2012? Put your bible or your quran down, read some science textbooks, and stop living in the fucking past 🙄
Jon R(Quote)
Eden Hazard to Chelsea….
Munich Mag(Quote)
Jon because FIFA and UEFA are a bunch of c@nts that don’t give a fuk aslong as their pockets are being lined. and in truth I think they could share the same feelings as the countries that have been picked, instead of the line that the think the tournaments could bring them into the modern world 😯
Big Dave(Quote)
Dave, yup sadly you’re right. Greedy immoral cunts in power everywhere you look, precisely because those are the qualities it takes to get into power.
Speaking of cunts, I notice Chelsea also signed up Petr Cech to a new 4 year contract. Is that gonna quash the Tim krul rumours now?
Jon R(Quote)
Jon R
Thats why these anti sematics support a man like Hitler who had exactly those qualities.
andymag(Quote)
Disgusted with what I have just seen on Panarama .Why these people have such a vendetta against the Jews I do not understand ,have they forgotten what went on with their own people when Hitler arrived ,sickening. What gets me is when England had problems with fans at tournaments we were on every front page and threatened with all sorts by uefa and fifa ,yet they give these racist tossers a tournament knowing what they are like. Well I look forward to uefas condemnation after seeing that tonight ,but I won’t hold my breath. Come on Mr Platini try and square this if you can . 👿
kimtoon(Quote)
Richie
Couldnt agree more, the panorama thing said that UEFA thought that having a multi cultural competition like that would help to prevent that, if you want to prevent it don’t award them with a big competition, you cant give them a big stage into which to show their disgusting behaviour 🙁
andymag(Quote)
Kim
Dont know that platinni will watch panarama 😉 But seriously I dont think the corrupt bastards will listen, their as stubborn as amules bawbag. 😕
andymag(Quote)
Andy ,thing is they hate us so much because we keep unearthing wrongs and corruption . They must hate the fact that our fans mostly behave at tournaments now as it gives them no stick to beat us with ,so they just go around accusing us of **** stirring instead. 😉
kimtoon(Quote)
http://www.insidefutbol.com/2012/05/28/only-olivier-giroud-and-mapou-yanga-mbiwa-could-leave-confirms-montpellier-president/62987/
Romour123(Quote)
Kim
yeah like when panarama did a thing on corruption in FIFA and loads of FIFA people really hated us as a result, probably one of the main reasons why they didnt choose us. “Never been in Eastern Europe” my ****, they need to check themselves before they wreck themselves 😎 .
andymag(Quote)
R123
Doubt we’ll get either to be honest, both are getting far too much attention, they’ll be a bidding war that we wont be apart of.
andymag(Quote)
Andy ,you got it ,exactly ,corrupt to the core ,backhanders left right and centre from all sorts of dodgy types. Really wish we could break away from fifa in particular as I hate that ***** Blatter . 👿
kimtoon(Quote)
I can’t read the comments on my phone anymore. 🙁 Its just not working for some reason, I’m pressing the button to show them but nothing’s happening.
Andymag(Quote)
Andy if you get to read this ,I’m having problems too .When I refresh page it gets stuck ,been like it all wk/end ,keep having to restart session. 👿
Anyway off to bed ,laters.
kimtoon(Quote)
Andy – If you have an IPhone it does happen every now and again.
Stuart79(Quote)
Kim & Stuart
All good now its working again. Just turned me phone off for a few minutes then back on and it worked instantly.
Andymag(Quote)
wow, that thread got really heavy there. good points though.. On a similar subject – Ritchie is racist towards me all the time but he never gets banned or anything like that 😆 He called me a wombat eater the other day… terrible stuff that 😯
FIFA should be investigating him first and foremost 😆 😆 😎
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Shut up ya drongo 😆
richietoon(Quote)
Yeah, I watched Panorama last night as well and it was pretty shocking. I did a lot of pausing and rewinding on the crowd shots like, and what was particularly upsetting was the age range of these arseholes. You had the obvious hardcore violent racists inciting violence, but also seemed to have a large amount of young naive kids who just seemed to be going along with all the monkey chants and Hitler salutes ‘for a laugh’. A real backwards mentality.
And probably the scariest aspect of it all was the government/police’s seemingly ignorant attitude towards doing anything about it. Fucking disgrace that matches are allowed to go ahead with some of the **** their ‘Ultras’ display from the terraces. It’s ILLEGAL for ****’s sake. As is all the bigoted graffiti.
I’ll eat all three of my next door neighbour’s cats, raw, if it doesn’t kick off over there. I hope the ground staff also ban fans’ entry to the stadia if they’re wearing racist attire too, but I doubt it. The thing is though, I reckon most trouble will go on outside the grounds so I doubt we’ll see any matches abandoned, and neither Poland nor the Ukraine are likely to last too long anyway. Momentous **** up by UEFA to host it there anyway, in my opinion. Until countries can demonstrate they’re living in the right decade, they don’t deserve the privilege. I just hope the authorities have done their bit, but I think they’ve already shot themselves in the foot by not cleaning up the **** sooner. It’s already been highlighted on BBC and Sky Sports News so I feel the damage is already done, with regards to their ‘PR’.
Rodzilla(Quote)
I fancy Germany or Spain, got a bet on France though, I think Holland will under perform, and England will do **** as expected.
SpencerTheToon(Quote)
Spencer, I reckon it’s between Spain and Germany mesel. The latter have an almost home advantage, which incidentally could’ve been moreso if it wasn’t for wor ‘Big Nev’ Chamberlain stepping in.
All this history **** makes the Polish Nazi bollocks even more remarkably unbelievable.
Takes all sorts, I guess.
Spain for me anyway.
(you ****)
Rodzilla(Quote)
😛
I AM THE KEYBOARD WARRIOR 😈
http://www.myspace.com/video/rik-mayall/warriors-of-ghengis-khan/7752475
Rodzilla(Quote)