Now, let's talk some SOCCER!

Hi New to this thread. Just want to say.. Oh God please anybody but the french.. (i mean football, their girls are fine) Personally being a non european, i support either one of these teams, Holland, England and Portugal. Hope England and Portugal don't meet in the next round. Not yet anyway.
Just can't stand those frenchies... well except for ZZ and maybe Barthez. The rest are whinning pain in the....xxx

 

EURO 2004

Today's Slammer Forecasts:

17:00 (LT) Bulgaria vs. Denmark 1-2 (edit after match: Final result 0-2)

Will the slaughtered Bulgarians get over their first match hammering (0-5 against Sweden)? I don't think so: they will be up for yet another Scandinavian beating, since the Danes played very nice and well organised soccer. They deserve to win.

19:45 (LT) Italy vs. Sweden 1-1 (edit after match: Final result: 1-1 )

Highly anticipated match between the surprise so far (in this group); the happy Swedes on a high, and the squaddra Azzura, facing the loss of their superstar, striker Totti who got banned for 3 matches after a spitting-incident with the Dane Poulsen.
Some might think Italy will put strength out of this loss, and join ranks to win this one. I don't think so; I believe the Italians will proceed in the way they always do in first rounds..... slow starters..... another draw.

(Unless Sweden will get rid of their respect for the legendary Italians; in which case they might just win this one too...)

regards,
slammer

 

Congrats to the Danish team !

 

Unbelievable the Italians gave the victory away.

Against Sweden: 1 - 1

 

Hi All,

Sorry, I've got to ask this. Please remember that I'm new to Soccer/Football, and this is coming from a big Fan of Hockey, and American Football, a little rougher sports, contact wise. I ask the following with NO offense intended!

What's with all the diving and rolling around, on the slightest of contact? This was most noticable to me in the opening match, Portugal vs. Greece ... the Greeks' seem to spend equal time horizontal as they did vertical? I can't stand the evolving art of diving in Hockey ... but some of what I've witnessed in Euro 2004 is revolting?

Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the game more an more, and have invested some time to understand the rules and tactics. The game is fantastic ... but the aforemention seems out of control, is this the norm?

TIA,

dog -

 

Hi Dog,

First time I see avatars moving, lol. Must be because I am running Mozilla now. Your question:
You may tackle another player, but only if you play the ball and you may only do that with one leg (fair). So not allowed to cick the other players legs or whatever part of his body (unfair). This happens every now and then during the match. Sometimes a player is faking as if he is being cicked and also rolls on the grass also in order to get a free cick. We call it a "schwalbe" a German word for that.
So with this in mind look at the matches tomorrow.

Gerard

 

They sure did!

I kinda laughed when Antonio Cassano scored the goal for Italy.

Totti's replacement does a fine job.


snowbound

 

What do you mean: unbelievable? Don't you read my forecasts, Gerard? I got it right on the money!

 

It surely is revolting, dog.
Any idea why the German word is used all over Europe...? They invented it and are masters of it....

Referees however have guidelines to monitor this nasty behaviour, and players who are caught doing so, are booked with a yellow card (at least..)
Obviously, this matter is very controversial, and after such booking prepare to see -alas- many replays of the suspected foul...over & over again... hmm

regards,
slammer

 

EURO 2004

Today's Slammer Forecasts:

17:00 (LT) Latvia vs. Germany 1-3

This forecast may look easier than the actual match may be. The Germans will -ofcourse- win, putting the pressure on the Dutch & Czechs. I sure hope Latvia can deliver a surprise, but don't count on it... they deserve to score once at least this game, though.

and then something you may not expect from this patriot...brace yourselves :

19:45 (LT) The Netherlands vs. Czech Republic ... 0-1 ...

Yes.. you read it right. The Czechs are the so-called "Angst-gegner" (fear-opponents) for Holland: and fear is nowadays the ruling factor in the Dutch eleven (the shame of it!!!)
Statistics are also far from promising; the 2 countries played 23 official games against each other sofar...only 8 of these were won by the Dutch...
They also met in the qualifying round for this cup (1-1 and 1-3 in favor for the Czechs), and -alas- will meet again for the qualifying rounds for Worldcup 2006...aaarrgh
I still consider the Czech Republic as the outsider to win this cup; they play very disciplined and strong, with a couple of great stars who play in service of the team / their common goal. Something the Dutch still haven't figured out they should too...
Why am I so pessimistic (being Dutch)? Because I haven't seen the killer instinct yet in our squad; and that's what will be needed tonight.

Forget about tactics, systems, line up and players; we need teamspirit, chemistry and hunger to win. But it wasn't, isn't and I fear will not be there.... pity. The lion is whispering...in stead of ROARING.
So: exit Holland. The shock will be huge.

Honestly hope and pray.... that I am wrong.

grtz
Slammer

 

Don't forget Slammer,

on any given day, one team can beat another, no matter how forboding.

Keep the faith!

The soccer gods will be with u!


snowbound

 

Thanks my friend

But don't let them be with me...let them for once be with "ORANJE" !


slam

( the lion heart shouts patrioticly... the mind calms down with relativism/.........realism..?)

 

Yes of course!

I foresee a victory here!

The men in orange will prevail!


snowbound

 

HUP HOLLAND HUP!

 

Yup, Keep the faith, Slammer! ... maybe it'll be a good motivation for them, going up against their "Angst-gegner" ... and Victory against your nemisis makes victory all the sweeter!

To bad, I won't be able to see the "original" airing fo the game, Locally, it's only available on Fox World Sports , to which I don't subscribe ... but I be watching the rebroadcast on TSN at 9PM ET.

Hup Holland Hup!

Steve -

 

Thank you Steve & Snowbound
It's very nice and comforting to get and feel so much overseas support.
And we Dutch are already so obliged thanks your brave countrymen liberators...
hope this will put a good spell on the game!

salute you, proud Canadians
Slammer

 

5 minutes to kick-off:

COME ON LATVIA !!!!

ENJOY
slammer

 

Czechs look to cash in again

The Czech Republic return to the Estádio Municipal de Aveiro tonight, hoping to book their place in the last eight of UEFA EURO 2004™ by beating the Netherlands for the second time in nine months.

Slight underdogs
The Dutch are as enigmatic as ever, blessed with the kind of talent throughout their squad that is the envy of all the other nations, but cursed by their inability to do justice to it. No opponent can take them lightly, because if they get it right they can destroy any team; but they nevertheless go into this game as slight underdogs following their unconvincing display against Germany on Tuesday.

One striker
Any thoughts that Dick Advocaat was also considering a tactical switch, bringing back Patrick Kluivert to partner Van Nistelrooij in attack, with FC Internazionale winger Andy van der Meyde making way, were effectively quashed by the Dutch coach yesterday evening. "I will play with one central striker, if I would play two strikers I would make myself look ridiculous," Advocaat said.

[MOVE]HUP HOLLAND HUP [/MOVE]

 

Focus required for Germans

Germany will consolidate their chances of progress into the UEFA EURO 2004™ quarter-finals if they come away with a victory against tournament minnows Latvia when the two teams meet in a Group D encounter at the Estádio do Bessa Século XXI in Porto tonight.

Respect
Latvia, shock qualifiers via an unlikely play-off success against 2002 FIFA World Cup bronze medallists Turkey, did enough in their opening match against the Czech Republic to dispel coach Aleksandrs Starkovs' fears that they had no right to be at the tournament. They may still not win a point in a tough group but they have already earned the respect of their rivals.


Durable
The pundits can never dismiss Germany given their outstanding record as a durable tournament team over the years, latterly in reaching the World Cup final two years ago. They begin the game as favourites - but much will depend on whether they can show the same brazen commitment that kept the Czechs at bay for so long in Aveiro.

Change of tactics
Both Völler and Starkovs have intimated that they will change their tactics from their opening outings. Völler wants to field a second striker to prise open the Latvian defence. "Sometimes you have to make these changes," he explained. Fredi Bobic could be the man to take up a front-running role alongside Kevin Kuranyi in a 4-4-2 lineup. Defensive midfield player Frank Baumann is expected to make way in an otherwise unchanged team.

 

Halftime

Latvia vs. Germany 0-0 ( hold on, Latvia!)

Huge possibility to score for Latvia....Verpakovskis with a Maradona-like half-field run: sadly Oliver Kahn saved - VERDAMMT

The Germans will have quite a tough 2nd half ahead of them...

 

I like the match

 

Yeah me too! (Will it be even better? )

 

HUP LETLAND

 

Update 75th minute:

Latvia vs. Germany: still 0-0

yet...no early celebrations: the German-comeback-15minutes have just started... it ain't over untill they have left the stadium....