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Who will win EURO 2008?

  1. Germany

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  2. Italy

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  3. France

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  4. Romania

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  5. England (hah!)

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  6. Spain

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  7. Portugal

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  8. Croatia

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  9. Holland

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  1. richardhkirkando

    richardhkirkando New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Location:
    Madison, WI
    It's tough when other countries steal your best players...a Poland team with Podolski, Klose, and even Radzinski would be in much better shape.
     
    #81
  2. FFC24

    FFC24 New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 6, 2005
    They would be better, but they still wouldn't have anything creative wise in midfield. Also They can't complain about that when they steal other countries' players.
     
    #82
  3. ChicagoTom

    ChicagoTom Administrator

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2004
    Location:
    Chicago
    Quite simply, having a talented team should have no bearing on whether a country is suitable to host a major tournament. Additionally, Poland has qualified for the last two World Cups and now the European Championships. That is impressive for Poland.

    While they may not have the talent right now, they play hard and do their best which makes me happy. My belief is that by hosting a major event like Euro 2012, it might help get more players involved and interested in the sport the way World Cup '94 was for the sport here in the US.

    I am with you on the Bulgaria's and the Scotland's hosting the tournament, but don't think they are any better than Poland. At least Poland qualified for this tournament.

    I respect your argument but I think it is very shortsighted and I do not think it holds any merit.
     
    #83
  4. FFCinPCB

    FFCinPCB New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2006
    Location:
    Santa Rosa Beach, FL
    Don't know about anyone else, but it is hard for me to respect arguments that do not hold any merit. Just sayin'.

    Otherwise, I think we have a very, very good Euro Tournament going. The only team completely out of it so far is...........Switzerland, that's it. And having a chance to advance in your last match of the group phase, if you are considered a small fry, is one of biggest things you are shooting for when you start this Tourney.

    I'd say the Tournament organizers have done alright, and Austria could, COULD (but probably won't...please), move on to the quarterfinals. And let's not forget, Austria was to be the doormat.

    Opening ceremonies were very nice and thankfully fairly short, but the stadiums and countryside seem to be very picturesque.
     
    #84
  5. HatterDon

    HatterDon Moderator

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2006
    Location:
    Peoples Republic of South Texas
    I love both countries, and didn't get to spend nearly enough time in either. I especially love Austria, and especially Vienna. There was a time I was trying to wrangle some sort of study fellowship so I could live there for a year. I'd probably have been 300 pounds when I left!

    I've appreciated whatever sights they have to offer on TV. And I think the football has been good -- especially for me since I don't really have a horse in the race.
     
    #85
  6. terrinh73

    terrinh73 Member

    Joined:
    Feb 10, 2007
    Did I say Germany? I totally meant Holland...my bad ;)

    "Bandwagonesque" was/ is one of my favorite albums, Nevs... :D
    -T
     
    #86
  7. Clevelandmo

    Clevelandmo Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 13, 2007
    Podolski moved to Germany when he was two years old so all of his footballing was learned in Germany. I wouldnt call that stealing. Klose moved when he was nine so most of his footballing was done in Germany. The real problem here was that Poland was communist when their families moved - that is why they moved.

    To me Poland appears to be much worse by granting citizenship to Guerreiro, a Brazilian, who didnt come to Poland until well after he was an adult. They did the same with that Nigerian player who was the highest scorer in the Polish league.
     
    #87
  8. HatterDon

    HatterDon Moderator

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    Mar 18, 2006
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    sort of reminds me of Roy Wegerle, Tom Dooley, and David Regis.
     
    #88
  9. SoCalJoe

    SoCalJoe Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 5, 2006
    Location:
    Walnut, CA
    I was expecting the Italy/Romania match to be a snoozer, but hell if that game didn't have it all.

    It's amazing how gifted athletes seem to have the right pair of 'scissors' to cut through all the red tape when it comes to naturalization.
     
    #89
  10. FFCinPCB

    FFCinPCB New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2006
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    Sweden must be gutted. David Villa is a terrorist.
    I did not understand Ibrahimovic coming out so soon. What happened?

    Damn, these are good matches!
     
    #90
  11. SoCalJoe

    SoCalJoe Well-Known Member

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    Location:
    Walnut, CA
    Apparently he re-tweaked his knee (didn't see exactly where it happened). I'm gutted like the Swedes, I changed my pick 30 minutes before the game off of Spain and for the draw (damn that Villa!!)
     
    #91
  12. HatterDon

    HatterDon Moderator

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2006
    Location:
    Peoples Republic of South Texas
    Just finished watching the two poorest sides in the tournement -- at least based on attractiveness and style. Russia and Greece BOTH need to go home. Sweden is far better than any of them. The Russians have no clue, and the Greeks have no flair. I literally fell asleep three times during the match. After all the good football of the last week, what a piece of crap this match was.

    One thing, though. I think I've found a transfer in for The Scum up the other end of SW6. I just love the idea of The Wankers having a player named Zhirkov! :3d laughing:
     
    #92
  13. Clevelandmo

    Clevelandmo Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 13, 2007
    Hey I would have never criticized Poland if it wasnt for the whining about Podolski. I was rooting for them, but the whining kind of ruins it for me. My boys best friends are Polish and they were saying that they "hated" Podolski for playing for Germany. Then I read about how he was stolen on here. Just trying to lend some perspective, and didnt say anything about the US.
     
    #93
  14. FFCinPCB

    FFCinPCB New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2006
    Location:
    Santa Rosa Beach, FL
    I agree with Mo.

    See, it happens sometimes.
     
    #94
  15. FFCinPCB

    FFCinPCB New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2006
    Location:
    Santa Rosa Beach, FL
    I had the draw in my pick 'em also, SoCal.

    All in all, picking with my heart instead of my head has ruined my chances of being anywhere near the top of the competition.

    I don't care all that much (of course not, I'm losing!), as I am mostly enjoying the ride.
     
    #95
  16. HatterDon

    HatterDon Moderator

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2006
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    Easy, Mo. If I was taking any side in the discussion it was yours. Those three names just pointed out that Americans had the LEAST reason to be calling the kettle black for this purpose. After all, it was in the late '80s that the USSF determined that we didn't have enough home-grown talent to play with the big boys. They netted Tom Dooley and Earnie Stewart -- two solid squad players with American GI fathers who'd lived all their lives in Germany/Holland -- and both of which have moved back there once they stopped playing.

    Roy Wegerle had the misfortune to have been born in South Africa. He tried to get the okay to play for England, but the EU's ban on South Africa put that paid. He had an American wife at the time, and so started playing for the United States.

    David Regis never left France as far as I know. He married his American girlfriend, and got naturalized just in time for the '98 World Cup and never left France again as far as I know.

    My point is all countries do this. Owen Hargreaves is a Canadian with a seriously Welsh name. He plays for England. Emlyn Hughes's father was captain of the Welsh national rugby team, but Emlyn [whose name is even more seriously Welsh than Hargreaves is] captain England in soccer. Germany had a player in the last WC who was a Nigerian named Asamoah. Finally, my first "favorite player" in England, Luton Town's Bruce Rioch, was later capped by Scotland 40-something times despite the fact that he was born in Aldershot of English parents. [I think there was a grandfather who had some Scottish connections.] I'm pretty sure that the first time he set foot in Scotland in his life was when he got his first cap.

    Anyhow, I don't mind you getting pissed at me so much as I do when you do it when I'm agreeing with you.
     
    #96
  17. VonBilly

    VonBilly New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2005
    here's another way to qualifie to play international football...aka Tony Cascarino

    Cascarino was born in England but represented the Republic of Ireland, qualifying through his Irish grandfather. However, he later revealed that his mother told him in 1996 that she was adopted and therefore no blood relative to the grandfather. Cascarino said in his autobiography: "I didn't qualify for Ireland. I was a fraud. A fake Irishman". However, through the adoption his mother gained the right to Irish citizenship and therefore he was indeed eligible.


    this would go for me to, German father, Austrian mother, born in London, raised by a English family. Even though i joke about my uncertain roots, im english to the bone ( but do have dr strangelove flinch now and then...click heels aghhh click)
     
    #97
  18. FFC24

    FFC24 New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 6, 2005

    Bulgaria and Scotland have 1 thing that Poland doesn't- A player that can turn a game. Having those teams host the tournament would also improve their standing and increase fan support. My point is that instead of letting teams that just battle hard host the tournament, let teams that have the quality AND that are on the brink of becoming somebodies host the tournament. Poland nor Ukraine are on the brink of anything big. There is a whole host of other teams that are on the brink and that deserve it more based on performance and venue for that matter.


    Belgium hosted Euro 2000. Where are they now?
     
    #98
  19. krhimself

    krhimself New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2005
    Location:
    Orlando, via Japan
    That Turkey-Czech Republic match I just saw was one of the best matches of football I've ever seen.

    What an ending that was.


    P.S. Petr Cech bottling the cross for Turkey's second goal :3d laughing:
     
    #99
  20. HatterDon

    HatterDon Moderator

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2006
    Location:
    Peoples Republic of South Texas
    To which FFCinPCB replied:

    Sorry, Christian. As soon as The Repubic gets a decent goalkeeper ... :lol: ... then they can compete.
     
    #100
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