UEFA Euro 2008

Pater Alf · Post by **Pater Alf** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 23:56

This is the official thread for all the football fans out there that can hardly await the UEFA Euro 2008 to begin and who want to guess the results.

Rules are easy:

1. Guess the results before the matches start
2. For the right result you get 3 points, for the right tendency of a match you get one point
3. Guess the tournament champion before it starts; if you are right you get 7 points at the end of the tournament
4. The player who has the most points at the end of the tournament wins

We used to play this game in the german corner (guessing the results of the german league), so I'm pretty sure that Tank, Usul and dahood will join in. Hope there will be some more players (Chroelle? eMTe?).

Of course you can also use this thread to discuss about the matches and the results. Have fun!

Pater Alf · Post by **Pater Alf** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 23:59

First matches to guess:

Switzerland - Czech Republic
Portugal - Turkey

Austria - Croatia
Germany - Poland

Romania - France
Netherlands - Italy

Spain - Russia
Greece - Sweden

Tank · Post by **Tank** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 0:08

Championship winner:

Germany

eMTe · Post by **eMTe** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 1:55

Nothing better to do, so I can as well try this one. Guesses are being made in a hurry, I completely dont know who is strong or weak, so dont expect any right answers.

Switzerland - Czech Republic 1:1
Portugal - Turkey 2:0

Austria - Croatia 0:1
Germany - Poland 1:0

Romania - France 1:1
Netherlands - Italy 2:2

Spain - Russia 2:0
Greece - Sweden 1:1

Champion: Italy. Very maybe.

Maz · Post by **Maz** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 11:21

Just wild guessing, I've never been that excited about football... Icehockey is the thing for me

Switzerland - Czech Republic 1:1
Portugal - Turkey 2:1

Austria - Croatia 2:2
Germany - Poland 2:1

Romania - France 1:3
Netherlands - Italy 2:0

Spain - Russia 1:0
Greece - Sweden 3:0

Pater Alf · Post by **Pater Alf** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 12:57

Switzerland - Czech Republic 1:1
Portugal - Turkey 2:0

Austria - Croatia 0:3
Germany - Poland 1:0

Romania - France 0:1
Netherlands - Italy 1:2

Spain - Russia 3:1
Greece - Sweden 1:2

Champion: I would say Italy or Spain (even if they always fail at big tournaments). But the Euro is always a place for big surprises (Denmark 1992, Greece 2004), so I might say Sweden or Romania. Have to think it over...

@eMTe
Don't worry. Guesses made in a hurry are most times the best. And if you want so, you can still change them until the matches start.

@Maz
Don't forget to guess a tournament champion.

Maz · Post by **Maz** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 13:48

Okay.. So me rolls the dices once more...
Champion is ... Netherlands. ^_^;

Post by **Chroelle** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 22:52

I am in too. I dont know when they will be played, but here are my guesses.

Switzerland - Czech Republic: 2-2
Portugal - Turkey: 2-1

Austria - Croatia: 1-0 (Have to win the game sometimes by gambling).
Germany - Poland: 3-1

Romania - France: 0-1
Netherlands - Italy: 2-2

Spain - Russia: 1-2
Greece - Sweden: 0-0

I was gonna say Holland (Netherlands) for champions but since Ryan Babbel became injured today I am not so sure... The Dutch have a tremendous team currently. Dirk Kuyjt, Ryan Babbel, Vennegor of Hesselink, Robben, Van Niestelroy and with Marco van Basten at the side with all to prove since this is his blaze of glory... But I might change my bid in the coming week. Depending on what the other teams look like. I also think Russia might be VERY interesting this year. Only bringing one foreign-club player. Lots of Champions League winners in their team.

I am sorry to say but I think Germany will crash and burn, Sweden will not be likely to succeed either even though they have a good offensive side...Always way to many primadonnas in their team. Greece has had their moment and is still living off of it, but not after this tournament. Italy and Spain has issues with tournaments, and the spanish trainer has a tendency to forget his best player: Raul!
I believe Turkey has a strong team this time too, so I am looking forward to seeing how they do.
The hostnations has a tendency to do well so I am guessing Switzerland and Austria will do well in the first rounds.

Just my 2-3 maybe even 4 cents... Heck that might be a dollar fifty that one...

eMTe · Post by **eMTe** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 1:35

Ive heard of Netherlands that they have weakest squad since ages... Cant fully agree, but they definitely dont have strong defense.

Pater Alf · Post by **Pater Alf** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 2:19

I would like to say that Germany has a good team, but unfortunately the defense is in a poor condition. Some of the most important defensive players suffered from serious injuries this season and our goalkeeper has nearly no match practice (as he was just 2nd keeper in his Premier League team). So I think we have to shoot at least two or three goals in every match to win and I'm not sure we can do it...

About the Netherlands: I don't even think they will reach the quarter final. They have a very strong group and I consider Italy much better then the Netherlands. France may not be that strong (they still have too many old players in their squad), but Romania is highly underestimated and I think they can play an important role in that group.

Post by **Chroelle** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 10:28

It is true that the netherlands have a weak defense, but with a midfield and an offense like they can pull out I have belief in them. I think Portugal, Russia, Romania, Austria, Netherlands and Spain will be worthy of some attention.
I dont agree that the Netherlands have the weakest team in years. It is only their defense that is lacking. Their goalie van der Sar is worldclass we have to remember.
I might go and change my bid on champions though, but not quite yet.
I cant remember when the first matches are played?

Pater Alf · Post by **Pater Alf** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 16:09

First match will be played on saturday at 6 PM (just 4 more days to go).

I agree that Russia, Romania and Spain have good teams this year, but I don't think there will be any positive surprises from Austria. Have you seen any of their test matches from last year? Results and performance were ridiculuos. Fans even founded a group/petition to avoid the team from taking part in the tournament (afair nearly one million people signed the petition) and leave their place to a "worthy" football nation instead. No way this team would have been even qualified if they weren't one of the host nations.

And Portugal: They just have Christiano Ronaldo, which might be the most overestimated player of all times. I don't see any chance for them to win the tournament.

Post by **Chroelle** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 16:38

Am I confusing Switzerland and Austrias teams? I might...
I agree that Portugal wont win the tournament but I think they will be worthy of looking after. Christiano Ronaldo is hugely overrated, as yet another prospect to be the best footballer to come, and all of a sudden people think he is there already. Denmark has the same thing going on with Nicklas Bendtner. Too young still but filled to the edge with ideas of being great by tabloids and hopefull fans. If you haven't passed 23 yet and people say you are the best footballer ever, then dont believe them. You aint!
I do think he can do some stuff which will be worthy of watching though.

You are going for Sweden as potential champions... Most Swedish commentators dont believe they will make it past the group-stage.

So it seems we can more or less agree that Romania will do very well in our oppinion?

Post by **Chroelle** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 16:58

I have just been reading up on some news and some suggestions from some sportsites, and I think I will go with Russia as my bid for Champions. Not a single one of the sites I looked through had them winning the whole thing, but I honestly cant get past the fact that I think they will surprise everyone and win the entire thing... Oh and somebody already said Germany was going to win, so in order to compete...

And I want to make clear that I dont think Romania will win but I think they will surprise...

eMTe · Post by **eMTe** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 22:29

You may be right with Russia...

http://www.skysports.com/football/match ... 17,00.html

The reminder.

Usul · Post by **Usul** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 11:00

Post by **Chroelle** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 15:54

Our guesses are pretty close there Usul. I have 3-1 in Germany- Poland and austria as the winner of the Croatia match.

Usul · Post by **Usul** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 23:56

Thank you for pointing me agin to my post, I forgot to guess the last two group matches. Yeah, quite honestly it was pure intention so we seem to have something in common

Pitkin · Post by **Pitkin** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 13:33

The most boring football tournament of the last decade to come as I'm going to be at work all the time, and every single interesting team in Europe have missed qualification excluding my oldest favourites Germany who have been touted as 'the biggest favourites'. To be honest, I have trouble believing in them right now myself.

Four years ago I struck an unholy alliance with the Fortune herself, solemnly declaring that Greece would emerge as champions three weeks before the tournament start (must admit, I was not 100% serious but at least I never regretted), and rest is history. However, these four years have seen me lose all my courage and confidence.

Since Irelands, Scotland, Wales and Denmark are not in the tournament, and since I'm working nearly on every day during the matches, my interest is totally down... however, one comment I must output still.

It makes me wonder when Chroelle makes the remark of Swedes having 'too many primadonnas' in their squad. I don't know if it's the age-old Danish-Swedish rivalry or I'm just gravely mistaken myself, but I never saw Sweden as a primadonna team, while there are half a dozen such full-time 'look at me, they hurt me' teams in the world, some of them in Europe as well. One of those European star actors actually partially gave up their spectacle two years ago and focused on playing instead with rather delightful results, but the other one took another step towards some other performance than football and still managed to do well result-wise despite my wishes for the contrary. Well, I won't drive that any further than this, of course I'm speaking on hypothetical level only.

All in all, since no other favourite but Germany is in the tournament, and die Mannschaft I cannot trust in this specific tournament, the champions shall be Cameroon, Roger Milla scoring 16 goals.

Tank · Post by **Tank** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 16:40

As said before,

Tank wrote:Championship winner:

Germany

Matches:

Switzerland - Czech Republic 0-0
Portugal - Turkey 2-0

Austria - Croatia 1-2
Germany - Poland 2-0

Romania - France 1-2
Netherlands - Italy 0-1

Spain - Russia 2-2
Greece - Sweden 2-0