Euro 2012, future style

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

I have re-drawn the finals tournament as a 24-team event, just like M. Platini wants it.

I've used the real qualifying results, and made the presumption that 22 teams made it through the qualifiers to join Poland and Ukraine as hosts.

The 22 qualifiers were therefore all group winners and runners-up, plus the four best-placed third placed teams from a table based on results against teams placed 1st to 5th in each group (the equivalent of the one they actually used to rank second placed teams). Humourously, this had the wholly unintended outcome of Scotland only missing out to Armenia and Switzerland on goal difference.

Then, I put the teams into 4 seeded pots according to their UEFA coefficeints (Holland, Spain, Germany and Italy joined Poland and Ukraine in pot 1), before conducting a draw (I didn't have those unscrewy ball things, uinfortunately, so I had to use scraps of paper).

The draw:

Group A - Poland, Sweden, Ireland, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Group B - Spain, Russia, Turkey, Estonia

Group C - Holland, England, France, Hungary

Group D - Ukraine, Greece, Czech Rep., Norway

Group E - Italy, Denmark, Portugal, Montenegro

Group F - Germany, Croatia, Switzerland, Armenia

Overall, would you be more or less interested in that, than the 16-team event we actually have? It's the future - this is precisely the kind of Euros we'll have in 2016.

I honestly can't imagine speeding home from work to watch Switzerland against Armenia, Denmark against Montenegro, or Turkey against Estonia. Even Ireland v Bosnia would be a "take a paper to the pub" game, frankly, unless Ireland needed a win to go through to the last 16.

[The Bean Counter]

Euro 2012, future style

Groups B and E look fairly decent, otherwise nah, forget it. Call me when the knock-outs start.

I see even with 24 teams, Denmark still can't get a handy draw.

[The Bean Counter]

Euro 2012, future style

Just realised, three teams will actually go through from most groups. No, count me out.

[Seven Saxon Kings]

Euro 2012, future style

Mixed.

Of the five teams there who have never, or haven't recently, qualified for a tournament, I'd want to see the Bosnia and Armenia games. They're both quite attacking teams with some skilful players who I'd like see more of, and Bosnia especially have a group they'd stand a chance of getting out of. They're both also among Europe's poorest countries and I'd like to see them have a crack in a major tournament.

Given their opponents though, it would be hard to imagine Estonia, Hungary or especially Montenegro doing much more than park the bus, in the manner of Honduras at the last WC. It is nice that the Euros rarely throw up such games compared to the WC - for the real Euro 2012, groups C, D and especially B are strong enough that they would be termed the group of death in a WC.

[historyman]

Euro 2012, future style

Rogin, veranda chair fan wrote:

Even Ireland v Bosnia would be a "take a paper to the pub" game, frankly, unless Ireland needed a win to go through to the last 16.

I think a fair number of the opening round games would involve taking a paper to the pub. The days of giving undivided attention to every match have long gone, and a 24 team Euros makes matters worse.

There is such a thing as too much football.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Euro 2012, future style

Do we all - you know, feckless supporters inadvertently paying for this shite - get a say in this, does anyone know?

Can we just all ring Platini and sing "16" or "soixante" or something until he realises that this is just a really shit idea?

[Outside Agent]

Euro 2012, future style

A 24 team tournament won't be an improvement. Not just because of the diluting effect on the quality, but on the complications such a number creates. It will mean we'll have teams outcomes influenced by the results in other groups. And it gives an advantage to those in the groups that are completed last. I recall in 1990, Scotland and Austria awaiting the outcome of the England/Holland/Ireland to see if they were in or out. It's nonsense. At least with 16 teams, there's perfect numeracy at work - 16 becomes 8 becomes 4 and so on.

[Duncan Gardner]

Euro 2012, future style

Rogin, veranda chair fan wrote:

Can we just all ring Platini and sing "16" or "soixante" or something until he realises that this is just a really shit idea?

The problem is that we (or at least our FAs) voted unanimously in favor of the expansion.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Euro 2012, future style

I meant "seize", didn't I. Bloody hell, mention "soixante", he'd raise his eyebrows, shrug in that Gallic way of his and make it a 60-team tournament, inviting 8 guest nations to turn up into the bargain.