Worst Ever Euro Group?

[Satchmo Distel]

Would the England and Greece groups here qualify as the worst we've ever seen technically at an EC finals?

2012 seems to have followed the pattern of WC 2010 in the sense that the European field gets very weak below the top three sides (Spain, Germany and maybe Portugal).

[anton pulisov]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

The margins are closer than you'd think. Germany tonight were one missed call by the referee away from a plane ride back to Berlin.

[Satchmo Distel]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

But that's an indication that Denmark were very good, not that the group was as weak as Greece's. Clearly Denmark would beat Greece, and would be favorites to beat England and Ukraine.

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

satchmo76 wrote: Would the England and Greece groups here qualify as the worst we've ever seen technically at an EC finals?

2012 seems to have followed the pattern of WC 2010 in the sense that the European field gets very weak below the top three sides (Spain, Germany and maybe Portugal).

No
2000 Group B
1.ITALY 3 3 0 0 6- 2 9
2.TURKEY 3 1 1 1 3- 2 4
3.Belgium 3 1 0 2 2- 5 3
4.Sweden 3 0 1 2 2- 4 1

[alyxandr]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

Do any of you actually enjoy watching football?

[G-Man]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

Bryaniek wrote: The margins are closer than you'd think. Germany tonight were one missed call by the referee away from a plane ride back to Berlin.

How so? They won. Let's say they had drawn instead; they'd still top the group.

[beak]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

alyxandr wrote: Do any of you actually enjoy watching football?

Ugh, god no. Wouldn't that defeat the point?

[anton pulisov]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

G.Man wrote:

The margins are closer than you'd think. Germany tonight were one missed call by the referee away from a plane ride back to Berlin.

How so? They won. Let's say they had drawn instead; they'd still top the group.

It was 1-1 when it happened (I think, anyway, I was mostly watching the other match). The Danes would have gotten a penalty and the German possibly sent off. It could have ended 2-1 for Denmark.

[G-Man]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

Or the Danes could have missed the penalty. Germany were so in command, I think it's as likely as not that they'd have scored even with ten men.

[Dalef65]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

satchmo76 wrote: Would the England and Greece groups here qualify as the worst we've ever seen technically at an EC finals?

2012 seems to have followed the pattern of WC 2010 in the sense that the European field gets very weak below the top three sides (Spain, Germany and maybe Portugal).

If the European field is weak below the top 3 (as you put it)are you somehow trying to imply that the rest of the world is some sort of paragon of excellence...??

If that is what you are trying to say I would wholeheartedly disagree..

Take away Brazil and Argentina and you cant exactly call South America strong can you..?

As for Asian football dont make me laugh (Has to be said)..

And African Football has gone backwards in leaps and bounds since the mid 90s..

To use your WC2010 example from the q/finals onwards every time a European team met a non-euro team the Europeans won...

Dont get me wrong Im not saying European football is faultless but this Euro 2012 compettition has shown a depth and breadth and competitiveness in European football that is severly lacking in other continents

[Kettle]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

2 Unlimited.

(Ithankyew)

[Satchmo Distel]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

2 Unlimited had the same gift for a tune that England's group had for quality.

[Sam]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

Dalef65 wrote: Take away Brazil and Argentina and you cant exactly call South America strong can you..?

It's 2012, Dale, not 1998.

Without searching for it, can you tell me who the current champions of South America are?

[Cal Alamein]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

Soccer Made in Germany showed the 1980 Euros on PBS. I was ecstatic to see European Football, but my god most of the games were dreary, negative and shit. Of the two groups, group B (England, Italy, Spain, Belgium) was most awful.

Of course never got to see the games of the goalfest of Euro 1984 until years later.

[NHH]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

satchmo76 wrote: Clearly Denmark would beat Greece.

For your next trick, can you tell me the winning lottery numbers this Saturday?

[G-Man]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

In 1980 West Germany beat the defending champions, Czechoslovakia, in the first game. I think it was 1-0. The game was so poor that the German press was virtually campaigning to have their team withdrawn from the competition for playing in a poor game.

Happily, the next game was the best of the tournament (a 3-2 against Holland; West Grmany were 3-0 up until Lothar Matthäus came on and caused a penalty). After that, nobiody noticed the bleak 0-0 against Greece.

England's group this year produced perhaps the best game of the tournament so far, England vs Sweden.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

Sam Kelly wrote:

Take away Brazil and Argentina and you cant exactly call South America strong can you..?

It's 2012, Dale, not 1998.

Without searching for it, can you tell me who the current champions of South America are?

Got there before me Sam.

[danielmak]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

Cal Zapiekanki Bialystok wrote: Soccer Made in Germany showed the 1980 Euros on PBS. I was ecstatic to see European Football, but my god most of the games were dreary, negative and shit. Of the two groups, group B (England, Italy, Spain, Belgium) was most awful.

Of course never got to see the games of the goalfest of Euro 1984 until years later.

Were these games on Soccer Made in Germany shown in their entirety? It's odd that there seem to be a few games floating around with US English commentary and I've never known where the games originated. Toby Charles, who I remember as the voice of Soccer Made in Germany (the only voice?) doesn't handle commentary on these games I have seen. Were there other broadcasters in the US that showed these games as well or was a US announcer used?

[Cesar Rodriguez]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

Dalef65 wrote: To use your WC2010 example from the q/finals onwards every time a European team met a non-euro team the Europeans won...

You have to go back as far as 2002 to find the last time a European nation lost to a non European team in the knockout rounds of the World Cup. Europe holds an 8-0 advantage in these encounters since.

[François dan un fez]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

The players in these teams are nearly all brilliant. They also work really hard are phenominally fit and have loads of tactical know how.

Just because TV long shots make it look easy doesn't mean it is.

I think this has been a fab tournament.

[Cal Alamein]

Worst Ever Euro Group?

danielmak wrote:

Soccer Made in Germany showed the 1980 Euros on PBS. I was ecstatic to see European Football, but my god most of the games were dreary, negative and shit. Of the two groups, group B (England, Italy, Spain, Belgium) was most awful.

Of course never got to see the games of the goalfest of Euro 1984 until years later.

Were these games on Soccer Made in Germany shown in their entirety? It's odd that there seem to be a few games floating around with US English commentary and I've never known where the games originated. Toby Charles, who I remember as the voice of Soccer Made in Germany (the only voice?) doesn't handle commentary on these games I have seen. Were there other broadcasters in the US that showed these games as well or was a US announcer used?

They were edited to an hour - in most cases, mercifully. I believe Toby did the commentary.
The drag was that while the tournament took about two weeks, we only got one game a week, so it took months to get through it all.
I am looking at my 9/13/80 copy of The Globe Kicker and the match for the week was the WG/Belgium final.
Can't really remember a SMIG w/out Toby, but my viewing yrs were only from 1978?-1985 or so.