The Official Euro 2016 Thread

[ashman]

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/international/president-trump-on-euro-2016-i-hate-the-french-they-suck-at-wars-1.2670528


The Donald would be a great pundit !!

[seafoid]

Not mad keen on this new format for the finals. Call me a sentimental old fool but I much preferred the old 8 team format (or at a push the 16 one). The whole tournament from start to finish seems reluctant to actually turf teams out.

Nonsense imo about the 3d place in group qualifications.

Well said.
24 teams out of 55 countries AFAIK is a joke

[Milltown Row2]

Not mad keen on this new format for the finals. Call me a sentimental old fool but I much preferred the old 8 team format (or at a push the 16 one). The whole tournament from start to finish seems reluctant to actually turf teams out.

Nonsense imo about the 3d place in group qualifications.

Well said.
24 teams out of 55 countries AFAIK is a joke

Would be a lot of unhappy ROI fans surely??

[Asal Mor]

Not mad keen on this new format for the finals. Call me a sentimental old fool but I much preferred the old 8 team format (or at a push the 16 one). The whole tournament from start to finish seems reluctant to actually turf teams out.

Nonsense imo about the 3d place in group qualifications.

Well said.
24 teams out of 55 countries AFAIK is a joke

And 36 group games to narrow it down from 24 to 16.

[Milltown Row2]

Not mad keen on this new format for the finals. Call me a sentimental old fool but I much preferred the old 8 team format (or at a push the 16 one). The whole tournament from start to finish seems reluctant to actually turf teams out.

Nonsense imo about the 3d place in group qualifications.

Well said.
24 teams out of 55 countries AFAIK is a joke

Bit like the gas qualifiers..... Portugal 19/20 to win group?? Strange??

[ONeill]

Top scorer?

France a relatively easy group but hard to pick their striker.

Was thinking Ronaldo but Portugal fairly dung. Lewandowski?

[Main Street]

Not mad keen on this new format for the finals. Call me a sentimental old fool but I much preferred the old 8 team format (or at a push the 16 one). The whole tournament from start to finish seems reluctant to actually turf teams out.

Nonsense imo about the 3d place in group qualifications.

Well said.
24 teams out of 55 countries AFAIK is a joke

Would be a lot of unhappy ROI fans surely??

Before the qual campaign began I had thought that the new format was stretching credibility but I changed my opinion over the qual campaign, not directly related to the reprieve for the Irish team due to this format, and that was a reprieve.
There are plenty of interesting games in the group stages, nobody is being forced to watch all the games at the Finals.
Then there is just an extra knockout round.
This euro format has been a huge boost for football in 2nd, 3rd and 4th tier countries. The  competitive interest was kept alive until the last round of games and  into the play offs. Though the complete outsiders,  Iceland, could have qualified in first place if they had to, now they pick up a Eur12m  cheque  just for starters, most of that goes straight back to grassroots (or more probably artificial grassroots). Probably there's a similar story with other cash strapped associations like Slovakia, Slovenia and Albania.
This Euro format means there is a more equitable spread of finances towards the lower class. The huge increase TV money from the new qual format and new scheduling has also meant more finances to every lowly Uefa association.
When Iceland will  play Hungary,  do the thousands of  fans at the stadium care a jot  that millions of couch potatoes will not be tuning in? Football is not just for the elite countries with huge populations. This euro format has already provided huge boost to football in those outsider countries.

[Tony Baloney]

Top scorer?

France a relatively easy group but hard to pick their striker.

Was thinking Ronaldo but Portugal fairly dung. Lewandowski?

Paddy has Ronaldo fav with Muller, Griezmann and making up 2nd to 4th.

[Asal Mor]

Before the qual campaign began I had thought that the new format was stretching credibility but I changed my opinion over the qual campaign, not directly related to the reprieve for the Irish team due to this format, and that was a reprieve.
There are plenty of interesting games in the group stages, nobody is being forced to watch all the games at the Finals.
Then there is just an extra knockout round.
This euro format has been a huge boost for football in 2nd, 3rd and 4th tier countries. The  competitive interest was kept alive until the last round of games and  into the play offs. Though the complete outsiders,  Iceland, could have qualified in first place if they had to, now they pick up a Eur12m  cheque  just for starters, most of that goes straight back to grassroots (or more probably artificial grassroots). Probably there's a similar story with other cash strapped associations like Slovakia, Slovenia and Albania.
This Euro format means there is a more equitable spread of finances towards the lower class. The huge increase TV money from the new qual format and new scheduling has also meant more finances to every lowly Uefa association.
When Iceland will  play Hungary,  do the thousands of  fans at the stadium care a jot  that millions of couch potatoes will not be tuning in? Football is not just for the elite countries with huge populations. This euro format has already provided huge boost to football in those outsider countries.

Good post MS. Some fair points there.

[muppet]

Before the qual campaign began I had thought that the new format was stretching credibility but I changed my opinion over the qual campaign, not directly related to the reprieve for the Irish team due to this format, and that was a reprieve.
There are plenty of interesting games in the group stages, nobody is being forced to watch all the games at the Finals.
Then there is just an extra knockout round.
This euro format has been a huge boost for football in 2nd, 3rd and 4th tier countries. The  competitive interest was kept alive until the last round of games and  into the play offs. Though the complete outsiders,  Iceland, could have qualified in first place if they had to, now they pick up a Eur12m  cheque  just for starters, most of that goes straight back to grassroots (or more probably artificial grassroots). Probably there's a similar story with other cash strapped associations like Slovakia, Slovenia and Albania.
This Euro format means there is a more equitable spread of finances towards the lower class. The huge increase TV money from the new qual format and new scheduling has also meant more finances to every lowly Uefa association.
When Iceland will  play Hungary,  do the thousands of  fans at the stadium care a jot  that millions of couch potatoes will not be tuning in? Football is not just for the elite countries with huge populations. This euro format has already provided huge boost to football in those outsider countries.

Good post MS. Some fair points there.

Agreed, if you think about it the FA Cup was far more beneficial to football as a whole than any version of the League was. The Premier League consumes most of the money and isn't really good for football at all, it is just good for those who remain members.

Food for thought for those, including myself, who would like to see change in our GAA Championship structures.

[general]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36460569

Scary fecking bickies!! Please god the euros comes and goes with no issues

[GJL]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36460569

Scary fecking bickies!! Please god the euros comes and goes with no issues

That is enough to run a small war! Good work to catch him.

[ballinaman]

https://www.facebook.com/euro2016irelandshitflagpage/

[laoislad]

[ashman]

Photoshopped