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Post by andydecker on Jun 23, 2012 11:11:38 GMT
As an aside women's football is esthetically very pleasing. So is beach-volleyball ;D |
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Post by noose on Jun 23, 2012 11:41:53 GMT
As an aside women's football is esthetically very pleasing. So is beach-volleyball ;D So is porn  |
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Post by pulphack on Jun 23, 2012 21:28:34 GMT
Roy Hodgeson seems to be the first England boss since Sir Alf to be pragmatic and not assume that we have the best players in the world and try and play great football all the time, but rather look at what is actually available and mould a team from that. And if that means parking the bus, or playing good old fashioned bulldozer number nine before swtiching to a different format when the opposition tumble to it, then so be it. He's a very smart man - so much so that he reads proiper literature and not the old toss we read on here. But I won't hold it against him.
Italy will be difficult but they are a bit fragile at the back (oh for the days of Gentile, the mostly inaptly named defender of all time) so throw Carroll at them, see if it gets agoal or two, and then switch it second half. Maybe.
Bye-bye France - sad to see Ribery go, but Spain are good to watch when on form. Dem is around already more now that Greece have been knocked out (no training to get in the way of moderating), and dare I say the Germans are doing their usual 'crap group form and into gear for the knockout' trick...
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Post by dem on Jun 24, 2012 14:45:55 GMT
Gum! Where's my blood pressure pills? Ah, a last, my work on earth is done! And thank you for contributing the lovely photo's in our Ghoul Gallery, Ramsey. 3rd Quarter Final: Sat 24th JuneFrance 0 Spain 2 When Lauren Blanc let on that the bust up in the French dressing room after the Sweden game was worse than anything that happened at the last world cup, you kind of suspected that Spain need only put out their third choice Subbuteo XI and they'd still be rosy. Quarter finals have been very one-sided affairs to date with the favourites all winning - though me and the boys gave the Germans a brief scare - so let's hope England can reverse the trend this evening. 4th Quarter Final: Sun 25th June: Pre-match build up England fans arrive in Kiev All the media focus is on "which Mario Balotelli will turn up?" relieving some of the pressure on Wayne's equally unpredictable hair transplant, but it does the same for Mad Mario's team-mates who've looked a tidy enough proposition so far. As our man in the tactics truck, Mr. Bugg, so astutely put it, Andy 'Type O Negative' Carroll could be the key as the Azzurri won't like him up 'em one bit. But Scott Parker's poor face will have to put itself about again if he's to prevent Pirlo and De Rossi doing the Dracula Cha Cha Cha through our midfield. |
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Post by dem on Jun 27, 2012 6:46:33 GMT
England 0 Italy 0 (After extra time: Italy win 4-2 on penalties)No complaints. In short, Italy murdered us and, but for a profligacy which sometimes bordered on the supernatural, would have spared us the torture of extra time, let alone spot kicks. Yes, we gave him the freedom of Ukraine but Andrea Pirlo's audacious penalty sealed a superb man of the match display, Mad Mario tamed his demons and the Azzurri were deserved winners. Could tell Ashley Young was going to be unlucky - to be honest, i thought Wayne Rooney would cap two off-colour displays by belting his out of the stadium. Ashley Cole? Maybe Chelski had just texted him a derisory pay rise, maybe his ex was poking her tongue out, pulling faces and mooning him behind the goal, but he was otherwise brilliant all tournament. All of which sets us up for two very attractive-looking semi-finals. Portugal V. Spain Wed 27 June It's Hard to see the bookies favourites slipping up against the Portuguese (impressive as they've been), likewise the German's versus an exhausted and suspension hit Italy, but the show ain't over til Ray Winstone's lovely big revolving head spins, and the tournament could yet have one more shock in store. Germany V. Italy Thurday 28 June When two Euro pop dynasties clash! What England did to Italy, the Italians must now do to the Germans - miraculously withstand an onslaught for two hours and then go out on penalties anyway.
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Post by franklinmarsh on Jun 27, 2012 10:21:40 GMT
When England are gifted 90 minutes of luck, you'd think they'd be able to capitalise on it. Some pundits claim they were playing for a penalty shootout?!?!?!? Still the pressure's off now and we can concentrate on hoping Andy's countrymen get knocked out. I've a downer on Sylvia as it was one of my dad's all time faves (pick any top ten bad records and he'd own at least nine of 'em - see also Renee and Renato) but phew! Sabrina appears to have smuggled a couple of match balls into her fluorescent pink outfit. I never understood Dem's obsession with Nina's 99 armpit hairs, but I'm glad he's exposed more blatant Kim Newman plagiarism. I'm assuming it'll be a Germany Spain final, but I wouldn't mind seeing the Italians go for it.
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Post by andydecker on Jun 27, 2012 12:03:57 GMT
When two Euro pop dynasties clash! What England did to Italy, the Italians must now do to the Germans - miraculously withstand an onslaught for two hours and then go out on penalties anyway. I can´t believe there was a LP called Dracula Cha Cha Cha. I mean, I should have known, having read so much Newman. Still, it never occured to me  And I always hated Nena |
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Jun 27, 2012 13:00:38 GMT
Superb again Dem. You should be commentating at the games instead of wasting your talent here. I'm just glad Scotland didn't make it or I'd be squirming in my seat by now.
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Post by dem on Jun 27, 2012 17:57:17 GMT
Sabrina. An Apology Our lady of beach-balls looking relaxed and quietly confident in the build-up to tonight's potentially volatile encounter with "the Spanish Matadors." Which is hardly a surprise, seeing as .... she's .... actually .... Italian .... Superb again Dem. You should be commentating at the games instead of wasting your talent here. I'm just glad Scotland didn't make it or I'd be squirming in my seat by now. Thank you Craig, but you really mustn't encourage me! I'd have preferred the Scots to qualify in place of the Czech's, would've added extra spice, but the way the draw panned out, we couldn't have met before the semi's and that was always going to be a tough ask for both sides. Less than an hour to kick off and the pre-match nerves are kicking in. Was trying to meet the Marsh challenge and now i can't shake Steve Bent's helium assisted I'm Going To Spain out of my skull ....
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Post by franklinmarsh on Jun 28, 2012 15:05:15 GMT
Sabrina. An Apology Our lady of beach-balls looking relaxed and quietly confident in the build-up to tonight's potentially volatile encounter with "the Spanish Matadors." Which is hardly a surprise, seeing as .... she's .... actually .... Italian .... Good news! Hopefully they...er...she will pop in (or hopefully out) if Italia! Italia! reach the final. Otherwise it's Sylvia (anyone else remember the '75 FA Cup Final West Ham vs Fulham which inspired that classic 45 Viva El Fulham?) In fact there's a whole blummin' album! www.amazon.co.uk/Fulham-FC-Viva-El/dp/B000024QMGA Spain/Italy final would signify Jess Franco vs Dario Argento for me. A good representative of Germany would be Udo Kier. |
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Post by dem on Jun 28, 2012 18:11:18 GMT
Portugal 0 Spain 0 (After extra time: Portugal win 5-4 on yellow cards but go out 2-4 on penalties) Ultimately disappointing stalemate, briefly enlivened by the 'Geezers impromptu comedy routine during spot kick drama, but we had to endure a mirror image of the duller spells from the England-Italy clash to get there. Can tonight's showdown live up to its undoubted potential? Italy's results have improved considerably since Prandelli's piranhas adopting the Sabrina formation - two up front, keep it tight in the middle, an ample rearguard, etc. - but to date the German's have been outstanding and very easy on the eye to boot.
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Post by franklinmarsh on Jun 28, 2012 22:26:42 GMT
Italia, Italia! Cicciolina would be proud, not so sure about Jeff Koons. Yes, the two countries who's economies Angela Merkel is refusing to bail out (she must have had access to a crystal ball about tonight) go steaming into the final, and this time the former Berlusconi playthings didn't even need penalties. (That second goal was a screamer). Looking forward to Sabrina's front line marching (or rather bouncing) on.
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Post by dem on Jun 29, 2012 21:29:19 GMT
Italy 2 Germany 1Thoroughly deserved, too. "Not a vintage Italian side", "fragile in defence", "worse than Shaddap You Face - somebody really ought to explain Prandelli's men their limitations. Arguably the finest attacking force at Euro 2012 denied and, for once, outshone by two flashes of Balotelli brilliance. Even at half time i thought the Germans would claw their way back but after manning the inevitable early storm, the Italians looked comfortable and ultimately 1-2 flattered the Germans. Euro 2012 Final: Italy V. Spain 1st July 2010Old foes. Florence, June, 1934. On a quagmire of a pitch, host nation and eventual champions Italy needed a replay to finally overcome stubborn Spanish resistance and progress to the semi's. The big question: will the Azzurri's exciting Sabrina formation be enough to overcome the champions strength-sapping Aaaa-ay Macarena system in Sunday night's final? The pre-tournament favourites have looked anything but invincible in the absence of their injured goal-machine Villa and veteran enforcer Puyol, and playing it all safety first & sensible & boring doesn't suit them one bit. But they still know how to win.  Carles Puyol: A big miss for the Spaniards.
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Post by dem on Jul 1, 2012 17:52:18 GMT
Just over an hour to go and, as if the pre-match tension weren't already a palpable thing, matters took a turn for the spine-chilling this morning when i paid my friend the-back-of-the-van-man's stall a visit. So which two paperbacks do you suppose i came away with? Kim Newman - Dracula Cha Cha Cha (Pocket, 2001: originally Carroll & Graf, 1998)  Cover illustration by Ian Millerand: Richard Matheson - Io Sono Leggenda (Mondadori, Sept. 1996)  Cover illustration by Walter AngeliciIt's like The Omen is going on around us even as we speak. |
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Post by andydecker on Jul 1, 2012 19:59:02 GMT
Richard Matheson - Io Sono Leggenda (Mondadori, Sept. 1996) Cover illustration by Walter Angelici It's like The Omen is going on around us even as we speak. So beware of glas slabs. And nice cover, that! |
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