Euro 2012

[pigpen81]

I don't feel bad for Ukraine. They were offsides to start.....one bad call negates the other.

The quarters should be fun with not one clear cut favorite. I hope beyond hope that England can knock out the whining Azurri.

[miget33]

He was offsides to begin with, nonetheless Video Technology needs to happen.

Might be wrong, but there might be a potential England/Germany Semis? Of course England will lose to Italy so it doesnt matter

[RobVarak]

I think England are pretty poor, but I could see them beating Italy. The Italians really only played a good half vs. Spain in the group stages. They were far from excellent against Croatia and Ireland.

[10spro]

Even without Voronin and Shevchenko as starters, Ukraine controlled the play. If they can't string two consecituves passes like tokay against Italy, I see Balotelli scoring the winning goal in ET after a 1-1 draw.

[Feanor]

Ha, Platini actually made a fool of himself as recently as this week.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/s ... &eref=sihp

There have been a number of memorable goal-line incidents to which critics often hark back whenever a fresh controversy occurs.

The most famous came in the 1966 World Cup final, when Geoff Hurst's shot that hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced down was ruled a goal. It gave England a 3-2 lead and Hurst later completed his hat trick for a 4-2 win.

In a match between the same two countries at the 2010 World Cup, a long shot by England midfielder Frank Lampard bounced down behind goalkeeper Manuel Neuer's line before spinning back out. Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda looked across at his linesman and allowed play to continue. The goal would have made it 2-2, but instead England lost 4-1.

Platini said Monday that if an official had been beside the goal that day, he would have spotted that Lampard's shot crossed the line.

"Of course, because it's his job to see if the ball is inside the line," Platini said.

Two days later, those words are coming back to haunt him.

[wco81]

Yeah I just don't get the resistance to it. Won't be that costly, especially with the money they're making.

Plus these games are broadcast so there are always videos showing how egregiously wrong these crucial goals/non-goals are.

Are there many fans expressing opposition to it? Though fans aren't exactly organizing to push for change either. You get the sense that journalists press UEFA, FIFA and the football associations on the issue and there's a lot of Internet condemnations for not evoking and taking advantage of technology but otherwise, there's no concerted effort to change the policy.

If the stodgy people which run Wimbledon can use replays to change line calls, what exactly is the excuse of UEFA, FIFA, etc.?

[10spro]

At one point this year Platini said:

"Football has also based its popularity on injustices. You can remember them and talk about them in the bars."

Dude is still in denial, at least the other dinosaur that runs the show seems to be changing his mind. It'll get done eventually as he finally seems resigned, the question now is which video technology they are going to choose.

[RobVarak]

At one point this year Platini said:

"Football has also based its popularity on injustices. You can remember them and talk about them in the bars."

Dude is still in denial, at least the other dinosaur that runs the show seems to be changing his mind. It'll get done eventually as he finally seems resigned, the question now is which video technology they are going to choose.

Noted philosopher Alexi Lalas made this same argument.

Morons.

[rhymes450]

Being a goal line judge must be the most horrible job in football...nothing ever happens and when it does, you miss it and life's a b*tch...very few people deserve to be condemned to a job like that

For some reason, last night's incident brought this ad from years ago right back to me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmmieeHlZvQ

[toonarmy]

At one point this year Platini said:

"Football has also based its popularity on injustices. You can remember them and talk about them in the bars."

Dude is still in denial, at least the other dinosaur that runs the show seems to be changing his mind. It'll get done eventually as he finally seems resigned, the question now is which video technology they are going to choose.

Noted philosopher Alexi Lalas made this same argument.

Morons.

Yeah I laughed when Lalas was blathering on yesterday. Injustices have zero to do with football's popularity. And I sure as hell would rather my sport be talked about in bars due to great plays and strategies rather than about how s*** the reffing was. It blows my mind how anyone can think that injustices are good for the game, and that they are ok because they've always been around. Let's just take CCTV out of banks and gas stations and other places where there are robberies. Maybe it will make the job more challenging for the cops to catch the crooks and give them something to talk about in bars. It's unreal that the world's most popular sport, soaking in money, cannot review something as crucial as whether or not the ball crosses the line in a major tournament. I keep hearing the argument that video reviews will not end with just goals, but will be expanded to include all sorts of other stuff. That's a bogus argument. The NHL does video review for goals and has not expanded it. Just as in football, hockey has a lot of issues with slight offsides not being called, but those or not reviewable in hockey and they do not have to be in football either. Just get the f***in right call on goals is what we are asking for. It's not that complex.

[toonarmy]

Being a goal line judge must be the most horrible job in football...nothing ever happens and when it does, you miss it and life's a b*tch...very few people deserve to be condemned to a job like that

For some reason, last night's incident brought this ad from years ago right back to me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmmieeHlZvQ

Exactly. I do not blame the refs for missing a lot of the calls. People say, "but the judge was right there, how can he miss that call?" Well, he might be right there, but there is netting, sometimes players in the way, and the action is going very fast. The missed call yesterday is highly understandable. It took a super slow-mo replay from a good angle high above the net to ascertain that it was a goal. A goal crossing the line is a very simple thing to judge with video review 99% of the time, so there is no point in not using it. Most refs want to do a great job, but sometimes they need a little help.

[XXXIV]

And XXXIV, the whole world will be rooting for your team not to lose 5-0.

Rooting is one thing and reality is another. Probably wont make a difference unless by some miracle the game is close but that yellow card was pretty disgraceful

Four, five or six to zero, it wont matter much to me. I am very happy with what the boys did. Was one hell of a win on saturday. The biggest victory for Hellas outside of the victories in 2004. The bonus was calling my dad on Crete after the game and having that moment.

As for Platini having his head up his ass, sound about right. That seems to be where it belongs.

[pk500]

Lalas, Ballack and Rebecca Lowe have redefined a horrible studio show on ESPN2. It's come to the point where I fast-forward through all of their on-camera studio "analysis" and previews of upcoming matches, and I'm about ready to turn off the volume during the highlights of matches.

I thought Roy Jones Jr. was the worst rookie analyst I've heard in any sport when he debuted on HBO Boxing. Ballack is FAR, FAR worse. He is lost.

RJJ has improved immensely on HBO in the last two or three years. He has become a pretty sharp analyst. I hold no such hope for Ballack.

Thank God Sir Ian Darke and Macca rescue the ESPN coverage of Euro 2012.

[fsquid]

like I said, Ballack didn't know fecking English when Chelsea signed him!

[wco81]

like I said, Ballack didn't know fecking English when Chelsea signed him!

Ballack is as comprehensible as Macca is with that disastrous accent.

[Jimmydeicide]

like I said, Ballack didn't know fecking English when Chelsea signed him!

Ballack is as comprehensible as Macca is with that disastrous accent.

Hey i resemble that remark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5Wuwi9ZKxE

[XXXIV]

Hey i resemble that remark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5Wuwi9ZKxE

Sweet!

How can anyone blame Ballack for his English when Lalas has a terrible time with it?

[pk500]

like I said, Ballack didn't know fecking English when Chelsea signed him!

Ballack is as comprehensible as Macca is with that disastrous accent.

Macca is more than worth the translation. Ballack is not.

[RobVarak]

Accent? You should here Jamie Carragher sometime. His scouse accent makes Macca sound like an Oxbridge grad.

[fsquid]

I've really grown to love Macca on Saturday mornings (via the TV, not my bed).

[Jimmydeicide]

Game on!! Come on the Czechs!!!

Keep an eye out for Meireles in this one hes gonna have a huge impact... Two yellows for extreme simulation.

Czechs 1-0

[RobVarak]

Couldn't make much of a game out of it without Rosicky. The Czech attack is bad enough at full strength. Without his ability to pull the strings, they just couldn't take any pressure off of their defense.


Ronaldo was just all over the pitch. Enormously influential.

[Jimmydeicide]

I was watching with my daughter, and she went from talking about Ronaldo as "god hes annoying" To "wow was that Ronaldo? hes so fast, hes amazing"
A few times there he really showed how explosive he can be , especially on that header.

Annoying as he is he deserved all that hes been getting these last 2 games hes been more than good.

[fsquid]

Germany drop Mario Gomez, Thomas Muller and Lukas Podolski and go with Miroslav Klose, Andre Schurrle and Marco Reus.

I hope that doesn't come back to bite them in the ass.

[Macca00]

Germany drop Mario Gomez, Thomas Muller and Lukas Podolski and go with Miroslav Klose, Andre Schurrle and Marco Reus.

I hope that doesn't come back to bite them in the ass.

Was thinking the same thing. Greece playing their characteristic 9-0-1 formation. It's still 0-0 though so things are going according to plan for them.


I know I'm a bit late to the thread but I'll echo those thoughts that Ronaldo has been absolutely immense thus far - I think him and Ozil have been two of the best players at this tournament thus far. That Portugal team is very dangerous. I play football with a bunch of Italians and a few Portuguese so I'm hoping both do well so I don't have to hear (too much) whining....


EDIT: 1-0 Germany. Greece need a bailout...er...I mean comeback.