Euro 2008 Group of Death.

[BALLACK]

Group C. France, Italy, Holland and Romania.

 

Who will win this group?

[Baxter]

Calm doon Ballack, its 6 months away

[Stoichkov]

I think Italy will win the group.

But the seedings for the tournament were a joke! How can Holland be top ranked team in Europe, they've never done anything for about 20 years!!

Italy are world champs and france the runners up, both qualified from the hardest group they should have been in pot 1 and 2 respectively.

They said the rankings were based on qualification performances but Romania finished ahead of Holland in group H.

If I were Italian, French or Romanian I would have been pretty p****ed off with the Dutch before today, so i suppose they got their wish, i hope Holland get hammered!

[JAStewart]

Italy to win.

[EISTnWAST]

I'm just disappointed it was Romania instead of Germany or Spain

 

Well done UEFA Now somebody can get a few under the table payments, for employing somebody to come up with a better system for the next draw.

Why didn't they just use the FIFA rankings

 

This is how the seedings were decided http://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/624370.pdf

I think it was the last two WC and EURO qualifiers that were used, but there seems to be a typo in that document. Not like UEFA to make mistakes

 

I'm not sure if Germany fully understood the draw either. After qualifying first, they proceeded to throw their remaining games. They even let Wales draw with them in Germany, which put them down to the third pot. Mr Beckenbauer obviously didn't realise that Greece, as well as Austria and Switzerland, would be guaranteed top seeds. Holland were in fact the only team to be put in pot one based on their qualifying record.

So Greece are told "Sorry, you're not good enough to get automtic qualification. However, if you qualify then you are the best in Europe."

 

All of a sudden Spain and Portugal look better bets for winning EURO 2008. Just a shame all the bookies will have already slashed their odds after the draw.

[JAStewart]

I think that Euro can be a bit of a farse of a competition because Denmark won it in 92 and Greece in 04. Just seems a bit... empty and crappy.

[Wheesht]

I think that Euro can be a bit of a farse of a competition because Denmark won it in 92 and Greece in 04. Just seems a bit... empty and crappy.

 

Oh if only Scotland were that crappy

[BALLACK]

The "group of poison" will be very good to watch. I would like to see Spain or Croatia go far in the tournament. Euro 2008 should be a good tournament when boring teams like Austria, Greece and the Swiss are knocked out.

 

P.S What has happened to Penfold ???

[EISTnWAST]

@JAS

When Denmark won in 92 it was only an 8 team competition. Remember they were only there because Yugoslavia couldn't compete because their country was at war. I agree that was a bit of a farce, but for me with 16 teams it's the second best football competition in the world.

Would you rather a Champions League style format, which is designed to favour the best sides?

Although I didn't want Greece to win EURO 2004, for me it restored my faith in supporting Scotland. Play the right system, choose the right players, and anything is possible.

The only thing that spoils the tournament is bureaucracy from UEFA. If they really had to have two weak countries in the finals because they are hosting it, then they needed to make radical changes to the seeding system.

 

I hope the days are gone where Germany and Italy are the dominant European sides. Let them continue to focus on the "empty and crappy" Champions League, and the real fans will have more chance of seeing their country lift a major trophy. I reckon for most fans the European Chapionships is more important than the so called Champions League.

[Stoichkov]

I would agree EistnWast. The champions league just makes the rich clubs richer and the poor clubs and countries poorer. I think it will be a very long time til we see another Porto win the champions league. The top 4 in England, Real and Barca, Juve, Inter, AC Milan and Bayern Munich are the only sides that will win the champions league for the next 20 years unless Platini gets a chance to make changes. Even teams like Ajax or Sporting Lisbon that produce good young sides don't get a chance to see them reach full potential as they are bought up to be squad players in the big sides. When only eight out of potentially hundreds of teams keep winning then it becomes very boring and crappy.

[BALLACK]

"Empty, boring, crappy" are terms used to describe the Champions League.

 

How would you describe the G-14?

 

Check out this.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-14

 

or www.g14.com

[shetlandbairn]

I think that Euro can be a bit of a farse of a competition because Denmark won it in 92 and Greece in 04. Just seems a bit... empty and crappy.

 

Euro '92 was an excellent tournament. Was a great effort by Scotland that year... we were really unlucky against the then holders Holland, and the then world champions West Germany (they may have been reunified by then). Then in the final game we humped C.I.S. 3-0 who would have qualified from the group if they'd won. The semi finals and final were some games as well... even though I was gutted Germany lost.

 

I also enjoyed Greece winning in 2004. It made a bit of a change and it wasn't like they didn't deserve it... kept clean sheets against France, the Czech Republic and Portugal. I remember an awful, awful piece in the Daily Telegraph the next day by Henry Winter moaning about how the Greeks had overcome the hosts... Portugal were no better to watch in that tournament!

[Baxter]

Well, all things said and done, the tournament would be alot more interesting if England were involved.

 

Don't get me wrong I was supporting Croatia on that fateful night. I jus think England would have given us something to talk about, rather than just one group

[spencey7]

Couldn't disagree more Baxter. (surprise surprise)

 

I'm really looking forward to a tournament of good football without having that horrible feeling in my stomach that Jammy England will fluke their way to the final, playing badly but somehow winning.

 

Latest odds from Billy Hill:

Germany 4/1

Spain 6/1

Portugal 7/1

Italy 7/1

France 9/1

Croatia 10/1

Czech Republic 11/1

Holland 12/1

Switzerland 20/1

Sweden 25/1

Russia 25/1

Greece 25/1

Turkey 33/1

Romania 40/1

Poland 40/1

Austria 80/1

 

£10 on Croatia?

[EISTnWAST]

Spain 6/1 Probably cut from 16/1 or 60/1 after the draw.

 

Greece look good value at 25/1, but Switzerland's 20/1 is insane. Does Mr Hill really think Switzerland have more chance than Greece? If you're backing France or Italy do it now. Better odds because of their tough group, but remember they will have an easier route to the final.