[Archived] Group C

[tchocky]

It's a shame Italy are out, not because I enjoy watching them so much, but because they are Italy. I know this will put much of the messageboard in a total uproar, but would you rather have England beat Sweden or Italy? Which would have meant more? There is no doubt that Sweden have played the better football, but to be honest the Italians have also been unlucky, if they had scored more goals during the first hour of the Denmark game, something that they really should have done, we wouldn't even be talking about this, and to be honest we might not have even been talking about a "boring" Italian side.

I have to agree with that. Poor finishing against Denmark and failed tactics at the end of the game against Sweden is the reason Italy are out. I'd love to see them progress but alas, Sweden and Denmark are good footballing teams that should be a decent substitute. Anyways, I have a tenner on Sweden to win the tournament, so it was in my interest economically that they got through in the end

[LeChuck]

The blunt nature of your response Colin makes football discussion rather pointless doesn't it? You lose you lose oh well? Why do we discuss Rovers' results then, we should all just say, "Oh well, we lost, the players knew that could happen, weren't good enough, end of story". Or do the rules change when it's a team you support?

It's a good thing you don't have an Italian girlfriend or you'd be really gutted.

[Tris]

The blunt nature of your response Colin makes football discussion rather pointless doesn't it? You lose you lose oh well? Why do we discuss Rovers' results then, we should all just say, "Oh well, we lost, the players knew that could happen, weren't good enough, end of story". Or do the rules change when it's a team you support?

No, Eddie, football discussion is never pointless.

Becuase people like you and RoyRover post rubbish like this

It's a shame Italy are out, not because I enjoy watching them so much, but because they are Italy.

RoyRover, in the closing stages of the Champions League, told us merrily that it was a crap competition because the "best" teams were out.

The rest of us love to watch the game because unlike many sports, it is so unpredictable. It is brilliant. Anything can happen.

I chose to watch the Sweden-Denmark game tonight, even though the idiots at ITV had decided Italy would please more advertisers - another nail in their [EDIT I meant ITV, but I suppose it applies to Italy as well] football coffin.

There is absolutely no way the game was fixed, no way at all. I can't wait for the Italian press tomorrow, it'll be like their wine - sour grapes and leaves a bitter taste.

Edited June 22, 2004 by Tris

[BMan]

Hey at least Italy made it to the tournament.

They didn't get ripped off by a team who had an individual cheating in their qualifying round on steroids.

It all worked out in the end though. Russia are out now so the point is moot.

[Morph]

I Think the point that Colin was making is that Italy failed to qualify due to their own ineptitude rather than any Scandanavian conspiracy, and for them to harp on about it now is a bit much. Ever since the tournament started Italy have used every conceivable excuse to apportion blame for this failure to anyone except themselves (the wrong sort of socks? Riiiiight). Rather than hold their hands up and be "man" enough to admit that they simply weren't good enough (to borrow a phrase from that king of whinging Italians, Christian Vieri) the Italians instead chose to blame the officials, their opponents, their footwear, the list is endless. The tournament is better without this set of bleating, unsportsmanlike, sour faced moaners. Good riddance.

[T4E]

I can't wait for the Italian press tomorrow, it'll be like their wine - sour grapes and leaves a bitter taste.

Oooo, you bitch!

[brfcjon]

jippie!!!!!! We are through!!!

As a few others have said... Can't wait for the press in the morning. If anyone claims that this was fixed they'd be mad. Both teams tried their best to kill the game with de decisive goal but both fail so it ended a draw. Could stop laughing at the end though when the swedish defense rolled the back and forth...

And I must say, and this is trying to be objective and focussed on the way the teams have actually played, Along with the Chech and England sweden and Denmark have been the best teams so far. Interesting to watch and always seeking to score. Denmark were in my opinion unlucky not to beat Italy, rather lucky to beat Bulgaria (still did deservedly) and well sweden they have Henke and Zlatan whos been amazing....

Instead of moaning for Italys loss eddie you should focus on the possible gain for you personally if comfort that girl of yours...=)

jippie again

cheers

[American]

Speaking of dubious results... I didn't see the Italian match. Can anyone tell me if 5 minutes of stoppage was legit?

[Velvet]

Italy have been very disapointing and no the 5 mins stoppage time was too much even if there have been some injuries!

[Bobby G]

Andy Townsend was too smug,who is he to talk like that about Italy,its like he has some vendetta against them!He was always anti-Italy OTT from the start of the tournament.

Then Des hitting a low-blow with the "I like Italian food" which caused raptures of laughter.I doubt the Italians would even say "but we like their fish and chips" if England lose on Portugal!

[youandwhosearmy]

if england had of been knocked out in a similar fashion, then i guess i too would feel slightly agrieved

saying that, football is full of cruelty, just look at how england get knocked out of every championship in the past 10 years

I always watch italy in the hope they realise how good they are and how better they can become attacking wise, often i think their blessing of always having top notch defenders is really a curse, because they seem to defensive minded for their own good

if football teaches us anything, its that the best form of defense is attack (just ask kevin keegan)

[SouthAussieRover]

Good riddance to the pasta eating,hot headed,dirty cheating so and so's.

The pathetic pasta eating mamma boys are going home

Hopefully the Germans next.

[78]

Anyone who watched the Sweden-Denmark match will know that neither teams played for a draw and if it wasn't for the rubbish pitch that was created by the rubbish weather than the match would have been much better. Apart from the Jonsson equaliser it's very hard to see any of the other goals beens cored on a normal day, well I could exclude Tomassons goal which has to be one of the best so far.

Before the match me and my friends all joked about it going to end 2-2 but to be honest none of us expected it to end that way and after the equaliser we were all hoping for Italy to score another just to stick it down their throaths after all the rubbish that their media started about the two Scandinavian teams were going to play for a 2-2 draw. Although when I watched the rerun of the Italy match, I felt abit for Cassano (without a doubt one of the best Italian in this tourno) after he scored when he ran towards the bench thinking that Denmark was leading 2-1 and that he had just put them through to the quarterfinals and than the subs revealed the news and he just dropped and was devastated.

This tournament has been interesting in a way that I've never seen before- it's almost turned out to be Euro youngsters with the emergence of Rooney, Vicente, Ibrahimovic, Cassano, Ronaldo etc- most of them probably could still qualify for their respective u-21s and the end of the road for the Vieris, Rauls, Owens etc.

Edited June 23, 2004 by 78

[bob fleming]

A great bit of channel hopping was taking place last night - the Sweden v Denmark match was certainly never fixed as both teams had umpteen chances to win it with more than 3 goals. Anyway - how I laughed when Sweden equalised - 2-2 - the Italians are out - switched back to see Italy bombing forward and then they went and scored. 3-2 in the 93rd minute. What a sickener.

Anyone who didn't feel a bit sorry for Italy as they celebrated and then realised they were actually out must have a heart of stone. I felt a lot of sympathy for them and remembered some of the times Rovers suffered similar misfortune.

Yeah, whatever. It didn't stop me from laughing long and loud in our front room - the best way of showing sympathy at times like this. "Football - bloody hell" as some red faced chap once commented.

[Tom Pringle]

Should have been better in the first 2 games.

Bye bye Italy, not going to miss you, your diving tactics and your massive egos.

Ciao for now.

[Roaming Rover]

I would rather have watched the Sweden v Denmark match, but it was on ITV so what did we expect.

If England had gone out in the same circumstances i'm sure there would be a few people who would claim it was a fix, but the fact of the matter is when you are on top in football you need to score goals, Italy didn't do that and that is why they are out.

I am glad Italy are out as i though Sweden and Denmark have played some very good attacking football and they didn't moan about everything from conspiracy theories to their socks unlike our Pasta loving friends

And thank God the England game will be on BBC

[The Reverend Blue]

I don't believe this 2-2 nonsense:

Taken from the Euro 2004 website:

Tie breakers

If teams finish level on points, then the winner of the match between the sides in question will finish highest, or should they have drawn, goal difference, followed by goals scored, qualifying record for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO 2004™, a fair play ranking and finally either a penalty shoot-out or drawing of lots.

[Tom Pringle]

I don't believe this 2-2 nonsense:

Taken from the Euro 2004 website:

Tie breakers

If teams finish level on points, then the winner of the match between the sides in question will finish highest, or should they have drawn, goal difference, followed by goals scored, qualifying record for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO 2004™, a fair play ranking and finally either a penalty shoot-out or drawing of lots.

Thats fantastic! You mean if it had been a dead heat all the way down the different methods, Italy and Denmark would have had to have a penalty shoot-out this morning to decide who would go through!?

That would be brilliant television!

Would they have to get kitted up and sing the anthem and everything?

[The Reverend Blue]

I think scissor-paper-stone would have been fairer

[Tom Pringle]

I think scissor-paper-stone would have been fairer

Or a game of hide and seek

[Shaddy]

Perhaps a "who can gob the furthest" contest???

[Lathund]

I don't believe this 2-2 nonsense:

Taken from the Euro 2004 website:

Tie breakers

If teams finish level on points, then the winner of the match between the sides in question will finish highest, or should they have drawn, goal difference, followed by goals scored, qualifying record for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO 2004™, a fair play ranking and finally either a penalty shoot-out or drawing of lots.

Thats fantastic! You mean if it had been a dead heat all the way down the different methods, Italy and Denmark would have had to have a penalty shoot-out this morning to decide who would go through!?

That would be brilliant television!

Would they have to get kitted up and sing the anthem and everything?

No, if it would've been between Sweden and Denmark about who went through after a draw, and everything was equal; then it'd be a shootout.

So if it's between the two teams playing; shootout, if it's between two other teams; lots.

[Dr Rich]

I say bring back the coin toss instead of penalties, much funnier to see someone get knocked out on the flip of a coin, and it would certainly make teams try and win inside the 120 minutes.

[roversWASmylife]

Can’t see why Italy are winging about the whole thing. At the end of the day they weren’t good enough and they don’t deserve to go through.

They look ordinary as a team. Italy will always do well if there star players play together and attack, which they never do. The star players play for themselves and not the country and they always defend.

Ok, so you get five points and expect to qualify, but overall I would prefer to see teams like Denmark and Sweden, who both have shown how to play positive attacking football.

Sweden scored five against Bulgaria and Denmark was unlucky not to win against Italy.

Italy now are accusing the other two teams of “fixing” because of there well below average contribution to the tournament.

I flicked between both the games last night and I did watch more of the Denmark v Sweden game as it was much more exciting to watch. There was no way what so ever the Denmark game could have been fixed. Both teams went out for it and what happened, happened.

Sweden's conscience clear

Italy angry at rivals' draw

Danes dismiss 'fix' claims

Uefa will not investigate

Edited June 23, 2004 by roversismylife

[Tom Pringle]

Can’t see why Italy are winging about the whole thing. At the end of the day they weren’t good enough and they don’t deserve to go through.

Bang on, close the thread and lets concentrate on the rest of the tournament.