What made you happy today?

[1928]

Originally Posted by Andiferum

The man who calls Guitar Pro stupid is a fool!

It is a useful tool, but when all your friends are recording real instruments or using realistic sounding programs, well, I might as well be writing music for SNES games

[Andiferum]

Guitar pro's more of a note pad than anything. You can always transfer it to real instruments later. It's a good way of writing down ideas and more importantly, reminding yourself how the hell to play them

[Kingface]

Very pleased that England won last night and a Bonus is that it was easily the best Match of the Tournament so far. It could have gone either way and most England Teams of the last 10-15 Years would have lost that game.

I just wish England wouldn't panic so much when they go a Goal ahead though. Very frustrating.

Overall, loving Euro 2012 so far! Went to a Friend's House where there was a few of us there, got a Takeaway in etc. Was much fun.

[Cronopio]

Well I'm happy today that you're so nice and wouldn't ever make me feel bad on account of the loss.

[Kingface]

Originally Posted by Cronopio

Well I'm happy today that you're so nice and wouldn't ever make me feel bad on account of the loss.

WMMH: England again. Another win. Certainly not our best performance but it is pretty much exactly how Spain did in their game last night too so I'm not complaining.

Italy will be tough, they aren't four time World Cup Winners for nothing. Looking forward to finding out if we can beat them!

[Power_Metal_Dom]

Through to the next round, hasn't happened since '04. Hope we can make the semis especially since Italy haven't been playing at the top of their form. No expectations but here's hoping Could've really done with hammering Ukraine last night to keep a fire lit under us, Rooney's goal was a lucky sitter, anyway solid win.

[Symphony]

I've been thoroughly underwhelmed by England's performances so far....at times resembling an Under 10's school team.....herds of players aimlessly chasing the ball around in the middle of the park.

Can't imagine a poorer "team" has ever won a group to be honest......it seems virtually every other team has technically gifted players who can pass and move and are enjoyable to watch. For me, the likes of Ashley Young, Danny Wellbeck, James Milner and Joleon Lescott are nowhere near international standard but it seems Hodgson is getting results with the little talent he has to call on.

I thought Rooney was poor last night....looked unfit and off the pace

[Andiferum]

The fact Rooney was on the pitch for that long and from the start was nothing short of ridiculous. Especially when I feel Andy Carroll had proven himself to be more worthy against Sweden. In my opinion, it was sloppy football all round, with only the fact that we weren't playing a better team to thank for the fact we didn't get annihilated. Still, a win is a win and I'm looking forward to seeing the game on Sunday. Why didn't we make a Euro 2012 thread? I guess we've only got 1 match left in the tournament now, so no point

[Cronopio]

Good that Sweden bowed out with a win and let the team spirit shine through. Had they played like this at the start of the tournament ... but alas, it was not to be.

[moleSG]

Originally Posted by Cronopio

Good that Sweden bowed out with a win and let the team spirit shine through. Had they played like this at the start of the tournament ... but alas, it was not to be.

I admit I wasn't watching the game, but I was very impressed by Sweden's result. As good a way to go as any

I agree with the comments so far on England's game. Rooney was built up to be our saviour or something he just looked a little.. off the ball (if you'll pardon the pun).

[Kingface]

I have to say I am nothing short of flabbergasted at the sheer amount of negativity that has taken up a good portion of this page since I last posted in this thread.

Let's put things in perspective. We have topped the Group with seven points out of a possible nine in a difficult group. We have not lost a game. We have got through on a similar record to Spain's. Any Team in the Tournament would have been happy to get through on the record that we've ended up with.

In Football, especially Tournament Football, the result is everything. How you get there is simply a means to an end. In as little as a few days down the line, never mind weeks, months and years, you don't look at how much possession a team has, you don't talk about how X played badly and Y played well, unless it was a particularly memorable performance from a Team or Player (e.g. a thrashing of another team, a player getting a Hat-Trick or Sent off etc), you look at the result.

Those who are unhappy with England's style of Football may want to think about The Netherlands. In the last World Cup, they played a pragmatic style of Football that resulted in much criticism, especially as they are known as the Nation that created "Total Football". This new, pragmatic style got them to the World Cup Final, where they were beaten by just one goal to nil, in Extra Time, by Spain.

The Fans, Media, Pundits, Ex-Players and Ex-Managers (the most notable of which was Johan Cryuff) flooded the Manager and the National Team with criticism because their style of Football had not succeeded, ignoring the fact that they came as close as they could possibly get.

Since then, they have given in to the pressure and started trying to play "Total Football" again. It got them to Euro 2012, albeit facing mostly mediocre at best opposition along the way. They got 0 points in Euro 2012.

Was it because of the way they played? Not necessarily by itself, but the fact that they tried to force themselves to play that way, against what had worked so well for them previously with the nearly exact same squad of Players, created pressure that suddenly made them Amateur like for the majority of Euro 2012. Add to that the fact that their Defence is terrible (Heitinga is particularly poor in my opinion) and suddenly the fact that they got 0 points doesn't seem so surprising.

England are playing a more pragmatic style of Football in this tournament and it is working. It is given us the results we have required, no matter how you slice it. It was so important that we didn't lose against France, we didn't. We needed to beat Sweden and Ukraine, we did. Would you rather England force themselves to play pretty and lose? Yes we have rode our luck at times, but every team needs to do that to have a chance. There is nobody or no Team who has won something without any luck. Germany are arguably the most lucky team in International Football History.

Steve, I cannot believe your comment about England resembling the Under 10's School Team at times. I thought you would be better than that. I honestly have no idea what you are on with there.

Can you explain how Young, Wellbeck, Milner and Lescott aren't anywhere near International Standard and suggest who should be in their places? Young played well against France and played great against Ukraine last night, perfect Cross for Rooney's chance that he should have scored, and a further more great passes and crosses throughout the game. He always looked dangerous whenever he was on the Ball.

Wellbeck has played great. He's held the Ball up well and been patient, he's created no end of problems for the Defenders in all three games and he scored a quality Goal against Sweden, what more do you want? I think Sir Alex Ferguson would also agree that they are of International Standard, but what does he know about Football?

Milner does have some weaknesses, the main one being his lack of pace and he is more suited to being a Central Midfielder than a Winger, but he does a lot of important chasing back and general "Donkey" work that others would simply not do and he is a fantastic crosser of the Ball. There is a case for possibly better options on the Right but they do not come without their weaknesses either.

Lescott, again, simply how is he not good enough and who should play in his place? This is the same Centre-Back that played a big part in Everton being such a difficult team to beat a couple of years back and plays fairly often for Man City.

Rooney had his bad moments yesterday but you'd expect that. It is rare for a player of any quality to play perfectly when they've had a significant amount of time away from playing, but he did some good things too and the fact that he scored and played 80 mins tells you that Hodgson was justified in picking him.

How was choosing to play him ridiculous? He is our biggest attacking threat, it is so important that you get as many as your best players playing as possible in a Tournament such as this. Should Hodgson have just waited to see if we got to the Final before picking him?! Giving him a game just before the knock outs makes absolute perfect sense.

Yes Carroll played well against Sweden but you can only pick 11 players and it's a Manager's job to make these tough calls. Again Hodgson is justified because England won and furthermore Rooney scored the only Goal of the game. He was in the right place at the right time, which believe it or not is a skill in itself, all good Strikers try to ensure they are in the best position they can and are ready to take the chance if it comes their way.

Among the criticism that so many England supporters and observers seem so happy to dish out without a second thought, the contribution of Gerrard has been critically under-stated. A lot of people argued that he wasn't the right choice to be a first-team regular, never mind the Captain. But he has been easily one of the best players of the Tournament so far, if not the best and again Hodgson has got this spot on.

Three quality, Beckham-esque assists, great passes and so many crucial tackles, interceptions etc. Again, so many people just love concentrating on the negatives and putting them down and I just don't understand why.

I'm not sure how many of you are actually supporters of England or just observers, but supporting any team, club or country, is about trusting that the Manager, Players and everyone else who contributes to try and bring that team success are giving 100% to the cause and as long as they are, getting behind them and in the case of those who attend the matches, giving them positive vibes to help give them that extra push. Yet more and more seem to think it's about kicking them when they're down or criticising them at the slightest chance. I don't understand it and I never will.

Italy will provide a very tough test for England on Sunday, they are four times World Cup Winners for a reason. It could go either way. I for one hope it goes England's way. And credit to Sweden for their win against France. With a bit more luck, Sweden might have got through this Group.

And finally, sorry for the long post but as you can see I have a lot of clear and strong views and I was keen to express them.

[1928]

Times like these I'm glad I'm not a sports fan and just observe the madness that ensues during and after games!

[Kingface]

In only my second official bet, I have won £30 after betting on Ronaldo to score at anytime during Portugal vs Czech at 1/1.

[Thematt202]

I don't do betting, got enough vices as it is!

[Symphony]

I guess my views are partly because I'm not an England supporter and am viewing it more from a neutral perspective and turning on the TV to watch a game for entertainment reasons more than anything else, and in that respect I can't say I've been entertained by the England performances.

Wellbeck....well, I guess I may be one of the few people who think that his goal was a total fluke and that he didn't know what he was doing. I barely noticed him in the game against Ukraine, which from my point of view was a good thing.

Ashley Young is a complete wuss....spends more time on the deck than he does on his feet. Nothing annoys me more to be honest than players going to ground searching for free kicks and penalties. Grow a pair Mr Young.....it's a mans game! (or it used to be at least)

I won't go on too much because it's not really that important :-)

[Cronopio]

Steve, you cheer for the Welsh, right? Or am I completely lost?

[MetalCodd]

Originally Posted by Kingface

Those who are unhappy with England's style of Football may want to think about The Netherlands. In the last World Cup, they played a pragmatic style of Football that resulted in much criticism, especially as they are known as the Nation that created "Total Football". This new, pragmatic style got them to the World Cup Final, where they were beaten by just one goal to nil, in Extra Time, by Spain.

The Netherlands got criticised because they kicked the shit out of the other teams. Half the team should have been sent off in the final for some of the things they did. (coughNigelDeJongcoughcough)

Also I class England's recent performances as managing to find a way to win despite not playing all that well, although yes, Welbeck's goal was a fluke. And before anyone says anything Ukraine's "goal" was offside.

[Power_Metal_Dom]

Anyone catch the Germany game? The pub shook every time they scored, those volleys - wow!

[moleSG]

The Germany game was one of the very few games this tournament I've missed - but judging by the final score, I bet it was a really interesting one?

[Kingface]

Me and a few mates went to Bruce Springsteen last night (still slightly annoyed that it was at the Etihad Stadium!) but it was an amazing show!

It was crazy how much it was raining before the show and for parts during it, probably hasn't helped my Cold one bit. Worth it though!

MetalCodd - The Netherlands kicking the shit out of other teams only applies to the Final of that World Cup. They didn't play that way in any of the games before that and it wasn't the main catalyst for the criticism in their Home Country.

In fact I remember Johan Cryuff talking about how he did not approve of their style of Football before they even got to the Final.

You're absolutely correct about the Ukraine "Goal", shame the majority of the Media and apparently FIFA are still concentrating on it and ignoring the bad decision that came before it that should have resulted in the actions of the "Ghost Goal" not happening.

Steve, in regards Young being a wuss, can't argue with that! Well, not actually a wuss, but one of just many players now who are willing to look like one to get Free-Kicks, unfortunately it's just part of the game now. It's been shown to work and until that changes it will keep happening and some teams will keep practising it in Training (yes that actually happens).

Welbeck's Goal was obviously a fluke to a certain degree, it had to have some luck to a degree, but I disagree that he didn't know what he was doing. Again, you don't not try and direct the Ball Goal-ward in that situation and you could tell that's what he was trying to do.

Just seen the highlights of the Germany vs Greece game. Seems like it was a cracking one. Things are looking good for my work sweepstake! Looking forward to getting back to being able to watch the Footy tonight.

[Cronopio]

Xabi Alonso scored twice. He seems like such a sympathetic player. And it was his 100:th cap too!

[Kingface]

Originally Posted by Cronopio

Xabi Alonso scored twice. He seems like such a sympathetic player. And it was his 100:th cap too!

Indeed, well done to that lad. Great player and a class act.

Also, Del Bosque (Spain Manager) has come out and said Spain are drained, suffering from the Heat and two fewer days rest. My advice to Portugal:

[moleSG]

^

WMMH: Things are going alright. Decent first week at my internship (although tiring!), pizza & chilled out night with the other half last night, and now an afternoon to relax before the football..

[Nickstervarius]

Just come home from visiting my Grandad in hospital. He's doing well, laughing at all the other patients in the same room as him! Cheeky git he is.

So yeah, feel overjoyed that he's recovering well

[1928]

Yay! Always great to have it turn out that way