That’s how my blog started yesterday and at that point I realised it would go no further. The keyboard in front of me was too intimidating, and also slightly blurry, so I decided instead to concentrate on getting a sandwich, sleeping and waking up in time for the
But what of the game, well not to pat myself on the back… but fuck it, I’m gonna pat myself on the back. This is the Russian side which choked in the qualifiers and got lucky that the Croatian national anthem was booed by the morons at Wembley, rousing Slaven Bilic’s side to dump
But I did question whether they would choke again at the crucial moment and last night they froze. Admittedly they did so against a brilliant Spanish side, but the Russians’ attitude after they went one nil down was terrible. They barely mustered a shot on goal after Xavi’s neat finish, allowing Fabregas to run the show. Was Johnny Giles over the top by calling Cesc the best midfielder on the planet? Well, I hate disagreeing with Gilesey so I just won’t do it. After all, who is better than Fabregas?
Gerrard – nope, far too greedy on the ball and prone to hissy fits, the like of which Happy Gilmore would think were ‘a little over the top’.
Ballack – nope, often ineffective in big games, see Champions League final and Wednesday’s game.
Lampard – no, no, no.
Essien – possibly, but he hasn’t had the chance to prove it yet and we should all hope that Lamps fecks off to
Downing – okay, I’ll stop here.
All in all, Fabregas been fantastic for Arsenal for two seasons now and he absolutely controlled the semi final of the European Championships. He can’t do much more than that (the whole ‘best in the world’ obsession, no matter what the position, be it left back or centre forward, tends to be a fairly futile one anyway) but that still won’t make me read any of the gushing articles that will no doubt eulogise about his talents in Saturday and Sunday’s papers. He’s fantastic, let’s leave it at that.
Elsewhere for
As for the final, well Mark and I are doing a podcast this evening and our predictions will be made then. We both went for Ze Germans at the start of the tournament; and somewhere in amongst the cans and the sparse pub talk we’ll try and make some sensible comments.
One interesting story we’ll be discussing concerns former FIFA president Joao Havelange, who has claimed that
Til tomorrow folks, stay Cescy,
JJ
Bear Grylls needed hotel rooms; alcoholics need a sip of porter and Frank Lampard apparently needs Jose Mourinho. We all need our little comforts to keep us going but the passing of Euro 2008 will leave one gaping football-shaped hole in our lives that will be hard to fill. Even two days without games have been difficult such has been our luck in the previous two weeks.
The end of two matches a day after the second round of first phase games was difficult enough, the end of the quarter finals was just plain horrific. But the end? The real, actual end? What are we supposed to do? Watch
Anyway, before we get to Sunday’s final and the death knell of a fine, fine tournament, let’s go through the first semi final.
Germany v Turkey: Turkey are, so the stories say anyway, a team with only 14 players, several of which play in mid table in the Turkish league while another was once coached by Neil Warnock. Then there’s the third choice keeper who may come on as a striker. This team, under no circumstances, should be here, face to face with the final, but here they are.
I should preface this by saying that ever since the Turkey v Ireland play off for Euro 2000 I’ve hated the Turkish national side. Anyone else remember that dodgy Star TV prick who wouldn’t sell the rights to their home game to RTE (forcing me and many others into the shithole of choice for Dublin Celtic fans, Frasers, to watch a hazy satellite feed of the second leg)? Just as dodgy were the Turk officials who punched Tony Cascarino. Then to top it all off they had Hakan Sukur, the most instantly dislikeable footballer of our time, up front. Steven Gerrard and Ronaldo wish they could be as instantly hate worthy as this guy, but sorry lads, he was just born with it.
Anyway, begrudgingly I will have to admit that they deserve their place here simply for the frenetic, insanely late entertainment they have provided in their last three games. The equaliser against
While Germany do possess a resurgent Bastian Schweinsteiger, Lucas Podolski in top form, Michael Ballack doing his usual pre-final heroics in the early stages as well as some other solid performers throughout the side, they still have the air of a team that could be found out. Their coach for one, just looks like a guy who will be discovered as the charlatan he is any minute. Not, that I know Joachim Low is a charlatan, I just know that he looks like an actor in a bad American soap opera and those guys always have secrets… anybody else getting the impression I’m finding it hard to pick out weaknesses for Germany? Thought so.
So logic and sense point to the northern Europeans and away from the frankly un-European Turks (come on, even if
I’ll be back to go over the far more difficult to predict Spain v Russia game tomorrow, and before any of you ask, yes I will address writing off the Rooskies earlier on in the tournament.
‘Til then folks,
JJ
Totally off the subject of Euro 2008 but I was just wondering what your thoughts are on the downfall of Shoot? For me it was one of those things that you think is great when you’re a kid but one day, all of a sudden, realise is actually just a little bit pants.
So how empty or full is that glass at the moment folks? Scan through the dailies and you’d swear that the only people enjoying Euro 2008 are James Richardson and Barry Glendenning; along with a couple of Dutch folk and even the normally surly Spanish. Well, head on the block time here but Euro 2008 is entertaining the bejaysus out of me (and I’ve never used that phrase before, possibly with good reason, but I’ll stick by it for now). Anyway, like a roma family on a roundabout, let’s move on.
