EURO 2008

Ireland v Italy in 94 was a cracker!

Actually i think USA 94 is remembered as the tournament that gave football back to the fans after the 80s damaged footballs rep through hooliganism, disasters etc. then leading into the worst World Cup of all time Italia 90.

Finals don't make tournaments Korea/Japan 02 was a brilliant tournament and the final wasn't anything special.

Yeah, agree totally, but most neutral people remember the final only.

Korea was kind of marred by sh*tty reffing though

I'm sure you know this, but in case there are others who don't, this cannout be a final of EURO 2008. If both the Dutch and the Spanish win their quarter-final games, they'll meet in the semis.

today's game -

man we miss a player like Suker in the box.

At least he will be fit enough to help with WC qualifying in September UberGunner2008-06-21 13:47:31

yeh we better thrash them

How much more luck are Turkey gonna get in this tournament? Almost like it's in the stars that they will win this tourney.

i expect that might piss the greeks off

Just read on the BBC website that Turkey have only been ahead for two, yes two, whole minutes this entire tournament.

Luckiest. Team. Ever.

MelbourneFan2008-06-22 00:45:45

Russia through. Arshavin was amazing. Worst substitutions of the tournament, RVP absolute dross, Heitinga at fault for first 2 goals.

Russia also win the award for least aesthetically pleasing fans

Hiddink's stocks rise even further - he certainly had his lot playing some good football

Hiddink is possibly the best manager in the world. Certainly the best international manager in the world.

I'm inclined to agree Buffy - Hiddink certainly gets more out of any team than his predecessors have

The Russian instructions seemed to be get into the box, at speed and put the ball across the goal face. Boy, didn't it work!

yep OOE, my allegiances changed as the game went on,

great game...yeh Kolodin out for the semi? bummer he launched the best long shots yet seen in the comp...has there been any other long shots for goals? Seemed to be a bundle in Germany 2006...

Kolodin got one on target and a couple not too far away...

Loving Russias speed team ethic and passing...Portugal should be watching...they did about a 1 minute of it in their game too little too late...

though quite often manages teams where the expectations and egos are low...South Korea, Australia and Russia...good teams but not under the same pressure as say England, Italy, Holland, Portugal, Spain etc who all expect their sides in the final...

not to say he hasn't done bluuudy well with his teams...just that it would be a much different challenge you feel with those nations...

Did he manage any of the top nations before?

Russia were class.  Whoever wins out of Italy and Spain I hope gets beaten by Russia (don't like either of those two teams).

A Germany-Russia final I'd be behind Russia.

Well, it means 'the stapler' in Spanish. Taken after an imaginary Mexican wrestler who was a periodic character on one of the TV shows I used to watch. So I'm not surprised by the weird looks you must have got....

Bollocks. Some of the things that went right for them this tournament will not happen again for anyone for a very, very long time.
Consider this:
1. Deflection that beats the keeper against Switzerland, pretty much last kick of the game.
2. One of the best keepers in the world drops an easy cross straight onto the Turkish players foot (who by the way has no idea what's happening) two minutes from time and rolls into the net.
3. They score another goal deep into injury time in extra time (courtesy of another deflection by the way), which constituted their second shot on target in 120 minutes of football. The first was a shot from about 25 metres out which went along the ground straight to the keeper in the first half.

To question the ability of other teams to play in adversity is just plain silly (well, in this tournament alone three teams won games against opposition for which those games were much more important with their 'reserve' squads). All the teams that get to this level of football have much more quality that the 'supposed' first 11.

back, briefly, to hiddink

My enduring image of the Dutch team from 98 World Cup is Bergkamp's goal against Argentina in the quarter-final. What a player he was.

easily one of the best goals in history in my view El Grap,

thats weird that all the group leader and teams that were on form,and doing very well.

What I meant I guess was can he get results out of a bunch of over-rated over-paid heavily merchandised w**kers in a country with a rabid demanding press and populace...

as opposed to taking a genuinely talented team to a good position- though of course without good management the latter could become the former.

I'd swap Hiddink for Capello in an instant, and I think Capello is a good manager, it's just that Hiddink is so damned good at getting the best out of a squad.

here is what i videod of the Turk supporters in a Fanzone slightly happy at beating Czech