EURO 2012

I really enjoyed the game this morning, mainly because van Persie is my Fantasy EURO captain. 

Netherlands seemed to get the ball forward often, but couldn't do much with it as players were not making runs into space, and when they were, the player will the ball didn't see them make the run. It was like watching Brisbane Roar in the middle of their form slump, all the possesion but just no way through the defence.

Off topic I know, but Sneijder should have been world player of the year in 2010 - treble with Inter, WC finals with Holland, and he was the key attacking creator in both teams. I wonder who will pick him up for this coming season, I can't imagine he'll stay at Inter without CL football. I hope it's not Man U.

But yeah, the Dutch look like France in the 2010 WC... same sort of back-story by the sounds of it too.

I do hope he goes to Man U. Agree he was unlucky in '10. 

The Dutch look like the Dutch do in most tournaments...egos, backroom fighting etc. 

Decent games last night, probably the most overall entertaining day of the tournament so far with Denmark so close to a comeback draw through Big Game Bendtner and the Ger-Ned tussle. Group B is going right down to the wire. 

Anyone else sick of this song yet?

Wondered when they would surface: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/shortcuts/2012/jun/13/pass-notes-wags

Wondered when they would surface: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/shortcuts/2012/jun/13/pass-notes-wags

A great rendition of the Fields of Athenry by the Irish at the end of the game against Spain.

The only positive for them.

I have a feeling I'll be a big Irish fan on Tuesday morning...

By the way, Ireland have become the first team to be officially eliminated from contention for the quarter-finals this morning.

For those who missed it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8sy6Lx3118

Having just posted elsewhere about sexism in football here is the only positive for Robbie Kean:

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/euro-2012-in-pictures-7835781.html?action=gallery&ino=31

Sweden on the way home, that was a good 2nd half to watch.

It was. Come on England.

Group C is interesting.

Under the Euro2004/2000 rules, a 2-2 draw between Croatia and Spain would put both teams through regardless of Italy against Ireland. Head-to-head splitting between Spain, Croatia and Italy would come down to goals scored between the three and Italy would have 2 against the other two's 3. This is how Italy were eliminated in 2004.

However, under the current rules introduced in 2008, head-to-head rules are iterative. So, a 2-2 draw would send Spain through - as Croatia and Spain would be separated by group GD. Then the head-to-head starts again between Italy and Croatia, meaning that Italy would get through if they beat Ireland by two goals and scored 5+ or if the beat Ireland by three goals or more.

Oh and it's not often we don't have any teams at all through to the KO rounds by this stage.

Germany are on 6 points so they are through

If Demark beat Germany and Portugal beat Netherlands, there are three teams on 6 points and it goes to h-t-h. Germany are NOT through yet. 

 There is a way Germany, Portugal and Denmark can all finish with six points and Germany could be eliminated.Fairly unlikely.

It's not that unlikely.  Denmark and Portugal only need to win 1-0. I wouldn't put any money on Germany losing to Denmark though. 

Dammit, I forgot about hth being iterative. Denmark can get through with a 1-0 but Germany then get through on the hth. Apologies for the misread - Germany are through. 

The BBC says Germany can still go out.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18454917

Have they got it wrong?

OK, the UEFA explanation of the possible group outcomes.Germany not quite there.

http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/news/newsid=1818000.html

The BBC had England's position in the Euro 2008 qualifiers wrong for most of the campaign due to not understanding how the new hth worked. Same for UEFA - UEFA's articles are written by journalists and not UEFA officials!

However, I forgot that Portugal beat Demark (duh!) so can win the 3-way hth leaving Denmark and Germany as the two remaining teams to split and thus giving Denmark a way through and Germany out. Sorry.

Not having a good morning, think I'm wrong and apologise and change my mind. Find out that made me wrong and have to apologise and change my mind again!

My excuse is I didn't do a spreadsheet for this tournament (first time since '98 qualifiers) after DataCo shut me down for fixture copyright infringement and so didn't have my model developed for double-checking assumptions.

Sorry SiNZ, you're wrong about the situation in Group C - a 2-2 draw between Spain and Croatia will send both through regardless of the margin of potential Italian win. In this situation, all three teams would have 5 points and same goal-difference in matches among themselves, but Spain and Croatia would have scored more goals in these matches (3 as opposed to Italy's 2), and since this is the next tie-breaker, Spain and Croatia would go through. Spain would be top because of its overall goal difference.

Interestingly, there's already been some discussion over this - instigated by Buffon who said in a press conference that the he hoped that fair play would win the day in Spain v Croatia game, and that the whole world would laugh at them if they drew 2-2. Bit hypocritical coming from him, but nevermind.

As for the tournament overall, only Ireland and Sweden are eliminated thus far, everyone else can advance. But also, no-one has yet qualifed for the quarter-finals either.

Just to illustrate it, here's the relevant regulation:

If two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the group matches, the
following criteria are applied, in the order given; to determine the rankings:
a) higher number of points obtained in the matches among the teams in question;
b) superior goal difference in the matches among the teams in question (if more
than two teams finish equal on points);
c) higher number of goals scored in the matches among the teams in question (if
more than two teams finish equal on points);
d) superior goal difference in all the group matches;
e) higher number of goals scored in all the group matches;
f) position in the UEFA national team  coefficient ranking system (see Annex I,
paragraph 1.2.2);
g) fair play conduct of the teams (final tournament);
h) drawing of lots.

Clause C is the crucial one - when more than two teams are tied on the same number of points, these tiebreakers are used to separate them and this is where Italy would lose out. The next tiebreaker would then be used to separate the two teams (in this potential case, Spain and Croatia) to determine who comes out at the top of the group.

Ah nuts, I was reading pages 6 & 7 of the regs and I should have been reading page 9. The former is for the qualifiers only. Page 9 is the Final Tournament and Euro 2012 has returned to the 2004 regulations. Interestingly, or not, the BBC link that Sanday posted also quotes the Qualifier tiebreaker logic and not the Final tournament so the BBC have made the exact same error that I have.

#seemtohavegonetopotsinceretiringwebsiteservice

I like how uncomplicated they've made it. 

Wow Russia going home after losing to Greece, was a bit shocked when I saw that this morning.

Does anyone else have all the games set on recording with 'series link' (MySky)?

This morning when I woke up, my box had only taped the Greece v Russia game and I'm trying to find out if I deleted the recording yesterday by mistake or if Sky are only playing one game at a time now that they're being played at the same time?

Sky are playing both games simultaneously, one on SS2 and the other on SS3. Try series linking a game on SS3 as well, series links may take effect on only one channel.

Had same issue.  Only got the Greece-Russia game.

Who's "they" Tegal?

UEFA? or the SiNZ-El Grap duet?

I haven't had that problem - but have lost at least two matches due to alledged "atmospheric conditions"

I can only assume (given the pretty calm and dry night on both occasions) that the 'condition' was that there was an atmosphere 

bring on competition against Sky!

Hope it's a happy day for the dutch.  I heard on the radio this morning that Sneijder doesn't like Van Persie and refuses to pass him the ball.  Is it true?  I've not been able to watch much of the Dutch games.  Seems a shame if it is true.

So who's going to put money on a 2-2 draw in the Spain/Croatia game?

Holland