Holland have one of the easiest groups in the tournament (Ukraine, Austria, North Macedonia) but I still wouldn't be surprised to see them bomb out at the first hurdle with FdB in charge. Spain having no Real Madrid players is mad as well. Can see them going back to the Spain of the 90s/early 00s and being also-rans again.
The Dutch don't seem to have a lot of match winners in their squad but might be wrong. Think Spain's squad is quite young - didn't recognise many of their players tbh.
I can see Spain scraping through the group and going out in the last 16. Can see them having plenty of the ball as usual but lacking any cutting edge and lacking goals. Holland have one or two good players but again can see them conceding and not been that clinical in front of goal.
I'm pessimistic. The defence is weak, some of our more established players are either out of form or out of sorts (Sterling and Kane -- the latter is controversial given his stats this season, but he has not looked anywhere near as threatening in the box this year, especially for England) and while we have promising young talent in Sancho, Foden, Mount, et al, I'm not sure that Southgate knows what his best attacking combination is. KOs for me. We finish 2nd after draws to Croatia and Czech Republic.
I'm no England fan really, club before country and all that, but nevertheless I always want them to do well.
My outlook is the same. I tend to enjoy the international tournaments though, as it's an opportunity for a booze with rival fans whom I never usually spend a matchday with. In terms of what do I expect.... just a good showing would be nice, if this happens we'll naturally go far imo. Too often have we fallen short and disappointed. France are miles ahead of everyone else for me, can't see passed them.
I get that for a lot of fans, especially those who are used to and expect to see trophies, European adventures with their club team. For alot of fans, like myself, that luxury comes very rarely so i have a similar excitement for England as i do Middlesbrough - luckily for me, they both manage to disappoint in equal measures
I just find international football (and the circus surrounding it) mindnumbingly dull, and the only joy I can hope to gain out of it is the anger and sadness in this country if England do terribly.
I used to think the same thing when I was a teenager. It also helped having a Scottish father. Indifference is understandable. Don't get grown adults who actively hate the national team, though. Seems a bit pathetic.
I've not really come across Welsh football fans who actively dislike the national team. There are plenty however who dislike the Welsh rugby team. I think it's down to the cliched views often held about sport in Wales (i.e. a nation of rugby lovers) and media bias over the years. Personally, I hope Wales do well in everything.
I agree. I also don't get those fans who are overly patriotic. I once knew a Cheltenham fan who referred going to England games as "National Service". You won't be surprised to hear that he follows every stereotype of the right-wing, nazi style yob. Myself personally? I don't expect anything from this tournament, I stopped expecting anything after Euro 2000 when we crashed and burned so hard it was actually funny to me. Now I go into every tournament hoping that a) the England team do their best and b) the England fans don't let us down like they used to. I really want to see the front lads let loose to play like they do for their clubs - I'm not sure we'll ever really see that though due to the cautiousness every England manager in my lifetime has had, and the fear that seems to be instilled in anyone who puts on an England shirt. The only hope is the fearlessness of youth, the thing that Rooney had in 2004 and Owen in 1998.
Yes, they are definitely two sides of the same coin. For me, international football is an opportunity for the country to come together to celebrate (or commiserate) over something relatively low stakes. Between financial crises and global pandemics, it's a welcome biennial distraction.
Could not agree more - the Portugal game in Euro 2004 still stands out as one of the best nights I've ever had in a pub. Embracing someone after Lampard's equaliser and then cutting his eyelid open when my tooth caught his eye. Then both of us drowning our sorrows together afterwards. I've never seen that guy before or since.
I've only seen Wales play in a tournament once and the experience was on a par with anything I've experienced following Cardiff (2 cup-finals, several promotions). Even some of the qualifying games have been right up there.
I respect the footballers who play in it and want to achieve something for their careers. I feel bad for TAA for example for having to pull out with injury. I don't get any excitement from watching it though and personally find the borderline jingoism that bubbles up around tournament time nauseating. People who probably don't even really give a rats arse about football suddenly perking up and beating their chests... not for me. I remember watching England v Colombia in this bar near me at the last WC and this Colombian guy and his family celebrated when Colombia scored (in a bar full of England "fans") and this young guy next to me was so aggravated by it. He then celebrated aggressively at them when England won... calm the **** down. People then stopping traffic because England win a quarter final. Man alive.
