Euro 2020 : Semi finals and final

[ferguson1]

[TRO]

15 hours ago, romavillan said:

Not sure it's a Eurovision hangover, more being tired of what used to just be the far right in England making false accusations and calling people in Europe words removed becoming official government policy since 2016 and the word removed calling getting a whole lot worse. That and EU citizens being treated like shit coming back into the UK since 1 Jan even when they own companies and pay lots of tax.

There are still an enormous amount of people in the EU that love British culture (note British there) but if the English nationalists keep it up for much longer then it's hard to see that not disappearing.

We're not really world enemy number one, but you can count the number of countries that will be mostly supporting England on the finger of one finger in Europe. 

It's very sad and was very avoidable. That said the final will most likely be a poor game, I think we need to win it without it going to penalties though as Pickford isn't a patch on Donnarumma. Quite a few of my mates over here have been saying Pickford gives them a lot of hope of scoring. He's seen as the weakest link by a lot of people over here. 

I think you get far right and left in most countries, to my knowledge, everyone in Britain is treated fairly,they are mostly minority groups anyway, but hey ho......Lets stick to football.

I hope its a good game, I think it will be tight. Pickford is an enigma in as much as he can be great and also scatty, lets hope he doesn't have much to do.

[TRO]

13 hours ago, Xela said:

He's definitely more nervous. At Villa he'd take people on or have a long range shot - with England he tends to play it safe, to start with. 

He needs a goal... hopefully the last minute winner tomorrow  

I totally agree....Jack plays like he is not established, and opts for the safe option....England fans haven't seen the real Jack IMO.

He must have his reasons for playing that way.

That would be nice.

[ferguson1]

Crikey, me til 8.00pm!

[mjmooney]

Engage the enemy more closely

Quote

As the moment approached, the tension grew almost unbearable: The waiting had been so long. Men suddenly remembered something quite mundane: They were hungry, and the battle was going to start exactly at dinnertime. Some captains had foreseen it and ordered the cooks to have the beef and biscuit ready an hour early; others less wise ordered cheese up from the holds, and a half ration of rum. Officers, whose cabins had been dismantled, ate where they stood or grouped round the rudder head, which they used as a table. Some captains called their junior lieutenants up from the gun decks for a final word—mostly to tell them to hold their fire. Captain Hargood of the Belleisle pointed out the black bulk of the Santa Ana: “Gentlemen, I have only to say that I shall pass close under the stern of that ship. Put in two round shot and then a grape, and give her that.”

And Nelson also felt the tension and the need for a final word. He said to Blackwood, who had been his most constant companion all the morning, “I will now amuse the fleet with a signal. Do you not think there is one yet wanting?” Blackwood said everyone seemed to know exactly what to do. Nelson thought for a moment, and then said, “Suppose we telegraph, ‘Nelson confides that every man will do his duty.’ ” Somebody suggested “England” instead of “Nelson,” and Nelson accepted the change with pleasure. With an air of boyish gaiety, he called the flag lieutenant: “Mr. Pasco, I wish to say to the fleet, ‘England confides that every man will do his duty.’ You must be quick, for I have one more to make, which is for close action.” Pasco asked to be allowed to use “expects” instead of “confides” because “expects” was in Popham’s signal book, but “confides” would have to be spelt. “That will do, Pasco, make it directly,” Nelson said. And at 11:35 the most famous battle signal ever made was hoisted to the yards and mastheads of the Victory.

“England expects that every man will do his duty.” The phrase inspired generations of Englishmen. Yet it was not received with unanimous joy in the fleet. Ships cheered it, but in some of them the cheer itself had a dutiful ring about it. Collingwood, seeing the flags, said, “I wish Nelson would stop signaling. We know well enough what to do”—but when the whole signal was read to him, he approved it cordially enough. In the Euryalus, nobody bothered to repeat it to the crew; and in the Ajax, the officer who was sent to read it out on the gun decks heard sailors muttering, “Do my duty? I’ve always done my duty; haven’t you, Jack?”

Nelson’s first instinct had been right, as it always was in matters of that kind. “England” was too impersonal; “expects” was too mandatory. Nelson’s confidence would have meant much more to the fleet than England’s expectation. “Nelson confides”—they would have cheered that all right; that was what they would have liked to hear. England was far away; England was not the navy, and this was a naval occasion. But Nelson was there, he was with them, one of them: he was their pride.

When the flags were hauled down, his last signal was hoisted: “Engage the enemy more closely.” It flew at the masthead until it was shot away. 

Linkshot

[Xela]

 

 

[MCU]

11 hours ago, Xela said:

There are English people on here who want Italy to win? 

Absolute state of it.

[villa4europe]

Who's the ref? 

[MCU]

1 minute ago, villa4europe said:

Who's the ref? 

Dutch bloke, forget his name..

[villa4europe]

Just now, MCU said:

Dutch bloke, forget his name..

I suppose I should have asked more importantly... Is he any good? 

[BleedClaretAndBlue]

[BleedClaretAndBlue]

Im not even nervous about tonight. Play off finals were 100x more nervy

[Xela]

38 minutes ago, BleedClaretAndBlue said:

Im not even nervous about tonight. Play off finals were 100x more nervy

Absolutely. I'm a little bit nervous but I'm not expecting to win, so its a different feeling

With Villa and the play-offs, it was so much more important. It was vital we got up. 

[PieFacE]

Yeah I'm not nervous at all about this game. Was more nervous against Denmark and Ukraine weirdly. Heading to the pub soon so maybe the nerves will kick in as the beers flow. 

[villa4europe]

Mines creeping, I'll have legs like a riverdancer come kick off 

[Follyfoot]

18 hours ago, romavillan said:

Not sure it's a Eurovision hangover, more being tired of what used to just be the far right in England making false accusations and calling people in Europe words removed becoming official government policy since 2016 and the word removed calling getting a whole lot worse. That and EU citizens being treated like shit coming back into the UK since 1 Jan even when they own companies and pay lots of tax.

There are still an enormous amount of people in the EU that love British culture (note British there) but if the English nationalists keep it up for much longer then it's hard to see that not disappearing.

We're not really world enemy number one, but you can count the number of countries that will be mostly supporting England on the finger of one finger in Europe. 

It's very sad and was very avoidable. That said the final will most likely be a poor game, I think we need to win it without it going to penalties though as Pickford isn't a patch on Donnarumma. Quite a few of my mates over here have been saying Pickford gives them a lot of hope of scoring. He's seen as the weakest link by a lot of people over here. 

Where are England super England, no one likes us we don’t care 

[It's Your Round]

I’m actually feeling quietly confident, or at least cautiously optimistic about England’s chances of winning tonight. For as much as I’ve moaned about Southgate’s Bruce-style tactics, they’ve worked so far. And we’ve got a plethora of talent in reserve should we need it. Italy will be a tough test, but if you can’t have hope before a big game then what’s the point? 
 

[foreveryoung]

I feel we have achieved something getting to the final, so it'll be a disapointment, but I'll be happy as long as we try our best. If Harry is on it, we will win.

Hoping to hear the classic line, "Grealish to Kane, 2-0 England"!

[KAZZAM]

4 minutes ago, It's Your Round said:

I’m actually feeling quietly confident, or at least cautiously optimistic about England’s chances of winning tonight. For as much as I’ve moaned about Southgate’s Bruce-style tactics, they’ve worked so far. And we’ve got a plethora of talent in reserve should we need it. Italy will be a tough test, but if you can’t have hope before a big game then what’s the point? 
 

I don't think it's mattered who Southgate has picked and it isn't proven that he has ever got it right. 

In the end this England squad is so strong you could put alot of different mixes of players and more than likely got better results. 

Chiellini has even said England's bench could've made the final. 

I don't think Southgate deserves much of the praise he gets and instead the players just deserve it for being alot better than everyone else. 

[villa4europe]

1 minute ago, foreveryoung said:

I feel we have achieved something getting to the final, so it'll be a disapointment, but I'll be happy as long as we try our best. If Harry is on it, we will win.

Hoping to hear the classic line, "Grealish to Kane, 2-0 England"!

Yeah I think my main hope is that if we lose we lose, not controversy, no ref thing, no VAR, no penalties, definitley no feeling that we got the tactics wrong, we didn't turn up or even worse a player mistake 

If we just lose to the genuinely better team then so bit

But that hardly ever seems the case with England, there will be a huge story tomorrow morning one way or the other