Euro 2012 week 6 review (FINAL)

RIGHTFULLY SO 

SPAIN 4 ITALY O

Spain European Champions

Golden Boot Winner Torres 3 goals 1 assist won it over Gomez on minutes played

Spain proved to be very adaptable and saved their best performance until the final . Along the way to the final they played without strikers . Getting a label from some as boring very unjustified . In fact it was the perfect tournament strategy, with every one around them guessing which way they would play . But strikers or not they simply passed teams to death . Bit by bit grinding teams down showing no complacency in becoming back to back winners of the tournament . To jump into the history books as the only team to win 3 major trophy’s in succession .

Italy just could not cope with Spain’s passing game . After early in tournament getting a credible draw against Spain . The brilliant Pirlo was passed out of the game . As for Balotelli would it be Super Mario, or Stupid Mario . It turned out to be invisible Mario he never got a sniff . Italy 2 nil down at half time quickly used all their subs to try and claw it back . Then went to ten men due to injury . 


It was a stroll for Spain at this point . So on came the Striker in the form of Torres . He quickly netted followed by an assist to hand him the golden boot . The final whistle could not come quick enough for Italy . Spain celebrated by bringing their kids on the pitch (nice touch) . Balotelli stormed off only to come back for his losers medal he will learn (maybe)

FINAL GOLDEN BOOT TABLE 

• Fernando Torres (Spain) - Three goals, one assist in 189 minutes
• Mario Gomez (Germany) - Three goals, one assist in 281 minutes
• Alan Dzagoev (Russia) - Three goals in 254 minutes
• Mario Mandzukic (Croatia) - Three goals in 269 minutes
• Mario Balotelli (Italy) - Three goals in 422 minutes
• Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - Three goals in 480 minutes

After all the warnings of having a Eastern European Tournament it did not come to pass it was a very enjoyable event with by far the best team winning . Spain have defiantly set a very high bench mark to the rest of the football world . Setting it up very nicely for Brazil 2014 the count down has started I can not wait .

Overall tournament entertainment value 9/10 YNWA 

EURO 2012 WEEK 5 REVIEW

SUPER MARIO

The two finalist are set in stone with Spain going for a history making 3 majors in a row . The semis, one went the full distance with a penalty shoot out to decide it in Spain’s favour . Are Spain boring or are they just very adaptable , I tend to think the latter . Playing on a defence midfield basis . Only a team like Spain could get away that . It is a ploy England could only dream about . Just when you think Spain are getting predictable . They switch tactics, sign of a great team that deserves to make football history . Portugal put to much effaces on Ronaldo his chance came and he missed it . After what looked like he was planning the penalty shoot out , to suit his own ego. He was not needed so he bowed out not in the lime light. Something the likes of Ronaldo must have nightmares about . Brazil 2014 will be his last chance to really shine at international level .

The Germans came up against the Italians . Who won the game in first half with a bullet header and a thunder strike from good Mario . 1.nil at half time would have been enough for previous Italian sides . But 2.nil was by far to much for a what looked like a German that was going places . So as from the beginning Pirlo is still running the show . As I wrote in week 4 review, the only person who has come close to putting pressure on Pirlo . Was Carroll for a 10 minute period after he came on. He is such a intelligent player who play to his own strength and age . Will the Spanish stop them ? . Will you see good Mario? . Or bad Mario? . Will the Spanish play with a striker ? Its 50 50 its that close GREAT..........

Spain? OR Italy ?

Entertainment value match week 5   8/10 

EURO 2012 WEEK 4 REVIEW

cool as you like Pirlo 

Well we have had loads of penalty's now and also the first nil nil draw. As expected England were involved . But watching the game last night I could not help thinking . Am I watching Channel 4 on Sunday afternoon back in the day . Is this a Top of v Serie A v mid table match . Lets say Juventus v Udinese . England being Udinese of course . So 28 million people watched a Serie A game . England played for pens the same as Udinese would play for the one point . The only time Pirlo was put under pressure was from Carroll when he came on . Pirlo was playing with his brain to great effect . A great inspiration to players slightly younger in the same role .

Pirlos amazing penalty kick http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROWlsw_om1E

Spain Cruised through with no attackers . How do you play against that? do you stick? or twist? . The team that gets that right will win the Cup . If no team do that then it will be Spain for a record breaking 3 majors in a row .

Entertainment value more tactical now I like that 9/10

Spring /Autumn Watch live from the site ?

Festival ?

No Festival ?

Working at Glastonbury over the years I have always noticed how big and healthy the wild life looks . Your average Bullfinch on the festival site looks more like a small Parrot than a wild British bird . Blackbirds and Thrushes the size of crows Is this because of the extra food at festival time of is it something in the water . I have seen foxes who look the big and healthy, have they learned to live off the festival . 

At the beginning of the festival a flock of 500, I think they are Herring Gulls arrive at the site to suss it out . Not the city scavengers you see but proper sea birds . They are always the first back after the festival . They work in a team and are brilliant to watch they always get the better of the scrounging gulls who by now have now arrived in thousands . 

Michaela Strachan

Chris Packham 

With the Festival having a Fallow year . It would have been great to see the BBC investigate this . Spring Watch live from the site in the year off . All the infrastructure for live broadcast would been there . Also a chance to see how beautiful the site is with out anyone there . The viewing figures will go through the roof . Loads of little anecdotes from Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan . But it would be a very interesting wild life experiment . If the BBC get there act together it could be on for Autumn Watch . Then the following Autumn after the festival to see what the effect on the wild life has been . I am sure the BBC has thought of this with their wild life department just 30 miles up the road in Bristol . But if not there you go get on with it . After all the site is surrounded by stunning county side ie Mendip s Quantocks Somerset Levels and Exmoor not far . So what are you waiting for ? . A job on the series is all I ask 

EURO 2012 WEEK 3 REVIEW

THE MAIN MAN

Well week 3 has now gone still no nil nil draw ,still only 1 penalty not converted , still not many penalty shouts .

Who would have thought it England are in the quarters . So Roy Hodgson before the tournament made reference to Denmark and Greece . The Danish having no preparation (called from the beaches) in line with him only being in the job a matter of weeks . But he should of said as far as the Greeks were concerned . “That who would of thought the Greeks of all people would win the tournament” . “So in words of Alan Sugar” . “For that reason we are going to play like Greece”

Why not Roy we have borrowed them enough money that we will never get back. So mirroring their on field tactics from 2004 is grabbing something back from them . After all your average Tournament footie fan knows fuck all about tactics . They are talking holidays hair, girls, lads, etc. thou out the match . Only to break for that 30 seconds of euphoria of gloom when the ball hits the net . They are like Christmas drinkers . Now with England progressing further in the tournament more will come out of the woodwork (Hideous)

One last thing on the England front . It takes a on the line incident in England’s favour for the King of the World (Sepp Blatter). To announce “goal line technology is no longer a alternative it is a necessity” So what happened in South Africa then Sepp ? He hates England.

NOT A PATCH ON LAMPARDS

HERE IS THE LAMPARD INCIDENT CLICK TO WATCH Frank Lampard's Disallowed Goal v Germany 2010

So away from England the Dutch were so shit . An Ireland v Holland game would have most defiantly the first nil nil draw. Spain look beatable Portugal look like a one man team . Italy come in fits and starts with Ballotelli their biggest weapon or biggest down fall . France have started to look like French their own worst enemy . So there is the Germans who play the Greeks . If the Germans despatch the Greeks . England will have to change the tactics if they over come the Italians . The Czech's are the dark horses.  

So plenty of twist and turns to come no doubt .

With a Entertainment value again 8/10

A YEAR OFF MAKES SENSE

When Glastonbury has a year off it always comes back stronger than ever . There have been a few years off since I have been going to Glastonbury . Whether it be to sort out problems give the land a chance to recover after a extremely wet year . Or this time to not pay over hiked prices , toilet shortages due to the Olympics . But surly the decision to have a year Break in 2001 was verging on mystical . 2000 the gate crasher year then a year off to build the huge fence that is with us now . But if there had been a festival in 2001 . It would not of happened costing the festival thousands . Why you ask?

No chance of a 100,000 who want to party then?

2001 was the year of Foot and Mouth . The festival would have been cancelled with 6 weeks to go . All the people booked for what ever, would be in-titled to a proportion of their fee . Costing the festival a lot of dosh with the added cost of the super fence . Entertainment value might have took a hit a huge rise in ticket prices in 2002 to try to retrieve lost revenue . But that would be unlikely you would of used your ticket from the previous year . The capacity was all so cut to 90.000 after 2000 Who knows the future of the festival may have been in doubt . So who could of seen something like Foot and Mouth happening a year before it happened . Well a Farmer of course

EURO 2012 WEEK 2 REVIEW

Carroll's top of the range header 

Well that’s week 2 over . The tournament still is a head turner . With two amazing stats , There still has yet to be a nil nil draw which is great, with every team having a go. But to me, what’s more amazing is that there has been no penalty's convertions only one given , and not  many penalty claims , To the credit of the players on whole they have just got on with it .

The four teams who have improved after the first games after playing OK . France Germany Spain and (yes) England . Russia look good but never improved on the first game performance . In tournament football you have got to look for teams who steadily improve game by game . So Russia’s game against Greece will be a true indication whether they are contenders .

You would expect Germany and Spain to improve game by game . As for France they look the real deal . Taking the hour long stop due to the Thunder storm in their stride . Looking solid in every department .

As for England the 3 Liverpool players , defence ,midfield , attack . Where the back bone of the team . There were a few tweets saying Gerrard looked a bit tied , But he still managed to run the full length of the pitch to nearly score in the last 5 minutes . Gerrard is a player who not only gets second winds but third and forth winds as well . Carroll was a threat all match big and physical , holding the ball up and laying it off . As he has did for Liverpool towards the end of the season . His goal was something from the pages of Roy of the Rovers ,classic centre forward goal from a great Gerrard ball . Glen Johnston looked strong and fit making some perfectly timed tackles , nearly proventing Sweden’s first goal . My only worry with England at this stage is that Rooney might throw a spanner in works . I would have on the bench . To stay in line with the old saying “Why mess with a roof that does not leak”

Tournament Entertainment value so far 8/10 more more more