The triumphs and tragedies of Euro 2020 were great entertainment. Although major national tournaments are won by the big countries, they have a meritocracy that Uefa’s club football tournaments lost long ago.
Contests where Switzerland can eliminate France, Hungary can terrify Germany and Denmark can reach a semi-final are compulsive. Those of us who get our football kicks from the Champions and Europa Leagues can only dream of the level playing field where developing talent provides a remote chance of success.
Italy deserved to win the final, although Spain and France will wonder what could have been. England had Italy on the ropes for 20 minutes, but when Kane was nullified, Gareth Southgate looked like someone whose only previous managerial experience was in charge of Middlesbrough. The song that describes “30 years of hurt” will soon be 30 years out of date. They will never have a better chance.
I was in London last week and was able to enjoy banter with England fans without a whiff of trouble. They are no more represented by this morning’s headlines than Scots are represented by what happened in George Square. The human condition has a long way to go.
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HAIL! HAIL! por cierto
Hail Hail
Salve
GENE
Thats fitba mate..hi’s n lows
HH mate
Bit of expectation setting about CL prospects Pablo?
Totally agree with you that the CL is a stacked deck.
At the risk of being overly simplistic though there is a trick being missed by the unfancied teams ….
…. the creation of a culture that embraces the unfairness and is bloody minded enough to do something about it on the pitch.
In this century alone step forward …
Iceland
Wales
Denmark
Greece
Switzerland
Croatia
And Northern Ireland?
Great result last..
Great tae see the great Sampdoria trio together.
Mancini,Vialli and Lombardo..
Magnificent they where…
🇮🇹😛
hankray on 12th July 2021 11:48 am
We all know the crushing feeling of defeat in a final, we experienced it as odds on favourites in the the European cup final in Milan in 1970 and again in Seville years later both after extra time. You could not but feel a little sympathy as the cameras focussed on some of the English youngsters decked out in team colours in tears.
England are a solid team but no more and do not have the extra skills required to win these big tournaments, we already know all the best players in English top grade football are foreign. Scotland had their measure and should have beaten them.
Not surprising that this was the sixth big tournament win for the Italians
Have we signed anyone yet or is ” the club working very hard” ………………………
Yawn
England have more than their fair share of neds. Leaving aside the scenes of drunken violence yesterday, they’ve consistently booed every country’s national anthem they came up against and booed their own players for taking the knee.
I’m inclined to call a spade, a spade. The Imperial mindset is alive and well in England.
Well done Italy, you all did the world a favour yesterday.
So the country that invented football fell flat in their first European Championship final (for younger readers wondering how they could have won Euro 96 without reaching the final – just think of it as one of sport’s great anomalies).
Home advantage, easy games and dubious decisions were not enough.
Final felt more like a Super Cup, with the Champions League winners (top half of the draw) against the Europa League winners (bottom half of the draw).
Southgate is a limited, safety-first coach who has benefited from the top coaches plying their trade in the English league.
Disagree about the Champions League, Paul. Progressive, well-run (that’s actual, not pretend), ambitious clubs with a clear purpose can still do well.
B78.
Showing our age mate..
But that was a great team..
👍🇮🇪☘
Fair & succinct piece by Paul today- I agree with all he has written.
The England team, and perhaps the management seemed to lack belief when it mattered most.
“Game management” is a well-worn phrase in football – the Italians have it in spades.
If Southgate picked the best five penalty-takers in training and manipulated the squad to get them all on the field at the end, then he done nothing wrong.
The whole England squad seemed to develop stage-fright during the half-time interval.
Sadly,
The level of English hatred at the tail-end of the last thread was breathtaking.
“O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us!”
I was in London last week and was able to enjoy banter with England fans without a whiff of trouble
—-
that”s because the union flag badge you wear fitted in perfectly with them
just checked the ‘tail-end of the last thread’ – dudn’t see any ‘English hatred’
The moderators must have deleted them very swiftly
Well done mods
Prince William is shocked by racial abuse.
No laughing at the back.
ERNIE LYNCH on 12TH JULY 2021 11:20 AM
AN TEARMANN on 12TH JULY 2021 11:16 AM
Reillys on Kilmarnock road,
I know Celtic have used them in the past when sending floral stuff to funerals
===============
thanks for that Ernie,by time i came back and read i had already organised it.thanks .👍
=======================
Dear cqn
As you know,(Macjay) John McGowan of this parish passed away.
His funeral mass takes place at
St Leo the Great
2 Beech Avenue
Bellahouston
Glasgow
G41 5BY
@10am Wed 14th july
Thank you Celts.i got a wreath for John with message “with deepest sympathy from all at CelticQuickNews.
Johns remains will be interred at Hawkhead Cemetry and a reception at the family home after.
Thanks to all.
John Mc Gowan RIP
hail hail
Delighted with last night’s result for two reasons firstly never want the empire to win anything secondly I’m financially better off as a result 👍
Best wishes to everybody attending MacJays funeral.
The wreath is very thoughtful, I’d be happy to chip in if donations are welcome
LETS ALL DO THE HUDDLE on 12TH JULY 2021 1:03 PM
just checked the ‘tail-end of the last thread’ – dudn’t see any ‘English hatred’
The moderators must have deleted them very swiftly
Well done mods
———
Time of final post on last blog 11:58
Time of first post above 12:05.
Musta been a hell of a lot of hateful anti-Englishness in the space of 7 minutes to be subsequently deleted.
Like Paul I think the difference in the end was the two managers. No surprise really given mancini’s record, Southgate seems like a very decent human being but Mancini’s a winner.
Once Italy sorted out the huge spaces they allowed on the flanks England looked pretty clueless. At home, in front of a huge crowd, albeit strangely quiet for large parts of the game, and against a team that had already lost key players before the game and lost more during it, they were unable to adapt and take advantage. Changing things during the game is very difficult but Mancini got into his team at half time and they dominated after it, without really creating a lot.
The Euros were a competition where the teams were the stars, it was a welcome change from the ridiculous hero worship of the insta global brands
Tory mp unhappy at Rashford
This is the racist vermin in power in Uk today.
https://twitter.com/PoliticsForAlI/status/1414501837181489152?s=19
hh
Ange on Rogic from the CQN article.
“My understanding is that he’s had some problems, particularly with his body, over the last period. I think that’s probably been his biggest challenge, even when I had him in the national team, consistently trying to get him to a certain level from his body point of view.
“I haven’t had a good chat with him yet, so I’ll certainly be doing that with him and the rest of the players. Does he fit into the style of football I want to play? Absolutely.”
Are we to assume from this that Rogic is not only insufficiently fit to train or play, but that he hasn’t had a discussion with the manager who has been in post since 10th June ???
93 league starts in 9 seasons.
https://uk.soccerway.com/players/tom-rogic/226304/
CELTIC40ME on 12TH JULY 2021 1:31 PM
Agreed.
I felt the game particularly swung with the arrival of the two Italian subs early second half.
If anything scoring so early may have been to England’s ultimate disadvantage as it left them vulnerable to the natural inclination to hold on to what they had.
Celtic40me
i would say roughly from 30 mins on the italians were the ones goin forward,as you say they plugged the gaps/flamks.i didnt think they readapted well,i was expecting England to have another go after ht but the italians cemented their power and looked more likely.
England maybe should have had grealish on earlier and i noted the way the italian said hello by fouling him in his own half😊 thought it a red with stamp on his knee also with chielline shirtpull on baka.alas some you get some you dont.😊…well done italy
hh
Celtic40me
Hi mate,the wreath has on it from all at cqn 😊
your in there 😊 had it posted on blog for a few days,He was one of the original founders of sydney csc.A Celtic man.
hh
Celtic Quick News
Ye was a cauldron of hate on here last night.
Have a read back folks
AN TEARMANN on 12TH JULY 2021 1:51 PM
👍
Thank you Dan.
Will see you at John’s Requiem Mass on Wednesday.
AN TEARMANN on 12TH JULY 2021 1:43 PM
Grealish does seem to be the only player in their squad capable of doing something out of the ordinary but a friend’s description of him as a Sunday league show off seemed to be pretty accurate once he was up against proper defending
The Italians must have seen off dozens of players like him over their careers, the welcome he got from Jorginho was like something from 30 years ago
EMBRAMIKE on 12TH JULY 2021 10:34 AM
BIG JIMMY on 12TH JULY 2021 9:53 AM
I didnt hear ANY English Pundit/Commentator mention anything about Grealish NOT leaving the field of play and staying on after receiving treatment…when the Italian player was told to get off the pitch….and wait for the Ref to decide when he was allowed to come back on !
Recent rule change that a player who receives treatment after a yellow card challenge does not need to leave the pitch after treatment
……………
From last Thread..
EMBRAMIKE..
You are of course 100% correct about the “New Rule”…it was just one of MY Schoolboy errors in my earlier post.
Im guilty as charged.
My apologises to the Blog.
HH mate.
The message today seems to be don’t worry, be happy, we’ll win the World Cup next year. Well why wouldn’t they?
General meander about last nights game.
See the tinkering with the rules over the years, has the single kicker kick off improved anything ?
Has the keeper can pass the ball inside the box at a kick out, improved anything ?
My own wee pet hate, the corner kicker putting the ball to the very very edge of the arc, what on earth advantage does it give ?
I would do away with extra time. If a team doesnt score in the first half of it, the second half becomes a non event and risk adverse, if drawing at end of 90 minutes take it straight to penalties.
Next, if players who have won nothing in club football, cant appreciated their runners up medals as an acheivement, then they dont deserve them. Maybe time to end the game with the runners up just leaving the field,
As for any so called ” hate” coming across from my corner towards Engerlund in any of my Posts…..I DO Hate/Detest Imperialistic CHUMPS trying to RAM their Imperialistic views and opinions down my throat for weeks on end.
I do NOT need the likes of Shearer, Ferdinard, McCoist, Dixon, Lampard, Tydesley, Wright, Southgate, Lineker etc etc…. to tell ME what Ive just watched, nor do I need them or any of the Engerlund media…to LIE to me telling me how GREAT Engerlund are BEFORE a ball is kicked.
Over Two weeks ago, just before an Engerlund match…Ian Wright was on TV TELLING the Nation that ” Trent Arnold” was the BEST Crosser of a Ball in the WORLD !
Obviously, Southgate couldnt have agreed with Mr Wright, as I dont remember Trent Arnold taking ANY part in the EURO’S ?
In any case, I BACKED ITALY to win the EURO’S BEFORE the Tourney started at odds of 8/1….so I have every right to celebrate Engerlunds downfall along the way.
HH.
Grealish and Rice getting some stick last night for representing England.
Nobody ever heard of having dual nationality ?
It was a bit of sharp practice to represent the Republic at other levels but plenty of their players used NI’s sides as a stepping stone.
If they were born and grew up in England, why shouldn’t they represent that team ?
Or Ireland, if they wish.
Engerlund and their Hun like fans deserve all they get imho.
Engerlund Pundits and Engerlund Manager and players TELLING us all how wonderful and GREAT the Engerlund fans are…….while at the same time…
You KNOW the rest !
HH.
35% of Greater London’s population (5m+) is not UK born. That’s roughly around the population of Scotland. They come from the EU, Eastern Europe, Asia, Middle East, Caribbean & Africa.
The overwhelming majority enjoy a good life in their chosen country. The UK is one of the most multi-racial and tolerant countries in the world – there are queues around the clock & around the block at UK embassies and consulates all over the world with people desperate to come here legally.
Racism and bigotry exists in all first world countries the world over – there is also many curbs on free-speech and association on western people living in Muslim countries. Those who go there know the rules prior and therefore if they choose to go, know what to expect and how to behave.
In Scotland we have seen a 200% increase in non UK born residents in the last twenty years – from c200k to c600k, around 10% of our population. Again the vast majority live in peace & harmony in their chosen country.
There is racism, bigotry & sectarianism in Scotland with the majority of hate crimes religious, not race, in nature.
So lets not base our views on England, or, the UK, on a few football matches. God knows if Scotland was judged by what goes on around football we would be near the bottom of the league for tolerance, just as we are for education, health, Covid and drug deaths.