Village Idiot

Dere's more to Ireland dun diss. I'm not getting into a fight right now. Blokes in this bar are bigger than me.

I just had a few beers, but I'm not used to getting wasted so early. Being Irish is hard.

We are looking thoroughly outclassed at the moment. I guess that's the game where Belgium will turn up.

Yeah, people around here are buzzing for the tournament. I love it myself, despite most games being disappointing.

Iniesta, what a legend. What I would do to see him as a boy in green...

The new kickoff rule is the kind of sensible change that should have been implemented eons ago, but it looks f***ing weird Still amazed that Rosicky is still playing at this level. Did he even get a game for Arsenal this season?

Get in! Best possible result for us.

What a miss! EDIT: Offside

Stuck with 24 for the next one I think. The weird format means that adding more teams now would be a nightmare logistically. The World Cup was like this from 82 to 94. I don't remember - were the group stages bad back then too? The 82 WC had two group stages, the other three had the same format as this EC. And yeah, I think the 1986-94 group stages were even worse, given that in the WC you have several minnows that are automatic #4, which means some of those groups were pointless. There's more upsets since only 2 per group qualify, which you may like or not.

Never imagined being an Eire fan was so trying. I'm forced to root for Italy in a game. That's too much FFS.

Spanish commentary lavishing praise on Hodgson for putting Vardy on the pitch. FFS, I hate when they do that, the smart move was starting him to begin with!

Ashley Williams pulling off a nice suplex there. The WWE should give him a call.

This game is shit. That surely was a pen though?

<- Freelancer

I see the English tabloids are finally hitting form! http://66.media.tumblr.com/cdfb7df469758e192df7b6f8340fb389/tumblr_o8u3sa17Hp1u5f06vo1_1280.jpg That photoshop, pure cringe

I'd have had Iniesta before any of Spain's back 4, and I'd have definitely hoyed Modric in there.

Official Best XI so far: http://i.imgur.com/13YlAhu.jpg Some decent and some nonsensical picks, as per usual. Ronaldo? Pretty much all of Spain's back 4?

Sigh.

I love the face on the new player. He's aware they are going to ritually murder him next

The club is not involved in those two cases. What was being judged here was how Neymar's transfer had been conducted on the tax front. Mostly we paid him a huge signup fee, and we reported it as a transfer fee, which is taxed less than a salary. The taxman said "no, it's a wage", and we had to pony up back dated tax (€13 million) and a €5 million fine.

Barça have been linked with 20000000000 players, as usual during transfer season, but lately we seem to be linked a lot with some Brazilian kid named Gabriel Jesus: ¿Know anything about him, Flip?

Barça's president will submit himself to a motion of confidence in this summer's assembly, after the club pleaded guilty to tax fraud in the Neymar signing. He could well lose this one, but I'm terrible at predicting how those assemblies go. I have never been selected for one!

Mackems sniffing. The feet? Pervs.

Carrasco is a class winger too. Given their lack of width they should use him more. Heck, I wish Spain had stolen him given that he's half Spanish and we lack direct and skillful wingers. But yeah, it's undeniable Belgium has a lots of class (yes, there are unbalances, but pretty much all NTs have unbalanced squads) and they should be doing much better than they are. And that should fall on the lap of the manager.

Who's giving him grief, think he's done well today. Still a mistake not to bring Diego Costa. Diego "10 caps and a goal against Luxembourg" Costa? Nah. I'd have brought Alcácer though. His club numbers aren't great but he clicks with Spain's style.