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Euro 2024: Not worthy of a thread


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52 minutes ago, Superior Acuña said:

I like having more smaller sides, but I don't like how 3 can go through from groups. I'd rather they just make it 32 if it's going to be more than 16.

There probably is just about enough teams to have a 32 team event - Sweden and Norway are obvious candidates and have players most would want to see. Greece actually won it 20 years ago. Not sure if Russia will ever get back to playing UEFA event, but they would be another. It kind feel like Iceland's golden era is coming to an end, and many suspected, but they did make the QF in 2016, and even qualified for the World Cup only 6 years ago, and would have only been one of 13 or 14 European nations, so they could be in and not look too out of place. The likes of Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland feel more important from a home nations perspective, but at least 1 of those could be included. Struggling after that, but if you added in a couple from Finland, Montenegro, Israel, Bosnia etc. then it wouldn't dilute the quality too much and most of those would have had a player over the years who most would want to see, like a Litmanen, Djeko.

 

Obviously if it was extended to 32 then qualification among the better sides would be pretty pointless and you'd never get a Netherlands type missing out, like they did in 2016, but I don't think I'd be against it if it was going to expand again.

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Posted (edited)
On 07/06/2024 at 13:39, Superior Acuña said:

I like having more smaller sides, but I don't like how 3 can go through from groups. I'd rather they just make it 32 if it's going to be more than 16.

 

I'm all for a 64 nation WC and a 32 nation EC tbh. If EC 2024 was 32 nations, the ones that'd be there now (out of the non-qualified sides) would likely be Greece, Wales, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Montenegro, Israel and Luxembourg. None of which I'd have an issue with seeing get three matches in an EC tournament (bar Israel, of course, but for political reasons - not sporting).

 

Out of the teams in the EC qualifiers, that'd mean only 24* (26 if we were to include Russia and Belarus) would not qualify for the final EC tournament. That means more sides would qualify for the finals than didn't, but nobody cares about the EC qualifiers - I want to see teams play at the EC itself. So even if it seems kinda dumb on paper to have more teams qualify than not, it'd make for a more fun final tournament and more nations/fans involved - as well as increasing the likelihood of a minnow nation or two managing to put together a run that'd create some upsets.

 

As you, I hate the concept of three teams advancing from a group of four. I support any move, be it less nations at the tournament or more, that would ensure that we can get back to two out of four teams advancing from the group stage.

 

* It's past midnight and I generally suck at counting, so don't quote me on that being the correct number :lol: 

 

 

Edited by Kaizero

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On 07/06/2024 at 02:16, Paullow said:

So now that we have had a couple of 24 team editions, do you prefer 16 or 24?

 

There are a few less fancied sides like Georgia and Albania involved, but still enough relatively decent sides (or certainly big name players) that have missed out which doesn't make qualification totally redundant - Sweden, Norway, Greece and even Wales would all have added something to the event.

 

There are 51 matches rather than the usual 31, so great for those, like myself, who will watch anything, but maybe not so much for those preferring quality, and the worst thing about the change is the 4 third placed teams advancing as it does mean less jeopardy in most group matches, and when you see groups containing Spain, Italy and Croatia, you realise there's actually a decent chance they will all progress anyway.

 

It won't change, and probably more likely they would try and squeeze 32 than going back to 16, but overall are you in favour of the larger tournament?

 

 

It definitely dilutes the quality, from the 16 team days you could usually make a case for 8-9 potential winners, so more than half the field. That said I favour Wales for tenuous reasons so haven't been bothered much until this edition, although Wales would have qualified anyway in 16 I think.  It annoys the OCD in me that you can't do a proper bracket now, and like others have said it makes the qualifying extremely tedious for the top nations.  8 teams was mental France never even qualified to defend title in 88 and in 92 you had Italy, Spain and Belgium all miss out.  Watching it back it definitely didn't have the same 'big tournament' feel until expansion in 96, although i'm sure others would disagree. 

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I just can’t get with a format where you can finish 3rd out of 4 in a group and still go through.

 

The 48 team World Cup will be dreadful 

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Does anyone have written evidence of that top scorer game thing we did that Wullie suggested many moons ago? This was probably for Italia 1990 or some torno a long long time ago. Trying to work out what to do with mates and can't remember the rules.

 

 

Edited by SEMTEX

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On 09/06/2024 at 01:28, Kaizero said:

 

I'm all for a 64 nation WC and a 32 nation EC tbh. If EC 2024 was 32 nations, the ones that'd be there now (out of the non-qualified sides) would likely be Greece, Wales, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Montenegro, Israel and Luxembourg. None of which I'd have an issue with seeing get three matches in an EC tournament (bar Israel, of course, but for political reasons - not sporting).

 

Out of the teams in the EC qualifiers, that'd mean only 24* (26 if we were to include Russia and Belarus) would not qualify for the final EC tournament. That means more sides would qualify for the finals than didn't, but nobody cares about the EC qualifiers - I want to see teams play at the EC itself. So even if it seems kinda dumb on paper to have more teams qualify than not, it'd make for a more fun final tournament and more nations/fans involved - as well as increasing the likelihood of a minnow nation or two managing to put together a run that'd create some upsets.

 

As you, I hate the concept of three teams advancing from a group of four. I support any move, be it less nations at the tournament or more, that would ensure that we can get back to two out of four teams advancing from the group stage.

 

* It's past midnight and I generally suck at counting, so don't quote me on that being the correct number :lol: 

 

 

 

 

I'm all for making it 32 teams just to fix the structure and come up with something else to replace to qualifiers. Northern Macedonia was good fun in 2021 and it's always interesting to see new countries on the biggest stage. 

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The 16 team euros was great as most of the matches were contests and the knockout rounds were high quality. It was a short but quality competition 

 

Europe doesn’t have 24 watchable sides so now in the pursuit of £££ the quality of the tournament is diluted. 
 

Once the change is made it’s done though as they will never agree a measure that reduces revenue 

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2 hours ago, WilliamPS said:

The 16 team euros was great as most of the matches were contests and the knockout rounds were high quality. It was a short but quality competition 

 

Europe doesn’t have 24 watchable sides so now in the pursuit of £££ the quality of the tournament is diluted. 
 

Once the change is made it’s done though as they will never agree a measure that reduces revenue 

 

I find it awful, simply doesn't make sense how it's harder to get knocked out than go through.

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Am I just a fucking old cunt or is this the least hyped tournament in ages?

 

I’m on the road a fair bit and I’ve only seen one beflagged car.

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24 minutes ago, Rich said:

Am I just a fucking old cunt or is this the least hyped tournament in ages?

 

I’m on the road a fair bit and I’ve only seen one beflagged car.

Usually the hype and flags don't come out in force until knockout stages. I'm buzzing for it, will watch every game, 3 games a day what's not to love! :)

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1 hour ago, Rich said:

Am I just a fucking old cunt or is this the least hyped tournament in ages?

 

I’m on the road a fair bit and I’ve only seen one beflagged car.

 

I was thinking the same. Mrs and I were searching through the various TV apps last night just to find anything at all to get hyped; couldn't find a thing beyond the very earnest Gazetta Football-style magazine show in ITVX. I'm craving a bit of Fantasy Football-style banter build-up.

 

Got me wondering if it's a symptom of the relentless football calendar. There's no breathing space to build the hype train; the season feels like it's never really finished, with the European finals and friendlies. 

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A part of the excitement for me was discovering new exciting players but I think with so much extensive scouting, social media etc there's not too many players that are complete unknowns these days. 

 

I realise I was a lot younger but when Senegal and South Korea did so well at the World Cup 2002 there was genuine fun and excitement watching these players we knew nothing about being able to beat the big boys

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28 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

Got me wondering if it's a symptom of the relentless football calendar. There's no breathing space to build the hype train; the season feels like it's never really finished, with the European finals and friendlies. 

 

This. It just never stops these days.

 

Next seasons PL fixtures are out next week ffs.

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2 hours ago, joeyt said:

A part of the excitement for me was discovering new exciting players but I think with so much extensive scouting, social media etc there's not too many players that are complete unknowns these days. 

 

I realise I was a lot younger but when Senegal and South Korea did so well at the World Cup 2002 there was genuine fun and excitement watching these players we knew nothing about being able to beat the big boys

 

Used to love following the transfer window after major international tournaments back in the day to see if any of the "unknown" players that shined at the tournament would get snapped up by big clubs.

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3 minutes ago, joeyt said:

Felt like every Prem club wanted a shiny Senegal player in the 2002 summer transfer window

 

Didn't just feel like it, was it not something like 7 out of 23 Senegal players that got a transfer to a PL club following the WC? :lol: 

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Totally didn’t know this started this weekend, but I’ll try to catch some games. Trying to give my marriage a break from the constant football so I can make it to the start of the PL with some credit :lol:

 

 

Edited by AyeDubbleYoo

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