Euro 2020(21)

[an tha]

1 minute ago, Bjornebye said:

She only doesn't wash your bills afterwards because you're shit 

You and your frigging pillow talk....

[Bjornebye]

2 minutes ago, an tha said:

You and your frigging pillow talk....

"Frigging" when a full leg won't touch the side you need to realise "frigging" ain't gonna work although these days if the washing machine's on I'll be spent by abut 5 past 7. 

[s(k)aturation]

11 minutes ago, Bjornebye said:

Cunt is ALWAYS involved on both sides. 

fixed

[Bjornebye]

1 minute ago, s(k)aturation said:

fixed

I didn't wanna call you one but..... 

[s(k)aturation]

Just now, Bjornebye said:

I didn't wanna call you one but..... 

... you are

[Bjornebye]

10 minutes ago, s(k)aturation said:

... you are

 

 

[Jose Jones]

This is pretty good from David Conn on Southgate:

 

As Gareth Southgate’s players revelled in the ecstasy and singalongs at a joyful Wembley on Wednesday and millions celebrated beyond, England itself seemed transported, not like a country bruised by divisive politicians, waging their dismal culture wars.

 

Boris Johnson was there, trying to fit in, and there is a feeling his government had a draft script for the Euros, if they thought about football very much at all. England doing well at a packed Wembley would somehow broadcast a triumph for Brexit, for the vaccine rollout, for how well the government wrestled with the Covid mugger and all that. But neither Johnson nor the home secretary, Priti Patel, thought it through before they supported the booing of the England team taking the knee before pre-tournament matches, thereby antagonising the players – and recklessly stoking racism in football that campaigners have fought 40 years to kick out.

 

Yet this group of players, continuing to take the knee and use their tremendous influence to oppose racism and social injustice, have refused to be used for that script, while thrillingly taking England to their first final since Alf Ramsey’s 1966 monument. Southgate – thoughtful, genuine, focused on detail, a dignified leader, of such contrast to Johnson’s bombast and recklessness with the truth – even thought ahead and wrote his own script, just to be sure.

 

In a euphoric country, it is important to maintain focus on what the manager said this would all mean, in his remarkable open letter, “Dear England,” released three days before the tournament began, the very day after Johnson refused to condemn the booing of the players. He expressed his belief and aspiration in a progressive, unified, modern England, at ease with its young people and diversity, and it was astonishing, also very moving, that an England manager should publicly set out such a vision. By speaking out, Southgate seemed also to be deliberately heading off likely efforts by Johnson and his supporters to colonise England football achievement for their own crude agendas.

 

Calling his players “a special group”, it was illuminating to see how Southgate described their journeys, playing for their country while embracing anti-racism and social justice, as “liberated in being their true selves”.

That was a response to those such as Patel who have denounced taking the knee as “gesture politics”, pointing out that this gesture – which remains hugely powerful – is integral to the players expressing themselves.

 

“I have never believed that we should just stick to football,” Southgate said; a knowing response to that classic English putdown, a timeworn way of denying sportspeople their voice. Clearly referring to his players’ progressive work including Marcus Rashford’s campaigns for children in Johnson’s country to have enough food to eat and books to read, Southgate urged them on.

 

“It’s their duty to continue to interact with the public on matters such as equality, inclusivity and racial injustice,” he wrote, “ while using the power of their voices to help put debates on the table, raise awareness and educate.”

 

He used the language of football to address the racists: “You’re on the losing side.” And the language of hope: “It’s clear to me that we are heading for a much more tolerant and understanding society, and I know our lads will be a big part of that.”

 

He had his say too on the culture wars, the plague of simplistic affiliation to statues, the union jack, stately homes and gunboats, with which Johnson’s government has sought cheap votes.

“I understand that on this island, we have a desire to protect our values and traditions – as we should,” Southgate wrote, “but that shouldn’t come at the expense of introspection and progress.”

 

There have been reports that Johnson’s strategists have been put out by Southgate’s letter, which makes it impossible for them to claim the team’s progress as fuel for their divisive agenda. In 2018, Southgate expressed disappointment in Brexit itself, telling an ITV documentary that there were “racial undertones” in the vote.

“I didn’t like the connotations around Brexit,” he said. “There were some generational opinions about what modern Britain should look like.”

 

It will forever be a landmark in our history that Southgate’s England achieved so much in the European Championship just after Britain left the European Union, but the manager and team’s statements prevent their work from being exploited as a triumph for Johnson’s crude take on patriotism or for Brexit. It will always be part of the history, too, that this great national sporting moment came as Johnson and his supporters were busy waging a “war on woke”, even spawning a new TV channel dedicated to it. The word itself is greatly abused by those who use it as an insult, but this England team, resolutely taking the knee, captain Harry Kane wearing a rainbow armband, Jordan Henderson tweeting support to a gay fan, surely are, in its best, true meaning, woke.

 

“No matter what happens,” Southgate wrote, “I just hope that [children’s] parents, teachers and club managers will turn to them and say: ‘Look. That’s the way to represent your country. That’s what England is about. That is what’s possible.’ If we can do that, it will be a summer to be proud of.”

They have, and it is already, beyond expectation. Southgate and his players, with their great skill, dedicated work, unity, and core of progressive values, have pointed the way, on and off the field, to a better England.

[Bjornebye]

It’s hard not to like Southgate. Bit boring usually plays his teams negative but he’s clearly a decent fella. 

[s(k)aturation]

46 minutes ago, Bjornebye said:

It’s hard not to like Southgate. Bit boring usually plays his teams negative but he’s clearly a decent fella. 

Deffo not a cunt.

[Red Phoenix]

I'm going for a bet on Argentina to draw with Brazil over 90 mins and over 2.5 goals. If I fluke it and it happens, I'm not doing any bets on the euro final. I'll have got my money back + extra from the copa and instead of thinking about bets during this final I'll be able to relax and concentrate on supporting Italy.

[Red Phoenix]

Fucking amazing goal : https://imgur.com/16OTuPA

[Red Phoenix]

Mikkel Damsgaard goal for Denmark against England should have been disallowed

 

[Chairman Meow]

12 minutes ago, Red Phoenix said:

Fucking amazing goal : https://imgur.com/16OTuPA

If Pickford had normal sized arms he could have saved that. 

[Pete]

35 minutes ago, Chairman Meow said:

If Pickford had normal sized arms he could have saved that. 

I said that to the Mrs (who doesn't usually watch football).  She replied, yeah aren't keepers normally taller?

[Anubis]

8 hours ago, A Red said:

That is a question that has crossed my mind whilst reading this thread. 

 

Sometimes you have to consider why people present a particular view. I'm not doubting the view is not sincerely held but to try to find ways to make it even more forcibly and continually might mean that they are trying to tell you something about themselves. What they are and often just as important, what they are not.

 

An example of this I've noticed on different forums over the years is the subject of soaps. There will be a thread perhaps called "Coronation Street gossip" or suchlike and more often than not loads will post in it to tell you they hate Coronation street and indeed soaps altogether. Why do so many do that? If it was a thread about Cricket for example, not nearly as many would bother to tell you they cant stand the game, they would see the thread title, see it was something they werent interested in and give it a swerve. They are trying to tell you something about themselves, perhaps that they are more intelligent, sophisticated, cool, switched on, caring, theyre not an ist or a phobe, thick etc. Often they just want to be in with the prevailing pack and earn easy reps.

 

Or it could be they just hate ingurland

 

 

 

 

 

But this is not a thread about the England football team. It is a thread about the European Championships as a whole. And therefore there is no reason for people not to post their views about individual teams, including England.

[Red Phoenix]

44 minutes ago, Chairman Meow said:

If Pickford had normal sized arms he could have saved that. 

 

I didn't even realise he'd got a slight touch on it until seeing that clip. Didn't know Damsgaard had hit the shot with the side of his foot either, he got some real power on it for the way he took it.

[dockers_strike]

Haha, bitter Spanish. Why didnt UEFA 'arrange' for scotland or Wales to get to the final and all 3 home nations get to the semis then?

 

A popular Spanish football TV programme has accused UEFA of 'conditioning' Euro 2020 for England to reach the final - and even insisted the Three Lions' decisive penalty against Denmark highlighted the bias. 

Gareth Southgate's side will play Italy in Sunday's final at Wembley after defeating Denmark in extra time on Wednesday, with the Azzurri knocking out Spain the day before in London.

England have played all but one match at Wembley this summer and El Chiringuito, famed for their infamous post-match rants, believe the decision to award Raheem Sterling a controversial penalty against Denmark is a clear sense of favouritism.

What was the reaction on El Chiringuito to that England penalty?
Well, here's conspiracy theories and mention of Brexit. pic.twitter.com/0q3xxPXS70

— El Chiringuito in English (@ElChiringuitoEN) July 8, 2021

Journalist Roberto Morales, a guest on the show, also suggested that the tournament should not have been held in England due to the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union.

El Chiringuito host Josep Pedrerol, who went viral after slamming Eden Hazard for laughing after Real Madrid's Champions League loss to Chelsea earlier this year, asked Morales: 'You think UEFA organised this for an England final?'

The journalist responded: 'For me, this has been the most shameful competition that we have covered. It has been pathetic.

'We've had matches in cities that aren't even European in any sense. We've got a final that was prepared for a country that left the European Union.

It has been totally prepared. They've played every game at home except one. It has been totally conditioned for England.

 

'All that was missing was the help received (on Tuesday) with the penalty in a game that was proving complicated.'

England winger Sterling went down under several Denmark challenges, including a final one from Brentford midfielder Mathias Jensen, before Dutch referee Danny Makkelie pointed to the spot. 

Three Lions captain Harry Kane saw his initial spot kick saved by Kasper Schmeichel but the rebound fell into the path of the England striker who scored to put them 2-1 up.

 

[Anubis]

What a load of nonsense. Does this idiot not realise we were playing European Footy before the EU? 

[Kevin D]

18 hours ago, Strontium Dog™ said:

Hahahahahahahaha

 

Petition · Rematch England vs Denmark · Change.org

 

If Southgate was the honourable man everyone claims he is, he would sign this immediately.

[Captain Turdseye]

11 hours ago, s(k)aturation said:

Don't sell him short, and even besides, why let it preclude an oblique, overblown response....

It's better than circuitously arguing with him, no?

 

Although, I guess we could just all call each other "cunt" and keep the forum moving along at a nice, clipped pace.

 

 

 

 

 

[CapeRed]

10 hours ago, Jose Jones said:

This is pretty good from David Conn on Southgate:

 

As Gareth Southgate’s players revelled in the ecstasy and singalongs at a joyful Wembley on Wednesday and millions celebrated beyond, England itself seemed transported, not like a country bruised by divisive politicians, waging their dismal culture wars.

 

Boris Johnson was there, trying to fit in, and there is a feeling his government had a draft script for the Euros, if they thought about football very much at all. England doing well at a packed Wembley would somehow broadcast a triumph for Brexit, for the vaccine rollout, for how well the government wrestled with the Covid mugger and all that. But neither Johnson nor the home secretary, Priti Patel, thought it through before they supported the booing of the England team taking the knee before pre-tournament matches, thereby antagonising the players – and recklessly stoking racism in football that campaigners have fought 40 years to kick out.

 

Yet this group of players, continuing to take the knee and use their tremendous influence to oppose racism and social injustice, have refused to be used for that script, while thrillingly taking England to their first final since Alf Ramsey’s 1966 monument. Southgate – thoughtful, genuine, focused on detail, a dignified leader, of such contrast to Johnson’s bombast and recklessness with the truth – even thought ahead and wrote his own script, just to be sure.

 

In a euphoric country, it is important to maintain focus on what the manager said this would all mean, in his remarkable open letter, “Dear England,” released three days before the tournament began, the very day after Johnson refused to condemn the booing of the players. He expressed his belief and aspiration in a progressive, unified, modern England, at ease with its young people and diversity, and it was astonishing, also very moving, that an England manager should publicly set out such a vision. By speaking out, Southgate seemed also to be deliberately heading off likely efforts by Johnson and his supporters to colonise England football achievement for their own crude agendas.

 

Calling his players “a special group”, it was illuminating to see how Southgate described their journeys, playing for their country while embracing anti-racism and social justice, as “liberated in being their true selves”.

That was a response to those such as Patel who have denounced taking the knee as “gesture politics”, pointing out that this gesture – which remains hugely powerful – is integral to the players expressing themselves.

 

“I have never believed that we should just stick to football,” Southgate said; a knowing response to that classic English putdown, a timeworn way of denying sportspeople their voice. Clearly referring to his players’ progressive work including Marcus Rashford’s campaigns for children in Johnson’s country to have enough food to eat and books to read, Southgate urged them on.

 

“It’s their duty to continue to interact with the public on matters such as equality, inclusivity and racial injustice,” he wrote, “ while using the power of their voices to help put debates on the table, raise awareness and educate.”

 

He used the language of football to address the racists: “You’re on the losing side.” And the language of hope: “It’s clear to me that we are heading for a much more tolerant and understanding society, and I know our lads will be a big part of that.”

 

He had his say too on the culture wars, the plague of simplistic affiliation to statues, the union jack, stately homes and gunboats, with which Johnson’s government has sought cheap votes.

“I understand that on this island, we have a desire to protect our values and traditions – as we should,” Southgate wrote, “but that shouldn’t come at the expense of introspection and progress.”

 

There have been reports that Johnson’s strategists have been put out by Southgate’s letter, which makes it impossible for them to claim the team’s progress as fuel for their divisive agenda. In 2018, Southgate expressed disappointment in Brexit itself, telling an ITV documentary that there were “racial undertones” in the vote.

“I didn’t like the connotations around Brexit,” he said. “There were some generational opinions about what modern Britain should look like.”

 

It will forever be a landmark in our history that Southgate’s England achieved so much in the European Championship just after Britain left the European Union, but the manager and team’s statements prevent their work from being exploited as a triumph for Johnson’s crude take on patriotism or for Brexit. It will always be part of the history, too, that this great national sporting moment came as Johnson and his supporters were busy waging a “war on woke”, even spawning a new TV channel dedicated to it. The word itself is greatly abused by those who use it as an insult, but this England team, resolutely taking the knee, captain Harry Kane wearing a rainbow armband, Jordan Henderson tweeting support to a gay fan, surely are, in its best, true meaning, woke.

 

“No matter what happens,” Southgate wrote, “I just hope that [children’s] parents, teachers and club managers will turn to them and say: ‘Look. That’s the way to represent your country. That’s what England is about. That is what’s possible.’ If we can do that, it will be a summer to be proud of.”

They have, and it is already, beyond expectation. Southgate and his players, with their great skill, dedicated work, unity, and core of progressive values, have pointed the way, on and off the field, to a better England.

Why is it considered "woke" -fucking hate that word- to treat people as you find them , to support equality for all regardless of skin colour or sexual preferences? That is how I was taught growing up ???

[Bjornebye]

13 minutes ago, CapeRed said:

Why is it considered "woke" -fucking hate that word- to treat people as you find them , to support equality for all regardless of skin colour or sexual preferences? That is how I was taught growing up ???

It’s those with a guilty conscience trying to deflect it and make it your fault they are a disgusting racist prick. 

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

13 minutes ago, Bjornebye said:

It’s those with a guilty conscience trying to deflect it and make it your fault they are a disgusting racist prick. 

I fucking hate quadrosexual Martians the green cunts. Coming here, probing our sheep!

[Bjornebye]

7 minutes ago, VERBAL DIARRHEA said:

I fucking hate quadrosexual Martians the green cunts. Coming here, probing our sheep!

You prefer them loose surely? 

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

3 minutes ago, Bjornebye said:

You prefer them loose surely? 

What Sheep? All about the chase for me. Oh not let loose, got ya!