So, it’s underway. Euro 2008 is two days in and so far we haven’t really seen the exhilarating football everyone expected, but it’s still early days and there have been glimpses. Tonight is the first game in which there is no firm favourite - Holland vs. Italy - so maybe there will be a goal by both participants for the first time in the tournament.
I’ve decided to write a blog on the Euros, giving me a chance to vent my anger at the many stupid things that everyone is bound to encounter throughout the next few weeks. I’ve decided to do it partly because I’ve got naff all else to do, but also to fill the void left by our non-appearance.
You know what really grinds my gears? How ITV seem to work for Ronaldo. Christiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly class, it should go without saying, but he isn’t god…is he? He’s just a player that is amazingly skilled. So why do the idiots at ITV take it upon themselves to laud his every move. But this is just one example of ITV, and the BBC as well, going out of their way to relate the Euros back to England, which for me just rubs our absence in even more. Any player in any country’s line up who has a tiny link to England is spoken about more than anyone else. Take the Portugal vs. Turkey game, when they weren’t talking about Ronaldo, which left a tiny window of opportunity, they were banging on about Emre, Carvalho, Ferreira, Bosingwa and Kazim-Richards, who I thought was the man of the match with an individual performance far better than that of anyone on the winning team, if only his mates could have mucked in a bit more. I was really looking forward to watching this tournament because we’re not there, so I wish the rubbish commentators would get over how we're not there and get on with it. Talking of commentators, did anyone else catch the horrible irony behind Steve McClaren being the pundit for the Croatia game on the radio? Classic.
I’m supporting the Germans at the tournament. A decision that some idiots question with: “GERMANY?! You can’t support them!” as if they don’t realise the war is over and Adolf is dead-dead-deadski. You can never write off the Germans. When England beat them 5-1 in World Cup qualifying they went on to the final of that tournament, only to be beaten by the rejuvenated Ronaldo and co. and they were said to have one of their weakest ever teams then. The Euros is a different story though. I almost shit myself yesterday when I found out they didn’t win a single game in the two previous tournaments, especially after bigging them up to anyone who will listen to me. But, I now sit here full of optimism again after seeing Podolski score a brace and Klose set both goals up (and yes, that second one was a pass, a very clever dummy-miskicked-shot-pass). Plus, I managed to prove they’ll win it through the magic of Pro Evo, and if I am right, the Germany vs. Italy final will be the most spectacular final ever, but poor Portugal, 5-1, tut tut tut.
Now all I need to do is sit down and figure out how I’ll manage to watch all the games, no mean feat when you have a girlfriend who hates football. Wish me luck.
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