OT Poll - Who Will Win The UEFA Euro 2004 Football Championship?

[delekkerste]

With the start of the Euro 2004 football (soccer) tournament in Portugal less than 2 weeks away, who do you think will win? You may choose your 2 (TWO) top favorites:

[Silver Surfer]

Host teams usually perform well. France is my favorite to watch, Zidane is just the best in the world but Italy is due to win a big tournament and have the talent to pull it off so if I had to bet I'd go with them. Should be awesome.

[Samurai-Bill]

Gotta be England .

[supapimp]

i voted germany

[JohnBull]

[delekkerste]

Gotta be England .

 

Yes, with the impregnable Neville brothers shoring up the England back line and fearsome likes of Rooney, Heskey and Vassell pairing up Owen up front, I'm sure the rest of Europe is quaking in their football boots!!

 

I'll be rooting for the Oranje (Holland), but I'm sure they will find new and creative ways to choke this time around, so by the end of the tourney, I'm sure I'll be rooting for Arsenal, uh, I mean the French national team (sometimes it's difficult to tell them apart ).

[Murph]

I voted France also. But that's in my relative new-to-the-sport opinion. It's tough to find soccer on TV, but when I do it's fun to watch.

 

Brian

[PovertyRow]

Who freaking CARES? I mean a bunch of men in shorts chasing a ball around a field and kicking it or batting it with their heads? And riots being started because of some unholy allegiances? I don;t get it. I really don't get it!

(Oh yeah - I voted for Italy!)

[Mushroom]

France by a long margin..........

[blowout]

Its hard to go past France, although if they get it together I think that Spain have a very good chance.

[Samurai-Bill]

YEAH BUT !

You said it yourself the Dutch National team is full of superstars but they also have large egos and do not play as a team .

England have a few stars ( Owen , Rooney , Beckham ) but the rest play as a team and will be difficult to beat .

My only worry is we have three really poor goalkeepers in the squad I fear it may be a " howler " from the goalkeeper that will get us knocked out .

[ultimatevenom]

I voted for France and Italy.

 

The way some of the French national players have been performing in the leagues i don't see much hope for anyone.

 

Italy look to have a strong team this year and i think they might make it to the final.

[delekkerste]

YEAH BUT !

You said it yourself the Dutch National team is full of superstars but they also have large egos and do not play as a team .

England have a few stars ( Owen , Rooney , Beckham ) but the rest play as a team and will be difficult to beat .

My only worry is we have three really poor goalkeepers in the squad I fear it may be a " howler " from the goalkeeper that will get us knocked out .

 

I think England lacks significant firepower up front. Owen is solid, though there are a good number of strikers in the tourney I would take ahead of him (Henry, Trezeguet, Van Nistelrooy, Makaay, Raul, Morientes...maybe Vieri, Ibrahimovic and Kluivert too). Rooney is years away from fulfilling his potential and I doubt Eriksson will play him the full 90 minutes in most games, leaving him only with Heskey (who routinely misses chances even I could capitalize on) and Vassell (who is unproven at this level). If only Shearer had come out of international retirement, I would say that England had a shot, but it's hard to see you getting far with that front line. Also, while Cole, Campbell and Bridge are pretty solid in the back, I agree that England are vulnerable at the goalkeeper's position, while you can count on Henry to torch whichever Neville brother is completing the rear guard in the back.

 

I think the championship is France's to lose, though if they are upset, I think it will be up for grabs between Holland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. I think the Czechs have a shot as well, but I'm not sure I can see them going all the way with that lineup.

[COI]

[Murph]

How do you guys watch soccer? Is there a channel? As I said before, I like watching it but it's simply never on.

 

Brian

[delekkerste]

How do you guys watch soccer? Is there a channel? As I said before, I like watching it but it's simply never on.

 

Brian

 

Fox Sports World is more than just a sports channel - it's a virtual place of worship. Last season they broadcast the English, German, Dutch, French, Argentinian and Brazilian leagues along with certain cup matches (like the UEFA Cup final) and MLS games. They also replay Sky Sports News from the U.K. and broadcast the Fox Sports World Report, which often cover matches from around Europe.

 

ESPN2 broadcasts one Champions League match per week of the competition and I think you can still get Italian matches on RAI (the Italian language channel). For international matches (like Euro 2004), you'll have to order pay-per-view or go to an Irish pub with a satellite. A good Irish pub will broadcast any number of additional non-televised games, though they typically charge up to $20 (!) for admission, at least here in New York.

[comicmankev]

It's a tough one, I'll have to go with:

 

[awe4one]

....and Kluivert too)

 

I don't know.....I've seen Kluivert choke one too many times to consider him near the roster you provided.

 

As far as EURO.....I think it's going to be Spain's year. England with be there in the Quarters though. France didn't look too sharp in the Confederations Cup even though they won.....

 

Jim

[delekkerste]

I don't know.....I've seen Kluivert choke one too many times to consider him near the roster you provided.

 

Hard to say that Kluivert has been anything but superb playing in internationals, though. Remember how he single-handedly decimated the Yugoslavs in the quarter-finals of Euro 2000? Even at the club level, he seems to come up with goals when his club needs them the most, like when he came off the bench to score Barca's first in their 2-1 victory over Real Madrid in April. For what it's worth, I've been to 2 Barca matches in the past year and he scored brilliant goals in both.

[Mushroom]

Damn....seven people have picked England to win. For all you pommies out there I would be more than happy to talk about any wager you would like to make that England hasn't got a snowballs chance in hell.