GROUP C FINALE: Spain 1-0 Croatia; Italy 2-0 Rep.Ireland

Balls.
My predictions are now looking as accurate as something that's very inaccurate indeed.
Croatia in the final, you say? Not so.
They're gone. Along with them ten pounds of my hard-earned, wagered each-way on them. They held Spain for most of last night's game, and were only a goal away from qualification, but if truth be told (and, by Jove, it will) never looked as good or likely to win. Thanks Jove. And in the other game of which I only saw the goals, the Italians dispatched the Irish.
HOW THEY FINISHED: 1: SPAIN  2: ITALY  3: Croatia  4: Rep.Ireland.
Looking at that, surely most people would have predicted that's how this group would have ended. Surely I could have predicted that, not this rubbish.

Croatia 3-1 Rep.Ireland

Can't help feeling a bit Doctor Smug from Smugsville.

For my money (and I've a fiver each way on them to win Euro 2012 at 40-1) Croatia looked the best team I've seen in the tournament so far. Yes, I know, England haven't played yet.

No shame on the Irish for losing to them. On tonight's showing, they'd have beaten anyone. A bit lucky with a couple of goals and penalty decisions maybe, but they're packing a lot of creative weapons and a player called (but probably not spelt) Rakatich, who sounds awesome and who had a pretty good game.

Get some money on this lot to go far, but don't blame me if it goes tits up. I've had a Guinness.

Euro 2012 Semi-Final Predictions

If none of these teams gets anywhere near this stage, remember, I'm sticking my neck out early with these predictions, making them before the tournament starts with knowledge gleaned from sitting on my fat arse in an armchair, and no knowledge of any injuries that may and probably will occur to the teams.

RUSSIA v GERMANY. They've had their run-ins in the past (check Wikipedia if you need a history lesson). In my crystal ball (imaginary), I'm seeing 0-0 at the start, 0-0 after 90 mins and a late goal from... the Germans.

CROATIA v SPAIN. Can Spain win three international tournaments on the spin? No one's done that before, and look what happened to France when they tried it in World Cup 2002. That's Senegal I'm saying about the matter, other than, no, I don't think SPAIN can do it. I think CROATIA are going to the final.

MY PREDICTED EURO 2012 FINAL

GERMANY v CROATIA

Euro 2012 Quarter Final Predictions

I'm not sure you can get away with saying Dark Horse any more these days, so I won't, but a team to watch has to be RUSSIA. They beat Italy in a tournament warm-up game, in Italy and by 3-0, so deserve to be taken seriously. And I think they will beat HOLLAND in the first quarter final.

POLAND I'm putting into the quarters on the back of a wave and surge of passion and emotion from the home supporters, playing host to a major tournament for the first time in their history. But GERMANY will be too strong for them, and ex-pat Podolksi will almost certainly score against them.

I'm backing CROATIA to be the surprise package of the tournament. I like the look of their squad, on and off paper. Even on a blackboard it'll look pretty strong. FRANCE are on the way back, but they're not the force they were 10-15 years ago, so it's a CROATIA win for me here.

And in the final quarter final (it's awkward, but it's right), the other host nation will take on the holders. And lose, I think. SPAIN are still too strong for most nations, and although UKRAINE can expect vocal backing, and all the pressure to be on their opponents, I think SPAIN will edge it, on penalties, mind.

So that'll leave me with a semi-final line up that looks like this:

RUSSIA v GERMANY
CROATIA v SPAIN

Apologies to supporters of these nations if my usually wildly inaccurate predictions put the mockers on your team.

Who Will Win Euro 2012?

This is the question on the lips of everyone who's asking it.

It's the 60,000 dollar question that's actually worth a lot more than that.

Who will win Euro 2012?

At the start of World Cup 2010, I predicted this would be the final line-up.

And before this tournament starts, this blog will name the two teams I think will reach the final, and which one I think will emerge triumphant.

The answer may not surprise, nor delight, nor be anywhere near accurate. But it will be an answer, backed up by the flimsiest of evidence, insight and talent.

Pay attention to it at your peril. Ignore it at your leisure.

Euro 2012 Quarter Final Predicted Line Up

My Group Stage predictions leave me with a Quarter Final line up looking something like (actually, looking very much like) this:

RUSSIA v HOLLAND
GERMANY v POLAND
CROATIA v FRANCE
UKRAINE v SPAIN

I don't know why I'm putting so much faith in the home nations, after South Africa and virtually the entire continent of Africa let me down last time around. But that's it, my quarter final line up. I'm not happy there's no England, Ireland, Italy or Brazil for that matter.

Euro 2012 Headline Pun Bingo

I tried something similar to this during the 2010 World Cup with some success (actually hardly any) but that hasn't stopped it coming back in a new guise.

But instead of homing in on commentators' cliches, this time I'm going to try and predict some of the newspaper headlines we might see in the English/British press during the tournament.

I'll be adding to them and ticking them off, if or when I see them (or something similar) or anyone draws my attention to them. And I might even run a little Best Headline Of The Tournament if I can be arsed.

It Never Ukraines When It Pours.

Spain's Ukreign Is Over

On Me Hodgson

Eastern Promise

There's No Balotelling Him

England's Coming Home

Group D Preview

Been trying to put this off as long as possible, so I could think of a way to get England through to the knockout phase.
But let's face it, we're shit, and we're doubly shit when it comes to the Euros. We didn't qualify last time, and the time before that, well, I've hazy memories about Rooney, Ronaldo and a mess (though I did spend every England match of the 2004 tournament with a lager in hand.)
I just can't see our team getting through. And yes, there's no pressure and that might count in our favour, and yes, the group could have been Group B, but Ukraine are playing at home, and we never beat Sweden, and France can't possibly be as bad as they were in the last World Cup.
PREDICTED GROUP TABLE: 1: UKRAINE  2: FRANCE  3: Sweden  4: England

Group C Preview

The holders, favourites, housewife's choice loiter in this group, group C for Championes or anything else clever that begins with C.
Spain, World Cup Champions, European Champions, Eurovision Song Contest champions probably (for all I know). They'll have to be favourites to win this, even without David Villa (and even with Torres, or is that too cheeky?).
Now, I predicted Italy would be runners-up in World Cup 2010, and of course, they weren't. Far from it. They were shit, and I have little confidence this time around.
What about ROI? (which will mean return on investment to some of you). Everyone likes Ireland, even those, like me, who've never been. Should have been at the last World Cup but for Henry, etc. Got an Italian manager now and vocal support.
And how's about Croatia? I like the look of this lot on paper, so if they could ship out all the grass and replace it with foolscap, this lot could go far.
PREDICTED GROUP TABLE: 1: CROATIA  2: SPAIN  3: Italy  4: ROI

Group B Preview

As mentioned in a previous post, every championship has its group of death. AND THIS IS IT. The B in this group stands for Brutal, Barbaric or Bollocks if your nation is one of the four. Who will emerge from it? Your guess is better than mine.
The Danes are probably the outsiders, unless you're Danish, but someone must have said that in '92 and look what happened then.
It'd be a surprise if the World Cup finalists Holland didn't beat both Denmark and Portugal and progress.
Germany? Ah, dear, dear Germany. If any nation deserves a bye to the knock out stage it's the Germans. They always get there, by hook or by crooked linesmen who can't tell when a ball's clearly gone over the line (bitter?) and I suspect they would still qualify if they fielded a team of 15 year olds.
And finally Portugal, not the side they were a decade ago (although they have kept the same name).

PREDICTED GROUP TABLE: 1: GERMANY  2: HOLLAND  3: Denmark  4: Portugal

Group A Preview

There's always a Group of Death in a tournament, and in Euro 2012, THIS AIN'T IT. I can safely predict that the tournament's winner will not emerge from this quartet of average nations, though let it not be forgot that three of them have won this tournament before. Looking at the Polish squad, there aren't many household names, although Glik sounds like one of those names IKEA might give to a chest of drawers. Greece continue their policy of only selecting players whose surname ends in 's'. Russia look a tidy unit, and with Dick Advocaat at the helm should do well (was trying to think of a booze-related quip here but failed.) While the Czech Republic look strong, though I'm not sure that having Milan Baros as your main scoring threat puts you in a position to win this thing. In fact, I'm sure it doesn't. PREDICTED GROUP TABLE: 1: RUSSIA 2: POLAND 3: Czech Rep 4: Greece