Euro 2008 11-17-07 preview

BIG FOOTBALL WEEK!!!!

I'm sorry that the blog has been down for so long, I've been very busy, but i have been watching my football and catching up in all of the footballing news!!

I am very excited about all the football this week.
I will be getting up early to watch the US/South Africa, Israel/Russia (a big one for England) and the biggest one Scotland/Italy.

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US vs South Africa in South Africa.

I am actually excited to watch this game, who would have thought?Me wanting to watch a US friendly?

I'm excited about this game because its overseas! The US barley plays its friendlies overseas, I know that South Africa is not quality opposition, but its in Africa, different weather, thousands of miles away from home, and probably little fan support, and its the country where the next World Cup might be played.

I am very excited about the squad that was chosen (i hear that Dandy Landy might not even start!) to go to South Africa, Jozy Altidore gets his first and well deserved call up to the squad, i expect this US to win this. I really do see US football to be going in the right direction and Bob Bradley is the man for the job.

US Squad:

GOALKEEPERS (2) – Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton FC)

DEFENDERS (7) –Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Dan Califf (Aalborg BK), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)

MIDFIELDERS (6) – Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA)

FORWARDS (2) – Josmer Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC).

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Israel vs Russia in Israel.

When the qualifying schedule came out who would have thought that this game was interesting? I doubt that unless you were from Russia or Israel you were really going to watch this game, but now this game is going to be watched by millions because England's fate is in their hands.

I think that both are pretty goo teams and have talent on their squads but i think that Russia will in and England will be out.

And to be honest it will be the best thing that could happen to the England NT maybe the FA will be smart and let McClaren go.

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Scotland vs Italy in Scotland

I put both crests up because its a huge game for both countries.

In my opinion the biggest game of the Euro 2008 qualifiers and the most exciting.

-Scotland the Cinderella story, and Italy the World Champions, who will win? Its in Glasgow, there will be thousands of drunk Scotsmen and they have heart, they really do, they play like a team and they have had some amazing performances, they deserve to go through but will they?

-Italy have Italy's pride on their shoulders, match fixing scandal, cop killed, and a cop killing a fan, they are known as corrupt and they are losing credibility, they are the World Champions how can they not make it to Euro 2008?

Sadly i think Scotland will not qualify and it breaks my heart, they deserve it more than any other team in that group. I think Italy will win 2-1.

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I will post tomorrow after all the games with a review.

SCOTLAND FOR THE CUP! (i can hope)

Russia vs England 2-1 !!!!!

I knew it! typical England! They lost having the advantage.
2-1 with one goal Wayne Rooney, and two goals by Roman Pavluchenko (the first goal by Russia was a penalty)

Paul Robinson was responsible for that second goal, what does he have to do to get dropped? i don't get it he is just crap and he is still on that team


England are screwed. Russia are now 3rd with 21-points and a game in hand against Israel and Andorra, which could be tricky so its a must win game for them and England's next game is against Croatia which is a tricky game, this group is getting interesting!
Both England and Russia's next games are must wins.


I can't wait to hear the excuses of the England team, main excuse: The Artificial Pitch.

Sammy Lee has left Bolton

Sammy Lee has left Bolton.
I will post more later I'm currently watching Russia vs England on my computer, my broke ass couldn't go to Nevada Smiths.
The Rooney goal was a gimme, I feel that Russia have had a better game so far.

The booing of Frank Lampard and news/rumors in England

It has to stop. The booing of Frank Lampard just has to stop. I'm sorry England fans but, if you are one of the fans up there booing super Frank you should be ashamed of yourself.

I have never booed my national team and let me tell you there have been times when the U.S have deserved it, but i think its disgusting that you are booing a player who has in the past represented your country so well.

Yes Lampard didn't have a great World Cup, he did miss a penalty but so did Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard (i hate saying that because I'm a Liverpool fan), he had average games in The World Cup but it wasn't all his fault and he has been injured and i don't think he deserves a spot in that team , but there is no excuse for why you are booing Frank Lampard.

Are you booing him because you think he has played bad for England? Then don't you think that booing him you are taking away much needed confidence?

He was voted England's player of the year for two years in a row by the fans, so why the fuck are you booing him? He is human, yes he made a mistake in The World Cup, but he is human, and I consider Lampard one of the players who truly loves playing for his country.

And I'm not saying its all of you, i was listening to 606 and a couple of people agree with me saying that there is not reason to boo him.

But for those of you who have been booing him, cut the bullshit and support your, Country, team and the players that put themselves out there.

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News/Rumors in England

-The Sun is reporting that Sven-Goran Eriksson wants to bring Micky Owen to Manchester City, the problem? the fee for Owen would be around£15million and £110,000-a-week wages. For China Doll Owen? Sven its not worth it.If i was Sam Allardyce i would let him go.Its clear that Owen and Allardyce don't get along, Owen is injured most of the time, by selling him they would be making a profit, they should delighted that someone is even interested in a player that has constant long term injuries.

-The Sun ia also reporting that if Owen is sold to City, Allerdyce will go in for Bolton's Nicolas Anelka.DO IT ANYWAYS! Anelka is a fine player who just happens to play for a smaller club,And for the right amount of money Bolton would sell him and i don't think it would be that much money.

-Gary Wheelchair Neville's comeback is put on hold... again.Neville in his prime was a fantastic player for Manchester United and England but his injuries have gotten the best of him, he should just retire, he will never be the player he was and if he comes back he will be taking the spot of a younger, more deserving, more fit player.Neville United and England fans will always love you but i think its time to quit.http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/article331118.ece

Euro 2008 qualifiers 10/13

Someone told me the red font is hard to read, i like to use different colors, if there is another color i use that's hard to read please tell me and i wont use it!
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It was a good game for English sport fans the English rugby team beat France and is now in the finals of The Rugby World Cup ! I love Rugby but i don't get to watch much of and i need someone to explain the little things of the game, but enough Rugby lets talk about the football!

England beat Estonia 3-0 with goals from Wayne Rooney, Shaun Wright-Phillips and an own goal by Taavi Rahn.

I was happy to see Micah Richards, and Gareth Barry on the squad.

And of course Paul Robinson was in the squad, which is insulting to Scott Carson.
Will England qualify? I think so, they have a tricky game against Russia coming up and its away on an artificial pitch, but they will qualify and things will remain the same.
I Still think Steve McClaren is not the man for the job.
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Scotland for the cup!!
Scotland beat Georgia 3-1!! with goals from Kenny Miller, Lee McCulloch and James McFadden.

I care more about the Scotland win than the England win because its a more interesting story, they are in a group with the World Cup winners and the runners up, and they are playing fantastic and to be honest in my opinion they have more passion than a lot of the English players.

Like I said before if Scotland make it to Euro 2008, i will do my best to go to Euro 2008.
Will they qualify? I think they can, but the group is just so tight, they beat the harder of the teams they have to play this week, i think they will beat Georgia but they HAVE to beat Italy, its difficult but possible.
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-Ireland and Germany drew 0-0 and Germany become the first team to qualify for Euro 2008.
-Poland beat Kazakhstan 3-0
-Croatia beat Israel 1-0
-Cyprus beat Wales 3-1, it was funny because i didn't see this game, but i checked on my computer and Wales were winning 1-0 and they were saying Wales was playing better, so i was surprised to see that after the second half Cyprus won.
-Romania beat Netherlands 1-0
-Belgium drew with Finland
-Italy beat Georgia 2-0, that group is just getting tighter! C'mon Scotland you can do it!!!!!
-Spain beat Denmark 3-1
-Portugal beat Azerbaijan 2-0
-France beat Faroe Islands 6-0
-Sweden beat Liechtenstein 3-0
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Group A
Poland: P-12, W-7, D-3, L-2, Pts- 24
Finland: P-12, W-5, D-3, L-2, Pts-20
Portugal: P-11, W-5, D-5, L-1, Pts-20
Serbia: P-11, W-4, D-5, L-2, Pts-17
Belgium: P-11, W-3, D-3, L-5, Pts-12
Armenia: P-9, W-2, D-3, L-4, Pts-9
Kazakhstan: P-11, W-1, D-4, L-6, Pts-7
Azerbaijan: P-9, W-1, D-2, L-6, Pts-5


Group B
Scotland: P-10, W-8, D-0, L-2, Pts-24. SCOTLAND FOR THE CUP!!!! lol
Italy: P-10, W-7, D-2, L-1, Pts-23
France: P-10, W-7, D-1, L-2, Pts-22
Ukraine: P-9, W-4, D-1, L-4, Pts-13
Lithuania: P-9, W-3, D-1, L-5, Pts-10
Georgia: P-10, W-2, D-1, L-7, Pts-7
Faroe Islands: P-10, W-0, D-0, L-10, Pts-0

Group C
Greece: P-9, W-7, D-1, L-1, Pts-22
Turkey: P-9, W-5, D-3, L-1, Pts-18
Norway: P-9, W-5, D-2, L-2, Pts-17
Bosnia-Herz: P-10, W-4 D-1, L-5, Pts-13
Hungary: P-10, W-4, D-0, L-6, Pts-12
Moldova: P-10, W-1, D-3, L-6, Pts-6
Malta: P-9, W-1, D-2, L-6, Pts-5

Group D
Germany: P-9, W-7, D-2, L-0, Pts-23. Already qualified
Czech Republic: P-9, W-6, D-2, L-1, Pts-20
Ireland: P-10, W-4, D-3, L-3, Pts-15
Slovakia: P-10, W-4, D-1, L-5, Pts-13
Cyprus: P-9, W-4, D-1, L-4, Pts-13
Wales: P-9, W-3, D-1, L-5, Pts-10
San Marino: P-10, W-0, D-0, L-10, Pts-0

Group E
Croatia: P-10, W-8, D-2, L-0, Pts-26
England: P-10, W-7, D-2, L-1, Pts-23
Russia: P-9, W-5, D-3, L-1, Pts-18
Israel: P-10, W-5, D-2, L-3, Pts-17
Macedonia- P-9, W-2, D-2, L-5, Pts-8
Estonia- P-11, W-1, D-1, L-9, Pts-4
Andorra- P-9, W-0, D-0, L-9, Pts-0

Group F
Sweden: P-9, W-7, D-1, L-1, Pts-22
Spain: P-10, W-7, D-1, L-2, Pts-22
Northern Ireland: P-9, W-5, D-1, L-3, Pts-16
Denmark: P-9, W-4, D-2, L-3, Pts-14
Latvia: P-9, W-3, D-0, L-6, Pts-9
Iceland: P-10, W-2, D-2, L-6, Pts-8
Liechtenstein: P-10, W-1, D-1, L-8, Pts-4

Group G
Romania: P-9, W-7, D-2, L-0, Pts-23
Netherlands: P-9, W-6, D-2, L-0, Pts-20
Bulgaria: P-9, W-5, D-3, L-1, Pts-18
Slovenia: P-10, W-3, D-2, L-5, Pts-11
Albania: P-9, W-2, D-4, L-3, Pts-10
Belarus: P-10, W-2, D-1, L-7, Pts-7
Luxembourg: P-10, W-1, D-0, L-9, Pts-3

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Group A

I think Poland and with struggle Portugal will qualify.

Group B

I'm going to say Scotland just cause i have faith in them, and Italy. I say Italy because France have to play Ukraine and they can be a little tricky when they want to.

This group is too tight, we wont know until the last day.

Group C

Greece and either Turkey or Norway, it will be between those two.

Group D

Germany is already qualified and the Czech Republic, even though i would love to see Ireland qualify but they are 8 points behind already qualified Germany.

Group E

Croatia will qualify and of course England will even though they don't deserve it and the only reason the will qualify its because they are England and for some reason they are considered to be a powerful team that should be feared, why i don't know.

I don't want people to think i hate the England NT, I've been supporting England since the first World Cup i saw, but i am tired of their crap, the way that team is run, and the fact that they believe their own hype.

Group F

Sweden and Spain will qualify.

I want to see want to see what Spain can do, they are constant under-achievers and i think they have a lot of young talent, i think they can do better than they have been doing.

Group G

Romania and Netherlands, Bulgaria are only 2 points behind Netherlands but i don't think they can do it.

England squad for Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia

The England squad for Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia is as follows:

Goalkeepers:
Scott Carson- In my opinion should be the starter.
David James-I don't know why but i like James, he's a good goalkeeper but he also makes silly mistakes, but none of course as ridiculous as Paul Rubbish Robinson, My problem with James is that he's old.
Paul Robinson- You all know how i feel about him, its a joke that he is even on this squad and i almost hope he screws up yet again so people can see how bad he really is.

Defenders:
John Terry (Captain)-He will not be fit for the Estonia match. He's a good defender and the captain of the team, although as captain he has to be a little less hot headed.
Ashley Cole-I think he is a good player, i thought he was one of England's better players in The World Cup, he's not doing so good at Chelsea though, but he is always pretty good with England.
Rio Ferdinand- I've always thought he was overrated, but he's a decent player.
Sol Campbell- He's not the future, i think he's too old to be in the squad and i don't think he should start in the game against Estonia.
Joleon Lescott- He's decent.
Micah Richards- Fantastic player, and should start against Estonia, I'm glad that he got the call-up.
Nicky Shorey- I'm glad to see Shorey in this squad, as some of you know i have a huge soft spot for Reading, I think Shorey is a good player and has proven himself with the English NT.
Phil Neville- I like him, he's a decent player.

Midfielders:
Gareth Barry- Very deserving of this spot and should start instead of Lampard, he has proven to be a fantastic player with England and works well with the team, I'm happy to see him on the squad and I hope he will start.
David Bentley- Good player and i hope to see him on the pitch, he is the future and plays similar to David Beckham but with more skill. And England fans DON'T BOO HIM! STAND BY YOUR TEAM!
Ashley Young- Good to see him on the squad, its nice to see that McClaren is giving young players a chance.
Joe Cole- He's a good player and has a lot of skill.
Stewart Downing- He's a decent player but is getting the call-up because of McClaren's days and Middlesbrough, but he's young so I'll give him another chance.
Steven Gerrard( Vice Captain)- Quality player, he has not been playing too good with Liverpool but he is still quality, he is being picked on reputation, but he is the type of player that puts the team on his shoulders and get the job done, he has done it with Liverpool and England.
Shaun Wright Phillips- Good player, lets see what he can do now that he has the chance.
Frank Lampard- He should not been on this squad, he had been injured and has not played for Chelsea in a while and he is not fit. Gareth Barry should get the start because him and Gerrard can't play on the same team.

Forwards:
Peter Crouch- He is a very good player, he's the type of player that changes games, Its too bad he is not getting games at Liverpool. Let hope he is match fit.
Jermaine Defoe- Even thought he has not been getting that many games with Tottenham he is a good player and he has proven, Jol is just an idiot for not playing him. Give him a chance he's good.
Michael Owen- He should not and does not deserve this spot, he has barley played for Newcastle and he just came back from ANOTHER injury, he will probably get a hat-trick he's good at getting hat-tricks against poor opposition.
Wayne Rooney- In my opinion he is overrated, c'mon Rooney prove me wrong and like you have said it, its time to step it up.
Alan Smith- He is just not a good international player, but i wish him well.

Paul Rubbish Robinson

I don't get it, i really don't get it. How is that the Paul Robinson has not been dropped from Spurs? and even worse how is it that he can be England's number 1?

What does this man have to do to get dropped from the England NT?

Someone please tell me!! Are Steve McClaren and Martin Jol blind? No I'm serious are they blind?, because you would have to be blind to think that Paul Robinson is the best English goalkeeper.

If you go back and look at my picks for the season (http://allaboutthebeautifulgame.blogspot.com/2007/08/epl-table-predictions.html) I had Arsenal dropping into 5th and Tottenham breaking into the top 4, its obvious that i was completely wrong, seeing as Arsenal look unbeatable and are first in the league and Tottenham are in 17th place and looking pathetic.

And in my opinion a lot of Tottenham's screw-ups this season has been because of Paul Robinson.

How important is a goalkeeper to a team? In my opinion extremely.

I don't care about Women's football, don't get me wrong i think that women can do anything men can do, but i just don't care for or enjoy women's football.

But this is a good example so I'll use it.

Look what happened in the Women's World Cup, Greg Ryan benched Hope Solo and played Briana Scurry and what happened? the US loses against Brazil 3-0 and essentially it was Scurry's fault.

The back four have to have confidence in the goalkeeper they have to think that if they make a mistake the goalkeeper will be able to clean it up.

But Paul Robinson is just utter rubbish, he is, there is a difference between making a mistake, i get it he's human, but c'mon the guy is a walking disaster, the mistakes he makes are simply ridiculous, he lets in goals that my seven year old cousin could stop.

The fact that Robert Green was not even chosen is just shocking to me, and in my opinion Scott Carson should start.

Steve McClaren you are an IDIOT not only is Paul Robinson crap for Tottenham but he is also crap for England, I don't see why you would pick him.

Please tell me that i'm not crazy and that you all also see the Paul Robinson is rubbish.

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-If you are interested in being a contributor to the blog e-mail me at hluwagc@hotmail.com

How Fucking stupid are you McClaren?

Dear Mr.McClaren,

Another open letter to you. And in this one i wonder how fucking stupid are you? I´m serious, how fucking stupid are you? You might play Steven Gerrard and Owen Hargreaves even though they are injured? And you might wait until 3 pm (England time) to decided whether Steven Gerrard will play? What the fuck is wrong with you? i´m usually not this rude on the blog, but you are a fucking idiot. What you can´t find to other fucking midfielders? It doesn't make a difference England wont get into Euro 2008. Once again i ask what about Kevin Nolan? David Bentley? you are so fucking stupid its not even funny. I don't doubt that you are probably a nice man but you are fucking stupid. Paul Robinson still? SCOTT CARSON!!! So Mr.McClaren,i don't even think i can give you advice because there is almost nothing you can do to save England now. you are an idiot who has no idea about football and you should be ashamed of yourself.

Natz

England NT

Like promised the blog is back up, i´m still on my trip but i have the mornings free so i have time to post. I´m still looking for a contributor for the blog if you are interested e-mail me at hluwagc@hotmail.com .
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Ok so since i was on a plane i didn't see the England game but i did see the horror that is Paul Robinson and The Sun, The Daily Mail,every other newspaper and everyone in England has finally seen what i have been seeing for YEARS! he is pure RUBBISH!!!

Why is Michael Owen defending Robinson? When Michael Owen plays a full 90-minutes and DOES´NT get injured then he can defend whoever he wants.

My question is who is the new England number 1? Surely it can still be Paul Robinson
I really like David James but he is old, he can play for now, but they have to start building their squad for the next World Cup and for Euro 2008.
So who will it be? Ben Foster? (currently injured), Scott Carson? Robert Green?

Why did Beckham play for England? he has a nagging ankle injury and the time difference and being jet lagged will affect him in MLS, i understand that he wants to play for England but why risk his career for a friendly?

I heard something really interesting on World Soccer Daily (http://www.worldsoccerdaily.com/) recently, with Sven´s success at club level in England they mentioned that maybe the Golden Age of English football never existed, and i started to think that maybe they were right. There has always been this huge hype with the England NT but if you really think about it what have they done since the 1966 World Cup?

I think that we confuse the fact that England has arguably the best league in the world but they don´t have the best national team. Don´t get me wrong their are some good maybe even great English players, Steven Gerrard, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Gary Neville, Ashley Cole (in his Arsenal days), Joe Cole and others.
The problem i see is that when the players play with their country they can´t forget their club, I honestly doubt that Neville and Gerrard are buddies, or that they can even stand each other, when you play for your country you should forget about your club for that game but they can´t Neville is the captain of Manchester United and Gerrard the captain of Liverpool can they really forget the hate that they have for each other´s club?

I know this happens in other countries but i think that its stronger in Spain and England.
But Spain doesn't have the pressure that England has.

So was Sven really that bad? he did make some stupid choices but now that i think about it, Sven was not too bad, the players were just not there.

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Like i said in my other post i am currently looking for someone to write in the blog about any other League besides the prem.
If you are interested e-mail me at hluwagc@hotmail.com

England NT Call-ups

Steve McClaren has made his England Call-ups and i can't help but laugh.

Defence:
Robinson (Tottenham), James (Portsmouth), Carson (Liverpool, on loan at Aston Villa), Richards (Manchester City), Brown (Manchester United), Ferdinand (Manchester United), Terry (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Campbell (Portsmouth), Taylor (Newcastle), Neville (Everton), Shorey (Reading)

Midfield:
Beckham (LA Galaxy), Gerrard (Liverpool), Lampard (Chelsea), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Carrick (Manchester United), Barry (Aston Villa), Downing (Middlesbrough), Dyer (West Ham), Hargreaves (Manchester United)

Offense:
Smith (Newcastle), Owen (Newcastle), Crouch (Liverpool), Bent (Tottenham), Johnson (Everton), Defoe (Tottenham)
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Paul Robinson? Paul freaking Robinson?!!! Those of you who read this blog know how i feel about him.
I'm glad to see David James in the squad he had a great season with pompey and he is solid, but he is not the future of England he is 38 years old.
START CARSON!

Beckham?... seriously? Becks has a nagging ankle injury he did play the full 90 minutes against NY and he did score but its not fair to a player like David Bentley who IS the future of England (i know what he did with the under-20 was fucked up but he is a good player and he is young, he deserves the start).
Beckham should not go in respect to the MLS fans who have been waiting to see him.

Hargreaves? LMFAO! he's injured!!! and has been injured for the last couple of months!!!! you have to be kidding me.

Owen? whatever... he hasn't played a full 90 minutes for Newcastle in ages.
Some of these picks are a joke.

WHERE IS MATTY TAYLOR AND KEVIN NOLAN?!!!!!!
I am glad to see Nicky Shorey in the squad though.

UPDATE-Gerrard, Campbell, Hargreaves and Bent have pulled out of the England squad.
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I will update later on the weekend results.