The European Championship is upon us. On the 6th of June a smorgasbord of football will hit our television screens.
With a whole shed load of top players turning out for all the major teams it could be the most significant tournament to date.
With not a homeland/British team in sight a lot of Irish/Scottish/Welsh/English and Northern Irish already have chose a team or stated their claim as a total voyeur of what will be a total footballing event.
On a personal level from a hearted point of view I will be following Sweden, Poland, Greece, Holland and any other team which has a Celtic player/legend in their squad but that’s my biased view.
As for a complete outright winner the masses are going with the favourites and a few possible dark horses.
I have heard France, Germany, Spain and Holland being uttered as possible favourites but some sceptic fans I know have spoke out at Russia, Croatia and even Romania being dark horses which will cause the favourites problems throughout the tournament.
Realistically I think it will be a stated favourite who will take the crown and be crowned European Champions with a dark horse or two making the semi-finals a possibility.
There are a few things which are obvious. There will be shock results, there will be upsets, there will be joy and sadness, there will be a few penalties chucked in, there will be flashes of brilliance, and moments of madness.
Stating the obvious before an event is generally in a word, speculation. At least it is guaranteed there will be a massive opening ceremony seeing as Switzerland and Austria seem to take part in no war or friction with anybody on the planet.
I think they also make millions from ski resorts and holiday makers so I’m expecting something special from them well spent Swiss/Austrian Euros.
On a downside if these euros where not spent we could have a ceremony consisting of people clutching Swiss army knifes and yodelling perhaps with a few giant horns thrown in but it would be so cliché most peoples brains would explode.
Moving away from the stereotypes, expect a colourful but entertaining on pitch display with a few famous faces thrown in to the opening celebrations cauldron with a hint of excitement to finish the recipe.
In addition if I don’t see a billboard advert or a pitch side advert not containing Toblerone throughout the tournament I would suspect foul play. In its homeland at a massive tournament such as this, I think it deserves the publicity, viva le Toblerone. On a serious note I respect the Austrians and Swiss as they are a composed set of great individuals which on a level politically and socially we could all learn from.
Never mind Alps shaped chocolate, and honey almond tastyness its about the football. Speaking of football, this tournament in a nutshell is all about the goals and players taking this semi-world watched staged bull by the horns.
Here are some usual faces, some not so usual which are tipped to shine in the tournament: -
Wesley Sneijder - Netherlands - The Dutch midfield stalwart, best known for his brilliant passing and set piece play. The ex-Ajax Amsterdam youth system player has come a long way since his Ajax early days and now resides at the Santiago Bernabau plying his trade for Real Madrid. Even though still in his early twenties he is capable of changing a match in an instance with a great pass or from set piece brilliance. Watch out for something special from Sneijder in the classy Netherlands side.
Arda Turan - Turkey - Galatasaray currently have a very tight grip on the midfield dynamo that can also slot in as a wing back and I can tell you why. Little Arda has attracted numerous top quality clubs in the last couple of months with his energetic but consistent displays. Galatasaray are clutching their 'Arda ace' close to their chest until after the European championships because if he has a brilliant European championship expect Arda to be on the move and Galatasaray to milk the transfer fee. Arda could be Turkey’s tenacious talent to tantalise television screens everywhere this summer, keep your eyes peeled for him.
Bafetimbi Gomis - France - In friendly matches he has looked sharp and you can see he is eager to impress France coach Raymond Domenech. The St Etienne striker has been on top quality form in the French league and has impressed the national side set up enough to gain a spot at the championships with his classy finishing. He has recently signed a deal with St Etienne which will keep him at Les Verts until 2012 and with his club and contract worries firmly put to one side he can fully focus if given the chance to shine at the European Championships. He has stiff competition from Olympique Lyonnais powerhouse striker Karim Benzema, the well experienced Nicholas Anelka and miracle man Thierry Henry, but if given a sniff of a chance by Coach Domenech the predatorial Gomis will do the business.
Luka Modric - Croatia - Yet again Croatia has produced another top class midfielder, in the past they have had such players as Zvonimir Boban, Robert Prosinecki, and Davor Suker but Luka is the future face of Croatian football and tipped for super stardom. Tottenham Hotspur clasped Luka with 16.5million pounds after a jostle for him with Newcastle United and now Luka is firmly tipped to shine at the Euros and also when he returns to white hart lane. The ex-Croatia Zagreb player will play a key playmaking role for the Croatians and expectations state that Luka will be the fulcrum of the croatia attacking line with his quick movement and neat passing play. Observe his workhorse creativity if you get the chance.
I will be back later on in the week with my first round up of all first stage matches. As for now have a happy time watching the European Championships and any other televised sport.
With a whole shed load of top players turning out for all the major teams it could be the most significant tournament to date.
With not a homeland/British team in sight a lot of Irish/Scottish/Welsh/English and Northern Irish already have chose a team or stated their claim as a total voyeur of what will be a total footballing event.
On a personal level from a hearted point of view I will be following Sweden, Poland, Greece, Holland and any other team which has a Celtic player/legend in their squad but that’s my biased view.
As for a complete outright winner the masses are going with the favourites and a few possible dark horses.
I have heard France, Germany, Spain and Holland being uttered as possible favourites but some sceptic fans I know have spoke out at Russia, Croatia and even Romania being dark horses which will cause the favourites problems throughout the tournament.
Realistically I think it will be a stated favourite who will take the crown and be crowned European Champions with a dark horse or two making the semi-finals a possibility.
There are a few things which are obvious. There will be shock results, there will be upsets, there will be joy and sadness, there will be a few penalties chucked in, there will be flashes of brilliance, and moments of madness.
Stating the obvious before an event is generally in a word, speculation. At least it is guaranteed there will be a massive opening ceremony seeing as Switzerland and Austria seem to take part in no war or friction with anybody on the planet.
I think they also make millions from ski resorts and holiday makers so I’m expecting something special from them well spent Swiss/Austrian Euros.
On a downside if these euros where not spent we could have a ceremony consisting of people clutching Swiss army knifes and yodelling perhaps with a few giant horns thrown in but it would be so cliché most peoples brains would explode.
Moving away from the stereotypes, expect a colourful but entertaining on pitch display with a few famous faces thrown in to the opening celebrations cauldron with a hint of excitement to finish the recipe.
In addition if I don’t see a billboard advert or a pitch side advert not containing Toblerone throughout the tournament I would suspect foul play. In its homeland at a massive tournament such as this, I think it deserves the publicity, viva le Toblerone. On a serious note I respect the Austrians and Swiss as they are a composed set of great individuals which on a level politically and socially we could all learn from.
Never mind Alps shaped chocolate, and honey almond tastyness its about the football. Speaking of football, this tournament in a nutshell is all about the goals and players taking this semi-world watched staged bull by the horns.
Here are some usual faces, some not so usual which are tipped to shine in the tournament: -
Wesley Sneijder - Netherlands - The Dutch midfield stalwart, best known for his brilliant passing and set piece play. The ex-Ajax Amsterdam youth system player has come a long way since his Ajax early days and now resides at the Santiago Bernabau plying his trade for Real Madrid. Even though still in his early twenties he is capable of changing a match in an instance with a great pass or from set piece brilliance. Watch out for something special from Sneijder in the classy Netherlands side.
Arda Turan - Turkey - Galatasaray currently have a very tight grip on the midfield dynamo that can also slot in as a wing back and I can tell you why. Little Arda has attracted numerous top quality clubs in the last couple of months with his energetic but consistent displays. Galatasaray are clutching their 'Arda ace' close to their chest until after the European championships because if he has a brilliant European championship expect Arda to be on the move and Galatasaray to milk the transfer fee. Arda could be Turkey’s tenacious talent to tantalise television screens everywhere this summer, keep your eyes peeled for him.
Bafetimbi Gomis - France - In friendly matches he has looked sharp and you can see he is eager to impress France coach Raymond Domenech. The St Etienne striker has been on top quality form in the French league and has impressed the national side set up enough to gain a spot at the championships with his classy finishing. He has recently signed a deal with St Etienne which will keep him at Les Verts until 2012 and with his club and contract worries firmly put to one side he can fully focus if given the chance to shine at the European Championships. He has stiff competition from Olympique Lyonnais powerhouse striker Karim Benzema, the well experienced Nicholas Anelka and miracle man Thierry Henry, but if given a sniff of a chance by Coach Domenech the predatorial Gomis will do the business.
Luka Modric - Croatia - Yet again Croatia has produced another top class midfielder, in the past they have had such players as Zvonimir Boban, Robert Prosinecki, and Davor Suker but Luka is the future face of Croatian football and tipped for super stardom. Tottenham Hotspur clasped Luka with 16.5million pounds after a jostle for him with Newcastle United and now Luka is firmly tipped to shine at the Euros and also when he returns to white hart lane. The ex-Croatia Zagreb player will play a key playmaking role for the Croatians and expectations state that Luka will be the fulcrum of the croatia attacking line with his quick movement and neat passing play. Observe his workhorse creativity if you get the chance.
I will be back later on in the week with my first round up of all first stage matches. As for now have a happy time watching the European Championships and any other televised sport.
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