Euro 2016 Qualifiers - The Road to France

[Deutsch Wolf]

The Republic definitely raised their game at Italia 90. Made it a very difficult (and essentially rather dull) game.

And Euro 88, and there's no fun in losing to them.

I can wait until we play/beat Scotland twice in qualifying for 2018 for that brand of excitement if it's all the same.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

If all the four seeds won their playoffs the pots would be

Pot 1
France
Spain
Germany
England
Portugal
Belgium

Pot 2
Italy
Russia
Switzerland
Austria
Croatia
Bosnia and Herzegovina

Pot 3
Ukraine
Czech Republic
Sweden
Poland
Romania
Slovakia

Pot 4
Hungary
Turkey
Iceland
Wales
Albania
Northern Ireland

 

[FrankMunro-371]

That's true but we're not going to win the thing anyway so might as well have some fun along the way.

You are probably right and England may not win it, but at the moment there is not a country that I would regard as clear favourite.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Bosnia-Romania-Albania would be the dream ticket for all the top seeds I think. Although Romania are one of the dullest teams on the planet so it probably wouldn't be great viewing.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

However if the unseeded teams all won then the pots would be a bit different. Pot 1 the same

Pot 2
Italy
Russia
Switzerland
Austria
Croatia
Czech Republic

Pot 3
Poland
Romania
Slovakia
Denmark
Turkey
Republic of Ireland

Pot 4
Norway
Slovenia
Iceland
Wales
Albania
Northern Ireland

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

In scenario one the nightmare would be

Top Seed-Italy-Czech Republic-Wales

 

[Nando]

I'd rather avoid Iceland than Wales.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Good side Iceland. I was thinking more of the "home nations" together pain in the arse value.

 

[jd1981]

If all the four seeds won their playoffs the pots would be

Pot 1
France
Spain
Germany
England
Portugal
Belgium

Pot 2
Italy
Russia
Switzerland
Austria
Croatia
Bosnia and Herzegovina

Pot 3
Ukraine
Czech Republic
Sweden
Poland
Romania
Slovakia

Pot 4
Hungary
Turkey
Iceland
Wales
Albania
Northern Ireland

Most ideal scenario from that would be England, Bosnia, Romania and Albania.

Worst would be England, Italy, Czech Republic and Wales.
Even the later wouldn't overly concern me.

As I've said you'll struggle to find a real group of death, the annoying factor is playing 32 matches to eliminate just 8 teams.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

It worked okay in Italia 1990. And that wasn't too bad a tournament overall.

 

[jd1981]

It worked okay in Italia 1990. And that wasn't too bad a tournament overall.

I thought Italia 90 was a poor tournament in reality it was just masked over with England doing well that year. The final was awful a lot of knockout games were very sterile.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

It's a shocking format, Ireland went through with 0 wins in 1990. Really shouldn't have been changed from 16 teams, the reason the Euros are so good normally is that you get virtually no duff games as it's all good teams that qualify and there's plenty riding on nearly every match.

 

[jd1981]

ireland reached the quarter final by scoring just 2 goals that year, the last 16 game against Romania that year has to be one of the worse World Cup games ever played.

 

[GLASGOWOLF]

That's true but we're not going to win the thing anyway so might as well have some fun along the way.

Why?

From watching games the teams England, Germany, Italy, Spain, France are all much of a muchness.

Don't see anything we can't beat, can't see any of them we could not lose to.

I like this team for me it's better than the so called golden era.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

It's not even close. A back four of Neville - Rio - Terry - Cashley around 2006, with all of them being nailed on starters for clubs who were amongst the very best in Europe at the time, just for a kick off that in itself - before we even consider where Beckham, Lampard, Gerrard and Scholes (up to 2004) sat in the grand scheme of things - is enough to elevate that team above what we have now. Of course, we vastly underachieved with those players.

England currently have one player who would have a reasonable shout of being in the top five in his position in Europe, that's Joe Hart. The rest aren't anywhere near yet, or in Rooney's case, he was once but not any more.

 

[jd1981]

England have breezed past piss poor opposition which is all they can do, there's no one to really fear across Europe currently. Still think England are still behind Germany, France and Spain in quality. I fully expect England to drop out in the quarter finals to a narrow defeat or penalty loss after failing to break down a good side.
England haven't beaten a so called powerhouse in the Euros or World Cup knockout stages in open play since 1966.

 

[North West Wanderer]

I think European football is a lot weaker than a few years back. It's anyone's.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Bosnia vs Republic of Ireland
Hungary vs Norway
Sweden vs Denmark
Ukraine vs Slovenia

 

[Freddeno]

Damn, we got denmark in the playoff..the only team i wanted to avoid

 

[North West Wanderer]

Evenly matched games.