Euro 2024

[Letters]

To compare. I actually remember REAL Euros.

I don’t think things were as much better as you remember tbh.
I agree with some of your thoughts though.
Basic competence seems to be rated highly these days when I’d suggest that should be a basic requirement to play at this level. They seem to value athleticism over skill more now.

[Niall_Quinn]

Honestly have to wonder what would happen to England's non-defence if Rice was not back there.

[Niall_Quinn]

I don’t think things were as much better as you remember tbh.
I agree with some of your thoughts though.
Basic competence seems to be rated highly these days when I’d suggest that should be a basic requirement to play at this level. They seem to value athleticism over skill more now.

Oh yes they were. Even if you can't admit the football was 1000x better, which it was - don't you remember what it was to be in this country when a Euros or World Cup kicked off? You thin kthat changed because WE changed? Nah - the product sucks.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Serbia have started this half well.

[Niall_Quinn]

Should have been a goal for Serbia - who are much the better team, and they aren't good. Their strikers are as bad as ours. Never in the box when they are needed. It's Pep ball - or bullshit, if you want the translation.

[Niall_Quinn]

So poor by Belligham, his worst moment. Why didn't he just score instead?

[Niall_Quinn]

Rice is a good player though, isn't he? Was he that good at West Ham?

[Niall_Quinn]

Girlies rolling around the box when absolutely nothing happened.

[Niall_Quinn]

Did that Mitrovich play for the spuds? No wonder. Serbs take off two cack-heaps and bring on two more cack-heaps.

[Letters]

Oh yes they were.

If we’re going to turn this in to a panto then those days are BEHIND YOU!

don't you remember what it was to be in this country when a Euros or World Cup kicked off? You thin kthat changed because WE changed? Nah - the product sucks.

It does feel like there was more buzz around the place when these tournaments came round. To be honest I didn’t know till yesterday that we were playing today. I knew about Thursday but thought that was our first game (which, thinking about it, doesn’t make much sense).
But that is definitely a change in me, I just care less than I used to.
One quite nice thing about getting older - just generally being more laid back about things.

As for whether there’s less buzz generally. Quite hard to quantify but if there is less then without wishing to go down a rabbit hole about this, the…demographic change in the last 20 years could be a factor there.