Just watch the matches.
Don’t read the papers.
Don’t read our disgusting media, who nag and niggle and moan so much.
Don’t read daft articles listing 8 Young stars to watch in Euro 2012, since you’ve never heard of any of them and on July 2nd, when it’s all over, you still won’t have heard of any of them.
Don’t read my previews, if I write any.
JUST WATCH THE MATCHES !
See Spain v Italy.
See Germany beat Portugal on Sunday.
Watch Zlatan Ibrahimovic against Ukraine and find out if he’s good enough to take England apart.
Watch France v England for Nasri versus Lescott and Hart.
That will be an interesting game, even if it’s not a good game. France have superior skills and if they score early, England will be in big trouble. Our strategy is to defend wide areas, park the bus, and grind down the clock. An early goal will wreck that plan.
Still, Roy Hodgson is a good football man, so is Gary Neville, and they won’t let England down.
We need a draw and if France lack belief, or Joe Hart makes three good saves, we could get a point.
I look forward to seeing what France can do in this tournament. Blanc has a new team but it’s one that I haven’t really seen. Right back Debuchy looks a good technician but he’s a player I’ve only glimpsed. Benzema has improved a lot this season.
John, my gambling greengrocer, has had a bet on France to beat England 2-1 on Monday and England to beat France in the final. At 1000-1, it’s worth a punt, he says.
Football, for me, is about players and matches.
I ignore the drip-drip-dribble of “news” because most of it is injury news or disinformation.
If a footballer is injured, he won’t play. If he’s suspended, he won’t play. And a football match, in Euro 2012 or anywhere else, is about the players who are playing and not about the players who are not playing.
Enough about Rio Ferdinand. Please, please, please!
Will the hacks will go on boring us about that for weeks and years?
We all know why Rio isn’t there but the brutal truth is that we ain’t very good.If Rio was there, we still wouldn\’t be any good.
We’re not as skilful as France, we can’t pass the ball as well as them, but we have some other qualities.
Just watch the Group games and don’t expect too much.
The first round of Group games are always tactical and cagey.
There are 24 league games and then the quarter-finals start on Thursday June 21 and some of those matches will be fun.
So excitement is only 13 days away.
Four quarters, two semis and the final.
Poland v Greece is today and I’ll watch that at 5, after I come home from the gym. The Poles will be jittery because, as hosts, they’ve only played friendlies.
Dark horses? Maybe Croatia.
Because of Jelavic and Modric. Jelavic has two good feet, heads very well, and scored 10 beautiful goals in 10 games for Everton.
Slaven Bilic is such a great guy. Pragmatic, realistic and competitive, Bilic is my kind of manager, somebody I can relate to. I like what he says and the way he says it.
So I hope Croatia play well this time. They got knocked out of Euro 2008 the day before we flew to Split in 2008 for a holiday that turned out to be fantastic. The Croatian people are the nicest I’ve met anywhere and we’re going back there this year, at last.
That’s all for now.
I really hope the people of Poland & Ukraine have a good time.
For them, something like this been a long time coming and when it finally arrives it’s in the middle of a recession and a financial crisis caused by bank deregulation. That’s tough on them.