Recent Blogs Posts

Leaping out from the deluge of post Euro opinion are two basic questions which seem to be swamped by all the expert, and not so expert, punditry. From a national perspective, why did England not do better? Let`s get the easy one out of the way, answer, because England were not good enough, deeper analysis and dissection for a later time. The second and more pleasant question is, why did Spain win. Again that`s quite an easy one, because they were the best team.

Why were Spain the best team, basically because they lifted the trophy and in the record books for all time they will be listed as winners, as they will be for the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 European Championships. And therein lies the rub as Will Shakespeare wrote. You see we keep hearing and reading phrases like ...

by 11v11 Guest Blogger Brian Beard

Hands up all of you who gasped and were underwhelmed by Roy Hodgson's squad for the European Championships. The words that crossed my mind were; functional, pragmatic, unexciting. Then, for some reason, Denmark, 1992, and Greece, 2004, flashed across my mind (the latter having nothing whatsoever to do with the Euro, more the Euros eight years ago when the functional and pragmatic Greeks danced off with the trophy. Denmark were late substitutes for Yugoslavia 20 years ago and won the tournament, after plucking their players from beaches across the world. Sun beds and Ambre Solaire, as preparation, didn`t impair Schmeichel and co too much.

Am I suggesting the hurried installation of Roy Hodgson, with barely ...