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Home , Andreas Isaksson, Angelos Charisteas, Corry Evans, Craig Cathcart, Emil Forsberg, Group of death

ISSUE 1: June 2016

P8

P16

,

P4

P20

P13

P5

LOCATION, LOCATION

LOCATION,

By Matt Cowdock Cowdock Matt By

By Jed Woodcock Woodcock Jed By

FOREWORD

THE HISTORY THE

By Jack Rodway Jack By

England, Wales, Russia Slovakia England, &

GROUP B PREVIEWS GROUP

CHAMPIONSHIPS

OF THE EUROPEAN EUROPEAN THE OF

GROUP C GROUP PREVIEWS

GROUP A A GROUP PREVIEWS

France, Albania, Romania & Switzerland Albania, & Switzerland Romania , Germany, Northern Ireland, Poland & Ireland, Ukraine Poland Northern Germany,

CONTENTS 2

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P26

By BenDelaney By

P23

P29

S REDEMPTION S

’ P36

ON THE HORIZON P34

S S

’

SCOTLAND

MOMENT

HISTORIC HISTORIC

KOSOVO

WHEN GREECE WHEN

Ireland, Belgium, Sweden Belgium, Sweden & Italy Ireland,

WAS THE WORD WORD THE WAS

By John Warrington Warrington John By

GROUP E PREVIEWS E GROUP

By RossHighfield By

GROUP D GROUP PREVIEWS

Portugal, Iceland, Austria & Hungary Austria Iceland, Portugal, &

GROUP F GROUP PREVIEWS Turkey, Czech Republic, CroatiaCzech Turkey, & Spain

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: The consequences of failure: England and the media by John Warrington (P10) Le Tour Des Stades by Jed Woodcock (P12) Euro 2012 Rewind by Jude Macdonald (P35) Badge of the Week by Oliver Marsh (P38) Phases of Play: Group Stage by Jed Woodcock (P39)

3 FOREWORD

LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER

As football fans, we are spoilt rotten. It’s everywhere. Blogs, TV shows, podcasts, magazines, newspaper articles, you name it, there are thousands based solely on the beautiful game. www.boxtoboxfootball.uk I was drawn into the obsessive game in the 2002 World Cup. Living in Turkey at the [email protected] time, the national team’s heroic underdog performances, on their way to the Semi facebook.com/boxtoboxfootball.uk Finals and a 3rd Placed finish captivated my interest. THE TEAM I lived in a replica Umit Davala kit for the next six years, reliving Turkey’s perfor- mances in every football I kicked and every time I played. FOUNDER & CEO

My obsession then turned unhealthy after getting Championship Manager Jed Woodcock 03/04 as a Christmas present from my Arsenal obsessed Dad. I played the game CO-FOUNDERS religiously over the next 12 seasons, spending countless hours and days glued to the game. Oliver Marsh, Joe Proctor & Amber Marsh In 2012 I took the obsession further by starting a 6-a-side team at University, which then transformed into a near ill-fated 11-a-side team, Ivory Toast. CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Box To Box Football was born from this football obsession in January of this year Amber Marsh and with the help of other like-minded writers, I aim to provide an honest inde- EDITORS pendent voice for football supporters, giving the Football Supporter’s Eye View with contributors writing for the love of the game, offering both serious and hu- Joe Proctor, Oliver Marsh, morous views of the sport. Jed Woodcock, Michael Oddie, Krishna Raghvani, Dan Eales & Alex After founding Box To Box Football in January, with the help of countless talented Roberts contributors we have managed to get together Issue 1 of Box To Box Football Mag- azine, transferring our predominantly web-based articles to print. The last few CONTRIBUTORS weeks have been challenging to say the least, but it’s worth it. Jed Woodcock, Jack Rodway, We are unashamedly obsessed with this sport, and hope that our articles reflect Matt Cowdock, Scott Brotherton, that. Dean Laughton, Joe Proctor, Oliver Marsh, Rhys Owen-Johnson, My words of thanks must be incomplete so that they are not a thousand lines long. Michael Cox, Felix Tasker, First and foremost, I want to thank my amazing girlfriend Amber Marsh, not only Amber Marsh, James Foggin, Ben Delaney, David Cambridge, for supporting me from the beginning, but helping me develop and transform the Othman Al-Kooheji, project into what it is today. I also want to thank Amber for jumping into the pro- Ronan Mahony, Rob Flannery, ject and writing multiple articles about football – something she thought she’d Nima Safai, Manfredi Miyashita, never do, along with drawing portraits and helping design the magazine. Francisco Cardoso Pinto, I would also like to thank Joe Proctor for thinking of the name, constantly provid- Aidan Slinn, Jude Macdonald, ing honest feedback to my myriad of questions and editing endlessly. John Warrington & Ross Highfield

Thirdly, I would like to thank fellow Spurs’ fan Oliver Marsh for his continual stream PUBLISHERS of captivating articles, who has at times kept the website going on his own. Peecho: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Lastly I would like to thank the huge team of talented contributors and editors who © Box To Box Football Ltd 2016 The are based all around the UK and even dotted around Europe. Without them Box To views expressed are those of the indi- Box would not be a reality. vidual contributors. Could any unacknowledged copyright holders Jed Woodcock BSc please get in contact.

4 HISTORY OF THE EUROS

The history of the European Championships By Jack Rodway notable absentees including; England, ing the Yugoslav’s would turn defeat into West Germany and Italy. The first finals victory, scoring three goals in a stunning So here we go, one month of non were held in 1960 in France -the host four minute burst. Winning the game 5-4 nation was determined after the qualify- – the highest scoring game in the com- -stop football, as Europe’s elite ing stage. The format for the qualifying petition’s history. meet in France for a celebration stage followed the blueprint of the Euro- The final would need extra time to sepa- pean Cup, where both nations played of the beautiful game. The Euro- rate the two teams, with Viktor Poned- each other home and away. pean Championships is one of elnik scoring the winner in a 2-1 win for the world’s most popular sport- Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the Soviet Union. Legendary goalkeeper ing events, but this was not al- qualifying, would be the boycott of Spain Lev Yashin would finally receive a richly when drawn against the Soviet Union. deserved major international winner’s ways the case. When Henri De- The Spaniards were amongst the favour- medal. launay, Secretary of the French ites to win the competition, a side boast- The 1964 , held in Spain, ing the talents of; Alfredo Di Stefano, Luis Football Federation, first put would continue the same format, with Suarez and Paco Gento. Sadly however forward the idea for a pan Euro- the Soviet Union, Denmark, Hungary and this gifted group would not get the op- Spain making the final four. This would pean games in 1927 he was una- portunity to compete in France. ble to harness any meaningful see Franco begrudgingly welcome the Since the end of the Spanish Civil War Soviet Union. Thankfully, there would be support for the venture. diplomatic ties between the two nations no repeat of boycotting when the two Eventually, Henri Delaunay got his wish had been non-existent, Spain’s dictator teams met in the final. Luckily for Franco as he went on to become the first Gen- General Francisco Franco detested eve- a late winner from Marcelino would see eral Secretary of UEFA. However, his rything to do with the Communist State. death in November 1955 meant the The Soviet Union was the only major Frenchman would not be able to see his country to officially support Franco’s op- hard work through to fruition. Replaced ponents. Franco refused to allow a team by his son Pierre Delaunay, Pierre contin- representing his nation enter Moscow, ued his father’s dream and in 1957 under thus pulling Spain out of the competi- the name of the UEFA European Nations tion. Cup, Europe would have its first compet- Only four teams would qualify – the Sovi- itive continental tournament. The trophy et Union, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and would be named after Henri Delaunay, France. In the semi-finals the Soviets Above: The first logo which was used for the simply known as – ‘The Henri Delaunay comfortably saw off Czechoslovakia 3-0. European Championships in 1960 Further Above: Lev Yashin, the Black Spider, Cup’. The other tie would be far from straight- was the Soviet Union’s star goalkeeper during The qualifying stages began in 1958, with forward with Yugoslavia trailing the the first European Championships French 4-2…but with 15 minutes remain-

5 HISTORY OF THE EUROS

the Spaniards win their first international ee Clive Thomas, who sent off Johan membered for one thing. That Marco van competition. Imagine Franco seeing the Neeskens and Win van Hanegem. Hol- Basten volley. This talented Dutch side Soviets lift the trophy in his beloved Ma- land’s total football was put on hold for triumphed where the team of the 70’s drid. A potential diplomatic disaster had the time being. had failed – by winning their first major been averted. tournament. Holland met the Soviet Un- Czechoslovakia would meet Germany in ion in the final – this would be the Soviets The host nation would again be victori- the final, after they beat the Yugoslavs last European Championship as the Un- ous in the 1968 tournament. With Italy 4-2 in the other semi-final. The Czecho- ion would break-up in 1991. A Ruud Gullit winning this time around, beating Yugo- slovakians looked set for victory until header was followed by a historic goal slavia 2-0 in a replay. It was at this point Bernd Holzenbein equalised for the Ger- from Van Basten, a goal of stunning tech- that the competition changed its name mans in the last minute of normal time to nique and execution. The game finished to the European Championship and make it 2-2. The competitions first penal- 2-0 to the Dutch. would be the first tournament for which ty shootout was to follow after a score- England qualified. The English finished less extra time. One of the biggest shocks in the Euro’s third, beating the Soviet Union 2-0 in the history took place in Sweden in 1992, as Uli Hoeness would miss the only penalty third place playoff. Denmark came straight off the beach to of the shootout, allowing Antonin conquer Europe. The Danes replaced The Italians route to the final was curious Panenka to win it. Up he stepped before Yugoslavia in the finals who were caught to say the least. After drawing 0-0 in the gently chipping the ball down the middle up in a brutal Civil War. Having squeezed semi-final against the Soviets, the game of the goal and here was the birth of the through their group, Denmark would was decided by a coin toss, which as luck ‘Panenka Penalty’. meet Holland in the semi-finals, who would have it the Italian captain Giacinto With the growing popularity of the tour- were expected to just turn up and win – Facchetti chose correctly. Not sure they nament, the 1980 championship held in but as we know football doesn’t work like would get away with that today. Italy, would see the number of competi- this. After a 2-2 stalemate the game The 1972 Championships, in Belgium, saw tors expand from four to eight. With no would go to a penalty shootout, with van West Germany announce themselves as semi-finals, the two group winners Basten, of all people, missing the crucial a true contender. Franz Beckenbauer, would go through to the final. Predicta- penalty. Gerd Muller and Paul Breitner were just a bly, West Germany would be there, So onto the final for the Danes, where few names the Germans could call on. against the surprise package of Belgium. they would meet a now unified Germany. They would stroll through the competi- Yes, you guessed it, the German’s won. Peter Schmeichel played the role of the tion, thrashing the Soviet Union 3-0 in Two goals from Horst Hrubesch would hero, with numerous saves in the game’s the final, with Muller netting a double. see them edge out the Belgian’s 2-1 at early stages. Then out of nowhere. Goal. Was this the best ever German team? the Stadio Olimpico. 1-0 to Denmark with John Jensen lashing home from the edge of the area. The Has a Euros ever been dominated by a German’s shock would soon turn into single player like France’s Michel Platini despair as Kim Vilfort made it 2-0. did in 1984? The reigning World Player of Denmark reigned supreme. A victory the Year scored an outrageous nine goals made all the sweeter, as it was in rival in five games, as the French went on to Sweden’s backyard. win the tournament on home soil. A competition high in quality would hit its Football’s coming home! Well it did for peak in the semi-finals, when the French about three weeks - then left with the met Portugal. All square at 1-1 as they Germans. But what a few weeks it was. entered extra time, Rui Jordao’s volley England actually played well at a major Above: Gerd Muller celebrates scoring during the 1972 European Championships looked set to see the host tumble out of finals, they beat Holland 4-1, Paul Gas- Right: In one of the biggest shocks of the Euro- the tournament. Luckily for France a coigne scored one of England’s greatest pean Championships, Denmark emerged as comeback was on the cards. Jean Fran- goals and they even won a penalty winners in 1992 cois Domergue would equalise and fit- shootout. England 1996 would be the first tingly it would be Platini who would grab tournament where 16 teams would com- In the summer of ’76, Czechoslovakia, a late winner. The final would be a more pete. Yugoslavia, West Germany and Holland straightforward affair with France beat- all met in Yugoslavia. The Czechoslovaki- Then the German’s showed up in the ing Spain 2-0. ans saw off the Dutch 3-1 in the semi- semi-final. Alan Shearer opened the scor- finals, with a little help from British refer- The 1988 European Championship is re- ing only for Stefan Kuntz to equalise

THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS IN NUMBERS 1960 9 1st £22.8m 18 Albania, Northern Ireland, The winners of Euro Eighteen different referees The first edition of the There have been nine Iceland, Slovakia and have been chosen to offici- different winners 2016 will take home Euros took place in Wales have all qualified ate at Euro 2016, including since the competition £22.8 million France in 1960 for the competition for Martin Atkinson and Mark began the first time Clattenburg

6 HISTORY OF THE EUROS

shorty after. England would come ago- in England and Holland in the semi-final, Torres goal settled the game in a 1-0 win nizingly close to winning the game with Portugal seemed set for their first title. for Spain. 44 years of pain forgotten in an Gascoigne lunging at the ball in the six The Greeks on the other hand were sup- instant. yard box in front of a gaping goal, only to posed to be the whipping boys, having Winning the 2012 Euro’s was expected by miss the ball by a few millimetres. Penal- never won a game at a major competi- Spanish fans and almost met with a ties would follow, with tion. Nevertheless, they produced a de- shrug of the shoulders such was the be- missing the only spot kick. Germany fensive masterclass. Beating the Portu- lief in victory. Co-hosted in Poland and would go into the final where they would guese in the group stage certainly raised Ukraine, the build up to the 2012 tourna- beat the Czech Republic 2-1 after extra some eyebrows. ment wasn’t about football, but about time, thanks to an Oliver Bierhoff winner. Despite this defeat to the Greeks you the fears of potential racism, luckily for The finals in 2000 would see the compe- wouldn’t have met too many people bet- the most part these fears were unfound- tition jointly held for the first time, by ting against Portugal. Yet, the sheer ed and the football did the talking. Holland and Belgium. A rare England win enormity of the situation seemed to Spain navigated their way through a over a poor Germany side wasn’t enough make the Portuguese freeze on Europe’s tricky group, France were easily beaten to see them through the group stage. biggest stage. In the final, they found 2-0 in the quarter final and a Cristiano However the tournament was all about themselves unable to break down the Ronaldo inspired Portugal were beaten France and how they cemented their Greeks. They would fall to the sucker on penalties. Spain would meet Italy in place in footballing folklore. punch, as Angelos Charisteas rose high- the final who themselves had reached est at a corner midway through the sec- After winning the World Cup two years this stage by beating Germany, when ond half, to give Greece a 1-0 victory. previously, the Euros would see them made a name for himself Greece ruled Europe - and no one could become part of an elite group of teams with both his goals and celebrations. But quite believe it. to win both back to back. Spain were not Germany, and the final The final in against Italy was Euro 2008 and 2012 belonged comforta- was a ruthless exhibition of football from full of drama, Marco Delvecchio’s strike bly to one nation, Spain, back to back the Spaniards. 4-0 it would finish. The looked set to bring the trophy back to winners. This four year period is made all first team to retain the trophy. Rome, before Sylvain Wiltord’s late show the more special as they were to win the So what can we expect in France this rescued the tie for the French. Inevitably World Cup in between these two victo- summer? What we can be sure of is there with the Italians on their knees, David ries. What Spain did is likely to never be will be great interest from these isles, Trezeguet lashed home the golden goal repeated. Pass and move, Spain simply with England, Wales and Northern Ire- in extra time to create history for Les tortured their opponents. land all competing. Could Iceland a coun- Bleus. Euro 2008 held in Austria and Switzer- try of 320,000 in their first ever major Denmark or Greece what was the biggest land would end their 44 year wait for a tournament write a few headlines? Will shock? The 2004 tournament was sup- major trophy. The perennial underachiev- France win again in front their home posed to be Portugal’s big moment in a ers were no more. Fernando Torres, Da- fans? Or could Spain win the trophy for competition held on home soil. However, vid Villa, Hernandez and Andres In- the third time in a row and become un- they faced an immovable object in iesta were the four standouts in a long disputed kings of the competition? Greece in the final, who had battled list of world class players. They would through a scarcely believable month of meet Germany in the final, a tall, strong, One thing we do know is that we football. physical team. Skill certainly ruled should expect the unexpected strength here as the Germans were made Having knocked out Spain in the group and it all gets underway on the to look distinctly average. A Fernando stage, and two extremely talented sides 10th of June.

7 THE STADIUMS

Location, location, location Where the magic will happen this summer By Matt Cowdock Rather justifiably, the football a stadium being a community has an obsession ‘cauldron’, while the songs sung here are with venues. It would not be un- more akin to ancient fair to claim that the identity incantations de- possessed by some grounds can signed to rouse their even draw the attention away team to victory. from the events on the pitch and It’s clear, therefore, instead make a football match that location matters - it can add some- roof, able to open or close in roughly half thing extra to any game, from the dour- more experiential than it other- an hour. Set to host six games, four in the est of nil-nils to the most epic and gladi- group stages and two knockout fixtures, wise might have been. atorial ordeals. And with that in mind, the Stade Pierre Mauroy will be the joint let’s take a look at the stadiums which For instance, certain settings are wholly second-busiest ground in the tourna- will attempt to make this summer’s new- sensory affairs; an old-fashioned English ment. ly expanded Euro 2016 as memorable ground will entice you in on matchday and awe-inspiring as possible. A 25 mile trip southwards will take us to with the scent of fried onions from the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, home of Lens. swathes of burger vans, while your ears Ten grounds will be used to accommo- Closed for a multi-million euro renova- will ring with the tribalistic, and often date the new format, so let’s take it from tion last season, this 1930s ground had humorous, songs emanating from the the top. Quite literally, in this sense, as also been used in Euro ‘84 as well as the stands on the inside. On the continent, we turn our attention to the north of 1998 World Cup. Situated in an important meanwhile, the stadium experience dif- France and the dashing Stade Pierre centre of industry and mining, the Stade fers greatly but is equally as distinctive: Mauroy in . Having opened in 2012, Bollaert-Delelis will be hoping to dig up the pungent smell and fiery heat of a this multi-use stadium boasts 50,000 some golden moments during its four flare may reinforce the clichéd notion of seats as well as France’s first retractable games this summer.

8 THE STADIUMS

Euro 2016 whistle-stop tour. Rugby fa- natics will be familiar with the Stade de , a stalwart of the city’s all con- quering Union team. The ground seats just 33,000 but has history on its side, having been constructed for the 1938 World Cup. Another venue able to share this historic claim is ’s Stade Velodrome, yet having had an extensive revamp for the 1998 tournament it can now seat over double what the Stade de Toulouse is capable of. As the word ‘velodrome’ suggests, the ground used to be home to French cycling yet despite having the track removed in 1985, the name remains unchanged and pays homage to its multi-sport history.

The final ground lies on the southeastern coast. ’s plays host to both Nice and Toulon in football and Left: RC Lens fans cheer on their team in the city’s team are yet to benefit rugby respectively but regulations stipu- Stade Bollaert-Delelis from. Above: The recently opened Stade de Bor- late that in UEFA deaux has been built with the capability of Over in eastern France, competitions it must physical vibration we have two stadiums The steep stands and the be referred to as the Below: Stade Geoffroy Guichard is home to St of varying modernity - Stade de Nice. While Etienne and maintains a distinctly English feel the newly expanded enormous stanchions its alternative name is Travel further south still and you will end Stade Geoffroy Guich- which serve to hold the hardly revolutionary, up in Paris: the capital city and sporting ard in Saint-Etienne tiers up mean this ground the eco-friendly de- hub containing arguably the two major may have had its ca- sign of this multi- grounds in the country. First and fore- pacity increased for the is capable of physical sport arena makes it most is the , located in tournament, but it still vibration during games, a charming host for four of the tourna- the Saint-Denis region. Built primarily for maintains a distinctly creating a pulsating and the 1998 World Cup, the ground has a English feel with its ment’s games. four imposing stands in intimidating atmosphere capacity of 80,000 and now acts as the So there they are - close proximity to the home of both the French football and the ten grounds pitch. In nearby , is teams. Given that its last which will host over fifty matches be- an entirely new construction - the imagi- major tournament fixture played host to tween June and July this summer. The natively named Stade de Lyon is the a 3-0 victory to Les Bleus in the final, the expanded tournament bracket in con- 59,000 seater replacement for the Stade country will be waiting with baited junction with France’s footballing infra- Gerland and will debut on the interna- breath for a similarly lucrative campaign structure, steeped in history and moder- tional stage with six matches, including in Saint-Denis this year. nity alike, means this could be one of the one of the semi-finals. The second venue in the Paris region is most exciting competitions in recent just down the road in the form of the The picturesque south of France plays memory. host to the final three stadiums on our , home of seemingly Comment intrigante! perpetual Ligue 1 champions Paris St- Germain. Dating back to 1897, the stadi- um is the oldest in use at Euro 2016 and therefore can boast the most history, having staged four major international football championships - this history, as well as its renovations, make it one of the premier grounds in Europe, and it will have a chance to shine on five occa- sions this summer.

Out on the west coast and deep into wine territory we have the Stade Bor- deaux, another one of the four Euro 2016 venues to have been opened in the last four years. The steep stands and the enormous stanchions which serve to hold the tiers up mean this ground is capable of physical vibration during games, creating a pulsating and intimi- dating atmosphere - a trait which the

9 ENGLAND & THE MEDIA

The consequences of failure: England and the media

By John Warrington

Ahead of Euro 2016, Box to Box Re- about his new club manager, Jose Mour- final game in France; unless of course porter, John Warrington was invited inho, played with a that game happens to be the final itself. into the England Camp for Roy straighter bat than the one Geoff Boycott This was all about getting a few quotes used to hit century after century. into the bank and then launched like gre- Hodgson’s first press conference nades against Hodgson at a later date. after naming his squad of 23. John “It's exciting. Jose is one of the best man- Between now and then, (whenever then agers in the world. He knows the Premier questions if our media really is be- is), the knives will come out of the draw- League really well” hind Hodgson and his men. He also er simply to be sharpened and maybe examines the relationship between “For myself and the other United players, draw a little blood ahead of the final act the press and the National Team. it's exciting times and I'm looking for- of regicide. ward to it" The door thrust I suppose some would argue Hodgson open and as it And that has left himself vulnerable to such at- did a battery of was it; tacks should all go disastrously wrong. cameras sound- those Earlier this week, our newspaper col- ing like a chorus few umns were lauding his bravery for pick- of frogs greeted words ing “England’s youngest squad in a gen- were all eration”, “a team to score goals”, and for and Wayne it took to taking “five strikers” including an 18 year Rooney as they trigger old who has “come from nowhere”. But stepped into the an ava- you can bet your last pound coin that room for anoth- lanche of should we fail, the context of those er England press head- words will change. “Too attack minded,” conference. lines. “Only three centre backs”, “not enough holding ” and “too much inex- This gathering of What did perience,” is what we’ll be reading over the crème de la the re- our croissants and brioche. crème from porter across the whole sports media spectrum honestly expect the England and United Roy Hodgson is a very likeable man in was well attended. With the excellent captain to say? Unless he is looking for a football and importantly, he is highly spread laid on at the FA’s expense by the rapid move away from , respected by the media. This though five star Grove Hotel near Watford, that’s Rooney was hardly going to reply with won’t be enough to save him from a no surprise. This was also the first occa- something along the lines of, “I can’t death by a thousand words should Eng- sion the England manager faced the stand him and the job should have gone land fail to match up to the high expecta- press since whittling down his squad of to ”. The point being that tions of the media. What those expecta- 26 to the 23 who will do battle in France, whatever Rooney’s true feelings, (and he tions are and what they should be is of hence the large turnout. Three separate may well be genuinely excited by the course an entirely different debate. The rooms were reserved for different sec- prospect of working under the new Man- trouble is our press loves nothing more tions of the media; television, radio and chester United manager) the headlines than a good sacking to get their piranha- the scribes from the national newspa- screamed his approval of his new club like teeth into; just ask . pers. Three press conferences in one and boss regardless of what the truth of the I know Roy Hodgson reasonably well the same tired questions to be repeated- matter might actually be. having worked with him for a season on ly asked and answered during a 90 mi- A bit like the friendly game against Por- coverage for an international nute Q+A that made ‘Today in Parliament’ tugal, this press conference was the last broadcaster. He is without doubt one of seem as entertaining as ‘Only Fools and ‘warm up’ for the media before the real the best pundits I’ve come across and his Horses.’ No wonder Wayne Rooney action starts in France and frankly was experience of working in the media is struggled at times to stifle a yawn. just as dull. Like Hodgson himself, no- obvious, particularly during post-match The whole event was more like a tennis body among the ‘press corps’ was pre- interviews when emotions can be in- warm up. A few gentle serves and noth- pared to show their hand. The News tense. He demonstrated his ability to ing smashed back across the net with Channels and the Red Tops were content give himself room for manoeuvre when anything remotely approaching the pow- to fight over scraps about ‘poor Danny asked if the line-up for the last friendly er of a Djokovic volley. The fact the main Drinkwater’ and the ‘meteoric rise of against Portugal would be the same headline to come out immediately after ’. when England face Russia on June 11th. the press-conference had nothing re- The fiery exchanges, the harsh words and “I am not prepared to say the 11 that motely to do with the England national recriminations - they will be reserved for starts tomorrow will be the 11 that defi- team, tells its own story. When asked the post-match ‘presser’ after England’s nitely starts against Russia. I don't want

10 ENGLAND & THE MEDIA

to commit myself to a team against his career. While this is certainly true of club foot- Russia in 10 days’ time” ball, the National Team has long attract- It wasn’t always like this between the ed intense scrutiny. Graham Taylor, Sir "There will be at least four or five players media and football. I remember when a Bobby Robson, Steve McLaren, and even who possibly deserve press conference consti- World Cup winning manager, Sir Alf a place in the team tuted two or three hacks Ramsey, count among the many former and they are going to Wouldn’t it be nice if sitting with a manager in England managers who suffered terrible keep fighting for that his office and drinking Roy Hodgson could abuse at the hands of the media in this place” whisky out of chipped tea country. mark the occasion by cups while discussing Sat- Clearly, no manager sticking two fingers up urday’s team. Proper rela- This July marks the 50th anniversary of is going to reveal a tionships were built and our only major tournament victory to starting line-up 10 at the press by bringing there was mutual trust. date. Wouldn’t it be nice if Roy Hodgson days before a game, home the trophy? As a result stories were far could mark the occasion by sticking two but the way in which better balanced and cer- fingers up at the press by bringing home Hodgson delivered tainly more accurate. the trophy? But wouldn’t it be nicer still if his answer was clever. Aside from keep- he and his squad could, just for once, ing each member of his squad on their When I worked at Charlton Athletic near- prepare for a major tournament without toes, it was obvious he wanted to see if a ly a decade ago, things had already be- fearing the consequences of failure? Vardy, Rooney, Kane triumvirate would gun to change. There would often be work before finalising in his own mind his four or five camera crews, plus radio and ideal team-selection. For various reasons, the written press turning up for the not least Wayne Rooney’s injury, this was weekly briefings. How can relationships Left: An uninterested Wayne Rooney looks on in the recent press conference the first time the three of them have be built when there are so many outlets Below: Roy Hodgson portrait drawn by Amber played together. Hodgson is not a stupid who want a piece of you? In turn this has Marsh man, he remains one of the best coaches bred real competition to be the first to in the game and he doesn’t need to be break a story and it’s the player’s told what worked and what didn’t in such agents, despite their patronising and arrogant tones. vested interests, to whom The two main talking points of the week the media though were the exclusions of Andros turns to Townsend and Danny Drinkwater as well for as the inclusion of Marcus Rashford. The their assembled throng of newsmen asked ‘inside their questions about the reasoning be- stories’. hind Hodgson’s decision-making almost genteelly but with just enough menace to make one shiver. Hodgson, as is his nature answered politely and confidently but knowing full-well the true purpose behind the interrogation. It doesn’t mat- ter who he takes to France or who he leaves behind; if things go wrong, it is these decisions which will form the case for the prosecution.

Wayne Rooney, perhaps, gave an indica- tion of how he viewed these jousts be- tween the press and the England camp when he was asked what advice he would give to 18 year old Rashford, bear- ing in mind the impact the England cap- tain had at Euro 2004 when he was the same age as his fellow Manchester Unit- ed striker.

“With Marcus now in this tournament, for me he doesn't need much advice. Let him play. As a young lad that's how you'll see the best out of him”

Was there a subtext to this comment? Was Rooney really saying don’t hound him like you’ve hounded me? Perhaps. And it’s hard to blame him if one looks back on some of the negative coverage that has accompanied him throughout

11 LE TOUR DES STADES

LE TOUR DES STADES Cycling around the Stadiums of Euro 2016 What were the highlights of your trip around France?

I loved exploring every host city and discovering each one's unique geogra- phy, history and By Jed Woodcock culture. As for cycling days, We catch up with cycling en- it was fascinating going thusiast Andy Smith and south from Lens tracing the WW1 buzz is building towards the tour- western front then camping next cheese lover Annie Glennie nament kick off. to the River Somme, the impres- (above) who have taken on a sive Canal de Garonne between Any plans for Russia 2018 or across mammoth cycle tour around Bordeaux and Toulouse was lovely Europe in 2020? France this summer. to follow, whilst the Cote d'Azur Yes! Having done Brazil and France So, what is Le Tour de Stades? coast road towards Cannes and climbing into and over the Alps I'm keen to continue these brilliant It's a 1,500 mile (2,500km) cycle were both amazing rides. adventures, so am starting to in- tour across France to visit all 10 of vestigate the options for both the Euro 2016 stadiums! And the hardest parts? those tournaments.

Tell us more about yourselves. And During that night camping in What would you say to others who how did you manage to persuade northern France the temperature might want to do similar cycling Annie? dropped to just 2 degrees and the tours? next day there was hail and sleet I'm Andy, a lifelong Watford FC to cycle through. Also, any uphills Go for it! Hop on a bike and and England supporter, and my are hard work on a fully loaded cycle to your local team's sta- girlfriend Annie wanted to join me touring bike, so of course going dium, then to another one on this adventure despite not be- from sea level at Nice to our high- nearby, regardless of which ing a football fan. But she does est point (1,261m altitude) at the league the team play in, and if love French cheese! Col de Carabès involved lots of you've never been thee before tough climbing in hot tempera- then why not time it so that tures plus sometimes even against you can watch a match while a headwind. you're there? Did you have any favourite stadi- ums that you visited?

It was fantastic to reach both the first and last stadiums at Lille and Lyon, I enjoyed seeing PSG play at How did you think of the idea? Parc des Princes, (left) but the It originated back in 2013 when I most exciting was Marseille's decided to do more than just visit Stade Vélodrome where I'll return Brazil to watch some World Cup to watch one of the semi finals. 2014 games; I wanted to better Was there a pre-Euro 2016 buzz understand the country and espe- around the cities you visited? cially the cities that were hosting this massive event. So I decided To be honest France is currently that riding a bicycle to visit all of quite pre-occupied with protests the tournament's stadiums would and strikes over their proposed be an amazing way to really expe- new labour laws, plus the flooding rience Brazil. Hence, I'm using the in Paris, but there are Euro 2016 same idea now in France. banners in host city centres and merchandise in the shops so the

12 FRANCE

-Pierre Gignac and Anthony Mar- GROUP A: tial vying for spots in the first XI. Real Mad- FRANCE rid’s Karim Benzema won’t be in

France the side however, with the POPULATION: 66 million THE STAR MAN: Antoine Griezmann is Allez Les Bleus! French Football Association (FFA) announcing he won’t be potentially more important to France’s By Scott Brotherton selected following the sex tape success than Pogba blackmail scandal involving in- As the bookies’ favourites and ternational teammate Mathieu ONE TO WATCH: Whilst Payet has been tournament hosts, France have a Valbuena. While the skills of superb for West Ham, he’s untested at lot to live up to this summer. Benzema will undoubtedly be international level

missed, his presence in the THE GAFFA: Didier Deschamps Whilst winning the 1998 World Cup set a squad would definitely do more high precedent, France have flattered to harm than good, and the FFA THE BEER: Kronenbourg deceive since. Despite success at Euro look to have made the right de- EVERYFAN ODDS: 7/2 to win 2000, recent generations have failed to cision. PREDICTION: The team could either go live up to Zidane, Vieira, Henry et al. Midfield is where France’s real on to win the tournament, or crash out France have only reached the quarter- strength lies – it’s simply a treas- at the group stage with a team mutiny finals in two of the last three Champion- ure trove of world-class players. ships, failing to get out of the ‘Group of Paul Pogba, Blaise Matuidi and Yohan Death‘ (Romania, Netherlands and Italy) Cabaye have all made it into the squad, in 2008 after collecting just one point. and that is before you even consider this course, there is always the chance that season’s breakout stars like Dimitri Payet pressure may prove too much for the This time around they not only have of West Ham and Leicester’s N’Golo Kan- hosts – plus the fallout of the Benzema- home advantage, but a really promising te. Valbuena fiasco may still have an effect group of players who are capable of on the squad. However, if all goes to achieving glory. Didier Deschamps pref- Experts seem to agree that Payet will plan, then France have an excellent erence of a 4-3-3 formation makes the most likely start on the left of an attack- chance. French a really potent attacking force ing trio, and is competing with Martial for and they have plenty of options in all the final starting spot. Whoever is suc- I may lean towards Germany as my fa- areas of the pitch. cessful will start alongside Giroud and vourites but ‘Les Bleus’ are a narrow sec- Griezmann who – barring injury of course ond. The reigning world champions now There won’t be many unknown entities in – are guaranteed to start in June. have a fourth European title in their the squad for fans. Ten sights – a first since Euro 96 – and if both of the final 23-man squad ply their trade Pogba is the player who springs to mind win their groups then they are set to in England. as France’s talisman, but Matuidi is the meet in the semi-finals. real heartbeat of the team. In fact, even Players are also picked from European manager Deschamps openly admitted As group winners, the French would face giants like Juventus, Roma, Barcelona, that the PSG man is the first name on the the best third-placed team and then po- Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, with team sheet. A box-to-box , tentially Wales or England. Depending on only five players (including the two back- Matuidi has boundless energy and starts how those sides do, it may not be until up goalkeepers) playing in France’s Ligue off a lot of attacks by winning the ball that huge, potential semi-final that the 1. Even the most casual football fan back. hosts’ mettle is truly tested. should know almost all of France’s start- ing eleven. One thing is certain: France certainly Below: The team celebrate a Martial goal have the tools to win the Euros. Of during Euro 2016 qualification Defensively, Deschamps is likely to start the experienced duo of Laurent Kosciel- ny and Eliaquim Mangala. With captain Hugo Lloris behind them this trio stand ‘Les Bleus‘ in good stead for the early stages of the tournament.

Despite the obvious pedigree at the back, perhaps the biggest worry for the French is their defensive record in recent times. Just under half of their goals con- ceded since Deschamps took over in 2012 have come from set pieces. Kosciel- ny in particular has taken some flack for his defending from dead ball situations, and he will have to improve if France are to combat the likes of Germany and Spain.

Upfront, they also have options with , Antoine Griezmann, Andre

13 ALBANIA & ROMANIA

the team during qualifying, with no play- GROUP A: er scoring more than once. ALBANIA will be the most familiar play- POPULATION: 2.9 million Albania er to a UK audience after his time with THE STAR MAN: The experienced Sunderland in the 2009/10 season under Lorik Cana is integral for the Albani- Fearless newcom- Steve Bruce. Having moved back into ans central defence with current club Nantes, ers ONE TO WATCH: Taulant Xhaka, Cana is the captain, leader and most brother of Arsenal’s Granit is an ex- By Dean Laughton capped player in Albania’s history with 90 appearances. A real icon. citing prospect THE GAFFA: Albania will be making their very first The manager is Gianni De Biasi. After a THE BEER: Korca appearance at a major tournament. Here dozen managerial stints across Italy and EVERYFAN ODDS: 1000/1 to win is a little preview of this year’s newcom- Spain he took the plunge into interna- ers, The Kuq e Zinjte (Red & Blacks). tional football. De Biasi quickly saw that PREDICTION: A better side than people assume, but getting out of Albania finished second in their group. the main issue with the Albania national Their away form was excellent, team was the most talented players eligi- the group will be a tall order unbeaten and a memorable win ble opted to play elsewhere – over Portugal. Achieving , , draws against European stal- Valon Behrami to name a few. So warts Denmark was also im- with the help of Cana, De Biasi After qualifying for Euro 2016, De Biasi is pressive. Most notable was galvanised the squad and per- now a national hero in Albania. It was the abandoned game away to suaded other top players to play such a fantastic achievement that the Serbia, where a drone was for him. Tactically, they are strong Albanian president granted De Biasi Al- flown onto the pitch bearing and well-organised, with De Biasi banian citizenship and he now has dual the Albanian flag – UEFA giving the flair players some free- nationality. dom. ruled that Albania Albania are in Group A with hosts France, should take the tournament regulars Switzerland and the three points. dogged Romania. Albania have proved Left: Albanian captain they can stand toe-to-toe with the big Goals were Lorik Cana is the heart- spread beat of these fearless sides in Europe and produce an upset, so around newcomers expect them to have absolutely no fear.

proved effective in a weak qualifying opportunity to lead the line. With much GROUP A: group it remains to be seen if they can of their qualifying success built on an cope with a higher quality of opposition. experienced back four, relying on youth- ful exuberance to get the goals may Romania The centre back pairing of Vlad Chiriches prove more productive than the ineffec- and Dragos Grigore are integral, although tive strikers of the qualifying campaign. neither are setting the football world Defending the alight. Chiriches has fallen out of conten- It will certainly be a challenge to qualify Tricolorii tion at Napoli, while Grigores plays for from the group but there is experience at Qatari based Al-Sailiya. the core of the side, none more so than coach Iordanescu, who oversaw their By Rhys Owen- Perhaps their best attacking options lie in quarter final run in the 1994 World Cup. emerging talent. 23-year-old Steaua Bu- However, a dearth of star players may Johnson charest playmaker Nicolae Stanciu cer- condemn the Tricolorii to an early exit tainly fits the bill. Stanciu particularly from the tournament. Following an unbeaten qualifying cam- impressed in the goalless draw with paign Romania take their place in Group Spain in March, exhibiting his ability to A. Escaping the group will be a formida- dictate from midfield. While his interna- ble task given the presence of France in tional inexperience is perhaps concern- ROMANIA the group. Nevertheless, Anghel Iorda- ing, the 10 million Euro price tag slapped POPULATION: 19.8 million nescu will be on him by Steaua THE STAR MAN: Playmaker Nicolae shows that he is buoyed by his Stanciu will be a vital creative force side’s defensive one to watch. record. ONE TO WATCH: Hard working Another youth frontman Florin Adone could make a prospect who Iordanescu em- real goalscoring impact in France ploys a cautious could boost Ro- 4-2-3-1 for- mania’s goalscor- THE GAFFA: Anghel Iordanescu mation. An ab- ing prowess is THE BEER: Timisoreana sence of match Florin Adone. EVERYFAN ODDS: 200/1 to win Cordoba’s 23- winners has re- PREDICTION: Third place in the sulted in an em- year-old scored phasis on defen- against Italy in group and a round of 16 exit, the Al- sive stability, November, and bania game will be crucial and while it Above: The Romanians celebrate a rare goal during may be given an qualifying

14 SWITZERLAND

Left: Stoke City man, Shaqiri, will be key to any success for this golden generation

guez and the experienced Stephan Liechtensteiner occupying the full back positions. Those familiar with Football Manager will be alert to the potential of striker Breel Embolo, the nineteen year old is in fantastic form for club and is attracting attention from Europe’s top sides. He could provide the spark for a side that often lacks creativity and goalscoring.

They have been drawn in a kind group too. Hosts France are favourites to run away with it but the Swiss are fancied to claim second ahead of minnows Albania and Romania. It is likely that awaiting them in the round of 16 will be one of Poland or Ukraine, both are eminently duced a respectable performance to take beatable. GROUP A: eventual finalists Argentina to extra-time Of course there are plenty of pre- in the round of 16 where they were un- tournament issues for this side. Architect Switzerland done by some Messi magic two minutes of the crucial comeback victory over Slo- from time before the post cruelly pre- venia, Josip Drmic, suffered an injury in Shaqiri and co. vented an equaliser at the death. Howev- March and the long standing question of er they never really convinced, they were who will lead the line for this talented By Joe Proctor beaten comprehensively by France in the group has been reignited. Will it be the group stage and only escaped the group out of form Haris Seferović? The out of When Xherden Shaqiri slalomed ahead of Ecuador thanks to a last gasp position Admir Mehmedi? The untested winner against the South American side. through the Danish defence in Embolo? None seem ideal options. Also There is therefore not a huge sense of can manager Vladimir Petković, who 2011 and guided the ball into the exuberance heading into Euro 2016. struggled through qualification, prove he bottom corner to score the open- Their display during qualification also did can fill the void left by legendary German ing goal of the European U21 not inspire confidence. They were de- coach Ottmar Hitzfeld? Championships, it was meant to feated handily by England on two occa- However if the Swiss produce a strong mark the beginning of a golden sions and narrowly squeaked into second start to Euro 2016 those questions will era in Swiss football. The goal de- place ahead of Slovenia. They lost to the soon dissipate. It is a smooth path to the feated the hosts and the Swiss Slovenes in Maribor and needed a flurry round of 16 and during the rough and of three goals in the last ten minutes to marched all the way to final, beat- tumble of knockout football anything beat them at home. The Houdini routine can happen. Who knows? Perhaps en only by a ludicrously strong was actually a bit of a feature of their Shaqiri and co. will prove they really are Spain side (David De Gea, Javi qualification campaign. As the Swiss won the golden generation. Martinez, Mata were among the in Lithuania and then Estonia thanks to a star names). The success of that late show, Shaqiri netted the winner five minutes from time in tournament transitioned to do- Vilnius and an own goal deep mestic football the following sea- into injury time was enough to SWITZERLAND son, the core of that side played overcome Estonia. for FC Basel and starred in victo- POPULATION: 8.1 million That is not say that Switzerland THE STAR MAN: Xherden Shaqiri may ries over European giants Bayern are coming into this as no- Munich and Manchester United at hopers, this is still a side with not be excelling at Stoke, but he is the St Jakobs Park. plenty of talent. Despite a fairly leader of this Switzerland side average start to his in time Eng- ONE TO WATCH: Cameroonian born However since then Swiss football has lish football with Stoke, Shaqiri is striker, Breel Embolo, has been in ex- slumped somewhat, with the national a very good player and a talis- team producing a series of mediocre, manic presence at national level, ceptional form for Basel this season bordering on poor, performances. In fact the skilful winger will be a hand- and this could be his breakout tourna- they failed to even qualify for the Euro ful. Granit Xhaka is another high- ment 2012, edged out by Montenegro in quali- profile name in the squad. The THE GAFFA: Vladimir Petkovic fying. Things went slightly more to plan recent Arsenal signing is a dy- during the World Cup in 2014; they came namic midfielder and will be vital THE BEER: Feldschlossen into the tournament sixth in the FIFA part of any success the Swiss put EVERYFAN ODDS: 70/1 to win World Rankings and qualified out the together. The defence is also PREDICTION: Expect an exit in the group for the first time ever. They pro- fairly robust, with Ricardo Rodri round of 16 or quarter finals

15 ENGLAND

nearby pub and an old lady run- GROUP B: ning up to us and screaming, ENGLAND “he’s done it, he scored, the won- derful man!” when Beckham England scored the penalty against Ar- POPULATION: 53 million Dream or doubt gentina. In 2002 we even got to THE STAR MAN: Wayne Rooney might stay at home in the mornings to have the experience, but is By Oliver Marsh watch the game before coming in to school. As if they needed us goalscorer-in-chief for England to love this team even more, they ONE TO WATCH: Young Spurs midfield- Out at the Group Stages of the were even getting us out of er who has had a stellar debut last World Cup and without a maths! They made us cheer, they Premier League season major tournament win in fifty made us cry, but for years we THE GAFFA: Roy Hodgson years, failure upon failure has were so invested in this team that it seemed only a matter of THE BEER: London Pride led to a cynicism surrounding time before we’d be partying on EVERYFAN ODDS: 9/1 to win the England team. But it wasn’t the streets in celebrating a major PREDICTION: Head says Round of 16, always like this. I remember a tournament win. heart says “COME ON ENGLAND!” and nationwide optimism, with all of As you can tell, I grew up with youthful exuberance to take us to the us dreaming like fools of victory. this Golden Generation of Ger- quarter finals if not further... Is it better to be pessimistic as rard, Owen, Rooney, Beckham, we are now, rather than optimis- Lampard, Ferdinand, Terry, Cole, Crouch… okay, not Crouch, but you get but it was rarely dull, and we were al- tic and getting shot down as we the point – world-class players all wear- ways invested in them. In the end they have done before? ing the same badge. They were a force didn’t deliver, and by Euro 2008 some to be reckoned with. And to be fair it actually enjoyed the tournament more The first major tournament I properly wasn’t always household names in these because the stress of watching England watched as a kid was France 1998. I re- teams. When injuries wreaked havoc on wasn’t a factor for once (cheers McClar- member the brilliant ‘Three Lions’ song our starting line-up, I recall the likes of en). 2010 was seen as the last chance for and the excitement of England at a , Danny Mills, Darius this talented group to prove them- World Cup. Paul Scholes scoring in the Vassell, Aaron Lennon, even Owen selves… but it wasn’t to be. The manner opening game, through to the heart- ‘ambiguous-accent’ Hargreaves, who of defeat was even harder to watch, with break of penalties, I remember it all. I went from, “why the hell is he there?”, in the 4-1 defeat to Germany the horrible remember England beating Germany 5-1 2002 to, “oh, he’s the only one who can conclusion to an awful tournament. And in qualifying a few years later, and the score a penalty”, in 2006. thus the new feeling of pessimism began free kick against Greece. to accompany England at a major tour- In 2002, I remember being on a family Either way this was a team that brought nament. trip to Brighton, hearing a roar from a us many brilliant and horrible memories,

16 ENGLAND

Now we come full circle to France again for a major tournament in 2016. Where’s a song? Forget ‘Three Lions’ and the classic ‘World In Motion’ by New Order (who doesn’t enjoy John Barnes rap- ping?), at this point I’d even take Ant and Dec’s ‘We’re On The Ball’ as a catchy song for the summer… and I suppose ‘Goldenballs (Mr Beckham To You)’ at least made me laugh.

I can’t quite see the mood of the country being dictated by the re- sults of the team like in the past. Despite some promising players, we haven’t really had a next-big- thing since Wayne Rooney, who beat us in the Group Stages at a canter. Above: Harry Kane and were the himself hasn’t delivered at a major tour- two top goalscorers in the Premier League last nament for a while and his best days are But there is hope. Harry Kane, Dele Alli, season arguably behind him. Lately the England Marcus Rashford. These are all players of Left: The England team come out for the sec- team has often been a bit flat, and hard great promise, and if we build a team ond half in a Euro 2016 qualifying game to get behind. I don’t care how many around players like them who seem to well, without fear and showing a little goals we score against Moldova, it’s be showing genuine passion then this passion, our perception of the England about how we do in the major tourna- could kick-start a little more passion team could change completely. ments and it’s still hard to know what to from the fans. You see empty seats at make of this England team, especially if Wembley nowadays, what better way to It is of course about winning, but it’s also Roy Hodgson is still picking players like fix that than to play for the fans and about the manner in which they play. We Jack Wilshere who have been injured all make them want to watch you? We can want them to do well, and we want to season. go from Rooney in 2010 grumpily saying, believe that they care as much as we do. “Nice to see your home fans booing you”, All it needs is a little push, and we will all Are we being pessimistic to say they to screaming, “ARE YOU NOT ENTER- be back on the wonderful, unpredictable, won’t do well, or just realistic? A lot of TAINED?” to a jubilant crowd of support- torrid bandwagon that is England may- draws, a lack of passion, lack of big ers. be, possibly, nearly, not quite doing well names. It’s gotten difficult to really care, at a major tournament. It could be frus- and worst of all nowadays you find your- Regardless of the opposition, we quali- trating, it could be brilliant, but either self dreading an international weekend, fied for Euro 2016 with aplomb, and our way it would be nice to at least feel because at least in the Premier League it 3-2 away victory against Germany re- something. all seems to matter a bit. cently is not to be sniffed at. The biggest story this year has been Leicester City’s Dare I say it, while this new England That Frank Skinner song talks about that shock Premier League win, led by Jamie team is far from a finished article, we are tackle by Moore and when Lineker Vardy who rose from the lower divisions at least seeing some youthful talents scored… Well I remember that Beckham to become an England international. who could well be big for us in future. I’d free kick, and when Owen ran around Don’t put him on the wing, get him up say that we have been made pessimistic Argentina, and Heskey… HESKEY! I re- front, who better to make sure we’re all by failure when we should have been member it all, but I can’t say I remember having a party? Because even if we have succeeding in the past, so what better anything that we did at Brazil 2014. I become pessimistic, none of this is to way to address this than to succeed guess there was that time when Raheem say that we don’t want to believe in when we expect them to fail? In fact, Sterling shot against Italy and it looked a them. why wait for the future, why not seize lot like it had gone in Euro 2016 as the opportunity to get a but it hadn’t…. wow, I recommend checking nation behind you again, singing about is that the best we Optimism may be mis- out the Vauxhall TV ad- Three Lions on the shirt again got? It’s all just been guided, but I will always vert before Euro 2012 and sending the trolls back into so forgettable. take that over boring pes- with that Noel Gallagher their caves. song, where everyone’s The biggest worry of All it would need is a little passion and simism, and I really hope lining up across the coun- all has been watching heart, an unlikely run to the knock-out that this young England try next to the England Wales qualify for Euro stages of the tournament and we’d all be team can surprise us, and team to face the opposi- 2016. Their players behind them again. And could we win a tion. It’s a great idea, and and fans all seem to in doing so make us penalty shoot-out, just once?? Optimism once again got me excit- have that passion may be misguided, but I will always take foolishly dream again ed for a major tourna- that we are lacking; that over boring pessimism, and I really ment - and that was in they seem genuinely hope that this young England team can 2012 when we were still booing Jordan delighted to be there. Add a genuine surprise us, and in doing so make us Henderson coming on as a sub… We do world class player into the mix in Gareth foolishly dream again. have some potential genuine talent to Bale, and if we’re not careful they could showcase this summer. If they perform

17 WALES

GROUP B: Wales

Bale or bust?

By Michael Cox

In sealing qualification for the 2016 UEFA European Champion- ship, Chris Coleman’s warriors have written their names in the national history books as the Welsh Dragons look ahead to their first major tournament in times across the ten qualifying games all domestic competitions from wide 57 years. and finished joint top goal scorer in the positions and was one of only four Wales After finishing second behind Belgium group with Bosnian hit man, Edin Dzeko, players to hit the mark in qualifying. including the only goal of the home tie and four points ahead of third placed Joe Allen and Andy King have started against Belgium. Bosnia in qualifying Group B, Wales still just 17 games between them in the have a long way to go before they can be Shaun McDonald (AFC Bournemouth), Premier League this season and will be affiliated with the title of a football na- Andrew Crofts (Gillingham), Tom Brad- ready to fly out of the traps if called into tion. shaw (Walsall) and Lloyd Isgrove action. Allen, particularly, was a key fig- Chris Coleman initially named a 29-man (Southampton) were the most notable ure in the qualifiers and will likely line-up provisional ensemble ahead of their pre- absentees from the squad and have all against Slovakia in the Wales’ opener. been part of recent Wales squads. tournament friendlies before facing Slo- Nine of the 11 Welsh qualifying goals McDonald, in particular, has not been vakia on June 11th in their first group were of Bale and Ramsey’s doing, and an given enough playing time under Eddie game of the tournament. injury to one of the two could prove dia- Howe in the Cherries’ maiden Premier bolical to Coleman’s regime who has Coleman faced a tough task as six play- League season and will be disappointed adopted a 5-3-1-1 formation throughout ers were axed to form a final 23-man to miss out. shortlist ahead of the summer tourna- the last two years. Bale’s ability to stretch ment. has come under fire from defences and ticket to roam where he the Arsenal faithful on a number of occa- may please is something that Wales can- was an obvious omission sions this season but has been nothing not replace and without him, you can rip from the pack; the 26-year-old will car- short of a hero for the national side. The up your slip for Welsh to progress to the ried out club duties on and up to the 28th midfielder netted twice in Wales’ qualify- knockout phases. of May when Real Madrid lined up ing campaign and both proved to be de- Wales have completed an incredible against city rivals, Atletico Madrid, in the cisive, getting his side first off the mark milestone to qualify and could progress UEFA Champions League final. in a 2-0 home win over Andorra and a 3- from the group stage with fellow British 0 away triumph over Israel. Wales’ talisman found the net seven hopefuls, England, if they play to their Birmingham City winger, David potential. Cotterill, secured his place in the Twelve years ago, the bookies placed final shortlist after impressing in WALES Greece at a 150/1 punt to win the 2004 the late stages of the season, European Championship. EveryFan make scoring twice in the Blues’ final POPULATION: 3 million Wales a 90/1 punt to coronate this years three league fixtures. competition, is that worth a bet? THE STAR MAN: Real Madrid ace The Dragons’ attack is regularly Stranger things have happened. Gareth Bale is essential to any Welsh spearheaded by success at the tournament the boisterous Hal ONE TO WATCH: Ben Davies is the un- Robson-Kanu and sung hero of the team Coleman will be pleased to hear of THE GAFFA: Chris Coleman the Reading for- THE BEER: Double Dragon wards’ recovery EVERYFAN ODDS: 90/1 to win after suffering a PREDICTION: If they play to their full minor injury in April. Robson- potential, Wales should progress from Kanu has regis- the group, but any further is unlikely tered five goals and six assists in

18 SLOVAKIA & RUSSIA

top form if Slovakia hope to progress to GROUP B: the latter stages of the tournament. SLOVAKIA Slovakia find themselves in a tough POPULATION: 5.4 million Slovakia group, involving home nations England THE STAR MAN: Napoli captain Ma- and Wales, as well as World Cup 2018 rek Hamsik holds the key to the Slo- A guaranteed hosts Russia. Although England fans will vak attack three points? certainly be expecting a victory against ONE TO WATCH: Manchester City them, Slovakia are more than capable of academy product Robert Mak is an a shock. As well as beating Spain in quali- By Felix Tasker unknown quantity fying, Slovakia knocked four-time world THE GAFFA: Jan Kozak It’s fair to say Slovakia will not win Euro champions Italy out of the 2010 World THE BEER: Zlaty Bazant 2016, but nor will they roll over. They are Cup in an enthralling match that ended not travelling to France with the inten- 3-2 in their favour. They then went on to EVERYFAN ODDS: 175/1 to win tion of leaving early. Appearing in their narrowly lose 2-1 to eventual finalists the PREDICTION: Sneak through Group first European Championships after their Netherlands in the following round. B in 3rd place, but spirited defeat in creation as a state in 1993, they recorded Wales will also find themselves up the round of 16 impressive victories such as a 1-0 win in against it versus a compact and resolute Kiev and a resolute 2-1 win over Spain, on side that boast a mean defensive record, afternoon. conceding less than a goal a game during their way to qualifying automatically for Expect a nil-nil or two and a Martin Skrtel their qualifying campaign. the tournament. threat from set pieces, but with the ex- Quick and inventive in attack and led by As well as household names Hamsik and tended format this year there’s no reason the fearsome Martin Skrtel in defence, Skrtel, watch out for former Chelsea to believe that Slovakia cannot secure a most of their attacking play comes youth academy product and Puskas spot in the knockout stages of the tour- through Napoli star Marek Hamsik. award winner Miroslav Stoch. As Stoch nament. showed by beating Neymar and Radamel Hamsik started every game in Serie A this . season, providing 6 goals and 11 assists Falcao to the prestigious award in 2012 and helping Napoli to a second place with a stunning right-footed volley from finish. Averaging a goal every other game range, he is capable of moments of mag- in qualifying, and the only player in the ic. Not the most consistent player, how- side who can claim to have genuine ever he possesses great pace and agility world class talent, he will need to be on and on his day can give full backs a torrid

how likely are the class of 2016 to repeat Krasnodar striker, Fedor Smolov. Smolov GROUP B: this success? was the top scorer in the with 20 goals in 28 games, and Russia qualified for Euro 2016 following a his tremendous form will put pressure on tricky start under former head coach Russia Dzyuba for a place in the team’s starting . Capello was given the line-up. Comrades or boot after this distrastrous start to quali- question marks? fying, only winning against minnows Russia will however have to cope without Liechtenstein and in an abandoned key midfielder , who was match against Montenegro in their open- ruled out with a cruel injury setback on By Dean Laughton ing six games. He was replaced by Leonid the last day of the domestic season. This Since the dissolving of the USSR in 1991, Slutsky, who at the time was mounting a means that the duty of providing some creative flair has fallen to 21 year-old Russia’s sole claim to fame at major foot- title charge with CSKA Moscow. Slutsky Oleg Shatov. Shatov is a quick and tricky balling tournaments came at Euro 2008 managed the two jobs perfectly, with winger who is quickly establishing him- when Guus Hiddink guided Andrei Ar- Russia winning all four of their remaining self as a key player for Russia. shavin, Roman Pavlyuchenko and co to matches and CSKA Moscow winning the the semi-finals. It could be argued the league title. When looking at the man- omens could favour Russia again this ager’s style, Slutsky’s CSKA side are en- year, as the old Soviet Union’s only foot- tertaining to watch with their crisp pass- RUSSIA balling triumph was the 1960 European ing moves and incisive counter attacks – POPULATION: 144 million Championships held in France – but just and this more expressive approach has THE STAR MAN: Zenit striker Artem been a breath of fresh air in the Russia Dzyuba has had a prolific domestic side since the departure of the season clunky Capello. ONE TO WATCH: Alexander Golovin Zenit St. Petersburg striker Artem could spring a surprise or two Dzyuba was Russia’s top scorer in THE GAFFA: Leonid Slutsky qualifying with 8 goals. Dzyuba is THE BEER: Baltika a classic target man who can also EVERYFAN ODDS: 70/1 to win bring others into the game, and at 6ft 5in in stature he can be a PREDICTION: Should progress from handful for any defence. Another the group but unlikely to better their player to look out for is nippy Euro 2008 performance

19 GERMANY

GROUP C:

Germany

Die allerbesten?

By Matt Cowdock

“Football is a simple game; 22 men

chase a ball for 90 minutes and at

the end, the Germans win”

So said in 1990 and this quote, now something of a cliché when it paign may largely come down to how comes to the English perspective on Ger- expected this summer. well deputies such as Mario Gómez, man football, still rings relatively true 26 Shkodran Mustafi, Leroy Sané and Jonas Above all else, Germany enjoy the luxury years on. ‘Relatively’ in the sense that Hector can step up at major tournament of possessing arguably the best overall while they still possess monumental tal- level, although in fairness the first of team. While there are the aforemen- ent and short odds for major tourna- those three is no stranger to the Europe- tioned question marks over the defence, ments, things aren’t necessarily as rosy an Championships. Nevertheless, this will the constantly improving Jerome Boat- as they seem in the Germany camp. be a very different squad than the one eng is expected to make his return in But despite this potential discord, Ger- which triumphed in Brazil and despite time for the competition. Further for- many remain football’s great thorough- posing a constant threat in any competi- ward, any midfield engine room contain- breds. With three European Champion- tion, the ultimate prize is not an unequiv- ing Toni Kroos is a force to be reckoned ship titles and four World Cups, it’s no ocal guarantee this year. with, particularly when used in conjunc- surprise that the Germans are somewhat tion with the mesmerising attacking op- Indeed, despite topping their qualifica- predisposed to winning. As a result, Die tions at their disposal. If he can set a tion group, the process appeared a little Mannschaft now go into major tourna- platform for the likes of perpetually bril- more arduous than usual. Failure to hold ments as one of, if not the, favourites to liant Thomas Müller and Arsenal’s court on to the lead against the Republic of win and this year’s European Champion- wizard Mesut Özil then we can expect a Ireland was compounded with a shock ships in France are no exception. Their very profitable tournament indeed for defeat in the reverse fixture, while Ger- pedigree is such that while they rarely this group of players. many were also sunk by their Group C underachieve, it is also difficult for them opponents Poland, who finished just one If friendly form is anything to go by then to overachieve; they simply achieve. point shy of top spot after pushing Löw’s this team still have a long way to go until Case in point, Germany have not once team all the way to the final matchday. they click into an appropriate gear. Lucki- finished outside of the top three in a ma- Furthermore, their friendly form in the ly for Germany, friendly form is rarely jor tournament under Joachim Löw. lead up to France has been rather sham- anything to go by – if they approach this Speaking of whom, it would be criminal bolic, having lost four of the last six as of tournament like they have done the pre- not to mention the impact of the Germa- the time of writing. Essentially the main vious four under Löw, then don’t be sur- ny manager. Since his appointment, he worry for this group of players is that prised to see Die Mannschaft lifting the has instilled a fool-proof footballing phi- they are not impervious to bad perfor- Henri Delaunay trophy on the 10th of losophy for the modern era. As assistant mances in the way that crops led by July. to Jurgen Klinsmann, Löw reportedly Philipp Lahm perhaps were; grew frustrated with how long the play- however, there is a reason that ers held on to the ball and, since his pro- this more unknown quantity re- GERMANY motion in 2006, has cultivated a more main tournament favourites in fast-paced system — pass-and-move the bookmakers’ eyes. football at a high intensity while retaining POPULATION: 81 million What almost always impresses is Klinsmann’s offensive style. And boy has THE STAR MAN: An outstanding season the attention to detail Germany it worked. In his ten year reign, Löw have in their tournament ap- with Arsenal sees playmaker Mesut Özil boasts the best win percentage of any proaches –performance analysts as the man to make Die Mannschaft German manager ever as well as the insist that their World Cup win highest goals-per-game ratio since Sepp tick was tailored by technology. Herberger’s pre-war stint. ONE TO WATCH: Young Schalke wing- What’s more, in the past ten However, for all their consistency, Ger- years the Germans have five er, Leroy Sané (Honourable mention many are at the end of a transitional peri- times stifled the best players on goes to Jonas Hector) od after three notable retirements post- the planet in major tournaments: THE GAFFA: Joachim Low World Cup 2014. Without the likes of three times suppressing Cristiano THE BEER: Dortmunder Union Miroslav Klose, Per Mertesacker and Ronaldo and twice foiling Lionel Philipp Lahm in their ranks, Germany will Messi. This meticulousness EVERYFAN ODDS: 7/2 to win lack both the experience and seniority means that Germany rarely, if PREDICTION: Perpetual tournament which their World Cup-winning squad ever, succumb to individual bril- heavyweights, Semi Finals at least possessed, and the success of their cam liance and nothing less should be

20 NORTHERN IRELAND

of by Gala. All three of the attackers scored in the farewell match inside Winsor Park, where O’Neill’s men beat Belarus, extending the unbeaten run to an enviable eleven games (six wins and five draws). The ad- ditional options the two young talents can provide may prove crucial to a side that at times can look woefully bereft of guile and imagination.

Landed in Group C alongside Germany, Ukraine and Poland the first task on the agenda is solidifying a defensive unit that must repel word-class attacking threats. Predators like Muller, Lewan- poor twenty minutes from implosion and dowski and Konoplyanka. The men look- the rest all look much of a muchness. In GROUP C: ing to demonstrate that they are equal this void Michael O’Neill, the Northern to the task and protect the Hamilton Ireland manager, will look to spring a goalkeeper Michael McGovern, will most Northern sporting surprise. likely be (Watford), John- Without the illustrious names that the ny Evans (West Brom), Gareth McAuley Ireland England squad can boast or Wales’ (West Brom) and (Derby) with Year of the underdog match-winning genius Gareth Bale, able deputies coming in the shape of Northern Ireland have compensated by Manchester United’s Paddy McNair and By Ben Delaney utilising an unshakable team spirit mar- veteran who currently is ried to a work ethic of Trojan propor- without a club. tions. The story of qualification is so fan- Decades from now future genera- The objective of the midfield will un- ciful it sounds like something from a tions may look back at 2016 and re- doubtedly to form a second defensive J.R.R Tolkien novel; having not qualified member it as the year of the under- phalanx whilst still having the energy to for a major tournament since the 1982 make regular sorties into opposition ter- dog. Leicester winning the Premier World Cup, with a squad comprised ritory. Southampton’s will League is an achievement that will mainly of lower league players with a be expected to set the tempo for fellow forever be seared into the con- few scatterings of mid-table Premier midfielders Niall McGinn (Aberdeen), sciousness of football fans, throw in League stars the task of qualifying once (Reading), Shane Fergu- again looked beyond the small nation. the fact that the upcoming Europe- son (Millwall), and screener When you factor in an Championships looks set to be (Blackburn Rovers). Jamie that the talisman and the most open International tourna- Ward (Nottingham For- main goal threat Kyle ment in living memory and there is “’s on rest) and Lafferty played more (Leeds) can be relied up- the real opportunity for yet another fixtures in the Inter- fire, your defence on to enter the fray on upset. national arena than either flank as the game on the domestic front is terrified” Germany and Spain look considerably progresses and opposi- you start to under- diminished, hosts France always look a tions tire. The injury in- stand just how colossal an achievement duced absence of West Brom’s Chris it was for the fifth seeds to top Brunt and his explosive left-foot will be their group amassing a laudable NORTHERN IRELAND keenly felt. Not only is the Baggies man twenty-one points – a feat never versatile enough to be deployed in a before performed. number of areas, covering a multitude of POPULATION: 1.8 million Aside from the fact that O’Neill different sins, he is also a natural leader THE STAR MAN: over- is clearly a shrewd operator, he capable of inspiring those around him. has also benefited from the oc- came a near non-existent club season Even the most optimistic of fans would casional kiss from Lady Luck, a to make himself his nation’s difference reluctantly admit that the chances of romance that looks set to con- progressing to the knock-out rounds are maker tinue blossoming. The overreli- going to require a Herculean effort. ONE TO WATCH: Will Grigg recently ance on Kyle Lafferty is a clear However, this group of players have issue, but one that looks set to scored his first international goal and made their reputation by being a side be less worrisome with the heads to France to prove he is ‘on fire’ that laughs in the face of convention and emergence of two striking tal- cuts a track to tread their own path. The THE GAFFA: Michael O’Neill ents Connor Washington of Northern Irish population are already in THE BEER: Clotworthy Dobbin Queens Park Rangers and Wigan dreamland and with the expansion of the Athletic’s Will Grigg, the man EVERYFAN ODDS: 500/1 to win tournament there is every chance that responsible for the season’s best PREDICTION: Spirit and endeavour will O’Neill and his men can confound the chant “Will Grigg’s on fire, your doubters and allow their nation to enjoy not be enough—fall at first hurdle defence is terrified” to the tune a few more hours of peaceful slumber.

21 POLAND & UKRAINE

frontman Arkadiusz Milik notched up an ing for Euro 2016, scoring more goals GROUP C: impressive 7 from his 13 appearances and than any other team in the process – and will be able to occupy defenders with his with a world-class player like Lewan- imposing stature, allowing more space dowski in their ranks, Poland will be able Poland for Lewandowski. Behind the strikers, to change games in the blink of an eye. manager Adam Nawalka will be hoping Also-rans or seri- The final group stage fixture against that his midfield can be martialled by the Ukraine looks to be pivotal, as victo- ous contenders? defensively minded Grzegorz Krychowi- ak, who has impressed this year at Euro- ry there could give them second By James Foggin pa League winning Sevilla, and is said to spot in their group, and a likely face- be the subject of a £34 million bid from off against Switzerland in the round Poland may be ranked as 50-1 outsiders Manchester United. The back four boasts of 16. If they can pass that test, then to win Euro 2016, but they will arrive in experience with the likes of Torino centre who knows how far Poland can go in France this summer with no intention of back Kamil Glik and ’s the knock-out stages? simply making up the numbers. An ex- Lukasz Piszczek, but fans of English foot- cellent qualifying campaign ended with ball will be much more familiar with the Poland sitting just one point behind selection of goalkeepers. With the team group winners Germany, with the high- yet to establish a real number 1 from light being a 2-0 home win over the Wojciech Szczeny, Lukasz Fabianski and POLAND world champions. Their reward? a reun- Artur Boruc, it will be interesting to see POPULATION: 39 million ion with Germany in Group C along- who is in the starting spot when the THE STAR MAN: Undoubtedly Rob- side Ukraine and Northern Ireland. tournament kicks off. ert Lewandowski, probably the best Poland’s poster boy Robert Lewan- In a recent interview, manager Nawal- striker at the tournament dowski has had another ter- ka said, “I picked players that I know ONE TO WATCH: Lewandowski’s rific season spear- very well, players I believe in”. Alt- partner in crime, Arkadiusz Milik heading the Bayern hough they sit an uninspiring 27th THE GAFFA: Adam Nawalka Munich’s attack, but in FIFA’s world rankings, the THE BEER: Zywiec the Poles are no long- country may be starting to be- EVERYFAN ODDS: 55/1 to win er a one-man-show. Lewan- lieve that this group of players dowski may have accumu- can do something special PREDICTION: Knockout stages, per- lated 15 goals on the road this summer too. They haps even a semi-final appearance to France, but fellow lost just once in qualify-

a just as big an influence this summer. winger , who has just helped Sevilla to their third Europa Once again qualification wasn’t hugely League title on the trot, and perennial straightforward for Ukraine; their group Tottenham and Liverpool target Andriy was topped by Spain with Slovakia in Yarmolenko, both of whom make up the second. But they did manage to defeat bulk of the Ukrainian goal threat. play-off challengers Slovenia with rela- tive ease, advancing to the finals 3-1 on So despite a modest-at-best sprinkling aggregate. Their Euro 2016 campaign of star quality, Ukraine will provide a kicks off in earnest on 12th of June with a stern test for their Group C peers. It’s challenging fixture to say the very least: unlikely they’ll advance past that stage, they face World Champions and tourna- but they’ll also live in hope that their GROUP C: ment favourites Germany. While their great striking shaman, Andriy Shevchen- remaining group games couldn’t possibly ko, will be imparting his superlative wis- Ukraine be any harder, they don’t exactly repre- dom from the sidelines to both Yarmo- sent ‘gimmes’. Fellow Euro 2012 co-hosts lenko and Konoplyanka. Unlikely underdogs Poland boast arguably the best centre- forward in the world in Robert Lewan- By Matt Cowdock dowski, while surprise Group F toppers UKRAINE Northern Ireland won’t roll over easy POPULATION: 45 million The retirement in 2012 of talismanic for- either, especially if a particular Northern THE STAR MAN: Andriy Yarmolenko ward Andriy Shevchenko came after his Ireland attacker manages to render the is Ukraine’s main goal threat native country of Ukraine had co-hosted Ukrainian defence terrified. the last European Championships. More- ONE TO WATCH: Olexandr Zinchen- over, it marked the end of an era for the However Ukraine aren’t short on talent ko earned a late call-up at the ex- nation and team who hailed him a deity themselves: their captain and most- pense of more experienced players throughout his illustrious career. capped player ever, Anatoliy THE GAFFA: Mykhaylo Fomenko Tymoshchuk, was a Champions League THE BEER: Obolon After a brief and unsuccessful foray into winner at Bayern Munich and, aged 37, EVERYFAN ODDS: 125/1 to win the world of politics, Shevchenko took will be hoping to imbue some of his vast up the role of assistant coach to current experience into his younger squadmates. PREDICTION: Their game against manager Mykhailo Fomenko, and the Other names of note include Sevilla Northern Ireland is vital to escape Synyo-Zhovti will be hoping he can have the group—but they should do it

22 TURKEY

club managerial career, including GROUP D: Galatasaray’s UEFA Cup victory over Arsenal in 2000. TURKEY

Turkey Despite the poor start to their POPULATION: 75 million qualification campaign, the Passionate dark fighting spirit of the team THE STAR MAN: Barcelona man and horses emerged yet again, picking up Turkish captain Arda Turan form just when it mattered. Un- ONE TO WATCH: Youngster Yunus Malli der Fatih Terim’s third tenure, the By Jed Woodcock will hope to replicate his form from team have undergone a resur- Mainz Few people gave Turkey any gence, not losing a fixture since November 2014, winning their THE GAFFA: Fatih Terim hope of qualifying for Euro 2016, last three fixtures in qualifying THE BEER: Efes let alone doing well at the tour- without conceding a goal. This EVERYFAN ODDS: 90/1 to win nament, following their dismal alone should show the depth of PREDICTION: If they make it out of the start to the qualifying campaign. talent that the Crescent Stars have at their disposal. group stage, this passionate side will The Turks qualified as the Best be tough to beat. Watch out for late 3rd Placed Team in qualifying, Already proven on the interna- tional stage is one of the young late goals behind group winners Czech Re- stars of Turkish football, Hakan public and runners up Iceland. Çalhanoğlu, who has appeared 15 times for his ancestral Turkey, scoring four The ‘Crescent Stars’ have a history of only means that an extra eight teams goals. The 21 year old, who represents poor qualifying campaigns, failing to have qualified for the tournament, but Bayer Leverkusen at club level, plays qualify for an international tournament that 16 out of the 24 teams qualify into across midfield and is well known for his since 2008, despite possessing a team the knock-out stages, with the top two in outstanding free kicks and long shots. with an abundance of talent. The Turks each group and four best third-placed The Bayer Leverkusen star who has been will be hoping to replicate their gutsy teams securing progress to the next linked with Barcelona and Manchester performances at both the 2002 World round. United has emerged as one of the Bun- Cup and Euro 2008 where they defied desliga’s most highly-rated youngsters Following their near decade of hurt from expectations to return to a proud nation. over the last 18 months and will be key to failing to qualify for an international tour- The belief and conviction in Turkish foot- Turkey’s success. nament the nation’s hopes rest on the ball after the success of coming third in shoulders of this young national side who The star man in Turkey’s resurgence the 2002 World Cup was broadcasted have already proven to be full of passion is Arda Turan. The 29 year old captain has and carried into the next generation of and desire. Through the individual skill of turned out 86 times for the national young Turks. This next crop of players, some of the stars in the squad, coupled team, scoring 16 goals in the process. The including a 21 year old, Arda Turan, quali- with the unbreakable team spirit and Barcelona man, who has recently been fied and outperformed yet again on the never say die attitude, there is no reason cleared to play following the lift of Bar- international stage six years later in 2008. that this Turkish team can’t upset a few ca’s transfer embargo in January, has Following an opening defeat by Portugal, top sides and have a successful cam- been ever present in Barca’s push for the the team beat Switzerland and Czech paign, reminiscent of their performances title since the beginning of the Republic, both secured by late goals, to at the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2008. year. The £25 million man will be key to progress to the knock-out stages of Euro Turkey’s success after already being cen- This time, can they go a step further? If 2008. Another late goal by Turkey came tral to his former club, Atletico Madrid’s their bitter rivals and neighbours Greece in the 123rdminute of the quarter finals, La Liga triumph in 2014. could do it in 2004, why can’t Turkey 12 which saw their game against Croatia years later? A place in the final of the head to penalties. Turkey went on to The Euro 2016 draw pitted Turkey in showcase event in European internation- beat Croatia 3-1 to progress to the semi- Group D against qualification rivals Czech al football awaits. finals. However, their heroic run came to Republic, Croatia and the 2008 & 2012 an end, again, this time suffering the Champions Spain. The new format not heartbreak of a late winner from Germa- ny’s Phillipp Lahm in the last minute of the match. Yet again, the over- performing Turks returned home as he- roes and to jubilation from the proud football nation.

The team is led by 62 year old tactician, Fatih Terim, the same manager who managed the team to the Euro 2008 semi-finals, known for his aggressive style of football. The Emperor, as he is affectionately known, does not lack any winning experience, lifting six league titles and seven cup competitions in his

23 CZECH REPUBLIC & CROATIA

This interesting phenomenon looks set to GROUP D: continue, as manager Pavel Vrba leads CZECH REPUBLIC his side to France having topped one of POPULATION: 10.5 million the most taxing qualifying groups. Over- THE STAR MAN: Petr Cech, proved Czech coming the likes of Holland, Turkey and at Arsenal that he is still one of the up-starts Iceland to accrue an enviable Republic twenty-four points, the Czech Republic planet’s best goalkeepers go into this summer’s tournament ONE TO WATCH: Borek Dockal, the The little team that could... buoyed with the knowledge that they Sparta Prague midfielder will hope can compete against some of the conti- to continue his trend of scoring cru- By Ben Delaney nent’s best sides. cial goals from mifield THE GAFFA: Pavel Vrba When you think of Czech Republic foot- If the Czech Republic is to continue their ball the first memories for most would be perennial dark horse trend then they THE BEER: Pilsner Urquell their highly successful Euro 1996 cam- must overcome a highly challenging EVERYFAN ODDS: 90/1 to win paign, a dazzling run to the final which group. Fixtures against Spain, Croatia and PREDICTION: Lack sufficient fire- saw them eliminate Italy, Portugal and Turkey ensure that a safe passage into power—group stage elimination France. While they eventually suc- the knock-out stage is far from a guaran- cumbed to a newly reunified Germany in teed procession. Elsewhere, the experienced duo of To- mas Rosicky and Jiroslav Plasil are slowly the final, ever since the Czechs are seen In winning the Barclay’s Premier League being phased out in favour of a more as a strong outside bet for any major Golden Glove award for the fourth time youthful, vigorous model in the shape of tournament they are lucky enough to Veteran goalkeeper Petr Cech has Vladimír Darida, Bořek Dočkal and Josef qualify for. demonstrated that he is still a goalkeeper Šural. While the midfield will be much of world-class talent. Vrba can also call less aesthetically pleasing than the 96’ upon the experienced unit of Michal variety, there is still enough quality and Kadlec, , David Limbersky dynamism to make an impression on the and Gebre Selassie in defence. Marek tournament. Despite the menagerie of Suchy can deputise at left-back but is injuries that have curtailed Rosicky’s ca- equally adept in shielding the back four, reer, there is still the hope his big-game an option they will likely explore consid- mentality and undoubted technical abil- ering the vast ocean of attacking talents ity can make the difference one last time. of their group stage rivals.

džukic. Throw in fellow Galactico Mateo In the long run, you worry about their GROUP D: Kovacic and you've got one of the most squad depth, particularly among the for- formidable attacking line-ups in the ward ranks where the somewhat streaky competition. Nikola Kalinic would likely deputise in Croatia the event of a Mandžukic injury. However Cacic has sprung one or two surprises in they do boast a collection of midfielders Checkered chances his squad selection too. Many an eye- that can rival those of Spain and Germa- brow has been raised by the omission of ny. By David Cambridge Dejan Lovren, who is finally beginning to find his feet at Anfield. The Dynamo Za- If you were looking for an omen, Croa- Two-time quarter-finalists Croatia head greb production line - this is the same tia's best ever tournament - a third- to France in the throes of transition - club, remember, that launched the ca- placed berth in the 1998 World Cup - was their coach, Ante Cacic, has only man- reers of Modric, Kovacic, and latterly Alen also achieved on French soil. This time, aged a handful of games - but that has Halilovic (who is beginning to make Vatreni fans will travel more in hope than not deterred hipsters everywhere from waves in La Liga himself) - has generous- expectation, but one cliché rings true: earmarking Vatreni ("The Blazers") as one ly offered up a couple more live-wires to they can beat anyone on their day. of the dark horses for this summer's Eu- the senior fold, Marko Rog and Ante Co- ropean Championship. ric. CROATIA It's not exactly hard to see why. Led by Despite changing their manager, qualify- POPULATION: 4.2 million 129-cap skipper Darijo Srna, Croatia's ing was largely plain sailing for the Croa- THE STAR MAN: Luka Modric, one of squad is liberally sprinkled with foot- tians - they suffered only one defeat, a balling royalty. Midfield maestro Luka 2-0 reverse in Oslo - but things often the best midfielders in the world Modric will link up with Barcelona's Ivan prove a little trickier in the competition ONE TO WATCH: Marko Rog, the Rakitic and Juventus striker Mario Man- proper. Having failed to progress beyond starlet has been brilliant for Dynamo the group stage in their previous two Zagreb and could be in line for a big tournaments, Euro 2016's expanded for- money move this summer mat will be a welcome change. THE GAFFA: Ante Cacic If early momentum really is key to stay- THE BEER: Ozujsko ing the distance, Cacic could not have EVERYFAN ODDS: 32/1 to win hoped for a better start, taking on an PREDICTION: Despite a tough unfancied Turkey side in Group D's Parisi- group—quarter final stages at least an curtain-raiser.

24 SPAIN

loss to Slovakia early on during the qualification campaign. However, David De Gea’s superb showings for Manches- ter United means it will surely be him who starts between the sticks.

In midfield, the most pressing issue was who would be Xavi’s replacement. Ironi- cally, Spain didn’t have to look far to find his replacement, as Andres Iniesta has shown he is more than ready to take over the mantle as midfield gen- eral. Alongside him as a definite starter is the indispensable Sergio Busquets. A list of excellent names could play along- side these two, including the likes of Cesc Fabregas, David Silva and even seemingly lesser names such as Bruno his prime. Then there were the two strik- or Koke. ers, David Villa and Fernando Torres, both GROUP D: In defence, Sergio Ramos and Gerard of whom were shadows of their former Pique will surely continue their centre devastating selves. Xavi's usual midfield back partnership and Jordi Alba will start Spain partner Xabi Alonso also announced his at left back. As for the right back spot, retirement from international football Three in a row for the competition is intense but the more after the World Cup. Indeed, it was a experienced Juanfran should start. La Furia Roja? time for rebuilding for coach . A case of out with the old and in After a slow start to the qualification By Othman Al-Kooheji with the new. But things haven’t been as campaign, Spain ultimately topped their smooth as he would have liked. qualification group with predictable ease. You would think that a nation However, that hasn’t stopped the skep- Possibly the biggest dilemma has been tics declaring this team is behind World that has won the last two Euro- who to play up front. pean Championships in a row Champions Germany and hosts France as Diego Costa's underwhelming perfor- favorites for this tournament. For so long would be instant favorites to re- mances in a Spanish shirt and his con- the pressure has been on Spain to win peat the trick again. However, stant on-pitch antics has meant that he every single tournament, so to have a after a disastrous 2014 World hasn't even been selected for the squad sense of lowered expectations surround- Cup campaign, things haven’t at France 2016. Neither has Paco Alcacer ing them this time around may provide a despite his more than decent record for welcome rest bite. been the same for Spain. Natu- the national team. rally, no team goes on winning But make no mistake; this sum- Instead Del Bosque has placed his trust in mer in France, Spain will be gun- forever. After dominating inter- Alvaro Morata and Aritz Aduriz as his national football since 2008, options up front. A special mention ning to make it a historic third Spain got caught up by the op- should go to the old warhorse that is European title in a row. So write position who successfully stifled Aduriz, who at 35 years of age is having Spain off at your peril. the season of his life but is unlikely to be their possession based football. in the starting eleven. The more And it was not just the opposition who likely option to start would be SPAIN got the better of Spain, their biggest en- Morata, despite the fact he has emy were themselves. On paper they still fallen down the pecking order at had the best squad in the world, but in his club Juventus. This is mainly POPULATION: 47 million reality many of the nation’s stars were because he has gained a reputa- THE STAR MAN: Barcelona’s midfield tion as a big game specialist, well past their peak. Take Xavi Hernandez maestro Andres Iniesta for example. Surely one of the best, if not with the latest illustration of this ONE TO WATCH: Celta Vigo’s winger the best midfielder of his generation, at coming in the final his peak Xavi would control any game at where he scored the winner Nolito has impressed massively during his leisure. Alas, father time waits for no against AC Milan just one hun- the pre-tournament friendlies dred and twenty seconds after one and Xavi was no longer as mobile or THE GAFFA: Vicente del Bosque agile as he previously was. coming on as a sub. THE BEER: Estrella Until recently, the goalkeeper Others suffered the same fate as well. EVERYFAN ODDS: 6/1 to win The alarm bells were ringing long before position also seemed to have PREDICTION: This Spain team have the World Cup for goalkeeper Iker Casil- been a dilemma with Casillas’ las, but it was during the tournament reputation still winning him the more than enough quality to make it all that it became blatantly obvious to the starting spot despite some less the way to the final and could even win than convincing performances, entire world that the most capped player the tournament in the country’s history was surely past including a howler in their 2-1

25 IRELAND

petition. Quickly rechristened 'The Group with Sheffield Wednesday loanee Aiden GROUP E: of Death', Ireland face Belgium, Italy, and McGeady scoring wonderful goals that Sweden in Group E. turned out to be crucial, including a late winner against Georgia in the first game There is a sense that with the unpredict- Republic of qualification. Robbie Brady is a good able Roy Keane on the coaching staff this option on the wing – his left-footed time around, there will be more focus on crosses are consistently accurate and he of Ireland what happens on the pitch to keep him pops up with a goal or two. Do you feel lucky? smiling. Hitting teams on the break worked for Leicester City in the Premier Despite the availability of decent wing- League this season - who's to say that ers, a 4-4-2 system tends to blunt Ireland By Ronan Mahony O’Neill's pragmatic, tactical approach of as an attacking force, and the lack of Martin O’Neill will be looking for ceding possession against more techni- attacking intent shown at Euro 2012 was cally gifted sides and utilizing the pace of a big reason for previous manager his side to give a better account striker won’t pay off too? Trapattoni's departure. In a recent of themselves in France than friendly with Slovakia, O'Neill experi- Given the season that Ciaran Clark has mented with a diamond formation. It was they did under Giovanni Trappa- had with Aston Villa, Richard Keogh may one of the team's most impressive at- toni at Euro 2012. However a for- make claims for starting alongside cap- tacking displays in a long time, but the tain John O'Shea in the centre of de- midable task awaits the Boys In defensive vulnerabilities caused by a lack fence. The pace and technical ability of Green. of protection on the wings means it Everton right-back Seamus Coleman might be reserved for must-win games. Their reward for a relatively comfortable make him a valuable member of the playoff win over Bosnia and Herzegovina squad, and Stephen Ward of newly- The most likely scenario is that Ireland to qualify for Euro 2016 was a draw into promoted Premier League side Burnley will start the tournament with a 4-2-3-1 one of the toughest groups in the com- completes an experienced back four. formation. This would allow Glenn Whelan and James McCarthy to play the Choosing the goalkeeper is a holding role ensuring Ireland do not get tough call for Martin O'Neill. Dar- IRELAND exposed to counter attacks too much. ren Randolph of West Ham was a Wes Hoolahan would act as playmaker, revelation during qualification probably behind Shane Long, who scored POPULATION: 4.6 million when he stepped for the injured a famous goal in Ireland's 1-0 victory over THE STAR MAN: Shane Long will terror- Shay Given. While solid and relia- world champions Germany back in Octo- ble, he does not have the experi- ise defences with pace and direct play ber. And will there be an international enced of the now-available Irish ONE TO WATCH: Robbie Brady has a swansong to remember for record veteran Shay Given - although goalscorer Robbie Keane? wicked left foot. Look out for his set- doubts remain over Given’s fit- pieces and crosses into the box ness. It is a good selection prob- That win against Germany showed that THE GAFFA: Martin O’Neill lem to have for O'Neill, but a dif- Ireland can mix it with the big boys. De- ficult one to solve. spite their tricky group, sometimes the THE BEER: Guinness underdog tag works in your favour – just The Irish midfield are best de- EVERYFAN ODDS: 175/1 to win look at Costa Rica at the Brazil 2014 scribed as hard-working, steely, PREDICTION: It’s a tough call for Ire- World Cup, who topped a group they and determined, but they are were favourites to finish last in. And as land to get out of this group. A win capable of the odd flash of bril- Leicester City taught us, anything is pos- liance. The latter was evident against Sweden in their opening fixture sible in what has been the barmiest of would set things up nicely during the qualifying campaign, football years.

26 BELGIUM & ITALY

from the Germans, but will go into Euro GROUP E: 2016 in second. Marc Wilmots will be BELGIUM hoping his fearless side can go all the POPULATION: 11.2 million way. Belgium have plenty of quality play- THE STAR MAN: , last Belgium ers, meaning Wilmots’ selection head- year’s PFA Player of the Year The golden Bel- ache will gain little sympathy, here are a few to keep your eye on. ONE TO WATCH: Michy Batshuayi is gians an anthletic mobile striker, ready to Starting at the back, it is Tottenham we make a big impact this summer look to, with centre back Toby Alder- By Rob Flannery THE GAFFA: Marc Wilmots weireld showing his defensive quality all THE BEER: Stella Artois ‘‘The golden generation’, a desirable la- season. Alderweireld was an integral fig- EVERYFAN ODDS: 11/1 to win bel, yet one that carries immense expec- ure for Tottenham this season, and will tation. This Belgium team will be look to most likely be for Belgium also. His club PREDICTION: A fantastic side, brim- fulfil their much anticipated potential, as partnership with Jan Vertonghen will ming with talent, semi-finals are a well as captivate a nation at Euro 2016. prove crucial when filling the void left by minimum the unfortunate injury to Vincent Kompa- The furthest the Red Devils have gone in ny. a major tournament was back in the Eu- on the world stage this summer. ro’s of 1980, where they finished runners- Next we cannot ignore last season’s PFA up to West Germany. In November 2015 Player of the Year. Eden Hazard. Twelve Finally we look up top. There is one play- they stole first spot in the FIFA rankings months ago he was one of the most er that particularly catches my eye, sought-after players in the world, and Michy Batshauyi of Olympique Marseille. was the catalyst for Chelsea’s Premier The 22 year old has had an incredible League dominance. However this season campaign claiming 23 goals in 43 match- has been an entirely different story and it es across all competitions. He possesses took him until the 23rd of April to get his pace and power in abundance, and first league goal, a staggering undera- would be somewhat of an unknown chievement considering his display in the quantity for Belgium’s opposition. season prior. Belgium fans will be hoping Will the Red Devil’s campaign go up in that Hazard can rekindle his spellbinding flames? Or can they reach the heavenly form of old and showcase his true ability heights of their predicted success?

Rossi and Thiago Motta will prove huge- in whatever manner that might be, is in GROUP E: ly important to the success or failure of their mentality and history. the team, with their important ability to Forza Azzurri! screen the defence and effectively build Italy up play.

Forza Azzurri! In attack Lorenzo Insigne represents one of the few players in the squad By Manfredi Miyashita able to truly create something out of nothing, which makes him a poten- The Azzurri of Antonio Conte, the for- tially crucial creative element in this mer Juventus and future Chelsea man- Italian side. What perhaps is most ager, do not exactly arrive at Euro 2016 surprising, and perhaps even detri- as a favourite… but then again, when mental, to Italy’s chances is the lack of have they ever? The Italians have rarely youth in their squad. Italy has the entered a major tournament as the fourth-oldest squad in the tourna- most likely team to win it, but on many ment, and remarkably just seven of occasions have left victorious. The Ital- the 23 players in this squad are aged 25 ians have always thrived upon this, us- or younger. ITALY ing their supreme tactical awareness to POPULATION: 60 million shape unexpected and outstanding vic- So where exactly will Italy stand, tories. amongst the other great nations in this THE STAR MAN: At 38, Gianluigi Buf- competition? Even Conte has recently fon is still one of the world’s best It is no surprise that the untouchable been playing down expectations. “It's goalkeepers Juventus trio of Andrea Barzagli, Leo- important that the squad has a good ONE TO WATCH: Skilful Napoli for- nardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini will spirit”, Conte explained before stating in ward Lorenzo Insigne lead the Italian defence. Meanwhile in not-exactly inspiring terms, “If we are the midfield it is safe to say that Claudio able to find this way, it's possible to be THE GAFFA: Antonio Conte Marchisio and Marco Verratti’s injuries an outsider”. Perhaps it is best then to THE BEER: Peroni are a huge loss. They are two players simply expect the unexpected, to not be EVERYFAN ODDS: 18/1 to win that Antonio Conte had relied on surprised if the Italians, once again, defy PREDICTION: Not the best Italian throughout his tenure as Italian head all odds and manage to lift their second side in recent years, but they can’t coach, and in their absence Daniele De ever European trophy. Because winning, be written off

27 SWEDEN

virtuoso is neither an innovative or sus- GROUP E: tainable lineup but it did put Sweden SWEDEN through to the Euros this summer and as POPULATION: 9.5 million Hamrén said himself: “A good cook can THE STAR MAN: The iconic Zlatan Sweden make something fantastic with poor in- Ibrahimovic pretty much carries this gredients”. Make of that what you will. The passion of the side Zlatan Although there are some younger, more ONE TO WATCH: Young centre-back interesting players coming through a Victor Lindelöf has played well for bland and boring is what you are By Nima Safai Benfica this season going to get. Master-chef Ham- THE GAFFA: Erik Hamren In Group E, a shaky Sweden rén is likely to stir his pot full of dull ingredients and dish up a THE BEER: Pripps Bla will be facing the daunting meal looking something like this: EVERYFAN ODDS: 125/1 to win behemoths that are Italy and PREDICTION: Third place finish in Belgium, alongside underdogs ; , this tough group Republic of Ireland. , Victor Lindelöf, ; , Sweden may have one of the more , Kim Källström, Emil is not as clear-cut of a experienced squads in the tourna- Forsberg; Zlatan Ibrahimovic; Marcus choice as Lindelöf. However, with the ment; however they have two Berg. unfortunate death of pacey, level- major flaws that have been heavi- For most of you, these names will be headed Swedish wingers (Freddie Ljung- ly exploited by opponents in the familiar. Goalkeeper Isaksson had a berg, anyone?), it’s incredibly thrilling to past couple of years. Firstly the short stint at Manchester City from see a young player like Forsberg play fact remains that few teams will be 2006-08; Mikael Lustig plies his trade consistently and progress in his career. entering the competition relying in the SPL for Celtic, left back Martin Now playing for RB Leipzig in Germany, so heavily on one player as Swe- Olsson has been playing in England since he is continuing to show all the traits that den are on Zlatan Ibrahimovic. When 2006, Seb Larsson is currently enjoying gave him the honour of the Swedish head coach Erik Hamrén described the yearly relegation battle with Sunder- Midfielder of the Year at the age of 21 Zlatan as ‘the only world-class player we land and Kim Källström had a short loan and I have no doubt that he will continue have’, you realised what a captain, talis- stint at Arsenal. to evolve. man and national icon he is, but it also spoke volumes of the rest of the team. However the most interesting names for As a Swede, it feels pretty pointless to As a Danish tabloid so viciously put it: me are Victor Lindelöf and Emil Forsberg. hope for anything but a swift dismissal “Sweden’s team is about as interesting as Two of the most exciting talents to come from the Euros. We have little to no hope an early morning trip to Ikea“. through the Swedish football system for for our national team. many years and both are enjoying great Although Zlatan’s individual performanc- My prediction is that we finish third in success abroad. Victor Lindelöf is the es often awes opponents and spectators our so-called “Group Of Death” with Bel- hard man in a Benfica backline that has alike, the team as a unit rarely impresses. gium and Italy going through and Re- impressed many this the season. In my During the qualification campaign, we public of Ireland joining Sweden in the view, he’s an easy choice for the starting saw Sweden get outclassed by Austria misery. At least Hamrén will finish his lineup as we have not seen a defender and then torn apart by a very mediocre career as the national team head coach like him since the days of . Russian side. After somehow miracu- with a sunny vacation in France. lously finishing second in their qualifying group, Ibrahimovic bailed out the Swe- dish team with brilliant individual perfor- mances in the play-offs versus Nordic neighbours Denmark.

Formerly the manager of Rosenborg, Erik Hamrén is the current Swedish head coach has, throughout his career, applied an attractive style of play to his teams, as he did when for Sweden when he took the reigns over 6 years ago. However as time passed and the playing quality thinned he has resorted to playing with two blocks of four with Ibrahimovic floating behind a more orthodox striker.

Despite his issues with tactics he man- aged to maintain the sympathy of the Swedish public, but on February 6 it was confirmed that Erik Hamrén will be step- ping down from his position after the Euros, regardless of the outcome. Grant- ed, ten pedestrians and a lone but ageing

28 PORTUGAL

PORTUGAL

POPULATION: 10.5 million THE STAR MAN: is obviously a cut above the rest of the squad ONE TO WATCH: Playmaker João Mário was excellent for the U21s last summer and is coming off a brilliant season with Sporting Lisbon THE GAFFA: Fernando Santos sponsible for another disappoint- THE BEER: Sagres Cervejas GROUP F: ment, but in this case, the Portu- guese team were not expected EVERYFAN ODDS: 21/1 to win to shock the football world like PREDICTION: If Santos gets his squad Portugal they did. selection right—semi-finals The Cristiano When Eusébio was carried off the field in tears after the semi-final loss to Ronaldo countdown the home team, the Portuguese were more proud than sad. They knew they Through the qualifying tournament Fer- By Francisco Cardoso had just made history and even if they nando Santos chose to play Ronaldo did not win it all, they knew they had alongside players like Tiago, Ricardo Car- Pinto won the hearts of football fans all around valho, Danny or Meireles, players who are the world. all in their thirties and past their prime.

Fernando Santos, the Portu- The so called Portuguese golden genera- The preference of experience over young guese national team tion seemed to promise big things when talent was understandable as the priority was to qualify for the Euros, but once the coach, faces big ques- the likes of Figo, Rui Costa, Fernando place in the group stage was sealed, we tions prior to Euro Couto and Paulo Sousa won two U20 World Cups in 1989 and 1991. Unfortu- can’t help asking Mr. Santos a few ques- 2016: how to get the nately the promise was never fulfilled. tions: is this the best team for Euro 2016? best out of Cristiano Did you have a chance to watch the U21 European Championships, last summer, Ronaldo in his last In 1996 a stunning goal by Czech Republic's Karel Poborsky ended Fernando? tournament and the Portuguese dream in the avoid another dis- quarter-finals. In 1998 Portugal’s U21 national team reached the final (which they lost to Sweden) last appointment? New the incomprehensible decision summer, and it was largely due to blood or interna- of French referee Marc Batta to send off Rui Costa in the last the great talent of a handful of play- tional experience? qualifying match, in Germany, ers. Wiliam Carvalho and João Már- Tired legs and lead the way for a Ulf io grabbed the scouts’ attention alt- hough the team, as a whole, was solid minds or new and Kirsten goal that would kill the and showed that Santos could (and inexperienced ones? Portuguese hopes. In 2000 a great Portuguese campaign was should) take them into consideration. interrupted by Zidane’s golden The Portuguese national team These last couple of friendlies already goal in the semis, and in record in big tournaments is not give some indication of what Mr. Santos’ 2002, that generation’s last stellar. It is difficult to classify it as intentions are. João Mário seems to have chance, Murphy’s Law got mediocre if we consider the country’s confirmed his place in the team the best of the team and size but the truth is that there have and Wiliam 'the Wall' Carvalho is now they came home eliminat- been occasions when disappoint- battling for the number 6 position with ed in the group stage. ment was the best word to charac- another young prospect, Danilo. Fernan- terise the Portuguese fans feelings at Fast forward to 2016 and do Santos now seems comfortable with the end of the competition. the Portuguese find themselves in famil- the idea that Ronaldo, in this stage of his iar territory. They got accustomed to career, should be a striker in the national Probably the best example of that disap- team, and there is no other possible pointment came on the evening of the saying the best footballer in the world is Portuguese (even if that’s not always the strategy than to surround him with the 4th of July 2004, when a packed Estádio best talent available, even if this means, da Luz saw its home team lose the final case) but the tradition of coming up short when it matters is still alive and in some games, having an 18 year to Greece (Angelos Charisteas, a name old Sanches helping out in the midfield. forever engraved in Portuguese fans kicking. minds). That team was a mix of new (the Ronaldo is now 31 years old. He is still Tiago’s, Meireles’, Danny’s, Carvalho’s and nineteen year old Ronaldo), old (the 31 playing at his best but it is difficult to even Moutinho’s time is officially over. If year old Luis Figo) and imported (the believe by the time the Russia 2018 the Portuguese don’t want to wake up Brazilian born Deco) talent and, to this World Cup arrives he will still be scoring one day and realise Ronaldo’s time is also day, Portuguese fans speak of those days 50 goals a year. So, this is Portugal’s last over, the time to make the changes is with true sadness. chance to take advantage of having the now! So, please, Mr. Santos! From one 'world’s best player' (cough cough). Portuguese to another: give the kids a The 1966 World Cup in England was re- chance! Ronaldo’s clock is ticking...

29 ICELAND

GROUP F: Iceland Making Europe take notice

By Jack Rodway

What comes to mind when you think of Iceland? Most people would come up with hot springs, volcanoes, the northern lights and even frozen food. Well, now you can add something else to this list – football.

With a population of just 320,000, Ice- tion play-off defeat to Croatia in 2013, how remote the area, thus helping the land have qualified for their first ever which saw Europe’s big boys look at Ice- game grow over the past 15 years. major tournament, becoming the small- land as more than just an inconvenient It was not just the improved facilities that est nation to qualify for Europe’s premier away trip. helped. Since the turn of the century, competition. Replacing Slovenia who In the past you could have been forgiven there has been a serious and professional took part in the Euros in 2000 and boast- for only being able to recall Eidur attitude towards coaching, with the pro- ed a population of a comparatively gi- Gudjohnsen when naming top Icelandic vision of over 600 B licenced UEFA gantic two million back then. Even more players. Now however, the national team coaches, nearly 200 with the level A li- remarkably, Iceland have can boast the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson, a cence and 13 who hold the Pro licence. just 20,000 registered football players- name with which any Premier League That’s a staggering amount when you six percent of the population. football fan will be familiar. As well consider the population size and that If you want to put this achievement into as Alfred Finnbogason who scored for there are no professional clubs in Iceland. perspective, come the summer the will Olympiacos in a 3-2 Champions League On top of this, all coaches are paid, be on the same stage as Russia, a coun- win at Arsenal this season and Kolbeinn meaning children as young as six are be- try of 143 million people, as well as Ger- Sigporsson, now at Nantes in France, ing trained by qualified professional many and England with populations who had an impressive strike rate (46 coaches. of 80 and 53 million respectively. goals in 112 league games) in his time in The Iceland football season is extremely the Netherlands with AZ Alkmaar and In a qualification group containing the short, running from May through Sep- Ajax. These are just three of a number of Netherlands, Turkey and the Czech Re- tember (the shortest in world football). players that have been exported across public, Iceland qualified fairly comforta- This, combined with the improved infra- Europe. bly, losing only two of their ten games structure and coaching, means Iceland which included home and away victories At the time of writing, Iceland sit in has been able create an identity in the over the Netherlands. It was this success 38th position in the world rankings. This way they play the game. A high tempo and the agonising World Cup qualifica- is a huge leap for a nation who just four 4-4-2 formation with an intensity that years ago ranked 131st in the enables players to quickly close down world. This rapid rise up the FIFA their opponents. For a generation, ICELAND World Rankings, coupled with coaches have been changing the DNA of qualification for Euro 2016 is Icelandic football – all players are taught POPULATION: 0.3 million quite an achievement, but when that what you do without the ball is of THE STAR MAN: Gylfi Sigurdsson is a you look into it, this improve- equal importance to what you do with it. ment should be seen more as an Players must work as hard at retrieving huge goal threat and Iceland’s best inevitability rather than a shock. the ball as at attacking the opposition player with skill and flair. In a country that suffers from the ONE TO WATCH: Arnor Ingvi Trausta- harshest of winters with limited Come the summer Iceland may not even son is a little under the rader but has day light, the country’s Football make it out of their group, but whatever bags of potential Association (KSI) has heavily in- happens to them during the European THE GAFFA: Lars Lagerback & Heimir vested in 30 all-weather football Championships we should regard their pitches, with seven of them be- present achievements as a footballing Hallgrimsson ing indoor. In addition, over 110 success story. THE BEER: Viking Gyltur schools in the country have had So watch with interest as a country with EVERYFAN ODDS: 90/1 to win small artificial football pitches a population the size of Coventry goes built. It is this investment that PREDICTION: Unlikely to make it out of toe to toe with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Por- has allowed the game to become the group tugal side on June 14th 2016. accessible to anyone no matter

30 AUSTRIA & HUNGARY

player in David Alaba. The Bayern Munich Portugal at the Parc des Princes. The GROUP F: utility man has become one of the ‘Wunderteam’ have the ability to turn world’s finest left backs under the guid- defence into attack very quickly, a strate- ance of Pep Guardiola. He has been Aus- gy which, if used well, could ensure them Austria tria’s player of the year for five consecu- a very interesting summer indeed. For Fuch’s sake tive seasons with 44 caps to his name and he is still only 23 years old. When By Aidan Slinn playing for the national team he has been deployed in central midfield where they Austria come into Euro 2016 off the back maximise the effect of his sheer ability of a dominant qualifying campaign. They and athleticism. topped Group G ahead of Russia and Other key members of the squad include Sweden, dropping only two points over veteran striker Marc Janko and Dynamo 10 games and notching up 22 goals in the Kiev’s tough-tackling centre back Ale- process. Their qualifying campaign, led ksander Dragovic. Austria’s captain is the AUSTRIA by Swiss coach and former international recently crowned Premier League cham- POPULATION: 8.4 million player , can be considered pion Christian Fuchs, who had a remarka- THE STAR MAN: Bayern Munich mid- all the more successful for the fact that ble season at left back for Leicester City fielder David Alaba is a fantastic ver- Austria had never actually qualified for a in their fairy tale season. European Championship before (their satile player only finals coming in 2008, when they co Austria also have a couple of young aces ONE TO WATCH: Werder Bremen’s -hosted the tournament with Switzer- up their sleeve: is a Zlatko Junuzovic is perennially un- pacey and unpredictable young forward land). Koller has reinstated some confi- derrated with a lot of potential, and Kevin Wim- dence in the national side and they have THE GAFFA: Marcel Koller had some remarkable results, the most mer has shown his defensive prowess THE BEER: Stiegl notable being a 4-1 thrashing of Sweden this season at Tottenham Hotspur. EVERYFAN ODDS: 38/1 to win in Stockholm. Despite all this however, After such a strong campaign in qualify- PREDICTION: Dark horse, whilst a Austria are still considered outsiders – ing, Austria and Portugal are the favour- semi-final appearance is possible but will they turn out to be this tourna- ites to make it out of their group. First up ment’s dark horses? for Austria are rivals Hungary, followed Go to www.boxtoboxfootball.uk to read Oliver Austria possesses a genuine world class four days later by the significant test of Marsh and Liz Manning’s report here they will be watching Austria take on Iceland.

However, manager Bernd Storck’s squad that was, with all due respect, incredibly GROUP F: is not without some relatively household poor. names. Trouser-sporting pioneer and ex So what hope is there for Hungary? In -Crystal Palace man Gábor Király is still truth, not a lot. In a tournament expand- Hungary going strong in goal aged 40, managing ed to 24 teams, the odds of them doing to keep out Liverpool goalkeepers past Thirty years of something memorable in their first ma- and present Péter Gulácsi and Ádám jor competition for 30 years are slim hunger Bogdán. Bursaspor midfielder Balász indeed. But if this season has taught us Dzsudzsák, formerly of Dynamo Mos- anything about predictions, it’s that cow and PSV, now captains the team By Matt Cowdock they’re futile at best. After all, the man- and is indubitably their star player, hav- ager of that aforementioned ‘worst If one watches the grainy footage of ing played in every qualifying game Greece side in living memory’? A certain Ferenc Puskás and his Mighty Magyars while fellow playmaker Zoltán Gera was Claudio Ranieri. And we all know how of the 1950s, it’s fair to say that the cur- a long-time favourite of the West Brom- his story ended. rent Hungarian team wich Albion faithful. aren’t fit to lace their predecessors’ boots. But therein lies the problem with this Hungarian team: Having not appeared in familiarity is not enough. HUNGARY a major tournament for While Gera and Dzsudzsák POPULATION: 9.8 million 30 years, Euro 2016 have earned relative success THE STAR MAN: Captain Balázs presents untrodden and admiration at their re- Dzsudzsák is the go-to man, and his ground for this crop of spective host of clubs, the attacking guile will be key players who scraped rest are remembered purely ONE TO WATCH: Young László Klein- through to the newly- for just being there. This expanded competition team qualified by the skin of heisler’s directness in midfield via a play-off versus their teeth in a group where THE GAFFA: Bernd Storck Norway. The severe Northern Ireland and Roma- THE BEER: Dreher deficiency of tourna- nia progressed automatically; EVERYFAN ODDS: 250/1 to win ment experience is a group propped up by the PREDICTION: Unknown quantity, also compounded by Faroe Islands and the arguably worst but could make the Quarter Finals, the lack of any real star player for club or Greece side in living memory; a group country. thanks to limited quality in Group F

31 SCOTLAND’S ABSENCE

Scotland’s redemption on the horizon

By Ben Delaney have opened our big brown envelope yet confines of history as Gordon Strachan received nothing but bad news, the feel- constructed a side that made up for its Jealousy, we have all experi- ing of despair intensified as your pals get lack of star-power with a combination of; in touch informing you of their straight an incredible work ethic, cohesive team enced it, the warm, panging sen- A’s. structure and an ability to bend and sation that leaves you stranded adapt to a number of different systems. The old adage “I support two teams; Strong performances away to Germany with the empty, hollow feeling in Scotland and anyone but England” ema- and Poland and routine wins at home to the pit of your stomach. nates from such a sustained period of Gibraltar and Georgia allowed the six absence that the only true partisan level Jealousy can stem from anywhere, be it a million or so Scots to dream of a summer of joy you can withdraw from an interna- friend buying a new car, phone, or more holiday in France. This new found hope tional tournament bursts from seeing relatable for Scottish football fans, a was magnified when four out of a possi- your rivals capitulate. And to be fair Eng- glamourous, exotic holiday. For eighteen ble six points were accrued from the cru- land have more than held their side of years the Tartan army have peered over cial double header against direct rivals the bargain; time and time again collaps- Hadrian’s wall and watched with an envi- for qualification, the Republic of Ireland. ing, failing to utilise the undoubted tal- ous eye as, biannually, fans of England Sadly, this was to be the campaign’s high ents at their disposal. However, joy of pack up their replica tops and head to far -water mark as Strachan’s squad, in an all this nature is seldom more than fleeting off climes in search of glory. This tourna- too familiar fashion, coughed and splut- and pales into insignificance compared ment will be so much more infuriating, tered their way to the group’s end; losing to your very own, self-generated suc- with our other neighbours Wales, North- to Germany and more importantly Geor- cess. ern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland all gia, whilst drawing to Poland. The sole booking their places. For a Scottish foot- For the upcoming European Champion- positive coming in the 6-0 away victory ball fan it feels like exam results day, we ships all that seemed to be cast to the of whipping boys Gibraltar.

32 SCOTLAND’S ABSENCE

challenging but with potential match- sistently fled from the challenges of winners like Bournemouth’s sides that match their standard come and Watford’s Ikechi Anya, who have the time for competition finals. If Eng- already demonstrated their goal- land storm to automatic qualification as grabbing tendencies. The backs-to-the- they will be expected to do, that leaves wall, laborious style of previous manager the door to second slot, and the play-off Bertie Voughts have never felt more opportunity that comes with it, exceed- archaic. ingly viable. In a group as fractious and as evenly contested, where points will The draw for the 2018 World Cup has be dropped with the regularity of a been far more comfortable than some of drunkard fumbling their keys, the the wars of attrition faced in the recent chance to finally look out our passports past; drawn alongside Malta, Slovenia, will never be better. Slovakia, Lithuania and most saliva- inducing, England. While the group is far from a guaranteed procession there is clearly reasons for optimism.

Slovakia are a side that while decent are far from intimidating. Napoli’s Marek Hamsik is a world-class talent operating in his nation’s engine room, however once you branch out further into the squad their deficiencies appear. Defen- Above: 20 year old Ryan Gauld has been whet- sive stalwart Martin Skrtel and aged ting the national appetite marksman Robert Vittek are both in ter- Left: A young fan looks on as Scotland fail to minal decline, while Vladimir Weiss, the qualify for Euro 2016 player for whom the burden of creativity The future appears bright but when the may rest is extremely erratic. The rest of likes of Vardy, Davies and Bale begin to the squad is largely devoid of exception- strut their stuff and invite their people to al talent. A good side who can hurt even join in on their footballing party, it will the best sides on their day, as the Slo- be extremely hard to supress those jeal- vaks demonstrated by defeating Spain ous feelings. That’s the beautiful thing recently, but one that should not inspire about football however, tomorrow al- ways offers a shot at redemption. too much dread.

Slovenia, Lithuania and Malta are all sides that are beatable both home and away if treated with the correct level of respect. It is this failure to recognise the WRITE FOR US talents of nations of this stature that has We are entering new territory with halted Scotland’s progress time and Box To Box Football with an exciting time again. That leaves only the “Auld first issue of the magazine, whilst still Enemy” and as loathed as I am to admit running the website it, this group once again appears rather For us Scotland fans the period of self- (www.boxtoboxfootball.uk). straight forward for the Three Lions. Far reflection has already begun. For the from shying away from the challenge of Whether you want to contribute a one first time in over a decade there is the our biggest rivals and slipping into a -off article or become a regular writer fresh blossoms of hope on the horizon. submissive mind-set, Strachan cultivat- then Box To Box Football is for you. Despite the late disintegration, the feel- ed an aura of excitement saying: ing that Strachan is building something From Algeria to Zambia via England worthwhile is palpable, the hopes for “The sun came out just as and Spain, from the Premier League finally joining our friends on a foot- to the depths of the Danish 11th-tier balling jaunt are once again realistic. England were pulled out divisions, football is a global sport. Great stories are universal, so no mat- The defence remains an area of conten- and the place erupted... ter where you reside and which tion as the Tartan army still rely on play- The draw is good for every league or club interests you, if you ers of the calibre of and have something for us, we’d love to Alan Hutton, yet youthful talent is be- supporter “ hear from you. ginning to emerge and could make their In the last number of years Roy Hodg- mark on the squad, interesting talents If you are interested in writing for us, son’s men have garnered a reputation as please send us an email to: such as Celtic’s and something of a school yard bully; more [email protected] Sporting Lisbon’s Ryan Gauld. than happy to pummel the geeks and The scoring of goals has always proved dweebs of their qualifiers but have con-

“I support two teams; Scotland and anyone but England”

33

Kosovo’s Historic Moment

By Ross Highfield

The sporting map of the Balkans has changed beyond recognition independence was declared, and Koso- nations, notably Switzerland and Albania. in the past 25 years, with first vo’s independence was quickly recog- Albania’s captain, Lorik Cana, who has the fall of communism and then nised by states including the US, the UK, played for Sunderland, Lazio, Galatasaray the many conflicts in the region Australia, France, Germany, Italy and Al- and Paris Saint-Germain, would be eligi- seeing the geopolitical map of bania. More than half of the UN’s mem- ble, as would Swiss internationals Granit ber states, and the vast majority of EU Xhaka, Xherdan Shaqiri, Admir Mehmedi the area repeatedly redrawn. members, now recognise Kosovo as a and Valon Behrami. Norway, Sweden and The Yugoslavia national football team nation. Finland have also fielded ethnic Kosovars in their national teams. was still in existence in the 1990s, before With political independence achieved Croatia, Albania and other constituent and largely recognised, Kosovo has It is still to be decided if FIFA will allow nations sought political as well as sport- turned its attentions to the world of players who have represented other ing independence. Serbia-Montenegro sport. The nation participated in the Eu- countries to make a one-time switch of competed at the 2006 World Cup in Ger- ropean Games in Azerbaijan in 2015 in allegiance to start representing Kosovo. many, before Montenegro followed suit athletics, and plans to send athletes to It is also unclear how many of these play- and broke away from Serbia later that the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August. ers would wish to make the switch. Na- year. From 2016 onwards, UEFA now has Football, though, is one of the most pop- tional identity is a complicated issue in a new member in the region: Kosovo. ular sports in the country, and joining the Balkans and those of Kosovar- Kosovo came to the world’s attention in UEFA and FIFA became a key priority. In Albanian descent representing Albania 1998-99 when a war was fought between May 2016, UEFA’s existing 54 members are perhaps unlikely to want to change, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and voted on the issue of Kosovo’s member- happy to represent an Albanian side who the Kosovar-Albanian rebels of the Koso- ship, with the country joining UEFA after have qualified for the European Champi- vo Liberation Army (KLA), a paramilitary a successful 28-24 vote despite opposi- onships for the first time. As for those organisation seeking independence for tion from Serbia, which still officially con- representing Switzerland, Xhaka was Kosovo to follow that of Albania, itself siders Kosovo to be an autonomous re- born in Basel and Shaqiri’s family moved independent since 1991. In 1999, NATO gion within its territory. The repercus- to Switzerland in the first year of his life. sent armed forces into the region to help sions of this vote could go beyond the Quite how players like these feel about the KLA in their fight against Yugoslav Balkan region, with Spain in particular their individual national identity remains control. Still, it was not until 2008 that voicing opposition to Kosovo’s UEFA to be seen. membership, uneasy about a possible Albania’s football authorities are more precedent with several autonomous re- concerned about future talent; the Alba- gions within Spain. nian side has traditionally been made up Kosovo has now also been granted FIFA of both Albanians and players who would membership and is able to play in official now be able to play for Kosovo. In the UEFA tournaments, starting with the future, it is likely that the two nations will qualifying tournament for the 2018 World be competing for players from an early Cup, where Kosovo’s first match will be age, which may weaken the squads of against the Faroe Islands. But how soon both nations. we will see them in a major tournament For now though, the mood in Kosovo is may depend on the ruling of FIFA, and positive, with the country finally gaining the intentions of ethnic Kosovars who acceptance on the world footballing moved elsewhere and took on different stage seventeen years after the UN inter- nationalities. The wars in the Balkans vened to help the country’s fight against created a huge diaspora across Europe the then-Yugoslav forces, and over eight and like many other nations in the region, years after Kosovo declared its inde- Kosovo has a significant number of eligi- pendence. ble players who have represented other

34 EURO 2012 REWIND

like a smarter area and found ourselves in the middle of a large group being escort- ed to their seats. Conscious of our Eng- land shirts we, for some ridiculous rea- son, figured the best idea would be to go shirtless until we peeled off finding a ran- dom door leading to seating. Spotting two seats, we sprinted down and found cushioned seats awaited us. As we slowly sat down and put our shirts back on, we realised that we were in the middle of the hospitality section with people dressed Eagle - the main pub for the England from smart/casual to full suits all around fans. The night ended with a night in us. We kept our heads down until half Euro 2012 Chicago's, which is the most curious time and tried to take our chance...and nightclub I have ever been in. With the failed. We ended up back above the Eng- only customers being approximately 30- land fans and it wasn't long before we 40 England fans, the place felt dead but Rewind were kicked out of that section for joining our voices sang long into the night. The in with the England fans' songs. By Jude Macdonald bar was a strange mix of bar and off- licence where you could buy a bottle of Our original seats awaited us on one of "Stay home, watch it on TV. vodka and bottle of lemonade for your the steepest tiers I have ever been in, though after our celebrations when Don't even risk it… because you drinks - and we're talking a bottle of Glen's, not a bottle of Grey Goose! Rooney had scored the only goal, our could end up coming back in a presence was not wanted much longer. The day of the game vs Ukraine had coffin" Our animation cost us seeing the end of been a big one and there was lots of anti the game, we had worked so hard to see, - singing, including the Those were the famous words of Sol but was it worth it? Three points and a parading of a coffin by some England Campbell to England fans before place in the quarter finals. Yeah, you'd say fans outside the pub. We figured every- Euro 2012. A warning that we took so. Our night led us again to a much- thing would be okay as we went to the so seriously that we decided to livelier Chicago's, where the Danny stadium but it turned out the segrega- book ourselves up for an eight-day Welbeck dance move (after his goal cele- tion of supporters was a lot stricter than bration vs Sweden) and chants of 'Let's all trip to watch the Three Lions in both in Kiev. As four of us had got our tickets do the Welbeck' took over. At one point, Kiev and Donetsk. on the UEFA website, rather than there must have been 60 England fans through England loyalty points, we were Sol's predictions, as it turned out, could doing a conga as it rang out around the with the Ukraine supporters one tier up, not have been more wrong and boy did- place. diagonally opposite the England fans. n't the England fans want him to know. We moved round the ground to get our- Our trip had been an eventful one and We left two days after our first game vs selves above the England fans, directly although we had to head home the next France, where Joleon Lescott earned us above our other mates. Impatience got day, it had all been worth it. As other a point, and headed for Kiev. We spent the better of two of us and we went to England fans will rightly tell you, there the first night partying with the St look for another way around, meanwhile are always too many stories to put into George Knights and our first full day en- the other boys screwed up their tickets an account like this, but one thing is cru- joying sing-offs with the Swedes, who and threw them up enabling the three cial to note: no England fans went back in had all their group games in Kiev. Anoth- others to join them in the England sec- a coffin. The people of Ukraine were per- er booze-fuelled day followed and we tion. fect hosts, pleasant and talkative to all. travelled to the game, which to this day I The Swedes in their thousands, were per- would class as the best atmosphere I Our journey, however, was more prob- fect rival fans, inviting numerous England have witnessed live. England won 3-2 lematic. After leaving the stadium and fans to drink at 'Swedish Corner'. and the fans stayed behind for around an claiming we were bullied by the Ukraine hour singing and dancing after the game. fans in their section, thinking it would be Thanks Sol, but we'll look after A special mention to who a fool-proof way of getting in with the ourselves from now on. acknowledged every rendition of England boys, we were "England's number 1" with a wave during not permitted back the game and even came back out after into the ground until 15 being in the dressing room to celebrate minutes of begging and applaud us after the game. got us back we start- ed. We ran through the Two days later we headed to Donetsk, a concourse searching lovely place now unfortunately beset by for different doors that civil war. The trip would likely have been may lead to our goal easier if we had used a plane that was but got little apart made in the 21st century, though after a from confused looks rocky ride we touched down (with a lot from stewards. We of force), dropped our bags at the hotel eventually stumbled and arrived at the Golden Lion/Golden across what looked

35 PORTUGAL VS GREECE 2004

When Greece was the word By John Warrington averages, went for England; the bi- were eliminated on goals scored and annual optimists who believed 38 years Greece lived to fight on. of hurt was about to come to an end Only Joan correctly predicted Also out were Italy and Germany. Our thanks to the latest teenage boy- sweepstake was becoming nothing more Greece before the tournament wonder, (this time is was Wayne than a lottery and Joan’s smile was be- started. In the predominantly Rooney). Apart from Joan though, no- coming broader. For the rest of us, the body wanted Greece! testosterone filled environs of promise of salvation lay with the current the FSTV Euro 2004 production Working as part of the presentation team holders. Allez Les Bleus! I flitted between Portugal and London office Joan was our studio pro- The French weren’t quite the side they where the studio was based. It was from duction assistant. Her used to be. Deschamps, Blanc, Djorkaeff there I saw the opening match of the and Duggary had all departed the inter- knowledge of football was lim- tournament in Porto between the hosts national scene. But they still had Henry, ited to being the ex-wife of a and yes, Greece. Af- Trezeguet and the daz- ter a surprising 2-1 1970’s top-flight football chair- zling . defeat for the Portu- Greece’s coach man. She also confessed to be- Even though Patrick Vieira guese, Joan upped Rehhagel was born in would miss the game ing chased for her favours by the ante and predict- through injury, nobody two well-known (and married) ed these two coun- Germany and played gave Greece a prayer, ex- tries were destined former professional footballers. in the very first cept Joan and in hind- to meet once more But that’s another story. sight, Nike (the winged in the final. match Goddess of victory, not As one of the few ladies in the team, she A 1-1 draw against the sportswear giant). got first pick in the sweepstake. Most of Spain in their next game was followed by us laughed when without hesitation, she The hero was Angelos Charisteas of a 2-1 defeat against bottom of the group chose Greece. The reason she gave for Werder Bremen whose second half goal Russia and that should have been that doing so was her daughter once lived was enough to give the Greeks their first for ’s team. Spain though, there. Had you asked Joan the colours ever win over France. For those of us needing just a draw against Portugal to Greece played in, she wouldn’t have had working on the production, Euro 2004 go through, contrived to lose a game a clue. Meanwhile us ‘experts’ rushed to was fast becoming a Greek tragedy. Or they could have won thanks to a solitary select Germany, Italy, Holland, France, was it a comedy. If so, only Joan was goal scored by Nuno Gomes. Those who and Spain. Some (myself included) laughing. That night it dawned on us only plumped for Spain in the sweepstake wanted the hosts, Portugal. A few more, the Czech Republic stood between were left dumbfounded. The Spanish having been persuaded by the law of Greece and the final. Our last hope of

36 PORTUGAL VS GREECE 2004

wiping the smirk of Joan’s face rested wanting their country to lose in the final mattered lit like a beacon on the score- upon the tournament’s leading goal- simply because of an office sweepstake. I board. Infuriatingly, inexplicably it read scorer, Milan Baros. Fat chance! An extra- remember hoping my face didn’t betray Portugal 0-1 Greece with the winning time goal from Tra- my bias; I had no intention goal scored by that man Charisteas, leap- ianos Dellas, once of of becoming Greece’s ing high above Costinha to head home a Sheffield United, was Greece’s 2-1 win over second most hated Eng- Basinas corner in the 57th minute. enough to put lishman, after Lord Elgin! The whistle must have still have been in Greece, horror of all Portugal in the At the media centre later, the mouth of referee Markus Merk horrors, into the final opening game was I managed to restore (another German) as he blew for full- against Portugal who some sanity after a pep time, when my mobile rang. I answered it had beaten Holland. their first ever win in talk from some of Fleet to the sound of cackling. As I headed Twenty two days the finals of a major Street’s finest. There was downstairs to conduct post-match inter- after they had no way Portugal would views, I made a mental note to remove opened the tourna- tournament blow it; a view that grew Joan from my Christmas card list. Zago- ment, Portugal and even stronger after con- rakis smiled and told me he was “happy Greece were to meet again and the first ducting interviews with supporters of to be here”. Clearly! part of Joan’s prediction had proven to both countries. I just hoped my transla- be correct. It was well past midnight when my work tor hadn’t stitched me up. on the tournament was complete and I Before I returned to Lisbon, Joan sug- I was happy to feed this information back was in a cab heading into the Bairro Alto gested she should take the kitty regard- to London in my report which also con- district to drown my sorrows. It was pan- less of the result because she had fore- tained one-to-one interviews with the demonium. Sipping my Vinho Verde it cast both finalists. Nice try, but since I multi-lingual, Luis Figo as well as Cris- was hard not to become mesmerised by had gone for Portugal in the sweepstake tiano Ronaldo. Much to Joan’s chagrin, I the unreserved happiness of the Greece that wasn’t going to happen; not in a sent nothing back from the Greece camp supporters. Many Portuguese joined in million years. This was about more than a apart from a few sound bytes from Re- with the celebrations out of genuine re- game of football; it was male pride ver- hhagel’s open press conference and brief spect at what their conquerors had man- sus female intuition. It was about skill “happy to be here” type quotes from aged to achieve. I doubt if even the Rio over luck, and in a football sense it was Theo Zagorakis which rather nicely carnival had ever seen more colour, noise about attacking bravado standing trium- summed up the theme of my piece – the and jubilation. But with each glass, my phant over defiant, defensive and at Greeks were here on a jolly-up, Portugal attitude towards Otto Rehhagel’s team times brutal organisation. was taking the whole thing seriously. and to Joan softened. Four glasses later, Portugal had a young, precocious Cris- she was back on my Christmas Card list. The game itself was better on the eye tiano Ronaldo and the midfield artistry of She had become Hopelessly Devoted to than many predicted although to my Deco. They also had the brilliance of Greece and left me and some of my col- consternation, the first period was pretty 2001 World Player of the Year, Luis Figo. leagues feeling like Beauty School Drop- even. The way the second half started off Greece had Basinas, then of Panathinai- Outs. Those summer nights in Portugal I left me feeling more confident. The hosts kos who later turned up at Portsmouth. look back on as a truly memorable expe- attacked as if they had received the rol- rience even if Greece was the word. They had Charisteas and they had The- licking of their lives from Phil Scolari and odoros Zagorakis, formerly of Leicester they totally dominated the rest of the Left: Greek fans celebrate in Lisbon late into City. Most sane commentators believed game. The final stats showed Portugal the night Below: Theo Zagorakis lifts the trophy aloft in this would simply be a no contest. had 17 shots to Greece’s 4 and the corner one of the best underdog stories in internation- Greece had over-performed just to reach count was 10-1. But the only statistic that al football the final, but now they would surely meet their match against the host nation. Portugal simply had to turn up to claim their first major tourna- ment victory.

The first seeds of doubt crept into my mind when I arrived at Lisbon Airport. The arrivals hall was like a scene from Troy. Greek flags as far as the eye could see and chants of “God is German” in honour of their manager, echoed thunderously. Many had arrived without a ticket or any expectation of getting one. They just wanted to party in the city where their country was on the brink of producing one of the great- est shocks in the history of interna- tional football. Their faces broad with permanent grins exuded unbri- dled joy. I began to feel guilty about

37 BADGE OF THE WEEK

Badge of the Week: England By Oliver Marsh

Just how much do we all know about the iconic Three Lions that we like to sing so much about? Because it turns out that this particular badge is nearly a thousand years in the making...

To be precise, the presence of the lion on the badge dates back around 900 years ago to the time of King Henry I, who had a lion on his standard. During his reign he married Adeliza of Louvain, whose father also had a lion on his shield, and to commemorate the marriage he added a second lion to his standard.

Following this trend was Henry II who became King in 1154 and was married to Eleanor of Aquitaine who - surprise, surprise - also had a lion for her fami- ly crest. Three was not considered a crowd in this instance, although surely people began to consider some variety in their standards? By the end of the century Richard the Lionheart had donned the Three Lions as a symbol for the English throne, and thus it became forever tied with the Royal Arms of England and would later be chosen for many of the sports teams of the country.

38 PHASES OF PLAY

Phases Of Play: Group Stage By Jed Woodcock “I believe the target of anything in life should be to do it so well that it becomes an art”

Creativity not only “Football is an art, like dancing is an art— but only when it’s well happens on the field of done does it become an art” play, it also takes place inside a sprinkling of - Arsene Wenger minds on the terraces. Football is not just an effort to put a ball into the net. It has an aesthetic dimension—it becomes more than game, but an art. If it was any less than that, would we really still be complain- ing about ‘boring football’ and Tony Pulis?

Even as a Tottenham fan, I can admit artistry can even be picked up on in Arsenal’s style of play. Whilst walk- ing the ball into the back of the net after passing through every member of the team isn’t always the best strategy for winning a game, I can’t deny it’s beauty. However, this creativity not only happens on the field of play, it also takes place inside a sprinkling of minds on the terraces. These minds help highlight the art within football with art. Following on from last year’s exhibition in Norwich, Pat- terns of Play are hosting another exhibition of football art and design this Summer. This time it’s in London and this time it’s all about the Euros. The ‘Group Stage’ exhibition will take place from Thursday 9th to Sunday 12th June, coinciding with the open- ing weekend of Euro 2016. A brand new series of artwork will be on dis- play, celebrating the heritage of European Championship football including tributes to the players, nations, history, culture and iconic moments of Euro tournaments past and present.

For more information visit the Patterns of Play website at: www.patternsofplay.co.uk

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