The Iberian Semi-Final!
posted by The Blue Devil @ 10:37 AM
Lakenheath Old Boys
We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Lakenheath Old Boys
We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!
Contributors
Previous Posts
- The coveted LOB Shield
- Euro 2012 Predictions Game - Quarter-final Update
- Come on, England!
- Euro 2012 - Quarterfinal 3
- Bad Precursor for the Germans The Germans and ...
- Euro-2012 Quarter-final 1
- Euro 2012 Predictions Game - Group Stage Final Upd...
- Euro 2012 - Day 12 - England Expects!
- Euro 2012 - Day 11!
- Euro 2012 - Day 10!
383 Comments:
In case you want to relive the painful moments of Sunday, here's a pretty funny animated version of it.
Where?
Oops - here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nFLlgsad_eI#!
The coverage of the first semi-final is starting up on ESPN. Way hay!
Bollocks, Big Red, Double T and Bob Ley in the studio as usual.
The team news out of Polkraine today:
Spain: Casillas, Arbeloa, Ramos, Pique, Alba, Busquets, Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta, Silva, Negredo
Portugal: PatrÃcio; Pereira, Alves, Pepe, Coentrão; Veloso, Moutinho, Meireles; Nani, Ronaldo, Almeida
The Portuguese look unchanged to me but Spanish manager Del Bosque continues to confound people. He's changed a winning side once again, bringing in a striker for this one - but not Torres. And not bloody Fernando Llorente either! Instead it's Alvaro Negredo, who's only played three minutes off the bench in this tournament.
West Ham Rising will of course be looking for a big day out for his Golden Boot Boy Cristiano Ronaldo today to increase his chances of netting the LOB Trophy.
Good afternoon, BD and UWS. I am looking forward to the Iberian Derby. I am surprised to see Negredo starting
I have noticed that Skippy is MIA in big matches. The missus predicts a 2-1 win for Spain. I predict 1-0 to Spain.
Teams coming out of the tunnel now.
Hiya, MUR - great to have you joining me for some blogging this afternoon. How has your week been?
It's not just an Iberian Derby , but in a manner of speaking it's like a Real vs Barca match with Real players on both teams.
Great. Record setting heat since I returned. How has it been for you?
Really good - I went out to see Foreigner last night with a bunch of buddies.
That's right. It sounds like a great time. I hope you are well rested for the big match.
I'm hoping for a fast start and a goal or two from the Portuguese to get the Spanish to come out of their tippy tappy shell.
No ban for Ian and Macca after their horrible performance on Sunday?
I am well rested. I slept in and then did some light housework ahead of some guests coming in from out of town tomorrow night.
Shame. I did write to ESPN to complain about Ian and Macca's anti-English statements on Sunday.
I am hoping that Llorente can come off the bench and do a Solskjaer by scoring four.
Well done BD. I should have. We have been cleaning up around the house too.It is too hot to do anything outside, even for a monkey's bum.
Macca reckons that Negredo will occupy Pepe and Alves with his lightening pace today. I doubt it - I can't see Spain changing their game plan.
We're off from Donetsk.
We're underway then in the first semi-final.
Me either, BD. Perhaps a player is being rested, but it should be the same system
Veloso tries an ambitious effort from distance and earns Portugal an early corner. Good start from them.
Miguel Veloso has a shot deflected for a corner after Nani chased a lost cause.
Casillas made a right mess of that corner and it goes out for another.
Casillas tipped away the corner from Veloso
Casillas caught the next corner
The missus was being naughty on the car ride home from the beach Sunday after the match going on about Italy.
NAUGHTY BEHAVIOR!
Hi fellas,
I am home from some errands.
I think i want Portugal to win
Good afternoon, UWS. Glad you are here for the big match
Red card for Elizabeth - shocking behavior.
Hiya, UWS!
My father in law, who is part Italian , did for us. I agree 100%, BD. I will arse her if Spain lose.
My HD just went out.. I have to watch it on a crappy screen
What has happened so far
Has Ronny done anything?
now it is tippy tappy time.
BORING!
Nothing, UWS. Just that Casillas mis judged a corner.Otherwise, nothing happening.
Just over by Arbola... should have buried it
Over by Arbeloa after the Portugese failed to clear. Poor defnding
A Predictions game update. Only The Red Devil, Simon, Someone Said and West Ham Rising predicted Spain in the final and would gain six points from that prediction.
Did you listen to the Monday Night Club on Monday
England's best passer... Joe Hart!!
Most passes from one player to another
Hart to Carroll... that says it all
well over and wide by Iniesta. He should have done better. The LOBERS would have had that on target.
I saw earlier that the World Cup is on ESPN again next time
I think it goes to Fox for Russia
It was a poor passing performance. England have to improve on that. That came up on the BBC podcast while Bob was driving me to the airport.
I haven't listened to the Monday Night Club yet. I got a belly load of complaining about England from the other podcasts on the drive home from DC on Monday. I still don't think that England were that bad. If Roon had converted his chances, no one would be complaining, would they?
Brilliant update, UWS! The Nocito Sportscenter is doing an excellent job.I was not aware that it was changing to FOX.
Decent run and cross by Ronny... caught by the keep
Not happy about that move to Fox.
At least we won't have to listen Ian and Macca, but will get clowns like Wynalda.
Oh - that was a close call. Skippy goes down under Piquet's challenge just outside the box wide left.
Great run by Skippy and he wins a free kick about a foot outside the box.
Rasputan approved.
Ronny fouled.. free kick chance form a weird angle...into the shins of the wall
Looks like he's gonna hit this one from an acute angle....
Straight into the wall. Poor.
USeless free kick by Skippy into the wall.
Moutinho takes a corner that is headed away by Sergio Ramos.
Oh - great run by Nani and he was hauled back by Ramos. Nothing out of the ref. Wow!
How was that not a foul on Nani?
Ian and Macca are having a go at each other about that one.
They said the Portugese papers criticized the ref before the match. I can see why,
I disagree with Macca - Spain are boring.
I was expecting a card!!
Me too.Another foul on Skippy. Surely there must be a card on its way
Miles over by Skippy.
BD... has your GB man been on the pitch yet?
You should get bonus points if he never touches the pitch.... Messi played just as much!!
Big deal. Who cares about 2236 passes?.IT MEANS YOU ARE TOO BORING!
I just realized that the final four teams came from the same two groups!
The crowd's gone to sleep at this point. And I'm not far behind them. Only the one Arbeloa shot over the top so far in a quarter of a match. Some whistles as well.
He has not entered the pitch yet.Great comment about Messi.
BRILLIANT!
Some pundits this week have been raving about the Spanish passing and possession. I reckon that they've forgotten that the object of the game is to get the ball into the big rectangle at either end of the pitch.
Spain under pressure
That is true. All from Groups a and B.
This is the first time Spain have been under sustained pressure this tourney. Good job Portugal.
Llorente hasn't got on the pitch yet - Del Bosque must have something against them. In five matches now, Spain have only gone with a striker from the start twice - Torres against Ireland and now Negredo today.
Agreed, BD. Spain should be thinking about rectangular goals instead of passing triangles.
Iniesta has a chance... I thought he took too lon
Oh - not too far away from Iniesta.
Better from Spain as that was not far off from Iniesta
Nani was off to the races, but the ref blew his whistles as there are whistles in the crowd.
The Turkish ref is having a 'mare out there. And most of his decisions seem to be going in favor of Spain.
Oh - Skippy just wide of the near post there. He somewhat stabbed at it.
Great pressure from Portugal and inches wide from Skippy.
Nice effort form CR7... come on Porty!
I agree, UWS - I'd love to see Portugal win this one.
I agree, BD. He is having a shocking performance and it is as if he has been paid by the Spanish FA.
Me too. I would love to see Porty in the final.I don't think anyone predicted that
A burst of speed from Iniesta , but the ball went just out of play
Nope - most predicted a Germany v. Holland clash. One or two predicted France in it.
Negredo looks pants - where's Llorente!?
OUCH! Nani took an awkward tumble. I hope he's okay
I hope he comes and scores four , but in a 5-4 win to Portugal.
Useless pass from David Silva. He's been pants this evening
Bruno Alves is called for a foul. I didn't see anything wrong with that challenge.
Good - the crowd is starting to whistle Spain for its boring tactics. Lovely.
Useless by Silva... why not shoot
Whistles from the Portugese fans and another useless effort from Silva. Macca said he was caught in two minds, but he didn't even use on e single brain
Finally - Ramos picks up the yellow card he should have got twenty minutes ago.
ABOUT BLOODY TIME . Ramos is booked for a foul on Ronny after he tackled Biscuits.
For the first time this tournament, Spain has been the poorer team in a match
I think we have to conclude that the Negredo experiment has not worked for Del Bosque.
Again , Silva has been bloody useless.It's time to bring on Llorente.
I agree. 100%, BD.I expect changes from Del Bosque at the half and the hairdryer treatment too.
Actually, I thought they were the poorer side against Italy and Croatia for long periods. And remember they were just inches away from going out in the group stage.
UWS reckons Brazil are the world's most over-rated side but I think it's got to be Spain.
There's some argybargy going on now. Contreiao has got a yellow.
I agree with both you and UWS. There are cases to be made for both Spain and Brazil. Great point about the Italy and Croatia matches.
Hello gents,
I have seen games where Spain was unsuccessful, seemingly passing it around without any positive results, but the first 30 minutes here were even worse. They were struggling to keep possession, and there was a great deal of imprecision in their passing. Things have calmed down now, but they sure don't look dangerous.
Negredo. Really?
One minute of stoppage time as Coentrao was harshly booked.
Half time... shame there are no goals
COME ON PORTY
Half-time: A really boring first half here in Donetsk. I hope that Ian is right that there is drama to come.
Halftime and 0-0 as a free kick was headed on to Rui Patricio.
I hate this possession percentage... it means nothing
Good afternoon, Red Devil . I agree with you. Bob and I have been critical of Spain. Bob of Negrete and yours truly of David Silva.,
I agree, UWS. I typed earlier that it actually explains how boring a team is.
However, in both the Croatia and Italy games they simply wore the opposition down. Especially, versus Italy their tying goal was entirely merited (against Croatia I would not say I really saw it coming).
The one thing that might be an issue is the lack of discipline of the Portuguese players in the face of a team with known floppers and instigators. Portugal may end up with only 10 on the pitch.
Did you see that that Bale signed a new contract with Spurs... four years
I think things are starting to go Spain's way. Was Portugal near the Spanish goal in the last 10 minutes? CR7 is at his best when he is rampant, and so far he has seen the ball so rarely that he has been unable to work himself into a frenzy.
I heard it was coming. That is great news for Spurs. Portugal have been disciplined today, Red Devil. Only one booking in the first half, but the pro Spanish Turkish ref may play a role.I hope this is not going to be like the Croatia match where Spain play poor and score a late winner.
Will Fab come on? Three out of five Spanish matches have been scoreless at the half.They have outscored the opposition 6-1 in the second half.
Ok, let's have a Portugal goal to open this sucker up.
Here we go for the second half... better please!
The second half is underway from the Donbass Arena in Donetsk.
Agreed UWS and Red Devil
Spain have gone 344 minutes without conceding a goal.
BREAK THAT STREAK , PORTUGAL!
That link you sent us with the animation... was there any sound?
MUR, you are right. I was mixing up the booking for that ass-hat, Sergio Ramos. Much like Gollum in the Lord of the Rings, he may still have a role to play in all this...
Decent cross by Nani
I sure hope, so Red Devil. If Spain is the most overrated team in the world then Ramos surely must be the overrated player.
Llorrente would have put that cross in.
Spain win a corner from a decent cross. A cross from Xavi off a short corner is headed away.
Rubbis Macca... it's boring
Is this headed for penalties?
Get the cross to beat the first man!
Useless corner to follow!
Useless Portugese corner that is wasted.
Afternoon, Red Devil. I'm back after a few interval errands to hopefully enjoy the second half a bit more than the first half. My main point about Spain is that they've forgotten the whole point of this exercise is entertainment.
There was a lot of discussion this week on the podcasts about how English football is more entertaining because of the mistakes and that Spain by contrast is boring because they don't make any mistakes. I disagree - I think it's a matter of intent. English players and teams go out with the intent to score, whereas Spanish players and teams go out with the intent to control possession. In order to try to score, you have to take chances and inevitably you'll lose possession as you go forward.
No nil-nillers and then two on the trot...please no
Agreed, UWS. Ian and Macca should be banned and forced to broadcast matches from Macachakala.
Negrado off for Fab
Bloody hell - Negredo makes way but Llorente still hasn't got on. It's Fab - and back to the Strikerless Art Project.
zzzzzzzzzzzzz
Just as the Doctor ordered. The useless Negrete is replaced by Fab.
Answer my question about the link.. .is there sound?
Del Bosque admits: "I don't know what I was thinking. Essentially all my success has been thanks to Pep Guardiola and Luis Aragones."
I agree BD. Those are valid points.Think me watching this exercise in futility in this mid afternoon heat and trying to stay awake.
Great turn... horrible ball looking for Ronny
Not surprisingly, the fans have started a wave in order to keep themselves awake.
Worst match of the tournament?
Moutinho wins a Portugal corner.
Useless corner from Nani. There were better ones taken in Georgetown
Useless corner by Nani!
I want Porty to win this but I don't want them to be dirty against the Germans
wrong man shooting at the end for Portugal
I think it is the worst match of the tournament with Spain vs Croatia a close second.
I did not watch the animation, UWS, so I am not sure.I agree with you that we do not want two consecutive nil nillers, but it is hard to see this turning out any different.
Skippy goes down in the box and should really pick up a yellow for it.
Instead Biscuits get the yellow for miming that Skippy should've been booked.
Now it's Navas on for Silva who has been really quiet.
Navas is on for Silva, just as yours truly ordered, at least the replacement as Biscuits has been booked.
Now Pepe gets a card for kneeing Alonso in the back. Ref's getting a lot of use out of the book now.
Pepe is booked for a foul on fellow Real Madrid teammate, Xabi Alonso
Is Del Bosque a genius or an idiot? Every game ends with him realizing that Silva brings little to the game, so he brings in Navas to add width. Does he just feel that the first 60 minutes of the game are immaterial (unless of course you are playing against Ireland when you can count on scoring in the first 5 minutes of each half)?
Are those Hallmark Cards?
It seems that way, Red Devil. Is he a genius or banking on the work of his predecessors?
Pereira gets a card for an off the ball challenge on Fab.
A booking from the card happy ref as Fab went down easily under the challenge from Perreira.
Xavi over the free kick. Headed out.
Ok, the cards are flying now. Portugal needs to watch out.
The free kick is out for a corner after a one two with the corner flag
I guess the refs will get card happy with a place in the Final not in jeopardy.
I think David Silva can be a brilliant, dynamic midfield player in the right side. In this Spanish side, though, Xavi, Iniesta and now Fabregas are all tripping over each other. They're crying out for a couple of forwards and some width. Where's Juan Mata, for example?
This idiot ref wants to hand out cards for any little contact. even the senior citizen matches have contact.
Football Coming Home sung in the stands
Did you see that bloke who pulled down his shorts in stands behind the goal when Italy were taking their kickds
Good point, BD, but I fear that Mata is behind Silva and Navas in the pecking order.
BD... does the animation have sound?????
Poor effort by Almeda
Great touch from Skippy but Almeida blew the chance from the resulting pass over the bar.
Just to nitpick, BD, but shouldn't the title of today's blog be "The Iberian final"? It's the semis of the European Championships, but essentially the championship between the two Iberians (because Andorra never seems to qualify).
Long range effort from Xavi straight to Rui Patricio then a high and wide from Skippy.
That shows you a lot about this match. When Navas received the ball out wide right there were no red shirts in the box. None!
I did not see that , UWS. Perhaps the Dahlgrens saw that.
I hate players faking injury.. but the Portuguese are the LAST players to complain!!
GET THE CROSS OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's a fair point, Red Devil; however, I think I'd rather be watching Andorra vs. the Basque Country today.
No white shorts in the box when Coentrao crossed. A boring Iberian Final in a boring Euro semi.
Definite deliberate obstruction.. why is he complaining
In Ronaldo's range... come on Ronny
Skippy wins a free kick off of Arbeloa, but he seemed to run into him.
Okay, Skippy - wake us all up with a fabulous free kick!
Well over from Skippy (sigh)....
Get back wall....never 10 yards... over the bar... not too far away
OH!Just over from ronny from the free kick. A decent effort.
Here goes the Pepe whining...didn't they just complain about it
We should have Andorra vs The Basques on LOB.I would love to watch that!
Excellent point, UWS. More whining and diving than footie today
FINALLY IAN. You just realized that there's way too much passing
Why didn't he shoot... Nani would have
Come on, Nani - I'm counting on you, lad.
SHOOT THE DAMN BALL! QUIT DILLY DALLYING!
Under 15 to go
I don't blame Ian and Macca. It's difficult for broadcasters to admit that the match they're showing is rubbish. They would worry that all of us would switch off.
Fake injury from Fab
Fab now down... he was complaining about Pepe five minutes ago... I wish the press would start asking questions of the players... maybe they will be embarrassed!
Not really much to say about this match, but I have been impressed by Jordi Alba. He will be an enrichment for an already strong Barca side.
Man, if Messi was Spanish this game would be long over.
Post a Comment
<< Home