The European Football Championships move into their climactic phase this week. Only three more middle-of-the-night ordeals to put myself through. I can make, I can make it.
For the past couple of weeks I have been playing the football pundit (in the comment thread to an early post about my frequently thwarted attempts to watch the games here in China), sparring with a couple of my old University drinking buddies, The British Cowboy and The Swordsman, about the prospects of the various national teams involved.
My friends rashly backed Portugal and Holland as their picks to take the title. I favoured Spain and Germany as the finalists (and I'd like to see Spain win it, I think they can win it, I'm prepared to bet that they will win it - although I have my anxieties that the relentless Teutonic efficiency we've seen so many times before may grind them down). So, yes, I am now feeling vindicated, and more than a little chuffed with the success of my predictions so far. (OK, I am disappointed that my 'dark horse' tip, Croatia, came unstuck against the Turks - but, really, they were monstrously unlucky. And no crystal-ball-gazer can claim 100% accuracy.)
Do please go and check out the thread, and add your own comments before the semi-finals and final.
4 comments:
Looking back at your posts, you seem to pick not actually make a final pick. You are as close to picking Croatia as Germany - that sort of covering your bets in prognostication is a little bit of a cheat, IMHO.
Yeah, well - before Game 1 had been played, I think it's OK to say I fancy Croatia, but Germany have the history, and I have no idea about Spain but they look promising on paper.... and Portugal and Holland don't have the temperament or the organization to go that far, despite their obvious flair.
After seeing a game or two, I said I still really liked Croatia, but feared they might not quite be able to all the way. I fancied them as an underdog, but went with Spain as my top pick. I 'hedged', if that's what you want to call it, by acknowledging that it's sodding hard for anyone to beat the Germans.
One detects the aroma of sour grapes from Cowboyland. You rubbished Croatia (and Russia and Turkey), but naively praised Holland (or was that only The Swordsman, who also plumped disastrously for Portugal and Italy?). So my picks - admittedly three, but always with priorities and justifications - are looking way better than yours or his.
Do you want to have another go at calling the semis and the final?
And we should probably go back to the Man-Eating Sofa post, to maintain the continuity there.
I'll take my overall picks against your overall picks, even though I dispute you ever "picked" Germany. I'll give you the Hun even. I still think I will win out overall.
I did back Holland, and I still think they were the best team in the tournament. The Euros is different to the World Cup. It's a lot hard for the best team to win because every game is a potential upset. There are no Saudi Arabia's in this one.
Remember - I picked Turkey for the semis...
Go back to the original post, for heaven's sake, Cowboy!
Post a Comment