Euro 2008 Prediction League

[SteveW]

Just to confirm that there WILL be a Euro 2008 prediction league running on the site.

We'll use our current software so if you have already played this season there's no need to be re-registering. If you haven't taken part in the Prediction League then you need to go along and register yourself an account. It's seperate software so you cannot use your forum/site login, you have to create a seperate account.

Every Euro 2008 match will be featured and we'll use the same scoring system as we use for our regular season long league. Oh yes, and there are even prizes!!!.....

The football club have kindly donated FOUR Main Stand tickets to any one of this seasons pre-season friendlies for the winner. Also I am going to give away an A4 sized 2008-2009 squad photo to each of the top THREE places as soon as it has been taken. So you will get a look at the team photo probably even before it gets in the press.

That's it, I'll post a note on here as soon as the league is set up and ready for you to start predicting. Please try and encourage everyone to play and lets keep the website busy over the summer as we count down to the new season.

Thanks

[SteveW]

The league is now set up and all thye first phase fixtures loaded so you are free to get along and place some predictions.

Scoring system:

Obviously there are no home and away teams so home and away are taken to mean the first and second teams as I have listed them in the prediction league fixtures

2 points for correct result but incorrect score.
1 point for predicting the correct number of goals scored by the 'home' team
1 point for predicting the coirrect number of goals scored by the 'away' team
1 bonus point for a completely correct prediction.

So as you can see there are FIVE points up for grabs each game.

For later in the competition where matches require extra time and penalties then the score that will count for the prediction league is the one AFTER extra time but BEFORE penalties.

Remember there are prizes up for grabs, four tickets to a pre-season friendly for the winner and three 2008-2009 team photos to the top three places.

Good luck.

[Glyn]

Thanks Steve

I've unashamedly nicked your idea for the TNS Forum, and will predict the opposite scores on here (except the draws of course!!)

:rolleyes:

[SteveW]

No problem Glyn, it's not exactly an original concept anyway :)

I'm going to sticky this thread aswell for a few days as we have just 30 people made predictions so far. I'm sure we can get a few more involved before the tournament kicks off.

Don't forget you can make predictions right up to the kick off and even go back and change them at any time before the match, you don't have to do them all at once so it isn't much of a task.

[Glyn]

and if you really want to back your judgement folks...

http://www.supporter.com/

[Glyn]

Thanks Steve

I've unashamedly nicked your idea for the TNS Forum, and will predict the opposite scores on here (except the draws of course!!)

:rolleyes:

... which means I may be bottom of the HTFC one after Game 1, but I'm top of the TNS one!!

:D

What are we doing allowing Turkey into the competition when they can't even spell the name of their country right on their tracksuits - it says Turkiye!!

:doh::p

(You watch, I bet Germany can't spell that right either....)

[Glyn]

These points need to be mentioned:

a) Clive Tyldesley reckons if Ronaldo's free-kick had gone in "it would have been one of the goals of the tournament..." - how does he know, it's day one and there had only been one piggin goal at that stage?!

b) How does the expert (!) David Pleat manage to turn "Bosingwa" into "Botswinger"? (I think we know that, don't we!!)

c) Portugal v Turkey in Geneva, why are the PA announcements in English? Are they just trying to rub it in?!

d) Pleat again, "Nani goes to outside-right...." Now I'm as traditionalist as the next man, but we stopped having those in 1965!!

:doh::D

[SteveW]

.... and that last second goal from Portugal totally messed up my 1-0 prediction just as I was thinking I had the points in the bag.

Congrats to DeaconB, the only one to have got BOTH scores bang on. Today I have a draw down for both games. Austria will be fired up for their opening game as hosts which may be enough to match Croatia and the Germans are notorious slow starters in these tournaments which may let Poland off the hook. Take my advice though and don't take my advice.

If you haven't started playing then get along to the Prediction League section and make yourself an account, with 10 points on offer each day in these group stages you don't want to get too far behind.

[Del]

:(

I hate football.....not even visible in today's updated table!! :doh:

[Glyn]

I'm top of the other table after 3 games - which no doubt means I'll be just below bottom in this one...

:doh:

[SteveW]

Today I have a draw down for both games.

I'm not very good at this am I? In fact I'd be bottom if Glyn wasn't predicting the opposite of what he really thought was going to happen. Time to start a surge to the top.

Romania v France has to be a Romanian win because I'd be upset all day if I knew I had predicted the French to win anything at all and Holland v Italy.. not a clue but I'll go with Italy because the Dutch players always hate each other which is a good enough reason for me to hate them aswell. :eek:

[Elder Van Van Looper]

Pure guess work from me! How long can it last? Proabably untill 6:45 tonight. :cool:

[Glyn]

I'm not very good at this am I? In fact I'd be bottom if Glyn wasn't predicting the opposite of what he really thought was going to happen. Time to start a surge to the top.



LOL

If it helps my genuine predictions for today's games are Romania 1 France 2 and a 1-1 draw between the Dutch and the Italians. Try predicting the opposite of that!!

:doh:

[Glyn]

How does the expert (!) David Pleat manage to turn "Bosingwa" into "Botswinger"? (I think we know that, don't we!!)



... and now he's calling the Italian goalkeeper "Bouffant"!!

:rolleyes::doh:

[Andy Pipkin]

And Camranasi!:D:doh: What a Knob!!:)

[Glyn]

I'm pretty sure I will have posted this link on here before but another time won't hurt

http://www.dangerhere.com/hallofguff/david_pleat.php

What staggers me is that the tv companies continue to pay these muppets for spouting gibberish.

I think it was Jan Molby I heard on the radio say last night "What decides these games is who scores the goals...."

:doh:

Meanwhile

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/euro_2008/7445476.stm

I think we can be fairly certain that the goal will stand, and UEFA will back up their officials. And that lino won't get another game!!

[SteveW]

Well I can't imagine that anyone got the Italians 0-3 defeat scoreline. Unfortunately I didn't see either of yesterdays games, I was cooped up in a Conference room until 10pm on what they called a 'Speed Awareness Course'. This consisted of lecturing everyone about what an evil menace to society we are for getting nabbed by a cash camera going 8mph too fast. At one point I thought they were going to wheel out a couple of Andrex puppies and scream at us hysterically "If you drive too fast you might injure one of THESE!!!"

Today Spain v Russia I have to go with the flow and a Spanish win as I'm desperate to get some points on the board. As for Greece v Sweden well, there won't be many goals in that one will there? It has 0-0 written all over it. Whatever you do be sure to tune in to this game as it's now certain to be a seven goal thriller.

[SteveW]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/euro_2008/7445476.stm

I think we can be fairly certain that the goal will stand, and UEFA will back up their officials. And that lino won't get another game!!


I've just watched the replay of this now and I'm not sure what all the controversy is about. The Italian on the floor behind the goal line is playing everyone onside. It's obvious. Am I missing something?

[Hallo]

I think the question was, he wasn't on the field of play, although the rules don't state that, just if he's still involved in the game, so technically he was playing everyone on-side.

[Glyn]

I've just watched the replay of this now and I'm not sure what all the controversy is about. The Italian on the floor behind the goal line is playing everyone onside. It's obvious. Am I missing something?

Ah, but you're not getting paid ££££££££££££££££££s to stay in 5-star hotels in Austria/Switzerland to give us your "expert" opinion!!

And they managed to debate it for (at least) two hours on talkSPORT this morning (during which it emerged that both Graham Poll and Jeff Winter would have disallowed it) when they kept talking about "The Rules"....now come on, everyone knows it's The Laws....

:p:doh::D

BTW, I've decided that when I forecast a draw on t'other league, I'm going to forecast a different draw on here, so I just might break my duck before the tournament's over....

:rolleyes:

[Glyn]

Spain 4 Russia 1, another prediction league breaker: Torres was offside after setting up the first goal as it was played into the net - I was out, have only just seen the replays, did any of the experts spot that??

:eek::rolleyes:

I lost my lead yesterday on the other forum to a Strangers fan, the only person on there to predict the Dutch to beat the Italians.

Mind you, he's told us today that he had money on them to win 3-1 and 3-2, which is a tad unfortunate isn't it....

:D:p

[Glyn]

Pleat's latest is to keep calling the Czech keeper "Petra Cech"

Can he not do "Petr"?

Twat.

:doh::mad:

[SteveW]

I lost my lead yesterday on the other forum to a Strangers fan
:D:p


I notice on other forums that the strangers are being referred to as 'Scaffold Rangers'






which is hilarious :D

[Glyn]

LOL, priceless

:D

[Glyn]

Yay, I have a point!!

.... and would have got tonight's water-polo score right if the Swiss hadn't rolled over!!

:doh:

[Glyn]

It's no good, I can't keep predicting the opposite of what I think any more, not even I can bring myself to tip Austria to beat Germany on Monday!!

(Just watch, they will now....)

:rolleyes::doh:

[Glyn]

I didn't have to wait long for the plan to predict the opposite of what I really thought would happen to work - Croats 2 Krauts 1

But of course, I changed my plan...

:doh::wall::violin:

[Glyn]

30 minutes, Austria 0 Poland 1 (though their fans seem, strangely, to be chanting "Polska" :rolleyes:)

I wasn't really watching but glanced up as the goal went in and immediately said "offside", since it was blatantly so. Waited two minutes and four replays for either the commentator or the "expert" [Lawrenson] to notice it. They didn't, until another replay was shown on 35 minutes when they first raised the question.

No doubt at half-time, the three "experts", with the benefit of 6 replays, will conclude that it was. But if I can see it from thousands of miles away, why can't the "Assistant Referee" (ha!) and those who the BBC is paying to tell us what is happening do so??

:mad::mad::mad:

[Glyn]

I don't understand it.

Netherlands beat Italy 3-0 and France 4-1, yet in the post-match interview Ruud van Nistelrooy still has a long face!!

:eek::D

[SteveW]

Having risen to the dizzy heights of 27th in the Prediction League and at long last making it onto the front page I decided that I needed to buck the trend tro catch up with the leaders.

Austria would be well up for their clash with the hated Germans and Portugal couldn't give a toss as they'd qualified aleady so time to predict two victories for the underdogs.

Unfortunately I reckoned without Austria being totally crap and Croatia getting this national pride thing and not playing ball.

So I have now slumped down to 32nd in the league and off the front page. There are two solutions to this:

Option A: I can start actually getting some of these predictions right to make sure I get back on the front page

Option B: I can change the front page to include 32 teams instead of 30

Well, it's no contest is it really :D

[Del]

Never mind Steve!! :D

I was beginning to think my entry into the league had been refused.....but there I am languishing in the lower levels....literally! :tape:

[Glyn]

So I have now slumped down to 32nd in the league and off the front page. There are two solutions to this:

Option A: I can start actually getting some of these predictions right to make sure I get back on the front page

Option B: I can change the front page to include 32 teams instead of 30

Well, it's no contest is it really :D

I reckon the front page should include nos 1-42!! :rolleyes:

(But hey, at least I'm off the bottom now I've started trying!!)

:D

[SteveW]

Okay who thinks the Dutch won't be trying TOO hard this evening. A Romanian win would knock out both the French and the Italians. Not a bad nights work :)

[dave jarvu, mystery man]

I've gone for a Romanian win but I'm struggling to adapt to the step up from domestic to International football.

[Perton Pitman]

The Euros seem to be easier to predict than HTFC games!

[Glyn]

Okay who thinks the Dutch won't be trying TOO hard this evening. A Romanian win would knock out both the French and the Italians. Not a bad nights work :)

... and would improve their (the Dutch) chances of winning overall as they could then be meeting whichever of the 3 other countries progresses from the Group of Death in the Semi-Finals, if I understand the schedule correctly....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/euro_2008/schedule_and_statistics/default.stm

... so laying down and dying to let the Romanians through would seem to make sense to me....

:doh:

[Dorinda]

Option A: I can start actually getting some of these predictions right to make sure I get back on the front page

Option B: I can change the front page to include 32 teams instead of 30

Well, it's no contest is it really :D

I like Option B too as now I'm on the front page!!!

[Glyn]

BTW, qualification from Group C is perfectly straightforward, here's the BBC's succinct explanation:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/euro_2008/italy/7457863.stm

( read it carefully, I'll be testing you on it later)

:eek::confused::doh:

[Glyn]

How much longer do we have to put up with Motson?

The man is unbelievable. He sounds as if he might explode at any moment, and as if he's never been to a big game before. Can't even tell the difference between the French and the Italian managers.

I'm just going to check and see if I have the red button option of "crowd noise only"

Lawrenson's contribution suggests the depth of his expertise is that of a 2-year-old girl (he reckons the ref could have given the French centre-half a yellow-card - on what basis?? It was either a red or nothing. And it was a red!)

On 14 minutes, with the score on 0-0, I tuned in briefly to Five Live and found the expert Chris Waddle saying "... good game, it could go either way..." Really??

Prat.

:mad:

[Andy Pipkin]

And to top it all Motson asks Lawro when might Luca Toni score? May it be later on in the tournement the QF's or later? Twit doesn't realise it was the last of group games.:wall:

Mind Luca Toni couldn't hit a Cow's arse with a Banjo.

[Glyn]

Comment from an expert on Italian football on the radio today:

"Luca Toni made Jeff Astle look like a good finisher....."

:D

Someone on another forum in which I take part asked "why is Waddle a prat?" in response to my above comment.

Why are we BBC licence-fee-payers paying for people to stay in top hotels and get the best seats in the house if they can't tell us anything about the game we can't work out for ourselves? And come to that, why are/were Ray Stubbs and Marcel Desailly there?

[Glyn]

I like Option B too as now I'm on the front page!!!

I see it's back to the top 30 on page 1 now that Steve and Dorinda are both outside the top 32 !!

:rolleyes::clap2::D

[Del]

Still hanging on in there at number 26! :clap2:


Good job we are not playing for money :tape:


........ we aren't are we?? :eek:

[Glyn]

I'm raring to go with my predictions for QF3 and 4....

:doh:

[Glyn]

Just checked the table - I'm getting dizzy!!

Dorinda and I both think the front page should include the top 40....

:doh::D

[Glyn]

Marcel Desailly:

"At the end of the day it is Croatia who are having the best occasion in that game."

WHAT?????

:mad:

(In response to that email which is doing the rounds at present asking "friends" to describe you in one word, I've been summed up as "grumpy" and "pedantic", so you must excuse me, I have an image to live up to!! (or should that be "up to which to live....")

:D

[Glyn]

I'm out on Saturday and Sunday and Thursday nights, so my only Euro 08 game before the final now will be the Turks again on Wednesday. Oh, what joy....

:doh:

[Del]

I'm out on Saturday and Sunday and Thursday nights, so my only Euro 08 game before the final now will be the Turks again on Wednesday. Oh, what joy....

:doh:



.....and that one word is....DRUNKARD! :D

[Glyn]

.....and that one word is....DRUNKARD! :D

Who said anything about drinking? I'm just forwarding your post to my solicitors.

:p

[dave jarvu, mystery man]

The Euros seem to be easier to predict than HTFC games!

Would you like to reconsider that Perton?

[Glyn]

LOL, I make that the three 2nd-place teams from the groups through so far??

:eek:

Hey, "really brave decision by the ref" tonight to rescind the 2nd yellow card which would have resulted in Russia playing extra time with 10 men

Or, from another point of view, absolutely ****** ridiculous decision to give the guy a
2nd yellow in the first place. Will these muppets never learn that you should never, ever, send players off unless you are ABSOLUTELY SURE that they have committed a serious-enough offence??

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Perton Pitman]

Would you like to reconsider that Perton?

Nope!!!!

[dave jarvu, mystery man]

Nope!!!!

I can see why :)

Don't forget I'll have one of your free tickets when you get 'em :D

[Perton Pitman]

I can see why :)

Don't forget I'll have one of your free tickets when you get 'em :D

Knowing my luck I'll blow it at the last minute. I haven't counted you out of it until it's statistically impossible for you to win it:D

[Glyn]

Highlights so far from Germany v Turkey:

Pre-match (I nipped over during the ad break in the cricket highlights), M Desailly proves that he is an expert afer all, with his response to Mr Stubbs' suggestion that Germany will win, "I don't think so, it's going to be a strange and impredictable (sic) game...."

Motty on his usual form:

"Given Lahm a bad time haven't they" (I think the word he was looking for was "roasting" :D )

"Can I just remind you at Wimbledon tomorrow.... (to Lawro) ... sorry, you wanted to draw my attention back to the football...." Well, that would figure, since that's what the Licence-Fee-Payer is paying you to describe!! :rolleyes::doh:

[Glyn]

Quote of the tournament from my mate Paul during the tv-picture breakdown:

"The Germans are playing better on the radio"

:D

BTW, it took Motty 55 minutes to tell us that Thomas Hitzlsperger used to play for the Villa....

:doh::mad:

[Glyn]

Lawro can think as much as he likes that we should be playing extra time, I'm just so glad we aren't, couldn't stand any more of him and Motty!!

(Did you know they call Hitzlsperger "Der Bomber"?)

:doh:

(Off-forum Paul and I were just hoping that the power-cut had rendered Motty and Lawro speechless for ever, but you can't win them all....)

[Dorinda]

Wasn 't it so much nicer with the 5live coverage!!

[Andy Pipkin]

Other than the bit where they reckoned "Turkey have had nothing up front since Suker left".:confused:

You retire not leave!:D

[Glyn]

This from another forum on which I play....

Surreal viewing. Even when Motson's commentary was being broadcast a second before the pictures...he still only just about managed to keep up with play.

There was a wonderful few minutes on BBC HD when they managed to get Alan Green's R5 commentary with the BBC pictures...proper descriptive commentary with a bit of excitement.....but then Motson came back on for the last 30 seconds and spoiled it :-(

Another Lineker special at the end "Silenced by the Lahm".
He's getting as bad as Nick Owen.

And here's how we're delaing with any ties in the TNS Prediction League....

We will stick with the original plan to decide any ties, ie predict the minute in which the first goal is scored in Sunday's final, but just for fun you can also forecast in which minute Pinky or Perky (assuming we're stuck with them for the commentary again) will tell us that Thomas Hitzlsperger used to play for the Villa

;-(

:doh:

[Dorinda]

Not forgetting when motty kept telling us we apologise that you can't see pictures after they had come back which was before his annoying voice came back. It's nice to know the BBC knew what was happening!!

[MikeM]

Hold on a minute, I've been enjoying the BBC commentary in general (ignoring the obligatory ex-Scouse player as 'expert' co-commentator whom all channels have, by an ancient FA bylaw, to provide) and I realised why, when I accidentally turned on the Wimbledon coverage and heard the never-to-be-forgotten tones of Barry Davies, over-dramatising some trivial event or moralising in his tedious way about a sport that deserves him and he it. In comparison, Motty is perfect. I have to say, however, that when the ludicrously-screeching Pearce was on in the early rounds, I used the facility on Digital to replace him with the Radio 5 commentary.

[Glyn]

Flippin eck, haven't they pensioned Davies off yet??

Even by the BBC's self-important standards, he is the most overblown prat that ever lived (I had a letter in When Saturday Comes on that very subject!)

Someone I know very well was once at a game at Goodison Park where it was necessary for the aforementioned commentator to walk half-way round the pitch to gain access to his gantry.

He carried a briefcase with him (as we all do when we go to games :confused:) and was signing autographs on his way round.

:mad::doh:

[dave jarvu, mystery man]

Glyn, you'll be happy to know that after Sunday's Final, Motty is 'retiring from International football (his words not mine, I expect he means commentating on International football) which means he'll still be on MOTD next season though.

[Glyn]

Glyn, you'll be happy to know that after Sunday's Final, Motty is 'retiring from International football (his words not mine, I expect he means commentating on International football) which means he'll still be on MOTD next season though.

I'd just be happy if there were a power-cut at every game he "does" from now on, my ears are hurting from every time someone crosses the half-way line with the ball and he shouts "OOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHH......"

:rolleyes:

[Glyn]

I've come with a late run....

I can see you down there Dorinda!!

http://www.hednesfordtown.com/index.php?categoryid=9

:D:p

[Dorinda]

I don't help myself do I! I forgot to predict for yesterdays game due to having so much to do on my 2 weeks off work! I don't think I would have predicted 3-0 but I would have predicted a Spain victory. Oh well it's not like I could win is it!

[Glyn]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7478872.stm

Would it be wrong of me to suggest it should have been the BBC, not its employee, who decided when it was time for him to go??

;)

[Glyn]

Disappointing first-half for Motty-watchers... just this gem on 15 minutes, as the camera shows some Spanish subs on the bench...

Motty: "Some of those on the bench."

Thanks John. :rolleyes:

Is Lahm Philip Neville in disguise??

:p

I think I may have just found the root of some problems at Villa Park...

MON "You can't change things overnight, or in a couple of days..."

Yes you can!!

:eek:

[Glyn]

Motty:

"Spain are within 20 minutes, and a bit more, of winning their first trophy...."

So they're not within 20 minutes then....

:doh:

[Glyn]

My last few words (for now!!) on Motty....

Here's some typical BBC self-eulogising over-indulgence.... which also tells us that, right from the very start, Motson told us what we can already see for ourselves... "the crowd are invading the pitch.." - yeah, apart from the blind viewers we can all see that....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/euro_2008/7479459.stm

That said, turn the sound down and watch the action, and realise what a lucky $od he's been to see some terrific action all over the world and get paid for wittering on all over it!!

:doh::rolleyes: