England's Chances at Euro 2012

Expectations have to be at all time low, so that may actually help and the players might be more relaxed. If they beat the French in the first game watch for the band wagon to take off and the pressure will be back on.

France has a very good team, young, fast, skillful, with practically two good players in every position. They will have a strong bench and there will be quality players coming in to tip the balance if needed if any of the group games are still up for grabs in the last 20 minutes.

Ukraine has the advantage of playing at home. They also have a good midfield, with everyone talking about Andriy Yarmolenko as one of the "new" players to watch at this tournament. They also have Konoplyanka and Gusev in their midfield and England's midfield could have problems getting the ball back. Throw in Shevchenko who is supposed to have regained some of his form and Ukraine won't be a push over.

Sweden always gives England a tough game and I don't expect any different this time. The Swedes do play attacking football so Ibrahimovic will get his goals, but like Ukraine they aren't very good defensively.

The French are a very good dark horse to win the competition and I expect them to win this group. It's a toss up who finishes second. Hodgson, I suspect will set England up to play with two defensive midfielders and try to score on the counter. Both Sweden and Ukraine play attacking football and are supposed to be weaker at the back than England, so that maybe the edge that gets England second in the group.

However, with Spain or Italy waiting in the quarter finals, just getting out of the group stage might be as good as England can hope for.

I have no plans to watch any of the games this year.

Been trying to book a nice holiday so we are out of the country, but it seems family commitments is making it difficult for us all to be "free" at the same time.

Probably suffer a game or two, unless I can convince my beautiful wife we dont need the "Herberts" with us

Any idea what the midfield is going to look like after the injuries to Barry and Lampard?

Thought the performance was very poor last night. I can understand Roy looking for us to play a defensive way, but the ability to break fast on a few occasions must be done with more fluent & precise manner.

Almost fell off my chair when Andy Townsend, that all round good Londoner irishman, announced Gerrard as MOTM. It got the biggest laugh of the night in the Pub I was watching the game.

And then, to add insult to his pathetic opinion, when asked on Hazard, he downplayed the boys performance & questioned the amount of money Chelsea are to pay.

Compared with Gerrard's performance, Hazards was far superior & whoever he joins, they are going to get a very talented young footballer.

Only saw the first half then we lost transmission here. England was poor in the first half and Belgium was all over them. Welbeck scored a nice goal but it was against the run of play.

Hazard started the game really sharp and looked the real deal then he seemed to fade the last 20 minutes of the half. I can't say what he was like in the second half, but Mertens looked the more lively.

Judging on the first half performance I can't see how any English player was MOTM.

I maybe bias here but Henderson and Kelly in for the injured Barry and Cahill? How does all those Liverpool players make the England squad, looks like Roy is trying to make amends to the Liverpool fans for the crap job he did as their manager.


If the English players were healthy and fresh, I would say they might pull a Greece. But even Greece had better players than this team.

No doubt they are going to play tight at the back two holding midfielders, clog up the middle and hope to catch teams on the break.