Euro 08 qualifiers

Post by **Bamboo Grove** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 3:28 pm

Finland have the best players in Europe and should win the competition. If we don't it's because we have an Englishman (Hodgon) as manager and if we don't even qualify (after losing a friendly at home against Northern-Ireland it looks likely) it's because the manager is no good. Know what I mean.

Post by **Big Boy** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 3:46 pm

BG,

As a team that doen't normally feature in run of the mill discussions about football, I thought I'd look your team up ie:

The Finnish national team has never qualified for a finals tournament of the World Cup or the European Championships, but has made four Olympic tournament appearances. It was considered one the weakest teams in Europe in past decades; especially at a time when many of today's smallest nations did not yet compete in international football. Finland is one of the few European countries where football is not the most popular spectator sport, and the game has traditionally been played on an amateur basis in the country. Only in the last decade â€“ after the Bosman ruling and the removal of foreign quotas in the EU region â€“ have Finnish players had significant opportunities to play in the continent's top leagues. Today, nearly all regular members of the national team play outside of Finland.

Finland currently ranks somewhere around the lower middle class in the UEFA region. It regularly beats the lowest-ranked teams, and can occasionally perform well against the stronger teams. It has not, however, yet found enough consistency against the top nations to truly push for qualification. Finland is ranked 70th in the FIFA World Rankings published on July 12, 2006.

It doesn't make good reading, but good on you - support your national team, and enjoy the crowing until they get knocked out. Who knows, Italy managed to cheat their way to success in the recent World Cup.

Maybe there should be a major football controversy in Finland. It works for the Italians ie every time they get caught big time cheating, they seem to win the world cup. However if thats the way to win, I'll have to resign myself that the England team are too honest to win.

Post by **Bamboo Grove** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 9:12 pm

Never mind, we won the mobile throwing contest but I'm not sure where the manager hailed from.

Besides we always do well in bandy. Now, how many of you outside Nordic countries and Russia know what that is?

Post by **splitlid** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 4:28 am

bandy=favourite past time for bored, drunk reindeer farmers.

involves 2 reindeers,a bottle of vodka,some fresh breath mints,and one very drunk farmer.

national sport of finland.closely followed by phone throwing and vodka drinking.

hope that clears things up for you'll

Post by **Big Boy** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 4:52 am

Is that similar to the game Welshmen play with their sheep whilst wearing wellies?

If so, maybe there is a business opportunity for somebody. If you could get one of the sports networks interested, maybe they could televise an international bandy contest. However, if it is the same sport, I'm sure the Welsh are more dedicated, and would win hands down

.

Post by **Jaime** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 5:03 am

I reckon that the hordes of English sex tourists that we get over here are the real experts. Seems that the English can't tell the difference between a bar girl and a baa girl! It is getting nigh on impossible for a Welshman to get a local girl these days as the English fwryngs are taking all the best sheep. Apparently they can pay for better silage.

Post by **Bamboo Grove** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:18 pm

Do you have frozen fields, size of a football ground, in Wales? If so there's a chance for an international.

Post by **Toni** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 2:47 am

Big Boy wrote:Is that similar to the game Welshmen play with their sheep whilst wearing wellies?

Ancient Welsh Proverb - We sh*g 'em, you eat 'em!

Post by **Toni** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 2:52 am

It's nothing to be ashamed of. I've recently returned from the Falkland Islands, where there are rather alot of sheep, and I can honestly say they weren't a patch on our beauties!

Post by **Big Boy** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 1:17 pm

Toni,

Did you try the Penguins?

Post by **Toni** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 12:17 am

No, far too smelly!! I left that to the Bennies.

Post by **Joni** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 4:32 am

England-Andorra 5-0
Crouch 5, 66
Defoe 39, 47
Gerrard 13

Good start for England.

Poland-Finland 1-3

Gargula 90 - Litmanen 54, 76 pen, Vayrynen 85

Finland wins this is something incredible.

Thanks to Roy Hodson.

Post by **Big Boy** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 5:56 am

5 - 0
A fair start for a weakened English team, should have probably scored 10. Never mind, the team should be back to full strength soon.

Did anybody notice if Lampardi was playing

? Quite lucky they didn't need him.

Don't understand why Defoe was replaced by Johnson - McLaren should have taken Robinson off (he wasn't needed), to make room for Johnson. Maybe Defoe would have got his hat trick.

Post by **Bamboo Grove** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 10:17 am

Finland won, this is something incredible. Thanks to Roy Hodson.

First sentence is correct. And this is despite the fact that we have a foreing manager

But as I said we have the best players on Europe and should we happen to lose the next game against Portugal it's because of the manager.

Post by **Big Boy** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 2:19 pm

Bamboo Grove wrote:

should we happen to lose the next game against Portugal it's because of the manager

You will also have to endure the unfair tactics of Christiano (the Cheat) Ronaldo and his team mates.