Euro on the Euros

First up the football.  Spain are a great side, but are a bit boring.  They are like Barcelona without Messi, which to all intent purposes they are.  It's nice too know the Germans have a bogey team.  Seems the Italians are the Krauts Kryptonite, and for me their semi final was the most entertaining game of the competition.  And who doesn't take a smidgen of pleasure from the French falling out with them selves?  As for our boys? I feel they are not as bad as we all think they are.  My suspicion is a rampant inferiority complex at International level, which I fear will consign them to failure for the duration of my life.  As for the rest?  Portugal like to fall over a lot, Ibrahimovic is a twat and the Dutch are shite.

But enough of the football.  What about the punditry?  Since Brian Clough hung up his mic back in the early Eighties, the BBC has pretty much had their wicked way with bland ITV coverage.  Who can forget such disasters as Gazza?  Now the BBC has also had some pretty iffy contributions of their own.  This is the station that gave Jamie Redknapp his start, for heavens sake, but by and by they have won hands down.  Till now.  Roy Keane may talk absolute garbage, but the glower he gives Chiles every time he talks garbage (which is pretty much constantly) is price less.  And  the way he dismissed the Irish effort was brilliant.  This from the man who walked out on his team mates on the eve of the 2002 World Cup.  His double act with Carragher was excellent.  In fact I thought the Liverpool defender was the revelation of the whole tournament.  He made his points eloquently and his insights were well thought out and showed a fine understanding of the game.  Of course the down side was it's delivery, in a high pitched Scouse accent that was not easy on the old lug holes.  I also like Martinez, although his inability to confess that, final apart, his home nation were boring, is a black mark against him.

So what about good old Auntie?  I am afraid complacency had definitely set in.  Hanson has become something of a caricature, and came across as pretty lazy, especially when paired up with Alan Shearer.  Why they persevere Mr Shearer is quite the mystery.  Boring, predictable and a tendency to interrupt more engaging colleagues, I am afraid it's time he was left to work on his golf handicap.  Lawrenson was much like his former Liverpool teammate, and never really got out of second gear.  But just when you thought the commercial channel had got the best of them, they pulled out a couple of foreign trump cards.  Klinsmann was witty and urbane, but even he paled next to Vialli, who mangled the English language, but was brilliant.  I loved his ketchup analogy in particular.

So an honourable draw?  I am afraid not, and it all comes down to one man.  Adrian Chiles.  As I alluded to earlier, this buffoon is garbage.  He brings nothing to the table, and his over bearing blind panic act concerning England was woeful.  I am sure he sleeps well on the millions ITV paid to entice him from the Beeb, but all the money in the world can not disguise the simple fact that the man is a complete and utter knob.

Roll on Brazil 2014........