EPL Talk has two Euro 2008 shirts to give away as prizes courtesy of sponsor Castrol Oil, creator of the excellent Castrol Performance Index which provides statistics and analysis of the Euro 2008 matches. To win one of these shirts, all you have to do is visit http://www.castrolindex.com/ and search through the pages looking for […]

Watching Russia beat Holland 3-1 tonight in Basel to qualify for the semi-finals of Euro 2008, we may have seen the future champions of Europe. Their performance, at times, was simply breathtaking. Over the entire 120 minutes, the best team deservedly won the match. Holland had plenty of chances to score but they were, for […]

One of the pleasures of going to see a live match in England and continental Europe these days is the lack of fan segregation. After leaving Wales in 1984 and returning to England in 2006 to attend a professional match again, I was shocked by how fans were allowed to mingle together in the streets […]

Here's a photograph of me, The Gaffer, partying with two friendly Dutch fans in the streets of Berne, Switzerland before the Italy against Holland match. I'll be at Slainte's Pub in Boynton Beach this afternoon cheering on the Dutch. Come back later tonight for a full report as well as articles throughout the day from […]

First of all, let me say what a super performance Germany gave last night. They tactically outclassed Portugal from the get go and thoroughly deserved their win. Anyway, enough of yesterday, now for today's big clash. Before yesterday, I'd have put my house on Croatia winning this game, now I'm not so sure I don't […]

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So here we go, we've had 12 days of blood and thunder football, sublime skills, shock results, new stars and the retirement of legends. Tonight sees the first of the Quarter Finals and what a way to start this section of the competition. There is no doubting over the last 10 years, Portugal's stock has […]

Experiencing Euro 2008 from the comfort of your home, office or local pub is so different than seeing the game live in person. But what goes on inside a stadium in the buildup to a Euro 2008 game? For the first round of Euro 2008 matches that began at 2.45pm ET, most — if not […]

The French participated in Euro 2008, but only in name. Their performance was a still, lifeless damp squib. The blame lies with one man, Raymond Domenech.France missed their renowned number 10, but, more pressing was the lack of any number 10 in Domenech’s formation. The French used a depressed 4-4-2, with two holding midfielders and […]

At the start of the Euro 2008 tournament, ESPN pundits were asked who was going to be their star of the tournament. Pundit Julie Foudy picked Thierry Henry. Her choice showed how clueless she is about the sport. I'm still scratching my head why ESPN selected Foudy as a member of their Euro 2008 broadcasting […]

What's wrong with this picture above? Either The Daily Telegraph has a magic crystal ball where they can predict what's going to happen at Euro 20008 or maybe reporter Jeremy Wilson had a few drinks too many in Zurich?

Right now, football fans throughout Europe and around the world are riveted to Euro 2008. But if you've watched "Through The Night" the past few days, you'll have noticed that Sky Sports has led with different stories and relegated Euro 2008 news to the second or third stories of the night. While Sky Sports doesn't […]

Earlier this week I wrote an opinion piece about how the experience of watching football matches on TV are oftentimes better than seeing the games in person. Well, I want to take that back. That's because watching a match on TV in a pub is better than both watching matches at home and in person, […]

Watching the Holland against Italy match earlier this week in Bern, the biggest relevation for me was seeing how Orlando Engelaar mastered the midfield for the Netherlands. The tall, lanky Dutchman was a key part of Holland's success.Playing in the center of the park, the 28-year-old FC Twente midfielder dictated possession. He masterminded many of […]

The Guardian's Barney Ronay wrote an excellent article this week about ticket scalpers at Euro 2008. While in Zurich, I didn't see one scalper. But the minute I walked off the train in Bern on the day of the Holland against Italy match, there were scalpers everywhere. That day, I probably saw about 20-30 different […]