The draw & the schedule with 2 halves.

The reason why for the first time ever at a major football tournament there are 2 halves of the draw (countries from group A & B only can have to play eachother until the finals) is that during Euro 2004 the 2 semi-finalists from the groups C & D (actually both Czechs & Holland came from group D) had 2 days less rest (4 in stead of 6) than their opponents before the SF , which showed on the pitch.

Thursday 1 July 2004 SF Greece 1-0 Czech Republic
Wednesday 30 June 2004 SF Portugal 2-1 Netherlands
Sunday 27 June 2004 QF Czech Republic 3-0 Denmark
Saturday 26 June 2004 QF Sweden 0-0 (4-5p) Holland
Friday 25 June 2004 QF France 0-1 Greece
Thursday 24 June 2004 QF Portugal 2-2 (6-5p) England

Imo the way they solve this problem, creates a new one: a Cr@p draw.

My solution: Start the tourney of Wednesday night in stead of Friday night so there can be 2 days more rest in between the QFs & SFs.

The draw in itself is not the wrong system, it's just that the teams came out in such a way that you ended up with holland, france, italy in the same group and then spain on the same side of the draw, with only really portugal and germany on the other side (these would have been my top 6 picks for the tournament).

Maybe the seeding that allowed this is flawed? Or was it the inclusiong of austria and switzerland as hosts whihc screws up the seeding system?

I've no problem with groups of Death.

I've a problem with the countries from the group of death (or any other group) having to play eachother in the SEMI-final again (if they both win the QFs.), after they've just played eachother in the group (could have even been the last group match, which would mean they play eachother TWICE with just ONE match in between).

In all other Euroepean Championship it was IMPOSSIBLE to play a country from your own group until the final. That's how it should be!

110% wrote:The draw in itself is not the wrong system, it's just that the teams came out in such a way that you ended up with holland, france, italy in the same group and then spain on the same side of the draw, with only really portugal and germany on the other side (these would have been my top 6 picks for the tournament).

Maybe the seeding that allowed this is flawed? Or was it the inclusiong of austria and switzerland as hosts whihc screws up the seeding system?

The draw is wrong IMO, two teams that progress from the same group should only meet again in the final.

Like it is now we could have played two seperate tournaments : group A and B in June, Group C and D in July and a final at the end of August....

It simply isn't a proper tournament like this : any team should be able to meet any other team at (almost) any time, except for the teams who've already played each other.

The group draw is already *extremely* important in deciding who has a chance to win it, because of the current setup the luck factor (or rigging the draw as is my conviction) is even bigger

So axe, have 2 SFs with 1 country competing having had 6 days of rest & their opponent only 4 (mind you QFs could be ET) OR make the tournament last 2 days longer so it's 6 & 8 days of rest. Or a different suggestion?

Don Leo wrote:So axe, have 2 SFs with 1 country competing having had 6 days of rest & their opponent only 4 (mind you QFs could be ET) OR make the tournament last 2 days longer so it's 6 & 8 days of rest. Or a different suggestion?

To be honest I don't care what they do, as long as it isn't this two separate tourneys thing....

Make the first quarter final 2 * 50 minutes and the latter one 2 * 40 minutes ?

Axeslammer wrote:

Don Leo wrote:So axe, have 2 SFs with 1 country competing having had 6 days of rest & their opponent only 4 (mind you QFs could be ET) OR make the tournament last 2 days longer so it's 6 & 8 days of rest. Or a different suggestion?

To be honest I don't care what they do, as long as it isn't this two separate tourneys thing....

Make the first quarter final 2 * 50 minutes and the latter one 2 * 40 minutes ?

They cut the tourney in 2 halves, becuase of 2 losing SFs complaining last time that they had 2 days less rest after a tiring QF, so I think something should be done. Wouldn't changed the rules of the game itself.

i got it now, of course i agree that's Cr@p

Instead of playing the quarters over 4 days they could have 2 on Sat & 2 on Sunday

even if teams can meet before the final because both halves are mixed up, it OFTEN does not happen for a number of reasons

Brazil and Germany have NEVER met before the Final (and there , only once) despite the fact that THEORETICALLY, they could have

it looks more lopsided this time because of

a) the Group of Death

b) Austria and Switzerland being hosts


in reality , the two halves this time are not really that unfair AT ALL, if you consider that

a) Spain NEVER get beyond the quarters, and are more a NAME than a contender

b) Italy have an APPALLING record at the Euros

c) France are a spent force

d) Switzerland SHOULD be DEAD-CERTAINTIES for the SEMIs (historically , the HOST has ALWAYS managed to get into the Semis AT LEAST; only exception EVER is Belgium when co-hosting with Holland)

this means that the German half has TWO virtually automatic semifinalists under ANY circumstances (Germany and Switzerland) , one serious contender (Portugal) + dark-horses(like the Czechs who were in the Semis the last time)

the second half merely has two official contenders (France and Italy) + darkhorses

the way it is now is more fair in terms of "resting opportunities" without unbalancing the whole system

by the way, in 2000 France defeated Italy in the Final

and yes, France had ONE day more of rest, and Italy were beaten towards the end of extra-time; so it mattered big time yet again