What was your first European Championship and what are your memories?

Zoophonic said:
1968 and the Soviet Union going out in the semi finals to Italy on a coin toss!!! It was against hosts Italy so obviously somebody used a double headed lira coin. 😀
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That’s incredible. Imagine that happening now. England go out in the semi finals after losing the toss. Think of the fun Pizza Hut would have.
 
It feels like the Euros have evolved quite a lot in a short time.

Sweden 92 doesn't seem so long ago to me; I remember being impressed by a talented youngster called Dennis Bergkamp.

But I look at that tournament:
Only 8 teams.
A tiny 17k venue.
Denmark being added last minute.
Scotland amongst Europe's elite.
Try naming the 8 teams playing.











Well done if you got "Commonwealth of independent states" without googling it.

It looks a ramshackle sort of a tournament now.
That said, I think 24 teams is too many and makes for dull group stages. 16 was optimal.
 
Frozen Horse said:
It feels like the Euros have evolved quite a lot in a short time.

Sweden 92 doesn't seem so long ago to me; I remember being impressed by a talented youngster called Dennis Bergkamp.

But I look at that tournament:
Only 8 teams.
A tiny 17k venue.
Denmark being added last minute.
Scotland amongst Europe's elite.
Try naming the 8 teams playing.

Well done if you got "Commonwealth of independent states" without googling it.

It looks a ramshackle sort of a tournament now.
That said, I think 24 teams is too many and makes for dull group stages. 16 was optimal.
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I do recall the Soviet Union putting in a team at the time of their break up. Could not recall the name they played under. The CIS. I agree the no of teams expanded to 24 was excessive but I think it made for dull qualifying groups rather than a dull tournament.
 
Abel Tasman said:
I agree the no of teams expanded to 24 was excessive but I think it made for dull qualifying groups rather than a dull tournament.
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Maybe it's more dull for ENgland, but I'd say it has livened up qualifying for the majority of teams: the middleweights. In the past, their qualifying campaigns have been over after the first 2 matches, with maybe another 8 to play. Now they at least feel they have a chance.

My problem now is that it's quite hard to get knocked out in the group stages. Get 3 group points in a 16 team tournament and you're on the next flight home. In the 24 team tournament, you'll probably go through. Therefore in 2016 we saw some of the most cautious football and lowest goals totals seen at a tournament (Italia 90 used the same 24 team tournament and was similarly defensive and low scoring).

The knock-outs were decent last time, but the group stages were tedious.
 
Frozen Horse said:
Maybe it's more dull for ENgland, but I'd say it has livened up qualifying for the majority of teams: the middleweights. In the past, their qualifying campaigns have been over after the first 2 matches, with maybe another 8 to play. Now they at least feel they have a chance.

My problem now is that it's quite hard to get knocked out in the group stages. Get 3 group points in a 16 team tournament and you're on the next flight home. In the 24 team tournament, you'll probably go through. Therefore in 2016 we saw some of the most cautious football and lowest goals totals seen at a tournament (Italia 90 used the same 24 team tournament and was similarly defensive and low scoring).

The knock-outs were decent last time, but the group stages were tedious.
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I just wonder if it’s the familiarity with playing European teams in the groups that makes it dull whereas in World Cups the groups do get a mix from all around the globe and different footballing styles. Look at Englands group stage games v Croatia, v Scotland, v Czech Republic. Nothing too exotic about them.
 
Losing 3-1 at home to West Germany around 1972. The Gerrmans played in green. In those days it was a hme and away two legger. I think we drew 0-0 in West Berlin. Games were live on TV which was rare in those days.
 
England Scotland at old Wembley 1996 that was brilliant day and also England Spain (Penalty shootout) another brilliant day too
 
Abel Tasman said:
I just wonder if it’s the familiarity with playing European teams in the groups that makes it dull whereas in World Cups the groups do get a mix from all around the globe and different footballing styles. Look at Englands group stage games v Croatia, v Scotland, v Czech Republic. Nothing too exotic about them.
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I feel football has lost some of the "exotic" even from the world cup. Too many top players play in a handful of top leagues for there to be any unfamiliarity. I also think we suffer from tactical homogenisation: everyone seems to play more or less the same tactics now. Maybe Chile were the last European or SOuth America team to offer something different.

What "exotic" is left in the WC comes from other continents now. Japan were a joy to watch at the last world cup.
 
World Cups and Euros were special back in the day, probably because I was younger but also because they really were a festival of football we wouldn't normally see on TV. Now coverage has reached saturation and you can watch the best players in the world on demand. England games are now more of a national event, like a Royal Wedding or something, think that happened around 1990 and took off with Euro 96. In the 1980's people would have laughed at you going to the pub or a big screen to watch a game on TV you could watch at home and plenty wouldn't even know there was a tournament on.
 
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