Hi all I hope everyone will give their fingernails time to grow back and keep the England flags flying ??? I think penalties is a very cruel way to end a game after loosing a good player through injury a goal being disallowed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and a ref that was well READ THE PAPERS...
what do you all think ????  and if you hate the footie please bear in mind the nation is apparently already depressed this morning :(

I had a lovely walk with my freind last night.  The streets were really quiet, and we had a lovely 4 mile stomp with 7 dogs, and no-one to get in or way.

so let the footie continue, as it is nice and peaceful outside when it is on :D

it will be back to normal now sorry to say I work in a BP station and served 10 people in 2 hrs normall a very busy site...I have to say we had the radio on and it was very stressful LOL ...I think the next quiet night out you will have will be when Portugal play again as every England fan will want to see justice done ..

Now I would not suggest any victimization campaign but Urs Meier (last night's ref) has his own website where he invites people to give feedback. It's all in German but it's pretty obvious what goes where. I'd suggest you give him some constructive feed back on his performance last night :-D

Web site : http://www.ursmeier.ch/referee/ref60.html

E-mail: referee@ursmeier.ch

oh dear I think he's gona get a lot of mail :)

I'm sure all Scots will be interested to know that he's even got a fan club that you can join!

Whilst penalties are not a good way to win there has to be a winner and they gyus had run about for 2 hours in 25 degree heat.........the goal was disallowed because england players had their elbow and arms keeping the goalie down.... and whilst he perhaps could not have saved it anyway..this is fouling and is not allowed..had it happened to an egland keeper there would have been a huge kaffufle....so tough......

We were robbed, there goalie was under the ball and could not have gotten to it, there was no malice in the arm on the shoulder he wasnt even looking at the goalie! and it wasnt even him who scored the goal.........How many yellow cards did we get when they did just as dirty tackles

How come whenever England get beat(at anything!) there is alway a excuse......The other team played rought...the ref was biased....blah blah blah......criven forbid that they just did not win cause they could not score any good! goals!

Yes I am Scots!

I love football and was gutted to see England go out last night. Although robbed by a perfectly fine goal and going out on penalties, what we shouldn't forget that after Rooney came off we were out played by the potuguese for the majority of the game and this is what we need to focus on and not dodgy decisions by the ref. It happens all the time... bad decisions do cost games but they have a way of evening out and sadly is part of the game. It is a shame that in a tournament like this the ref was not up to scratch, he made poor decisions all night and has done so in previous games, as soon as I saw he was the ref I new we were up against it... I mean... he's swiss? and who did we knock out last week?...Switzerland!!! Not to mention the dodgy decisions he has made in his previous games in this tournament.

As for the penalty spot... what a joke, but this is no excuse. We practised penalties on the very pitch and knew the ground was giving way, so we can't use this as an excuse. Penalties is an awful way to go out, but had we played with more conviction in the 90 minutes, then we would never have got to that stage. I hope Vassel does not suffer too much, it was going to happen to some one and unfortunately it was him.

Don't get me wrong I am not slagging england off, Ashley cole and Sol campbell defended like heroes but where were the breaks and the attacks that we know we have in us?... Beckham put in quality crosses from set plays but never looked the forward moving player he used to be and we just didn't have any one taking command and pushing up, to give our defenders some rest bite.

And being a Spurs fan, the first thing I said when Postiga came on was he'll score. He can't do it for us, but has a great reputation playing for his country, I wish I'd put money on it!!

Wow... what a long post... sorry for my vent but I really am gutted, I'm 30 years old and have never seen my country win anything and really thought this year was our chance, but hey, lets be positive and stop blaming the ref and the dreaded penalty curse and lets learn from Euro 2004 and win the big one in 2 years time... the world cup!! (in Germany I might add!)

When Michael Owen was giving his comments after the match he said 'These big tournaments come around every two years and we can't win every time'  ....!!?? As far as I can recall England hasn't won anything major in football since 1966 !

You'll be pleased to know that I voted for the Gazza goal in Euro '96 in the best goal competition last night then. :-D

you must have watched a different game to me and great britgirl.... did you say Scots ????  I think at least England got there and scored some super goals and put in a great performance ..not good enough I know , when things go against you it's not about an excuse it's about trying to make sense of certain decions , I do also agree that as soon as it went to penalties I felt we were doomed but then I still think David Seaman was a great keeper ( UP for opinion I know)

not just me and you according to the ref association the match has been viewed and the goal should have been given according to most

As much as I hate to say this, Portugal were just the better team on the night.........as you know Inca I'm not a footie fan, but I did watch last night and personally I think old Beckhams Golden Balls got in the way of his aim!!  ;-)

YOU WATCHED THE FOOTIE !!!!!!!!!!! blimmy Sharon the England team were blessed LOL :) Becks balls are normally good LOL ....some will see this as an excuse but i really can't understand how he can bend balls in from free kicks from long distance but can miss from the spot!! well perhaps it was transfered from the Turkey game as an omen (proven rigged) BLOL

With England when you know it's going to penalties you know you're out!  5 matches now isn't it that have gone to penalties and we've lost!  My bro works for the England (and Man U) team and stays out wherever they go until they come home and I know his Mrs must be the only english person willing them to lose so she can get Carl back!  I remember the last world cup she was the same!  His job is ok for a single guy but now he has responsibilities, but there would never be a choice for him as he loves his job and to get paid to watch football..say no more, (he does actually work also on the transport and accomodation arrangements for the players!)  He has an ideal job for a football fan, but as I keep telling him 'one day you'll get a proper job!'  Jen does actually understand as he's always done this job since they met but I think sometimes she gets fed up being alone.  He's off to New York with Man U on their pre-season!  Poor devil I guess someones got to do it!

At the end of the day i think the players and fans were very accepting....referees decision is final and all that. But i do feel that goal should have been all9wed - first of all the ref. couldn't see that well from where he was standing, and secondly, as people said, when jumping for the ball you have to use your arms and you cannot just keep them by your side!!

I dont think anyone meant to push anyone at all, and intention is surely part of it? No, i felt the ref. was wrong but then i wouldn't like to be a ref - he has to make those split second decisions andstick to them....

Lindsay
X

Not robbed at all!
They played really badly the whole game and although I can't see anything wrong with Campell's goal, they didn't deserve to go through. 
Beckham and co, have underachieved all tournament and that showed last night!
I'm relieved all the hysteria has come to an end, much as I love football, I was getting sick of it.
Bring on Henmania :D

I agree that we did not make enough chances and can't blame the fact we are going home on a disallowed goal and dodgy penalty spot and I do think some players underachieved (especially Becks) but how about our defence!!!? I am a Spurs supporter but even I couldn't praise Campbell and Cole enough for last nights performance!! If only our attacking game was as good as our defence we would, should and could have won the tournament! How can a genuine supporter get sick of football?! Sick of the media maybe but not the game. I will still be glued to every match, watching the elite of europe playing, proud we got to the quater finals and proud of our teams performance. We can only learn from the matches we play and look forward to next time.

2 Great gunners eh ? aren't Arsenal and Spurs rivals ( just kidding) anyway I am still proud and and flying my flag...at least Henman won today GULP speaking to soon .......:) as for 1966 I was being born at half time so can't comment LOL YES SHARON  THAT OLD !!!!

Yes inca, spurs and arsenal are huge rivals, (won't even go into the fact Campbell left us to play for the gunners..... ) but isn't that the great thing about when England play! My boyfriend is a life long Arsenal fan which creates fun and games in our house, he goes to every Arsenal home game and me to the odd Spurs game... wow we've had some hum dingers over football and it certainly makes Sunday dinner at my parents interesting!! (my whole family are Spurs through and through) but it's great when we are both together cheering on the English!! isn't that what it's all about!? Couldn't give a toss who they play for when that England shirt is on!

Don't worry Inca, I'm a few years before you, so I'm older again :-(

can you send that pic to my mobile Sharon it was a good one . I bet Spurs and Arsenal fans in your house is like us here with our Portsmouth when we play Southampton !!!!  Arseanal are a great team and no one can deny that even those football hating critits (mentioning no names ) (Lives in Bristol) (owns Cockers)  whole season unbeaten !!!!!!!! yipeeeeeeeeeee makes me feel happier about euro 2004 now knowing the season is soon to start

while i agree with the fact we were robbed of a goal, I also think England played terrible football and dont think we really deserved to win,
whats wrong with Becks? maybe he has to many problems with the wife :D

Heidi

yea your right i guess it don't stop us wishing eh :)  I was pleased to see Greece beat France though even though i am a big Gunners fan and most of them play for France , I think the Dutch will win it now ...good luck to them

yes i agree i think the Dutch will win,
im so p****d that England didnt do better, I think the only reason we got as far as we did was because of ROONEY, what a star he is,

Heidi

  Rachael20 - shame on you :D  How can you say we didn't deserve to go through and then say you saw nothing wrong with Campbells goal...Agreed it wasn't our best performance (if the portugese wore their shooting boots we would have lost sooner, me thinks) HOWEVER, the winner is the team that scored the most goals...And as I'm sure most of us can agree, Campbells goal was viable and should have counted, as that was not a foul on the keeper (dont care what anyone say's)...That said England scored the most goals during normal time - Neither side performed out of their skin but its balls across the line that count...."England underachieved all tournament".....I think not!!!!   England have played some of the nicest football I have seen them play for a while, the best of which was against France!  Rooney going off injured was a huge blow to us, as he has been a talisman to the team, once he was gone we lost the link between the midfield and the front players, and his strength, and his ability to remove players from the game (defenders to busy marking him.)  Owen wasn't as prolific this time round but his off the ball play was still fantastic, and while Beckham wasn't Beckham of old I think most people are forgetting his new role for Real Madrid where he plays a central midfield role in which his fitness requirements aren't as they were when he played right midfield for Man U, so now he has been put back in R.Midfield for England he will struggle slightly!!  Ashley Cole was the man for me - absolutely brilliant...By the way we weren't dirty against Portugal, Ashley put in some fantastic, clean tackles where he won the ball, however the Portugese were no doubt told to go down as soon as they were touched - as every goal against England has been conceded during set pieces, then thats understandable - shame the ref couldn't see it!  I was almost in tears when we lost - mostly for the poor England fan who lost his life in a robbery (hence Englands black armbands) - Lets not slag them off people, Beckham got us into the world cup last time round, scored the winner against Argentina and is very pretty (:D) we have some good young players coming through, and some great football was played during this tournament...Dont know about most, but I am a fan..Which means through thick and thin - not just when we are doing well, I would never boo them or slag them off, and if you love football you should feel the same :)
Sarah ;)

Hi gang,

As a South African 'NEUTRAL' but being married to a Pretty English girl I did follow England games the whole way through.  I did think that England played poorly in the second half especially as they were pinned in their own half for most of it.  It seemed to me that they got complacent with their lead and sat back to just defend and paid the piper for doing so.  But, a goal is a goal and whether they played poorly or not they should have goine through with that disallowed goal..

Henny:-)

the refs websites been given out over most radio stations and even sky tv im sure hes got more then alot of mail :) im sure hes got the message by now

Sorry Rozzer, but as a life long Man City fan and season ticket holder, I get used to being disappointed and not winning anything. ;) It's disappointing, but no point in getting upset about it.  There's much worse things going on!  There's just too much hysteria about it for my liking.  It's nothing to do with being a 'real' fan.  My parents have had season tickets for 35 years and they weren't upset either!  And you couldn't get bigger footie fans than our family!  Getting upset doesn't make you a fan by any means.
Half the people I saw crying after were people who didn't have a clue about football, it was just the 'thing' to be doing.
Sorry to go on but that just really annoys me. You must be the only person who thinks England didn't underachieve!  Just because I'm English I'm not going to stick up for them when they were rubbish! :)

Rachel!!  You read me wrong ;) - My message wasn't all aimed at you...AND I didn't cry or anything, I said I was sad for the England fan who lost his life in a stabbing out there..Not that your not a true fan if you didn't get upset!
If Tim Henman got knocked out of the semi final of wimbledon would that make him rubbish?  It just means he got beat on the day, someone has to go home the loser - as England did the other night, o.k. it may not have been their best performance, but their hardly rubbish...
Sarah

they can't be rubbish or they wouldn't have got their to start with !!!! perhaps they didn't play as well as some teams ( that are used to the heat ) or ( don't dive as much ) and Man City do have a fab new ground ???? all in all we got further than some so called BIG teams ...and hey Henman never wins but we still love him ;)

true they were better then the teams they beat or they wouldent have won those games :d  even if people think they were rubbish i still think they should have gone threw just that ref was an idiot either that or he got paid off for it .after all the side they were playing wasent too good either were they ;) David b Needs to go his penalty was terrible I know the ground wasent too good but I recon even I could have kicked it better