Euro 2012 and the Unexpected Voice.

Well, the Euros are finally underway and it's been a bit of a mixed bag so far. Russia were rampant against the Czechs so my faith in them winning the group seems well placed. I'm not so sure about the Poles having any home advantage, though. They looked good in the first half against the Greeks but went to bits in the second half and were fortunate to get a draw via a penalty save from their substitute goalkeeper. In fairness, that first game was somewhat ruined by the number of dubious refereeing decisions. The Greeks were very unfortunate to have a man sent off for two minor offenses (in fact one looked to be a fair tackle to me) and many of his other decisions seemed niggly or just plain wrong.

The Group of Death has been threatening to be the Group of Dirge but I was right, at least, that the Danes would be key. After the first match, both the Dutch and Portuguese will have to get some sort of result in the second game to stand a chance of progressing. I thought the Danes showed a great example of how to deal with a team that is stronger and more skilled. Not that the Danish team were without star players of their own: sneaking a goal between the keepers legs and defending it against the World Cup finalists is no mean feat - maybe not a pretty one but an effective one. The German's match against the Portuguese was one of the first to pit two of the most fancied nations together. Again, it was no classic although I am beginning to suspect that the high humidity is going to slow games down. The Germans looked rusty but the Portuguese looked plain nasty. It seems to be a feature of their football that they constantly play act or wantonly foul players to gain advantage. As the game progressed this seemed to become more vicious with a punch thrown in a German defenders face that was missed or dismissed by the officials. I disliked these kind of tactics when the Dutch employed them at the last World Cup but with the Netherlands and Portugal due to play each other and in desperate need of points we may actually get to see our first tournament lynching.

This was also the first time I had to give up on the BBC commentators. I used to play the "Motty Game" with my workmates: in a game not involving England, predict how long a commentator can go until they have to mention England. However, the commentary for this game became so parochial that I could only assume that they had done little research on the teams or are simply only interested if they could work in a Manchester United angle to the proceedings. I switched over to Das Erste to escape this twaddle and also discovered that German high definition TV appears to be just that little bit more high definition than the BBC. It's interesting as I assume they are both using the same feed so there must be some technical difference between the Freeview and Astra broadcast standards. Whatever the technical reason, the commentary was bearable and I didn't have to put up with Mark Lawrenson spouting shite.

Speaking of Mark Lawrenson spouting shite, he seems to have it in for the new Liverpool boss, Brendan Rodgers. I'm not quite sure why Lawrenson feels he is such an expert. He was a great player but his short managerial spells have been pretty dismal: at Peterborough, he won only 25 out of 64 games in charge and his time at Oxford was even worse with only 4 wins out of 25 games before being shown the door. Brendan Rodgers record as a manager is relatively limited but his record is far better in more trying circumstances. Lawrenson seems to think it is a big gamble for Liverpool but that is true with any managerial appointment. I can't see Rodgers bringing instant success but that isn't what they need. What he is bringing is a total footballing philosophy which is what the great managers over the years have had. Swansea have been a delight to watch over the last season and if Liverpool are in the entertainment business then this is exactly what they should be aiming at.

The only odd thing with Rodgers for me is his voice. It's quite pleasant: a gentle lilting Ulster accent which should come as no surprise as he comes from the small harbour town of Carnlough in County Antrim. However, for some reason I think he should have a Mancunian accent. Really there is no good reason for this except I think he has a passing resemblance to Christopher Eccleston. I think a few other people have noticed this on internet forums (with a couple of Evertonians suggesting the owners had seen Doctor Who and thought he could wizz time back to 1984). Whoever he actually does look or sound like I think it may be a smart appointment - both in terms of what he can achieve in the long term and what fan expectations are likely to be in the short term. I just hope that he is given time to make an impression as four managers in just over two years is making the club look like damaged goods.

Anyway, Spain vs Italy will be on shortly with the Irish playing tonight. Now, did I put the beer in the fridge or not?