UEFA European U21 Championships

[IAceI]

It's just over a week away and it's one of my favoured regular tournaments, it's in Sweden this year and we're guarantee'd a new champion after the Netherlands couldn't make it out of their group because of Spain and Finland.

It should be a great tournament, we'll get to see some of the futures best and brightest and England seem to have a good team in comparison. Unfortunately for England we also have the hardest group as we have Spain, Germany and Finland to get passed, whereas the other group is Italy, Serbia, Belarus and hosts Sweden.

I'm really looking forward to it, I hope we have a good shot this year as long as it doesn't go to penalties again. Hopefully if it does the referee's enforce the rule where the goalkeeper isn't actually allowed to be on the 6 yard line when the ball is kicked.

England kick off the tournament against Finland, of note former Southampton players Tim Sparv and Theo Walcott will face off. I think, and hope, we can win the tournament this year but for me this tournament is all about looking at the future stars of our sport and then listening to the intense hype around them. Although Royston Drenthe was the all talked about player last year but he's not had much impact at Real Madrid, still think he should have come to the Premiership.

Disappointed there's no Netherlands as they have a lot of good youngsters in their team, possibly Belgium too but I always had a soft spot for Jan Vertonghen. But the 8 teams that deserves to get there (well 7+hosts Sweden) are the ones who got there so I guess it's going to be a great tournament.

Yeah - a week to go and I'm really looking forward to it. Kick offs are all late so I'm not going to miss any of it because of work.

Anyone else looking forward to it?

[Cadj]

All I know about the tournament is the England team, I'll watch it though if I can find streams since I don't have Sky.

I think James Milner was called up to the Senior team which makes Andrew Drivers chances of getting his first U21 Cap a real possibility.

Hopefully anyway, he's a great player and he's a Hearts player so hopefully he can give a good impression and not get injured for next season. Plus playing well will also raise his value and stop Rangers sniffing about him.

I'll go in as a neutral, hopefully a few games are good.

[IAceI]

There'll be some good games but also some stand out performers who we perhaps didn't know of before. It's almost like a showcase for some of these players to get a chance to move to a bigger and better club, much like the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Cup. When a team like Kaunas come up against.. Aston Villa or something, a lot of people are watching and those Lithuanian bastards go out and give it their all in hope someone somewhere is watching ready to offer them a bit more money and a chance.

It's what I love about the tournament.

[Cadj]

That doesn't happen with Kaunas, most of their players do well then are shipped to us on loan for about 4 seasons for free.

Shame most are rubbish though.

Hopefully it's good though, I have no connections but since a Hearts player is in the England team I might aswell wish England a bit of success, although seeing as Belarus are apparently there I feel the need to cheer them on.

[The Quasi Juice]

Disappointed there's no Netherlands as they have a lot of good youngsters in their team, possibly Belgium too but I always had a soft spot for Jan Vertonghen. But the 8 teams that deserves to get there (well 7+hosts Sweden) are the ones who got there so I guess it's going to be a great tournament.

We sucked in the qualification and also frankly, nobody gave a shit for some reason. The team were just done with the Olympics, were dissapointing there and then they had to play Switzerland U21 or something and they were beaten with around 5 minutes ago, was so stupid. I'm sure had the team qualified they would have been top contenders again, but it was not meant to be. Last time we won Rigters, Drenthe and Babel got the most attention, but Rigters has turned into a huge dissapointment in England (he wasn't playing for NAC Breda in the Eredivisie either, this was a classic case of Premiership teams freaking out, trying to one-up the competition with the next Dutch superstar) and Drenthe went to Real where he has hardly played (not THAT strange though) and Babel, well, he's a beast and he can be a top player one day.

Why do you have a soft spot for Vertonghen by the way? Do you watch Dutch football or something? I think Vertonghen has great potential; good physique but his passing is his biggest asset.

[IAceI]

Just remember watching him and became a good fan. Big player, sits well in his position and just wins the ball well and passes it around. Probably stems from an Ajax game on Football Manager I had, but I just think he's a good talent - young, if nurtured well he'll be a top player one day.

Half the fun of football and tennis for me is seeing those future stars before they become a star. I think Vertonghen's one of them.

[The Quasi Juice]

Just remember watching him and became a good fan. Big player, sits well in his position and just wins the ball well and passes it around. Probably stems from an Ajax game on Football Manager I had, but I just think he's a good talent - young, if nurtured well he'll be a top player one day.

Half the fun of football and tennis for me is seeing those future stars before they become a star. I think Vertonghen's one of them.

Yes, I have the same, it's why I love Ajax. This talk about Vertonghen reminded me of this goal by him for Ajax 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FsE0-Gpvjg

[cmb211087]

Ahh, last time this was on myself and IAceI just argued about Bentley all the way through it, good times. Will be watching again and hoping we don't sign someone on the back of playing well here, like we did with Rigters. I think we have loaned him out somewhere, but he is obviously not missed much as not many of the rovers fans have an idea where he is.

[ZJ Penn]

Anyone know what channels are showing this? I think it's a BBC 3 job but can't remember.

[Dynamite]

Sky Sports have been advertising it but I don't know if they have exclusive rights or not.

[IAceI]

Ahh, last time this was on myself and IAceI just argued about Bentley all the way through it, good times. Will be watching again and hoping we don't sign someone on the back of playing well here, like we did with Rigters. I think we have loaned him out somewhere, but he is obviously not missed much as not many of the rovers fans have an idea where he is.

Can't even remember, was it over his decision to pussy out?

[cmb211087]

That would be the one, correct decision for him obviously, look at him now, international career is well and truely fantastic

[IAceI]

Screw international career, look at his performances for his club. Well worth the price tag.

Part of me thinks he should never have left Blackburn, but I'd love to see Bentley and Diouf's egos combine to level the whole of Blackburn in a cloud of smoke now. Would be fantastic television.

[9 to 5]

Bentley owed it to himself to play CL football tbf.

[Adam]

Wait, people were raving about Maceo Rigters in the last one of these? God, he was absoutely awful for Barnsley against us last season, awful.

Might watch some of this tournament if I get the chance, what's the England squad look like?

[Summers]

Bentley owed it to himself to play CL football tbf.

He & Barry may end up facing off at some point in the CL.

[The Future]

In the crowd watching Villa probably.

[IAceI]

Wait, people were raving about Maceo Rigters in the last one of these? God, he was absoutely awful for Barnsley against us last season, awful.

Might watch some of this tournament if I get the chance, what's the England squad look like?

He was man of the match in 2 of the Netherlands matches in the 2007 tournament, one of which was against the England side when they knocked us out on penalties. He actually had a very good tournament, just had no way of backing it up when he made the domestic club switch. Given that some of the other players to win the man of the match award that tournament were Fellaini, Veloso, Aquilani, Giuseppe Rossi and Branislav Ivanovic - not too shabby on his part.

England squad is;

GK: Hart, Lewis, Loach

D: Cranie, Gibbs, Mancienne, Onuoha, Richards, Taylor, Tomkins, Stearman

M: Cattermole, Driver, Gardner, Johnson, Milner, Muamba, Noble, Rodwell, Rose

F: Walcott, Agbonlahor, Campbell

Definitely capable.

[METALMAN]

Milner is still eligible for U21s? It seems like he's been around for years.

[9 to 5]

Only 3 strikers? I know Derbyshire is injured but still seems a bit light.