24th June 2016

Hi ,

Wales Can Progress But Not The Two Irelands

Wales have a great opportunity to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2016. They can win the next battle of the home nations against Northern Ireland to reach the last eight and set up a quarter-final against Belgium or Hungary which would be a winnable tie. Republic Of Ireland have got a freebie against France next but the incentive to progress is a possible meeting with England in the next round.

After all the ifs, buts and maybes four of the five most fancied teams in the betting are on one side of the draw which opens the possibility of Poland, Portugal or Hungary reaching the final from the other side of the draw. Clever clogs Roy Hodgson has landed England in a section that includes, Spain, Italy, France and Germany. There are many reasons why the joke of an international manager should be sacked but changing a winning team and then fail is top of the list.

Wales and the two Irelands have brought joy to the occasion while England have brought scowls and excuses. Don’t hold your breath for a convincing win over Iceland but also don’t worry because Woy knows best. Clearly he is a tactical genius as he wants to keep Wayne Rooney fresh for his summer holidays while the rest of Europe are playing in a football tournament. Hodgson and Greg Dyke who seems to want to protect his job should hang their head in shame because England couldn’t score against Slovakia who on current FIFA rankings are the 21st best team in France.

England have played some decent stuff and broke all sorts of records for shots without scoring. The squad don’t have a game changer while Wales have Gareth Bale. He is the only player to score a goal in all three group matches and he could take his country far. Wales play for the manager and the shirt while Joe Hart prefers to keep his hair in place. In terms of goalkeeping he thinks he’s head and shoulders above the rest but he couldn’t stop Bale’s back pass when it mattered most.

Man-for-man England are better than Wales but yet again have stunk out a tournament. While Aaron Ramsey and Bale never looked like missing against Russia Adam Lallana never looked like scoring against Slovakia and he has a record of exactly zero goals in 28 internationals. But on another day England will make a team suffer but it will probably be someone like Norway in a friendly at Wembley in September. Meanwhile Wales could be running around Paris with the Cup.

On FIFA rankings there is little to choose between Wales and Northern Ireland but the star quality in the Welsh starting X1 will be key. The Irish have brought some happiness to Euro 2016 but the party looks about to end. Bale can score for the fourth match in a row and continue the process of being player of the tournament. A number of Northern Ireland’s players ply their trade outside the top divisions. Michael O’Neill has created a club-like atmosphere in the squad but his side kept just one clean sheet in their last seven qualifiers.

Wales have a similar drive but in Bale the most expensive player in the world who is looking the part at Euro 2016. Chris Coleman has organised a mainly unexceptional group of players to be more in total than the individual components while Hodgson has done the opposite, gelling talented individuals into a boring and bored bunch. The Welsh defence was strong in qualifying and Bale is one of the best players in the world. There is little depth in the squad but there is enough to beat Northern Ireland and head to Lille and a match against Hungary or Belgium next Friday.

The Republic of Ireland are in the tough half of the draw but expectations for their last 16 tie with France are not high. The hosts have struggled in the group stages and Dimitri Payet is their equivalent of Bale. It would be ironic if Ireland beat France to set up a potential quarter-final with England but then the team managed by the highest paid manager at Euro 2016 lost to Iceland, the smallest country to ever qualify for a major football tournament. I think even Mister Hodgson would find it difficult to explain that one away even with his superior intellect compared to England fans who just want to see goals and some joy.

Best Wishes,

BetFan