The games are coming far too thick and way too fast to bother talking about the football itself right now, so instead I am going to hit you with a few personal thoughts and observations about Euro 24 so far.

VAR: My regular reader (you know who you are) will be well aware that I absolutely, passionately detest VAR in all shapes and forms. However, I must admit that during this tournament it has been much less intrusive and annoying than it is in the Premier League. It hasn’t done enough to change my overall opinion of the system but, if we are stuck with it, I would be much happier if it was used in this less intrusive way. Having said that, disallowing Belgium’s equaliser for hand ball summed up everything I hate about VAR: it was over-officious, unnecessary, incorrect and game-changing.

Whistles: I’ve lost count of the number of times I have seen a foul in Euro 24 and thought to myself, “here comes a booking”, only to realise the flash of yellow in the ref’s hand is actually his bloody whistle. Which muppet gave that the thumbs up? There are so many colours to choose from I am pretty sure they could have avoided making yellow whistles an option. It’s not a major issue, but it is a small piece of grit in the Vaseline of my viewing pleasure.

Crowds: Credit where credit is due – the Germans know how to organise things. Not only that but they seem supremely capable of maintaining law and order as well. Yes, there have been one or two fan incidents, mostly involving lobotomised English supporters, but they have been isolated and rapidly brought under control. There are several countries at this tournament with notorious fans, but the authorities have done a great job of keeping the morons under control so far. Nicely done.

Unless something drastic changes, England will be annihilated when they come up against a Germany, France or Portugal

Top moment: My favourite moment of the tournament up to now? Well, there have been a few on the pitch, of course, but probably for me it was that German reporter interviewing the Scottish fans before the opening match in Munich. Just in case you haven’t seen it, the reporter was chatting to a group of lively lads with the cameraman panning down to focus on a kilt. Up went the kilt, out came the lad’s haggis for all the world to see and it was all broadcast in HD on live television. Classic stuff.

Timing: I get that squeezing 51 games into such a short period of time means there absolutely needs to be a very tight schedule, but surely there must be a way to avoid the early afternoon kick-offs. Firstly, these games are a little bit unfair on the teams who frequently have to cope with different temperatures to those playing later in the day. Secondly, the 3pm starts can’t be doing much for Europe’s productivity rate. There probably isn’t a workplace computer screen on the continent that doesn’t have a live stream window poking out from the behind an Excel spreadsheet. Kick-offs at 5, 7 and 9pm must be doable, no?

And finally: I know I said I wouldn’t be talking about the football as such, but my word, what an absolute abomination of a football manager Gareth Southgate is. I said pre-tournament that the only thing that stood between England and glory was the manager. And that is certainly turning out to be the case. The team is playing in his image – it is dithering, indecisive, cautious and scared. Only a special manager can take world-class players and make them look like they couldn’t get a game at Sheffield United. Southgate is certainly special. Unless something drastic changes in the next couple of days, England will be annihilated when they come up against a Germany, France or Portugal. I apologise for my pre-tournament optimism.

 

Your say

“Hi James. As usual, really enjoyed your article style and content today. I could not agree more about Southgate – he is not a winner and cannot inspire and make the positive move. 1-0 against Italy and he sat back to protect the lead. Shameful. Well said, I hope your prediction is right!”

“P.S.: In Twickenham last Saturday, watching my Bath side lose the final! I know you are a football man but a red card in rugby ruins the game. The player should be punished but another player allowed on the pitch to keep 15v15. Come on England!” Malcolm Benson, e-mail.

“I am writing this in response to your article in today’s newspaper and I have to add that I am doing so before England have even played a game. What has to be said about Gareth Southgate is that he is quite simply out of his depth in this role. He is what I would describe as nothing more than caretaker manager who has somehow managed to hang on to one of the top jobs in international football for eight years. I would love England to win the trophy but I just can’t see that happening without a decent manager. Let’s see if I am wrong, like you normally are.” Tony G, e-mail.

“Hi James. You’ve always been a little bit stupid with your predictions but saying England will win the Germany Euro 24 is probably your most stupid so far. France are a better team with a much more talented coach, and then there is Germany, who are playing at home and would rather die than lose in front of their own supporters. One of those two will win it and you will look like an idiot again.” R Sammut, FB

“Morning James. Just read your piece in the Maltese Times. Perfect, thank you. At last, someone who feels the same as me. As a passionate football fan, England and Brighton & Hove Albion, I have a home in England and Malta. We have the strongest squad in the world, but our clueless manager has a history of losing and making crucial mistakes at crucial times in the game. I have two grown daughters and agree that marrying G.S. would be nice, but only so I could get free tickets to the England games! Cheers and thanks again for your article.” Gary Pester, e-mail.

 

E-mail: James.calvert@timesofmalta.com

Twitter: @maltablade