Most disappointing generation of footballers (internationals)...

[FootballHQ]

Netherland 2002-2004, their defense was pretty old with Stam and De Boer aging but they had worldclass midfielders and attackers on their prime to win trophies.

How could a team with Davids, Seedorf, Van Bomel, Cocu, Overmars, Kluivert, Van Nistelrooy, Makay, Hasslebaink had lose to Ireland and miss the world cup?

That match was hilarious.

Van Gaal ended with Van Nistelrooy, Kluivert and Maakay upfront and also Hasselbaink on the right wing and ended up just lumping constant high balls for last 15 minutes. How they didn't score was incredible although ROI were down to 10 men for most of the second half.

Was a tough group with Portugal also in there.

 

[Rozay]

I think Netherlands game with Czech Republic at Euro 2004 is probably the best international game I’ve ever seen. Loved it, UEFA need to put Euro classics on YouTube like FIFA has done with the World Cup.

 

[GuybrushThreepwood]

I think Netherlands game with Czech Republic at Euro 2004 is probably the best international game I’ve ever seen. Loved it, UEFA need to put Euro classics on YouTube like FIFA has done with the World Cup.

That was an amazing game. I think that 16 teams was perfect for the Euros, and often they had a higher standard and more entertaining games than World Cups.

For all the talk about how Euro 2004 was a golden opportunity blown by England, I think that the Czech Republic did look to be the strongest team at that tournament before Nedved's injury against Greece.

 

[Number32]

That match was hilarious.

Van Gaal ended with Van Nistelrooy, Kluivert and Maakay upfront and also Hasselbaink on the right wing and ended up just lumping constant high balls for last 15 minutes. How they didn't score was incredible although ROI were down to 10 men for most of the second half.

Was a tough group with Portugal also in there.

Don't forget Duff's blunder that should be a penalty, and Kluivert missed a sitter twice. Van Gaal boasted before the match that his squad was so much more talented, even the Irish fans would want them to qualify. He's right tough, this team was more stag with talent than his 2014 WC team.

Interesting fact: Van Gaal would succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United once Ferguson claimed he would retire that year. According to Van Gaal, Ferguson decided against retiring and the deal fell through.

 

[GuybrushThreepwood]

After the first Netherlands-Ireland game in Amsterdam during that 2002 qualifying cycle, which finished 2-2 after Ireland led 2-0, didn't most of the Irish players and staff celebrate afterwards, while Keane was annoyed that they hadn't held on to their 2-0 lead and went back to his hotel room in a bad mood? It does highlight the difference in mentalities there.

 

[Rozay]

Don't forget Duff's blunder that should be a penalty, and Kluivert missed a sitter twice. Van Gaal boasted before the match that his squad was so much more talented, even the Irish fans would want them to qualify. He's right tough, this team was more stag with talent than his 2014 WC team.

Interesting fact: Van Gaal would succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United once Ferguson claimed he would retire that year. According to Van Gaal, Ferguson decided against retiring and the deal fell through.

I’m not sure that’s a ‘fact’. There have been plenty of counter claims that Sven Erikssen was lined up.

 

[Rozay]

That was an amazing game. I think that 16 teams was perfect for the Euros, and often they had a higher standard and more entertaining games than World Cups.

For all the talk about how Euro 2004 was a golden opportunity blown by England, I think that the Czech Republic did look to be the strongest team at that tournament before Nedved's injury against Greece.

Didn’t Baros win the Golden Boot that tournament? They were a team with a similar profile to Croatia at the time, and they often represented themselves well in International tournaments.

 

[GuybrushThreepwood]

Didn’t Baros win the Golden Boot that tournament? They were a team with a similar profile to Croatia at the time, and they often represented themselves well in International tournaments.

Yeah he did. Baros's goal scoring record for the Czech Republic was excellent during the first half of his international career.

Even at Euro 2000, they including Nedved were excellent in a brutal group and gave a very good account of themselves against the Netherlands (in fact they completely dominated about two thirds of the game from memory but lost due to a late penalty) and France.

 

[Demyanenko_square_jaw]

Czechoslovakia and carried on by the Czech rep side of things have a strong record in the euro championship. A final (with the one win) or a semi-final every single generation from the 60s to the 00s, until this last generation fecked it up.

The Nedved/Poborsky era that always played very well at Euro's never seemed able to transport that to the World Cup. They were well beaten by Spain and Yugoslavia for 98 qualifying and a loss to Denmark and 3-1 loss to Iceland put them into the playoffs for 2002 where they lost two close games to Belgium. Out in the groups for 2006 despite a great start when Ghana and Italy beat them very comfortably, though the team was getting older by then.

 

[paraguayo]

Basically Spain till 2010.

 

[Number32]

I’m not sure that’s a ‘fact’. There have been plenty of counter claims that Sven Erikssen was lined up.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...ed-hed-landed-Manchester-United-job-2002.html

Everyone could claim it, but We all know Van Gaal is a honest person in every press con.

 

[GuybrushThreepwood]

Czechoslovakia and carried on by the Czech rep side of things have a strong record in the euro championship. A final (with the one win) or a semi-final every single generation from the 60s to the 00s, until this last generation fecked it up.

The Nedved/Poborsky era that always played very well at Euro's never seemed able to transport that to the World Cup. They were well beaten by Spain and Yugoslavia for 98 qualifying and a loss to Denmark and 3-1 loss to Iceland put them into the playoffs for 2002 where they lost two close games to Belgium. Out in the groups for 2006 despite a great start when Ghana and Italy beat them very comfortably, though the team was getting older by then.

Yes that's a good point about the Czech Republic being better in Euros than World Cups. They outplayed Denmark at Euro 2000 (admittedly it was a dead rubber and both teams were playing for pride, but still neither team wanted to end the tournament without a win), but finished 2nd best to them in the 2002 WC qualifiers. Their performance against the USA at the 2006 World Cup was stunning (probably the best performance y any team in the opening round of group games), before they were clearly outplayed by Ghana in their second game (Cech was their best player and prevented a heavier defeat).

While they did finish 4th in 2006 (although the quarter-final against England was a poor match with barely any attacking quality from either team), I've generally thought that Portugal have looked much better in Euros than World Cups as well.

There was also a sequence of teams enjoying superb, 'upset' runs at major tournaments, failing to qualify for the next one:

- Denmark won Euro 92, and failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup (to be fair they only got into Euro 1992 after Yugoslavia were disqualified)
- Sweden finished 3rd at the 1994 World Cup, and failed to qualify for Euro 96
- Czech Republic reach the Euro 96 final, and failed to qualify for the 1998 World Cup
- Croatia finished 3rd at the 1998 World Cup, and failed to qualify for Euro 2000 (although the fact that was the only tournament they missed from 1996-2008 was pretty impressive)
- Turkey finished 3rd at the 2002 World Cup, and failed to qualify for the Euro 2004
- Greece won Euro 2004, and failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup

I would happily take England winning a European Championship title and then failing to qualify for next World Cup though.

 

[afatzp]

I'd like to mention 2010 Serbia team in World Cup , their defend line-up were all at prime and world class: Kolarov , Vidic , Ivanovic, Subotic , midfielder also had Stankovic , Krasic. They were knocked out at group stage, actually beat Germany but disappointingly lose to Ghana and Australia .

 

[FootballHQ]

What about Colombia 1994 then?

Massively hyped pre tournament although wasn't that just Pele saying they'd win it? I know that 5-0 win in Argentina a year or so was a historic result but that was a pretty poor Argentine team who all scraped past a part time Australian line up 2-1 in the play offs a few months later.

Looking at their squad of course some excellent names in there but surprised that Asprilla and Adolfo Valencia at Bayern Munich were the only two players based outside South America at time of the tournament.

Quite a few of their squad were 30 + aswell which dosen't usually scream at team who'll go that far.

Add in all the drug issues which obviously resulted in the awful loss of Andres Escobar and I assume this is a myth that has grown over time. They had similar squad in 98 and bombed out in first round aswell. Would say their 2014 squad was much stronger.