No Pain, No Gain...

It's always been fun having a poke at Cristiano. I mean there is no doubt that he's an above average footballer but he does set himself up for a few...

He posted this photo of himself on Instagram ahead of the Poland game, showing off his 'muscles' after a training session - with the title 'no pain, no gain' (original or what?).


Clench...relax...insert rubber hose..

Don't be a sad, needy, little man. Take one of those rubber tubes that are hanging around your neck and give yourself a colonoscopy - it might relieve you of some of your own bullshit.

Poland must be quaking in their boots..

England Out...

The effects of England leaving the European Union might be talked about for a year or two...the effects of England leaving the European Championships will be talked about for the next fifty years..


Next best thing if you can't stick your head in the sand..

It was of course inevitable not just because we are England and it's a big tournament but because anyone who watched Iceland play through the competition could see that they were a well a organised team, very hard to break down, with a cutting edge on the break. England by contrast showed little composure and little self belief.

I was cringing that afternoon as our pundits were already talking about England v France, which was a great contest on paper, but no doubt would have been even worse, as France would have fully exposed us.

I have to say I got the game wrong, I thought it would be a comfortable draw for Iceland after 90 minutes - that would have been a great result for them. In the end they went one better - fantastic really. They will all be heroes in Iceland.

Some Icelandic football facts:

1. Iceland don't have a professional football league as such.
2. Their manager, Heimir Hallgrímsson, is a practicing dentist.
3. Population of Iceland around 330,000.
4. Goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson, is a film director who directed the video for Iceland's entry in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest.

It's a beautiful story.

Euro 2016

Really looking forward to the next month or so. I have only had a few pre-tournament bets.

I have laid Spain quite heavily in Group D. Lay at 1.67.
I have also laid Spain in the 'Top 2 Finish' market in the group. Lay at 1.18.

Small liabilities so happy. I think Group D will be a lot tougher for Spain than the odds suggest.

I have also taken a few of the French in the 'Player of the Tournament' market - Matuidi (40/1) Griezmann (14/1) and Pogba (11/1). Not very original.

For 'Top Scorer' I took a big price on Romelu Lukaku (22/1) and have had a saver on Griezmann (11/1). Lukaku might do absolutely nothing but if the most expensive squad, in terms of transfer values, can finally put it together, Belgium might go far and you fancy him for a few goals along the way.

I'd like to fit Eden Hazard in somewhere - back to some kind of form at the end of the season but that would be betting with the heart! I think Belgium are really the value at 11/1 and Croatia would be the outside pick at 25/1.

Enjoy it!