EURO 2016 Report

EURO 2016 Report Our EURO 2016 Correspondant Alex Bottomley was over in France for the group stages of the European Championships. Read his blog to find out more!

I never thought I would get the opportunity to experience the European Championships, especially at this age. I suspect I shared this mentality with a lot of the England squad themselves, who are such a young, exciting team. We’re always secretly optimistic as England fans: it’s tradition. This year felt different though, and with such a sudden influx of new talent and personalities, anything could happen. That’s how I felt, anyway.

Unfortunately we were only flying out in time for the last match of the group stage, against Slovakia, with everything to play for. The tempo for our tournament was set. We kept showing glimpses of what we were capable of; the ability was there, but the execution wasn’t. A disappointing result against Russia, followed by a narrow victory against our neighbours Wales, left us all feeling a little uneasy. But we’re England, aren't we? We never do things the easy way and we only needed the draw. Despite all this, I still felt nervous, yet I’m sure I wasn’t alone on that one. 

There’s no feeling quite like match day, regardless of the fixture. It’s the nature of football: nobody knows what that 90 minutes may hold. That was evident in the atmosphere, as the mood was electric. Thousands of white and red shirts side-by-side, marching through the streets of St Etienne, chanting like we had already won the tournament and we were on our way home! I’d never felt anything like it. The sense of unity was unparalleled. This was going to be the game we finally found our feet and secured our place in the round of 16, I was sure. 

We were spending our time in Marseille at a camp site, so keeping up-to-date with the pre-match build-up became difficult. This was probably for the best as upon arrival to the stadium, we overheard talks of manager Roy Hodgson making six changes - six! Unbelievable. The group-deciding match, and we’re changing half of the starting XI - there had to be method in his madness. We kept the faith. We’d played well in the first two matches, so I couldn’t understand such a drastic change. But then again, I’m not the England manager and Hodgson has experience. Let’s see what it brings. 

One of the things I was enjoying the most about being at the Euros was the togetherness it brought, not just to the fellow England fans, but with the rest of Europe. Rainbows of football shirts swarming as one, to and from games, in and out of fan zones. It was amazing to witness. Following all the bad press we were getting back home, I was worried about flying out initially, after hearing all these stories about hooliganism from particular nations. Once I arrived, the anxiety was eradicated immediately, with hostility replaced by harmoniousness. Football lovers came together to do what they do best: watch and support their team. 

We were early to the stadium so I thought I’d take the opportunity to chat with some of the other fans, and see what they thought about English football and the tournament so far.

Josef, Slovakia.

“Hi Josef, can I borrow you for two seconds and ask you a couple of questions?”

Josef: “Sure, of course.”

“What does English football mean to you?”

Josef: “The best football league in the world.”

“At this moment in time, who do you think will win Euros 2016?”

Josef: “Spain. Or maybe even Slovakia!”

“Who has surprised you in the tournament so far?”

Josef: “Northern Ireland.”

 

Thomas, England.

“What does English football mean to you?”

Thomas: “Passion, we have the best support when it comes to football.”

“Who do you think will win the tournament?”

Thomas: “My heart says England, but my head says Germany.”

“Who’s surprised you the most in the tournament so far?”

Thomas: “It has to be Iceland.”

 

Fans became increasingly buoyant as kick-off drew nearer. We made our way through the stadium. This was it.

The seats were filling quickly and the fans getting louder. We were roaring in perfect harmony.

“Don’t take me home! Please don’t take me home! I just don’t wanna go to work!”

It’s like no other feeling, seeing your country on the world stage, fighting for the right to call themselves the best in Europe. I had goosebumps. The players marched out the tunnel and the national anthem began. Never have I ever felt prouder to be English, with a heightened sense of patriotism the uniting factor among thousands of England supporters.

The whistle blew and the game was underway. England began a little shaky, but it’s to be expected with the amount of changes made and the opportunity of securing a more favourable match should we clinch top spot in the group. We retained possession well; we knew from the previous two games England can be dangerous. We look up for this game, but so do the Slovakians.

With 45 minutes gone, the game remained goalless. We needed somebody to step up and make the difference. We had a strong bench, so I thought we could affect the game more as time wore on. However, we’d just found out that Wales are 2-0 up and cruising and, naturally, tensions began to rise. We held on for a point against Russia and the Welsh are making it look easy. England needed a goal soon, otherwise the game could have ended badly. The second half begins and the fans light up once more.

We had the support and we had the ability, but we just didn’t look like scoring. Slovakia, meanwhile, look like they could capitalise on the counter-attack. Wales have just gone 3-0 up, and the mood in the stands is slowly deteriorating. We’re nearing the final 10 minutes, and England had to offer more final push.

But the final whistle brought a frustrating game to an end. England may not have scored, but the clean sheet was a small crumb of comfort. We were determined to not let this dampen our spirits, and once again the hordes of travelling England supporters parade among the streets of St Etienne, singing our hearts out. The only thing sour note is the fact that Wales won and finished top of the group, which meant they got the easier draw. We’re England, and we never do things easily.

Sadly for me, I didn’t quite get to see the result I was hoping for during my trip to the Euros, but the experience I’ve enjoyed will never be matched regardless. It has cemented the idea that sports like football, for all of the negative press it endures, remains a unifying force as its strongest.

Come on England!

Alex Bottomley - Manchester International Football Academy  Euros 2016 Correspondent