Day 7 - Home and Away

For the first time in this competition I'm going to have to change my plan.  Plan A was to write a biased report of the Italy v Croatia game from the viewpoint of the losers but a)I'd already done that following Ireland's defeat to Croatia and b) This was a draw!
So, I've opted for something completely different for Day 7 of the Euros, in fact something that has very little to do with football at all!  This is going to be a comparison of watching the games at home as opposed to watching the games down the pub. What are the advantages/disadvantages of each? What do I prefer? And what is the best way to spend halftime?


My plan for Thursday was simple. Watch Italy v Croatia at home on my own, before meeting a friend for a few drinks and the Ireland-Spain encounter in the local pub.  Due to the rancid weather, it's strike one for staying at home. I got thoroughly soaked in both directions on my travels. Home 1 Away 0


Our choice of pub was once again the Prince of Wales in Moseley.  Massive screen, marquee in the garden, definitely beats my bog standard TV in the living room, although the sound wasn't working in the pub so I'm calling this one a draw.  Home 2 Away 1


Despite the awful weather, there was a decent gathering of Irish fans in the pub. Unfortunately, they didn't have much to shout about. Simon Cox's early shot was as good as it got and the crowd were reduced to shouts of "Go On" pretty much every time the Irish got the ball. It was optimism bordering on insanity, and had us doing impressions of Mrs Doyle for parts of the evening!  Towards the end of the match, one disgruntled fan summed up the night by bellowing out "We are getting absolutely f*cking schooled" form the back of the marquee.  It was hard to argue against him.  Overall it wasn't the stereotypical, fun loving Irish crowd, but it was still more fun than sitting at home listening to Beglin clutch at straws! Home 2 Away 2


The lack of sound combined with the fact I was conversing, made it a lot more difficult to appreciate the subtleties and tactics on show in the Spain game.  Whilst in broad terms it was pretty simple - Spain pass, Ireland chase! - I do like to watch out for the less obvious aspects of the game.  Who's playing well, the 1v1 matchups and the "stories" that unfold as the match progresses.  I could definitely get a better grasp of all this during the earlier game.  Home 3 Away 2


I love coffee (Dolce Gusto Espresso if you're asking), and my ideal drink to have when I get home form work and fell a bit tired.  I also love real ale, so a couple of pints during the Ireland game (Tribute, if you're asking) went down very nicely, unfortunately we then opted to try the new beer on offer - Brewdog IPA.  I'd heard good things about Brewdog so was keen to give it a try.  Errr, it was certainly different. In fact, we couldn't put it in any known beer category.  It didn't taste like ale, bitter,mild, continental lager or even cheap UK lager. It was a new taste experience! The jury's out on weather it as a good experience, but it certainly merits another go and hats off to Brewdog for trying something new.  Home 2 Away 3


The downside of having a few drinks whilst watching the game is that it leads to a)visits to the bar and b)visits to the toilet.  Both of which mean missing chunks of the match. Luckily, there were no queues, but the football geek in me likes to sit comfortably for 45 minutes without the need for a trip to the little fans' room.  Home 3 Away 3


Finally, there's the tricky 15 minute interval.  You could sit and listen to the half time analysis...or you could play Stick Cricket on your iphone for 15 minutes!  Alternatively you could engage in hot chat about your best man speech planned for later in the year.  In fact, in the battle between wathcing the games at home or in the pub, it really is too tight to call. And if we're boiling it down to what's better between Stick Cricket and being Beat Man, then it only seems fair to call the whole thing an honorable draw.


Hope you don't mind the lack of football content today, but there's so much more to watching the Euros than just football!