The Czech Republic Thread - Contributed to by Milan Baros, with 2 goals in 2 years.

Czech Republic

Founded: 1992

Assosciation:

Nickname: Nároďák (The National Team)

FIFA Ranking: 26

Record in the Euros

'96 - Runners Up

2000 - Group Stage

'04 - Semi Finals

'08 - Group Stage

So, if that pattern's anything to go by, should be a good tournament!

[TABLE=class: wikitable]

[TR]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

GP W D L GF GA

[TABLE=class: wikitable]

[TR]

[TD]25[/TD]

[TD]11[/TD]

[TD]5[/TD]

[TD]9[/TD]

[TD]36[/TD]

[TD]32[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

Group A:

Poland

Russia

Czech Republic

Greece

In the weakest group in the tournament, the Czechs will be expecting to make it to the quarter-finals, where they will likely meet either Germany or the Netherlands.

[TABLE=class: tablehead]

[TR=class: oddrow team-600-454]

[TD=bgcolor: transparent]Jun 8[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: transparent]19:45 BST[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: transparent, align: right]Russia[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: transparent, align: center] v [/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: transparent]Czech Republic[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: transparent]Stadion Miejski (Wroclaw)[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: transparent]European Championship (2012)[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR=class: evenrow team-600-455, bgcolor: transparent]

[TD=bgcolor: #F1F1F1]Jun 12[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: #F1F1F1]17:00 BST[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: #F1F1F1, align: right]Greece[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: #F1F1F1, align: center] v [/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: #F1F1F1]Czech Republic[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: #F1F1F1]Stadion Miejski (Wroclaw)[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: #F1F1F1]European Championship (2012)[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR=class: oddrow team-600-471]

[TD=bgcolor: transparent]Jun 16[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: transparent]19:45 BST[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: transparent, align: right]Czech Republic[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: transparent, align: center] v [/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: transparent]Poland[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: transparent]Stadion Miejski (Wroclaw)[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: transparent]European Championship (2012)[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

Coach: Michal Bilek

Squad:

[TABLE=align: left]

[TR]

[TD]Name[/TD]

[TD]Club[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Goalkeepers:[/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Petr Cech[/TD]

[TD]Chelsea[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Jaroslav Drobny[/TD]

[TD]Hamburg[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Jan Lastuvka[/TD]

[TD]Dnipro[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Defenders:[/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Theodor Gebre Selassie[/TD]

[TD]Slovan Liberec[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Michal Kadlec[/TD]

[TD]Leverkusen[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]David Limbersky[/TD]

[TD]Viktoria Plzen[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Frantisek Rajtoral[/TD]

[TD]Viktoria Plzen[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Tomas Sivok[/TD]

[TD]Besiktas[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Marek Suchy[/TD]

[TD]Spartak Moscow[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Midfielders:[/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Vladimir Darida[/TD]

[TD]Viktoria Plzen[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Tomas Hubschmann[/TD]

[TD]Shakhtar Donetsk[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Petr Jiracek[/TD]

[TD]Wolfsburg[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Daniel Kolar[/TD]

[TD]Viktoria Plzen[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Milan Petrzela[/TD]

[TD]Viktoria Plzen[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Vaclav Pilar[/TD]

[TD]Bordeaux[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Jan Rezek[/TD]

[TD]Anorthosis Famagusta[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Tomas Rosicky[/TD]

[TD]Arsenal[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Attackers:[/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Milan Baros[/TD]

[TD]Galatasaray[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]David Lafata[/TD]

[TD]Jablonec[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Tomas Necid[/TD]

[TD]CSKA Moscow[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Tomas Pekhart[/TD]

[TD]Nurnberg[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1)

Cech; Selassie Sivok Hubnik Kadlec; Plasil Jiracek; Rezek Rosicky Pilar; Baros/Pekhart

Ive got Czech Republic in the sweepstake at work. Mon the Czechs!

Same with my mates, which is why I started this haha. Looking forward to it!

I fancy Baros to score a few tbh

It'd be about time, he's looked off colour for a while.

By the way, you can read my preview here if anyone wants any extra info on the Czechs.

Baros got injured and they do not know yet if he is going to play at Euro at all

Ffs

He's been banging them in in Turkey though hasn't he?

Also, Rosicky missed a friendly or two and some trainings, but he was practising during the official session yesterday (in fromt of 4.000 spectators ) and is said to be certain to start against Russia.

Baros got injured and they do not know yet if he is going to play at Euro at all

Was that in today's training session?

And that'd mean Pekhart would start, right? I'd rather Necid play.

The news appeared today, so I guess it's a yes.

Hmm. Kinda want him to play to see if he can rediscover his form of Euro 2004.

That Euro 2004 team was one of my favourite of all time. I remember Mourinho saying they would win it easily and they would have if it wasn't for some really bad luck and some bad refereeing. I am not going to take anything away from the Greeks - they had a plan, it required a lot of luck but they managed to do it, fair play to them. But that Czech team was really great.

It's a bit similar to the Atletic Bilbao situation at the moment, a great team which will become a not as great team in the near future because of players leaving, whilst in Czech Republic's case it's because players got older/retired etc. and they couldn't replace them. Obviously it's slightly different because one's domestic and the other's international, but the principle's basically the same.

Yeah, they simply had a generation of great players starting around mid 90s and ending around 2006. Back then, in Poland it was being commented that Czech success was a result of Sparta Prague qualifying a few times to the CL and using the money to invest in youth development, spreading the cash around the other league clubs etc. Now it looks more like they were just lucky with some very gifted players and a great manager.

But that is the fate of nations like them or Poland. We can rise to greatness for a few years, a generation of players, but it is hard to remain at the top. Poland enjoyed their best time during 1972-1982 period, winning the Olympics and finishing 3r in the WC twice. but since then it is hard to rise above averageness or even beat a big team like England, Italy or Holland.

Holland 4-3 Czech Republic at Euro 2004 was one of my favourite games ever

Yeah, amazing one. I will also never forget Czech reserves humiliating Germany who were fighting for their survival in the group stages

Yeah, they simply had a generation of great players starting around mid 90s and ending around 2006. Back then, in Poland it was being commented that Czech success was a result of Sparta Prague qualifying a few times to the CL and using the money to invest in youth development, spreading the cash around the other league clubs etc. Now it looks more like they were just lucky with some very gifted players and a great manager.

But that is the fate of nations like them or Poland. We can rise to greatness for a few years, a generation of players, but it is hard to remain at the top. Poland enjoyed their best time during 1972-1982 period, winning the Olympics and finishing 3r in the WC twice. but since then it is hard to rise above averageness or even beat a big team like England, Italy or Holland.

Czechs in 96 were class, as well as 2004. And you're right about the golden generation of Czech football, they took advantage of it whereas England wasted their most talented bunch of players in however many years. That's the difference between the two teams. I'd love it if they repeated 04 this year.

The smaller nations enjoy modicums of success every so often but they're a rarity. It's best to just enjoy and remember them, because they're not going to be great forever like a country like Brazil will be. It's always fun for a team like Poland to do well, because you can see how much it means to their fans.

So you're saying Baros won't be scoring loads of goals then? Was just about to put him in my fantasy team.

So you're saying Baros won't be scoring loads of goals then? Was just about to put him in my fantasy team.

Don't think so mate, even if he does overcome his injury he's not extremely likely to bang them in.

Gebre Selassie to be the star.

Oh, and if Baros doesn't play, give Lafata a go!

Both been in form this season, haven't they?