Irish soccer fans were ‘off-piste’ this summer, glued to the beautiful game on RTE 2, a match-by-match account of the events of Euro 2008, in Austria and Switzerland.

The green army, long forced to put Euro 2008 dreams and alpine ‘activities’ on ice, now regard participating teams and fans with a conflicting mixture of anorak interest, begrudging dispassion and envy.

However, the beautiful game is always in fashion, even though fans were less conspicuous, as they were watching at home on terrestrial television, and not in the pubs shelling out to watch the big matches on Sky sports.

I am usually struck with a feeling as if I haven’t done my homework when I hear the voice of Jim Sheridan commentating on games, as if the sun is beating down outside and I’m in the middle of exams. This is usually compounded by the comments of the panel, when you can tell Eamon Dunphy is having bets when he feels so definite, Johnny Giles never commits himself, and Graeme Souness is as solemn as a priest.

However, the June temperatures were moderate, perfect for soccer, it also rained, and this time the soccer is my homework.

There is redemption for the national game after all the hype of the cash-rich Premiership and Champions League rivalry between Manchester United and Chelsea. The difference, they say, was marginal. Mainly, one player, Cristiano Ronaldo (pictured left) and a missed penalty by Chelsea captain John Terry in Moscow. Some say, Euro 2008 is a chance to see the game played ‘properly’ for a change.

Fans were still delighted, as they could still see the Premiership’s top players on show: M Ballack (Chelsea) playing for Germany, Robin van Persie (Arsenal) playing for Holland and Cesc Fabregas (also Arsenal) playing for Spain, Cristiano Ronaldo (Man United) playing for Portugal, and Edwin van der Sar (Man United) in goal for Holland.

No less than four players for Liverpool are playing for Spain: Fernando Torres (pictured above) Alvaro Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso, and Jose Reina. Two players, David Villa (Spain) and Lucas Podolski (Germany), neither of whom play in England, have scored the first hat tricks of the competition.

The soccer during the group stages was being played ‘openly’, in an attacking style for the win, rather than not to lose. There were a lot of neutrals watching soccer being played for its own sake.

But its not that benign, as the lucrative transfer market will open in the summer. For example, Luis Filipe Scolari, who coached Brazil in 2002 (winners), now coach of Portugal for this competition, has just been appointed the new manager of Chelsea FC, a deal struck in Vienna.

He will be looking to acquire the best players from the market, and Jose Mourinho, just gone to Intermilan, will be looking to do the same. Rafael Benitez is, thankfully, staying put at Liverpool.

Taking only five matches to reach the Euro 2008 final, it is a very short route to the final. There were two markets in the betting. Portugal started as one of the top favourites to be outright winners, as did Italy, Germany, France and Spain. But at the time of writing, France has gone home already, Italy have barely scraped through the group stage, and Portugal and Germany have lost matches. Spain has easily qualified.

As of today, Holland has become favourites for the tournament, going from 12/1 to 3/1. Croatia (possible ‘dark horses’ ) have gone from 12/1 to 7/1, and will meet Turkey in the quarter final, started at 33/1, qualified in a dramatic win over Czech Republic, and their odds shortened to 16/1. Russia, who started at 22/1, have just beaten Sweden 2- 0.

There are now four mouthwatering quarter-finals to be played. Four nights in a row!

Hopefully, by the time you read this, you will have backed the Euro 2008 winner, and will not be Krank als ein Papagei! That means ‘sick as a parrot’ in German, the official language of the tournament!

And your chosen player will have taken the Golden Boot for the most goals, and you and the rest of the fans will not be saying what they regularly say about their club footballers. €70,000 eine Woche dafur?! What– €70,000 a week for that?!