Eh, I don't mind the 24 team system. It gives those countries that were on the fringe such as Albania, Iceland, Northern Ireland, etc., a chance to play. It gives the fans of those countries something to remember, even if they lose all their group games. Those teams haven"t put in bad performances, either. Albania won their last game against Romania and could've had a point against France. Iceland drew their first two games, one against Portugal. Northern Ireland won against Ukraine. In football anything can happen, so it isn't degrading for the tournament to have these teams. Besides, who doesn't like more matches to watch?
In terms of the best third place teams, I can understand the sentiment of how it feels wrong. It is essentially "Who's the best loser?".But for the smaller countries, it is a chance for glory, a once in a lifetime chance, unlike the bigger countries, who are in contention every tournament.