England had a lot of the ball in today’s (June 29th) final of the U21 Euro Championships in Malmo, Sweden. The problem was, they didn’t really know what to do with it, and Germany did. However, there probably weren’t too many people out there who would have bet on a 4-0 Germany victory. To those who did, then congratulations.

England were behind the eight ball from the get go, due to the suspension of strikers Gabriel Agbonlahor and Fraizer Campbell, along with number one goalkeeper Joe Hart. But that’s the nature of football, and sports in general for that matter. You need to be prepared for anything and England clearly weren’t. While Theo Walcott, and James Milner are players with some admirable offensive skills, they’re not pure strikers.

In fact, England didn’t have any other strikers to suit up in the final and that shows the sorry state of football today as well as terrible management by England’s Stuart Pearce and his staff. How you can only take two strikers out of a squad of 23 to a major tournament is beyond me. But that just goes to show you how much importance is placed on scoring goals in today’s game.

Scott Loach, who played with Watford last season, started in goal, while many supporters thought Peterborough United’s Joe Lewis would have been a better choice. But in the end, it doesn’t really matter as you’re not going to win any football games if you don’t score at least one goal.

England got off to a good start, but Gonzalo Castro put Germany ahead with a beautifully timed run and an excellent pass from Mesut Ozil. Castro neatly slid the ball past the oncoming Loach. That goal held up until half time, but once the second period started it didn’t take Germany long to double the lead as Ozil let a screaming free kick go from 35 yards, that Loach totally misplayed and while he got his hand to it, the ball dribbled over the line.

That seemed to take the starch out of England, and while they did create a few chances, Lee Cattermole nicked the crossbar with a long-range shot in the 57th minute and two others were cleared off the line, but none of them actually forced the keeper to make a save, and Germany punished them further with goals by Sandro Wagner in the 79th and 84th minutes. He could have had a hat trick, but blew a sitter in the 77th minute after being set up by Ozil, who was a thorn in England’s side all night long.

The game was definitely decided by this point and it was just a matter of how many goals Germany might bang in. But, the scoring was over and Germany added the U21 title to go along with the U19 and U17 championships which they currently hold as well.

While Pearce will be seen as some type of hero in many experts’ eyes, let’s look at the facts here. He didn’t bring along enough attacking strength and paid the ultimate price for it after his strikers were suspended. And his team didn’t respond well in the big games. After taking a 3-0 lead against Sweden in the semi final, England then surrendered seven straight goals. So they didn’t look too good in the defensive end of the pitch either. I’m no expert, but that’s no way to win a championship.

Howard Webb’s decision to award Manchester United a penalty in Saturday’s Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur has led to calls for the introduction of technology in the game to be rapidly stepped up.

The decision was made based on an apparent foul by Spurs goalkeeper, Heurelho Gomes, on Michael Carrick when TV replays after the incident showed that Gomes had clearly touched the ball.

Subsequently the penalty was scored by Cristiano Ronaldo and from 2-0 down United went on to win the game at a canter. Since the event Webb has come out publicly in the media and admitted he got the decision wrong.

He said: “I have looked at it again and I think it was a mistake but we make these decisions honestly. It’s not always easy to see the way the play pans out from pitch level.”

Webb’s mistake prompted fury on the Spurs match as manager, Harry Redknapp, said the incident changed the entire face of the game. He later called for the 4th official on the sidelines to be paying particular attention to TV monitors around him and being in constant touch with the referee on field.

Redknapp said after the game: “The referee made a terrible mistake. You should have technology. The fourth official should be watching the TV monitor and talking to the referee.”

Redknapp’s cries of outrage have once again opened up the debate on the use of technology in the modern game. For the last few years the demand for goal line technology to decipher whether or not a ball has crossed the line has been high.

Especially after ‘Reading’s Phantom Goal’ when referee, Stuart Atwell, awarded the Royals a goal in their Premier League fixture against Watford, despite the ball having flown yards wide.

Technology in football will happen at some point. The problem is it is a painfully slow process for all involved. It took years for referees and linesman just to be allowed microphone technology to be able to talk to each other without having to run from one end of the pitch to the other.

It is baffling why football seems so reluctant to let the help of technology seep into the modern game. Everyone wants to see fairer and more accurate games. None of the entertainment or excitement value will be lost by allowing its introduction to the sport.

Only when it is introduced, and mirrors the examples of other sports such as cricket, tennis and rugby, will we see fairer and more correct decision being made. The decision on Sunday could have been remedied in a matter of seconds and everyone would have been satisfied that the right out come had been made.

High profile managers sitting in the stands are allowed small monitors in front of them at most games so why not the 4th official?

This is clearly something the FA have to investigate. If they do not then sooner or later it could be the fine dividing line between a club going up to the Premier League or being relegated from League football entirely.