England fails

So England are out of the world cup at the hands of Germany again. It's been a disappointing campaign with lackluster team performances and a number of individuals failing badly as well.

Yesterday, Germany were certainly the better team in the game. However, the whole world saw the ball cross the line and Lampard's goal should have been given.  Although we could have been 3 or 4 goals down at that point, the psychological effect on Germany of us pulling 2 goals back so quickly to level the game could well have changed the match.

I know that referees and their linesmen make mistakes, but the main aim of football is to score a goal and when a team is cheated from that objective by "the system", you have to question why technology is so hated by FIFA. Overall, football works as a game and we don't need lots of reasons to stop the flow by checking TV screens, but goal line technology has been proved to work and in this case might have seen a different result.  Did anyone else note that the BBC had turned down the volume of the crowd due to cries of "the referee's a wanker"?

The goal that never was for Crystal Palace at the beginning of last season was even more obvious and had a hugely negative effect on on-loan striker Freddy Sears and the team for many matches.

As I say, Germany had been playing better before and after we were cheated out of a goal and we will never know what the final result will have been.  I would much prefer to be beaten by a better team, rather than the ineptitude of a referee and his staff.

To brighten our day (except for you straight guys), here are some nice pictures of Torres that I've been drooling over lately...