Shootout lottery denies England again

England bow out of EURO 2012 at exactly the stage Roy Hodgson anticipated. Outclassed during most of 120 captivating minutes, it's Italy who'll go forward to face Germany in the semi-finals.

The game descended into a goalless war of attrition as Italy's passing and possession forced England into a rearguard action.

Pirlo crowns Man Of The Match with cheeky pen!

The first-half would've been the time for England to score and assert their authority on the game, but it wasn't to be. With Andrea Pirlo orchestrating midfield, Italy created chance after chance. Even Mario Balotelli played with discipline and resolve. Talk of mini-explosions and tantrums proved fruitless for the baying English media.

The Italians did score through Nocerino, but he was ruled offside. They'd have deserved it but manful England defended doggedly, managing to get over the line for the penalty lottery.

Sadly, it's never a competitition for England. We always go out of tournaments on spot-kicks - and despite the preparation Joe Hart and others insisted they were ready for, the cheekiest of Pirlo chips helped secure a 4-2 win.

The England manager insists he's no regrets and the team can keep heads held high without a single "What If" to keep them up at night.

But there were some distinctly ordinary performances out there led by Ashley Young, who surrendered possession too much and Wayne Rooney, who was completely beyond the required match fitness needed.

On the positive side, Glen Johnson produced his best performance in an England shirt to date and John Terry, Joleon Lescott and Ashley Cole will all know they were in a real contest.

We also have in Hodgson the new head of a settled regime ready for our next disappointment, the World Cup in 2014. It's now 48 years of hurt - and counting.

Football needs to punish its miscreant stars

Graham Norton gets to grips

The BBC's Graham Norton Show isn't normally the platform to gauge public opinion on football, but the instant reaction of his studio audience should send alarm bells ringing at the Premier League.

Norton's routine covered Ashley Cole, who took an air rifle into training at Cobham which he not only used, but actually shot someone with. Norton's fans booed Cole on two separate occasions, taking the entertainer by surprise.

Ashley Cole's story in The Super Soaraway

Obviously with a big midweek game against Manchester United just days away, Chelsea took no action. But neither did the Premier League or the FA. A case of the Three Monkeys if you ask me.

United also faced no censure as Wayne Rooney crunched Wigan's James McCarthy with his elbow.

Sir Alex Ferguson conceded Rooney had been "a lucky boy" not to be sent off, but the only swift reaction we got from football's authorities was the England striker was to face no punishment.



See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil

Football claims to be a cradle of English culture and values. The FA have run campaigns with titles such as Respect and Get Into Football. But its ideals will soon be regarded as hollow if it doesn't take even the smallest stands against its biggest miscreant stars.

Sponsorship and TV revenue keeps rolling in - but investment from corporations isn't just reliant on ratings. They're also badging a product and if it's perceived to have diminishing morals, then football will lose its financial value.

Sky took a stand against sexism with the resignation of Richard Keys and the sacking of Andy Gray. That sets the tone for a repositioned morality and style to football from here on in.


Rooney: The 4th Monkey



Football, TV and sponsors need each other in equal proportion. It appears in these days of ecomonic austerity, there isn't one stakeholder which is any more powerful than another.

The FA would have been surprised by the public's positive reaction had they had the guts to punish Cole and Rooney. Graham Norton would bear witness to that.

It's nearly twenty years since the formation of the Premier League. It's never been more successful, but it's probably never been more complacent either.

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Booing Ashley Cole is the fans verdict on celebrity

Spontaneous boos greeted Ashley Cole's every touch of the ball in the immediate aftermath of that chronic pass that gifted Kazakhstan their goal at Wembley.

But it wasn't fan reaction to poor football or even a bad show by the Chelsea left-back.

It was their instant verdict on Cole's controversial celebrity status.

Cole's odious "My Side" biography, the greed and disloyalty of his transfer from Arsenal to Chelsea and the soap opera of his relationship with WAG Cheryl played out daily through the tabloids, gets on supporters' wicks.

If Wes Brown or Matthew Upson had been responsible for the same pass, they certainly wouldn't have been booed with such conviction.

Cole's doing his best these days to keep his gob shut, to avoid searching for the paps with his celebrity wife: to quote the phrase so readily used about David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo before him, "he's playing himself out of trouble".

Fans don't mind a footballer's millionaire lifestyle, as long as he gives his all and demonstrates his commitment by consistency and good performances. Becks remains England's most popular player because he remembers just that. He learned the hard way with that sending off against Argentina a decade ago.

Cole's slowly recapturing the form that catapulted him to stardom at Arsenal. He's turning in his best performances since joining Chelsea. That's probably why another branch of England fans started clapping his every touch to compete with the boos.

But as those first fans at Wembley showed - and they're entitled to their opinion - he's still got work ahead of him to repair his image - as a man and as a footballer.

Listen to Rio's verdict on England's WAG circus under Sven!