Officiating not to blame for England's defeat

Soccer Betting Lines

06/27/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Had Frank Lampard's shot in the 38th minute been correctly ruled a goal, England may have gone on to win its round of 16 match against Germany on Sunday and advanced to the quarterfinals.

You can make a case that England would not have committed so many men forward and therefore would not be so open to counter-attack chances that led to two Germany goals in the second half of a 4-1 loss.

But the goal didn't count and England has crashed out of the World Cup in disappointing fashion.

That's just the reality.

It does no good to talk about goal line technology at this point because FIFA has decided against it on numerous occasions. And while this game could be enough to help persuade Sepp Blatter and his cohorts to finally use it, that doesn't help Fabio Capello and his team at this point.

That is a topic for another day.

The tough part is that England is left wondering what might have been had Lampard's goal been given, but the Three Lions have only themselves to blame for the defeat.

David James was very poor in goal, and the England back line made more than a few mistakes in allowing Germany to take a two-goal lead in the opening 35 minutes.

The Three Lions only really showed some signs of life after they were already two goals down, so to blame the defeat on a missed call is sad.

James certainly cannot be pleased with his effort as he didn't react quickly on Miroslav Klose's first goal, while the center back pairing of Matthew Upson and John Terry was also left red-faced as they looked foolish in allowing Klose to walk through the middle to score the first goal.

The 39-year-old James looked every bit his age on Germany's second goal as he allowed Lukas Podolski to score from a tight angle before letting in a terrible goal from Thomas Muller, who beat the goalie at his near post.

Quite simply, James needs to make at least a couple of those saves, but after Robert Green's high-profile error in the opener against the United States, the goalkeeping position as a whole has to be a major concern.

The England attack also did nothing to flatter itself as Wayne Rooney had a very forgettable World Cup as a whole, and continued his struggles against Germany on Sunday as England failed to get both Rooney and fellow striker Jermain Defoe into the flow of the game.

Overall, Germany was just the better team, and yes they got the benefit of a bad call, but it shouldn't overshadow a typically strong effort by the mentally-tough Germans.

One of Germany's trademarks has been an ability to thrive under pressure, even when they are not the most talented team on the field, while England has crumbled in the biggest situations time and again.

England just wasn't able to pick itself up after the missed call, and Germany, as expected, went about its business and did what it needed to do to advance.

Not only has England's World Cup come to end, but it is now fair to wonder if players like Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Rio Ferdinand have played their last World Cup for the team.

Ferdinand missed this summer's tournament because of injury and he will be 35 by the time the next World Cup rolls around in Brazil four years from now.

The midfield duo of Lampard and Steven Gerrard will be 36 and 34, respectively, and even Terry will be 33 and could be on the downside of his career.

Certainly more was expected from this group of players for England, especially after such an impressive qualifying campaign.

But the team never seemed to hit its stride in South Africa, and now they have four years to figure out how to improve.

Blame England's second-place finish in a weak group, blame James and his poor goalkeeping, blame an inconsistent defense, or blame Rooney's incredibly disappointing performance for the loss.

Hell, find a reason to blame David Beckham.

But don't place the blame at the feet of the officials.

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Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds

Will he or won't he?  Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.

Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.

"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."

Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.

Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.

But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.

Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback.  It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.

Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1


Atlanta Falcons 50-1


Baltimore Ravens 15-1


Buffalo Bills 50-1


Carolina Panthers 18-1


Chicago Bears 10-1


Cincinnati Bengals 15-1


Cleveland Browns 100-1


Dallas Cowboys 15-1


Denver Broncos 15-1


Detroit Lions 100-1


Green Bay Packers 50-1


Houston Texans 100-1


Indianapolis Colts 6-1


Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1


Kansas City Chiefs 30-1


Miami Dolphins 40-1


Minnesota Vikings 75-1


New England Patriots 10-1


New Orleans Saints 18-1


New York Giants 20-1


New York Jets 30-1


Oakland Raiders 100-1


Philadelphia Eagles 18-1


Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1


Saint Louis Rams 60-1


San Diego Chargers 6-1


San Francisco 49ers 75-1


Seattle Seahawks 20-1


Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1


Tennessee Titans 40-1


Washington Redskins 50-1

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