But isn't it time the game emerged from a state of being in fear of itself? The Crystal Palace chairman, Simon Jordan, opined: "If you say things are shit long enough, things will be shit". He had a point.Evidence of new technology is too unreliableThat old why-don't-we-employ-new-technology debate was reopened like an infected wound at Wigan last weekend, with Newcastle's Alan Shearer claiming his headed "equaliser" had crossed the line TV evidence suggested it had, but was inconclusive. But before we all get carried offon the wave of Shearer's revolutionary zeal, it should be stressed that what TV evidence did prove was that Shearer gave Wigan's Arjan de Zeeuw the most obvious shove since Nat Lofthouse was about. Sorry, but the use of technology would not begin and end with a straightforward answer to the question: "Has the ball crossed the line?" There would soon be pressure to extend it, and like Wigan's manager, Paul Jewell, in this case, declare: "Let's look at what happened immediately before the header." No doubt Neil Warnock would have done the same on Friday night after his excellent Sheffield United earned a valuable Champion-ship point at Leeds. He complained about the Leeds goal, because in the build-up he "wasn't satisfied with the position a throw-in was taken".
Before becoming a disciple of the technology faith, we should remember the complexities that a so-called "simple solution" can create.. The England football captain David Beckham and his club, Real Madrid, last night denied claims that the football star has demanded a new contract worth up to £770,000 a week. The claims, made in Spanish newspapers and repeated in Britain yesterday, centred on allegations that Beckham wanted a deal that would make him the third highest-paid sports star in the world, behind Tiger Woods and Michael Schumacher. One report said the Real Madrid star had asked for £40m a year, including the bulk of profits from sales of his famous No 23 shirt.However, the club denied it had even set a date for negotiations on the renewal of Beckham's contract, which runs until 2007. "It is not true that the player has asked for any type of contractual or financial improvement for the future, and a date for discussions between the club and the player has not been established," said the website statement."David Beckham has assured us that he is happy in Spain and at Real Madrid. The club values the excellent commitment and hard work of the player.". It was John Major, as his premiership spiralled out of control, who was quoted as saying that when your back's against the wall, all you can do is turn round and fight. Millwall yesterday were a living warning of what happens if you take that advice to heart.
Bottom of the table and still suffering the effects of a midweek home drubbing against Sheffield United, they came out flailing, but every attempted blow seemed to misfire. Without really threatening themselves, Millwall had been comfortable until, with 18 minutes gone, Jamie Vincent turned blind and rolled a weak backpass towards keeper Andy Marshall. Appropriately, the beneficiary of such a schoolboy error was Theo Walcott, who is only a few months out of schoolboy football himself.He became Southampton's youngest ever scorer while making his full debut at Leeds on Tuesday, and the 16-year-old confidently racked up his second, taking the ball round Marshall with one touch, and rolling it in with a second. "He's got pace, ability and great close control," said his manager Harry Redknapp. "He's a good kid with a level head." Colin Lee, the Millwall manager, went further, describing him as the best 16-year-old he had ever seen.Southampton's second arrived seven minutes later, Ricardo Fuller heading Djamel Belmadi's left-wing free-kick inside the near-post.
