Mon 3 July - Soccer madness

"Once again we see the ludicrous end to a major soccer event, that stupid method of lining up the troops to take potshots.

"I don't support England, nor any other team, as a rule but I do deprecate this silly idea of the penalty shoot out.

"In the UK, I still maintain it is far better for a match to be declared tied at the end of extra time, with both sides holding on to the trophy for a period of six months each, rather than one side taking the kudos just because they managed to land one more penalty kick than the other side.

"Ridiculous! The England v Portugal finish was a total disaster, not for England, but for the game of soccer itself.

"As said previously, the whole idea of this method of completing a game, is akin to the taking of potshots at opposing sides in a stalemate war situation, until one or the other misses.

"This is not a satisfactory, or in many cases, fair method to settle the game. Why bother with the penalty shootout, why not do as at the start of the game, settle it on the toss of a coin? Simpler and just as silly.

"Mind you, taking into account that it is only a game, despite the money that seems to be at the bottom of it all these days, why the adherents get so exited and wound up over it all is beyond common sense anyway.

"One only has to look at the performance of the likes of Beckham, making a speech whilst almost in tears, shows how childish the whole sorry mess has become. A kids game, played in the playground one can expect tears, but a grown man ? Oh! do come on.

"If it wasn't for the fans paying so much cash to get into a ground to see twenty two participants kicking about a bladder of wind, these 'celebrity' types would not be so totally exposed, as they would not be able to demand such high rates of pay. I blame the fans for allowing themselves to be caught up in the whole nonsensical melee.

"That said, I cannot see any satisfaction for anyone, teams, fans, management, or the whole soccer world, in this penalty shootout method to finalise a match."

Note - Morgan's views are not necessarily shared by the BBC