England get to a final. On penalties.

For those of you who were unaware, tonight is the final of the UEFA U21 European Championships 2009. The two participants: Germany U21 and England U21. It couldn't be better. Well, it could, it could be at Wembley, and England could be wearing red, but because Germany want to be childish, we wear white, despite being the designated away side. But for England to get to a final in something is a moment to remember. Last time, back in 2007, England crashed out of the tournament on penalties (suprise, suprise) to Holland, and it appeared that our fate would be similar when it went to penalties against Sweden on Friday.

However, this is where the pessimism stops. Stuart Pearce did not want the heartache of another penalty failure in a competition. So he did something about it.

Over the past two years, Stuart Pearce has been going over hundreds of videos and pictures, and drew up an incredibly detailed list of penalty takers, and who could do it best. What's more, they didn't have a choice. Pearce put his foot down and forced his players to take a spot kick if he felt they were capable of doing a job.

Now those of you who play football on a weekly basis, like myself, will know that when you are put on the spot, not entirely confident in your ability, and forced to take a penalty, and if you miss you lose, his scary as seeing Michael Jackson in your child's bedroom.

But clearly it works. And it can't have been a fluke by the strikers, because the 'keeper, Joe Hart, scored as well. But is forcing your players to do things like this really the way of winning?

Maybe they will now feel that they can trust their boss, and be sure that whatever he tells them to do will be the right thing. Or maybe they will not perform unless forced to by their gaffer.

And that is the problem managers face. Force their players to do things they really don't want to do, or let them play the way they want to, but risk slipping into relax mode.

I'm glad I'm not a manager having to make that decision.

Whatever Stuart Pearce decides to do in the final today, good luck to him, because if it works, he could be a hero, and I agree with what Sven said earlier in the week about Pearce being a future senior manager, because he certainly has the ruthlessness needed.

Good luck to England U21 today. I don't care how it's done, but let's put another won over on them Germans, eh?

Gibbo