I don’t know about you but events this week have left me shocked, stunned and not a little amazed... and I am not referring solely to the incredible error which cost Spurs a win at Old Trafford.

No, it’s the aftermath of that particular disastrous decision which has really left me aghast because it appears the football world has suddenly seen collective sense and realised that technology has to be introduced into the game.

Even Sepp Blatter, so long a figure of ridicule in my mind and those of thousands (millions?) of others, has seen the light and admitted mistakes like Ôthe goal that never was’ have got to be stamped out.

So finally, many years after it was first so evidently needed, we are going to see the introduction of something which will make football a more fair and legitimate sport. The question now is how far will the ruling bodies go?

Will they go the whole hog and introduce television replays for all contentious decisions? Or will they stop at the insertion of a microchip in the ball so science can tell us whether it crossed the line?

Personally I would prefer to see the introduction of a video referee watching the game from the stands. He would be wired up to the match referee who would consult him when he felt the need. A similar system has been used in rugby for a long time and contentious and questionable tries are a thing of the past in that particular sport.

Admittedly there are potential drawbacks to this system in regard to football, namely that it would slow down the match but, when you consider how much time can be wasted when players argue a decision with the ref, then maybe that won’t be such a problem.

Certainly these replays will have to be used sparingly and cannot be resorted to for every single questionable incident that happens on the field of play.

But if we limit them to incidents like balls crossing the line, off the ball clashes and penalty claims I think the flow of the match should not be too affected.

Having said all that, I am fairly sure the authorities will not be tempted to go the full monty. At least not straight away.

Initially I think we will see the mircochip option preferred with video refs gradually introduced over coming seasons. The English FA has already said it is, for now at least, only interested in the goal-line technology preferring to wait until there has been some Ôserious debate’ on a wider introduction of technology.

But most importantly in my view is the fact that we now seem to have some sort of consensus that technology is now a necessity and not something to be shunned.

Heck, even Sir Alex has come out in favour of video replays and he was one of those most passionately against the move in the past, fearing it would break up the flow of matches: “What I was against originally was the time factor in video replays,” he said after the Spurs match. “But I read an article the other day which suggested that if a referee can’t make up his mind after 30 seconds of watching a video replay then the game should carry on. Thirty seconds is about the same amount of time it takes to organise a free-kick or take a corner or a goal-kick. So you wouldn’t be wasting a lot of time.”

With people like Sir Alex now on board and Sepp Blatter finally starting to speak sense, it feels to me like the football world is a more sensible one this week.

We could very well be about to move into a brave new era for the game where errors seen by millions except the referee are things of the past. And it won’t be a moment too soon when we do.

Peter Reid

Final thought for the day on Peter Reid who left Coventry by mutual consent on Thursday. Here is a man who has made a career out of being a not terribly good football manager.

Sunderland had limited success under him but he left them nicely placed to drop out of the Premier. At Leeds he was kicked out after laying the irreversible foundations for relegation.

Now at Coventry, after just eight months in charge, he has once again abandoned ship after turning a relatively mediocre side into a rather bad one leaving them 20th in the Championship and struggling for survival.

A rather poor record over all which would, at face value, suggest he is a bit of a footballing idiot. But, then again, after a quick glance at his bulging bank account, maybe its the relative chairmen who were the real idiots. I’ll let you decide.

Contact James on: [email protected]