Goalline technology is getting closer

I just hope this is the end of technology in football. I know it robs us occasionally but I don't want football to be an exact science.

It's not the technology that's the problem, it's the idea that the ref's decision is sacrosanct and irreversible. Why? They make mistakes. Sometimes through incompetence/ favouritism, sometimes not. The bottom line is they make mistakes. We've lost, what, four points so far through ref's mistakes.

After a contentious call why can't they just hold off making a decision until after receiving confirmation, as they do when consulting the linesman? And by confirmation I mean someone in their earpiece - "No, Fellaini was onside. Goal stands", "Yes, Saurez dived. Red card".

The same goes for any red card decision. If the official thinks it's a red he asks the video replay and they review the play, the decision is made. Rodwell would not have been sent off in the derby last year, Pienaar would not have been sent off this past weekend. Not everything will be caught, but a hell of a lot more would. The officials would be more prone to whistle initially for what looks like a penalty because they know they can take a look. And with players knowing their dive will be reviewed, chances are the penalty claims under review would either be penalties or clean tackles. Either way, video will show the truth. And why not just review every goal while the players are running around celebrating for a minute of more? Blatant hand ball goals would be eliminated.

Football has always had its "characters" as referees, but it seems that going professional has seen some of them want the spotlight as much as the players we pay to watch.

Whilst this technology should help, I can imagine the referees themselves resisting any extension to things like offsides, dives etc.

Goal line technology would have redeemed our tally of just two of those points and would have made no impact on anything else like Pienaar's second yellow card at the weekend.

I have always said there is a simple solution that some professional voices are starting to add to the argument in favour of. Hawk Eye (video referencing) is used very successfully in both tennis & cricket so it could easily translate to football with the same parameters.

Each manager has two objections per half. If their objection stands upon video review their tally remains but if it is disproven they are down one. Once they have used all available we are back to where we are for the full 90 minutes of every game at the moment - i.e. tough, the referee's decision is final and you shouldn't have wasted your opportunities.

This would offer a maximum of eight video checks per game. That may sound a lot but as has already been said it would not unduly delay anything and would improve the game. Sadly, it is seemingly not in the interests of the footballing hierarchy, particularly UEFA, who would rather employ more officials on touchlines to be nothing more than mannequins as I have yet to see a solitary one of them influence a decision where they miss untold amounts, despite being stood on the edge of the 18 yard box.

1. Timekeeping basketball style, ie, ball out of play – clock stopped;

2. Sin bins for yellow cards, 10-15 mins by the game clock, and player released exactly on time;

3. Both managers given the right to ask for video evidence over a certain amount of incidents of their choice per game;

4. Fully automated goal-line, touch-line, and offside decisions.

These are a must in my opinion, as it would level the playing field and be more entertaining with all the added drama of awaiting important decisions, knowing exactly how much time is left, plus with the sin bin scenario you could have periods of play with various amounts of players on the pitch at any one time.

Sin Bins?????? there simply isn't enough swear words for this suggestion.

Video Evidence challenges?? Only if the ball is out of play immediately following the controversial incident, but what stops a manager abusing the challenges to break up play when a team is on top? - daft idea

Goal line technology, the only sensible suggestion and it will not affect the game in any way, as soon as the ball is over the line, the ref's bollocks get an electric shock, or some other method confirming it was over and a goal is given. Simple as.

If you have a video reply for penalties what about non-penalties, free-kicks, throw-in etc....continually break the passage of play until the video has been watched.

Mistakes happen, it's part of the fun, part of the banter. Football is entertainment, not science. So what if sometimes it's 'unfair', it's entertainment. Besides, Jelavic handballs then scores... don't see many complaining about that 'mistake'. Ben Arfa was through on goal, again this is swiped aside as unimportant.

What about fouls off the ball, Tim Cahill was great at this... etc etc etc.

These relics who run UEFA have to go.

Encapsulate everything I hate about modern football - the endless wittering about refereeing decisionx and 'incidents', Skysports News and Talksports going on and on and on as though a ball hitting a line of paint has some sort of equivalence with the bleeding situation in Syria.

Ghe thing I love about professional football is that it is the same game I play in the park but played to a far higher level.. So the odd decision is wrong - so what.

The game's too fast and no referee is close an athlete as the players he's officiating. That's where the worst of calls come from. One man can't keep up.

The only way I'd like to see video technology used is to retrospectively clamp down on the worst excesses of fouling, diving & other forms of cheating. Perhaps allowing managers, or perhaps the officials themselves, to cite particular players or incidents for retrospective review. So long as this was accompanied by suitably severe punishments to both player & club it could help to curb the most extreme behaviour.