'Let’s go upstairs?'

It used to be a phrase you’d pull out at a house party as a teenager trying to get past first base with Kate from your French class.

Now it is forever and inextricably linked with professional sport – namely rugby and cricket.

I have long been a fan of the use of the third umpire or television match official and had wondered about football’s consistent resistance to the use of technology.

It has taken years to persuade the powers that be that goal line equipment to prove a goal has been scored is a good idea.

The march towards getting video referees involved in the party seems almost inevitable for as long as pundits and managers alike bleat on about getting the right decision.

I was with them – until the Rugby World Cup kicked off.

The sport has long been upheld as the standard bearer for the use of television replays to ascertain foul play and ratify the scoring of tries.

But England’s win over Fiji on the tournament’s opening day last Friday only served to highlight why the use of technology in football should stop at the goal line  

Large stretches of the spectacle were ruined by the use of the TMO after match referee Jaco Peyper had seen his decision to award a try to Fiji undermined by replays in the stadium.

He then seemed unable to make a decision without referring to him upstairs for fear of getting it wrong. Everything was checked,

Cricket umpires have already become glorified jumper and sunglass holders, to the extent I wonder whether they’ll eventually be done away withal together.

It will get to the point where everything may as well be refereed via video link.

The much-maligned Sepp Blatter has long said the introduction of technology further detaches the game at the top level from those who play at the bottom level.

Until now, I disagreed.

I have lost count of the number of times – as a bowler or a batsman – I’ve thought I’d like to see that on Hawkeye or Snick-o.

England spinner Graeme Swann’s number of Test match LBW victims were given a helping hand after the introduction of the Decision Referral System (DRS).

I’m certain many a bowler or batsman has seen their averages enhanced in a similar way.

People go on about getting the right decision, but that takes the drama out of it.

So much in football is subjective and open to interpretation and, as we all know, things can look much worse in super low mo than in real time.

Pundits would be out of a job with the introduction of video referees in football and there wouldn’t be much unpredictable left to write about for newspaper journalists either.

A penalty decision can cost a club millions in today’s game, but that is exactly what makes the Premier League the most talked about and watched competition in the world.

The more we sanitise sport the less interesting it becomes. That is probably why UFC and boxing are becoming more popular. It is sport in its rawest form.

Last Friday’s rugby was a little like turning up to a West End show or live television programme rather than going to a live match.

I loved it – and I guess it is a sign of progress - but I was left feeling a little detached from the action, reduced to someone very much on the outside looking in.

Brentford have worked very hard at keeping football and watching the game ‘real’ at Griffin Park as the club has risen to within touching distance of the Premier League.

I hope it stays that way.