IT is difficult to decide which is the more mind-boggling - the fact that in 2005 a televised goal is disallowed because the use of technology has not been approved, or the furore surrounding the incident in this football-obsessed world.

Cynics might say that had Manchester United not been the beneficiaries far less would have been said. But no matter who is involved such a blatant injustice ought finally to bring the technology debate to a head.

It is 39 years since England won the World Cup, courtesy partly of a shot which didn't fully cross the line, and a couple of years after that things had advanced sufficiently to send a man to the moon. Yet 2005 has dawned with Tottenham being denied a victory at Old Trafford because the authorities claim that goal-line technology isn't good enough.

Obviously they are stalling on a thorny issue. But never mind the argument that umpires in cricket would be reduced to mere hat stands, it is time to accept that if the technology is available it is ludicrous not to use it in high-profile sport, which includes the Premiership.

The only possible arguments against it are time consumption and cost, and the former is barely relevant when footballers waste so much time by writhing around feigning injury or arguing with the referee. And solving the cost element is joyously simple - take it out of the players' wages.

THE injustice which Tottenham suffered also ended their remarkable winning run since Martin Jol took over as manager at roughly the same time as an ex-Spurs boss, Glenn Hoddle, took charge at Wolves.

As Spurs were in freefall when Jol was appointed, the transformation proves the value of having the right man in charge. So far, it doesn't appear to apply to either Hoddle or his West Midlands neighbour Bryan Robson.

Wolves must have committed some awful sins in a previous life as they had been reincarnated as 1-1 draw experts, mostly against very modest opposition, until they lost 2-0 to Wigan on Monday, while Robson's West Brom managed a rare clean sheet against Newcastle but couldn't pierce the impregnable Magpies' defence.

SHOULD we rejoice that at last a competitive Test series is being contested in South Africa, or lament the fact that England are still not good enough to win back the Ashes next summer?

Australia might just conceivably be bowled out once in a series for fewer than 200 in their first innings, but certainly not in successive matches. In 2004 they had the two leading Test run scorers in Justin Langer (1,481) and Damien Martyn (1,353) and four of the top seven wicket-takers in Shane Warne (70), Jason Gillespie (55), Glenn McGrath (47) and Michael Kasprowicz (47).

Stephen Harmison was third with 67, but there was no English batsman in the top ten, although Andrew Strauss would undoubtedly have made it had he been blooded earlier. He reached 1,000 runs in only his 19th innings and only the very best of Englishmen have beaten that - Herbert Sutcliffe, Sir Len Hutton and Wally Hammond.

England have yet to embrace the theory of collectivity the way Australia do. Because Harmison and Strauss could do no wrong last year, their team-mates have become too dependent on them, whereas Australia always find someone to dig them out of a hole. This week it was skipper Ricky Ponting with 207 against Pakistan, and if England are going to compete in the summer they will need more runs from their own captain.

IS the world full of limp-wristed, brittle-boned wimps these days, or is all sport so much more physical that it produces an endless stream of injuries?

Certainly the sheer impact generated by the enormous super-athletes who play professional rugby goes a long way towards explaining why more than 100 Zurich Premiership players have been injured this season.

But it seems extraordinary that Newcastle United should have to press Shola Ameobi into action as their only striker, despite his own obvious pain, when a few weeks ago he barely had a sniff of first team action.

Boro are also heavily depleted and as managers talk endlessly about needing strong squads it's all a far cry from the time when clubs used to field the same XI every week. They weren't as fit or highly-trained in those days, but they had an inner strength gained from spending their formative years running around. Not to mention the school milk!

WHILE Newcastle Falcons tackle what Rob Andrew calls the biggest game in their history tomorrow at Perpignan, Newcastle United will be at Yeading on Sunday. Well not actually at Yeading as the match has been switched to QPR, which should ensure that there is no repeat of the well-publicised FA Cup embarrassments at Bedford Town (1964) and Hereford (1972).

I fully expect United to win, whereas the Falcons will lose their 100 per cent Heineken Cup record before ensuring a quarter-final place by winning at home to Newport next week, when hopefully they will enjoy the rare luxury of fielding Jonny Wilkinson and Matt Burke in the same line-up.