"SORRY" is one of the most powerful words in the English language.

It is a word which can repair damage, rebuild trust, and restore credibility, even though politicians avoid uttering it at all costs.

It was announced yesterday that Premier League referee Rob Styles is to say sorry to Liverpool Football Club for making a mistake in giving a penalty to Chelsea on Sunday. His misjudgement earned Chelsea a draw and led to the kind of frenzied reaction which suggested he'd committed mass murder.

People make mistakes and referees do not - so far - have the luxury of video replays which enable pundits to come up with a smugly accurate view after numerous action replays.

Millions of viewers saw Mr Styles make his error, so he had little choice but to admit he got it wrong. Nevertheless, we give him credit for contacting Liverpool with an official apology.

We also hope, therefore, that Birmingham manager Steve Bruce will also say sorry for appearing on Match of the Day at the weekend and berating the referee for allegedly getting it wrong in giving a winning penalty to West Ham.

Video replays clearly showed the referee was absolutely right - so what's the magic word, Steve?

Count blessings

WITH the people of Mexico bracing themselves last night for Hurricane Dean's 150mph impact, thousands fleeing their homes in terror, and Jamaica clearing up the devastation left in the wake of the storm, isn't it time we stopped moaning about how miserable the English summer has been?