The European Commission Healthy & Safety watchdog has ruled that penalty shoot outs are dangerous and should be banned. Heart attacks rise amongst supporters and the players involved are thought to have shortened lives as a result of their ordeal. Of course, other solutions have been looked at for years, but maybe it is time for a re-think. One idea that appeals is a phone-in where the public decide which team goes through, but this would favour clubs like Manchester United and countries like China if they were level at 0-0 against Andorra in a big game.

The idea of removing one player from each side every 5 minutes has been put forward in the past, but perhaps having no goalkeeper would make things more interesting. Indeed, a one against one with each player placed on their goal and the ball on the centre spot would prove good gladitatorial action, encouraging teams to have an Olympic sprinter in the side.

One idea put forward was the gradual widening of goals, although this would require some hefty mechanical parts to make the goals widen gradually at each end. It's hard to imagine that it would be cost effective for Aldershot at the end of 120 minutes of tedium against Rochdale in front of 45 people in the Johnstones Paint preliminary qualifier 2nd leg to have the finances to put in devices at each end of the pitch that could stretch the goalposts - possibly, wider and higher. Even more improbable, though immeasurably more fun, would be if the goals popped up in random positions along the goal line causing the keeper to sprint from point to point to defend his goal.

A more sedate way, which is possibly less risky to potential heart victims, would be to get the players to sit on the pitch at the end, wire them up with mikes and have a quiz conducted by the fourth official with questions directed to players about their own teams. Would Robinho know the name of Manchester City's previous ground? Would he be lynched by the City fans if answered "Old Trafford" as a wild guess? Or, perhaps, we should just return to that good old toss of the coin. I remember as a 10 year old being knocked out of a local cup by the toss of a coin and everyone seemed happy. The winners rejoiced; the losers went away feeling it wasn't their fault.