Ian Holloway came up with a blindingly simple way to avoid the furore that cost QPR a point at Blackburn on Saturday.

Take the fourth official from the dugout; stick him in front of a TV upstairs; and allow him access via an earpiece to the ref to decide when a goal has been scored, says the boss.

Goal-line technology would have sorted the was-it-wasn’t-it controversy over Conor Washington’s header that replays showed crossed the line – but wasn’t given.

Over? Conor Washington beats Jason Steele but no goal

Sam Gallagher’s strike in the 91st minute dictated Rovers got the points and shunted Hoops back towards the drop.

Like cricket and a fourth umpire, Ollie wants the official on the touchline in a more useful place.

"I had the same view as the fourth official,” he said. “We couldn't be really sure, but with players' reactions it looked like it was.

"Never mind, we let a goal in at the end, that's what cost us. It truly is the first time I've ever scored a goal and lost 1-0.

Pain: Nedum Onuoha (L) applauds fans, but Matt Smith C) and Conor Washington are dejected

"I just ask for professionalism. We're asking referees, fourth officials, assessors to be professional when you're not giving them the right equipment. I don't need a fourth official stood between me and (Blackburn manager) Owen Coyle, I can tell you that.

"We're professional people. That man needs to be upstairs, watching a screen, talking to the referee and he would have seen it and could have had a re-run of it.

"I used to work for the people who do it. You don't need a goal line machine telling you 'goal', 'no goal' that costs over £100,000. You don't need that.”

In 2014, Clint Hill ‘scored’ a QPR goal at Bolton that would have yielded a point. The ball was a yard over the line, only to be cleared in an instant, and no goal given.

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