There was a lot to like about last weekend’s match between Sheffield United and Manchester United, both for fans of the teams involved and the neutrals who witnessed a bizarre but intriguing 3-3 draw.

However, one of the things that really stood out for me wasn’t on the pitch itself but on the touchline where one of the assistant referees was Sian Massey-Ellis. Her calm and assured performance got me thinking about how far football has come in the last decade. Well, at least in some areas.

Some of you might remember back in 2011 when she made her debut, she was the victim of some rather distasteful sexist comments by TV presenters Andy Gray and Richard Keys.

Although what they said was off air, it still led to both men being sacked by Sky – although they are still alive and kicking in the world of football commentary on another channel.

But the bigger picture was that Gray and Keys were, sadly, reflective of how the whole of English football viewed the introduction of female officials. The simple reality is that it was a big thing, a seismic shift in a male-dominated sport. A woman officiating at a top-flight match was controversial and, to be honest, a hard thing for many supporters to accept.

Fast forward eight years and it’s a different ball game.

Last Sunday, the fact that a woman was involved in officiating the game was entirely inconsequential to just about everyone and their dog. She wasn’t a female assistant referee, she was merely an assistant referee. Her gender made no difference and was no longer a factor.

That might not sound important but I think it is.

It is a tremendous achievement and sign of progress and maturity that what was once such a big deal is now accepted as the norm. And, at a time when football is under the microscope for its racism issues, it is nice to focus on a positive.

Of course, a lot of this is down to Sian’s skill and talent. She is, simply put, very good at what she does, and that has certainly helped the testosterone-filled terraces get over their macho hang-ups. When she made her debut all those years ago, she had one hell of a barrier to break down. And it must have been terrifying for her to take those first tentative steps into a male-dominated world.

But quietly and without fuss she has beaten a path that other women are able to follow. For that she deserves our total respect.

Moreno’s understandable desire

I’m not entirely sure I agree with reinstalled Spain manager Luis Enrique.

Earlier this year Enrique resigned from his position as manager of the national team to spend more time with his daughter who had bone cancer and who tragically succumbed to the disease in August.

When Luis resigned in June, his assistant – Robert Moreno – stepped up to take over the reins, and in doing, lead Spain to Euro 2020 during an unbeaten nine-game spell in charge.

Last week, however, Enrique came back as manager, and one of the first things he did was remove Moreno from his coaching team.

Her gender made no difference and was no longer a factor. That might not sound important but I think it is

“He told me he wanted to lead the team at Euro 2020 and afterwards he would be happy to be my assistant coach again. I understand that he has worked very hard to be the coach and that he is ambitious – but for me that is disloyal,” Enrique said.

Frankly speaking I don’t particularly see that as disloyal or even overly ambitious. Moreno stepped up to the plate when he was asked to, did rather well, guided the team to the finals and it is entirely unsurprising that he wanted to see the job through.

It’s not like he was only in charge for a game or two – he ran the show for the entire qualifying campaign. Having had a taste of leading the team and actually being pretty good at it, why wouldn’t he want to finish off what he started?

Of course, my heart goes out to Enrique for the loss of his child, which is a pain I can’t even begin to contemplate. And it’s great to see him back in football management.

But I still believe his stance on Moreno is mistaken and he should have given his assistant the chance to lead the team next summer.

José loves his ball boy

Wasn’t that a great moment last Tuesday night when José Mourinho went over to congratulate the ball boy for setting up Tottenham Hotspur’s equalising goal against Olympiacos?

In case you missed it, the ball went out for a Tottenham throw midway in their opponent’s half. The ball boy, sensing an opportunity for a quick throw-in, rushed to get the ball to Serge Aurier whose instant throw set up Lucas Moura to cross for Harry Kane to slam the ball home.

A great team goal, but one that was only possible thanks to the alertness and speed of thought of the Spurs’ ball boy.

In the aftermath of the goal, Mourinho went over to the ball boy, gave him a hug and whispered praise in his ear. A touch of class from the new Tottenham boss that won’t have done his relationship with the fans any harm whatsoever.

“I love intelligent ballboys. I was a brilliant ball boy as a kid, and this kid was brilliant. He understands the game and he got an assist,” Mourinho said after the match.

And you know what, José is 100 per cent right. Although it is not something any of us think about very often, I’ll bet you a clever, well-prepared and switched-on team of ball boys is probably worth four or five goals a season to a club. Their job might seem menial, but just by knowing when to delay getting the ball back to the players and when to act with urgency they can have a direct influence on what happens on the pitch.

I know we heard a few months ago that Liverpool have a throw-in coach, which sounded about as specialised as the coaching world could possibly get. But I wonder if clubs might even think about employing ball boy coaches in future?

Given the fine margins in the game, it certainly wouldn’t surprise me.

james@findit.com.mt
Twitter: @maltablade