Who was your favourite player to referee?
I wouldn't say I had a favourite player, but there were some players that were easier to get on with, more than others. I always enjoyed reffing Peter Reid, because he didn't quibble, and if you pulled him up, and it was a fair cop - as you would say in the old expression - he'd accept it and say, "Fair enough, OK, sorry." And Dave Watson was another good one, and you know, your Hansons, and so forth. They didn't react like some of the players do today. They accepted if it was a foul and they'd been caught and so forth. I just think it was more enjoyable in our day because you could have a rapport with the players. Don't get me wrong, you didn't get on with all the players, and likewise, some of the players didn't like you as a person, perhaps as a referee. But by and large, you had a good rapport with players, and you could talk off a ball to them, and do your work off the ball. Going back to the question, it is all about man managing, knowing your players, knowing the personalities, and knowing how you're going to get the best response from them.
