THE CATFLAP CHINWAG WITH...

Jeff WInter

 

So are refs paid enough to take such abuse?

Certainly the refs in the Football League are on a pittance. You could be refereeing a top Championship game, which is a darn sight more high profile and more important than a Premier League game and they're on about £260 a match, which is a f***ing joke to be quite honest. Within the Premier League the referees are full time and are salaried and in terms of the responsibilities, the pressure, the shortness of the career etc, they are paid enough. In terms of comparison to players, I think whilst I'm all for footballers earning what they can when they can, I think what a small percentage of players are now getting, it's obscene. The referees have got a vital role to play and very instrumental in the game but there's no way they deserve the same amount of money as players.

 

In your book you say you thought the cheers at the final whistle at Anfield in your final league game were for you. Have you had much stick for that?

It's funny that from everything in the book, that is one area that keeps rearing its head, and I think people have missed the boat that it was a p*** take. I mean I'm not that stupid. I have a lot of time for Liverpool as a club, and a lot of time for the fans, I used to love refereeing there, though they didn't like me refereeing there because I once went about five games at Anfield and they lost every one of them! But it was put in purely as a piss take. People have looked at that and thought, "What an arrogant bastard he thinks the crowd were applauding him." Of course I didn't, it was put in as tongue in cheek. Maybe they should've put a couple of exclamation marks when they wrote the book, it was a p*ss take but a few people, give them a stick and they'll beat you. And now when I say it's a p*ss take people say you're only saying that because people think you're a prat.

 

So is it true that you're one of only five Freemasons to referee a cup final?

My answer to that is, what the f*** has that got to do with anything? It's like saying Uriah Rennie is the only black premiership referee, so what? People also say "you used to be a boot boy on the terrace", well yeah I did when I was 16/17 but I also pissed my pants once on holiday when I was 11!