EXCLUSIVE: Jeff Winter refereed a plethora of outstanding players throughout his esteemed career, but none caught his attention quite like Steven Gerrard.
The 69-year-old has candidly opened up about what it was like to spend time on the pitch with such a genius of the game.
Jeff Winter explains what it was like to referee Steven Gerrard
While some referees operate like robots on the field of the play, Jeff Winter had a different attitude, often engaging in playful banter with the footballers, happily telling them, ‘That was f***ing s***e’ if they smashed the ball over the bar.
This style resonated with an array of the best athletes in the sport, with many holding the referee in very high regard.
Steven Gerrard particularly enjoyed what the Middlesbrough fan was all about, with the Liverpool star showing Winter his respect by giving him a fantastic gift at the end of the official’s final game.
In an exclusive interview with Sporf, via Free Bets, the former referee said: “Steven Gerrard for a lot of reasons, in my era, was my favourite player. He was a Liverpool great, he was an England great. When I was doing my research for my book, little things ticked the box; I do recall that he made his debut right at the end of a game at Anfield, I was the referee and he was introduced.
“He also made his debut for England at Wembley, and I was fourth official to three international referees. He came on and I was the one who checked his studs. For my last ever game at Anfield, Mike Halsey was the fourth official that day, and unbeknownst to me, Steven Gerrard’s match shirt came in with a ‘Best wishes Jeff’ and his autograph on the back. He later became the manager of Rangers, where I’m a season ticket holder. So, I’ve been fortunate enough to share some good moments in Steven Gerrard’s career.
“As a referee, people often want to ask you about players you sent off and players you cautioned. I prefer to talk about players like Steven Gerrard, Gianfranco Zola, Thierry Henry and many others, who myself, with no real history in football, was lucky enough to share a pitch with. So, it’s not all bad memories refereeing; in fact, 99% of them are good.”
Jeff Winter riled up fans with hilarious line in his autobiography
While his last game was terrific in many aspects, it also landed Winter in hot water with some football enthusiasts who completely misunderstood his banter. In his autobiography, the Rangers supporter wrote an amusing line that went over the heads of supporters.
He reminisced: “I was taking the p**s. No one likes referees. The only time football fans like referees is when they’re giving decisions in their favour. But there’s always been this widely held belief, that on Merseyside, the fans are so aware of football. It was my last game at Anfield, it was memorable for a lot of reasons. I just put the line in, ‘I blew the final whistle, knowing it was going to be the last time I ever refereed at Anfield, and then I felt the applause at the end of the game went on—perhaps the Liverpool fans knew it was my last game and they were showing their appreciation’.
“When we were doing the book, I’d put a couple of exclamation marks in, and when it came out, some people as they’re gonna do, jumped onto it, and said, ‘What an arrogant pr**k. But while I couldn’t stand up and say, ‘No, I didn’t mean it like that’—it actually got people talking about the book. As anybody knows, no publicity is bad publicity. So, I took that one on the chin. But no, I don’t think anybody at Anfield would’ve known or cared it was going to be my last game there as a referee. My sense of humour unfortunately, on that occasion, didn’t work, but perhaps it did work.”
Featured Image Credit: Getty
