A POIGNANT MEMORY, AND BEING FROZEN OUT OF CUP

I was sorry to hear of the death of Ronnie Radford (below), who scored one of the Fa Cup’s most re-played goals for Hereford United against Newcastle United in 1971. It was poignant to be remembering him on the week of the old competition’s first round. It was a trophy that eluded me until I won it as Liverpool manager in 1992, when we beat sunderland 2-0, and I certainly had my moments. There was a game on a frozen pitch at Reading’s Elm Park, where I took my southampton side in 1997. The referee bounced the ball on the surface and declared: ‘It’s fine for me.’ I said: ‘I tell you what. You get the ball, I’ll knock you over and when you hit the ground, tell me it’s still fine.’ He didn’t accept. we lost 3-1.