Referees were again the topic of conversation in our dressing room following our draw against Rushden on Saturday as - yet again - a dubious decision went against us. You can accept these decisions if the referee makes the same sort of decisions for both sides, but we had a very similar case of ball to hand in their penalty area in the first half yet play was waved on But later the same thing happens in our box and a penalty is awarded against us.

Maybe it's time I stopped criticising referees in this column and we might get a few decisions going for us.

Player ratings usually cause a little bit of fun to in our dressing room. I for one can't understand how one man can judge 22 performances during a game. Yes, you can pick out one or two of the top performances but I think it's impossible to correctly judge all 22 players on show.

Some players, especially the younger ones, tend to get a bit upset if they receive a low mark and many a time the reporters' ears must have been burning when they have turned up at the training ground for an interview.

I won't mention any names but one of our younger lads who plays in midfield and wears the number 25 shirt goes out of his way to make the press welcome and it seems to be paying off for him. Before we even kick-off the lads tell him not to worry as he's already assured of an eight out of ten in the paper!

The last few weeks have been very difficult for myself and my family. My Dad was told on Christmas Eve that he was suffering from cancer of the jaw and throat. To have any chance of beating the cancer he had to endure a 12 hour operation on Wednesday to, among other things, completely remove and replace his jaw. The surgeons who complete these operations certainly put us footballers to shame. The top footballers today can earn millions of pounds a year for being talented, but having saw what they can do it is these people with the real talent. It is still going to be a long hard slog for the family but we will always be grateful for the time and effort these people have given in order to give my dad a chance.

Finally, Middlesbrough's draw at Anfield on Saturday made me think back to my one and only appearance at Anfield. Bryan Robson's teamtalk ended with him saying "keep it tight for the first half hour and we'll get a result".

The master plan lasted 28 seconds and after 15 minutes we were 3-0 down. Sometimes it's no wonder you see managers tearing their hair out on the touchline.

Published: 11/02/2003