The Little Bald Chubby Mutton Chops Referee
Known to footballers as 'Mr Pickwick', Roger Kirkpatrick was one of those referees who supporters loved to give stick to. Sporting impressive mutton chops sideburns, he was a well-known figure on the playing fields of the Football League.
I can remember my first-ever professional football match that I attended. It was Charlton Athletic -v- Middlesbrough at the Valley in 1969. Both sides were challenging for the two promotion spots at the top of the old Second Division (now known as the Championship), so it was a game of some potential consequence, with the London side triumphing 2-0. As it turned out, both those clubs missed out on promotion to Crystal Palace and Derby County. The referee for the Charlton game was Roger Kirkpatrick, whom I had only seen on the TV prior to that game, and what surprised me was how 'Marmite popular' he was with the two sets of supporters. Yes, even back then, you either loved or loathed players and referees alike and Kirkpatrick was no exception to the rule.
But my memory of Kirkpatrick was that he was a real character; an entertainer. He knew absolutely that some of his decisions wouldn't be popular with the supporters of the penalised team but, he made those decisions with aplomb anyway. And then would come the broad grin as he instinctively knew that he'd blown his whistle at a most inopportune moment for at least one player on the field. He also wouldn't stand for any backchat from the players. It was as though he openly encouraged chagrin towards him from the baying crowd but, generally, he was well liked.
Quite a number of referees today could learn from approaching the game like Roger Kirkpatrick did. It will undoubtedly help them to command respect from players and supporters alike. Kirkpatrick received respect in abundance during his refereeing career and it is quite appropriate to say that the cliché to use was that they broke the mould when they made him. Even Mike Summerbee, ex-Manchester City player, was reported to have apologised to Kirkpatrick after the referee had once sent him off. Despite his 'dumpy' stature, he was known to be one of the fittest referees of his generation.
Roger Kirkpatrick was operational as a referee in top flight football between 1966 and 1979 before hanging up his whistle. He passed away in November 2012, aged 81. Will there be another referee like him? Well, we can only hope so.