https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/64386976 Oooh some stories of matches he reffed back in the day.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/64386976 Oooh some stories of matches he reffed back in the day.

Fred'll Fix It

More bent than a corkscrew

Not as bad as Biased Billy Thompson, though

Ooof Billy Thompson now there was a character. How we have moaned about Ganson et al all the referees since them two were not in the same league.

Since the birth of Sky coverage (increased exposure) of our sport, refereeing standards can be classed as incompetent.
Pre Sky, it was nothing short of corrupt

I wonder if complete “dislike” of referees is an age thing rather than to do with relative incompetence. As a youngster my views of Lindop and Thompson were not fit for polite company. I can’t get that worked up about the modern lot.

I had the 'pleasure' of Billy's company, as the coach I was on picked him up on the M62 en route to an international at Elland Road at Halifax or Brighouse way back in the 'dim and distant'.

Billy was quite an entertaining speaker which was the price of his free ride but what shone through was he didn't mind players getting their own back and meting out their own justice (good) coupled with his obvious biases towards all things Yorkshire (not so good) and his total enjoyment of his notoriety which is funny in retrospect, not so much at the time.

My mind might be playing tricks, but he didn't have any regard for The Wire in particular.

Remember this character turfing us out the cup down here v hull on a Sunday afternoon sure we had half dozen trys chalked off...worst refereeing performance ever... still it was an incident packed Sunday afternoon

I remember it well.
Corrupt didn't even cover that day. There was no way we were winning that match.
Despite that ******'* best efforts to get Hull to the final, they eventually lost.

Lindop wasn't far behind

I was at the CC 1/4 final vs Hull. Disallowed 5 tries.
Needed a police escort off the pitch at the end, the only time I’d ever seen that.

Finished his career as an honorary lifetime member of Hull FC.

I’d asked Billy Thompson about his performance at the game on 2 different radio phone ins. He just mocked the Warrington fans and averted answering the question on each occasion.

I see John Holdsworth has passed away too.

I just about remember John Holdsworth. I think he retired in the 90s didn't he? But he was definitely the only 'older' referee at that time. I think this was the period when the newer generation of referees came through such as Russel Smith and the Connolly twins. There were still a few characters right up to about 10 years ago: Silverwood, Ganson to name a couple. These days though, the referees seem much more reserved and clean cut. Apart from Hicks when he had that huge Castaway beard.