One of the most difficult positions in football is that of a referee. Officials are constantly abused, whether on the pitch or in the stands, and they are always the antagonist of the story. Michael Oliver has already discovered that in certain instances, it even continues to exist on social media after the fact.
However, the referee’s job is made more difficult by some players than by others. The players who will dispute the most about it are usually the roughest and dirtiest of stars, who will undoubtedly put themselves in situations that will make the man in the midst make difficult choices. Former Premier League official Kevin Lynch, who identified Manchester United and Arsenal legends as his two hardest players to referee, is one individual who is well aware of this.
Roy Keane and Ian Wright Named as Toughest Players to Referee
The former official explained what made the pair so difficult
In an interview with the Undr The Cosh podcast, Lynch disclosed that the two players he found most challenging to referee were his now-best friends Ian Wright and Roy Keane. Expanding on his argument, the former official shared a funny story about why the Irishman in particular was such a challenging player to manage on the pitch:
“Ian Wright and Roy Keane were two of the hardest players I have ever refereed. To be fair, we didn’t f***ing like Roy Keane, so it was a reasonably balanced equation. I simply don’t think Roy liked referees.
“I recall officiating him one evening at Old Trafford, and he was clearly upset with me, his teammates, the opposition, and himself. He’s also giving me earaches and kicking anything that moves. It was like attempting to plait fog when I tried to converse to him. “All right, Roy,” I thought. It’s my next.”
"Two of the most difficult players I ever refereed”
Kevin Lynch looks back at at reffng Roy Keane and Ian Wright 😅 pic.twitter.com/atTvcjbJa0
— UndrTheCosh (@UndrTheCosh) November 20, 2024
Lynch continued by saying that Keane would then kick a Stoke City player into Row Z, but the former United captain was in his face asking him if he understood who he was dealing with before the official could show a card. Lynch joked that his teammate had forgotten his name, to which Gary Neville, co-host of Keane’s Stick to Football, reportedly replied, “It’s Roy Keane, book the t**t.”
Lynch Recounts Hilarious Ian Wright Story
Former ref revealed what made the former Arsenal man so annoying to officiate
Lynch also described an encounter he had with Wright in the later part of his Nottingham Forest tenure, although he said the admired striker was a mouthy player on the pitch and was getting to be too much to handle in one match against Walsall. Lynch made the decision to play a game against the former England international in which he refused to award him any fouls as a result.
“He gets clattered by a Walsall centre-half and I’ve gone ‘play on,'” he said. “He hits the deck after the full-back makes fun of him five minutes later. “Go ahead and play.”
According to Lynch, Walsall players started to pursue Wright after seeing they had a free hit on him. He made the option to blow up for a free-kick on the next challenge, but the striker ended up making the choice for him.
“He was attacked simultaneously by three Walsall players. And he rose in a curve. He must have been six feet off the ground as he came out of this tackle, and I’m going to blow. ‘I’ll do it ref, f*****g play on!’ he exclaims at the top of this arc.
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