“Just go out and drop a few hand grenades all over the place, son. (to Kevin Keegan)”

The trouble with referees is that they know the rules, but they do not know the game.

Of course I didn’t take my wife to see Rochdale as an anniversary present. It was her birthday and would I have got married during the football season? Anyway, it was Rochdale reserves.

If Everton were playing down the bottom of my garden, I’d draw the curtains.

The difference between Everton and the Queen Mary is that Everton carry more passengers!

The very word ‘Anfield’ means more to me than I can describe.

Fire in your belly comes from pride and passion in wearing the red shirt.

Football is a simple game made complicated by people who should know better.

Ian Callaghan will go down as one of the game’s truly great players.

A football team is like a piano. You need eight men to carry it and three who can play the damn thing.

At a football club, there’s a holy trinity – the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors don’t come into it. They are only there to sign the checks.

The best side drew (after a hard fought 1-1 draw)

What a great day for football, all we need is some green grass and a ball.

If you can’t support us when we lose or draw, don’t support us when we win

I’ve had many skilful men and the likes of Peter Thompson, Ian St John, Kevin Keegan and Steve Heighway were the ones who caught the eye. But the best professional of the lot was Gerry Byrne.

I never drop a player I only make changes.

I’ve been a slave to football. It follows you home, it follows you everywhere, and eats into your family life. But every working man misses out on some things because of his job.

The sort of lad I am looking for is a kid who will nutmeg Kevin Keegan in training, then step aside him in the corridor

Kevin Feige said to me: “I don’t think we’ve ever put an actor through quite as much as this, physically and mentally.” I’ll wear that as a badge of honour. It was endless.