WHILST at Anfield last week for the Reds’ Europa League match with Young Boys, I was delighted to spot a familiar face sitting close by.

It was Peter Robinson, long-time secretary and Chief Executive at Liverpool for well over 30 years. And it was great to see him there.

I always found Peter to be a decent person to deal with. A man of sound judgement, few words and somebody, who mentally and physically, always seemed on the move.

Indeed, many was the time, I would be holding a telephone conversation with him only to find the man at the other end of the receiver had moved on to the next call!

With quiet diplomacy ‘PBR’ knew how to keep the media at bay and the authorities on side – albeit in a different era of the game.

Anyway, it was just good to see him sitting back enjoying a match free of all the stuff that goes with running a football club in this whole new different world.

I send him a toast with a glass of his favourite Barolo!

COME on we’ve all done it, been abroad and found ourselves talking in English but pronouncing the words with a continental twist.

But it was still fun to see Joey Barton falling into the same trap.

His post-match press conference at Marseille made us all giggle and I’m surprised he didn’t start it by saying ‘Now listen very carefully I will say this only once’!