When an irate Sir Alex Ferguson was sent to the stands at half-time by the referee in Saturday's clash between Bolton and Manchester United, the away fans were probably not reassured to see their boss take his seat next to the club's solicitor, Maurice Watkins - great tactical insight was unlikely to be forthcoming, we fear (and indeed, United could not turn round a 1-0 deficit).


Mr Watkins tells Obiter that it was something of a surprise to see Sir Alex - who used to turn out for the team put together by Mr Watkins' old firm, James Chapman - appear next to him in the second half, but there was nothing he could add to the texts and phone calls the manager was directing at those on the bench.



In fact Mr Watkins, the eminence grise of football lawyers, has never actually professed himself a football fanatic. Interviewed some years ago by the Gazette, the now joint Manchester senior partner of Brabners Chaffe Street described himself as a good supporter of the club, rather than a fan: 'It's a useful distinction,' he said. 'If we lose, I can sleep at night.' He also confessed to having spent more time playing amateur football in the 1960s for his team, Old Mancunians, than standing on the Stretford End, watching George Best.



'When I joined the board and we had just drawn a game,' he recalled, 'I don't think the other directors took too kindly to me saying that Old Mancunians would have been happy with the result.'