Rovers were in awful form leading up to the 2002 League Cup final having lost four successive league matches. The weekend before the Cardiff trip, an FA Cup 5th round trip to Middlesbrough provided further anguish as Lucas Neill was sent off for an accidental collision with Robbie Stockdale, and Ugo Ehiogu scored a late winner. 

Craig Hignett claimed that Graham Barber had produced “the worst display I have ever seen by a referee. Some of his decisions were unbelievable.”

Graeme Souness had to be restrained by police at the end of the match and subsequently received a one-match touchline ban and £10,000 fine for his comments. 

“I thought that Mr Barber had a mingin’ game,” Souness declared. “The highlight of his performance was the sending off. I used to think he was half decent, one of the better ones, until today.” 

“We've come away with nothing because of one person's ridiculous decision to send one of my players off,” he continued. “I fear for the game when referees are making decisions like that but that is the standard we are having to deal with. Every week there is some manager feeling just the same frustration. His decision today has cost us the game but who will bring him to account?.” 

On Match of the Day, Gary Lineker asked his pundits about the match: “What did you think? Pretty mingin’?” 

Mark Lawrenson agreed that Barber's decision was definitely “mingin” and Alan Hansen wryly remarked that Souness had “mellowed so much”. Gurning for the camera, Hansen recalled that “when he said ‘mingin’ at Liverpool, the facial muscles used to go...” 

Rovers: Friedel, Taylor, Short, Berg (Douglas 56), Neill, Gillespie (Hughes 88), Tugay, Johansson, Hignett, Duff (Jansen 62), Cole. Subs Not Used: Curtis, Robinson.

The above snippet is taken from Issue 107 of 4,000 Holes, which provides a light-hearted review of the noughties – ORDER VIA THIS LINK.