In Review

09 January 2009 12:08 BST

Seeing Red by Graham Poll

Published by HarperSport, out now, paperback, 384 pp, £7.99.

In a nutshell...

Candid. Cringeworthy. Inspiring. Controversial. Revealing.

What's it all about?

An in-depth look at the world of professional football - both in the Premier League, European competitions and at international level - through the eyes of Graham Poll, a referee of some significant repute.

The book goes into specific details about a number (and there were many) of the most controversial incidents that occurred where Poll was a central figure - the media row with John Terry following the England captain's controversial sending off against Tottenham Hotspur after grappling with Ledley King; the verbal tussles with Mssrs Rooney and Mourinho in his final years at the top; and, of course, the three yellow cards incident (see below if you don't know what this is about, although I have a funny feeling you already do).

Since his retirement from the game at the end of the 2006/07 season, Poll has made a bit of a name for himself in the media - and on the after-dinner speaking circuit - as a man who is not afraid to give an opinion.

And this book is packed with opinions, which always adds some extra oomph to any sports book.

Containing his views on the way the Football Association handles its interaction with the officials at every level of the game, to his behind-the-scenes tales of what it means to be a professional referee both at home and at major international tournaments, there is certainly a few things in here that will keep any football supporter interested, even (and sometimes especially) if you are not Poll's biggest fan.

Who's it by?

The most famous man to have come out of Tring, Hertfordshire... well... ever. Graham "Pollie" Poll (he describes himself as "Pollie" often throughout the book, which comes across as a little strange - some might say egotistical - at times) is one of the best-known Premier League referees of recent years. Depending on the team you support, he is also one of the best officials or one of the most inconsistent/disliked/biased/controversial/arrogant.

Poll was also the man who made the ultimately fatal error, career-wise that is, of showing three yellow cards to Croatian defender Josip Simunic at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. This error was the beginning of the end of Poll's career, but, as demonstrated by some of the tales in the book, it was just one of several controversial incidents that became part and parcel of Graham Poll, the referee.

As an example...

[Describing an incident during a fitness test in his early years of refereeing]

"We had to complete a set number of laps around an athletics track in a prescribed time. It required the refs to average two minutes a lap, and, as they say these days, it was a 'big ask' for blokes with big, erm, reputations.

"But because I was young, it was not difficult for me. I could quite comfortably do three laps in four and a half minutes. And so, when I put in a couple of quick circuits at the start to break the back of the task, I lapped some of the older refs. After passing them, I span around, slowed down and ran backwards in front of them. It seemed a natural thing to do."

...

"I thought I was helping; I was not doing it to show off. But to onlookers and to some of the refs involved, I must have seemed like a swaggering braggart."

Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster

Slim to none.

Despite his protestations to the contrary throughout the book (and it really is throughout - methinks he doth protest too much perhaps?), I get the impression Poll may quite like to see his name up in lights at some point.

But a film about a football referee? Not likely.

What the others say

"If nothing else, the book shows that there is more to Poll that just three yellows cards and John Terry - and that's just what he would have wanted." - ESPNsoccernet.com

"Graham Poll manages to inject an easy humour into his narrative, which ensures that by the time he describes what happened at last year’s World Cup when he completed his notorious three-card trick, the reader empathises with him." - 4sportsbooks.co.uk

So is it any good?

As the old adage goes, if no one notices the referee then it means he is doing a good job.

Unfortunately, writing a controversial book is not likely to keep you under anyone's radar. But you get the impression that Poll liked to be noticed - both in his career and since.

Throughout, he does try to explain away how people came to think of him as arrogant - a character trait he likes to deny.

But you get the distinct impression from some of the anecdotes he furnishes the reader with that this is simply not the case.

Into amateur dramatics at school, the antics he used to pull as a young referee (see above), and his willingness to court controversy at every level he officiated all point to a man not afraid to shy away from the cameras.

Despite these inconsistencies in his versions of events, the book is a good read in general and is punctuated with enough tales and stories to make it interesting - but with enough other substance so that the narrative is never a simple 'he said, she said'.

What is perhaps the most lavish praise for this book is the foreword by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Fergie is not exactly known for his love of the officials throughout football, especially when it comes to their timekeeping.

Therefore, the fact that he has taken the time out to write a generous introduction for Mr Poll's book suggests the man is genuinely a good and well-liked man among his peers.

The book itself is solid - packed full of interesting, behind-the-scenes incites that Mr Poll's written style make genuinely fascinating and, on occasion, funny.

There is, of course, the obligatory family history/upbringing/early life part to the book, although this is mercifully short and the focus is most certainly on the sections of Poll's career that people will buy this book for.

It's a good read - especially for aspiring referees or, indeed, anyone with a vested interest in professional football as a whole, as it gives a viewpoint that is normally hidden from the public view.

Well worth a look.

7/10

Alistair Potter