Graham Poll is England’s most famous, and at times most controversial, referee of recent times. His book, Seeing Red, is an incisive insight into football from his prime position as the man in black, the one in control, the eye that sees all. Graham was a Premier League referee since 1993 and twelve years an International referee. During that time he handled some of the toughest games in the Premiership involving Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea, as well as two World Cups, a European Championships; in total over 1500 matches. In this book Graham provides the answers to several questions: What is it like to referee the biggest matches in International football? What really goes on between players in the tunnel before a match? Which players he got on well with – and those he did not! Who is the smartest manager? And are the bureaucrats ruining the beautiful game? Controversial and opinionated, he has crossed swords with some of the biggest names in football and shares experiences and gives the inside stories on incidents involving Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, John Terry, Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira among others. Graham also talks about the infamous 2006 World Cup match when he failed to send off Josip Simunic of Croatia and ended up giving him three yellow cards in a crucial match against Australia. How he returned home, with his career seemingly over, to ridicule in the National newspapers and derision from the fans. This is a fascinating book about football and how to survive and prosper after the most depressingly public error. Told from the perspective of a referee, but not just any referee. This is Graham Poll’s story, and as such is forthright and opinionated. The games, the players, the managers, the suits – Graham Poll, the most outspoken referee in the modern game, tells it as it really is. |