A&H

Who's the B*****d in the Black? - Jeff Winter

The Referee Store
I actually enjoyed this book, more so than many of the others. Of course there's and ego and an agenda, but it's autobiographical so what would you expect?

Some of the more personal admissions especially in view of his marital situations hint at a vulnerability, for which the "arrogant persona" may be a shield.
 
I enjoyed the book too. It is not for nothing that I describe it as an 'honest, straight-talking' account of a referee who is not afraid to speak of his own mistakes. My only beef with it is - and this it shares with many more biographies - that it might be preferable to hear the anecdotes straight from the author's mouth, as on paper they tend to fall flat somehow. Perhaps they simply need better editing.

It's also a feature of my reviews that I assess books for their usefulness, and I found these memoirs to be somewhat lacking in that department, although on the whole it does impress upon good readers the benefits of perseverance and self-reflection. (Dang! Should have used that sentence in my review! ;))

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to respond. Really appreciate that :)
 
This was the first ref book I read. Interesting read but like you say, it's not exactly helpful from a technical point of view.

Still, worth a read for the nerdy ref out there!
 
One of the first, and only, referee books I've read. I'd definitely recommend it.

I actually stumbled upon it by default. He was speaking at a sportsman's dinner for a local club, so my Dad bought me a signed copy!
 
RegalRef said:
Is there a general consensus as to the best referee autobiography?
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Not really, all in the eye of the beholder. So far, this is one of the better ones I've read, but I'm sure I'll come across one that outshines Winter's. Pat Partridge's "Oh, Ref!" was very nice. Read about it here. David Elleray's "The Man in the Middle" I quite liked, as with Mark Halsey's "Added Time" (reviews will come, rest assured). Graham Poll's "Seeing Red" I still have to read. So many still out there. You can read a few on my site, see if one interests you.
 
Polls is the best for my money. He may be a bit arrogant but he didn't skimp on stories which showed him in a less favourable light. Like him or loathe him it is a very interesting and honest read.

Ellarys I found tedious. Halseys was ok
 
SM said:
Polls is the best for my money. He may be a bit arrogant but he didn't skimp on stories which showed him in a less favourable light. Like him or loathe him it is a very interesting and honest read.

Ellarys I found tedious. Halseys was ok
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Would you like to write the reviews of these titles? Saves me from having to do them ;)
 
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