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Synopsis
As a schoolboy in Dover, David Elleray's ambition was to referee at the football World Cup finals: at the age of 13 he started on that road by becoming the youngest person ever to referee in an official capacity. Now one of the most recognisable figures in football, he retires from full-time refereeing at the end of the present season. The last of the amateur refs in the top-flight and no stranger to controversy, he is a household name to readers of both tabloids and broadsheets and without a doubt the highest profile British referee in the world game. This highly entertaining and revealing memoir tells of his involvement at the highest level of the national and international game over four decades. Intelligent and insightful, it is a story of ambition, achievement and incident covering a career that has taken him all over the world from Yeltsin's Kremlin to the biggest match in Brazilian domestic football, to Wembley Cup Finals, to on and off-field confrontations with some of the game's biggest names (Roy Keane, Vinnie Jones), to death threats and police protection.

First Sentence
I had always liked football but became hooked as an eleven-year-old in 1966 when the World Cup captured my attention. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover

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8 Reviews 5 star:  (3) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:  (2) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review (8 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   7 of 7 people found the following review helpful: An excellent insight into the world of a top class referee., 4 Nov 2004 By  Aj Sutton (Coventry, England) - See all my reviews       David Elleray is a particularly interesting character, combining the world of top class refereeing with that of a house master at the English public school Harrow. The book begins with David's childhood, describing how he turned to refereeing after finding that he was not as good at playing football as he wanted to be. This early part of the book shows David to be like any football obsessed youngster, and there is an amusing anicdote of how the Football Association refused to send David any more data requests, because he had already made so many. The book then proceeds through Davids career describing his rise through the rank of referee's with numerous interesting anicdotes along the way. What is particularly revealing is both Davids love for football, and his devotion to his refereeing. A highlight of the book is David's description of the day he refereed the FA cup final in 1994. It is striking that ten years later David is still haunted by what he considers to be a poor decision he made on that day. The book concludes with some interesting insights on some of the players and managers that David encountered during his time as a referee. David points out which players he found particularly easy or difficult to referee and some of encounteres he had with various managers. In the modern game it seems to be the new vogue to criticise the performance of a referee, and as David says: Bad refereeing performances are remembered, while good performances are forgotten. It is hoped that those people that are quick to criticise referees read this book, as it provides a phenominal insight into what it takes to be a top class referee. Highly recommended  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   5 of 5 people found the following review helpful: A wonderful insight into PL and International football, 14 Aug 2004 By A Customer This book is a must for anyone who wants a unique perspective into top flight football for the last 20 years. The world of refereeing is a mystery to most fans and this book opened my eyes into the behind the scenes life of Britain's top referee,particularly his interaction with the best players in the world - Henry, Beckham, Keane,Ronaldo etc... He is honest about his errors and I have gained a great understanding of what goes on in the mind of a referee and how he copes with the pressures on and off the field. It is a fascinating book - very highly recommended.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: Man in the Middle, 23 Aug 2004 By A Customer Having eagerly awaited the release of this book, I was delighted to receive it and start reading. Its witty, enlightning and allows the reader a great insight into not only the world of football and a top referee but also of a Harrow School master. A great read, it gets a top rating from me!  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) › See all 8 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews Hardly a Classic but well worth a read As a football fan of some 30 years my bias toward my team (Liverpool) has mellowed over the years & I now consider myself to view the game with a balanced mind. Read more Published 2 months ago by N. Williams Not an Autobiography ! This was not my idea of an autobiography and, in my opinion, should not be sold as such. The first 11 chapters were largely a catalogue of games refereed, yellow cards and... Read more Published 4 months ago by T.Price Surprisingly good Fairly candid insight into life as a top football referee. Although Elleray's smugness can be grating I finished the book with a much more positive attitude towards him. Read more Published 18 months ago by kevarms Refereeing at the top As an ex minor league referee I found this a thoroughly absorbing insight into refereeing at the top level,an area which only a very few officials aspire to, and which Ellary... Read more Published on Life as a man in black A reasonably interesting view of life as a top class referee. The author has been there and done it all, he comes over as being very dedicated and ambitious and the occasional... Read more Published on 5 Dec 2005 by N. Brett Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews