2000 – 2010
Who’s the B*****d in the Black? – Jeff Winter
Outline The English referee Jeff Winter (1955) could hardly have imagined the turn his career would take when he was a “boot boy” in the ranks of the Middlesbrough hooligans in the 1970s. A far from happy childhood and this “hobby” were threatening to push his life in the wrong direction. However, seeing the hard, […]
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Twee keer geel is rood (Two yellows make a red) – John Blankenstein
Outline Twice I had the pleasure of meeting in person John Blankenstein, who passed away nine years ago, almost to the day. He was an insightful, empathic man, who chose his words carefully but managed to work some humour in there anyway. He carried this characteristic over into this small book, using this medium to […]
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Masterclass for Soccer Officials – Stanley Lover
Outline A former referee, FIFA referees instructor in all six football confederations and chairman of the London Referees Association, Stanley Lover enjoyed the respect of many throughout the latter part of the 20th century. Not least because he also authored many refereeing classics, including Soccer Match Control, an excellent book which not only explains the […]
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The Referee’s a W*nker – Chris Turner
Brief outline A former professional player turned poet and song-writer, Chris Turner still frequents the stands at Southend United. The chants and rants he hears (and utters?) there have been the inspiration for a number of poems, one-liners and riddles/word puzzles, about 40 of which have been collected in this anthology, interspersed with plenty of […]
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Quiet?
It’s been quiet on the book front for me. That doesn’t mean nothing has happened, though. I’ll dilate upon that in a later post. Meanwhile, two more books have come my way. They are: Ward’s Soccerpedia. The Lore and Laws of the Beautiful Game, by Andrew Ward It really is an encyclopaedia of football, discussing […]
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Yet more new titles
Alright, the day after my last post two more titles arrived in the mail. And they’re somewhat special at that, as one is a history of a local English Referees’ Association and the other one is a refereeing guide from India! Here they are: From the Past to the Future: The History of Leamington and District […]
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Elite Level Refereeing in Men’s Football: A Developmental Sociological Account – Sharon Colwell
Outline This dissertation earned Sharon Colwell the doctor’s title from the University of Leicester. I say ‘earned’ not without reason, for the sheer amount of work that went into this publication was huge. Wading through reams of old minutes and documents, preparing and conducting tons of interviews and sifting through endless books in stuffy libraries, […]
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Knight of the Whistle: The life of top referee Ralph Tarratt
Brief outline In the UK, the 1950s are considered, by many, the golden age of refereeing. The country yielded a bumper crop of great referees, many of whose names still live on years hence: Arthur Ellis, Mervyn Griffiths, Ken Aston, Reg Leafe, Jack Clough… Perhaps this is a cloud of nostalgia working its effect, for […]
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More additions
The following two books also joined my collection recently: Livewire Investigates… Being a Referee and: Athletiek en Voetbal by Pim Mulier This is now the oldest book in my collection, as it dates back to 1896!
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Latest acquisitions
Here are the latest acquisitions I got in the mail recently: You Are The Ref 3 by Paul Trevillion (artwork) and Keith Hackett (text) The Referee’s a W*nker by Chris Turner Referees’ Chart and Players’ Guide to the Laws of Association Football 1974-1975 And last but not least: Added Time by Mark Halsey I’ve just started reading Mark […]
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