The Man in the Middle: The Autobiography of the World Cup Final Referee

For any fan of football, there are plenty tales and references to well known characters within this that make it an interesting and enjoyable read. As biographies go, this provides a decent insight into the world of elite level refereeing and of course the man who reached the summit of the profession. Really enjoyed it and for the download price it was an absolute bargain.

. If you are fed up with the recent spate of self-indulgent referee autobiogs (most notably the ones by Graham Poll and Mark "Jose is my mate" Halsey) then rest assured this author comes across as a much more genuine, humble and down-to-earth bloke, due in no small part to his plain-speaking Yorkshire roots. Inevitably referee memoirs are all similar because their career journeys are much the same :..... young kid is encouraged (usually by Dad) to take up reffing ‘cos he is soccer-mad but not good enough to play the game ...... he works his way up through the junior/local/Contrib’ leagues (cue lots of character-building stories) ...... he puts in much hard work, suffers setbacks and has the odd lucky break ...... gets appointed to the Football League and then eventually to the highly competitive and pressurised bitch-fest of PGMOL and the Prem’. But of course there are dozens of top-class former referees. To get a book deal when you retire you need a USP. Poll’s was his 3-card-trick at the 2006 World Cup which ended his international career but set him up with media work for a few years. Halsey’s was the cancer which unfortunately struck him and his wife simultaneously, garnering huge support from colleagues, the media and the football community, including the aforementioned Mourinho. [incidentally, Halsey has now beaten the cancer but lost all the goodwill, having chosen to slag off his ex-colleagues every week in The Sun]. Howard Webb’s USP is that he made it to the very top - Champions League Final, World Cup Final - and for that reason his book is a more interesting read. Webb isn’t a natural writer and doesn’t pretend to be. Do not expect lyrical prose. The book doesn’t so much flow as stutter - as if a series of anecdotes dictated to his shadow writer over a few beers, complete with frequent coarse language and occasional judgemental opinions. He admits to the mistakes, dodgy performances and low assessment-marks along the way. Many of the Prem’ recollections provide a colourful insight into the personalities and the top-level matchday experience. But what comes across most strongly is the incredible pressure and scrutiny these guys ('Select Group' refs) have to endure. They certainly earn their salary. The fitness regimes, psychological testing, intense match schedules and team-building retreats - which sound more stressful than 'I'm A Celebrity' on steroids - push them to the limit. In hindsight it’s a minor miracle Webb held it all together, being OCD which he concealed from his colleagues for most of his career. And then there is television: Try to imagine 28 cameras pointed at you from every conceivable angle and having each second of your work performance scrutinised by millions - every sprint, body movement, facial expression and decision you make. Every single week. And it is even tougher for assistant referees (a much harder job ‘cos the referee can control the match whereas the assistant is mostly reactive, making closed Yes/No calls under intense pressure – often two or three at phenomenal speed, all in a matter of 5-10 seconds - and having to get each and every one correct). The concentration levels and mental computation speeds displayed by these guys is simply astonishing and that’s why they are at the top of the tree, having emerged through a demanding promotion regime over many years. Webb, to his credit, waxes lyrical about his superb assistants and he acknowledges it was his teaming with Mike Mullarkey and Darren Cann which propelled all of their careers to the very top. The three of them immediately hit it off, forming a partnership built on close friendship, trust and mutual support which was soon noticed by UEFA, then FIFA. The trio stayed intact all the way to The World Cup Final. By the end Webb comes across as a likeable and decent guy. He’s humble enough to own up to his mistakes - chiefly of course the missed red-card for De Jong in the Final. He also admits he wasn’t quite the same referee when he returned from that World Cup for the 2010-11 season (I recall thinking that at the time) and he was accordingly dropped from the Champions League. Another big regret was failing to stick up for Cann who was harshly omitted from Euro 2012 by UEFA, thereby putting an end to the dream team. Webb also semi-reluctantly accepts an MBE after the World Cup whilst Cann and Mullarkey are inexplicably overlooked – almost certainly a consequence of yet another pathetic oversight by the incompetent FA who should have ensured the assistants were recognised alongside the referee. [Amusingly, at the presentation Prince Charles doesn't appear to know who Webb is, thinking he’s been given his gong for 25 years’ service in the minor leagues!] All very interesting and enjoyable then. But I must declare just one problem I have with this book – not something in it but instead something very conspicuous by its absence. I was expecting Webb to discuss the Hillsborough disaster - at least in passing – from his standpoint as a young local football fan in Rotherham at the time and then, later, a South Yorkshire Constabulary sergeant. Furthermore he was in the SY police at exactly the time of the appalling Rotherham sex-abuse episode which has tainted his force forever. Of course there is no suggestion Webb was personally involved but in such a small community he must know the key individuals and details of how such a scandal unfolded. Unfortunately the shameful conduct of his senior officers in obstructing investigations and failing to acknowledge or own-up to corruption/misconduct allegations taints Webb’s CV – albeit by association. His silence is deafening. But despite that it is still a good book, leaving you appreciative of how professional and mentally tough the modern referee has to be. The standard of refereeing is a million times higher than it was pre-Sky and the now-routine TV scrutiny. It simply HAD to improve when the Premier League was born in 1992 and the top officials all went full-time. If you don’t remember what standards were like pre-'92, just revisit one of your favourite team's videos from the eighties and you’ll be very amused or shocked - or both - at the amateur-like officiating (fitness, body language, positioning, match control) compared to nowadays. Our English national team and our FA may currently be the laughing stock but the standard of our refereeing is globally acknowledged to be the best in the world. Howard Webb provides an excellent insight into how we have attained that status.

Excellent read

In recent years there have been a slew of intelligent and original books about football which would tend to get the nod from me ahead of the usual "autobiographies" written by ghost writers with the intention of collating the juicy morsels from the back pages of the tabloids. Howard Webb's "The man in the middle" would have otherwise have passed me by had I not read some extracts serialised in a Saturday morning newspaper which were sufficiently interesting to pique my interest in the world of football refereeing. The pace of this book is fast and it is clear from the blokey style of writing and the constant use of profanity that this is targeted as a pretty unsophisticated audience. It would be dishonest of me to say that I didn't enjoy the book and that it was very easy to polish off but I think a lot of the really interesting revelations about the training of referees and how stringently they are assessed does get lost in Webb's need to settle some old scores. In fairness to Webb, the grudges are not too unreasonable and the likes of Graham Poll, Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho do come in for some criticism. I am not one for criticising referees and this book will certainly give food for thought to those fans who like to direct vitriol at the match officials. This book is actually at it's best when describing the pressure the referees are under and the underlying thread is that the referees probably receive most criticism from their own ranks where there is clearly a desire to maintain some very high standards. The implementation of technology in to the sport also makes interesting reading and the match day routine reveals some fascinating nuggets about the differing kind of relationships referees have with managers. ( David Moyes clearly not being a favourite.) There is curiously very little regarding Webb's relationship with players and it is obviously that he frequently got carried away by particular bits of skill from individuals and performances from teams. Webb chronicles his rise from the non-league through to refereeing European club football and ultimately a World Cup Final. It is a brilliant career journey which does merit an autobiography. Unfortunately, it is also fair to say that this book is targeted at the lowest common denominator. Whilst it is clearly not a book that you would want kids to read, I was hoping for something more profound. In some parts, Webb does offer some fascinating insights in to his experience and those parts of the book where he explains excellent judgement calls, especially from his two assistants, are the elements which make this book worthwhile. It is a shame that the book is let down by some issues where he has an axe to grind as well as the endemic use of the "f" word. I don't have a problem with this, per se, yet the lingering impression is that Webb has a great story to tell which is somewhat squandered by some very negative comments about colleagues. It is a shame that this does detract from the closing chapters where Webb makes some very salient points. I have never been one to abuse referees and this book will allow the reader to appreciate just what it takes to reach the top of the profession. To me, Webb's standing in the game and insight into the sport merited something better than this. This is the first book by a referee that I have read and I understand that the previous pedigree is not great. That said, this wouldn't be on the top of my list of recommended football books in 2016 (Try Richard Gordon's "Tales from the dugout" which is far more entertaining.) Webb comes across as a very dedicated professional and perhaps not always likeable even if you frequently find yourself sympathising with him. The book, by contrast, doesn't do him justice.

I bought this as a present for my son, who is a football fan. He read it relatively quickly, which is a good sign. He found it enjoyable to read and informative.

Enjoyed this read, some good insights and stories. Doesn't hold back on a few topics! Glad he spoke about his personal issues too and didn't just focus on his career. Would recommend this to any football fan, a different view of football to the one we all know and love as fans

Very good book by one of our top refs From running the line in a cold winter night in Yorkshire watched by one man and his dog to the world cup with an audience of billions Always find Howard Webb interesting when speaking on the radio or TV and found his book on not just what happens on the pitch but also what goes on behind the scenes just as interesting He is also very honest on the mistakes he has made over the years Good read

What a wonderful honest account of your life as a referee Howard. I am a Scotsman who has followed you over the years. You have been one of the best referees I have ever seen. Without doubt mistakes will always occur in sport, but you have stood tall always and been very honest about your career. You have been an outstanding ambassador to the sport of football, you should be so proud son. You were a true professional. I was in the Army for 32 years and was the first soldier to qualify as a world boxing referee. I was fortunate to represent England and Scotland at major competitions. I loved it, and the sport. Refereed Joe calzacki many years ago live on television. Yes Howard it was also very difficult being a boxing referee so I can understand how difficult it must have been to be a football referee. Yours Aye Tony [email protected]