The Complete Number 9 is an interview series where we ask authors nine questions about their book, the writing process and their football-writing influences.
In The Impossible Job: The Truly Unbelievable World of Football Referees, William Ralston delves deep into the emotional rollercoaster that is refereeing, offering an unprecedented look inside football's most misunderstood subject.
Photo © Thomas Broadhead
What gave you the idea for the book?
I was struck first and foremost by the toxicity in refereeing. When I began writing, two referees, Anthony Taylor in England and a Turkish referee, had both been attacked — Anthony Taylor at the airport with his family and Halil Umut Meler on the pitch after finishing a match.
So the toxicity was the first thing, but I was also struck by the paradox with the rising standards of refereeing. Referees I knew were obviously getting better, given the technology like VAR and goal-line technology, but still there was a narrative that referees were getting worse. These things didn’t all fit together, so I wanted to know what was really going on.
How was the writing process?
The writing process wasn't as hard as the reporting process. Referees rarely, if ever, have been allowed to give long, detailed interviews to reveal who they are off the pitch and what they're really doing on the pitch, so it was extremely difficult to convince the governing bodies and the referees themselves to allow me the access I needed to write the book. But once I had all the necessary details, writing it was a lot easier. Still not easy, though, as writing never is.
What was your biggest influence whilst you were writing the book?
I'm a huge fan of narrative non-fiction. Ed Caesar and Patrick Radden Keefe are two writers that I enjoy reading, both for different reasons. But when it comes to football, the books of Michael Calvin, where he takes you into these worlds, were influential. Jon Ronson is another writer who has inspired me greatly, both for how he reports and writes. So those are the names that spin around in my head when you ask that question. All for varying different reasons.
How did you first get published?
I wrote a Guardian Long Read about referees, which was successful. I followed two Premier League referees across a season, and that essentially became my book proposal. My agent, Max, very kindly sent that around to publishers, and many publishers wanted the book version of it. So that's how it came about.
What advice would you offer other writers when writing gets hard?
Writing is still a mystery to me. There are some days where it flows out of me easily, and there are some days, especially currently, because I'm tired after the book, where it's extremely difficult. So it's very difficult for me to give advice right now.
But one thing I did learn writing the book was that I had a certain time of day where I recognised I was probably more productive than others. And I found that in the morning I could get writing out, and then in the evening I could edit, and I feel like having that routine, as difficult as it was to work in the evening to edit, worked out quite nicely.
So my suggestion would be to try and find that little window of opportunity where you have the silence and protect it, because if you can find that slot, then you can be most productive.
What is your most memorable football experience?
I don't have one single footballing moment, but one that really sticks with me was watching Paris Saint-Germain when they had Neymar, Mbappé, and Messi all playing against Man City. On paper, PSG had these three incredible superstars, yet City, who didn't have that same collection of individual stars, completely outplayed them. It was a really striking lesson in how important team tactics are, and how a team isn't simply the sum of its parts.
What was the last football book you read?
I’ll be totally honest and say I haven’t really read very many football books recently. But what I will say is that on my desk, at the top of the pile of books I have read over the last few years, is one of the books I read to inspire me to write The Impossible Job: The Nowhere Men: The Unknown Story of Football's True Talent Spotters by Michael Calvin, which I found exceptional.
What is a football book more people should read?
I haven't read it yet, so I can't tell you it's good, but I'm sure it is. It's Jon Mackenzie's book about Pep Guardiola's tactics. There's obviously been a lot of press around it recently, but I'm a huge fan of his journalism, so I'm sure it's super. I'm going to recommend that one.
What is your next football-writing project?
I don't have another football project lined up. I don't really consider myself a football writer; I consider myself a writer who wrote about football this time. I might change that, who knows? But I haven't got another football project lined up. I'm not opposed to one, but I'd need to find something that inspires me or captures my attention as much as refereeing did.
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The Impossible Job: The Truly Unbelievable World of Football Referees is published by Viking and is out now.