MelbGirl

reg what is wrong with you! timmy was victimised by the loss but the rest of Australia deserved it? I'm beginning to think whatever happened to you here was your own doing!

You can't hate a guy who admits his mistakes!... ENGLISH referee Graham Poll has decided to retire from international tournaments after his high-profile blunder in the Australia-Croatia Group F game at the World Cup finals. He showed three yellow cards to Josip Simunic of Croatia before sending him off in the 2-2 draw on June 22. A clearly emotional Poll said on Sky Sports News that he deeply regretted his mistake, which he described as "inexcusable". FIFA yesterday dispensed with Poll's services for the rest of the tournament in Germany. "What I did was an error in law," Poll said. "There can be no dispute. "It was not caused by a FIFA directive, it was not caused by me being asked to referee differently to the way I referee in the Premier League. "The laws of the game are very specific "The referee takes responsibility for his actions on the field of play. "I was the referee that evening. "It was my error and the buck stops with me." Poll blamed his mistake partially on tiredness. "I couldn't replay the decisions in my head because I could not recall them," he said. "I was so fatigued in the 90th minute, it doesn't look like Graham Poll refereeing. "Those who are close to me, who know me, in fact any supporters from the Premier League if they watch those last 10 minutes, they will say that doesn't look like Graham Poll refereeing. "That's true "The first couple of days after, it just came back to me over and over and over again in my mind. "You think you'll wake up, it's only a bad dream, but it isn't, it's reality." Poll said he had even considered retiring from refereeing completely. "I have been disappointed at the reaction of the media," he said. "It led me in the first few days to have thoughts of retirement. "I told FIFA I had no heart to ref another game in this World Cup. "It wasn't them sending me home, it wasn't them saying you're rubbish, go away. "They supported me fully." Poll said the three major championships in which he had officiated had all gone wrong for him. "I've refereed at Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup and the 2006 World Cup, none have gone right for me for various reasons," he said. "If one thing goes wrong it's unlucky; if two things go wrong, it's really unlucky; if three things go wrong, you have to look at yourself and say something isn't right. "It's time for someone else from England to have a go. "For me, tournament football is over." Poll said he had dreamed of becoming the first Englishman to referee a World Cup final for 32 years. "I had 30,000 referees in England who had voiced their support for me to go out and maybe achieve the ultimate, become the first Englishman to referee the final since Jack Taylor in 1974," he said. Asked how those close to him had been affected by the controversy, he said: "They can feel the hurt in me. "We need to get together and regroup and one of the things that needs to happen is for us to be given time and space to get over it. "I just appeal to journalists out there to go away from my house, leave my family alone. "It's time to let me and my family get on with it."

thanks guys i finally can include a pic as my avatar! never occurred to me to ask!

Ideally the linesmen and 4th official should be able to advise the ref when certain decisions he calls are obviously wrong, for example Poll's 3 yellows before giving a red, any one of the linesmen or 4th official should have been able to tell him what was going on. I don't understand why they have all this technology and mics linking them up if they don't use it. reg...sorry if you have some horrible experience down under but you really can't hold that against the whole country! we are one of the most welcoming countries when it comes to tourists...ask anyone who came to melb for the commonwealth games!

haha...well said!

i'm a victory fan and even i agree with Pat!

It's nice to see neutral observers agree Australia deserved to win or at least go to extra-time...i am absolutely shattered!!! and that is the biggest understatement of the century! i feel a sadness that I just can't shake. I have NO idea how you England supporters can put up with this every 4 yrs for the past 40 yrs! ...I used to watch games of teams I really hated just to see them lose...now that I know what it feels like to have your team kicked out of the World Cup I will never again wish that on anyone!

jeez i hope so!!! the country's gone football mad! i'm so excited! for the first time ever you don't have to go to another country for football to be appreciated! it bloody fantastic!

he's a striker and he plays for Melb Victory...doubt he'd come to Everton though, he's wife and family all prefer to be in aus!

haha! soooo true! at least one bloke knows a thing or two about impressing a lady! anyways thanks to all those guys who responded properly!

...geeze i'm impatient! the world cup build-up is getting me all excited about all things football!

Does anyone know when the EPL fixture is set to be released? I want to go to England over the Summer (your winter) holidays and want to see if I can make it to a game!!!...but I cant plan anything until the fixture is out!

thanks! and football certainly isn't an all male sport! i bet i could take on most of the guys i know when it comes to football and win hands down! ...how nice of you to always welcome ladies with open arms....i'd always welcome a gentleman with open arms...too bad so few of them exist! BlueBird....adelaide??? i can't think of one good reason to follow them even though they are on top of the table, unless you are moving to adelaide! in which case i really feel sorry for you! haha

thanks for the welcome guys! been reading the forum for a while just thought it was time to register and write! ...yes i'm a proud victory fan! wish i could smile but we just lost to adelaide so maybe another time! roar is stupid name for a football team but so is victory when you think about how unvictorious we have been! oh well...something to aspire to!

woohoo!!! PatV you are the first Everton fan based in England (i think?) who has any idea about anything aussie! Timmy's new celebration is in fact copied from his mate Archie Thompson who made the celebration his trademark! ...hope to see archie do the celebration tonight against AUFC!!! (fingers crossed)