Great news. Possibly even better news than the perpetual arrival of St Totteringham’s day is that the total-t*sser Graham Poll has decided to retire his ego while its still able to fit into an average sized stadium.

Seemingly he’s tired of receiving a barrage of criticism from the players, managers and punters who actually understand the game. The controversial big-arsed Tring Trigger will finally blown the whistle on his career after probably costing either Derby or West Brom a lucrative place in the Premiership by wanting to be the star of the show on Bank Holiday Monday in ten days’ time.

This then is a goodbye to the man who set a world record for sending off Vieira. Poll has upset every single Premiership manager and ruined more games than Van Nistelrooy has dived in. His World Cup three card trick is the stuff of legend. And more recently he failed to spot Freddie being axed down at Blackburn. According to Poll at the time this was because he was concentrating on the upper body area. Quite how or why a referee would be concentrating on the upper body area from a distance of 20-30 yards behind the play was never explained.

Thankfully Referees’ boss Keith Hackett failed to talk Poll into changing his mind and stay on as a Premiership ref.

One of Poll’s final acts was to join Arsenal fans in fancy dress down at Pompey – turning up as a referee. Thank goodness that was our last opportunity to berate the useless tw*t as he waddled around a Premiership pitch for the very last time. I for one delighted in booing him onto and off of the pitch.