I’m not among those conspiracy theorists who see the choice of referee for a game as particularly good or bad news.
However, I’ll make an exception in the case of Mike Dean who I have often found to be well over fussy, perhaps more than a little filled with his own importance and on several occasions just wrong.
Dean has been announced as the man in the middle for the game against Chelsea and we have had a mixed time recently when he has been involved as the main match official.
He took control of three of our games last season and they ended in a win – over Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup – a draw with the same opposition in the league and a defeat away at Manchester City.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have won the last five games in which Dean has refereed their games and lost just two of the last 20 plus games when he’s been in control.
That may have more to do with Chelsea’s form than any decisions of his as the Blues look for their sixth win and the Irons their second.
Still not forgotten or forgiven him for sending off Feghouli when Jones was the one who should have got the Red. Absolute show pony and all about him. There are some very bad refs around at the moment but I don’t think Dean can simply be labelled as bad he is influenced by bigger sides and wants to be controversial and centre stage which is a bad mix for a ref.
Oh no!!!
I cannot watch this bloke without wanting to ……(self censored!) He is so up himself it is unbelievable. He spoils every match I watch him in by trying to be the centre of attention & strutting around like a complete berk. He also loves to give a controversial decision to show how ‘tough’ he is. If you are on the end of one of those it drives you mad.
How he ever got to be a top ref I have no idea, but the fact that he has been allowed to carry on at the top for so long is even more of a puzzle. Watch out for that thing refs do at corners where they hold up play & make a couple of players walk over to them to be given a good telling off for pushing each other. He just loves that one. Then the corner is taken & they just carry on anyway.