By Stephen Queen
PGMOL Headquarters, may 7, 2013; in the head man’s office
Mike Riley is sitting behind his desk. So what is still to be decided in the PL? Ah the battle for 3rd and 4th spot. The battle between Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham. And then Mike Riley dreams away. Dreams of his “heroic” performance at Old Trafford when he defeated Arsenal in their unbeaten run. You got to give it to him. What 49 teams couldn’t do was done that day by one man: Mike Riley.
Every now and then he still watches the game on his video. And he giggles when he see the Neville brothers kick Reyes to pieces. For a moment he feels a bit slightly embarrassed when he looks at Ferdinand pulling Ljungberg down when he was alone on his way to goal. It was such a clear foul and well he made himself look like a fool at that moment, but the 70.000 at Old Trafford didn’t mind. And Sir Alex didn’t mind that the ref had to make a fool of himself.
He remembers Van Nistelrooy trying to chop the knee of Cole in two pieces without even calling a foul. That was another masterpiece. Yeah, great memories for Mike Riley. And when he looks at his office he knows that it all was worth while. After all the media covered up his misses and didn’t make a big meal of it. Oh yes, he would do it again if he could do it again.
In a perverse way he still hates Arsenal for it. How did they dare to go on such an unbeaten run? As a loyal United fan, he still hates Arsenal for delivering such a performance. He’s proud of having been able to stop them. It is a great feeling still but he still hates them for that achievement. So there he sits at his desk ready to decide who he will send to the final games of the season.
So he thinks Arsenal still has a lot to play for. Would stopping them be like in those days at Old Trafford. Stopping them winning their place in the CL; another great moment in his career… Well he stopped their unbeaten run, so can he stop their qualifying run? They have beaten him a few times before. But now Mike Riley wants to make no mistakes. So he takes the paper he has to fill in.
Arsenal – Wigan he thinks. And then he grins. The grin of a servant of the devil. His eyes glow a bit. His mouth changes from a grim face to a face that at first sight turns in to a smile. The most devilish smiles you can see a human being make. A smile that would make the devil proud.
He starts looking on his desk. Mumbling to himself: “I got this somewhere” and then he finds it. Under a nice thank you letter from SAF written right after the game against Chelsea. He will put it in a framework later on when the season is over. It is his last letter as the boss.
Aha he shouts: there it is. This is what I was looking for. And he looks at it. And yes now it is clear this is the most devilish smile of them all. This is the smile of the man who knows he has found the answer to his problem. The devilish smile of a man who knows that this can’t go wrong.
Let”s have a look at what Mike Riley is holding in his hands. It is a chart about the win percentage of Mike Dean of the teams who are currently in the top 5 of the PL.
Is there any better ref to stop Arsenal in their quest for CL qualification he asks nobody in particular as he is sitting alone in his office? Well apart from me. Then he talks to himself and starts laughing out loud.The laugh of a man who is possessed by his job. A laugh that is sinister and brings shivers to our spine.
Yeah Dean is the man to stop them from qualifying for the CL. But then suddenly the smile of his face goes away. His eyes almost alight with anger in the dark. He remembers the 5-2 of Arsenal last season. Damned he says. I had them on their knees. Mike Dean doing his wonderful job. But then suddenly Arsenal ruined it all. They suddenly turned the game upside down and won after being 0-2 down to Tottenham. But other than that, Dean never let him down when it came to spoiling Arsenal their days.
But this time it can’t go wrong. It’s Arsenal-Wigan. So he knows Dean will do all he can to stop Arsenal from winning. They both share the same disdain of Arsenal and Wenger. They never really spoke about it. But they know it from each other without speaking about it. Just one of those things.
And apart from that Dean really loves helping Wigan. And he goes on the look for another paper and after pushing aside a letter of complaint from Arsenal that he uses to wipe his shoes off when he stepped in some dog mess, he finds the ultimate proof that Dean will do his job.
Again we take a look at what Riley is looking at with again a big devilish smile on his face: the stats from Dean when he does Wigan games.
|
Total |
won |
draw |
lost |
won |
draw |
lost |
|
|
Wigan |
291 |
81 |
73 |
137 |
27,84% |
25,09% |
47,08% |
|
Dean |
24 |
12 |
4 |
8 |
50,00% |
16,67% |
33,33% |
He is the best ref for Wigan. No other ref comes even near to this amazing win percentage compared with Dean.
No, he thinks to himself. When I give Dean the Arsenal – Wigan game he will not only try to stop Arsenal but also will do all he can to help Wigan survive in the PL.
Mike Riley takes the paper in his hands with the games. And on the line where there is Arsenal – Wigan he takes out his pen and writes in big capitals D E A N!
And then he laughs, and laughs and laughs. The laugh of a man possessed by the devil. Suddenly a lightning comes from nowhere outside and the thunder can be heard with a big cracking bang. Approved by the devil himself he thinks. The red devil.
PS: This story might be based on real persons but the events themselves are pure fiction…
Recent posts
- What’s wrong with PL refs: a case study. Oliver
- Kill the referee: who has blood on their hands? The implications of RVPs push of a ref.
- FFP: The legal challenge begins
- So what is wrong with PL refs…a case study: Moss
- IN MEMORIAM of the referee who died from a punch received during a youth match
The most detailed study of Premier League Refs ever:The referees 2013.
The books…
- Woolwich Arsenal: The club that changed football – Arsenal’s early years
- Making the Arsenal – how the modern Arsenal was born in 1910
- The Crowd at Woolwich Arsenal FC: crowd behaviour at the early matches
- Royal Arsenal: from the Common to the Manor. Coming next.
The sites from the same team…
- Referee Decisions – just what are the refs up to this season?
- The Arsenal History Blog from the AISA Arsenal History Society
It’s back in our own hands now let’s hope we have the motivation to overrun our last two opponent s
Amazing story… very well written
Oh ! How I ‘d be laughing out loud while rolling about on my bed ( bad knees and all that!) if we win and do qualify for the CL !
If we don’t ,I d probably be become a philosper ( I still may need some sedation )as pointed out in number 5 below !
phi·los·o·pher
noun
1.
a person who offers views or theories on profound questions in ethics, metaphysics, logic, and other related fields.
2.
a person who is deeply versed in philosophy.
3.
a person who establishes the central ideas of some movement, cult, etc.
4.
a person who regulates his or her life, actions, judgments, utterances, etc., by the light of philosophy or reason.
5.
a person who is rationally or sensibly calm, especially under trying circumstances.
Matching Quote
“The philosopher is like a man fasting in the midst of universal intoxication. He alone perceives the illusion of which all creatures are the willing playthings; he is less duped than his neighbor by his own nature. He judges more sanely, he sees things as they are. It is in this that his liberty consists—in the ability to see clearly and soberly, in the power of mental record.”
-Henri-Frédéric Amiel
Well done for that entertaining Post. 🙂
Provided your data is accurate, the results for Dean shown in your tables are both weird, that is to say not easy to explain as a statistical anomaly, and neither is there a credible explanation for such an extraordinary divergence in his performances when comparing other top teams with those affecting the Arsenal games.
Surely the the PGMOL cannot be unaware of Dean’s unbalanced refereeing results?
Dean is shit. We just have to win against and nothing he does would work. Nice piece.
Don’t tell me we are having Dean for our match against Wigan. If its true, That is what I call “TROUBLE”, the end of our CL dreams this season
The sad thing is it isn’t even subtle.
Dean gets the game last night. He then gets both the Sunderland game on Sunday AND us on Tuesday. Clearly we are short of refs……
Oh wait, Clattenburg, Foy and Dowd don’t ref a PL over that weekend; just 4th official jobs. That would obviously preclude them from reffing on Tuesday of course,
Hang on, Atkinson is 4th official on Sun then refs the Reading game on Tuesday, so that kills that one.
Sooooo, Dean referees his second game in 3 days (and 3rd in a week), meaning he will be far more fatigued than any of the 3+ top referees that could have handled the game.
Random and fair huh? It would seem a bit odd on its own. Add in Dean’s record against Arsenal, in a game Arsenal have to win, and my next comment would be libelous (or true).
If you were to factor in our recent results in cup games with Dean refereeing the figures would be even worse. Birmingham, Bradford, Blackburn all losses.
If we dont win against Wigan I suspect it will not be because of Dean.
@Gooner S
You are probably right, if we cannot put enough goals past Wigans diabolical defence to win comfortably and overcome the Dean factor we do not deserve to finish top four.
I’m not sure that Dean is intentionally biased against Arsenal but I would say his style does not suit us. He likes to let the game flow which results in numerous fouls not given which is very bad for teams like Arsenal.
Oh wait, just remembered his celebratory jump when Birmingham beat us in the CC Final, He is clearly baised, even the telegraph have cottoned on
So the Great Escape is on.
Arsene as Roger Barlett “Big X”.
Giroud as Steve Mcqueen “the cooler king”.
Aaron Ramsey as “captain Ramsey”.
Santi Cazorla as Flying Officer Louis Sedgwick RAAF, “The Manufacturer”
Mertesacker as Flight Lieutenant Andy ‘Mac’ MacDonald RAF, “Intelligence” (double agent).
Arteta as Lieutenant-Commander Eric Ashley-Pitt, “Dispersal”.
Rosicky as Flight Lieutenant Bob Hendley DFC RAF, “The Scrounger”.
Koscielny as Flight Lieutenant Sorren RAF, “Security”
Wilshere as Flying Officer ‘Griff’ Griffith RAF,”The Tailor”.
Walcott as Flying Officer Haynes RCAF, “Diversions”
So Dean dances again at Stamford Bridge. Are these steps a rehearsal for the Wigan game? The pgmol needed a lift after the purplenose abdication. The Long March is complete, the ‘gang of 4’ style hand-clapping, watch tapping, foul-mouthing is over, but the influence is not. Moyes? Hand picked by himself – I bet the MU fans can’t wait for the rough-house, ‘up north’ tactics from a no-mark. I think we should be encouraged, it could all backfire. Of course we can beat Wigan & the barcodes too, but having Dean is a nightmare. This is the ref who spluttered, ‘F*%k me, I’m f*&k+d!’ recently (sorry, can’t remember the game). Decent refs are left fixing the bbq, while the appalling riley dishes Dean up to us again.
Mick, Gooner S,
I agree to an extent except that there are circumstances we can do nothing about. Say ewe get an incorrectly awarded red in the first 10 minutes and they get a penalty from the incident which they score. 10 players to come back and score at least 2 goals is a hard task especially if the ref is then calling offside for our perfectly good goal and not awarding a penalty for an assault on our player in their area when he was the last man. To top it all off, two minutes from time, he might go and award them a goal kick when it was our corner and we needed only a goal to win.
Or worse still, if we had a one goal lead he might award them a corner when it should have been out goal kick and they just happen to score from it.
Let’s put seven past Wigan and screw Dean up.
@Stuart
You may well be proved right but I will just depress myself more and more if I do not at least try to be positive about our teams ability to stick one up Riley.
I have learned not to underestimate any team, regardless of the league they may be playing in, nor that we may have home advantage, as long as dean is the ref. In fact I always consider ourselves the underdog whenever dean is the ref.
There are 9 Premier League matches this gameweek, but Riley could only find 8 referees so one official will have to officiate 2 matches this gameweek. No guesses to who that is.
Sun 12 May 2013 Stoke v Tottenham Kevin Friend
Sun 12 May 2013 Everton v West Ham Mike Jones
Sun 12 May 2013 Fulham v Liverpool Mark Halsey
Sun 12 May 2013 Norwich v West Brom Howard Webb
Sun 12 May 2013 QPR v Newcastle Lee Probert
Sun 12 May 2013 Sndrlnd v Sohampton Mike Dean
Sun 12 May 2013 Man Utd v Swansea Jon Moss
Tue 14 May 2013 Arsenal v Wigan Mike Dean
Tue 14 May 2013 Reading v Man City Martin Atkinson
It wasn’t listed on the page I got the information from, but Lee Mason will ref Saturday’s match between Aston Villa and Chelsea. So there are a full 10 matches this gameweek + the FA Cup final on Saturday.
Mike Dean officiates Sunday’s match between Sunderland and Southampton, then on one day’s rest he officiates Arsenal v. Wigan 2 days later on Tuesday night.
Sometimes the comments come faster than the articles can be published 😉
Johnny Deigh,
Actually make that ‘one official will have to officiate 3 matches this gameweek. No guesses to who that is.’ – since the same ref was in action last night, meaning between last night & Tuesday the same ref would’ve officiated in 3 decisive games that will make or break certain teams’ aspirations. Its a joke.
AL, mates,
3 for 3 and The Dean will become the next PGMOL leader. Not even Webb can overtake him then. He has called off the dogs from the former Arsenal Captain, now in red tartan, and delivered the goods – yes, with that (insider joke of an) exceptional red card (the cherry on their sundae) that proves the rule of their “exceptional” run without a red card, the one that now eclipses our unbeaten run in their tiny minds. Yes, The Dean first performed his Magic for the adoring nuremburg rallyers at Old Toilet, when Der Fungus danced his victory jig. Now The Dean will deliver to Micky R his (Micky R’s) final gift to the Rednose XX. And, by doing so, Micky R will hand-pick The Dean as his succe$$or; just as Lord Football has hand-picked David Moyes (for services rendered having bent over with such relish and little resistance) over lo, on this long and winding road to The Anointment that – judging from media feature to media feature – is now EPL’s contribution to the economy, to try and fatten the bottom line of Der Gross National Produkt, and thereby become the True Lyin of Lyin’s in this green and pleasant land. The Dean, Micky R, Don Fungus, now transubstantiated into Eternal Victory. To wake up from this trance, bring your red cards to hold-in-readiness for that very moment when Dean-Brooks-Collin, this 3-Headed-Golem, try to enact their master’s bidding: to try and smash our dreams as they cement their futures in a full service massage of their desired outcome. If ever there were a time for vigilance, this is it. COYG.
p.s. Bravo to Stephen Queen.
Mick, Gooner S, — I agree wholeheartedly that we should beat Wigan easily. I guess my rant was based at the underlying system and just how far things had to be twisted to get our Bogey ref to officiate this vital match,
http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/referees/appointments.html?paramSearchContext=MATCH_WEEK¶mMatchWeek=37
Makes for interesting reading — apologies for the whole season view it was all or nothing, maybe you can get the monthly appointments to work; I couldn’t.
The two things that struck me was how well Riley manages spreading games most of the times. Its rare that a ref gets 2 games a week, unless there are 2 full PL programs in a week, when it is hard not to, and the only time I can see a ref has got 3 PL games in a week was Webb over Christmas/New Year when there are around 40 games in 12 days.
Johnny flags up the other problem, that Riley somehow cannot find enough refs to do what he has managed all season. Look at the 4th Officials on Sunday who could have taken our game. Hell, Dowd is 4th official for the game and giving Dean his 3rd game in a week is preferable to giving Dowd his first.
Rantetta,
My 2:52 dedicated to you. For old time’s (the OT crime tape) sake! 🙂
that’s ridiculous, Foy, Dowd, Oliver, Clattenberg, all available but better to give Dean his 3rd game. Riley is a joke, hope he retires at season’s end with the rest of the co-conspirators
Mandy Dodd,
It’s overtime for your hopes for Gazidis’ presence in the higher climes to have made a meaningful difference, imo. Dontcha think? Otherwise it’s just FA, again.
Its interesting that Collins & Brooks (Linesmen/assistant refs) did the Sunderland mauling the other week and get to do Sunderland again so soon?
These assistants really do travel under the radar.
Adam, Walter,
Yes, it complicates the math, but if it’s THE TRIO that (now, or before as well) knows the actual business preference going in; and that, perhaps, the missed call or non-call is not necessarily the function of the referee (even if the ref has “final say”,) but of the trio, then a new (or extended) model of assessment may well be needed. This may be a new layer to the pudding? They shouldn’t be unseen under the radar. Especially as assignments of first-line refs to the “lesser” positions in the troika can/do occur along the line.
I’m not asying told ya so. But bob, this was brought up by myself a few years ago. You have to treat the refs and assistants as seperate entities when reviewing them.
I’m trying to find other partnerships and one I have come across but not as evident as the trio of Dean, is Webbs partnership with D Cann & M Mullarkey.
If anyone else can spot a partnership. post it.
S Beck & S Child seem to work together a lot but with a variety of referee’s
Adam,
In all honesty, I applaud you for this!
Egos aside, (as a latecomer to football) I’ve screamed about this intermittently since Sagna got cleated twice (two season’s ago) in the same game on Walton’s last “watch” and the linos were AWOL in the see-no-evil department. (Now I’ve Walton here infesting the upper ranks of refdumb for MLS Soccer, his transnational reward for being a Riley honey-bringer at the hives.)
Adam, Walter,
Separate entities and, alas, then the combined team work-product as well? I would think so, for the finest granularity. A very tough but perhaps, with a grant from a good sammaritan, very doable. Where is the former AFC board now that their dosh could be put to a public football service. Consider this an appeal.
Adam,
Did you make up the name Mullarkey, or did they give him that name there in central casting? 🙂
“co-conspirators”
Now, Jerry, surely you’ve learned by now to see only co-incidence in all things financial? Is our tax money for schooling gone for naught? 🙂 Cheers, mate.
No bob, bollox is bollox. I do love you yanks, some of the time?
hope he retires at season’s end with the rest of the co-conspirators
You never know, something is going on. As with a lot of things in football, a cover-up could be afoot.
You take into consideration the rules around TMS (transfer matching system) they are their for money laundering and child exploitation. Why would we need those rules if there was never a problem. But can anyone remember any highlighted issue about exploitation or money laundering?
No as they were kept quiet. But we have rules none the less?
“some of the time”
Adam,
Thank you! Indeed, it’s truly all that I (for one) hope for this time around!
I’m only pulling your leg bob, it seems to be a pass-time of mine? sorry no offence meant.
Look after Walton for us, rather you lot than us, so thankyou for that one.
Any chance of you lot finding a few vacancies for Riley, Webb and Dean?
Adam,
Maybe they’re the speak no evil rules (announcing what will be waiting in punishment) for those who have Failed to see no evil?
I wonder if somebody ask the little boy inside that player:
How dose it feel when you compare your second yellow card for shooting after offside!!!!! And this season without any red cards, no matter what you do on the pitch!
He knows the best about refs bias for sure!
I take it you guys know that Mark Halsey is retiring at the end of this season?
BTW I can’t believe that we’ve got Dean again! FFS!
Nabby
My money’s on Roger East being promoted into the select group.
Adam, it could be. There’s been one or two given just a couple of matches to try out this season so it’ll come down to the end of season assessments. I’ve asked my wife but she doesn’t know yet.
What do you mean, you’ve asked your wife?
She works for the PL as well as for PGMOL 🙂
Nabby, East, Pawson or Madley?
Who’s your money on?
Are not the 4th officials PL standard refs then, looking at the link Rufusstan put up why couldn’t Dean drop to 4th official and one of the 4ths step up to ref the game?
Adam, I reckon East but it may be all three as Halsey is off and there’s a need for a bigger group.
Steve, good question to which I don’t know the answer. No-one except Mike Riley does. Funnily, Mike is a really nice guy to have a chat with.
The above chart is absolutely horrendous. How can this be acceptable. I mean 60 to 70 percent win rates makes any team serious championship contenders.. whilst a rate of 7 percent is relegation certainty. With us consistently finishing in the top 4 every year with win rates of 50 percent plus how can this man be let continue refereeing our games. Its disgraceful. Surely this evidence can be brought to pgmol or even highlighted by skt sports or something. Great piece. Great website keep up the good work.
Surely it’s worth tweeting to news outlets….
All 4th officials are from the select group or national list.
The whole idea behind the 4th official, as most know, is in case the ref incurs an injury and cannot continue. Yet we see time and again a national list ref as 4th official for big games including Manchester United home games, so if these guys are good enough for back-up at the hallowed Old Trafford, why aren’t they taking some premiership games as first choice referee?
P Gibbs, G Elthringham & P Tierney have been 4th officials at Old Trafford but have not taken a single premiership game?
T Kettle, D Drysdale, P Tierney, F Graham & S Attwell (who we know) have all been 4th official at the Emirates this season but again no premiership games as first choice?
Surely if these guys are good enough as back-up at these stadiums they can take some other premiership games.
Nationally listed referee’s, Just so you all know how many there are.
ADCOCK, JG (James) – Nottinghamshire
ATKINSON, M (Martin) – West Yorkshire
ATTWELL, SB (Stuart) – Warwickshire
BATES, A (Tony) – Staffordshire
BERRY, CJ (Carl) – Surrey
*BOND, D (Darren) – Lancashire
BOOTH, R (Russell) – Nottinghamshire
BOYESON, C (Carl) – East Yorkshire
*BRATT, S (Stephen) – West Midlands
BROWN, M (Mark) – East Yorkshire
*CLARK, R (Richard) – Northumberland
CLATTENBURG, M (Mark) – County Durham
COLLINS, LM (Lee) – Surrey
COOTE, D (David) – Nottinghamshire
*DAVIES, A (Andy) – Hampshire
DEADMAN, D (Darren) – Cambridgeshire
DEAN, ML (Mike) – Wirral
DOWD, P (Phil) – Staffordshire
DRYSDALE, D (Darren) – Lincolnshire
*DUNCAN, S (Scott) – Northumberland
D’URSO, AP (Andy) – Essex
EAST, R (Roger) – Wiltshire
ELTRINGHAM, G (Geoff) – County Durham
FOY, CJ (Chris) – Merseyside
FRIEND, KA (Kevin) – Leicestershire
GIBBS, PN (Phil) – West Midlands
GRAHAM F (Fred) – Essex
HAINES, A (Andy) – Tyne & Wear
HALSEY, MR (Mark) – Lancashire
*HARRINGTON, T (Tony) – Cleveland
HAYWOOD, M (Mark) – West Yorkshire
HEYWOOD, M (Mark) – Cheshire
HOOPER, SA (Simon) – Wiltshire
ILDERTON, EL (Eddie) – Tyne & Wear
JONES, MJ (Michael) – Cheshire
KETTLE, TM (Trevor) – Rutland
LANGFORD, O (Oliver) – West Midlands
LEWIS, RL (Rob) – Shropshire
LININGTON, JJ (James) – Isle of Wight
MADLEY, AJ (Andy) – West Yorkshire
MADLEY, RJ (Bobby) – West Yorkshire
MALONE, BJ (Brendan) – Wiltshire
MARRINER, AM (André) – West Midlands
*MARTIN, S (Stephen) – Staffordshire
MASON, LS (Lee) – Lancashire
MATHIESON, SW (Scott) – Cheshire
MILLER, NS (Nigel) – County Durham
MILLER, P (Pat) – Bedfordshire
MOHAREB, D (Dean) – Cheshire
MOSS, J (Jon) – West Yorkshire
NAYLOR, MA (Michael) – South Yorkshire
OLIVER, M (Michael) – Northumberland
PAWSON, CL (Craig) – South Yorkshire
PHILLIPS, DJ (David) -West Sussex
PROBERT, LW (Lee) – Wiltshire
*ROBINSON, T (Tim) – West Sussex
RUSHTON, SJ (Steve) – Staffordshire
RUSSELL, MP (Mick) – Hertfordshire
SALISBURY, G (Graham) – Lancashire
SARGINSON, CD (Chris) – Staffordshire
SCOTT, GD (Graham) – Oxfordshire
SHELDRAKE, D (Darren) – Surrey
SHOEBRIDGE, RL (Rob) – Derbyshire
*SIMPSON, J (Jeremy) – Lancashire
STROUD, KP (Keith) – Hampshire
SUTTON, GJ (Gary) – Lincolnshire
SWARBRICK, ND (Neil) – Lancashire
TANNER, SJ, (Steve) – Somerset
TAYLOR, A (Anthony) – Cheshire
TIERNEY, P Paul) – Lancashire
WARD, GL (Gavin) – Surrey
WAUGH, J (Jock) – South Yorkshire
WEBB, D (David) – County Durham
WEBB, HM (Howard) – South Yorkshire
WHITESTONE, D (Dean) – Northamptonshire
WILLIAMSON, IG, (Iain) – Berkshire
WOOLMER, KA (Andy) – Northamptonshire
WRIGHT, KK (Kevin) – Cambridgeshire
Sorry, Its a big list.
Adam,
Sorry, I might have missed something here but what does the asterisk mean?
The penalty gifted to Birmingham by Dean in the infamous match in 2008 was re-shown yesterday on sky – it was the most obvious non-penalty – there was no chance of a genuine mistake by Dean – his decision was blatant bias. This was the match which derailed our season – we lost ground and the Manures took the title after we had seemed in pole position.
If there had been any decency in the pgmol Dean would have been fired. As we know the pgmol and those responsible for it are corrupt.
Does the pgmol publish annual accounts? If so how can they be obtained?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UQgVPWrwfQ
Above is Deano’s call in that Birmingham game. We know what he is.
http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/gif-emmanuel-adebayors-solo-special-tottenham-v-chelsea/
And here is the second little skip of joy that we have seen from him. Maybe it is just a weird technique of turning around in order to run back to the centre circle? Y’know? He needs to go easy on his knees, and he does this little jig on his physios advice. Only when Tottenham score mind you.
It could never happen here.
Maybe the best course of action would be for everyone to bet on an Arsenal red card? The bookies would then have to report “suspicious pattern of transactions” and Dean would have to be moved (with tremendous hullabaloo I’m sure).
Another point re the National List. Not a single ref from London even though 1/6 th of the population reside there! Not many from the south either.
Asterix means first year referee.
http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/ListofOfficials