by Andrew Crawshaw
Courtesy of premierleague.com here are the match officials for this coming weekend’s fixtures:-
Kick-offs are 15:00 GMT unless stated otherwise.
Friday 30 November
20:00 Cardiff City v Wolves
Referee: Andre Marriner
Assistants: Scott Ledger, Simon Long
Fourth official: Martin Atkinson
Saturday 1 December
Crystal Palace v Burnley
Referee: Lee Probert
Assistants: Andy Garratt, Adrian Holmes
Fourth official: Mike Dean
Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistants: Simon Bennett, Mick McDonough
Fourth official: Jonathan Moss
Referee: Graham Scott
Assistants: Marc Perry, Neil Davies
Fourth official: Craig Pawson
Referee: Stuart Attwell
Assistants: Stuart Burt, Derek Eaton
Fourth official: Anthony Taylor
Newcastle United v West Ham United
Referee: Paul Tierney
Assistants: Constantine Hatzidakis, Mark Scholes
Fourth official: Lee Mason
17:30 Southampton v Man Utd
Referee: Kevin Friend
Assistants: Matthew Wilkes, Simon Beck
Fourth official: Roger East
Sunday 2 December
12:00 Chelsea v Fulham
Referee: Craig Pawson
Assistants: Ian Hussin, Richard West
Fourth official: David Coote
14:05 Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur
Referee: Mike Dean
Assistants: Darren Cann, Dan Robathan
Fourth official: Andre Marriner
16:15 Liverpool v Everton
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Assistants: Daniel Cook, Sian Massey-Ellis
Fourth official: Anthony Taylor
Spurs and Huddersfield join the clubs with two three time referees, Huddersfield getting Michael Oliver and Spurs with Mike Dean. Anthony Taylor at long last gets to rest his whistle for the first week this year (although he is on fourth official duty on both Saturday and Sunday so still can’t put his feet up).
Spurs set a new record for the season in their match last weekend against Chelsea. They were called for 19 fouls without getting a single yellow card. This beat their previous record of 17 in their home game against Liverpool. In contrast Arsenal haven’t had a single home game without getting a player booked. I would be very surprised if this level of discrepancy in refereeing standards changes on Sunday.
Here is what I said in my preview of last week’s games
“In terms of having had variety of referees this season, in our league games, we haven’t actually done too badly with 11 in our 13 games, Anthony Taylor and Martin Atkinson being the only two we have seen twice. We are yet to have Mike Dean (Spurs ?), Kevin Friend, Lee Mason, Graham Scott, David Coote and Roger East.”
Well the official verdict for our official for this weekend’s North London Derby is Mike Dean. Am I good or am I good!
I am not going to spend a great deal of time in detailing just how bad Mike Dean normally is for us because I have done it in the past so many times – if you want to go back into our history with this person then just type in his name in the search box at the top of the page and that will lead you to an absolute plethora of articles. Suffice it to say that his appointment is hardly ever good news and we shouldn’t expect anything to change on Sunday.
Metro Sport have a video of what look to be goal celebrations by Mr Dean when Spurs scored against Aston Villa and ourselves in the past and I have absolutely no confidence in him having the ability to deliver an honest and even handed performance on Sunday.
https://twitter.com/Metro_Sport/status/1067421278426947589
Mr Dean has been in charge of two previous Spurs matches this season
Matchweek 8 – Spurs 1 v Cardiff 0 3 Spurs players booked (minutes 51, 59 and 68), 7 fouls called, no Cardiff players given a yellow card but a straight red card in min 58, 11 fouls called against them
Matchweek 11 – Wolves 2 v Spurs 3 Wolves player booked in min 24 and 11 fouls called, Spurs players booked in minutes 78 and 87 and two penalties awarded against them in minute 68 ad 79. 8 fouls called against Spurs.
For them to have Mr Dean again will mean three games in 6 weeks which is stretching credulity towards any kind of random programming of matches beyond breaking point. That raises the question why appoint him to this game? It certainly has raised the hackles of Arsenal supporters, even though he was in charge of this fixture last year when we won 2 – 0.
The one thing that I can confidently say about having Mike Dean in the middle is that one way or another he will make the game all about himself. He is no shrinking violet and usually surprises us in some obscure interpretation of the rules of football. The sooner this 50 year old retires the better. We can only hope that he chokes on his indicator board (or drops it on his foot) on Saturday when acting as fourth official at Crystal palace.
COYG
Arsenal should be creaming their pants at the prospect of Mike Deam reffing at the weekend. Have you forgotten last year ? 2-0 courtesy of a free kick that never in a million years was and an offside goal. Pro-Spurs, how the heck did you come up with that one ?
Kalan I think the answer to your question is “historic context”
‘We can only hope that he chokes on his indicator board (or drops it on his foot) on Saturday when acting as fourth official at Crystal palace.’
Nice one Andrew. Let’s hope this prediction comes true as well!
@Kalan, there is nothing here that says that Mr Dean is pro Spurs just plenty to say he is anti Arsenal. If you care to look at his stats for all of the ‘top six’ clubs, including yours please go to the 7amkickoff site where there was an excellent article a couple of days ago. The only point I made about him and you is that to have him three times in six weeks is redivulous
Sorry to link to such a site. But has anyone read this?
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/7862037/arsenal-ramsey-leg-break-stoke-wenger-pulis-dave-kitson/
The appointment of Mr Dean for the up coming NLD is not a wise decision at all. The game is expected to be so tense, and given his history any presumed poor decision could lead to chaos. I hate to see that game spoiled by such circumstances.
Yes it has been noted Ben. I’m struggling a little at the moment with publishing Untold as I am overseas, but will be returning in time for Sunday’s game, and then hope to get us fully back up to speed.
Tony
Sorry OT – https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/7862037/arsenal-aaron-ramsey-leg-break-stoke-wenger-pulis-dave-kitson/
But, but, but, but, but he’s just not that kind of player!
And yet there are still people who believe the injuries our team racked up were down to poor training/rehabilitation methods…
Sorry Gord, didn’t realise you had already posted that news report on another another article.
This is what we got from Dave Kidd at the time in the Daily Mirror.
He wasn’t the only one. Dave Kidd, like Pulis, absolutely hated Wenger, as this little snippet will leave you in no doubt of.
Read it and weep because this is the level of football jouranlism we had and still have in this country of ours.
Anyway this is what he said at the time of the Shawcross incident:
IT’S NO GAME FOR WHIMPS AND PANSIES MR WENGER
Arsene Wenger revels in his image as a football anorak, a man who spends every free hour poring over DVDs of any available match.
Nobody will deny that Wenger’s Arsenal sides have produced the most attractive football of the Premier League era, but his belief that Gunners players should be immune to opposition tackling is becoming offensive.
With his scorn for all things traditionally English, it is a wonder Wenger has not returned to France years ago. It’s just that Paris St Germain would not pay him half as well.
The successes of Stoke and Hull City have been the most refreshing aspects of the season so far – a competition which had threatened to be crushed by predictability has been given a new lease of life by two clubs that Wenger would not want on the same pitch as his ballet troupe.
A clash of styles always makes for a fascinating contest and Stoke v Arsenal was certainly that.
———–
Let me just repeat one line of that:
THE SUCCESS OF STOKE AND HULL HAVE BEEN THE MOST REFRESHING ASPECTS OF THE SEASON SO FAR.
Honestly, comments like that beggar belif. Anyway I was so infuriated by not only Kidds reaction to the incident but a vast majority of the medias reaction that it impelled me to write to him. suffice to say I never recieved a reply.
Thisis what I wrote at the time:
Dear Mr Kidd.
Ramseys broken leg is directly attributable to what Wenger said. Lack of protection.
In the FA cup tie at the Potteries Stoke City committed 22 fouls and not ONE card.
By the time Shawcross went in on Ramsey the foul count over the 2 games was above 30 and still not a single card.
In the end over the 2 games Stoke committed 36 fouls and had the ONE. And this was still one too many for some.
Considering the ratio of cards to fouls in the Premiership is 7 to 1 can you explain why Stoke are given such latitude to foul as and when they want?
Is the fact they are a technically inferior side really a good enough reason to allow this type of consistent fouling to go unchecked?
Is every-ones love of seeing Arsenal players kicked in the air really enough justification to put the careers of three you men (Diaby, Eduardo, Ramsey) at risk.
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts……….
I never did.
Jammy, it is hard to keep track of every active thread on this website, so no problem on reporting it. I gather Kitson was the “secret footballer”. I had heard of this concept, but never pursued it.
On a different topic, a while ago I think there was a story at Arsenal.com, about them getting involved with some kind of blockchain technology.
TheRegister has a story out now, showing that there is zero evidence that any practical blockchain work has been done in the real world.
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/11/30/blockchain_study_finds_0_per_cent_success_rate/
And of course we already have the ignorant stoke fans claiming all kinds of nonsense to justify there thuggery not least of all this comment:
“Stoke are one of many teams who had to do what they had to do. I’m not saying injure players, I’m saying get stuck in and fight for a win. This is solely due to the fact that the ‘big’ teams in the Premier league can buy success and don’t have to work for it. Supported by armchair fans paying their sky subscriptions every month. This obviously excludes Arsenal who can’t even buy the Europa League.”
THIS IS SOLEY DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE ‘BIG’ TEAMS IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE CAN BUY SUCCESS
Pulis reign 006 to 2013
During this period these are the comparitive Nett spends:
Stoke City: £89 Million LOSS
Arsenal: £34 Million PROFIT
Therefor during his reign Pulis spent £123 Million Nett MORE on players than Wenger
So even the apparent SOLE excuse for Stokes thuggary is absolutely without basis. In fact, given this particular posters take on things, it is us that had every right to ‘get stuck in’ to Stoke.
Honestly if only these Stoke fans would learn to read they might actually be able see some facts before they display there ignorance.
And just to put that in to perspective even Manchester United only had a nett spend of £102 Million over pulis’s reign.
Stokes Net spend was therefore around a mere £15 Million less than Uniteds.
On Nett spend Stoke were far far nearer Manchester United than we were yet somehow that justifies kicking teams and us in particular off the park.
NB: My figures are not exact as added roughly but they will be within 5 million or so which given the numbers if hardly anything.
NB: The comment I used is from the comments section of the Sun article.
About last year NLD. Funny how our spurs forgot about Dean bailing out Tottenham of a sure goal in the first minutes of the game when Alderweireld dived in his own box after being outmuscled(!) by Ozil.
Or Kane only getting a yellow for a blatant red card tackle on Xhaka
‘With his scorn for all things traditionally English, it is a wonder Wenger has not returned to France years ago.’
So it’s ‘traditionally English’ to kick the opponent’s players off the field. Hopefully not.
Journalists get off with saying anything, even xenophobic comments like this one. Arsene Wenger said many times how many aspects of the English game he loved. He only wanted fair play from players, managers and refs, and that was something Arsenal didn’t get for years.
One pelanty from Gollum Gollum* for the Arsenal in a decade or so?
I suspects the Mike’s have written the narrative for the succession at the pgMOB.
I’ve gone to the bookies and placed a bet on AFC pelanty.
It was:
against the odds.
But then again. The Mike’s are not as clever or subtle as they think they are, and have been very very, uncannily, predictable over the decades. Which is why it was easy and predictable for others to anticipate the pgMOB appointments in advance. Spooky eh? Lol!!
I could be wrong. But how long can they go against the odds, how many fouls can the “most physical team in Europe” make before hey get a yellow. What a wonderful backhanded compliment from Pep Guardiola, I also can’t forget his amusing comments on the pgMOB from two years ago.
It appears that the two greatest managers in the moder game, two of the greatest in the history of the sport do not respect the pgMOB and that others would describe them as Conspiracy Theorists. Heh.
Did Mike not like that?
Off topic but is Jose Mourinho due any sort of punishment for throwing a whole crate of water on the touchline at Old Traffford.
Off topic but is Mouriho due for any sort of punishment for throwing a case of water on th e touchline at Old Trafford ?
I, like yourself and probably many others, thought exactly the same at the time.
Personally I’ve not heard anything.
Was it mentioned at the time as possibly worthy of a ban?
Andrew Crawshaw- “there is nothing here that says that Mr Dean is pro Spurs” I think you might be forgetting this little beauty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StRVqK7xgw4
I’ve really lost a lot of respect for Dave Kitson after reading that snippet you posted, Nitram. Very, very disappointing, as we know full well that this kind of bigoted and hateful mindset does not stop at Dave Kitson, this is how many people in the UK think.
I mean, how can anyone actually hate Arsene Wenger? He never has a bad word to say about anyone, doesn’t encourage his players to dive/cheat, very rarely loses his rag, doesn’t speak badly about his players, what exactly is it that these people despise so much if it isn’t just for his Frenchness and the fact that he is, intellectually, light years ahead of these vile people? Are these people really that small-minded and insecure that that’s enough for them to genuinely hate a man?
It really is absolutely disgraceful how Arsene Wenger has been treated in this country since the very day he arrived, yet if you’re a loud-mouthed, arrogant combative arsehole like Jose Mourinho you are lauded as the next coming of Christ. It’s just all so backwards…