RateTheRef

Social Media will blow up when a team feel hard done by a decision, and they’ll now start claiming the referee was playing minigames.

Considering Mike didn’t send Anthony Taylor to the screen because he was a ‘mate’, he’s now putting his ‘mates’ under some awful pressure.

What is it about highly regarded ex-referees that inspires them to say daft stuff like this in interviews? I remember Clattenburg doing similar stuff about ignoring mandatory red cards if the players agreed they wanted to kick the s*** out of each other beforehand. Not sure if they're trying to impress ex-players but the stories are unhelpful, and likely totally made up - I'm sure a PL assessor would absolutely tear strips off any ref who didn't leave the centre circle!

It’s disappointing indeed.

As Dale Johnson suggested in his article, and I’d agree with him, there seems to be a deep desire amongst certain former referees to be ‘one of the lads.’ Especially when speaking with former footballers.

I find this quite a sad desire. Referees will never be accepted into the ‘footballing fraternity’ like players, so they shouldn’t go around selling themselves to attempt to do so. The irony for me is that Mike Dean was always, to my eye, quite a ‘referees referee’ stricter than many and not especially chatty, at least visibly (unlike say Clattenburg) on the pitch.

I just think it’s regrettable and selfish. Dean and Clattenburg have done little to enhance the stature of referees, with behaviour that to me at times looks like increasing desperation to be ‘part of the club.’ Graham Scott on the other hand has demonstrated an alternative post refereeing media career is possible, with his thoughtful and insightful contributions.

Top level referees should just be happy to be top level referees. This constant yearning to be seen as a ‘lad’ or ‘joker’ or ‘one of the boys’ is very disheartening indeed.

In reality Mike they are laughing at you, not with you. Deep down he must know that.

This is the problem with the media, especially in England, people feel the need to be controversial to stay current and be kept in their role.  I don't for one minute think he did what he said he did, but it creates a story which gets him interviews, further podcasts, and generally more attention.  Not really that different to when people come out of reality TV shows and say things that just didn't happen, if they just told the truth it would be deemed boring and not sensationalist enough so they'd get no attention.

I think everyone who has already posted has summed the whole situation up quite well. But I’d like to add a few more thoughts.

I strongly doubt that this a whole ProRef/PGMO issue and this is simply more of a Mike Dean issue (but not 100% ruling out the possibility that it may still happen now). But as HChip said, social media has already had a field day with this. My X feed has been full of football fans criticising his words and using his words to question the integrity of the modern day officials. Sadly, this is reflective of the current culture towards match officials.

If referees of the past want to move into media, then they should be the voice of reason behind dubious calls and controversial decisions etc. What they shouldn’t be doing is throwing out ridiculous comments that not only make himself look like an idiot but put our current crop of officials under the spotlight, more intensely than before. But, unfortunately, that’s the way the media has changed. Media want controversy, they want debate rather than trying to be a half decent news outlet. I’ve never heard of this new Jamie Vardy Podcast until today. I imagine Mike Dean didn’t until he was asked to go on it. So, to gain publicity, what do you do? “Oh Mike, if you can say something during our recording that will get views please then that would be great”. That’s the reality of what we’re facing.

And it’s not what his comments do to himself in making him look like an idiot. Instead of trying to turn a toxic culture more positive, he’s making it even more sour by making comments that fans can take in any direction. Any decision that goes against a team this weekend “oh it’s just a game that the referee is playing”. I can assure you that will happen this weekend.

What a selfish and arrogant person he is to keep himself relevant and in the face of the media.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cgjql4w604eo

Two claims:

How long he could go without blowing his whistle - "I've done that a few times in the Premier League, before VAR obviously - went 20, 25 minutes without blowing a whistle".

I would say that this is absolutely impossible unless someone else can convince me.

Stay inside the centre circle - "I used to do another thing. I used to stand in the centre circle - see how long I could stay in the centre circle before I had to leave.  "That was just me joking about. I got about 15 minutes once."

In contrast, Referees around the Professional Game from late 90s onward were coached metaphorically to imagine the centre circle as a minefield that need to be avoided at all cost during a match.

I think Mr Dean is imagining these things or he was referring to a Sunday League match, not leagues within the National League System especially the Premier League.

To add to that, the chances of there not being a corner, long throw towards goal, attacking set piece, etc, in a 15 minute period is beyond miniscule.  Which if he is to be believed means he stayed in the centre circle for them, which we all know didn't happen.

He's just made it up for reasons only he knows.  Graham Scott, who would have been 4th official to Mike Dean many times I suspect, has also said he was never aware of anything like this.

The sad thing is Mike Dean was one of my favourite ever English referees - he was always fearless in the big matches, had a brilliant eye for SFP and always showed his personality and sense of humour on the pitch. I also think his contributions as a pundit on Soccer Saturday were generally well-informed and balanced.

A real shame he scored such a self-inflicted own goal with this.