Mike Dean - a view from the US of A

My cousin lives in the States and sent me this link to an article in today's New York Times. Some good points here about the positive side of
Mike Dean's refereeing - there are some I think.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/23/...lights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

 

"The ball sprang off the turf and onto Roberts’s hand". Hmmmmm!

Apart from the penalty I thought he did OK

 

An excellent article.

Although if Mr Dean had concluded that it wasn't deliberate handball in the first place, he would not have unwittingly dug his own grave.

 

Me too.

Even then the hammer he's getting for the penalty seem way over the top. Yes it was outside the box but by how much? And at that speed? Didn't cost us either.

 

Great article. Loved seeing Oakwell described that way too, one of the most traditional, atmospheric English stadiums

 

Just speaking the truth!

 

Well written piece

not at all condescending towards us. Makes a change.

What bugs me about Dean's decision, wasn't whether or not it was deliberate, which looking at the replays is debatable but it does look deliberate to me, it was the role of the linesman. He was directly in line and surely must have seen that it wasn't in the box. If the linesman told Dean that it was outside then Dean should rightly be condemned for simply ignoring him. My thought is that the linesman didn't say anything for fear that Dean would have done just that.

We'll probably never know.

 

Re: Well written piece

The role of a referee is to take decisions in a moment that a jury of 12 would debate upon for hours before reaching a split decision. Was the hand ball deliberate? Was the offence inside or outside the box? If the offence was outside the box, and the offence deliberate, was the defender the last man? Is the correct decision, play-on, penalty or sending-off, and all to be decided in a second with half the ground shouting one thing and half the ground something else. Frankly, in the circumstances, I would struggle to get my own name right.

In my opinion, Dean did not get everything right, but is it fair to expect it. All that we have a right to expect is that he does the job fairly, efficiently and without bias.

 

Wow, a report on a Barnsley game in the NY Times! We must have been playing a famous team....

Good read though, even if it was written for an American audience.