Mike Dean is a referee who polarises opinion. Some can’t stand him, others downright detest him.
There is something about his smug Jasper Carrott act that rubs football fans up the wrong way. The general consensus is that he’s not the type of referee to simply officiate a game with the minimum of fuss. He needs to be noticed and he craves the spotlight.
Eagle-eyed viewers of Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Monday night noticed the whistle-blower react bizarrely to Mousa Dembele’s opener on the third minute.
Dean seemed to wheel away in celebration along with the Spurs’ players. He was that pleased with himself for ordering play on and it resulting in a goal that he couldn’t suppress his joy.
Jamie Carragher picked up on the reaction too, and Sky Sports found another example of the look-at-me ref’s histrionics…
