It was a disappointing weekend on the refereeing front last time out, with only two dismissals and a couple of penalty awards over the eleven matches. With many of our red card favourites afforded a Premier League rest this Gameweek, it’s possible there may be slim pickings again. Don’t fret though, Mike Dean is back.
Lee Mason
With some of the obvious candidates (Lee Probert, Andre Marriner, Stuart Attwell and Mark Clattenburg) all absent this weekend and previous pick Martin Atkinson going through a late season lean spell – just one red card in his last nine games now – it’s time for a clean sweep of spot-kick loving middle men. In the form of Bolton-based Lee Mason, we have a candidate fresh from recent action. Mason awarded Swansea a penalty last week, penalising Joe Hart’s challenge on Wayne Routledge to notch up his seventh penalty award of a 17 game season so far.
He’ll be in action at Goodison Park this week for the visit of Arsenal, so the obvious call of Robin van Persie is strengthened a little, as Mason could offer him a way past the recently stubborn Everton defence. Similarly, Leighton Baines could offset the Dutchman’s threat with penalty duties of his own. Incidentally, Mason is not big on the cards, though; he hasn’t flashed a single red all season and, with a low average of 2.71 yellows per game, there’s every chance that tightrope walker Laurent Koscielny might survive another week if he’s a good lad.
Phil Dowd
For our second pick, it’s another old favourite. Dowd makes his third appearance in this fledgling column, but it’s more than just the official that’s piqued our interest in the Sunday afternoon Newcastle vs Norwich match up. These two sides both feature high in the penalties conceded stat available in our members’ area (under Team Stats > Team Discipline,) with the home side topping that particular table after conceding a whopping nine penalties in their 28 league games so far. Norwich aren’t that far behind the Magpies, with Paul Lambert’s side conceding seven themselves. Throw in Dowd’s eight penalties awarded – given at a rate greater than one in three – and the fact that his last was against Newcastle (missed by Blackburn’s David Dunn in Gameweek 23) and we have a prime candidate for some spot kick action. Demba Ba and Grant Holt are the likely beneficiaries.
Mike Dean
Finally, with 11 penalties given in his 22 games this season, Dean’s one in two average makes him a shoo-in on these pages. His penalty roadshow moves on to The Etihad stadium for Wednesday night’s rearranged clash between former leaders Manchester City and Roberto Di Matteo’s resurgent Chelsea. Spot kick duties for these two sides are fresh in the mind after both netted from 12 yards in their respective European games; Frank Lampard for Chelsea in their 4-1 win over Napoli (incidentally, while both Juan Mata and Didier Drogba were also on the pitch) and Mario Balotelli in City’s European exit at the hands of Sporting Lisbon (stepping up as expected ahead of Sergio Agüero).
