While us Fantasy managers can send out our squads in the hope that logic and form will come good – one decision, one oversight, one moment of madness from an official can turn our hopes to dust. Back to black for Gameweek 31, we find three likely refereeing protagonists who could well have a major influence on events and Fantasy returns this weekend…
Mike Dean
Four penalties awarded in the last three league games, seven in the last nine, twelve in the last 18, the stats just keep on coming for our premier Fantasy official and, having cemented his place at the top of this particular Watchlist weeks ago, he’s certainly shown no signs of letting up since. This week, Dean will be picking up his stipend at Loftus Road as 26 goal Robin van Persie and his in-form Arsenal teammates rock up to taunt the faltering QPR faithful, and with the Dutchman currently topping the Captain’s Poll, we’ll certainly be hoping to see that familiar pose from Dean once again.
While penalties are always the order of the day with Dean in town, we also can’t pass up the QPR game without continuing the disciplinary theme from the recent Tightrope article. The blue and white hoops have more red marks than an inept paintballer and, with the quick feet of Theo Walcott on show, the chance of another beckons. It’s also worth noting that Dean has booked both Van Persie and Tightrope walker Laurent Koscielny in the last two Arsenal games he’s officiated (vs Spurs and United at the Emirates) so it may not all be plain sailing for the Gunners.
Martin Atkinson
The charms of the Yorkshire official are next under the spotlight as his appointment to the Sunday afternoon Newcastle vs Liverpool fixture throws us some interesting angles to highlight. Firstly, we have a Liverpool side – likely to be shorn of Daniel Agger in defence and desperately missing season long casualty Lucas in midfield – that have just conceded five goals to the sides sitting 18th and 19th in the table and who may well be up against the fluid attacking trident of Demba Ba, Papiss Cissé and Hatem Ben Arfa.
At the other end of the pitch, however, we have a Newcastle side likely to field a centre-back pairing of Mike Williamson and James Perch up against the guile of Steven Gerrard and Luis Suárez, and maybe even the brute force of the returning Andy Carroll. Two match-ups that ooze goals, then, and with the jostling elbows, flailing legs and maybe even the odd theatrical fall thrown in, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Atkinson add to either his meagre penalty total (4 in 23 games) or his field-leading red card tally (4 straight reds and 7 in total) in this encounter.
Jon Moss
Switching to the pressure cooker of the relegation battle between Wolves and Bolton, we find Jon Moss bringing his untouchable spot-kick strike rate of six penalties in eight matches into the equation. Last time he took charge of Wolves, against Everton back in Novemeber, he shared the spot-kick awards out, with each side awarded one apiece – it’s not unreasonable to expect the touchpaper to be lit at Molineux, with Moss emerging as a key figure, then. With an average of over three bookings a match, we’d also expect to see some cards flashed, particularly if Karl Henry makes his return for the home side.
