With only six fixtures to choose from this week, the Premier League has decided to give Mike Dean the day off. Another of our favourites, Lee Mason, is also out of action, setting the stage for spot-kick obsessive Jon Moss as the man most likely to make waves from the Gameweek 34 schedule…
Jon Moss
Never afraid to court controversy, Moss is streets ahead of any other whistler when it comes to dishing out spot-kicks. He’s been the man in the middle just nine times so far, yet has awarded seven penalties – an average of 0.78 per game. Given that Dean is next best with 0.46 spot-kicks awards per game, Moss’ previous in the art of penalty-giving should set off alarm bells ahead of his next match at the Hawthorns tomorrow, when West Brom entertain QPR.
For the hosts, this could be good news for Chris Brunt, then. The Irishman has recovered from a knee problem and is set to return tomorrow, though should he only make the bench, Peter Odemwingie is available to step up. Should Moss revert to type. Bobby Zamora’s Fantasy owners could also receive a timely boost, though if the former Fulham man fails to recover from the knock picked up against Swansea in midweek, Adel Taarabt is next in line to benefit for Mark Hughes’ outfit as they go in search of a crucial away win.
Andre Marriner
His love affair with yellow cards looks set to continue at the Emirates on Monday evening. So far this season, Marriner is fourth top for cautions per match, dishing out an average of 3.59 yellows over his 17 games to date. Potentially, Wigan could suffer more than Arsenal from Marriner’s penchant for flashing the cards – the Latics have been the second most culpable side for fouls conceded this term, with only Everton making more.
Marriner’s no-nonsense approach has also seen his hand out three straight reds (second only to Martin Atkinson) in addition to a couple of further dismissals for two yellow cards. The likes of Gary Caldwell, James McCarthy and Maynor Figueroa are the likeliest culprits from the away side, while with Laurent Koscielny serving a two-match ban for picking up 10 bookings, Alex Song could be in Marriner’s sights.
Interestingly, Roberto Martinez’s side are also second top when it comes to giving away penalties, with a total of eight beaten only by Newcastle’s nine. Marriner, however, seems to be somewhat shy in this respect – he has pointed to the spot just twice this season. Clearly, Mike Dean needs to have a word.
Neil Swarbrick
Finally, we turn our attentions to the match at the Stadium of Light, where Sunderland entertain basement-dwellers Wolves. In terms of dismissals per match, Swarbrick’s stats are joint-top for referees; in just 10 matches, he has handed out three straight reds, an average of 0.3 per game – Mike Dean has dished out the same number over a total of 26 games.
Wolves should be most wary. They’ve picked up a couple of reds in the last five Gameweeks and, with Karl Henry back in the first-team, Swarbrick could be up to his old tricks tomorrow afternoon. Martin O’Neill, on the other hand, may well be hoping Lee Cattermole misses out for this one, with the Black Cats skipper currently a doubt after picking up a knock in the 4-0 loss at Everton.
