Football, Rugby, UFC, GAA
All free when you join eir Broadband
Poll: Mike Dean's a great ref
Graham Poll has sung the praises of referee Mike Dean, describing him as the 'man for the big decisions'.
Dean hit the headlines on Wednesday night with his sending-off of Nathan Redmond in Southampton's defeat to Spurs, another high profile decision which the referee has made this season.
Dean has been at the forefront of a campaign to stop shirt-pulling in the penalty area, awarding numerous spot-kicks for such offences, and has also caught the eye with some of his flamboyant gestures.
However, former FIFA referee Poll - who made headlines of his own by booking a player three times before sending him off at the 2006 World Cup - has backed Dean.
“Players, pundits and fans like incidents to be clear, right or wrong, black or white,” Poll told the Daily Mail.
“The issue is that most contentious ones are shades of grey; particularly when viewed once at full speed.
“That is why many referees don’t make decisions saying they are
unsure or unsighted. Mike Dean is not such a referee. He makes decisions
and as a result he has awarded more penalties than any of his
colleagues.
“Dean was absolutely right to dismiss Southampton’s Nathan Redmond
for his deliberate foul that denied Tottenham an obvious goalscoring
opportunity.
“There was a clear pull by Redmond on Dele Alli which caused the
Spurs player to lose balance. That first contact was outside the penalty
area; the final one as Redmond fell into the back of Alli was inside.”
Soccer News
Owners want the best managers - Benitez
11:41 | 29/10/17Rafa Benitez has claimed it is easier for English managers to take over the national team than it is to be appointed at one of the very top clubs, because owner...
Neville urges "85%" Martial to improve
12:57 | 29/10/17Gary Neville feels Anthony Martial is not striving to be the best player he can possibly be and urged him to add another 15% to his game.
Mourinho takes aim at Man Utd fans
14:27 | 29/10/17Jose Mourinho has criticised Manchester United fans for what he perceives as a lack of support for striker Romelu Lukaku and for booing his withdrawal of Marcus...
Honours even in south coast derby
13:35 | 29/10/17Brighton and Hove Albion came from behind to earn a point in their south coast derby clash with Southampton at a packed Amex Stadium.
Gray stars as Foxes beat Toffees
16:07 | 29/10/17Leicester City have climbed to 11th place in the Premier League table after they marked the first game of Claude Puel's reign with a comfortable 2-0 victory ove...
Top Stories
Hamilton doesn't care where he clinches title
12:11 | 29/10/17Lewis Hamilton has admitted he doesn't care if he wins the drivers title at Sunday's Mexican Grand Prix.
Howley: O'Brien sorry for Lions blast
10:37 | 29/10/17Rob Howley has revealed that Sean O'Brien has apologised to him for comments the latter made regarding the coach's input on the Lions tour of New Zealand.
What's On Now
What’s in the eir Sport Pack?
We’ve got heartstopping action across 7 great sports channels, with 42 Premier League games, every Champions League game and every Europa League game, as well as UFC, Allianz Leagues GAA, Golf, F1 and much more.
