Unusually boisterous from the generally mild-mannered referee
Mike Dean is not someone who enjoys the limelight. As a referee in the Premier League and Championship, he does what the best referees do and stays away from controversy and attempts at all times to keep the game going and, above all, avoid anyone focusing on him rather than the game.
At least that’s what he is probably like inside his own mind, because in actual, real life Mike Dean is a messy bitch who lives for drama. He will celebrate a team’s goal, he’ll pretend his assistant smells, he’ll jokingly withhold a hat-trick scorer’s match ball, and he will fuck you up.
On Monday night Dean was in the unusual position of being in a football stadium but not having all eyes on him as he watched Tranmere Rovers face Forest Green Rovers at The New Lawn stadium in the semi-finals of the League Two playoffs.
Dean was at the first leg of the tie, but excruciatingly – for him and us – the cameras didn’t spot him, but the Sky Sports cameras made no mistakes on Monday as they captured the ref celebrating Tranmere’s win – after James Norwood had cancelled out Forest Green’s opener from Joseph Mills – sent them to the final at Wembley with a 2-1 aggregate win.
Yes – that is Mike Dean celebrating Tranmere’s win at Forest Green pic.twitter.com/W2xHQmM33E
— George Elek (@GeorgeElek) May 13, 2019
In classic Mike Dean style, he did not hold back and – whether he meant it or not – took almost all of the focus away from the football taking place on the pitch.
Mike Dean. Hero. Legend.
