Mick
The Ref Aficionado.
Festive cards will not be in short supply if Boxing Day referee, Darren Deadman's last appearance at Roots Hall is anything to go by.
Deadman, a civil servant from Cheshunt, showed 9 yellow cards in a staggering display of incompetence last season at home to Franchise FC. As it happens, we probably benefitted from this abject performance.
In his sixth season as a League referee he has notched up well over 500 yellow cards. His red card count is above average too.
He was, for some reason I never really understood, a member of the so-called Talent Group of promising young officials being groomed for better things. Based on previous experience of watching Mr Deadman, expect unnecessary cautions and a few puzzling decisions all delivered with an iritating style.
His 11 matches this season have produced an above-average 39 yellows and 2 reds. His last 5 matches have all been Championship matches and the 9 league matches he has refereed this season do not include a single home win.
He was once suspended for two weeks for allowing one too many substitutions in a pre-season friendly - hardly his biggest crime against football.
Refereed us 6 times before. Before the above-mentioned match it was the previous season away to Brighton, where those of you with binoculars would have seen him caution Dervite and Sankofa. The season before at home to Northampton (1-1 just 2 yellows), Preston at home the year before that (0-0 6 yellows) and the year before that at home to Swansea (1-2 7 yellows). He also did our 4-3 away win at Chesterfield that year when he sent off their defender for being unwittingly struck by the ball some way from goal.
His assistants will be Matt Stewart from Ipswich and Nigel Lugg from Chipstead with the very experienced Steve Rubery from Ilford looking after the numbers board.
Deadman, a civil servant from Cheshunt, showed 9 yellow cards in a staggering display of incompetence last season at home to Franchise FC. As it happens, we probably benefitted from this abject performance.
In his sixth season as a League referee he has notched up well over 500 yellow cards. His red card count is above average too.
He was, for some reason I never really understood, a member of the so-called Talent Group of promising young officials being groomed for better things. Based on previous experience of watching Mr Deadman, expect unnecessary cautions and a few puzzling decisions all delivered with an iritating style.
His 11 matches this season have produced an above-average 39 yellows and 2 reds. His last 5 matches have all been Championship matches and the 9 league matches he has refereed this season do not include a single home win.
He was once suspended for two weeks for allowing one too many substitutions in a pre-season friendly - hardly his biggest crime against football.
Refereed us 6 times before. Before the above-mentioned match it was the previous season away to Brighton, where those of you with binoculars would have seen him caution Dervite and Sankofa. The season before at home to Northampton (1-1 just 2 yellows), Preston at home the year before that (0-0 6 yellows) and the year before that at home to Swansea (1-2 7 yellows). He also did our 4-3 away win at Chesterfield that year when he sent off their defender for being unwittingly struck by the ball some way from goal.
His assistants will be Matt Stewart from Ipswich and Nigel Lugg from Chipstead with the very experienced Steve Rubery from Ilford looking after the numbers board.
