Mike Dean names Premier League manager who gave him hardest time

12 August 2023 , 05:30

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Former Premier League referee Mike Dean (Image: BBC Sport)

Former Premier League referee Mike Dean says Arsene Wenger was the most difficult manager he dealt with during his career.

Dean refereed 560 games before retiring in 2022 and taking up a role as a Video Assistant Referee (VAR). The 55-year-old stood down from that role last month and has since taken a new job on Sky Sports' new-look Soccer Saturday.

During his time as a referee, Dean took charge of 80 Arsenal matches with Wenger in charge of 64 of them. Of those 64 games, Arsenal failed to win more than half of them suffering 16 defeats and 22 draws.

And as a result, Dean says Wenger always had "a complaint about me" after games. "I used to find it hard with Arsene Wenger," Dean told the Athletic. "Every time I managed Arsenal, they never seemed to win. It wasn't my fault.

"But I've spoken to people from Arsenal since I finished refereeing and they told me that whenever they realised I was the referee, with my name at the bottom of the teamsheet, straight away it was, 'Oh God, him'.

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"I have friends who support Arsenal. They'd say, 'We're going to get beaten this week because you're reffing'.

"I'd say, 'It's not my fault, you know'. With Arsene, because they had lost, there was always a complaint about me. But I've seen him since and he was fine."

Dean named ex-Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger as the manager who used to give him the hardest time (AFP/Getty Images)

Dean went on to add that he "got on OK" with legendary Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, while Jose Mourinho "would always come in to say well done" to the officials regardless of how the game went.

"Yes, he [Ferguson] would complain sometimes, but I got on OK with him," Dean explained. "Jose Mourinho was another one. Win, lose or draw, whoever he was managing, he would always come in to say well done."

He was also the subject of a petition launched by Arsenal fans to try and stop him refereeing their games. The petition was started in 2015 and received more than 100,000 signatures. "It was funny, comical," was Dean's response. "I thought it was hilarious."

Matthew Cooper