‘That was not on at all’ – Ally McCoist delivers verdict after West Brom controversy v Everton
Ally McCoist and Laura Woods have both criticised the conduct of Mike Dean, following his decision to send off West Brom manager Slaven Bilic in his side’s loss to Everton.
Bilic was sent off at half-time, after complaining to referee Mike Dean about some of his decisions in the first half, including the dismissal of Kieran Gibbs, following the Baggies defender’s swipe at Everton player James Rodriguez.
Speaking on the TalkSPORT Breakfast Show, both presenter Woods, and ex-Rangers man McCoist thought Dean handled the situation badly, criticising his ‘arrogance’.
McCoist said, “He wasn’t aggressive, he didn’t swear, I thought he deserved a better response than Mike Dean gave him. I really did.
“I felt for him. I don’t think Mike Dean handled it at all well. There was an arrogance, as if, don’t come near me type look, I just thought that’s not on that, that was not on at all.”
Presenter Laura Woods followed McCoist’s comments saying, “From Mike Dean’s perspective, I’m trying to kind of think, Slaven Bilic is a very imposing figure when he comes up to you, but he wasn’t swearing, he was just saying ‘I just want to talk about it, you’re going to kill us, if you do something like this you’re going to kill us.’
“Sometimes I find it a little bit erring on, I’m not going to say arrogant, but it felt a little bit patronising to Slaven.”
Speaking after the game, Bilic told the Express and Star, “As a manager I should be in a situation to ask the referee what’s going on. It’s not like the game was going on, it was half-time – nobody was around. I didn’t swear.
“I asked him in a frustrated way but I didn’t go over the line. But he just ignored me and gave me red. As a manager you have that right if you are not crossing the line. I told him if you want to kill us, kill us. That’s all.”
Bilic was left frustrated at half time after watching his side go 2-1 down, after initially taking the lead at Goodison Park through summer signing Grady Diangana.
He then watched from the stands as a ten-man West Brom pulled level through an excellent Pereira free-kick, before a complete collapse that saw the Baggies eventually lose 5-2.
It was surprising to see Bilic receive a red card, as his protests were not aggressive or over the top in any way. According to the Athletic’s Steve Madeley, it seems the reason Bilic was sent off was because he entered the field of play.
However, current COVID restrictions make it impossible for Bilic to approach Dean in the tunnel.
There was a similar incident last season, also at Goodison Park, as Carlo Ancelotti was sent off for remonstrating with Chris Kavanagh on the pitch after the full-time whistle in Everton’s loss to Manchester United.
West Brom have now lost their two opening Premier League games, and will look to get their season up and running against Chelsea at the Hawthorns this weekend.
In other West Brom news, Declan Rice sends two-word message to Grady Diangana after West Brom ace scores v Everton.
Be sure to follow West Brom News on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on the Baggies and more exclusive interviews with Kevin Phillips.