Leeds United: Mike Dean slams Patrick Bamford live on Sky Sports over Blackburn defeat
Mike Dean has criticised Patrick Bamford for his “awful attempt” to win a Leeds United penalty in the defeat to Blackburn Rovers last weekend.
The former Premier League referee reacted live on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday on 20 April to footage of two appeals from the Whites striker in the 1-0 loss at Elland Road on 13 April for a pair of incidents involving visiting defender Kyle McFadzean.
Both times the English forward went to ground in the box and both times he was ignored by the referee on a frustrating day which saw Sammy Szmodics score a late winner on the break, with Dean accusing Bamford of attempting to score another handball goal in the first incident and blasting his “collapse” for the second.
Dean said (1.24pm): “It was desperate measures in the end. Bamford’s tried to do what he did against Huddersfield, knock it in with his arm, and rightly got cautioned for it as well.
“He got away with one against Huddersfield but obviously not that one last week, so for me no penalty and the correct decision.”
On the second shout he added: “Again I think it’s just desperate measures, it’s just not a pen. I don’t know how his legs can just collapse… just an awful attempt to try and win a penalty kick here.
“I just don’t know why his legs have gone from underneath there, I just don’t think it’s a penalty kick and the right decision again. You’ve got to applaud the referee in a game like that with the atmosphere at Elland Road with that much pressure on him and yet he stayed strong.”
Leeds United striker not winning many popularity contests
Dean indicated that the second appeal wasn’t influenced by the first but the fact that he clearly has the recent occasion where Bamford admitted scoring with his hand in his mind suggests it probably did.
It might have helped the former official’s argument if he’d noticed that it was actually against Rotherham where that happened (10 February), not Huddersfield, and also that Bamford wasn’t in fact cautioned in the Blackburn loss.
The second shout was the sort that would have soft but often does get given for certain players, but it seems that Bamford may have built up a reputation to ensure that he isn’t one of them.
The 30-year-old has had an odd campaign for Leeds United, having spent the first half of the season barely able to contribute in a positive sense, only to explode to life and become a regular starter in 2024.
His seven Championship strikes this term all came in a 10-appearance stretch between New Year’s Day and mid-March, with the obligatory two-game layoff due to injury in the middle.
With the goals having dried up he has lost his place under Daniel Farke again, and it doesn’t look like Dean is particularly impressed by his contributions of late either.
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay says the Whites could now be set for in an “incredibly weird” situation on Monday.
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