West Brom manager Slaven Bilic says he wanted an explanation around Everton’s opening goal when he was sent off at half time in his side’s 5-2 defeat at Goodison Parl on Saturday afternoon.
Bilic was given his marching orders by referee Mike Dean at the break, just moments after Baggies left-back Kieran Gibbs had been shown a straight red for raising a hand to the face of James Rodriguez, following something of a late shoulder barge from the Everton attacker.
It had seemed that Bilic’s passionate remonstrations that led to his own dismissal had been in relation to that incident, but it seems it was more to do with Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s back-heeled equaliser from close range to make it 1-1 earlier in the first half.
Speaking about the incident that led to his dismissal, Bilic was quoted by the BBC as saying: “The analysis guys told me it was a foul for us before their first goal. As a manager I should be in a situation to ask the referee what’s going on.”
Indeed, Bilic also believes he should have been afforded the opportunity to speak to Dean at half time rather than being sent off when he attempted to do so, with the Croatian adding: “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.”
It does seem slightly strange that it seems Bilic’s remonstrations were in reaction to Everton’s first goal, given nothing appeared to be flagged up by VAR or in the broadcast coverage of the game.
However, if Bilic feels his team have been hard done by, then he is surely entitled to make his case to the referee, who frustratingly yesterday, seemed in no mood to listen, let alone explain his decision, to the Baggies boss, and you feel there will be more instances such as this is the officials do not change that attitude towards players and managers, for whom matches mean so much.
