DEAN FORCES BEES TO SHUT THEIR MAUP

NEAL MAUPAY’S reputation as a wind-up merchant is coming back to bite him.

The 15-goal Brentford striker (above) was hauled off before he could be sent off at St Andrew’s.

And Birmingham defender Harlee Dean reckons Maupay is not doing himself any favours with his approach to the game.

Ex-bee Dean said: “He takes a bit away from himself as a player. If he concentrated more on the game he would probably be a better footballer for it.

“If he wants to get wound up and take his mind off the game, that’s down to him. We focus on our job. In the end he got himself subbed because their bench was worried about him getting himself sent off.

“So he’s a detriment to himself. I’m not really bothered about him. I did my job on him, he never got a chance, never got a sniff and he was probably happy to go off.”

When these teams met in October Birmingham midfielder Maikel Kieftenbeld was red-carded for an “off the ball” incident with Maupay. It was later overturned on appeal.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank claimed on Saturday that Maupay had been scratched all down his back, while counterpart Garry Monk accused the player of trying to engineer another sending off.

The row overshadowed a stodgy contest that leaves Birmingham in seventh place a year after they were locked in a bitter relegation battle.

Dean added: “From where we were a year ago it was dark times. The club is in a much better place now, it’s a lot more enjoyable.”