Career
Described by British Broadcasting Corporation journalist Tom Fordyce as having "dashing good looks, very ordinary skills", after retiring from football he turned his hand to acting. Mean began his career with Bournemouth, playing 74 Second Division games under the stewardship of Tony Pulis and Mel Machin over the course of the 1992-1993, 1993-1994 and 1994-1995 seasons. His form and potential earned him a £100,000 move to Premiership side West Ham United in November 1996.
Highly rated at Upton Park, he was seen as having a promising career ahead of him at the top level
To aid in his development he was loaned out to John Rudge"s First Division Portuguese Vale at the start of the 1998-1999 season. However, just 80 minutes into his Vale debut he suffered a knee injury that would virtually end his career as a professional football player.
Quickly returning to Upton Park, he recovered to play again, but not to the same level as he once had seemed destined to In the summer of 1999 he returned to previous club Bournemouth on a free transfer, back in the Second Division.
Despite playing 40 competitive games he was released in May 2000.
Not in demand the next season in the Football League, he dropped down to the Conference with Kingstonian. He played two games for the "K"s" in October 2000, both were away defeats, both saw Mean receiving yellow cards. Before the month was out he had joined Crawley Town in the Southern Football League.
His professional days long over and by May 2007 he was only competing in public football.
After his footballing career was cut short, Mean decided to become an actor, and appeared in two football related productions. He played the England football player "Parksey" alongside Ricky Tomlinson in the Mike Bassett: England Manager film before a stint in Sky1 series Dream Team, playing Robbie Walsh.
He has also made appearances in various television shows, most notably. The Bill and EastEnders.
