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The bad news is that you all wasted your time watching Nottingham Forest between August and 21 April. To see the entirety of Forest’s 2023-24 season in excelsis, simply watch the 17 minutes against Everton that consigned them to another away defeat.
Firstly, the defending. You can point out that Everton didn’t create many chances and scored twice from outside the box, but defending is a team exercise and it involves central midfielders closing down space on the edge of the penalty area. Premier League players are pretty good. Give them time and they will pick a spot if you let them.
Forest should have been in the game before Dwight McNeil’s clinching goal, but they are routinely incapable of making their spells of pressure pay. Chris Wood has missed presentable opportunities in each of the last two matches, but it’s those around him who squander half-chances that add up. That is how Forest accumulate xG without making opponents pay. And we know what happens next, the counterpunch.
Yes, I’m burying the lede here. Forest were incredibly unfortunate not to get at least one penalty and had a legitimate case on all three incidents. Giovanni Reyna has his leg kicked, Ashley Young’s arm is outstretched and Callum Hudson-Odoi got the wrong side of his man before being bundled over. This is not the first time that Forest feel aggrieved and their anger is entirely understandable.
But the post-match social media post from the club’s official account is embarrassing. At worst it accuses an official of cheating and at best it insinuates exactly the same thing. Clubs have a responsibility to let anger settle and to make complaints through the right channels. This is fan mentality from those who have to know and do better.
Who knows what happens now – this is basically unprecedented in English football. But a serious charge will now be forthcoming towards Forest and it’s hardly beyond the realms of possibility that it ends with another points deduction that only makes everybody’s job harder. Forest are already left desperately hoping that Luton and Burnley don’t pick up more points. This season is becoming a bin fire and this – when you add in the season ticket farce – has been a terrible week.
This is an extract of The Score. Sign up here to receive the newsletter every Monday morning this season for Daniel Storey’s verdict on all 20 Premier League clubs
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