Nottingham Forest

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches again this season, against a variety of guests.

For this weekend's games, he takes on Andy Bell and Steve Queralt from Ride, who support Arsenal and Tottenham.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Manchester City were so impressive against Brighton on Thursday. There would have been some Arsenal fans who switched the TV on, hoping to see their title rivals slip up - but they had wrapped the game up by half-time.

When you see City perform like that, you think who can get near them... but I have a feeling this game is going to be a lot closer for the defending champions.

Nottingham Forest have shown us plenty of times before that they can be stubborn at home - including when Chris Wood got them a point late on against City there last season - and I don't think they will be swatted aside so easily.

The crowd is going to be raucous, contesting every decision that goes against Forest after the outcry from the club over the officiating in last week's defeat by Everton.

The officials did get one of the three incidents in question wrong, because Ashley Young's challenge on Callum Hudson-Odoi was a penalty.

But what worried me was seeing Forest defender Neco Williams come out afterwards, saying the same things happen every week, and how the top-six teams would not get those calls against them.

What are Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo and his players focusing on? If they are going into games thinking about who is the referee or who is on video assistant referee duty then they are taking their eye off the thing that really matters, which is their performance levels on the pitch.

On Sunday they are playing against a team where they really can't afford to lose their focus. They are capable of giving City a good game but keeping their concentration is the key.

Steve's prediction: 0-2

It's going to be a walk in the park for City.

Andy's prediction: 1-2

I can't quite condemn Forest to not getting a goal.

Read the rest of their predictions here

Image source, Getty Images

On Friday, Luton Town manager Rob Edwards was asked about Nottingham Forest's tweet last Sunday about the VAR in their game at Everton, Stuart Attwell, being a Hatters fan.

The Reds were disappointed to not be awarded at least one of three strong penalty claims and in the aftermath of the game said they were "considering their options".

"I don't think anyone can question the integrity of our officials, first and foremost," said Edwards. "I don't know who supports who and obviously then we have been brought into it so I understand why you're talking about it.

"I certainly don't want to be questioning any of the officials' integrity - they've got a difficult enough job. Mistakes can happen and people can feel aggrieved and we can maybe stick to that rather than question anything else

"There is so much scrutiny with what is said - everything that I'm saying right now. You've always got to be careful with that."

Nottingham Forest are one point clear of Luton Town with four games left in the battle to stay in the Premier League.

Here is a selection of the key facts and figures before Nottingham Forest host Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, 16:30 BST.

• Nottingham Forest have lost just three of their past 16 top-flight home games against Manchester City - in 1985, 1990 and 1993.

• City have lost both of their Premier League games in the Midlands so far this season, going down 2-1 at Wolves and 1-0 at Aston Villa. They last lost three consecutive such visits between March and December 2008.

• Forest have kept just one clean sheet in their past 23 Premier League games, with that coming via a 2-0 win over West Ham in February.

• Pep Guardiola will become the 19th manager to take charge of 300 Premier League games in this match, and just the fifth to do so for a single club. Six of the last seven bosses to do so have lost their milestone match - the exception being a 3-0 win for Jurgen Klopp against Aston Villa earlier this season.

• Nuno Espirito Santo has won three of his past five Premier League encounters with City, including his most recent one with Spurs in August 2021 (1-0). In fact, the Portuguese has lost just one of his four home top-flight matches against Pep Guardiola, a 1-3 loss to Wolves in September 2020.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport Senior Football News Reporter

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo faced the media before Sunday’s home Premier League game with Manchester City.

Here are the headlines:

• Nuno was asked about whether referees are relying on VAR too much in their decision making: "I can speak and tell my opinion and try to be honest. The general feeling in football is referees are not taking their own decisions so this is affecting a lot. They are not taking their decisions and waiting for the VAR to intervene and it is not helping the situation. Referees are the authority on the pitch and then VAR should help. What we want is to move forward."

• He continued: "My personal feeling is about referees not taking decisions on the pitch. They were doing it before so they should do it again and then comes VAR, not the other way around. The other way around is a huge mistake for the game. When it came, I supported it but maybe, one day not much ahead of us, we will say football was better before VAR because it’s been a mess."

• He said Forest's stance on not being awarded three penalties against Everton las week is not a personal issue with the VAR Stuart Attwell: "We don’t want things to go much further and it becomes personal or abusive to the referees. Try to understand us and put yourself in our skin. We don’t want things to go much further - we want to keep things on the game and on the issues we can control. But it’s so many things. It’s not just the recent games. It goes on and on and on and on. That’s why we feel so much anger."

• On his feelings following that game: "I still can’t quite believe it. How the decisions went against us. It’s very clear - the three penalties. It has a big impact as it eventually means points, it means frustration and disappointment. It feels like it’s always against us."

• However, he has not heard the audio recording from the game of the officials: "I have not. I don’t know, it didn’t listen to it so I don’t know the situation with the audio."

• Finally, Taiwo Awoniyi is slowly recovering from a thigh injury but remains a doubt while Willy Boly is still out for the hosts.

Follow Friday's Premier League news conferences

Listen to full commentary of Nottingham Forest v Manchester City from 16:30 BST on Sunday on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

Colin Fray
BBC Radio Nottingham reporter

There is so much going on here.

First of all, regarding the first statement, if Forest had put out their second statement, their Monday statement, on Sunday at full-time, I do not think there would be quite as much furore.

I do not think they would have been asked for their views by the FA, as they have been. They have been "asked for their observations" - that is the phrase isn't it - which has the potential of leading to a charge.

So I think the language around the first tweet was not good. I think pretty much everybody is unanimous about the timing of and the language in that first tweet.

The clarification the next day was important. Whether or not it is going to save them, we will have to wait and see. I think it would have been less of an issue if that second statement had come out as the original one.

Regarding Stuart Atwell being a Luton fan - OK, he might be.

I think what Forest have been getting at, particularly in the second statement where they clarified it, is that he should have been taken away from this potential situation. I think that's OK.

If the governing body then decides they are going to leave him in there, then that is up to them. But I think it OK for a club to flag it up as a potential or perceived risk to both the person and the league itself.

It was not about calling the integrity of the referee in question into question. It was more a case of highlighting that just in case something happens, you might want to protect this guy, because otherwise he could be accused of it.

There is a subtle difference between those two things. I don't think in the first statement that difference was clear. It probably is made clearer in the second statement.

But then, even if he is a Luton fan and the governing body has decided to leave him in that situation, what has he done? He is a Luton fan. Has he rang Luton Town and said: 'Look guys, I'm a fan, what result would you like on Sunday?' - the answer to that is no.

Among the Luton fanbase, they would have had lots of different opinions about what result they wanted.

However, if a video assistant referee is going to be there then they should be there to protect the integrity of the game and not let egregious errors keep on happening. Surely that has to happen - VAR has to evolve.

I still think it is incompetence rather than conspiracy - but my word there has been a lot of it this season.

Listen to more of Colin Fray's thoughts on the Shut Up and Show More Football podcast

I would be very disappointed with the decisions against Everton not going Nottingham Forest's way.

They have been very vocal about the situation but they have got to understand you cannot necessarily go public with your emotion.

You have to be quite balanced with any criticism that goes onto a public platform because you know what punishment will come your way.

The club has just gone full blast with it like I have never seen before, questioning the integrity of the officials.

It's very, very strange. I think you can see that the club has got certain strange decisions in it but this has gone to a whole new level.

Now, Forest have Manchester City coming up. I think they have the players to stay up, but it all depends on whether Luton or Burnley pick up wins.

With the form they are in, and with the level of uncertainty about the place, I do not expect Forest to get a huge amount of results between now and the end of the season.

You would say they are favourites to stay up - that is for certain - but having that points deduction could cost them.

Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Nat Hayward

Image source, Getty Images

Former Premier League manager Neil Warnock has tipped Nottingham Forest to survive.

With four games to go, the Reds are 17th, one point above Luton Town and three better than Burnley.

However, it will not be easy for Nuno Espirito Santo's side who host champions Manchester City on Sunday (16:30 BST).

"Obviously at the moment I would say [Nottingham] Forest will stay up," Warnock said on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

"However, their run-in is not straightforward."

Forest have endured a difficult week, criticising the Premier League officials for not awarding them any of three strong penalty claims during defeat at Everton last Sunday.

Warnock had little sympathy for their complaints, referencing incidents in the 2022 Championship play-off final where Forest beat one of his many former clubs to reach the Premier League.

"What a cheek they have complaining about VAR when Jon Moss did not give Huddersfield two penalties in the Wembley final," he said. "I did not hear a single Forest fan complaining!"

More from Warnock on the fight to avoid relegation from 2'20'00 on BBC Sounds

Former Nottingham Forest striker Michail Antonio feels sympathy for the Reds after their controversial defeat to Everton on Sunday.

The defeat at Goodison Park left the Reds just one point above the relegation zone, and allowed Everton to increase their lead over Forest to four points. That has now been extended to seven points after the Toffees' victory over Liverpool on Wednesday.

Forest were publicly critical of the Premier League's choice of video assistant referee for the game at Everton and, after being denied three penalties, said they were "considering their options" in the aftermath of the defeat.

"That referee should not be on VAR for that game." Antonio told the Footballer's Football Podcast. "This is the business end of the season - no one in the bottom three should be refereeing any games with any of them teams.

"They've had bad decisions all season, but I think it's got worse since they employed Mark Clattenburg. I honestly feel like referees don't want to give them decisions because they've done that. All three could easily have been a penalty."

Antonio admitted that Nottingham Forest are still "close to his heart" after playing at the City Ground from 2015-16.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Mark Crossley has shared his experiences of legendary manager Brian Clough with the Sacked In The Morning podcast.

Crossley recalled a story about Clough engaging with former striker David Currie.

"We were a little bit late for training and the car park was full and he parked his car in the spot where the manager actually parks his car," said Crossley.

"And I'm thinking to myself, 'Shall I tell him?' And being a good team-mate, I thought, 'No, no, I'll let him find out the hard way as well. Let's see what happens.'

"Anyway, we eventually end up going training that morning and the gaffer turns up and we're doing our stretches and things. Archie Gemmill was our coach at the time and the gaffer comes over and he shouts, 'Arch, Arch, bring them in, bring them in'. And then he goes, 'Whose is that car in my car park?'

"So, David Currie puts his hand up, bearing in mind he's played about four games in the first team and he's got dragged off against QPR. And the gaffer goes to him, 'What's your name, son?' He said, 'My name's David Currie'.

"He went, 'Where's 'David Currie from?' He said, 'You've signed me from Barnsley'. And he goes, 'Barnsley?' And then he points at me and he goes, 'That's where the imbecile's from'.

"And then he said to David Currie, he says, 'Have you bought a house in the Nottingham area yet?' He said, 'no, boss, I haven't. But I'm looking'.

"He said, 'Let me stop you there, son. Don't bother'.

"That was more or less the end of David Currie."

Currie played eight times for Forest, scoring once.

Listen to more Forest anecdotes on the full Sacked in the Morning podcast here

Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett says VAR is "undermining match officials".

The protocols around VAR have been in the spotlight after Nottingham Forest had three penalty appeals turned down at Everton on Sunday.

"It ought to be working much better," Hackett told The Football News Show.

"The whole system needs to be more transparent."

Watch The Football News Show on BBC iPlayer

Nick Mashiter
Senior football news reporter

Nottingham Forest’s appeal against their four-point deduction for breaching profit and sustainability rules will be heard today.

The appeal itself is expected to be wrapped up on Wednesday, although the final outcome may not be until next month – yet well before the Premier League’s backstop date of 24 May.

Sitting a point above the relegation zone, following Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Everton, the appeal will have ramifications in the fight for survival, regardless of the decision.

The controversy surrounding the club’s statement over the integrity of Stuart Attwell and their demands for the officials’ audio to be released from the Goodison Park loss – where Forest had three penalty claims rejected - has allowed this to arrive with little fanfare.

Forest themselves remain stoic in the face of an issue which has lingered for months. There has been little talk of it around the training ground, even if boss Nuno Espirito Santo admitted last week the players remained annoyed at losing four hard-earned points.

The talk is about football and how Forest feel they deserve more points from their performances, rather than about the ones stripped from them or what could have been.

There is an acceptance the appeal is out of their control but there is far from a cloud hanging over the City Ground. There is no moping.

Profit and sustainability is the elephant in the room and there is little escaping it with two appeals, for Forest and Everton, to be heard before the end of the season.

The PSR axe could fall for several clubs in the not-too-distant future, with Leicester having been charged over alleged breaches already, and talk about financial rule breaking could become as regular as VAR complaints.

For now, Forest remain positive. That positivity will only increase with a shock win over Manchester City on Sunday.

Image source, Getty Images

Ex-Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Mark Crossley has been telling the Sacked In The Morning podcast about Brian Clough's attempt to sign a young Kingsley Black from Luton.

"We tried to sign a young lad called Kingsley Black from Luton and he brought his agent with him and the manager just wouldn't speak to him," said Crossley.

"So he made the agent wait outside while he spoke to Kingsley. He then said to Kingsley in his office, so you can imagine how intimidating that would be, he said to Kingsley, he said, 'young man', he said, 'I love the shoes you've got on son, they look lovely. I'd like to try them on.'

"So Kingsley took his shoes off, he's only like a size seven and the gaffer's like a size ten, you know. So he's got the shoes on and he's walking around with the shoes on, he's treading all the heels down on the back, he's going, 'I don't think they fit son, they don't fit son'. He says, 'but that's a lovely watch, I'd like to try the watch on'.

"Oh my God. This is a guy who was coming to sign for a million quid from Luton by the way and his agent is outside waiting. So he tries the watch on and he likes the watch, he says, 'I love the watch son, love the watch, love the watch'.

"So he takes the watch off and he puts it in the shoes and then he goes over to the filing cabinet and he puts the shoes with the watch in the filing cabinet.

"He says, 'right, you can tell your agent he can come back in and you're either going back to Luton without a watch and a pair of shoes, but if you sign the contract I might let you have them back son.'"

You can listen to the full Sacked in the Morning Podcast here

Former Nottingham Forest striker Robert Earnshaw said he was "extremely surprised" by the club's statement in the aftermath of their defeat at Everton.

Forest raised their frustrations over officiating and pointed to three possible penalties they could have been awarded.

Earnshaw told The Football News Show he understands where their frustration comes from.

Watch The Football News Show in full on BBC iPlayer

Image source, Getty Images

The New York Times' chief soccer correspondent Rory Smith has been discussing how VAR audio being released would be good for "transparency" around decisions.

"It is complicated but it would be a good idea if the VAR audio was released. That kind of transparency would be a good thing," Smith said on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club

"It would however, be a very bad thing to set the precedent of doing it because a club has thrown their toys out of the pram.

"There is a real problem with Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) and there is a huge problem with how clubs and fans regard refereeing at the moment.

"The PGMOL do not seem particularly willing to engage with that though."

Forest were left furious after three penalty claims were rejected in their 2-0 defeat to Everton on Sunday and it sparked an angry post on the club’s X account, external.

"I have a lot of sympathy for them," added Smith. "The handball you could maybe make a case that it was not, but I think all three were penalties and the referee was very poor.

"I can understand why Forest are frustrated but I do not like the statement game.

"What is the aim here?"

Listen to the Monday Night Club on BBC Sounds

Former Premier League goalkeeper Shay Given says "there must be better avenues" for Nottingham Forest to take than their statement questioning the integrity of match officials.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Given said: "What can happen now?

"They are not going to get points back and the game is not going to be replayed – so they are just going to upset some people. There must be better avenues to take with the Football Association and Professional Game Match Officials Limited.

"Where are you going with all of that?"

Listen to the full discussion on Monday Night Club

There’s only really one talking point about Nottingham Forest’s 2-0 defeat to Everton. But, in reality, there’s more to say.

Beyond the disputed penalties, Forest dominated possession and had a much higher expected goals (xG). If we close down players taking shots from outside the area and take your own chances; Sunday’s result could’ve been very different if the Reds had just done the basics.

VAR decisions may well come into play when the season’s post-mortem is delivered, but most fans will agree on one thing - we just haven’t been good enough.

If Forest are relegated, the list of charges goes on - conceding from set pieces, expensive transfer mistakes, PSR overspending, tactical errors, failure to take chances.

All is still not lost. But our remaining home games are against two of the most expensively assembled squads the Premier League has ever seen, and our remaining away games are at the two clubs rooted to the foot of the table.

Where the season goes from here remains to be seen. With a PSR appeal pending, and whatever the result of the VAR missive, uncertainty creeps. Nobody ever said it was easy supporting Nottingham Forest.

Pat Riddell can be found at The Famous Club, external

Image source, Getty Images

The Football Association, the Premier League and Nottingham Forest have released statements on Monday following on from Forest's social media post criticising the match officials in their defeat by Everton on Sunday.

On X (formerly Twitter), FA Spokesperson said: "We have formally requested observations from Nottingham Forest, Nuno Espirito Santo, Neco Williams and Mark Clattenburg as a result of their comments following their Premier League match against Everton on Sunday 21 April. We will provide any further updates in due course."

While the Premier League responded: "The Premier League was extremely disappointed to read the comments made by Nottingham Forest on social media yesterday, following its match against Everton.

"We note The FA has confirmed it will be investigating the club's statement. It is never appropriate to improperly question the integrity of match officials, and the nature of these comments means the Premier League will also be investigating the matter in relation to the League’s Rules."

And Forest also issued a statement on Monday, which read: "Following yesterday’s match at Everton, NFFC issued a statement highlighting our concern at the perception of the PGMOL appointment of VAR for the game. This was an issue we raised with PGMOL prior to the fixture because of the fear of the side show that would ensue if anything went wrong with officiating in the game. That fear has materialised, as the correctness of three important decisions against the club have been called into doubt.

"This is not about individuals but rather how the integrity of the game is seen. We know match officials do not allow outside factors to influence their decision-making and that all referees are required to declare their ‘allegiances’ to PGMOL to avoid any perceived conflict or harm to the game’s reputation for integrity.

"However, it is clear PGMOL must amend its rule on allegiances to account for contextual rivalries in the league table, not just local rivalries. This is currently not within the criteria but should be. Mere reliance on match officials to recuse themselves if contextual rivalries exist invites conjecture, as some have recused themselves where others have not.

"NFFC stands by its request for greater transparency around PGMOL appointments to further protect the game’s reputation, as intended in PGMOL’s existing approach to allegiances.

"Given the widespread and ongoing concerns, not merely of the fans, players and managers of this club but of many others and the pundits too, over VAR decisions throughout this season, any move which boosts confidence in the system should be properly considered."