Nottingham Forest

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest are still appealing the five-game stadium ban handed to owner Evangelos Marinakis by the Football Association.

The FA released the written reasons from an independent regulatory commission on Tuesday.

It said Marinakis, who was charged with misconduct, spat on the floor as match officials walked past following the 1-0 home defeat by Fulham last month.

In his defence, Marinakis claimed he had a hacking cough because he smokes two or three cigars a day and the incident was unintentional.

The commission rejected this defence, pointing to the fact none of the officials' statements mentioned coughing and CCTV footage of the tunnel backed up that assertion.

The written reasons behind the decision said there was "no excuse" for such "an egregious display of disrespectful behaviour" that could "fuel disrespect towards match officials".

Marinakis' punishment includes all stadiums, not just the City Ground.

It followed boss Nuno Espirito Santo being given a three-game touchline ban for his reaction to Morgan Gibbs-White's red card in September's 2-2 draw at Brighton. Gibbs-White was also given a one-match suspension for his own reaction.

Pat Riddell
Fan writer

Image source, PA Media

There was a moment early on in Monday's match against Crystal Palace when Elliot Anderson danced past several defenders in a packed box, the ball practically glued to his feet, before sending a shot towards Dean Henderson's goal.

Seconds later, the midfielder whipped in an exquisite ball from distance that Chris Wood met with his head, narrowly missing the target; the kind of opportunity Wood scores more often than not.

And it was Anderson's run down the wing, and the looped ball that followed, which resulted in a headed clearance landing at Wood's feet. The striker did not need any further invitation to score the game's winning goal.

There was bewilderment when Forest signed 21-year-old Anderson in the summer for a fee said to be £35m. That was later reckoned to be £15m in the deal that sent Odysseas Vlachodimos the other way to Newcastle United.

Whatever the fee, the Geordie Maradona - a nickname he acquired while on loan at Bristol Rovers - is probably one of Forest's most astute signings in recent years. Eddie Howe is no doubt still lamenting the Magpies' profit and sustainability situation that saw him lose one of his most talented youngsters.

Always available and keen to be in possession, Anderson can pick a pass, carry the ball up the pitch, make runs into space and shoot from range. If anyone wondered where he would fit in, they wonder no longer. While clearly favouring being higher up the field, he can easily play as a number six, eight or 10.

Plus, if anyone wondered how Forest would cope without Morgan Gibbs-White - injured and suspended on Monday - then Anderson's performance against Palace proved that Forest's talented squad is now big enough to (almost) cope with star players missing.

It is rare that a new signing arrives and fits straight into the first XI. Like Nikola Milenkovic, Anderson is one of those signings, and one of the reasons that Forest now sit comfortably in eighth position in the Premier League.

Find more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club, external

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Monday's Premier League game between Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace.

Here are some of your comments:

Forest fans

Doug: Very good performance, seeing as we had two key players out of the starting line-up. The most encouraging thing was that once we scored, we did not sit back and allow the opposing team to come on to us. A solid defensive performance as well.

Ken: A great win against a side who are better than their league position suggests. The table doesn't lie - we deserve to be where we are. So many brilliant performances from Matz Sels, Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic, Elliot Anderson, Ryan Yates and Chris Wood. Win on Friday and we can go fifth for 24 hours!

James: Another first-class performance by Nuno’s boys! Superb defensive line proving different for any team to breakdown! Pundits need to think again where Forest may finish this season. Many had written us off already but the Premier League has surprises every season. Fingers crossed the Reds will be one of them.

Palace fans

Mark: No lack of effort but lacking confidence. Too much on Eberechi Eze’s shoulders. Struggling in midfield due to injuries. Need a win and quickly. Going to be a long hard season. Must stick with the manager but we could be reliant on the promoted sides faltering or not improving. Massive six pointer against Wolves.

Christopher: Another defeat and of course things are now getting more and more gloomy. I simply cannot see where the goals are going to come from. The defence looks nervous and with a bad error from our goalkeeper, Dean Henderson is going to be extremely nervous against Spurs this Saturday, as will the fans. I’ll be at Selhurst, but it’s going to be a hard watch.

Gavin: Groundhog Day: We started well, but we cannot sustain any momentum. Tactical changes required as we do not look like scoring. Eddie Nketiah needs to play as an out-and-out number nine because he is persistently too deep. Ismaila Sarr should be used for his rapid pace and ability to cross into the box while the midfield is simply ineffective. Incredibly frustrating performances of late.

Image source, Getty Images

Chris Wood has scored seven of Nottingham Forest’s past 10 Premier League goals and five of their eight this season (63%). Only Liam Delap (67% for Ipswich with four out of six) has scored a higher share of his side's Premier League goals this term.

In bagging the only goal against Crystal Palace on Monday, Wood became just the third player to reach 20 Premier League goals for Nottingham Forest after Bryan Roy (24) and Stan Collymore (22).

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nuno Espirito Santo is not one for big declarations about Nottingham Forest's prospects.

He would not be drawn on discussing the Premier League table - after moving eighth following Monday's win over Crystal Palace - but that is understandable given how fluid the league can be.

Last season, 27 points would have been good enough to survive and Forest are almost halfway there.

The points tally is comparable to 2023-24 and it only took Forest another two games to reach 13 points before six winless games sealed Steve Cooper's fate and ushered in Nuno's era.

Forest's boss spoke about the spirit and bond of his team after their victory and how they cannot ignore the talent of every opponent.

In some ways it is boring, Nuno is never going to write a headline at this stage but he is right to. For Forest, boring is good after the chaos of last season.

A first home win though was far from tedious as Forest edged a contest that genuinely could have gone either way or still ended in a draw. But for Matz Sels' second-half interventions, Palace would have taken a point.

That comes down to the spirit Nuno spoke about and how Forest have to run, cover and have more bodies in the way to stop their opponent.

It was evident on Monday and, while it is too early to make any grand statements just yet, Forest are slowly starting to prove they have both the quality and the work rate to achieve their goals this season.

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo, speaking after Monday's victory against Crystal Palace: "I saw it was difficult but so I'm happy we can finally give this moment to our fans, always helping and supporting us so I'm especially delighted for them.

"It says a lot about the game itself when Matz [Sels] is one of the best players in the team. They are very good, always pressing and so much talent. We are delighted Matz did a very good job and kept us in the game.

"We are delighted but it's not what is important, what guides us. What guides us is the level of performance, to sustain is always the difficulty.

"We want to raise the bar and sustain that level. Before the break we showed how we must play football, we have to run more than them, cover, always have bodies in front and this is what is important.

"It is the spirit and bond so we can progress as a team. It is how we do things."

On goalscorer Chris Wood: "Amazing, we are delighted with not only his goals.

"All his actions in the game, how he leads the team, his set-pieces and more than all that is the impact he has in the dressing room. His leadership, he is a very experienced player for the young lads. We cannot thank him enough."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Forest's performance, external

What did you make of Palace’s display?, external

Come back to this page on Tuesday to find a selection of your replies

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

There will be a sense of injustice emanating from Nuno Espirito Santo's seat in the stands.

The boss will watch Nottingham Forest face Crystal Palace this evening from the Peter Taylor Stand as he starts his three-match ban.

Nuno was hopeful he would avoid serious punishment for his outburst following Morgan Gibbs-White's red card in the 2-2 draw at Brighton.

That the Key Match Incidents Panel - which reviews the big refereeing decisions each week - was split on whether it was correct to issue a second yellow card to Gibbs-White only adds to the frustration.

Forest are still searching for their first home win and they will need to do it without the talismanic Gibbs-White - injured but banned anyway.

Victory would also end any lingering fears about the home form and Palace come to the City Ground still winless in the Premier League.

If Forest want to progress this season, it is a game they need to win.

Borussia Dortmund's English winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, 20, is drawing interest from Arsenal, Tottenham, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest – though the German club want more than £50m for the player before they will consider selling. (Caught Offside, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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

For week eight, he takes on legendary boxing manager Kellie Maloney.

Sutton's prediction: 1-0

Crystal Palace need the win more, that is for sure. You can tell by listening to their manager Oliver Glasner that he knows he needs a positive result quickly, just to get that spark from last season back.

Glasner wants to play this expansive brand of football but results mean a bit of doubt has crept in, and that is really evident from their performances.

This all points towards a Nottingham Forest home win, which is what I am going with, but the good news for Palace is that every time I predict one of those, they stuff it up - Forest are yet to win at the City Ground this season.

Kellie's prediction: Forest are playing well and Palace need a win. I am going with a draw. 2-2

Read the rest of their predictions, and have your own say here

Image source, Opta

With the October international break now firmly in the rearview mirror, Opta Analyst, external have turned their attention to the next four Premier League fixtures.

Here, they have given each team a ranking between 80 and 100 and then found the average to determine to difficulty of the schedule.

Liverpool's opening seven matches were ranked the easiest in the league, but their upcoming four are the fourth-toughest in the division. They will face Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Brighton, with an average opponent strength of 91.4 before the next international break.

Fellow early pacesetters Arsenal also have challenging fixtures, playing Bournemouth, Liverpool, Newcastle and Chelsea with an average rating of 90.7, while Manchester City's next four against Wolves, Southampton, Bournemouth and Brighton are ranked the third-easiest by Opta.

Chelsea and Brighton have the second-hardest and third-hardest runs respectively, a real test given the promising starts for their new managers Enzo Maresca and Fabian Hurzeler.

At the other end of the table, Leicester - who recently secured their first win of the season against Bournemouth - have a chance to build with the easiest run in the division. They face Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Ipswich and Manchester United.

Fellow promoted side Ipswich will hope to pick up their first win of the season during a run of games that is ranked the fifth-easiest.

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport Researcher

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Monday's Premier League game against Crystal Palace (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• He reacted to receiving a three-game touchline ban: "I'm surprised. It's a big sanction but there's nothing we can do. It's not for me to judge. My job is to move forward and make sure the coaching staff are ready to help the team. We had a hearing, everything was normal. The sanction has been decided. Let's go."

• On the impact of not being on the touchline: "It's tough. We're going to be in permanent contact and what is important is that we prepare well and the players are ready to compete."

• On Morgan Gibbs-White receiving a one-match ban: "It's not nice when you don't have a player available. It's not in the right moment, he's still injured. Hopefully for the next game he's going to be available."

• Nuno was reluctant to give a timeframe for Gibbs-White's return: "He went out with a lot of pain [against Chelsea] and is still recovering. He's getting much better, but it's still going to take some time. It's always a day-by-day assessment with the medical department and the player. For now, he's not available against Crystal Palace."

• Nuno assured that Nigerians Ola Aina and Taiwo Awoniyi are back to normal after the incident on the international break: "As soon as it happened, the club reached them and tried to see what was going on. It was a mess. They arrived a couple of days ago and are working normally. They have overcome that. It was an incident and it's not more important than that."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray believes the £750,000 fine by the Football Association for a social media post after last season's defeat at Everton is a statement sum to warn other clubs off doing the same.

The FA called the post an "attack on the integrity of a match official on an unparalleled scale", but Forest said they would appeal against what they described as a "disproportionate" fine.

"It is a lot of money and it is clearly a message to show that the FA don't want other clubs doing the same," said Fray on the latest episode of the Shut Up And Show More Football podcast.

"Forest are sticking to their guns with the fact the tweet is still there for a start, and they are appealing to try to at least get the fine reduced in value.

"We will see what happens as that appeal goes on, but given the size of the fine and Forest's stance on it, I can see why they have opted to appeal.

"This has dragged on now for a long, long time, which emphasises the importance of it to the FA and the Premier League. Perhaps Forest are being perceived as a rebel club or rebel city and the big fine is their attempt to quash that."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

On the latest episode on BBC Radio Nottingham's Shut Up And Show More Football podcast, David Jackson and Colin Fray discuss the £750,000 fine imposed on Nottingham Forest for a social media post after last season's defeat at Everton, plus they discuss what is required for Forest to end their wait for a home victory this season.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

He's the third-quickest player in the Premier League this season, and he plays for Forest.

He's also sprinted more than anyone else in Nuno Espirito Santo's side.

But do you know who it is?

Find out here

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

I wrote in August that a season of anonymity on and off the pitch would have represented progress for Nottingham Forest after the chaos of 2023-24.

However, last week's £750,000 fine from the Football Association, following April's controversial social media post directed at VAR Stuart Attwell, put the club back in the spotlight.

The FA called it an "attack on the integrity of a match official on an unparalleled scale", while sources say the amount was unprecedented.

It came after Nuno Espirito Santo and Morgan Gibbs-White were charged by the FA following the 2-2 draw at Brighton.

Maybe it has not taken the gloss off what has been a really encouraging start, but it is certainly an unwelcome distraction when the focus should be the on-pitch positivity.

There are clear improvements and Nikola Milenkovic has helped the defence in becoming one of the tightest in the Premier League this season, with only leaders Liverpool - two - having conceded fewer than Forest's six.

One criticism which can be levelled, though, is the reliance on Chris Wood for goals, with the striker scoring four of the Reds' seven in the league so far. Despite a positive transfer window, it is clear why the club wanted another striker.

That lack of clinical edge has cost the team already, especially at home, but Monday's visit of Crystal Palace is another opportunity for a first victory at the City Ground.

Palace have only beaten Forest at home three times this century and, with the Eagles still winless, the hosts must take their chances this time.