On the face of things, Nottingham Forest fans could be forgiven for believing that the appointment of Anthony Taylor as referee on Sunday is a middle finger raised in their direction.
When Nuno Espirito Santo returns to the home dugout at the City Ground, he will come face-to-face with one of the men who was at the centre of the furore around the three-match touchline ban he has just completed.
It feels like a potential extension to one of the narratives that has been a sub-plot to Forest’s remarkable start to the season.
Taylor was the fourth official at Brighton. After referee Rob Jones had signalled his belief that Morgan Gibbs-White had won the ball in his challenge on Joao Pedro, Taylor interjected to offer the opinion that it was a challenge deserving of a second yellow card.
Jones duly changed his mind and all hell broke loose.
Nuno has, quite rightly, apologised for what followed, as he lost his temper and ranted at Jones — a man who had previously sent off Willy Boly in Nuno’s first Forest game in charge last December. Nuno’s message, in less family-friendly terms, was that it was the second time Jones had stitched up Forest. His frustration — if not his reaction — was subsequently vindicated when the key match incidents panel ruled that the second yellow card shown to Gibbs-White was not merited.
Gibbs-White, for his part, collected not only a one-match ban for the disputed sending-off but served a further ban for his angry reaction to the decision. In the circumstances, surely a one-match punishment — for his angry reaction — would have been sufficient.
Forest fans are well versed in these things, after seeing them dominate the headlines both last season and this. There are certainly some who will hold the same view of Taylor, as Nuno did of Jones.
There is a reason why Taylor’s appointment inspired a collective groan on social media. The last time he refereed a Forest game was in April, at Goodison Park. It is only a few weeks since the club were hit with a remarkable £750,000 fine for a social media statement published in the aftermath of that game, which saw Forest have three credible penalty claims in a 2-0 defeat without one of them being awarded.
Forest landed themselves in hot water for making the observation that Stuart Attwell, the VAR for the game, was a fan of Luton — one of Forest’s relegation rivals at the time.
Again, the Key Match Incidents panel ruled that Forest should have had at least one of the three penalties awarded — when Ashley Young brought down Callum Hudson-Odoi — leaving Forest to feel a sense of frustration. But it felt that the match officials’ mistakes were viewed less seriously than the allegation of bias, a demand for a £1million fine made at one stage.
Evangelos Marinakis still has two more matches to serve of the five-game ban he was handed following allegations that he spat at the feet of the match officials in the City Ground tunnel in the aftermath of Forest’s only defeat of the season so far, to Fulham. In that game, Fulham were awarded a penalty and Forest had a similar claim of their own rejected.
At Forest, there is a constant sense of injustice.
Former Premier League match official Mark Clattenburg, who had been appointed by Forest as a referee advisor, officially departed that role in the aftermath of the Everton game, after only 77 days in the job. But he has worked in a less official capacity for Forest since, occasionally compiling reports on forthcoming match officials — including Taylor — and advising on any matters related to refereeing.
The truth, of course, is that the PGMOL have not appointed Taylor as some act of pettiness. There is no underlying message to it.
The simple fact is that one of the Premier League’s most respected officials — who was in charge of the Champions League fixture between Slovan Bratislava and Dinamo Zagreb in midweek — simply hasn’t taken charge of a Forest game yet this season.
Forest’s flying start to the campaign means that the fixture against Newcastle is one of the biggest games of the weekend. Naturally, the PGMOL would pick one of their most experienced officials to take charge of it.
Taylor will need every ounce of that experience, because his every move will be scrutinised by Forest fans this weekend. Any minor indiscretion will be pounced upon and analysed. If he makes any incorrect decisions that go against Forest, the City Ground will be sure to let him know about it.
Yes, it is easy to make an argument that this is a potential controversy that could easily have been avoided. But equally, Taylor had to referee another Forest game at some point. The same questions would have been asked whenever it happened.
And if the PGMOL starts drawing up lists of referees who cannot take charge of certain team’s games because of past controversies, things would become very complex, very quickly. Should clubs expect a weekly call to say, ‘Is it OK if so-and-so referees your game this weekend?’?
There are lots of reasons for Forest to feel a sense of frustration and disappointment. The Premier League anthem will doubtless be loudly booed before kick-off against Newcastle, as it has been for some time now.
Taylor’s appointment should not be included in the same bracket. It is not something that should be added to their list of grievances. Not yet, at least.
But Forest should still not let go of their sense of injustice. If the ‘us against the world’ spirit has played even a small part in their remarkable rise into third place in the Premier League table, then they must hold on to it.
Nuno has succeeded in creating a fierce sense of unity and togetherness at the club. As the timely Forza Garibaldi banner read ahead of the 3-0 win over West Ham last weekend: ‘It is best to be a rebel, so as to show ‘em it don’t pay to try to do you down’.
(Top photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
