- Reds back in the big time after 23-year wait
- Have held their own against the elite
- Feel let down by some big decisions
WHAT HAPPENED? The Reds have returned to the English top-flight in 2022-23 for the first time in 23 years, with plenty of headlines being made with their recruitment business on the back of a long-awaited promotion. Steve Cooper’s side have caused plenty of shocks back in the big time – taking points from the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City – but they have also been left cursing their luck.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Forest have been on the receiving end of a number of questionable decisions, with The Telegraph reporting that they are now preparing to take their grievances to the Professional Game Match Officials Board [PGMOL].
AND WHAT'S MORE: John Brooks was the latest match official to incur the Reds’ wrath. Brooks was recently dropped following high-profile errors in a video assistant referee role, and made some questionable calls in Forest’s 2-2 draw with Everton that left Cooper to say afterwards: “I am not going to say anything that is going to get me in trouble, but he [Brooks] had too much impact on the game. Those moments can’t happen at this level, in my opinion. It’s a pity that things like that are affecting games.”
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT? Brooks is not the first to anger Forest, with Andre Marriner failing to award them a penalty in a 2-2 draw with Brentford in November 2022 - with that game also leading to an independent panel admitting that there should have been no VAR involvement in an incident that resulted in Brentford being awarded a spot-kick. On top of that, Cooper was fined £8,000 following comments he made about the state of officiating from Thomas Bramall in a 1-0 defeat for his side at Wolves.