Nuno: We just expect refs to be fair, judge what they see
REDS HEAD COACH BELIEVES REFEREEING STANDARDS IN ENGLISH GAME HAVE DROPPED IN RECENT YEARS
HEAD coach Nuno Espirito Santo has argued Nottingham Forest’s position in the Premier League table is not a true reflection of his team – because of the impact of refereeing decisions.
The Reds have felt hard done by on several occasions this season. Most recently, in last Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion they felt Jakub Moder should have been sent off for a challenge on Neco Williams.
Nuno was left incensed by the decision of VAR not to even instruct referee Michael Salisbury to review the incident on his pitchside monitor. And just as he did after the game at the Amex Stadium, in a passionate plea the Portuguese has called for an improvement in refereeing standards – urging officials to be mindful of what is at stake in such highpressure games.
As for the old adage about the league table not lying, Nuno said: “It does. You cannot ignore it. Points.
“It’s affecting not only our players but also the family of Forest is disappointed by the decisions.
“It has happened so many times you reach a point where you go into games expecting the worst – and that is the worst feeling you can have. This is what we are trying to get away from in the minds of our players.
“The referees must realise it is very important things we are playing for. They cannot ignore that their eventual mistakes have a big repercussion on us as professionals.
“I cannot answer if that creates more pressure (on referees). I try many times to be quiet and not mention it but I think I said it all after the game at Brighton. We expect things to improve.
“It is just our expectation. We don’t want to create any kind of extra pressure on referees, we don’t want to get benefits from the referees, we just expect them to be fair and judge what they see.
“What everybody saw in the previous game (with Moder) is so clear, when you go home you cannot believe how it was not different. This is what comes as such a surprise and disappointment.
“We went into games before and were not even concerned about the referees. Now it becomes an issue, and that creates a feeling that is not the right one to play football. Every decision of a referee that goes against you, you react in a different way. You don’t realise the referee can have these kind of mistakes because of what has gone before.
“It’s very hard, especially on the young players we have. How can you say to Neco Williams that was not a red card? He cannot ignore that moment in his mind, because he also has it on his ankle. We try to maintain calm and patience but, hopefully, it is over.”
Nuno says the club have not received an apology or any “comments” from the authorities after Sunday’s incident. He wants his players to channel their frustrations from any sense of injustice as they fight for Premier League survival but accepts it can be hard to control emotions in the heat of the moment.
“It’s hard because it is frustrating,” he said ahead of today’s away clash against Luton Town.
“It comes with a lot of bad feelings inside of you. But we don’t give up, we move forward.
“That is what we have been working on this week, moving forward and preparing for Luton because that is what we can control. We are trying to forget what’s behind us.
“We keep insisting and say we must forget what we cannot control. It’s all about what we can control on the pitch.”
Nuno believes refereeing standards in the English game have dropped in recent years. He puts that down to a new crop of officials coming through.
“We had a very strong group of referees (before) who were very experienced, then a new generation has come,” he said. “They need time, but we don’t have time. We as professionals, of all the clubs, don’t have that time.
“We can’t ignore that this kind of mistake can have big repercussions on everybody’s life. What we expect from the referee is that we don’t even speak about them, this is when things are perfect. If I have to be honest, before was better.
“The group of refs that suddenly retired, people like Jon Moss, all those guys, they were experienced, they handled things in a different way. We have to give time to these young referees; but it’s not just refs, Paul Tierney is a very experienced referee, but there’s also VAR, the fourth referee and the assistant of VAR – there are so many people involved.
“What we expect is help in the proper way – proper help for a ref who is in charge of his fifth or sixth game in the Premier League.”
What can be done to give them more help? Nuno responded: “I have no idea but they are professionals, like us. They only dedicate themselves to refereeing.
“When I have a problem with my team, I work harder, I invest more of my time, I stay longer, I work harder with my analysis, I see training sessions and games and games.
“My only way of improving is to work harder and give it more. If I work 20 hours, I’m going to work 24 hours. So we expect them to improve – and improve fast.
“If that has to come alongside with more time, with more analysis and with more practice, then do it – they are professionals, and well-paid professionals.”