Nuno Espírito Santo’s first reaction to hearing Nottingham Forest had been docked four points was to angrily “punch something” near to him, as he called for the club to be galvanised by their troubles off the pitch.
The points deduction, for breaches of the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), has plunged Forest into the relegation zone, below Luton – with whom they drew 1-1 in their last match before the international break. Forest now face Crystal Palace and Fulham at home in the space of four days, and Nuno is confident his side’s “togetherness and commitment”, plus the backing of the City Ground crowd, will spur them on to survival.
The club await the outcome of an appeal lodged against the points deduction after releasing a strongly worded statement that said they were “extremely dismayed” with the punishment. Nuno said the PSR situation was beyond his control but believes it will focus his squad on the task at hand after a run of one win in nine games before the break.
Asked about his initial response to the news, the Portuguese coach said: “I think I punched something that was near to me. Of course I was disappointed. But that lasted for a couple of minutes, because [I knew] immediately we need to bounce back from that moment and work harder.
“There’s the sense of reality when you come to this moment and you realise that you’re in a tough moment. The situation that we’re in requires everybody to be really focused on the task ahead of us. The past is the past. The future tells us that we have to win games. We have to stick together and go for it. We don’t need anything else but our own ambition to stay in the Premier League.”
Nuno admitted he and his players had been “expecting” a punishment of sorts and added: “Now we know. Who am I to say what is fair or unfair? I have to adjust and deal with reality. We’ve had enough of words, now let’s go to actions.”
The Forest manager held back from making comparisons with Everton, whose own 10-point penalty – since reduced to six after appeal – inspired Sean Dyche’s side to a four-match winning streak in December. But Nuno has held multiple meetings with his players regarding the points deduction and the response that must follow on the pitch, while he expects a vociferous reaction from the Forest supporters, starting against Palace on Saturday afternoon.
“I know our fans are going to be with us, because they always are,” said Nuno, who called the Forest fans “more than a 12th man … but the feeling of war – us against the world – I think doesn’t help us. Because we know it’s not a war, it’s a game of football and we have to enjoy it. The backing of our fans is going to be huge for us.”
The squad have been training at the City Ground this week, rather than their usual base at Wilford Lane on the outskirts of Nottingham, with Nuno keen for his players to replicate the feeling of a match during practice sessions.
“I think it’s good for us to practise where we’re going to play,” he said. “It’s the ideal scenario for what we’re going to find. I think it’s useful, honestly it helps the players, because there’s always a reference [point] and the grass is perfect here.”
The Forest manager also revealed his first-team coach Steven Reid has apologised to the squad after an expletive-laden rant aimed at the referee Paul Tierney following Forest’s 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at the start of March. Reid was handed a two-match touchline ban and a £5,000 fine by the FA after being found guilty of misconduct.
“It was a very difficult moment for everyone in the City Ground,” said Nuno. “But Steven is one of us, he feels really deeply sorry for what happened. We’re all aware we have to control our emotions, but it’s hard sometimes.”
