Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Brice Samba must learn from his "big mistake" against Stoke City at the weekend.
Reds head coach Steve Cooper has been clear in his messaging towards the shot-stopper, following his sending off in the 2-2 draw.
Samba was handed a straight red card by referee Leigh Doughty for swatting Phil Jagielka around the back of the head, leading to the hosts being a man down for the final minutes and conceding a penalty.
He will now be suspended for three games, starting with Friday night’s trip to Bournemouth - and his manager is keen for the 27-year-old to realise just how costly any repeat of that incident could be in the final months of the season.
“It was a mistake. There was no defence from me. Whether it was a red card or a penalty, it was a clear error from Brice,” Cooper said. “He has to live and learn.
“After Luton, for example - which is one of the games which springs to mind - when we were down to 10 men and he saved a penalty (for a 0-0 draw), one of the first questions I’m asked is about Brice Samba.
“He also has to realise that you can talk about him for the wrong reasons after Saturday.
“I’m really fond of Brice as a lad and as a player.
“He definitely has more good moments than poor ones, we shouldn’t not recognise that.
“But at the same time, he made a big mistake last week. He’s paying the price, initially by thinking he might have cost us the three points, and then he can’t play for three games now.
“He has to get his head down while he can’t play and support the team in the best way he can, on and off the training pitch.”
Samba has become something of a fans’ favourite during his time at the City Ground, in no small part due to his penchant for winding up opposition players and fans.
Playing on the edge is part of his game, but he has come close to crossing the line in previous matches.
Cooper spoke to him after the 2-1 win over Derby County last month, when he clashed with Tom Lawrence, while an error of judgement against Leicester City in the FA Cup gifted the holders a consolation goal they barely deserved in a 4-1 thumping.
“He’s not on his own. He plays in a position where mistakes can be more costly,” said the Forest boss. “This is a bit different, it was a different kind of mistake.
“Everyone has to live and learn - as long as they do learn. That’s the key to it.
“I’ve spoken to Brice on a few occasions about what I expect from him.
“We speak to the players individually a lot, and talk about what they might need to get better at. With Brice, sometimes it can be a little bit of concentration.
“I had a conversation with him after the Derby game.
“He’s a good guy. He made a mistake, we know that, but he’s a good guy.
“He understands that it was a mistake, but we have to draw a line under it and move on, because we’re going to need everybody - including him - for the remainder of the season.”
As well as the crunch clash with the Cherries, Samba will also miss next Tuesday’s trip to Preston North End and the home meeting with Bristol City on the Saturday.
“I actually thought he was playing really well on Saturday,” Cooper added. “He made some good saves and he made some good decisions with his distribution, because at times we weren’t offering enough options for him. That is something we work on a lot - and I go back to some of the energy levels in the performance.
“I actually thought he was one of the players really playing to the levels required. It makes it even a little bit more difficult to understand.
“He knows it wasn’t right. But he’s done it. It’s important, like anything, that we live and learn - with learning being the key part.
“His punishment now is feeling that he could have cost us on the day, but also he doesn’t play now for three games - and all these guys want to play.
“Two away games and a home game he’s not going to be available for. If we get those games right, we know the occasions they can be, with the support we get.
“He’s just got to focus on how he helps from a different angle, that’s with his training and his support for the two guys who have been supporting him for the months he’s been holding the shirt.”
