Clough would be disgusted by Forest's serial whinging

If the two highest points in Nottingham Forest’s history occurred in Munich and Madrid in 1979 and 1980 respectively, one of the lower moments occurred at Goodison Park in 2024.

- RICHARD JOLLY

Two-time champions of Europe in the days when they were known for Brian Clough’s wit, now serial whingers in a season of constant complaining, Forest reacted to defeat at Everton by tweeting: “Three extremely poor decisions – three penalties not given – which we simply cannot accept. We warned the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game but they didn’t change him. Our patience has been tested multiple times. NFFC will now consider its options.”

In the days when they were the club of Clough, their manager didn’t want the Forest players to show dissent to referees. Now Forest are moaning about the VAR, Stuart Attwell, even before the game as well as after. The FA, understood to be furious, is likely to charge Forest with bringing the game into disrepute. But even before that, Nottingham Forest have brought Nottingham Forest into disrepute.

And if identities evolve as times and personnel change, is this what Forest have become? Winners four decades ago, whiners now, writing letters to PGMOL, bringing Mark Clattenburg in to address the media in the mixed zone at the City Ground, a club with a persecution complex.