PL make announcement for Nottingham Forest vs Southampton that won't please supporters - opinion
Today at 07:20 AM
Nottingham Forest look to return to winning ways on Sunday when they face bottom club Southampton in the Premier League, but one aspect of the game will be worrying Forest fans.
The remarkable seven-game win streak was finally ended in Forest’s draw with Liverpool on Tuesday. Arne Slot praised Matz Sels for his performance in the game, while football fans were in awe of Murillo for his display against Liverpool.
The two should be less busy on Sunday, though as Southampton visit the City Ground having only picked up six points in the Premier League this season so far.
Forest won the reverse fixture in August thanks to a goal from Morgan Gibbs-White but Forest fans actually criticised Gibbs-White for his performance at St Mary’s.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have only gotten better since that game though so the result should be a routine one. However, one announcement from the Premier League about the fixture has worried Forest fans.
Referee announced for Nottingham Forest vs Southampton
The Premier League have announced the referee appointments for matchweek 22 and it’s concerning news for Forest fans.
Anthony Taylor will take the officiating lead in the clash, with some fans particularly suspicious of his abilities due to his history with the club.
Taylor’s most recently refereed Espirito Santo’s side in Forest’s 3-1 defeat against Newcastle in November, a game where Kevin Nolan was convinced Dan Burn should’ve been sent off but the referee missed it.
Forest fans also criticised Taylor for his performance in the Newcastle defeat which won’t help their concerns ahead of welcoming him back to the City Ground on Sunday. However, the Newcastle match wasn’t even the most controversial Forest game that Taylor has refereed.
Anthony Taylor refereed the infamous Nottingham Forest vs Everton clash
In April 2024, Forest lost to Everton amidst three debatable penalty calls that Taylor went against the Forest squad on, leading to the club releasing a statement criticising the officiating in the game.
Alan Shearer was critical of Forest’s statement which would eventually lead to Forest being punished by the FA for criticising VAR.
Whilst Taylor was the on-field referee and the statement mainly criticised the VAR officials, Taylor still failed to act on the penalty claims which still infuriate Forest fans to this day.
Forest fans will be praying to not see a repeat of Taylor’s performance and the off-pitch drama that unfolded afterwards, which led to Evangelos Marinakis having to fork out for a fine that the club could do with avoiding again.
