Michael Bridges has been discussing whether or not Nottingham Forest should appeal their four-point deduction. The Reds dropped into the relegation zone yesterday after discovering their punishment.
The Reds drew 1-1 with Luton on Saturday to go three points ahead of the Hatters. Now, however, Nuno Espirito Santo sees his team sit one point behind Luton in the table.
Forest look set to appeal, with Evangelos Marinakis thought to be fuming with the decision. Bridges has been discussing whether he thinks the Reds would be wise to make that call.
Michael Bridges on whether Nottingham Forest should appeal
Well, this is a hot topic of discussion. Nobody really knows what the outcome will be and some reports have claimed that if an appeal is made, Forest could get more points deducted.
Bridges thinks that Forest have to make an appeal given that Everton were given some points back. The Reds are next in action after the international break when they face Crystal Palace and Fulham consecutively.
The pundit told the Optus Sport Football Podcast: “They’ve got to appeal, they’ve got to go for it. Obviously, they will see what happened with Everton, they went to appeal and they got a deduction.
“Forest will have to do exactly the same because every point in the Premier League is absolutely vital, especially when they’re in the situation they’re in.
“Nuno had a little bounce with them when he first went in but of late their form has been horrendous. I’ve been there with Sunderland before and when you’re down there everything seems to go against you.
“They’ve had decisions go against them, they’ve some situations with own goals and this does just feel like another nail in the coffin for Nottingham Forest.
“I feel for the fans but there is still life left in them I would say. They’ve got to appeal.”
Forest must tread with caution over appeal process
If there is even an inkling of a situation where the Premier League can make the punishment more severe on appeal, then Forest should part things right here.
The Reds have been quite lucky with a four-point deduction. It keeps them one point behind a team with ridiculously tough games left to play and ultimately Forest have enough games left to play.
It’s fine for Bridges to say that Forest should appeal, but the club might not get quite as lucky as Everton. Each case is different and it does feel unlikely that a better outcome will be on the cards.
We think Forest would be wise to move on from this whole debacle now. The team needs to get their heads together and be prepared to finish strongly over the final two months of the campaign.
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