Mark Clattenburg has now shared what he told Nottingham Forest after Paul Tierney dropped a howler against Liverpool in March.
Forest were on the cusp of a decent point against Liverpool when Tierney intervened.
After blowing the whistle for a head injury with just minutes remaining, Tierney should have given the ball back to Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Instead, he gave the ball back to Forest-linked goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher and minutes later Darwin Nunez scored a late winner.
Now, Clattenburg has lifted the lid on what he told Forest after the fury surrounding that incident at the City Ground.
What Mark Clattenburg told Nottingham Forest after Liverpool incident
It’s fair to say that this one did cause quite a stir – and rightly so.
Tierney wasn’t really held accountable for this error of judgement and ultimately, the result kept Forest in deep relegation trouble.
Now, Clattenburg has shared what he told Forest in the aftermath and at no point did he wish to seek a conversation with Tierney himself.
He told the Ben Heath Podcast: “The advice I gave to Forest after the drop ball incident was in future make sure you hold the ball.
“So that when the referee looks around to find where the ball is, you’ve got it.
“That was a sporting edge for Forest and something I was able to advise on but at the minute I just don’t think many clubs will go down that route as there is too much backlash from the media.”
Clattenburg experiment was ruined by the media
If clubs can employ coaches and experts to deal with dietary requirements, set pieces and even throw-ins, why is it frowned upon for clubs to gain a better understanding of refereeing?
Sky Sports and other such media outlets frowned upon the appointment of Clattenburg by Forest but it really wasn’t that deep.
The Reds simply wanted to try and get themselves a sporting advantage to try and understand why certain things were given against them.
Particularly in this instance against Liverpool, Forest might feel as though they can do something different if it happens again and the advice from Clattenburg could prove useful.
In our view, it’s hard to disagree with Clattenburg when he says he doesn’t think more clubs will be trying this.
The media clearly didn’t like the notion and it would certainly be interesting to see what their perception would be if a bigger club than Forest decided to try this in the future.
Forest have now parted ways with Clattenburg from his advisory role and it’s perhaps a shame that the relationship couldn’t have continued for a little while longer.
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