Nottingham Forest are fast becoming the Premier League’s most unlikeable club | OneFootball

It feels like a long time ago that goals were conceded and matches were lost in the Premier League without the soundtrack of self-entitled whinging.

Just like society at large, every grievance simply must be heard. Every heat-of-the-moment complaint should be treated with the gravitas usually afforded to academic studies.

This is a by-product of football’s development from sport into a 24/7 content machine.

But it’s also that hundreds of millions of pounds are now reliant on uncontrollables like your striker missing a sitter from two yards or FIFA messing about with the handball rule for sh*ts and giggles.

In many ways, Nottingham Forest have become the most modern of Premier League clubs; unable to accept defeat and seeking scapegoats for any setback.

Following Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to Manchester City, Forest have formally complained about the officiating that saw several decisions go against them.

Manager and Planet Football darts champion Sean Dyche felt Rayan Cherki’s 83rd-minute winner should not have stood due to a foul on Morgan Gibbs-White.

Meanwhile, Forest felt Ruben Dias deserved to be sent off in the second half for a second bookable offence.

Dias had been booked in the first half for dissent but avoided a second yellow for bringing down Forest striker Igor Jesus when he was breaking forward soon after the restart.

“They say it’s an accident,” Dyche said afterwards. “If that’s an accident when he’s running through on goal we all know what happens. You get a red card.

“So why is it an accident and he isn’t yellow carded then?

“I just find it bizarre, I really do. And I think these are easy things. Just give him a second yellow, that’s it. ‘Off you go’. I’m absolutely stunned.”

Forest have asked PGMO for the audio between the on-pitch officials and VAR team during those key moments to understand better the decisions made by referee Rob Jones.

This is the second formal complaint Forest have lodged with PGMO recently after they felt Everton’s James Tarkowski should have been sent off in their 3-0 defeat at the start of December.

Earlier in 2025, the club snitched on Crystal Palace to UEFA and got them kicked out of the Europa League. Their replacements? Nottingham Forest.

And that’s without delving into their brief collaboration with Mark Clattenburg, which led to them openly calling Premier League referees cheats in 2024.

At which point it’s important to say – Forest need to get over themselves.

Dyche’s team played well against City, with marginal decisions going against them. Maintain that level of performance and relegation will not be a concern, especially with the current bottom three cut adrift.

Creating a culture of victimhood (and it’s amazing we’ve got this far into the article without mentioning Evangelos Marinakis) is only likely to keep Forest from fulfilling their long-term potential.

They were sensational last season, but it’s their bad run of form in the final few matches that led to them slipping from fourth to seventh.

PGMO weren’t responsible for last summer’s £200million transfer spend, creating an overly-large squad, or the decision to hire Ange Postecoglou.

Forest would do well to spend the New Year quietly taking care of their own business and letting their football speak for itself.

Otherwise, they’ll run out of scapegoats and might not like the version of themselves that confronts them in the mirror.