Nottingham Forest's remarks about Stuart Attwell have left them under attack from all sides but the club’s explosive statement after their defeat at Everton was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Throughout the campaign Forest have felt they have been on the wrong end of poor decisions from the officials and the three penalties they believe they were denied at Goodison Park has tipped them over the edge.

They will surely regret the manner of their post on X, which claimed Attwell was a fan of Forest’s relegation rivals Luton. 

But Forest’s ownership group are not the only ones to have run out of patience, with defender Neco Williams claiming Forest were being penalised in a way top-six clubs would not be. Williams faces a potential FA charge along with under-pressure boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

Here, Mail Sport looks at the incidents that have wound up Forest the most.

Nottingham Forest's extraordinary statement after 'three poor decisions' went against them briefly brought the league to a standstill

Man United 3-2 Nottingham Forest, August 26, 2023

Forest contacted the Premier League after two contentious calls by Attwell. 

The first was to show Joe Worrall a straight red card for a foul on Bruno Fernandes, even though Willy Boly appeared to be covering.

The second was to give United a penalty for a slight contact between Danilo and Marcus Rashford. 

Then-boss Steve Cooper said: ‘I’m biting my tongue in terms of what I really feel because they are defining moments.’

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Everton, December 2, 2023

With Forest searching for the opener, Ryan Yates’ shirt was pulled by Abdoulaye Doucoure inside the box – but no penalty was given by referee Paul Tierney and the VAR upheld the on-field call. Dwight McNeil later scored the winner for Everton. 

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp called it ‘as blatant a foul as you’d wish to see.’ Cooper added: ‘It's a big error. It’s why referees are getting a load of stick.’

Nottingham Forest 2-3 Bournemouth, December 23

Willy Boly is shown a second yellow card in the first half despite winning the ball well before making contact with Cherries defender Adam Smith – with VAR unable to overturn referee Rob Jones’ decision because the technology is not deployed to scrutinise yellow cards. 

After his first match as Forest boss, Nuno Espirito Santo said: ‘I think we, as Forest and our fans, especially our fans, deserve better decisions.’

Brentford 3-2 Nottingham Forest, January 20, 2024

On his first game after returning from a eight-month ban, Ivan Toney scored a free-kick and helped the Bees win with a fine display. But when taking his free-kick, Toney moved the foam used to indicate where the kick should be taken, giving himself a clearer route to goal. Referee Darren England did not spot it and VAR is helpless to act in these cases. 

‘It was a clear case of ball displacement – almost a yard,’ Nuno lamented.

Nottingham Forest 2-3 Newcastle, February 10

With the scores level, Forest forward Taiwo Awoniyi bore down on goal and appeared to tumble over the outstretched arm of Martin Dubravka. Referee Anthony Taylor waved away the appeals and though there was a VAR check, there was no change to the on-field decision – with Redknapp once more left surprised in the pundit’s chair. 

The former England midfielder said: ‘This was definitely a penalty. It was a huge moment in the game. Newcastle got away with one.’

Nottingham Forest 2-0 West Ham, February 17

With Forest 1-0 up and trying to close out the game, Williams burst into the box and was hacked down by Maxwel Cornet. No penalty was given by referee Thomas Bramall and once more VAR saw no reason to contradict him. 

Callum Hudson-Odoi later closed out the result but Forest – who had that week appointed Mark Clattenburg as their refereeing analyst – were unhappy. 

‘He is a young referee,’ said Nuno. ‘But VAR has to interfere and do something because they had time.’

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Liverpool, March 2

Forest had the ball when the game stopped for an injury to Ibrahim Konate. Instead of returning it to Forest at the restart, referee Paul Tierney gave it to Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher. One minute and 50 seconds later, Darwin Nunez scored the winner and Forest were raging. 

‘When [the ball was] given to the keeper, with Liverpool scoring afterwards, you can see why [Forest] are aggrieved,' Clattenburg said.

Tottenham 3-1 Nottingham Forest, April 7

Midway through the first half, James Maddison appeared to punch Yates in the stomach off the ball. Referee Simon Hooper – who will take charge of Forest’s meeting with Manchester City on April 28 – spoke to both players but did not take further action. 

Nuno said: ‘Maddison loses his composure and it’s a punch in the stomach of Yates. A red card. I’m surprised Simon solved it with a nice chat.’

Everton 2-0 Nottingham Forest, April 21

Ashley Young kicks Giovanni Reyna inside the box – no penalty. Young appears to handle a short cross into the box – no penalty. Early in the second half, Callum Hudson-Odoi tumbles under his challenge – no penalty. 

Everton claim three valuable points and Forest post the message on X that brings the Premier League briefly to a standstill.