Nottingham Forest have taken aim at Stuart Attwell this week, and it’s fair to say that Steve Cooper probably saw it coming.
The Reds complained that Attwell, who served as the VAR for Forest’s match against Everton, failed to award three penalties.
Forest issued a statement following their 2-0 defeat to the Toffees, wondering if Luton supporter Attwell should have been in the game.
Alan Shearer criticized the club’s stance, and UEFA stated yesterday that Attwell will represent England on VAR at Euro 2024.
It’s fair to say that the club has had previous disagreements with Attwell, and Cooper bore the brunt of his catalogue of failures throughout his tenure as manager.
What Steve Cooper said about Stuart Attwell while he was at Forest.
Let’s go back to the penultimate game of the 2021/22 season, when Forest faced Bournemouth in the Championship.
The Reds knew that a win would put them second heading into the last day of the season, with a spot in the Premier League at risk.
Cooper’s side lost 1-0 and had to settle for the play-offs, but things could – and perhaps should – have gone differently.
Forest had a goal disallowed, which replays showed was improper, and after the game, Cooper chastised Attwell.
He stated, “When the referee asked to see me, apologized, and raised his hands, it didn’t make it any better.
“I think he’s tried to soften me up, to be honest, because he knows he and the linesman have made a huge error.”
Attwell faced a succession of errors at the expense of Forest.
Simply put, Attwell has been a terrible referee in games involving Forest.
Earlier this season, he officiated Forest’s match against Manchester United, sending off Joe Worrall and awarding Marcus Rashford an extremely soft penalty.
If we go back in time, Attwell famously had a totally horrible performance during a Forest and Derby match when everything pretty much went wrong.
These statements from Cooper are highly curious, and it remains unclear why Forest keeps getting an official who always seems to make a mistake to Forest’s detriment.
Surely, after missing three decisive penalties on Sunday, Forest have seen the last of Attwell in their games.
