Mark Clattenburg has now revealed what he told Nottingham Forest after Paul Tierney made a costly error against Liverpool in March.
Forest were on the verge of a valuable point against Liverpool when Tierney stepped in.
With only a few minutes remaining, Tierney should have returned the ball to Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Instead, he handed the ball back to Forest-affiliated goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, and Darwin Nunez scored a late winner.
Clattenburg has now revealed what he told Forest in the aftermath of the City Ground incident.
What Mark Clattenburg told Nottingham Forest after the Liverpool incident.
It’s fair to say that this one created quite a fuss – and rightfully so.
Tierney was not held accountable for his error of judgement, and as a result, Forest remained in grave relegation trouble.
Clattenburg has now revealed what he told Forest in the aftermath, and he has never shown a desire to speak with Tierney directly.
He told the Ben Heath Podcast: “After the drop ball incident, I advised Forest to keep the ball in the future.
“So that when the referee looks around for the ball, you know where it is.
“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.”
The media damaged the Clattenburg experiment.
If teams can hire coaches and experts to handle dietary requirements, set pieces, and even throw-ins, why is it frowned upon for them to learn more about refereeing?
Sky Sports and other media outlets were critical of Forest’s decision to hire Clattenburg, although it was not a major issue.
The Reds merely sought to get a competitive advantage and better understand why some decisions were made against them.
Forest, particularly in this case against Liverpool, may believe they can do something different if it happens again, and Clattenburg’s suggestion could be valuable.
We find it difficult to disagree with Clattenburg when he says he does not believe additional clubs will try this.
The media clearly did not like the idea, and it would be interesting to watch how they would react if a larger club than Forest opted to try it in the future.
Forest has already parted ways with Clattenburg from his advising role, and it’s unfortunate that the connection couldn’t last longer.
