Nuno Espirito Santo reveals he furiously lashed out after being told about Nottingham Forest points deduction
NUNO Espirito Santo admitted he “punched something” when he was told Nottingham Forest had been given a four-point deduction.
Forest slid into the relegation zone last week after the penalty issued for breaking financial rules last season – the ruling left them in 18th place on 21 points, one from safety.
The club have since said they are appealing the decision.
Nuno insists that Forest will NOT be relegated – despite the setback.
But the Portuguese coach said he could not hide his frustration when he was told Forest had been docked four points.
He said: “I think I punched something that was near to me, I was disappointed.
“But that only lasted for a couple of minutes because immediately I knew we had to bounce back from this.
“Now it’s more a case of reality – we realise it’s a tough, difficult situation.
“We have to stick together and go for it – you don’t need anything else.
“But we have the ambition to stay in the Premier League and that’s huge.”
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Asked if he was confident that Forest could stay up this season, Nuno emphasised: “Yes, of course.
“Because of the way we work and play, the togetherness and commitment of the players.
“I see this every day, that’s why I’m so confident.”
Forest now have two key home games in four days against Crystal Palace and Fulham.
Nuno was expecting some form of points penalty.
He added: ”We all were, it was just the final decision – four points? Five? We didn’t know.
“Now we know.
“Who am I to say whether it’s fair or unfair?
“Reality shows we have 21 points and now we are in the relegation zone. That’s clear.
“What do we have to do now? Work harder. That’s enough of words, let’s go to action.”
Nuno would not discuss the club’s appeal and added: “That’s another thing, we can’t control.”
The Forest boss also responded to the FA handing first-team coach Steven Reid an extended two-match touchline ban and a £5,000 fine for misconduct after Forest’s defeat by Liverpool at the City Ground earlier this month.
Reid gave referee Paul Tierney a foul-mouthed volley of abuse at the final whistle.
It was found he had used an expletive phrase towards the ref on more than three occasions.
Forest were also fined £75,000 for their part in the incident.
Nuno said: “It was a very difficult moment for everyone inside the City Ground, it was very emotional and hard to control your thoughts and feelings because it was unfair.
“Steven’s one of us and feels really deeply sorry – he has apologised to everyone. He’s a very very nice person of huge importance to us.
“We all are aware we have to control our emotions but it’s hard sometimes.”