Nottingham Forest legend calls four-point deduction 'particularly harsh' and reveals club staff 'feel wronged'

Stan Collymore has described Nottingham Forest's points deduction as “harsh” and “extremely unfair”.

Forest have been deducted four points. for breaching the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) since promotion to the Premier League in 2022.

In that time, they spent £250m signing 45 players, while only earning £5m in transfers.

As a result of their four-point deduction, Forest fall into the relegation zone after falling below Luton in 18th position.

Everton were deducted ten points at the start of the season, later reduced to six on appealleaving them four points ahead of Forest in 16th place.

speaking in Hawksbee and JacobsCollymore said it is “unfair” that clubs like Forest and Everton are being punished while Manchester United are in a mountain of debt, while both Man City and Chelsea have yet to be punished despite multiple charges.

“Firstly, it will be appealed,” the former Forest and Liverpool striker said. “I was at Forest the other week and I spoke to people behind the scenes at the club and they feel very wronged.

“The general consensus felt by Nottingham Forest and Everton is that they cooperated with the Premier League at all points and that the punishments have been particularly harsh.

“From Forest's perspective, particularly from the chairman down, was that they would also have to play a bit of real politics and take off their Premier League cap and accept the punishment so they can concentrate on the remaining eight or nine games left and being able to stay awake.

“Being able to stay up with the four points will be a worthwhile exercise and a lesson learned, but if they go down, it won't be like that.”

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And he added: “From my perspective and I am taking off my rose-colored glasses, we have to look at things in the grand context of 1992.

“There was an arbitrary line drawn in English football in the Premier League and the Champions League where, if you were among those big clubs, you had all the riches that came to you and very few punitive measures that stopped you from spending.

“We have a ridiculous situation where Everton Football Club, one of the founding members of the Premier League, got a ten-point deduction but was reduced to six for £20m overspending, but Manchester United are in debt. three-quarters of a billion pounds. – That seems tremendously unfair to me.

“What you have added is that clubs like Manchester City say they are going to spend, spend, spend and bend the rules to make sure they get to the top.

“I have every sympathy for Everton, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and the clubs that are pushing and breaking the rules, but I also have sympathy because English football needs to find some mechanism where clubs don't put themselves in a crazy position where They go into debt, drop out of the top flight and before you know it, they're in League One and people are saying, “Why hasn't anyone stepped in to save them?”

“I can see all sides, but the current mechanism for tackling overspending is flawed.

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“Many people will ask about Everton's ten-point deduction and why haven't Manchester City's 115 charges been resolved?

“But focusing on Nottingham Forest, they are attractive but will be happy with four points because they are still in a position to be able to compete and stay in the Premier League this season.”