Former Premier League goalkeeper Tim Howard has revealed he recently spoke to Nottingham Forest’s Matt Turner.
It’s been a turbulent past few weeks for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side having been demoted down into the bottom three of the Premier League.
That came as a result of their four point deduction due to their financial breaches last year.
Forest were able to seal a point against Palace which proved enough to take them out of the drop zone after Luton Town’s loss against Tottenham Hotspur.
What Matt Turner told Tim Howard
The points deduction may not have come as a surprise to those at the City Ground having seen what happened to Everton earlier in the season.
However, it is apparent the news has left some of the players concerned with it becoming the talk of the dressing room.
Losing four points pushed Forest back and it seems the idea of just putting it to the back of their minds may be easier said than done.
Speaking on NBC Sport, the former Everton goalkeeper revealed the details of his recent phone call with the Forest shot stopper.
The American said: “I spoke to Matt Turner this week by phone and I said, ‘is it as simple as tying your points and getting across the line and training?’ He said, ‘we try to do that, but, ultimately, when we get back in the changing room the lads talk. We are wondering about what’s happening with the club and the points deduction’.”
What Nuno did after finding out about the points deduction
Turner’s admission is not the only insight Forest fans have been provided over how the points deduction was felt at the City Ground.
It has been a difficult season for Forest as they battle it out at the wrong end of the table.
And it is fair to say they have had a lot of controversial refereeing decisions go against them over the course of the campaign.
But this points deduction will have been a real sucker punch amid their ongoing frustration with the officials.
Speaking ahead of the game against Crystal Palace, Nuno admitted he did not take the news very well as he revealed his furious reaction.
He said: “I think I punched something that was near to me. Of course I was disappointed. But that lasted for a couple of minutes, because [I knew] immediately we need to bounce back from that moment and work harder.”
But what is done is now done and Forest have no other option but to battle it out on the pitch.
It may not have been all three points against Oliver Glasner’s men on Saturday, but it was better than nothing.
And it proved enough to take them out of the bottom three with results elsewhere going in their favour.
However, there is still an awful lot of football to be played and climbing out the bottom three can not be over celebrated.
The post 'I spoke to Matt Turner': Tim Howard shares what the Forest players are saying about the points deduction appeared first on Nottingham Forest News.