How do Nottingham Forest view their four-point deduction for PSR ...

Nottingham Forest find themselves in the Premier League’s bottom three this morning after they were given a four-point deduction for breaching profit and sustainability rules (PSR).

The decision has prompted much discussion in the English game, but how has it been received at the City Ground, as the club fights to secure a third consecutive season of top-flight football?

What is the mood at the club?

Like everyone else, nobody at Forest really knew what to expect when it came to their punishment for PSR.

Knowing the verdict would arrive yesterday (Monday), the club had prepared themselves for numerous potential outcomes — and had more or less decided what their response would be to most eventualities.

In Forest’s eyes, a deduction of two to three points would have been an acceptable outcome. It was felt getting docked four points was the level at which they would consider an appeal, and that is now expected to happen. Anything more significant would have led the club to consider further options — up to and including potential legal action.

But while there is a recognition that things might have been worse, the general mood is still one of frustration. The fact the punishment is sufficient to drop Forest into the relegation places will have heightened the sense of disappointment.

As their strongly worded statement underlined, there was also a degree of surprise at the tone of the submissions from the Premier League to the independent panel which decided Forest’s fate. Forest say it has affected the “trust and confidence” they have in the Premier League, which had suggested giving them an eight-point punishment in its own submissions.

It is not just the points deduction that has left Forest dismayed: it is what they perceive to have been a failure to recognise their circumstances as a club who arrived in the Premier League without the benefit of parachute payments (money given to clubs recently relegated from the top flight to help bridge the gap when between divisions) in the previous seasons. There is a sense the system works against those trying to establish a foothold among the elite after winning promotion.

Beyond the PSR situation, Forest believe they have been harshly treated in relation to a string of decisions by match officials, which only fuels the sense they have been dealt a tough hand this season.

Among some staff, there is a mood of relief that the situation is at least now clear — with nine league games to go, Forest know what they are facing.

But Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, who was in London on Monday, is particularly frustrated by the combination of events. The club hierarchy previously decided not to make any kind of public statement about their mood as they looked to maintain their dignified stance.

Now they might question if that has worked in their favour.

Do Forest believe this punishment is justified?

Well, no. Forest decided from day one that they would do everything they could to cooperate with the Premier League during this process, which began in January when they were officially charged.

While Everton enlisted the help of local MPs and other public figures to support their claims they were being harshly treated when faced with similar charges, Forest intentionally opted for a different path. They consciously decided not to make any public statements voicing their displeasure or claiming any kind of harsh treatment. Their only real message was that they would do everything they could to assist with any investigation.

That has paid off on one level, with the report following the hearing noting their “exceptional cooperation”. And two points were removed to reach the eventual six-point punishment for “mitigating circumstances”.

But with the club having kept the Premier League informed of their potential breach throughout the summer — and specifically of their intention to sell forward Brennan Johnson, which would have got them the right side of the line when it came to allowable losses — there was a hope the punishment would have been lighter.

Forest, as a newly promoted club, had allowable losses of £61million ($77.6m at the current rate) over three years, which is less than the £105m loss allowed for established Premier League sides.

They ultimately breached that by £34.5million, which is a significant sum — but also one that was comfortably covered by the £47.5m they received from Tottenham Hotspur when Johnson was eventually transferred on September 1. They had informed the Premier League of their intention to sell Johnson later in the summer window throughout.

Forest were also keen to demonstrate their intent to work within the guidelines moving forward with their activity in the most recent winter transfer window, selling Gustavo Scarpa to Atletico Mineiro in Brazil for €5m (£4.3m, $5.4m) and securing a €10m loan fee for Orel Mangala — as well as a future transfer fee of €15m — from France’s Lyon.

The club expect to fall well within the allowable losses for the financial year ending in June — they have worked well within the PSR guidelines this season.

There is a feeling this has not all been taken into account, particularly the situation with Johnson.

Are they happy with how the process was handled?

Forest are satisfied that a verdict has been reached swiftly and the process concluded within the same season in which they were initially charged. But one of the most telling sections of their statement was its final paragraph.

“We believe that the high levels of cooperation the club has shown during this process, and which are confirmed and recorded in the commission’s decision, were not reciprocated by the Premier League,” they say.

Having gone out of their way to do everything by the book, there is a sense at Forest that their stance throughout the process — which was praised by the commission — has not been sufficiently rewarded.

In terms of how the club were informed of the news, the verdict was initially sent to the legal teams of Forest and the Premier League on Monday morning (in their case, Nick De Marco KC) for them to agree they were happy with the wording. They were not allowed to share details of the outcome until that had been done.

Once that was agreed, the verdict was disseminated to their senior staff: Marinakis, the chairman Tom Cartledge and the club’s director of communications Wendy Taylor. A time was then agreed for the Premier League to announce the verdict: 2pm UK (10am ET).

What frame of mind will the players be in for the Crystal Palace game now?

Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has worked hard to shield the players from the situation; he and his coaching staff have attempted to make the training ground a closed shop.

There will naturally be extra pressure on the shoulders of his players now that they have been dragged into the relegation zone.

But three of the next four games are at home — Crystal Palace on Saturday, Fulham and, after a trip to Tottenham Hotspur, Wolverhampton Wanderers — while their final three away fixtures after that Spurs match are against three of their relegation rivals in Everton, Sheffield United and Burnley.

So Forest still have a clear path to Premier League survival.

Nuno’s message to his players throughout this whole process has been to focus only on what they can control and can change themselves. He will double down on that message before Forest return to action after this international break.

“We have spoken about it, but it is not something we talk about very often,” full-back Harry Toffolo told The Athletic recently. “We are here to focus on our football. Our job is, as a team, to win games. We would do that regardless of what is happening off the pitch. That mentality will not change, no matter what.

“Ultimately, it is not something we can impact, not something we can influence. All we can do is work hard every day to make sure we win as many games as possible.”

Forest have won only one of their past nine league games.

They can point to the significant impact of poor refereeing decisions on defeats against Newcastle United, Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion over the past month but their own failures when defending set pieces have also played a part — costing them again in the 1-1 draw with Luton Town, when they conceded their 19th set-piece goal of the campaign in the 89th minute to see three points turn into one.

Players were in for a short rehab and recovery session on Monday, albeit many of the squad are now away on international duty.

What do the fans think?

Many Forest supporters have voiced their frustration with the system and with the lack of clarity within it.

There is also widespread frustration that, while Manchester City have been facing 115 separate charges relating to financial regulations for over a year now, Everton and Forest have been punished this season for PSR breaches. The allegations facing Premier League, European and world champions City are different and entirely more complex but with PSR charges also looming for Chelsea and Championship promotion candidates Leicester City, the situation does at least appear somewhat chaotic.

“Any points deduction is tough to take, especially at this point in the season where every game feels like a cup final,” says one Forest fan, Mikey Clarke. “However, it feels as if we’ve got off lightly.

“They’d probably never admit it, but uncertainty must have been playing a huge part in the players’ mindset. It certainly has been with fans like me. Finally, we know the lay of the land and where that ultimately leaves us — in the bottom three — but it feels far from terminal at this point.

“We have the bottom two to play and three home games against teams with nothing to play for. It is in our hands — and could have been much worse.”

(Top photo: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)