Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche is facing potential disciplinary action from the Football Association after launching a furious tirade against referee Rob Jones following his side's narrow 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Saturday.
Dyche's Explosive Post-Match Rant
The Forest boss was incensed that a late winner from City's Rayan Cherki was allowed to stand, claiming a clear foul on Morgan Gibbs-White by Nico O'Reilly in the build-up was missed. Dyche, who has now lost 18 of his 20 managerial meetings with Pep Guardiola, did not hold back in his assessment of the officiating team's performance.
'Everyone can see it, there's plenty of people here, there's TV cameras here - everyone can see their performance today,' Dyche fumed. 'Miles off it. It's unacceptable in my opinion, because it affects the game massively.'
He elaborated on the decisive moment, stating: 'The goal: Morgan Gibbs-White, he's pushed to the floor. And then the same player tries to get up to block it, and it goes through his body because he can't get in position to block it.'
History with the Official and Gamesmanship Claims
Dyche also accused Manchester City of cynical gamesmanship, though he mistakenly identified Ruben Dias as the culprit for an incident actually involving Josko Gvardiol. 'When I was a player, if you kicked the ball away you got booked. He (Gvardiol) does it, then falls on the floor injured, apparently. Nothing happens. I just find it bizarre. These are easy things to referee,' he said.
This is not the first time Forest have had a major issue with referee Rob Jones. The club lodged an official complaint against him two years ago after he sent off defender Willy Boly in a previous match.
Despite being a supporter of the Video Assistant Referee system, Dyche was baffled by its application. 'It was such an easy game to referee, in my opinion, such an easy decision for VAR. I can't work out where football is with that sometimes,' he admitted, adding he was 'scratching my head' after reviewing the footage.
Guardiola Hails Champion Mentality
In contrast, victorious Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola focused on his team's resilience in securing a vital three points that sent them top of the Premier League. He highlighted the importance of grinding out results in difficult matches.
'We needed the right mentality,' Guardiola stated. 'In this type of game it's more important how you suffer, how you defend, accept you're not good and can be better. Be in the game. Otherwise there is no chance. Last season that game is lost 10 times out of 10.'
He concluded by emphasising the significance of the win: 'I know the memory can be weak but when we won (any) of the six leagues this type of game helps a lot. It's three points but a massive three points.'
The FA is now likely to review Dyche's comments, which strongly imply bias or incompetence, leaving the Forest manager in hot water and awaiting a possible charge.
