On the long list of shockingly bad referees, there’s one name that stands head and shoulders above all others from a Forest perspective and it’s that of no friend of ours, Mr. Kevin Friend.
Mr. Friend from not so sunny Leicestershire, gets the gig for the game at the City Ground today between Forest and Portsmouth. In his 18 games so far this season, he’s dished out 63 yellow cards and 5 red. Last time he took charge of a game involving the Reds’, it was the 2-1 defeat at Barnsley last year.
It was back in the darkest of our League 1 days when Mr. Friend became public enemy number one for Forest fans, after the humiliating 5-0 thumping at Oldham on New Years Day 2007. Although we were deservedly pasted on the day, it was also thanks in no small part down to the display and 12th man performance of Mr. Friend. He sent off 2 Forest players that day and whilst the red card for Danny Cullip was more than deserved, he sent off Sammy Clingan for having the brass neck to win a header in the middle of the park. He can also claim an assist in the game for one of the Latics goals, thanks to the sweetest of through balls he played to put an Oldham player clean through on goal. The ball may have bounced off him in reality, but my memory is of a defence splitting pass.
I had originally gone for a 3-1 home win in this game, but may have to re think that with news of this appointment. He will hopefully be assisted on the lines by Mr. B. Pollock and Mr. P. Thompson. The 4th official is Mr. M. Haywood.
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