It was a case of “accept but not approve” for Sabri Lamouchi this weekend - a familiar feeling for the Nottingham Forest head coach.
Joe Worrall had a goal chalked off inside the first 15 minutes of Saturday’s 0-0 draw with QPR at the City Ground, after the ball rolled in the wind when Joe Lolley went to strike the corner from which he had scored.
It was a training ground routine which almost paid off.
But there have been several times of late when Lamouchi feels the Reds have been on the rough end of decisions in games.
That 2-2 draw at West Bromwich Albion, when he argued the opposition should have been reduced to 10 men and the visitors should have had a penalty for a handball offence, is still fresh in the memory.
“In this position, for the corner, it changed nothing - either for their goalkeeper or their defenders,” Lamouchi said of Worrall’s disallowed goal.
“Of course it was one more time a wrong decision against us, but what can I say? We just have to accept it and try to find a solution.
“From the beginning I have talked about the small details - this kind of detail.
“It was a fantastic goal, which we had worked on. Joe Worrall did exactly the same as two days before in a training session.
“I was happy with my assistant coach Bruno (Baltazar), because it was exactly what he had asked of the players.
“But the ball moved, just some millimetres, not more than that.
“With VAR, I can understand. Without VAR, I cannot understand.
“We just have to accept the decision.
“Agree? Of course not, because it can change a lot of things.
“With that goal at that time, it would be absolutely a different situation and a different game.
“It was like in the game before (at West Brom), after a few minutes Jake Livermore gave a bad kick to Yuri Ribeiro. For me, it was a red card. But at the time it wasn’t even a yellow card.
“It can change the game.
“I can start to talk about other situations against Nottingham Forest - not one, but more, like a clear penalty.
“But what can I say? Just that I don’t agree and I don’t approve the decisions.
“I can accept the situation, but I cannot agree (with it), because in the end it can change a lot.”
He added: “I don’t think it was voluntary that (the officials) wanted to do something against Nottingham Forest.
“When it is finished, it is finished. I don’t like to find an excuse. This is the wrong excuse, but it is the details.
“Some games, details are really important, like in this one.
“We just have to be patient, calm and prepare for the next one as best we can. We can’t do anything else.
“You just have to try to be positive. It is not easy, but I must try to do it.”
Lamouchi feels Saturday could still prove to be a valuable point come the end of the season as his team head to Cardiff City sat fifth in the Championship table.
He has just reiterated the need for the Reds to take their chances, following three games without a win.
“About the result, of course I am a little bit frustrated because at the end of February, after 34 games when players are a little bit tired, we need to be a killer in the box,” he said.
“If you have one or two chances, you need to score.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t score and we didn’t find the right way, but we played against a good team with good organisation.
“But the performance from my players was very positive. We just missed a goal.
“And without a goal, it is difficult.
“I said to the players, ‘sometimes, when you cannot win the game, try to not lose the game’.
“One point here and one point there; at the end, those points can be important. Very important.”
