Liverpool and Andoni Iraola were furious after a delay in a triple substitution during their draw with Nottingham Forest
Andoni Iraola, manager of Liverpool
Andoni Iraola, manager of Liverpool(Image: Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)
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Liverpool have been told why the substitute’s board are ‘not fit for purpose’ after the controversy that has surrounded their draw with Nottingham Forest. The Reds were forced to settle for a point in a 2-2 stalemate at Anfield on Saturday, in what was Andoni Iraola’s first home competitive fixture on Merseyside.
There was controversy in the second half when there was a delay in Liverpool being allowed to make a triple substitution, where Iraola wanted Ryan Gravenberch, Rio Ngumoha and Kostas Tsimikas to enter the game.
During the delay, Forest were awarded a penalty, which led to Iraola being furious on the touchline expressed his frustration after the final whistle.
Amid the controversy, former Premier League referee Graham Scott has given a brutal verdict, providing insight into the process behind using the substitute’s board
“The subs boards are not fit for purpose. Each number has to be entered manually, and they only count up one at a time,” Scott wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Entering number 38 on its own could take several seconds and there are six numbers to plug in here.
“Also, the sponsors’ advertising makes them heavy and unwieldy, which is why the 4th has them on the ground.
“In UEFA comps the clubs have to enter the numbers themselves, which means they can get the subs done quicker. The Premier League only did this during Covid.
“The fourth official would have had to check and double check the names and numbers of all six players involved in the substitutions against the official team sheet in case the club has made an error, which happens frequently enough to make such checks necessary.”
Another former Premier League referee, Dermot Gallagher, also explained why he has sympathy for Iraola following the Liverpool manager’s frustrations around the substitute board delay.
“I feel sorry for [Andoni] Iraola, he feels aggrieved about it,” Gallagher said on Sky Sports Ref Watch on Monday.
“But don't forget, the members of staff put the numbers in the board originally. The boards are retained by the clubs. It's the club's board - it's not the referee who brings it on the day.
“The moment he's given the board may be the first time the referee has noticed something is wrong with the board.
“If the board couldn't go to the No 38, that might have been the first time he ever knew. It was the club official who put the number in.
“If the board doesn't work - and you know it doesn't work - then you have to default back to what happened my day.”
Speaking after the game, Iraola expressed his frustration by saying: “I don’t have an explanation. I wanted to make those subs about three minutes before.
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“I think there were three or four times the ball has gone out and I still don’t know the reason why we haven’t made the subs.
“He was definitely having some problems with the board or something. It (play) definitely would have stopped because I wanted to sub, but it didn’t happen.
“There was a quick throw-in because we were waiting for the sub. I asked for the subs and I complained the previous time the ball went out and even the supporters were shouting.
"Everyone was aware of the situation, but I don’t know the reason why they haven’t done it. For the penalty, I leave you to decide if it was a penalty or not.”