Chris Hughton will pick a team this weekend that he feels can defeat Reading. Whatever he does, he has to refrain from selecting Gaetan Bong.
The Cameroonian performer was woefully out of sorts at Watford last week and his time on Trentside is edging towards that of the borrowed variety.
Bong replaced Yuri Ribeiro and was given a torrid time by Hornets winger Ismaila Sarr.
He was comfortably brushed off the ball in the build up to the goal which settled the game and however harsh, he simply isn’t at the required standard.
The experiment of allowing Bong to prove his worth has to stop.
With Forest boasting a relatively big squad there is currently no need for Hughton to continue selecting the ex-Brighton man.
At 32 his best days are behind him and Hughton has better options within his ranks.
After his awful debut against Charlton in February 2020, many anticipated Bong’s time on Trentside would be shortlived.
Hughton’s appointment offered reprieve though. As a player who knew of his quality a few years ago, he reintegrated him back into the fold.
Bong has enjoyed some decent performances. He was solid against Rotherham and also played pretty well in the 0-0 draw against Bournemouth.
His best showing came in the FA Cup against Cardiff. He set up Lyle Taylor for the winner and afterwards Hughton said he was ‘really pleased‘ with the left-back.
The 16-time international just has one too many mistakes in his locker and they often lead to goals being conceded.
Options
Yuri Ribeiro will hopefully return tomorrow.
He hasn’t been without fault this season. It’s fair to say, however, that he has enjoyed more good days than bad in a Forest shirt.
At 24, there is hope too that he will continue improving with the more games he plays.
After last week’s horror-show for Bong, Tyler Blackett must also be edging above him in the pecking order.
There’s a notion among some fans that Loic Mbe Soh might be capable of doing a job at full-back too, representing another option for Hughton.
Bong’s struggles last week highlight that he just isn’t up to standard anymore.
With the club looking over their shoulders at the drop zone once more, they can ill-afford too many more individual errors.
As a result, Hughton must sacrifice Bong tomorrow.
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