Ryan Yates divides opinion among the Nottingham Forest fan base. On Saturday, supporters were left drooling at his performance, with the 23-year-old arguably the best player on the pitch.
Forest defeated Blackpool 2-1 at the City Ground. Interestingly, it was a midfield that came under fire during Chris Hughton’s time at the club that proved the catalyst.
Yates paired with Jack Colback was a recipe for disaster under the old regime. Under Steve Cooper, it’s as tasty as a gourmet meal from a Michelin star restaurant!
The youngster has certainly improved under Cooper’s guidance. Despite starting every game this season, Yates did struggle in some of the early games. Like many players, however, the shackles now seem to have come off.
The academy graduate has now made 94 appearances for the Reds. He could raise his bat next month and that does represent a sound achievement at such a young age.
For Yates, the next step is consistency. Under Cooper, he’s largely been good and now he must continue producing the goods on a regular basis at the City Ground.
Yates has also captained the side on occasions this season and clearly, he’s a leader among men in the dressing room.
What have Forest fans said about Yates?
There’s a lot of mud thrown around when it comes to Yates and the ‘told you so’ mentality is bordering on cringe sometimes. Ultimately, fans want the best for Forest and with Yates playing well, the team are winning games.
That hasn’t always been the case though and fans were right earlier in the season to voice their displeasure at how he was playing.
On Saturday, however, the fan base seemed united in agreement. Yates was arguably Forest’s best performer and he deserved undoubted credit.
Supporters took to Twitter to rave about Yates at the weekend and here is what they had to say in the aftermath of the 2-1 victory.
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