Nottingham Forest were beaten by Braga in the Europa League to all but guarantee two extra matches to reach the round of 16.
Forest didn’t need extra games with a demanding Premier League campaign that still needs rescuing, and the Reds are in 17th place in the Premier League.
Once again, Sean Dyche let a number of his fringe players have a run out and yet again it proved a disaster, with Ryan Yates one of the culpable parties.
Sum up that Nottingham Forest performance in three words…
Let us know in the comments….
In fairness, Yates has come back from injury and was always going to take time to settle, but this was a disastrous performance that highlighted why he’s not really been the first choice for the last 12 months.
He scored the own goal that gave Braga the victory, with his defensive positioning once again abysmally bad, which saw him remarkably turn through his own goal.
If his defending for the own goal was bad enough, his post-match interview was a whole different level of deludedness.
- READ MORE: Nottingham Forest player ratings vs Braga
Ryan Yates’ interview is an insult to supporters
For a club captain, the mandatory requirement is that you front up and speak when thousands of fans have booed you off the pitch for the nature of your performance.
From the off, during Yates’ interview with TNT Sports, the captain had a smile on his face and was giggling throughout the conversation.
Okay, it might have been a nervous act, but if that level of performance doesn’t act as a sobering reminder of just how much trouble the team are in, then perhaps he isn’t the right club captain.
Yates was first asked about the 54 seconds between Morgan Gibbs-White missing a penalty and the midfielder putting through his own goal.
The 28-year-old was in the mood to make light of it, saying: “54 seconds? Is that what it was, oh right”, came the response, all whilst laughing and smirking.
If that was bad enough, what he said towards the end of the interview was just laughable beyond belief, with the player expressing the opinion that he thinks Forest have progressed under Dyche.
Ahead of the weekend, he said: “We need to reset. I think we’ve progressed a lot under Dyche.”
After the giggling had ceased, Yates did concede that he had to do better. He finished with: “When you get handed an opportunity, and you don’t take it, you get punished. I have to hold my hands up, I should have done better.”
Yates has to bounce back from this
Nobody can deny Yates’ commitment to the cause. However, this interview is an insult to the fans who went out there and this wasn’t a moment to make light of the situation.
He also added that he didn’t think Forest were terrible on the night. That in itself is a complete joke, given that the travelling supporters had to get the players motivated to pass forwards at one point.
Who was the WORST Nottingham Forest player vs Braga
Unleash your frustration in the comments below!
Yates said everything that the media manual dictates you need to say, and frankly, fans will see right through that with some of his comments.
Own goals happen, just as missed penalties do, but this interview will go down as one of the strangest in modern times.
Yates is now left to ponder when he will next get on the pitch and when he does, it’s fair to say he owes the fans a performance.
Receive a digest of our best Nottingham Forest content each week direct to your mailbox
