Nottingham Forest v Burnley, 2023-08-30

I went last night and inflicted that turd of a match on the kids as well.

Nothing positive can be said about it at all. The stand out player by a country mile was Yates. No matter what he looks committed and full of effort.

The new Argentinian World Cup winner hardly touched the ball.

We looked more to threatening after SSC made the substitutions but also that’s when we conceded the goal.

Last time I went to the WFCG was the crap Newcastle match last season and now this. Clearly I am the problem.

And no, Jonno didn’t do a goodbye lap either as far as I could tell

Sat in the Clough stand with my family last night instead of in my usual main stand seat. Atmosphere was awful, not helped by the late arrivals of many (like Bobbins) which I imagine was caused by issues with scanning digital tickets, plus the attendance of lots of people who didn’t seem to know where the fuck they were supposed to be going or how to sing. I thought Mrs Charlie was going to be chucked out at one point for arguing with a steward who told her to sit down. She explained that she would if he got his fat head out of her line of vision. Cue lots of staring and pointing.

Anyway, the game itself was poor with, I think, no shots on target apart from the goal and a fine save from Turner when Burnley really should have scored a second. Santos off the pace and doesn’t look ready, Montiel ok and Aguilera was bright. Of the regulars, only Yates stood out. We need to move on quickly from this. Expect a decent performance at Chelsea.

Neither side was great, but you could see what Burnley's plan is, albeit you can also see how vulnerable they are to a press and why they concede goals to good teams. We didn't look like we had a plan so didn't threaten much eve when they made mistakes. They had the goal, the save by Turner that should have been a second and two more that went very close, we had a header from Yates. We are going to have to learn to cope with some possession and being able to play patient football and dominate a game at some point.

More positively, beer was good at the Nav, pork cob was good near the ground and three generations at a game was good and doesn't happen often these days.

The idiot next to me couldn’t find his way out the main stand to go to the toilet and sang the full words of Mull of Kintyre rather than City Ground. He also thought he was hilarious to shout LINO all the time. I left early.

Took my three eldest (one on her birthday), in the Main Stand, above the tunnel, right behind a fcukin pillar (in 2023 ffs).
Poor overall. Yates good, Boly and Niakhate good, Kouyate good, but the team looked very imbalanced with Serge caught between playing RB and RCB, not helped by the change in formation (3-5-2, rather than 3-4-1-2), which left gaping holes between the midfield and front two (which is why MGW made more of an impact in his first five minutes than anyone in the 70 minutes beforehand).
Montiel and Santos anonymous, but Christina impressed in his 10-minute cameo at the end.
Wood anonymous (I get playing him in a two, as he struggles on his own, but there was no understanding with Elanga at all, so what little service he got was wasted)
Really disappointed by Elanga. Apart from one good run in the second half, (which ended in a poor cross), I thought he was really poor. He just conceded possession time and time again with poor decision making, running down blind alleys, terrible crosses. I'd much prefer CHO TBH, but Brennan over both.

Thought the balance of the team at the start was all wrong. To play Kouyate and Yates as number 8s with Elanga and Wood up front just meant the ball never got to them. No wonder we improved significantly once MGW came on. Does make you worry about what happens if he's out for a while - unless one of the new players (or Aguilera, who did ok when he came on) can move the ball forwards, we would miss Scarpa, whatever Cooper thinks about his physicality. Also seems odd to put Niakhate in the middle of the back 3, when the player to his left (Boly) and the LWB are both right-footed.

Montiel and Santos were ok but not involved much, although the latter perked up after the subs were made and he realised he had some people in front to pass to. Turner is a worry - kicking is mediocre (long and short) and he seems constantly on edge (although I'll accept that's his way) - haven't seen the save back but it looked fortunate.

Crowd was pretty flat - to be expected with that performance and the number of part-timers and kids in. Bloke behind me spent the game loudly demonstrating his ignorance and with his knees where I wanted my back to be.

Slightly surprised that people went to this match with any kind of expectation of a) a decent team being fielded, b) maximum effort being exerted by players, and c) an entertaining match.
Have you not noticed how premier league teams deal with the early cup rounds? Have you not learnt that fielding experimental 'B' teams doesn't really impact what actually occurs in the ones that count (see also; pre-season friendlies panic)?

I'm quite pleased Burnley go through to waste more energy and run the risk of injuring more players. Hopefully they'll get as far as we did last season before it comes crashing down for them too.

I realise it's a much maligned theory but the last 2 seasons cup runs have supported our successful seasons, rather than hindered.

Well we dropped off a cliff after getting walloped in the semis last season so not sure about that

Yet when he has come on in the league matches so far, he has made a real difference. Almost as though playing in a scratch, disjointed team might not all be his fault.

SSC sounded suitably pissed off afterwards, so I expect a reaction.

Potatoes potartoes

How did they make 6 subs last night, did I miss something?

One of them must have been a concussion sub. SSC mentioned an “unfortunate” Burnley injury during his interview, without going into details

Think the guy stretchered off was a head injury so a concussion sub.