Let’s talk about squad depth. Let’s talk about spending £200M to improve the squad over the summer, and still finding yourself travelling out to Austria with six kids on the bench.
Whoops.
I know there’s a bit more going on behind the scenes - plus injuries which we didn’t suffer from last season - but still.
Having said that, it was a reasonably strong starting eleven, showing that if needed, we can still put out a half decent team.
5:45pm KO’s are WEIRD. I was hungry and thirsty, but this was no time to eat or BOOZE. The game - the dodgy modern interweb stream - needed by full attention.
I liked the Graz all black kits. With Forest playing in the off colour white, this game had the look of a game of chess.
It wasn’t really played out that way though.
Forest clearly wanted the checkmate within the first fifteen minutes. It was a very strong start, but with no obvious openings.
It still feels odd to be starting an away game in Europe as favourites. I use to get the heebeegeebees for Blackburn away not too long ago.
D***y who?
Kalimuendo looked strong. The end product might have been missing tonight, but he does give us other options compared to Wood, Jesus and Taiwo.
I was longing for a Yates goal on the European stage. He seems to have put the Swansea shitshow behind him.
Never write the Forest Captain off. I make that seven consecutive Head Coaches who have all felt the same.
Number one is Ryan Yates, Number two is Ryan Yates…
The Gaffer looked proud to be wearing the Forest badge on the touchline in Europe. Even with our BONKERS start to the season, not many managers in the history of the club can get to feel this way.
John looked dodgy in goal. It was an experiment that we just about got away with. Premier League strikers won’t be as forgiving as the Graz forward line.
Neco was unplayable. I’m going early and calling him Player of the Season.
MGW meanwhile should be nowhere near the next England squad. That’s harsh, but he looks like he needs some headspace. It was a poor, poor pen.
And yep - Yates was deffo fowled for the follow up.
The second half was all a little meh. Forest had run out of ideas, and Graz wanted to play for the point.
Dominguez was lively, and deserves a PL start; possibly McAtee as well if he’s not injured after tonight. I’m not sure where you would slot him into the PL starting eleven though.
The game drifted for the final thirty minutes or so. As ever, subs for both teams got in the way and clogged up the flow of the game.
It was an incredibly frustrating watch. My highlight of the half was when the cameras zoomed on the Generation Chaos banner in the home end. It looked cool as fuck with the custom Crass font.
And so a point away from home in Europe. BC would have taken that. The PL is more pressing.
DIRTY, DIRTY Leeds, etc.
I felt the Forest fans. It’s long way to travel away from home, and not to see any goals.
A quick look at some of the other Europa League scores, and OH MY DAYS.
Bloody Midget Land.
If we are to progress in the knock out phase of this competition, then I fear that we will have to face them once again.