Former Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis McGugan has urged fans to avoid snap judgements on players after Joe Worrall's early season form was dissected over the weekend.
Worrall was criticised for his performance in the 1-1 draw at Everton having also found Allan Saint-Maximin a tough opponent in the opening day defeat to Newcastle United. Speaking on the latest Garibaldi Red podcast, McGugan said the central defender is in the early stages of a steep learning curve after stepping up to the Premier League for the first time.
"It's typical of football and the bubble it is. We seem to write off players overnight. Everyone coming up from last season, it's a new challenge," he said. "Everyone is learning on the job. That has to happen early on. Sometimes you make mistakes and get punished, especially early on. That's the reality.
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"In terms of the negatives towards Joe, I think it's unreal to start that so soon. If you look at the players he's up against, just look at yesterday and the damage they cause against top teams (highlighting Saint-Maximin's performance vs Manchester City).
"As a formation that Steve Cooper plays, it's an area that can get targeted. Sometimes in the Championship the same thing happens and you don't get punished. You forget what happens, but in the Premier League you can be in trouble.
"The main thing is relax, enjoy the ride and don't be too quick with the negative inputs. Go into every game positive because that's what we have - a positive environment and culture in the team, club and fanbase. We shouldn't do anything to derail that, especially this early on."
Forest took the lead in the final 10 minutes at Goodison Park through Brennan Johnson before being pegged back by Demarai Gray's 88th minute goal when the visitors switched off defensively. Nonetheless, McGugan believes Forest should focus on the positive aspects of the result.
"The biggest thing is to keep that positive environment. The start we've had and with the money spent, this was a dream 12 months ago. There will be lows where we drop points but if you keep the positive and passionate outlook in social media, players will see it. It does help," he said.
"When they look from the outside they'll see what fans are trying to do. If I could use this platform to say keep the positivity and come the end of the season it will be worthwhile."
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