There are fewer acts of condemnation than an early substitution.
Inside the first half? You better prepare for an earful.
The substitute getting subbed? Shocker.
Then there's getting hooked at the break – slightly more palatable in today's post-Covid era of five substitutions but us fans struggle to adjust.
It's still sometimes seen as a total indictment of a player's performance. But in Frank Lampard and Nathan Patterson's case, it could be some strategic tough love.
Patterson was thrown in for his Everton debut on Thursday following nearly two months of waiting after Rafa Benitez signed him from Rangers for eight figures.
The FA Cup clash against Boreham Wood perhaps wasn't quite the grand stage he'd have anticipated his first run out in his new blue uniform.
But it came to an end after 45 minutes and Lampard explained the switch, with striker Richarlison replacing him and Celtic flop Jonjoe Kenny slotting in at right wing-back.
Lampard told club media: "It wasn't necessarily a slam on Nathan Patterson, it's not a nice on a debut; I thought he did ok.
"But from the way we were playing with our wing-backs I wanted him to break that line and he wasn't, it allowed them to sit back, so the formation change helped us."
The good news for Scotland cap Patterson? He's not the first player to get that treatment from Lampard.
In fact, someone who was previously on the receiving end wound up scoring the winner in the Champions League Final.
The likes of Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech all arriving in one window seemed to transform Chelsea into title contenders in summer 2020 but as the Premier League campaign got up and running they were well short against champions Liverpool.
Havertz was only a match and a half into his playing only his second game for Chelsea last season when he was the man sacrificed after Andreas Christensen was sent off.
Fans were apoplectic as they couldn't fathom why the big money Bayer Leverkusen arrival had been seemingly played out of position as a striker and then subbed while Jorginho remained on the park.
It mirrored the confusion many Everton fans felt as Patterson seemed to be enjoying a good game before he was taken off on his debut.
Lampard would show faith in Havertz despite that early sub. He played in every league game from that point until Lampard's sacking, bar two missed through a positive Covid test.
He took a while to get going at Chelsea and even now his form ebbs and flows for a £70m signing but that winner against Manchester City in Porto remains priceless and it should be a reminder to Patterson that there's always a way back.
