It's not Ryan Yates' fault.
It's not Ryan Yates' fault that Nottingham Forest can't win. It's not his fault they look a shadow of the team which was so good for most of last season (don't mention the last few weeks).
It's not his fault that Martin O'Neill was a big fan and it's not his fault that Sabri Lamouchi seems to be too.
One thing that Yates can be blamed for was missing a chance he should have scored in the second half against Cardiff City, as Forest lost 2-0..
Before that game, anyone would think Lamouchi had picked an absolute no-hoper, judging the reaction on social media.
Get daily Nottingham Forest headlines straight to your inbox for free. Sign up for our newsletter here.
Forest have had some terrible central midfielders over the years. Danny Sonner, Gary Holt, Thomas Lam - they were all pretty rubbish in Garibaldi red.
Fans even used to say that John McGovern was useless - and he lifted the two European Cups which are emblazoned on the club's shirts to this day.
Still some fans didn't rate him. That seems to be the Forest way with some players.
Supporters can love a player and at times they can loathe him. At the moment too many seem to loathe a player who loves the club in Yates.
Ben Osborn got the same treatment from a minority, as did Danny Fox, when it came to some fans being absolutely convinced they were out of their depth.
So what is Yates' crime? Is it that he can't beat three men and play a killer through ball?
Or he can't ping it 60 yards cross field onto to the winger's toes? True, he can't really, but he does his job for the team.
He is a grafter, a disruptive influence and he has the air of a leader in a team which looks to be lacking leadership and belief.
Forest were abject in the first half against Cardiff - just awful, but they improved after the break and Yates played a part in that.
How many passes were misplaced? None of note. Yet he was always willing to take the ball on and his passes were positive, not square or backwards.
He wasn't brilliant, but he was pretty good. He is not the best midfielder in the Championship, in fact, he is not the best midfielder at Forest.
If Samba Sow were 100 percent fit he would not be in the side. That will probably be the case when Fouad Bachirou gets up to speed and arguably when Tiago Silva returns from injury.
But he is worth his place now and doing his job a damn sight better than some of those around him.
He seems tarnished by the fact O'Neill was a fan and rumours this week say that is also the case with Neil Warnock at Middlesbrough and Gary Rowett at Millwall.
None of those managers are favourites of Forest fans, but all three love a player with character and grit. Besides, at the age of 22, he will only get better.
Judging by the way Forest played in the first half against Cardiff, those attributes are still very much needed by Sabri Lamouchi.
