Nottingham Forest's Lingard & Colback had trouble reading manager's tactics note vs Newcastle

Jesse Lingard couldn’t inspire Nottingham Forest to a winning start in their Premier League opener against Newcastle.

Newcastle humbled Forest on their return to the top flight with a comprehensive 2-0 victory in front of a packed out St. James’ Park, with Eddie Howe’s side dominating proceedings and looking seriously sharp.

Forest, meanwhile, struggled to get a foothold in the game and despite brighter moments and instances of resilient defending, failed to truly threaten Newcastle for any sustained period of the game.

Steve Cooper’s side returned to the Premier League via the play-offs, but the Welsh manager has had to oversee a complete squad overhaul through the summer, welcoming 12 new signings so far.

A trip away to Newcastle on the opening weekend of the season was always going to prove tough, and a long campaign means Forest have plenty of time to gel and get it right.

However, the loss was a comprehensive one with Eddie Howe’s side creating chance after chance, despite needing two special, second half goals from Fabian Schar and Callum Wilson to break through Dean Henderson in goal.

It was clear that Forest needed to tweak something to try and get themselves back into the contest after falling behind to Schar’s stunning opener. Cooper noticed that and sent a note onto the field, as is the norm in football these days.

Notes, scribbled down on a ripped up piece of paper, will often make their way around relevant players on the field and instruct some kind of tactical change, usually with substitutes being introduced. Clearly, Cooper had spotted what he thought was a way to get Forest into the game through Jack Colback and Jesse Lingard, and had prepared a note of instructions for the pair.

However, a clip has