MadAmster

We went  back 3 at the weekend as we didn't have a fit "back 4" RB available with Nyambe away at AFCON. Neither Ward nor Wilson is a proper right back, IMO. That meant we had to go back 3. If Smith was fit he'd have been at RB at the weekend. He's still not training with the squad so he's nowhere near ready to play. I think we will see a back 3 for the rest of this month until Nyambe is back. He will be straight back in as we look far more solid with a back 4 than a 3. 

The transfer window has been open 3 and a half days and we haven't signed anybody yet 😉
What are they playing at 🙂

Clowes, Pearce, Warne and the recruitment team OUT.

Thick finger typo, Tier 3 of course...

NML needs a rest. He was knackered against the Posh. He's had a good season thus far but against Posh he was ineffective going forward and failed to track his man on several occasions including in the lead up to their first goal. Hourihane needs a rest too. 

It most certainly does  work but it shouldn't be your only tactic and, at times, it has felt like it is our one and only. Mix it up. Play through the middle as well. Invert the wingers and have them cut inside as well. 
Basically, don't be predictable.

It most certainly does  work but it shouldn't be your only tactic and, at times, it has felt like it is our one and only. Mix it up. Play through the middle as well. Invert the wingers and have them cut inside as well. 
Basically, don't be predictable.

NML needs a rest. He was knackered against the Posh. He's had a good season thus far but against Posh he was ineffective going forward and failed to track his man on several occasions including in the lead up to their first goal. Hourihane needs a rest too. 

We saw last season how NML needs to be rested.  He now needs a proper break then a period of being used more sparingly. If Warne perseveres with him, he’ll disappoint or worse get injured  

It seems a lot of fans don't see what Bird does in a game. Let's have a look back at last season. We had a run of around 20 games unbeaten and Bird was focal in that run. Then he was out for a lot of games with injury and the unbeaten run ended and we fell away.
Back in the 70s a lot of fans had similar comments about the likes of McGovern and Durban. As with Bird, you only really appreciate what they do when they're not there.

It seems a lot of fans don't see what Bird does in a game. Let's have a look back at last season. We had a run of around 20 games unbeaten and Bird was focal in that run. Then he was out for a lot of games with injury and the unbeaten run ended and we fell away.
Back in the 70s a lot of fans had similar comments about the likes of McGovern and Durban. As with Bird, you only really appreciate what they do when they're not there.

... and doesn't track back with any enthusiasm. Great talent but has to stay on his feet and get stuck in when "his man" moves forward with the ball rather than let himself get outrun by the man in possession.

Thick finger typo, Tier 3 of course...

I thought he was a better footballer than his owd fella but much less of a physical presence. Take the best of Dad's game and add it to the best of young uns game and you've got yersen a footballer.
Having said that, if we do sign him (unlikely as the story was in the Daily Fail) he'd best get used to oppo fans chanting "your Dad wasn't very good and neither are you" or words to that effect 😉

When we signed him, the club was aware he's be absent during the 2 international breaks in the last 1/3 of 2023.
When he was offered an 18 month extension on his contract, PW and his staff knew, barring injury, he'd be off the represent Namibia at AFCON. Maybe they know something you don't. Maybe missing him for January is deemed by those whose opinion counts to be well worth what he can deliver over the next season and a half.
Maybe PW is happy as it will allow him to revert to his, apparently, preferred back 3.

... at least I was consistent in repeating the error 🙂

NML needs a rest. He was knackered against the Posh. He's had a good season thus far but against Posh he was ineffective going forward and failed to track his man on several occasions including in the lead up to their first goal. Hourihane needs a rest too. 

65 minutes. Memory playing tricks. Can I claim age as the cause  🙂 ? I got the time of his substitution wrong. 
BTW - you DID suggest such a thing

... and doesn't track back with any enthusiasm. Great talent but has to stay on his feet and get stuck in when "his man" moves forward with the ball rather than let himself get outrun by the man in possession.

It seems a lot of fans don't see what Bird does in a game. Let's have a look back at last season. We had a run of around 20 games unbeaten and Bird was focal in that run. Then he was out for a lot of games with injury and the unbeaten run ended and we fell away.
Back in the 70s a lot of fans had similar comments about the likes of McGovern and Durban. As with Bird, you only really appreciate what they do when they're not there.

RamsTV
1Wildsmith. 6.5 Deflection saw their 1st go in, 2nd was in the right place but that leaves his right hand post open, a player on the post would have seen it saved, 3rd saw Jones slightly quicker
 
24Nyambe. 6.5 battled well but all too often had 2 opponents to mark
 
35Nelson.  6.5. He and Cash contributed to their 3rd
 
6Cashin. 7 He and Nels contributed to their third 
 
3Forsyth. 6. Tough game against a good winger. His yellow and the knock to the knee saw him, rightfully subbed at HT
 
20Elder. 7. First time he's impressed me this season.
 
4Hourihane.  4. Too slow against a fast and mobile team plus a couple of very lame attempted passes
 
16Thompson. 6.5. Put himseld about to no avail
 
2Wilson.  7. Good 1st half, ran out of steam.
 
24Ward. 6. A better performance from him
 
11Méndez-Laing. 4. Did he beat his man at all? His failure to track his man saw that player provide the assist for their first. Half a dozen other occasions in the first half where he failed to track back where we got away with it.
 
19John-Jules. 6. One good shot on the turn. Failed to track back and looked sluggish being unable to catch the man with the ball when it's well known that you can run faster without it than you can with...
 
8Bird.  6.5 Trying to do the work of 2 with CH conspicuous by his absence.
 
9Collins. 7.5 MOTM typical Collo effort and 2 goals
 
7Barkhuizen  5. Lovely chipped cross for the first, pretty ineffective after that
 
17Sibley. 6.5 Very good defensively. Unable to make a telling impact going forward.

A "comedy" of errors. Starting with the starting XI, maybe? Some of our not so young players looked off the pace and pace was the catalyst in the game. They were quicker just about everywhere. Hourihane and NML being the 2 "worst" IMO with Nat taking the biscuit. He roasts full backs for fun, usually, but I don't think he did his man a single time before his HT substitution. He totally forgot about tracking back too. On half a dozen occasions I was shouting at the screen for him to track his man. The first time led to their first goal, his "man" providing the assist. A totally preventable goal. No surprise that CH and NML were off at HT and Foz was on a yellow and had had a knock to his knee so probably wise to sub him off too.

Their 2nd saw our defence fail to follow the movement of an opponent and he nodded home, totally unmarked. I know I'm old fashioned when it comes to things like strikers hunting in pairs. I also remain old school when it comes to defending corners. A man at the post would have prevented their equaliser.

Their 3rd? How often have we seen us fail to properly clear the ball and pay the price? Nels and Cash got in each other's way, ball only partially cleared, came back in, Jones was stood in an offside position, one of our defenders got his head to it and it fell to Jones who poked it between JWs legs... because our player had purposely made contact with the ball, Jones was no longer deemed offside, in perfect accordance with the current offside Law.

All too often, as has happened quite a lot this season, they had players allowed to make 40 or more yards without a challenge. Get into 'em I say.

The better side on the day won. We get back up, dust ourselves down and we start over again.

A "comedy" of errors. Starting with the starting XI, maybe? Some of our not so young players looked off the pace and pace was the catalyst in the game. They were quicker just about everywhere. Hourihane and NML being the 2 "worst" IMO with Nat taking the biscuit. He roasts full backs for fun, usually, but I don't think he did his man a single time before his HT substitution. He totally forgot about tracking back too. On half a dozen occasions I was shouting at the screen for him to track his man. The first time led to their first goal, his "man" providing the assist. A totally preventable goal. No surprise that CH and NML were off at HT and Foz was on a yellow and had had a knock to his knee so probably wise to sub him off too.

Their 2nd saw our defence fail to follow the movement of an opponent and he nodded home, totally unmarked. I know I'm old fashioned when it comes to things like strikers hunting in pairs. I also remain old school when it comes to defending corners. A man at the post would have prevented their equaliser.

Their 3rd? How often have we seen us fail to properly clear the ball and pay the price? Nels and Cash got in each other's way, ball only partially cleared, came back in, Jones was stood in an offside position, one of our defenders got his head to it and it fell to Jones who poked it between JWs legs... because our player had purposely made contact with the ball, Jones was no longer deemed offside, in perfect accordance with the current offside Law.

All too often, as has happened quite a lot this season, they had players allowed to make 40 or more yards without a challenge. Get into 'em I say.

The better side on the day won. We get back up, dust ourselves down and we start over again.

He was twice the player Hourihane was yesterday.

The darts theme, duh duh duh etc ending with We're Derby. Let's have the crowd do that without any "background" music or prompting from Matt.