Gabby'sThighs

I can't see how you would possibly know that I have an unhealthy addiction to Championship Manager 01/02, but here we are.... If my 10,000 hours of hard virtual graft have taught me one thing, it's that you should probably sub your most tired player at 60 minutes, regardless of the score. And sign Taribo West on a free. In all seriousness though, Elder and JJ have played very little this season, and I was definitely shouting at the telly to use the bench, particularly when Burton double-subbed at 62 mins. Not to change formation or whatever, just to freshen things up and keep Burton thinking. We have a strong bench so why wait so late to use it? But we won the game, so what do I know?

According to this article, Charlie Savage gets a £2,000 p/w pay increase after 15 starts, and he's currently on 14. That may explain why he's stuck on the bench: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/jan/15/reading-dai-yongge-showing-clear-disregard-for-his-obligations-says-efl

I hear you, but watch the goal again. Cashin was next to him covering the central runner, Elder was running back at LB, and Kane Wilson was closing in on Seddon at speed, so I wouldn't say he was a stranded last man. If he'd stepped out earlier, he could have forced Seddon to shoot from further out or knock the ball out wide. I'm not saying it was a terrible decision, just that a different player (Bradley, for example) would probably get slagged off for it. Seddon's shot was basically perfect though, so maybe I'm arguing pointlessly!

Exactly. I thought Elder was okay overall, he put that lovely cross in, but the mistake was awful. He's rusty, and it's unfortunate that his slip directly led to a goal. It also goes to show that, for all we slag off the standard of League One, a fraction-of-a-second brain fart like Elder's can be ruthlessly punished. Interestingly, I haven't seen Nelson get any flak for the first goal, when he sat off Seddon and allowed him to shoot. I think this is because Nelson has been consistently very good all season he gets leeway (I think I'm right in saying he's played every minute of every game so far...), whereas Elder has been injured and struggled to get going. We need Elder to get match-fit and have to accept some wobbles. It's frustrating to see the same old niggly complaints on here when we should be excited about being 1 point off top!

I think the whole street heard my yell when the third goal went in.... Good first half, crap most of the second. When Burton equalised, I thought it was all over, didn't see a comeback. Cracking header from Collo, cool finish from Hourihane, and Barks had one of his good games. That Hugill boy has an oddly long neck, like a giraffe. Earlier subs would have been nice, Thompson's energy helped but why wait until 80+ minutes? - I can't have been the only one shouting at the telly for a change off the bench. They have to make heavy weather of it but a win's a win!

Judging by the stats above, he's very good in the air, wins the ball a lot and actually touches the ball in the opposing area. So maybe quite similar to Collins but I assume he'd be a backup #9. Collins can't play every minute of the remaining 21 league matches, and there maybe times where he needs a partner. Smith scored 16 from 39 in League One last season, so it seems like he knows how to score at this level. 7-8 goals would be a great return, it's more than Brown is likely to get, and who knows when Washington will be match-fit. A loan until June seems a pretty safe, if unexciting, deal!

I know very game is vital but Portsmouth have really opened up a golden opportunity for the rest of the top 8 to stay in touch. I thought top spot was long gone.... We have to win one game at a time. Now, just for Peterborough to hit a rough patch too 🤞

Dammit. You could say he's sent Derby to Coventry.............. please laugh

Obviously though, it's just the EFL Trophy. If they smash Burton on Monday, I won't think about this game again!

Fozzy still looks good to me, worth 1 more year, even if he's on the bench more. Elder has looked okay in the last few games now that he's fit. He put in some good blocks last night, but he did play an awful backpass to Vickers at one point. Wait until the end of the season. Fornah could be really effective at DM if he sticks to the basics - press, win the ball, pass. He did too much fannying around with the ball last night, when he just needed to play it quickly. Loach is GK coach & 3rd choice so I don't see the harm in him staying. Collins depends on promotion - it's been great to see him step up this season, but I just can't see him doing anything in the Championship. Cashin will go if a Prem team comes in for him, Bird will leave if we miss promotion. Bradley needs firing into the sun, proverbially. His confidence is non-existent, when he successfully plays a 10-yard pass, he looks sort of relieved. He's so slow, and surprisingly crap in the air for a big unit. He got bailed out by Thommo after stepping out into no man's land and l=eaving a huge space behind him. Interesting that you forgot Korey Smith! He just needs to go now. And Ward - Nyambe is a better FB, Wilson is a better WB. Probably worth keeping as he can at leat cross and take set pieces. I'd echo the main gripe I've seen on the thread - I wish we'd used this cup to get some young 'uns involved. Brown, Weston, Robinson, Bartley, Fapetu. There'd be no shame in losing 1-0 to Bradford with 5 or 6 youths in the matchday squad.

Well-deserved win for Bradford. We were utter crap.

Just caught up with the Peterborough game. I'm interested to see how they deal with the captain Kioso heading back to Rotherham and Clarke-Harris going wherever. Badly, I hope. Posh were very good overall, quick in attack, moved the ball really well. And it's impressive how many decent young players they have. Harrison Burrows & Josh Knight looked good and are out-of-contract this summer - both worth a shout 👀 Kyprianou should have had a second yellow for the handball, it was deliberate punch away, the ref bottled it. Anyway, a draw would've been fair. We didn't test their goalie enough or close the game out.

True. I just had a quick scan and saw they had a win and two draws from the last five. I'm now shocked to discover they have Matt Derbyshire (37) in their squad! Fairplay, I thought injuries had done for him a long time ago.

😯 You win.

You make some good points, he ticks a lot of boxes for the kind of player we should be signing. I guess there is concern about getting involved in a bidding war and making him a top earner. He will have resale value but that really depends on a Championship club wanting to pay for him, L1 clubs don't pay transfer fees these days. CBT looks good though, and I assume signing him would mean Barkhuizen leaving and cutting his wage. I like Barks, and he's done a job, but he's inconsistent, over 30, and most of the time looks like he's just woken up in the back of his own car.

Oh man. Carl Leaburn was in the Charlton team at my FIRST EVER Derby game at the BBG in 1994, and now his son Miles pops up in a highlights reel. Somehow I am now old.

Surely this isn't a priority game for Bradford either. Their form isn't great but they're only 8 points off a playoff place. I'd like to see Weston, Brown, or Robinson get a chance. Roll on Wembley!

Great news! My favourite player to watch, and one of the most important attackers we have. He'd still do a job in the Championship. Now for Bird, Wildsmith, Thompson, and Sibley, please...but wait until the end of the season on Forsyth, Barks, and Collins.

I would absolutely love the chance to watch Derby in a final at Wembley, I don't really care about the competition! We have a big squad now and have enough players to rotate. The only downside is potential injuries, obviously.

Exactly. Wildsmith has been off it in his last 2 games but has been consistently good since early last season. All goalies make errors or give away a penalty at some point. Worth reminding some folk that we currently have the joint-second tightest defence in the league - how anyone can think we particularly need to improve on Joe is beyond me!

I don't get all this chat about Cashin's pace. He does okay over short distances - which is where it counts - but his positioning, anticipation, and tackling ability are what make him a good defender. Some of the best CBs - Maldini, Vidic, Terry - weren't especially quick. On a slight tangent, when the likes of Harry Maguire get criticised for being slow, it's more that he often doesn't anticipate where the ball will be, is facing the wrong way, and gets dragged into poor positions. Cashin doesn't do that. I'd love him to stay but totally understand if he left. He has the potential to be a PL player and that's unlikely to happen at Derby...

Useful stats provided above. Seems like a good option in the DM slot. I like the fact he's 23, has some Championship experience, and holds the record for Ireland U21 caps. Potential resale value. Korey Smith will be gone this summer (God willing) so he could be a steelier, tackle-ier, younger upgrade. His contract expires this summer so would we get him on a free? This article from Sept 2023 confirmed he would be let go. https://www.hammers.news/transfer-news/west-ham-united-futures-of-conor-coventry-and-ben-johnson-have-been-decided/ Also, an interesting entry from his Wiki page: "He was called up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad for the first time in March 2021, replacing the injured Conor Hourihane in the squad for the World Cup Qualification matches against Serbia and Luxembourg and a friendly against Qatar, although did not make an appearance."

As soon as Thompson scored it felt like they'd get a third, just the way they ran to get the ball and back to the centre circle! The smallest guy on the pitch scoring a header.... Amazing resilience, great options from the bench. I'm tempted to put some money on an automatic spot, although optimism feels scary after the last few seasons!

Nelson or Mendez-Laing. Curtis has certainly been more solid and consistent but NML is so fun to watch.

I was only watching on Rams TV but I fell asleep during the first half. Hourihane's goal woke me up. Then I was fine!