BondJovi

The next three fixtures are tough. Would be perfectly possible to be on 9 games 6 points. 
The best 11 available to Rooney is better than what we had at this point last season. None of the signings we made, maybe except Marshall, had a pre season with us. Lawrence, Waghorn weren't fit to play until game 5 onwards.
Cocu also had to deal with the fact that his job was under immense pressure fairly early on, whether deliberate or not, Rooney and the stories surrounding him were undermining Cocu. 
As for the youngsters last season, Bird found it tough the whole time. Sibley was injured after game 3 and never got another proper go. Buchanan and Knight were the best two players under Cocu. Their form dropped as the season went on. Knight was overplayed.
Rooney is having to deal with a lot. But right now, he has one of the safest jobs in football. The only way he goes is if he walks. The only pressure on him, is from himself.
I see a lot of similarities to last season's start. We are capable of playing good football. But we are also capable of pointing a loaded gun at our feet all too frequently. We lack a goalscorer that would make all the difference.
The main problem last season was not the manager. Just like it isn't now. For 3 seasons we haven't been in a situation which would allow a manager to flourish.
 

He wanted to! Might have needed to save that money to try again in January. 
You seriously still believe he chose not to sign a striker?

Roos is a genius. Take the point and never speak of this match again.
 

Getting flashbacks to the Wycombe game last season...

The next three fixtures are tough. Would be perfectly possible to be on 9 games 6 points. 
The best 11 available to Rooney is better than what we had at this point last season. None of the signings we made, maybe except Marshall, had a pre season with us. Lawrence, Waghorn weren't fit to play until game 5 onwards.
Cocu also had to deal with the fact that his job was under immense pressure fairly early on, whether deliberate or not, Rooney and the stories surrounding him were undermining Cocu. 
As for the youngsters last season, Bird found it tough the whole time. Sibley was injured after game 3 and never got another proper go. Buchanan and Knight were the best two players under Cocu. Their form dropped as the season went on. Knight was overplayed.
Rooney is having to deal with a lot. But right now, he has one of the safest jobs in football. The only way he goes is if he walks. The only pressure on him, is from himself.
I see a lot of similarities to last season's start. We are capable of playing good football. But we are also capable of pointing a loaded gun at our feet all too frequently. We lack a goalscorer that would make all the difference.
The main problem last season was not the manager. Just like it isn't now. For 3 seasons we haven't been in a situation which would allow a manager to flourish.
 

The next three fixtures are tough. Would be perfectly possible to be on 9 games 6 points. 
The best 11 available to Rooney is better than what we had at this point last season. None of the signings we made, maybe except Marshall, had a pre season with us. Lawrence, Waghorn weren't fit to play until game 5 onwards.
Cocu also had to deal with the fact that his job was under immense pressure fairly early on, whether deliberate or not, Rooney and the stories surrounding him were undermining Cocu. 
As for the youngsters last season, Bird found it tough the whole time. Sibley was injured after game 3 and never got another proper go. Buchanan and Knight were the best two players under Cocu. Their form dropped as the season went on. Knight was overplayed.
Rooney is having to deal with a lot. But right now, he has one of the safest jobs in football. The only way he goes is if he walks. The only pressure on him, is from himself.
I see a lot of similarities to last season's start. We are capable of playing good football. But we are also capable of pointing a loaded gun at our feet all too frequently. We lack a goalscorer that would make all the difference.
The main problem last season was not the manager. Just like it isn't now. For 3 seasons we haven't been in a situation which would allow a manager to flourish.
 

Only spent a couple of mins on it, but there must be loads more if I really wanted to waste my time!
Case closed M’lud!

He was a vital cog in two spells. The unbeaten run under Mac2. And the late form that got us to Wembley under Lampard.
He also had a knack of making things happen. Not always for the best though.

He was a vital cog in two spells. The unbeaten run under Mac2. And the late form that got us to Wembley under Lampard.
He also had a knack of making things happen. Not always for the best though.

I think the last two matches have really shown our problems. We are basically just trying a new version of what we tried at the start of last season. At times it looks good but you never feel there is someone who will get the goals and ultimately we undo our own work. The last two matches could have been lifted straight from this time last season and our strongest 11 now is better. 
Leaving the full back areas exposed with two veteran cbs is asking for trouble.

I think the last two matches have really shown our problems. We are basically just trying a new version of what we tried at the start of last season. At times it looks good but you never feel there is someone who will get the goals and ultimately we undo our own work. The last two matches could have been lifted straight from this time last season and our strongest 11 now is better. 
Leaving the full back areas exposed with two veteran cbs is asking for trouble.

Team in played in v Blackburn March 2020.
Hamer, Bogle, Wisdom, Clarke, Forsyth, Bird,Shinnie, Waghorn, Sibley, Knight, Martin.
Effectively a free role behind Martin.
 

I think the last two matches have really shown our problems. We are basically just trying a new version of what we tried at the start of last season. At times it looks good but you never feel there is someone who will get the goals and ultimately we undo our own work. The last two matches could have been lifted straight from this time last season and our strongest 11 now is better. 
Leaving the full back areas exposed with two veteran cbs is asking for trouble.

I think the last two matches have really shown our problems. We are basically just trying a new version of what we tried at the start of last season. At times it looks good but you never feel there is someone who will get the goals and ultimately we undo our own work. The last two matches could have been lifted straight from this time last season and our strongest 11 now is better. 
Leaving the full back areas exposed with two veteran cbs is asking for trouble.

I think the last two matches have really shown our problems. We are basically just trying a new version of what we tried at the start of last season. At times it looks good but you never feel there is someone who will get the goals and ultimately we undo our own work. The last two matches could have been lifted straight from this time last season and our strongest 11 now is better. 
Leaving the full back areas exposed with two veteran cbs is asking for trouble.

Agreed. Did us a favour(maybe) not sending Lawrence off also. Either the kick out or elbow...

Hiring Phillip Cocu who has an excellent record of bringing through and developing youth was exactly what we needed given our situation.
The biggest error was immediately undermining him by bringing in Wayne Rooney as a platform for him to go into management.
Mel did it to raise the profile of the club so he could sell it. It has backfired spectacularly.
 

Maybe it is karma for the 4-0 last season when everything that could, went our way.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/03/iron-maiden-senjutsu-review

Senjutsu - absolute quality Maiden. Released today ?

We were only ever realistically going to be able to sign "mates" of our management team. 
For most of these players signed this season, this is one last hurrah. But equally a real good chance to play a lot of matches. Maybe they hope when the take over happens their contract suddenly goes up. Maybe they just want to play.
We have so far got a team that is better equipped than this time last season. What did us over last season early on was not taking the chances when on top and then poor mistakes. Davies and Jagielka is an excellent pairing for most of what we may face in this league.
My main concern now is that a lot of these players haven't played a full season in a while. Yet I don't see the need for 8 new faces. 4 maybe. Too many bodies and that may damage the team spirit that is starting to show.

Cocu got a pretty average Derby team to tenth during his first season in charge despite everything that went against him. Sibley, Bird and Knight all performed far better under him.
His transfer targets such as Dursun, Panzo and Moore had brilliant seasons last year.
Cocu was a slow burner. But he improved players and could spot potential transfer targets to move us forward. His time at PSV proved with the right pieces in place, he could succeed.
But he was undermined by Wayne Rooney's arrival while restricted from making any signings due to the circumstances caused by Mel Morris. Bizarre you would give up on him after the Charlton away game, which was about 10 game into his first season, working with an average squad. What were you expecting? Bielsa-ball?
There were signs after that we were on the right track. Like the back-to-back wins over Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn, the latter a crushing 3-0 win where Wayne Rooney didn't even play.
Post lockdown, we still had momentum and Louie Sibley was being talked about as a potential superstar. But by that point, Rooney's fitness was so dire we were starting games with ten players.
Cocu's job come the second season was impossible. We were obliged to play Rooney who was awful, while we started the season without a recognised striker due to an embargo and the Martin fiasco.
The subsequent improvement in form after Cocu's exit was down to Rooney retiring and Krystian Bielik coming back. Not only were we playing with 11 men again, but we had arguably the best midfielder in the league absolutely running it for us. 

Plenty of them right now!

Plenty of them right now!

Do we set up to score goals or to not concede goals? The Euros saw Gareth Southgate pick 8 or 9 defensive players every game and it worked for a while but couldn't get him over the line, with an incredible array of attacking talent on his bench. Rooney has far fewer options but a very similar mindset.
Asked in today's Radio Derby interview why Louie Sibley doesn't start Rooney effectively said he doesn't trust him defensively. Sibbo is to Rooney what Jack Grealish is to Southgate. Rooney said he didn't play Sibbo specifically because his number one priority was not to fall behind in the match.
Here's the interview https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p09pv3hb with the best version of the interview at 46:30.
Derby's problem is not scoring goals. Louie Sibley is the biggest goal threat our team has. Aston Villa built their team around Grealish until selling him for £100m. If Derby are going to survive (and maybe thrive) this season we need to build our team around Sibbo, not give him a cameo in which to try to make the difference. How best to do this?
I have long argued that the 4-2-3-1 does not work for us and we should be playing 4-3-3 (set up as 4-1-2-3). With the players available at the moment we should have Shinnie shielding the defence and then we can have Morrison and Sibley as the two more forward midfielders, which gives a forward line of Kazim-Richards central and Jozwiak and Thomas wide. So much more threatening than what we have at the moment.
With a team desperate for goals, having your 5 most dangerous attacking players in the line-up seems a no brainer. Rooney needs to learn to trust Sibley, and I am certain that trust would be rewarded.