duncanjwitham

A few random thoughts, having been to the game… 
Hourihane and McGoldrick look like proper, proper footballers. They should walk this league if we can keep them fit.  NML and Barkhuizen look like they’ll be useful but inconsistent, I think they’ll be frustrating, but will do enough to win a lot of games. Chester and Wildsmith both look good enough on the ball to play out from the back.  Roberts looks excellent - on that showing I’m more than happy for him to be our first choice left back all season.  Oduroh looks very raw - he was good going forward, but all over the place defensively. There’s definitely a player there, but I think he needs more time to develop.  Collins was very isolated at the start of the match, he barely touched the ball for half an hour. He started dropping deeper and getting more involved after that, but we probably need a careful think about how (and maybe when) we use him.  Bird just gets better and better. Both Stretton and Knight look like they’ve bulked up a bit over the summer.  There was a definite drop off in quality as subs came on and the experience levels in the team dropped, which is understandable of course, but it does highlight the lack of depth in places.
I think we definitely need a right back, a backup left back (presumably Fozzy) and another winger, and maybe a backup GK. But that aside, I’m pretty happy with how the squad is shaping up.

A few random thoughts, having been to the game… 
Hourihane and McGoldrick look like proper, proper footballers. They should walk this league if we can keep them fit.  NML and Barkhuizen look like they’ll be useful but inconsistent, I think they’ll be frustrating, but will do enough to win a lot of games. Chester and Wildsmith both look good enough on the ball to play out from the back.  Roberts looks excellent - on that showing I’m more than happy for him to be our first choice left back all season.  Oduroh looks very raw - he was good going forward, but all over the place defensively. There’s definitely a player there, but I think he needs more time to develop.  Collins was very isolated at the start of the match, he barely touched the ball for half an hour. He started dropping deeper and getting more involved after that, but we probably need a careful think about how (and maybe when) we use him.  Bird just gets better and better. Both Stretton and Knight look like they’ve bulked up a bit over the summer.  There was a definite drop off in quality as subs came on and the experience levels in the team dropped, which is understandable of course, but it does highlight the lack of depth in places.
I think we definitely need a right back, a backup left back (presumably Fozzy) and another winger, and maybe a backup GK. But that aside, I’m pretty happy with how the squad is shaping up.

A few random thoughts, having been to the game… 
Hourihane and McGoldrick look like proper, proper footballers. They should walk this league if we can keep them fit.  NML and Barkhuizen look like they’ll be useful but inconsistent, I think they’ll be frustrating, but will do enough to win a lot of games. Chester and Wildsmith both look good enough on the ball to play out from the back.  Roberts looks excellent - on that showing I’m more than happy for him to be our first choice left back all season.  Oduroh looks very raw - he was good going forward, but all over the place defensively. There’s definitely a player there, but I think he needs more time to develop.  Collins was very isolated at the start of the match, he barely touched the ball for half an hour. He started dropping deeper and getting more involved after that, but we probably need a careful think about how (and maybe when) we use him.  Bird just gets better and better. Both Stretton and Knight look like they’ve bulked up a bit over the summer.  There was a definite drop off in quality as subs came on and the experience levels in the team dropped, which is understandable of course, but it does highlight the lack of depth in places.
I think we definitely need a right back, a backup left back (presumably Fozzy) and another winger, and maybe a backup GK. But that aside, I’m pretty happy with how the squad is shaping up.

A few random thoughts, having been to the game… 
Hourihane and McGoldrick look like proper, proper footballers. They should walk this league if we can keep them fit.  NML and Barkhuizen look like they’ll be useful but inconsistent, I think they’ll be frustrating, but will do enough to win a lot of games. Chester and Wildsmith both look good enough on the ball to play out from the back.  Roberts looks excellent - on that showing I’m more than happy for him to be our first choice left back all season.  Oduroh looks very raw - he was good going forward, but all over the place defensively. There’s definitely a player there, but I think he needs more time to develop.  Collins was very isolated at the start of the match, he barely touched the ball for half an hour. He started dropping deeper and getting more involved after that, but we probably need a careful think about how (and maybe when) we use him.  Bird just gets better and better. Both Stretton and Knight look like they’ve bulked up a bit over the summer.  There was a definite drop off in quality as subs came on and the experience levels in the team dropped, which is understandable of course, but it does highlight the lack of depth in places.
I think we definitely need a right back, a backup left back (presumably Fozzy) and another winger, and maybe a backup GK. But that aside, I’m pretty happy with how the squad is shaping up.

A few random thoughts, having been to the game… 
Hourihane and McGoldrick look like proper, proper footballers. They should walk this league if we can keep them fit.  NML and Barkhuizen look like they’ll be useful but inconsistent, I think they’ll be frustrating, but will do enough to win a lot of games. Chester and Wildsmith both look good enough on the ball to play out from the back.  Roberts looks excellent - on that showing I’m more than happy for him to be our first choice left back all season.  Oduroh looks very raw - he was good going forward, but all over the place defensively. There’s definitely a player there, but I think he needs more time to develop.  Collins was very isolated at the start of the match, he barely touched the ball for half an hour. He started dropping deeper and getting more involved after that, but we probably need a careful think about how (and maybe when) we use him.  Bird just gets better and better. Both Stretton and Knight look like they’ve bulked up a bit over the summer.  There was a definite drop off in quality as subs came on and the experience levels in the team dropped, which is understandable of course, but it does highlight the lack of depth in places.
I think we definitely need a right back, a backup left back (presumably Fozzy) and another winger, and maybe a backup GK. But that aside, I’m pretty happy with how the squad is shaping up.

A few random thoughts, having been to the game… 
Hourihane and McGoldrick look like proper, proper footballers. They should walk this league if we can keep them fit.  NML and Barkhuizen look like they’ll be useful but inconsistent, I think they’ll be frustrating, but will do enough to win a lot of games. Chester and Wildsmith both look good enough on the ball to play out from the back.  Roberts looks excellent - on that showing I’m more than happy for him to be our first choice left back all season.  Oduroh looks very raw - he was good going forward, but all over the place defensively. There’s definitely a player there, but I think he needs more time to develop.  Collins was very isolated at the start of the match, he barely touched the ball for half an hour. He started dropping deeper and getting more involved after that, but we probably need a careful think about how (and maybe when) we use him.  Bird just gets better and better. Both Stretton and Knight look like they’ve bulked up a bit over the summer.  There was a definite drop off in quality as subs came on and the experience levels in the team dropped, which is understandable of course, but it does highlight the lack of depth in places.
I think we definitely need a right back, a backup left back (presumably Fozzy) and another winger, and maybe a backup GK. But that aside, I’m pretty happy with how the squad is shaping up.

He’s 20 years old, he started something like 15 consecutive games at Championship level last season and was mostly excellent.  If he isn’t ready to play week in, week out in League 1, then there’s no point him being here.  Obviously rotating for fitness, or if he has a dip in form and needs a rest, is fine etc.
 
The other side of it is next season - what happens if we play Davies and Chester all season and go up, and then they both leave or retire? We’re back to square one and have Cashin who’s sat on his backside for 12 months learning nothing.  Honestly, we’ll be in a much better position if we spend an extra season at this level, and go up with a load of youngsters established in the team, than go straight up and have half the team retire on the spot.

He’s 20 years old, he started something like 15 consecutive games at Championship level last season and was mostly excellent.  If he isn’t ready to play week in, week out in League 1, then there’s no point him being here.  Obviously rotating for fitness, or if he has a dip in form and needs a rest, is fine etc.
 
The other side of it is next season - what happens if we play Davies and Chester all season and go up, and then they both leave or retire? We’re back to square one and have Cashin who’s sat on his backside for 12 months learning nothing.  Honestly, we’ll be in a much better position if we spend an extra season at this level, and go up with a load of youngsters established in the team, than go straight up and have half the team retire on the spot.

He’s 20 years old, he started something like 15 consecutive games at Championship level last season and was mostly excellent.  If he isn’t ready to play week in, week out in League 1, then there’s no point him being here.  Obviously rotating for fitness, or if he has a dip in form and needs a rest, is fine etc.
 
The other side of it is next season - what happens if we play Davies and Chester all season and go up, and then they both leave or retire? We’re back to square one and have Cashin who’s sat on his backside for 12 months learning nothing.  Honestly, we’ll be in a much better position if we spend an extra season at this level, and go up with a load of youngsters established in the team, than go straight up and have half the team retire on the spot.

If Cashin doesn’t play basically every game he’s available for this season, we may as well give up and close the academy.  We’ll never get a better chance to bring youngsters on than this season - a complete rebuild, at a level below where we’re expected to be.  And Cashin has the shirt already, it’s not like he’s got to force his way into the team from nowhere.

If Cashin doesn’t play basically every game he’s available for this season, we may as well give up and close the academy.  We’ll never get a better chance to bring youngsters on than this season - a complete rebuild, at a level below where we’re expected to be.  And Cashin has the shirt already, it’s not like he’s got to force his way into the team from nowhere.

If Cashin doesn’t play basically every game he’s available for this season, we may as well give up and close the academy.  We’ll never get a better chance to bring youngsters on than this season - a complete rebuild, at a level below where we’re expected to be.  And Cashin has the shirt already, it’s not like he’s got to force his way into the team from nowhere.

If Cashin doesn’t play basically every game he’s available for this season, we may as well give up and close the academy.  We’ll never get a better chance to bring youngsters on than this season - a complete rebuild, at a level below where we’re expected to be.  And Cashin has the shirt already, it’s not like he’s got to force his way into the team from nowhere.

If Cashin doesn’t play basically every game he’s available for this season, we may as well give up and close the academy.  We’ll never get a better chance to bring youngsters on than this season - a complete rebuild, at a level below where we’re expected to be.  And Cashin has the shirt already, it’s not like he’s got to force his way into the team from nowhere.

He’s 20 years old, he started something like 15 consecutive games at Championship level last season and was mostly excellent.  If he isn’t ready to play week in, week out in League 1, then there’s no point him being here.  Obviously rotating for fitness, or if he has a dip in form and needs a rest, is fine etc.
 
The other side of it is next season - what happens if we play Davies and Chester all season and go up, and then they both leave or retire? We’re back to square one and have Cashin who’s sat on his backside for 12 months learning nothing.  Honestly, we’ll be in a much better position if we spend an extra season at this level, and go up with a load of youngsters established in the team, than go straight up and have half the team retire on the spot.

And the other thing..... What better way of learning the game than playing alongside a seasoned pro like Curtis?

He may be 20 years old, but this is the first time he's been at Derby where we've not been under crippling restrictions since before he was old enough to buy a beer. He missed half of last season purely because the EFL wouldn't let us register him. As soon as he could be registered, he was a pretty consistent figure for us in a side that gathered enough points to survive in the Championship pretty comfortably. I don't think his low number of games is an accurate reflection on just how good he is to be fair.

So, he shouldn't start for us because he doesn't have enough experience?
So how's he going to get experience?
Oh, loan him out?
What to a club in League One, say?
Well, hello.

He’s 20 years old, he started something like 15 consecutive games at Championship level last season and was mostly excellent.  If he isn’t ready to play week in, week out in League 1, then there’s no point him being here.  Obviously rotating for fitness, or if he has a dip in form and needs a rest, is fine etc.
 
The other side of it is next season - what happens if we play Davies and Chester all season and go up, and then they both leave or retire? We’re back to square one and have Cashin who’s sat on his backside for 12 months learning nothing.  Honestly, we’ll be in a much better position if we spend an extra season at this level, and go up with a load of youngsters established in the team, than go straight up and have half the team retire on the spot.

He’s 20 years old, he started something like 15 consecutive games at Championship level last season and was mostly excellent.  If he isn’t ready to play week in, week out in League 1, then there’s no point him being here.  Obviously rotating for fitness, or if he has a dip in form and needs a rest, is fine etc.
 
The other side of it is next season - what happens if we play Davies and Chester all season and go up, and then they both leave or retire? We’re back to square one and have Cashin who’s sat on his backside for 12 months learning nothing.  Honestly, we’ll be in a much better position if we spend an extra season at this level, and go up with a load of youngsters established in the team, than go straight up and have half the team retire on the spot.

If Cashin doesn’t play basically every game he’s available for this season, we may as well give up and close the academy.  We’ll never get a better chance to bring youngsters on than this season - a complete rebuild, at a level below where we’re expected to be.  And Cashin has the shirt already, it’s not like he’s got to force his way into the team from nowhere.

If Cashin doesn’t play basically every game he’s available for this season, we may as well give up and close the academy.  We’ll never get a better chance to bring youngsters on than this season - a complete rebuild, at a level below where we’re expected to be.  And Cashin has the shirt already, it’s not like he’s got to force his way into the team from nowhere.

If Cashin doesn’t play basically every game he’s available for this season, we may as well give up and close the academy.  We’ll never get a better chance to bring youngsters on than this season - a complete rebuild, at a level below where we’re expected to be.  And Cashin has the shirt already, it’s not like he’s got to force his way into the team from nowhere.

I think it depends more on the "how we get there" than the actual destination.  If we start off struggling to gel, but gradually get a style of play in place, and then go on a run but don't quite make it, then fine.  There's something to build on and we go again next year.  If in 6 months time we're still signing random players, switching formation every week, changing managers etc then I'm going to be worried. I want to see signs that we have a plan, an identity etc, from both the owner and the manager, and that we're going to follow through on that plan, even if it takes a while to get there.

You're really only arguing over semantics there, though.  I just reused your terms, when maybe emotional and rational are better ones. The emotional thing to do is to fire him because he used to work for Morris, the rational thing to do is evaluate Pearce on his merits (which looking in from the outside, with incomplete information to work from, we aren't in a position to do). 
Rationally, maybe Clowes look at Pearce and decides he made bad mistakes, and fires him after the transition to new owners is sorted.  Maybe he decides he worked competently within the confines he was given, and keeps him on.  Maybe they both part ways amicably or something.  But honestly, I'd be more worried if he was fired due to past associations, because that's the kind of thing Morris was guilty of.