Sly

Top performance from the boys today under big pressure. Business end of the season, lots riding on every game. We followed up two back to back defeats with back to back 3-0 wins including dismantling a side in really good form and to be honest a place I thought we’d slip up at. Barnsley were certainties for autos according to some on here after beating us (you get promoted by beating your rivals after all!!), well not if you throw in a 5-1 home defeat to midtable Lincoln. Can you imagine what the meltdown would be on here if we did that. FWIW Barnsley are still well in it if they can bounce back. 
 
Think Warne has stumbled across the winning formula with this line up. Ward and Sibley have been outstanding so dangerous from Wing back, and the front three are a real threat. Then we actually look like we have a decent bench now.
Feel this could be a real defining moment today, this week can definitely be defining. Not if we don’t have a great week, we’ll still be in the mix if that happens but if we have a great week and win both matches, I’d be extremely confident in us getting over the line. 
But this is Derby, we’ll find a way to make things difficult and there will be plenty of twists and turns. But if we’ve found this level of performance at this stage of the season, and we can sustain it, then it’s extremely encouraging. 

Pinched from one of the Bristol forum moderators.
Derby were by far the best team we’ve seen at the Mem this season IMO. The scoreline flattered them and whilst they’re a league apart (and certainly will be next season) from us I don’t feel we did that badly today. We were beaten by a team who should have no place in League One next season.
 
…………………………seems fair comment!. 👍😁

 

A clinical second half performance, in control the whole match played some great football, from back to front we was excellent, team selection and tactics spot on, good to see Gayle score 2nd game on the run, he could be one hell of a signing, great 2nd goal, Mendez and Barks played really well together, in fact Barks was my man of the match, all 3 centre backs excellent, and Wards delivery into the box is excellent, 2 massive home games coming up now, can not wait. Once A Ram Always A Ram. 

Poor formation for an away day breakfast plate imho; sausage should be between the defensive beans and rotated to prevent the midfield scrambled egg being encumbered with defensive duties. Egg should be deployed further forward and ahead of the hash-browns, with the mushrooms out wide but given license to cut in and play as a number 10. Really don’t believe the combination of fried & scrambled eggs ever works; they’re just too similar. At least one of the slices of toast should’ve been given a starting position to give added structure to the team, supporting the bacon which appears somewhat isolated and awkwardly placed in the way of the hashbrowns. Bizarrely part of the beans seem to currently be deployed as a wing-back…I can’t see that working at all. I’m liking the look of the fresh orange on the bench but not sure it’s got enough in the tank to last the whole 90 minutes. Just don’t think that line-up is going to cut the mustard today. Really need the lad Brown on there too, just to spice it up a bit. 

I have and will always want the best for my club, it’s the county I love and it will always have my loyalty but now I want it for the Clowes family, to repay their efforts and sacrifices. 

What he did to save our club and what he’s continuing to do, I will always be immensely grateful for. 
It’ll be a long road back for us but we’re in the safest of hands.

Looking forward to the trip. It was at this match last year that I found myself sitting next to B4 for the first time, although I was too shy to tell him I knew who he was! Ultimately it was because of him that I started posting after years of reading, as I wanted to pay my respects. So here's to B4, thanks for getting me involved, and if you can, three points would go down nicely. 

If we beat Bolton at Home we might be in charge of our own destiny but would need Barnsley to drop points
It does worry me though how Warne will approach the big games against Bolton and Pompey as I'd like to see us proper go for it not try and nick it .....Saturday is massive now and we need 3 points against a tricky opponent, every game is like a cup final now 

Shared a journalist’s tweet about this in the away tickets thread earlier but figure it’s worth sharing here too, especially with this coming direct from the man himself. NML has asked to be stood down from the upcoming internationals so he can focus on Derby and the run in, top man 👏 
 

Well done, Nate - great decision. 

Bristol Rovers vs Derby County
Saturday 9th March KO 3pm
Memorial Stadium (BS7 0BF)
 
Opponents Form: Decent recently with three wins in their last four matches including their last two. They currently sit 11th in the table albeit with no realistic playoff aspirations or relegation concerns. Whilst their home record in L1 this season is a reasonable W7-D5-L5 it should be noted that they have lost four of their most recent six matches on their own patch with wins over Carlisle (2-1) and Oxford (3-1) dampened by defeats to Blackpool (1-2), Exeter (0-1), Fleetwood (0-2) and Burton (1-2).
Opponents Bio: Rovers are managed by Matt Taylor who is in his third managerial role. After an impressive four years at Exeter he was the man chosen by Rotherham to take over the reins after the departure of our own Paul Warne to Pride Park. Taylor's spell there lasted 13 months before he parted company with the Yorkshire club in November 2023 as the Millers were struggling in 22nd place. Within three weeks, however, he found himself in the Bristol Rovers hotseat replacing the ever-delightful Joseph Barton. 
The club have played their home matches at the 11,000 capacity (3,000 seated) Memorial Stadium since 1996 after leaving their previous home in Eastville. They are officially known as the 'Pirates', reflecting Bristol's maritime history. Or because they just arrrr. Or maybe because their form is historically patchy. They are of course also known as the 'Gas', a nickname which was given them by opposition fans originally but was cheerfully adopted by the Rovers' followers who refer to themselves as 'Gasheads'. The name came about apparently due to their former stadium being sited next to a gasworks which produced a distinct aroma which would waft over the ground. Anybody who sits near a few of our more dedicated drinkers at Pride Park will no doubt relate to that.
Opponents Player Watch: Only one place to start here as the Rams go up against our former beau, Christopher Hugh Martin. The Wardrobe has scored 15 goals this season and is joint fifth in the top scorers chart for the division. Second top scorer after CM9 is Anthony Evans with half a dozen goals. Other notable players are ex-Rams youngster Luke Thomas, experienced former Swansea, Celtic and Preston man Scott Sinclair and Chelsea loanee Harvey Vale who I think we were linked with during the summer. I'm not sure if he's their number one or not but they also have a goalkeeper called Jed Ward who you can only sympathise with.
Rams Record vs Opponents: There have been three FA Cup ties between the two clubs but we'll focus on the 27 league matches there have been between Bristol Rovers and Derby County. The first meeting was on 29th August 1953 at Bristol so hats off to any Ram or Rover who remembers that match over 70 years ago. During the early years of the fixture it was Bristol Rovers who held sway with the Pirates winning the first three encounters, four of the first five and six of the first nine overall. Since then though it is the Rams who have had much the better of it. The overall league record for Derby against Saturday's opponents is as follows:
P27: W12-D7-L8
Away at Bristol Rovers our record  is: P13: W3-D4-L6   Whilst that isn't impressive it should be pointed out that we lost on our first five visits and since then we've gone W3-D3-L1 on their turf and are unbeaten in our last four visits.
Since our relegation to L1 for the 2022/23 season the Rams have recorded home wins against Rovers in both fixtures at Pride Park (4-2 and 2-1) whilst last season we conceded a debateable late penalty in a 1-1 draw at their place.
Other Saturday Fixtures Of Note: We will either be second or third going into the match depending on the outcome of Barnsley vs Bolton on Tuesday night. Peterborough are at home to Northampton on the same evening. On Saturday our priority is of course to earn three points in the south-west but we will be hoping for favourable results in at least one of the following games:
Blackpool vs Portsmouth
Exeter vs Bolton
Barnsley vs Lincoln
Burton vs Peterborough
Expected Team: My guess is that Derby will be unchanged from the 3-0 win against a desperately struggling Port Vale. With fit full-back options rarer than a salad in the City Ground boardroom I suspect it'll be a back three plus the two wing-backs who played well yesterday. 
 
Safe journey to those who make the trip and COYR.

The good news tonight, with 10 games still to go, is we're now safe from relegation. With our 69 points, we can't be caught by: Carlisle, Fleetwood, Port Vale (obviously a crucial win today), Shrewsbury or Charlton.
So the worst position we could end up in is 19th, and might even be higher with teams below us having to play each other.
As we begin the business end of the season, the hope is fewer and fewer teams will be able to catch us. For instance, Oxford in 7th can now only get a maximum of 87 points, and the time will come (maybe in 5 games or so) when we're mathematically cemented in the playoffs. Let's hope we reach a point when we cannot finish lower than 2nd. Let's count it down in this thread.
 
 

I think Louie has been an all rounder for the club, he's played left back, central midfield, attacking midfield and today left wingback. I just hope that was not a one off performance because it could be the best position for him. Well done lad, now that makes it hard for Warne to drop him next match.
 

Great to get back to winning ways. And Sky gave me a free £1 build a bet that was used to fine effect:

With everyone else winning too, we briefly remain effectively 4th (on points per games), but it's very tight between Bolton, Barnsley and us, and because Barnsley play Bolton midweek, whatever the result we will sit 3rd on ppg. Plus goal difference may yet be a factor. Boosting that really helps and brings confidence.

Who knowz what ze fermation or Gnomes on the back of the shirtz will be - perhaps this wok we will find ze spirit of Booby Davison and Fill Gee , 1986  , your thyme iz now....

Gayle is a level above any forward we've had for a while isn't he. His movement and passing is on another level.
Now I've said that he'll never score for us.

It’s not quite clicking, but I like the intent when we go forward, you can see Gayle’s intelligence and it seems to be having an effect on NML and Bird too. Once that understanding develops further it could be tasty

‘Once more unto the breach’ ….. please let us enjoy this Derby….. pleeeeezzzzz 

Massive 3 points that, felt a bit pivotal dare i say.
Had resigned myself to a goalless draw & it was a hard watch for most of it...the team line up just didnt work with too many defenders on the park & lack of a forward out ball. We desperately need a forward option from the free agent ranks if Collins is out for the foreseeable, we just didnt look a threat at all during large swathes of the game.
Credit to the team for digging that result out though & shout out also to South Stand second half who woke up & changed the feel of the place. Intensity of our play definitely improved with crowd behind us & joyous scenes at the end. Another massive test next week, onto Barnsley...COYR 💪

🖤🤍🐏

Derby boys, we are here, whoa oh…
absolutely tearing up the place…

Thought you meant the “Green Un” for a minute
 

So now the emotion has subsided - it was a great game of football for the neutrals, but I'm not a neutral! The opening exchanges got me thinking that we've got too much for Burton, and we SHOULD be comfortable! And we had yet another chance to make a statement by going second. So Derby County said "Hold my beer", so now we are third! It's the Derby way. Fact is we are joint second, one point behind top with a game in hand. So its good!
First half all that Burton had to offer was lots of running around, and a lot of thug football. The ref was like a woman's blouse on washday - all wet and floppy, and many in the South Stand could see right through him, which is another feature of wet shirts, even though that is not what they are supposed to do. By half time there should have been 5 or 6 yellow cards to Burton, and possibly a red. Ironically the first goal was scored by a player who shouldn't have been on the pitch. But the ref's thighs swish together when  he runs because he hasn't got any balls to keep them apart. Seddon should also have been yellow carded for diving into the box to try and fake a penalty, but although the ref played the advantage, he didn't then go back and do what ref's are supposed to do. Neither did he card Seddon for running away with the ball, which apparently isn't as bad as kicking the ball away. 
Things changed in the second half because Patterson noticed that our players had turned midfield into a no-man's land, switched his formation and then  spent the next 20 minutes or so charging through the gaping holes we so thoughtfully provided for them, and the two  bits of poor play were heavily punished. How Burton could punish us when so many other teams haven't been capable I don't know, because the Brewers are not a good team. I find it strange that NML is getting rave reviews for his pace and threat, yet he has only put away a single one-on-one, and fluffed the rest, yet two Burton players put theirs away as though that's all they do for a living. But in part it is because of how we play at times. Although we like to get the ball forwards as fast as possible, at times we will take our time, especially when the opposition park the bus, in order to draw them out of their own half and leave gaps to exploit. But last night we twice got drawn into Burton's half and we got hit on the break for both goals, because we had hardly anyone back. 
Also, re the vacant midfield spaces: Bird's perceived poor performances are aften because he has two or three players buzzing round him at all times, and when he does get the ball in space, there is  no-one to pass to because everyone is scurrying out wide as though the middle of the pitch is riddled with land mines. He actually played well last night, and as well as blocks and interceptions, he made a number of runs through the middle - I hope Warne wasn't watching! 
The eventual bolstering of midfield did the trick, but rather than Thompson being the key - and I really rate him and what he brings to the team - the real difference was Sibley who saw loads of the ball, took men on and put loads of crosses on, and our taking back control revolved around him being brought on to the pitch. Ironically if he had made the mistake which Elder did, there would be a second thread all to himself demand he be flogged or be given a flogging! The kid did really well last night!
But man of the match has to be Wilson, who to me is the best footballer we've had at the club for years and years. I don't think he put a foot wrong defensively, although I could be wrong, skinned his defenders for fun, and I think only put one poor cross in all night. A great player!
So we are sitting very well in the league right now, with the main threat being Bolton, if they can use the potential of their games in hand. If so, top spot is theirs. But  one of the top spots is ours. All we've got to do is fill it! COME ON YOU RAMS!

Get in.
To be frank, I couldn't actually care less that we didn't win by 2 goals to go into 2nd. There's 20 games left, the only thing separating us and Peterborough are the fact that they've scored 2 goals more than us. Whether we won 3-2 or 4-2, nothing is decided tonight. We haven't ended a matchday in 2nd place since February 2018 under Rowett, and we still ended up finishing 6th that year.
The most important thing is that we won, I don't care how. That game had a hell of a lot of "you can just see it going wrong" things on the list, I think @Srg listed a fair few before kick-off. Local game, new manager, ex-players, bringing on a striker making his league debut (and scoring 3 minutes in), contentious referee decisions, or lack of them, coming back to bite us. There was the potential for things to go very wrong. And if you watched on Sky, they did their typical thing of putting up stats that completely jinx the game, such as how few goals Burton have scored.
These are the kind of games where we've messed up in the past and it's cost us in the past. From the minute it went to 2-1, we were poor, there's no excuses being made for that, it was a tough watch. But I'd much rather show that we still need a bit of work in January when that work is possible, and still winning at the same time means there's very little damage.
Take the points and carry on, we're a point off top with a game in hand, no matter how we performed tonight that's an excellent place to be. Three games in a week coming up, two of which are away and in the away table we are 1st, so there's a lot to be positive about.
Hopefully CBT can join the ranks before Lincoln, and maybe one or two more before the end of the window and then we'll be well on our way to getting out of this league.
Onwards and upwards, and thank God for Conor Hourihane's left foot.

He'd always convey his meaning though. Reading some of less than positive stuff on here sometimes, I'm always reminded how he'd scold folk saying, 'don't be so bloody nagative', cunningly combining the words negative and nag 😂

So we know now that a two-goal victory takes us into the top two and one point off top.
Come on Derby; step up and grab the prize.