Posh Ram

I haven't posted on here for ages as have been busy with work etc but feeling a bit emotional tonight. The EFL, Middlesbrough, and Wycombe will all be stains on football forever if they allow this to happen. But if the worst case scenario happens we'll be a phoenix club cheered on by an entire city. And we will bounce all the way back. By the time we're back in the Championship, the EFL will have been declared not fit for purpose, Wycombe will still be a tinpot League 1 team, and Steve Gibson will still be a Bamford.

I've never supported Derby expecting us to win anything, that's boring, I support the club because it's always been a shared passion I have with my Dad and my family all come from Derby. I don't want that to be taken away from me, and I know DCFC matters even more to lots of the members of this forum.

COYR

Ok, so if we can bring in 5 players, I think it makes sense that 2 would be Wisdom and Davies. They both know the club well and have performed in the past. Wisdom gives us versatility and Davies leadership.

Then we’d need another CB - Mengi or Jagielka, personally I’d pick Mengi as I see him as a better partner for Davies whose pace can make a huge difference - plus space for 2 more outfield players. I wouldn’t take the risk on Morrison in this scenario - if he goes off the boil again we’ve wasted that slot - so would go for Aluko & Baldock instead.

I think Mount will be the star tonight. For me he's the most important player in the 4-3-3 - someone who can break a press and pass the ball forwards.

5 hours ago, EtoileSportiveDeDerby said:

as of today, Messi is free. Knowing our luck we'll announce the signing (32Red who else) and he'll do his ACL at Copa America!

I don't want Messi. I've heard he can't do it on a cold rainy night in Stoke.

14 hours ago, DCFC1388 said:

Some ex team mates of Rooneys on free's - 

Daniel Sturridge - ST - 31

Cuco Martina - RB - 31

Andy Carroll - ST - 32

Oumar Niasse - ST - 31

Ravel Morrison - AM - 28

Alex Buttner - LB - 32

Nick Powell - AM - 27

Nathaniel Clyne - RB - 30

Jack Wilshere - CM - 29

Phil Bardsley - RB - 36

Yannick Bolasie - LW - 32

Mo Besic - CDM - 28

I thought adding Juan Mata is abit of a stretch!

At this point we just need warm bodies really. A squad of 14 wouldn’t keep us in the Championship even if the quality was a fair bit higher. If I’m Rooney I’m trying to work who in that group would be willing to play on a CKR-style deal.

On 23/06/2021 at 22:01, Posh Ram said:

Germany were rubbish. We'll batter them

Never in doubt!

I’d like us to switch full time to the system we played when we beat Bournemouth 1-0. 5-2-3 with the wing-backs pushing up high to give us a front 5 in attack.

Starting XI: Marshall; Byrne, Mengi, Davies, ?, Buchanan; Bird, Shinnie; Jozwiak, CKR, Lawrence

Bench: Roos, Ebosele, Cashin, Forsyth, J. Brown, Sibley, Watson, Ibe, Stretton

Sell Knight, sign a left-footed centre back & save the spare cash.

Germany were rubbish. We'll batter them

12 minutes ago, Rammy03 said:

That's why the nations League is a good idea

Yeah, I agree. And our performances under Southgate have been decent in that competition!

55 minutes ago, Van der MoodHoover said:

Our defensive statistics look good but I disagree that our defence looks brilliant, because it has not faced any significant pressure. 

None of the three opponents we faced put together any sustained pressure and none had any real pace up front. That said, we still managed to get in a flap against the Czechs and the guy shot just wide. 

If, in the tougher games to come, Maguire, stones etc face forwards actually running at them there could be problems. 

We haven't shown any real ability to be able to hold the ball further forward, or to inject a real change of pace into our game. The better sides seem to have this. 

For all of these reasons I think we'll come up short of success. 

That's often the way in international football though, little to no opposition in qualifying, group stages often produce mismatches, then suddenly you're in with the big boys in the knockout round. In Italy's unbeaten run they've faced Ukraine, the USA, Finland (twice), Liechtenstein (twice), Greece (twice), Bosnia (four times), Armenia (twice), Poland (twice), the Netherlands (twice), Northern Ireland, Bulgaria, Lithuania, San Marino, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Switzerland, and Wales. I think statistics and the eye test are the best way to judge international defences because we so rarely see the best teams play each other in a competitive setting.

I'm not worried about pacey forwards (except Mbappé), because Walker will be playing as either the third CB or a defence-first full-back. He's not as good as James/Trippier going forward but he's a quality 1v1 defender with incredible recovery pace.

If we win the last-16 game, it looks like a potential run to the final. 2018 level. Netherlands are the weakest of the big teams and I'd back us to keep it tight and win that fixture 1-0.

Big if but I do think we've got what it takes to beat Germany, assuming France take care of business vs Portugal today. It's fair enough to question Southgate's overly conservative approach in the Scotland game but our defence looks like the second best at the tournament, after Italy.

I'd go to a back 5 in the knockout game, play on the counter, absorb pressure, and frustrate the opposition. Use the embarrassment of riches on the bench to get back in the game if we're a goal down after an hour. That blueprint won Tuchel/Chelsea the Champions League and it's our best hope at the end of a knackering season, even if it's a bit boring.

Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire; Trippier, Rice, Henderson, Shaw; Sterling, Kane, Grealish

with Mount, Foden, Saka, Rashford, Sancho, DCL, James, and Bellingham all potential options off the bench.

Italy looked like strong contenders. Chiellini, Spinazzola, and Insigne were all excellent. They can bring Verratti back into the side soon, too.

I think what these hypothetical squads show is how much depth we now have.

Jack Butland, Phil Jones, Fabian Delph, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Danny Welbeck all made the 2018 squad.

FWIW, my starting XI would be:

D. Henderson; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; J. Henderson, Rice, Mount; Sterling, Kane, Foden.

4 minutes ago, Nuwtfly said:

 

Don't have a subscription. Does this article confirm we won't have a points deduction this year?

How about Tom Lees on a free? Old-fashioned CB with lots of Championship experience. Could be a good defensive partner for Mengi?

Statue for Marlon Pack?

COYR

29 minutes ago, Ambitious said:

I hope Buchanan, along with a couple others, do get the opportunity to move on in the summer and we don't play hardball with their futures. Sibley, Knight and Bird too. 

Until this club starts running itself the right way, I think it would be amiss of me as a supporter to want our talented young players to stick around and be subject to such ineptitude where it leaves a lasting scar on their development. 

Completely agree. Players like Knight and Bird are regressing due to the state of the club at the moment. Don't want to see them waste their careers being muscled off the ball in League One.

Now that it's a 26-man squad:

GK: D. Henderson, Pickford, Pope

DF: Walker, Alexander-Arnold, Trippier, Maguire, Stones, Dunk, Dier, Tomori, Shaw, Chilwell

MF: J. Henderson, Rice, Phillips, Bellingham, Mount, Foden, Grealish, Lingard

FW: Rashford, Sancho, Sterling, Kane, Calvert-Lewin, Watkins

Appalling. First goal so, so soft. Then caught out straight away.

Imo Darren Wassall is probably the only current DCFC employee - coaches or players - with a role to play in the club's future. Incompetence everywhere else

Really poor performance. Edmundson, Jozwiak and CKR have played ok but we are so short of quality all over the pitch. Byrne, Forsyth, Lawrence and Waghorn look like League 2 players.

And yet... we are one crap set-piece goal, or dodgy penalty, or Lawrence worldie away from survival.

We don't really have any sort of plan in possession. Think that's where the loss of Bielik hurt us so much

Maybe luck is on our side today? Massive let-off when Whittaker took that awful touch, Rotherham make a similar mistake and Adam Armstrong buries it.

Well done Jozwiak. Need everyone to work that hard

I think the forum would come back even stronger. There'd be loads of transfer threads as we build a new squad, fans will be back at games, the club still up for sale, and hopefully a new manager as well

Mel Morris.

He's not a bad person, but he has absolutely no idea how to run a football club.