IlsonDerby

1 minute ago, Bris Vegas said:

I didn’t watch any of that half so can’t say, but statistically speaking, it doesn’t look too bad.

44% possession

6 shots to their 4

4 corners to their 1

It doesn’t look like we have been particularly outplayed or anything.

We took a while to adjust to it (27% possession for first 15 minutes etc) but we just started to come into it and turn it into a competition when we let their player waltz through the middle of the pitch and we conceded. We arguably finished the half in the ascendency. 

The error of playing KJ as a forward means that we’re actually really light in terms of replacements for our wide players when they need it. 
 

I’d say swap TB for Collins but NML looks shattered already. Who do we bring in for NML after 70 minutes when he’s running on fumes? Him at 60% isn’t enough in this division like it could be in league 1. 

Just now, Ian Buxton's Bat said:

That’s how it went in.

It came from a team who had the bottle to play through midfield.

We’ve used the circle formation several times tonight in possession with a complete absence of players in the middle.

Come off it - it was one very good pass but the rest was inexperience from Ozoh to let him pass and then some good fortune in the blocked cross finding Dolan

3 minutes ago, Sparkle said:

Just interested in who the key players are that we are missing or haven’t we signed them yet?

Our first choice striker and our first choice goalkeeper are pretty big omissions to be fair 😂😂

I think - with a level head - neither team could whinge if that half had ended 0-0. 
 

One bit of play where Ozoh’s inexperience let their player waltz pass him before a fortunate bounce put the ball in front of their only other player in the box. 
 

We looked overwhelmed at first but grew into it. Without their goal we’d probably have continued to grow into it. 
 

It’s clear that the biggest difference between L1 and Champ is that you get punished much more regularly. 
 

I think Cashin has had some shakey moments and I think NML has looked poor in terms of his final product. 
 

I think we should be playing Collins as it’s clear Jackson looks lots more dangerous off a centre forward than playing that role himself. 

Their goal comes from a cross squirming through and falling kindly, just then we had a cross squirms though and it bounced awkwardly for TB. 
 

Fine margins 

Kenzo looks good. 
 

He’ll be giving his agent a right bollockign tomorrow 

These are some of the relegation favourites as well haha. Could be a long long season. 
 

Come on Derby 

25 minutes ago, May Contain Nuts said:

I suppose that depends on how good you have to be to get promoted from LaLiga2?

They aren't an established La Liga club right now.and might not actually be up to that level. We could just have drawn with a mirror image of ourselves in terms of quality (if not style)?

I dunno - they’re the absolute Spanish yo yo club aren’t they? Which means they’re basically in the Darren Huckerby zone. We’re very much predicted to be in a relegation battle in our second tier whereas they’re always expected to compete for promotion. 

19 minutes ago, Gee SCREAMER !! said:

It's not offensive, it's an opinion that he's a very good top end league 1 player but  He'll struggle in this one. 

I think this post is an opinion and perfectly valid I think accusing our manager and recruitment team of making an emotional signing is quite offensive? 

1 hour ago, Tyler Durden said:

Regardless of the result are we actually going to learn anything tonight other than we need to sign a new striker, attacking midfielder, goalkeeper etc

I want to see evidence that we are capable of more composure on the ball than v Valladolid. 
 

Felt that out of possession we did well but that in possession we were snatching a bit and panicking a bit. Putting it down to playing la liga opposition. 

38 minutes ago, Gee SCREAMER !! said:

You could just as easily say we should have kept Sibley and looked for another 10 as we'll need two.  Adams was an emotional signing.  A good player at league 1, technically lacking at this level or he'd play for Cardiff.  

Sibley played full back last season.  You sign a better option than him there as he would tread water against some of the wingers in this league and utilise him further forward to try and get 7 or 8 goals. 

We are starting the season with Collins as our only striker.  Jackson and Mendez Laing are not strikers.  Washington wouldn't get through customs he'd set off that may alarms. 

We are going into this season with far less goal threat than we had last season having released 5 or 6 players and had a cash boost from sell ons and TV money.  We needed  more strikers last season but muddled through with 5 games here and there in support of Collins and a resurgent Gayle who had a cameo.  What if Collins knee breaks down and we have 3 games without a striker.  The first 3 games are essential to get some confidence on the board.  There has to be a striker somewhere on a reasonable wage with pace we could have brought in in over 3 months as well as an out of form Yates.  

We need to be in a position to compete for signings that the middle of this division would also be interested in .  I'm not seeing it bar Ozoh thus far and we don't want to drop off the others.

I think it’s offensive to label the Adams transfer as emotional. For fans it probably was but look how brutal Warne was with letting others leave. To suggest he bought him because of the emotions of last season is fairly harsh. 

ThinK I got what I needed from this thread. A place to just be vulnerable about how I’m feeling. 
 

Im glad so many of you opened up and sorry for your various losses too. 

12 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

How does Mo Bobat data markers work when it comes to Warne's 'how good a chap is he' criteria? Criminal record, CCJs, social media preferences?

I suspect it doesn’t - they focus on the raw data and take emotion and anecdotal evidence out of it and then let the recruitment and management team make their judgements based on character etc. 

49 minutes ago, jcidaho said:

Wonder how he manages to keep the morale of individual players up, whilst fining them for infractions such as being late and walking over the badge. I admire him for doing this, keeping phones out the canteen etc. Clearly an exceptional man manager / leader.

3 minutes ago, Carnero said:

The fines won't be as "significant" as Warne says in the interview, you know what he's like for jokey remarks that people then interpret far too seriously. I'd imagine that the fines are collected up and help fund the lads Xmas do or end of season jolly. That's what happens at most clubs.

don’t the fines go towards Christmas dos/end of season dos? Imagine this is easier to swallow than a fine going to the clubs coffers 

Yeah boy 

On 02/08/2024 at 09:15, Mostyn6 said:

Got tickets for both Paul Weller and Courteeners in Manchester and Birmingham respectively for this November.

We’re seeing Courteeners again later this year too. 
 

We’ve also got Dylan John Thomas, The Snuts and Miles Smith lined up too. 
 

Managed to catch DJT at Tramlines, was an unreal atmosphere. A big party. 

There’ll be no one more irritated than Warne at having neither Yates nor his GK number 1 ready for the start of the season so you have to assume he’s adamant these are our best choices if he’s willing to sacrifice the first few matches in terms of quality. 

8 hours ago, Matchday Fred said:

When it comes to player selection I’d take Peter Taylor over Mo Bobat any day. A picture paints a thousand words so watching a player and backing your intuition always trumps endless data analysis. And it doesn’t matter so much if your selection pool is limited to free agents and loans. In theory Derby should be able to compete with most clubs apart from those on parachute payments, but it doesn’t feel like it at the moment.

We may yet be pleasantly surprised if the powder has been kept dry rather than the panic we see at other places.

I disagree. Benton at Brentford broke this idea down. You use data markers to identify players you wouldn’t originally have gone to scout - ie hidden gems in poor teams or divisions and then the eye test comes afterwards. 

1 hour ago, Ram@Lincoln said:

Replacement for Osula who has 2 league goals in 44 games to his name. £15m is insane. 

Will Osula aka a young Connor Sammon. 
 

Strong and powerful but his second touch was usually a tackle 

1 hour ago, BucksRam said:

So sorry to read this @IlsonDerby not least the circumstances and good on you for sharing. 

I lost my old cat of 19 years just over 3 years ago and still miss him. But we chose the time for him to go (had cancer) and were with him as he slipped away peacefully at home. I said at the time no more pets as the loss was just so painful, but 6 months later we got 3 rescue kittens on the basis the joy and comfort they bring far outweighs the loss.  Sadly it wasn't long after that we suddenly lost one of those (suspected rat poison) and I still think of her as she always lay next to me whilst I worked (cue slight tearing up as I remember).  I'm still angry at the senseless loss and the un-justness of it. The remaining two, one of whom is curled up asleep behind me as I write honestly bring a smile every day.

Pets are so much more than "just" a cat or dog. They're family.  How you remember them though is personal to you. We usually scatter their ashes in their favourite spot in the garden. We also have a photo frame done with a favourite picture, with a message around the frame, including their name and nicknames. Much as we'll never forget them, having the picture brings a smile of happy times had, even if with a hint of sadness.

Expect the pain to be raw right now but over time, I hope you can focus on the good times you had in whichever way works best for you.  

I’ve already approached the idea of getting another kitten with my other half. Explained that we don’t have to talk about it now why things are so raw and I know it’s very soon but that I don’t want to be in a house without a pet cat knocking about. They make a house feel like a home. I don’t want us to try to replace Piper, she was one of a kind and I’ve never met a cat like her but I want a focus for all the love and energy we have and we know there are plenty out there in need of a loving home. That’s what I’ll miss the most, coming home to someone that’s happy to see you every day. 
Think we’re going to plant a tree and bury the ashes under it so we have an obvious place to think about her. 
 

I hope the cxxx that poisoned your little one ends up in agony for the rest of their lives. Something really chronic and heavy going. 

3 hours ago, Foreveram said:

Unless Sheffield United win on Friday night.

B0llocks.

thought they played Saturday. 
 

What’s with 2 games on Friday? Always reserved for the EFL season opener. 

Bouncing between non fiction football books and the Harry Bosch detective novels (way better than the Amazon tv series in my opinion) this summer. On the 9th Bosch book currently and just finished ‘football hackers’. 

On 22/07/2024 at 23:07, Bob The Badger said:

Stephen Fry in America.

The TV series of him touring every state in a London black cab came out the year after we moved to the US, so I've never seen it.

This is a brilliant book full of brilliant humour and brilliant words.

Fry is a brilliant narrator with a vocabulary that mere mortals like myself can only marvel at.

A tour de brilliance made even brillianter by the fact that living there for so long has me nodding my head in agreement and thinking 'yep. that's Murica for ya'.

9/10

Have you read his 3 books on the Greek myths? mythos heroes and Troy? 
 

For such a clever bloke he’s able to make things so accessible which is a real difficult skill. 

Well at least we cannot be bottom of the league until 5pm Saturday regardless of what happens 😂