Asanovic70

Derby 1 - 1 Preston, RGS Sibley

I think part of our downfall was linked to Mel Morris's love of a headline because the media tends to be obsessed with the PL, & in particular, with a select coterie of clubs/the elite. It's not that we don't matter, it's that the media appear to think the public are only interested in certain clubs associated with success, glamour (star players) & a history of winning trophies - bypassing the rest. 

Mel Morris wanted to be part of this rarefied world, thinking throwing his largesse would bring success. He tried to generate his own headlines through a succession of high-profile appointments: Paul Clement, Carlo Ancelotti's assistant; Nigel Pearson; & Lampard. Sacking managers regularly when things didn't go to plan ensured we stayed newsworthy. Big money signings brought attention. The EFL have done us great damage, but Morris also sought to antagonize them. Conflict with other owners. He did not seem able to run the club in an efficient, low-key manner.

The fact is that Mr Morris enjoyed the limelight, featuring on broadcasts like 'TalkSport'. How many club chairman/owners in the Championship can you name? Darragh MacAnthony, though I think he tends to be quite interesting in what he says, and he has shown loyalty to managers. He can't be that bad a person to work for if two managers opted to return. I think the situation at Hull is interesting because they appear to have been taken over by someone who enjoys a headline or two befitting a media mogul. 

The truth is, clubs like Derby, and Norwich for example, have to be managed in a different way from the elite. They are provincial clubs as opposed to the big metropolitan teams, London with its expensive real estate. It is bitterly disappointing to see owners queue up to buy Chelsea with its £28m a month wage bill, two months of which practically cover what we owe in debt, & nobody stepping forward to aid one of English football's tradition clubs. Why is this?

Are we any the less bigger than West Ham, who appear to have gone on to another level? They have exploited the situation regarding the London Stadium, enabling to increase ticket sales whilst paying an agreed fixed rent, if correct. 

Derby 1 -2 Coventry RGS, Lawrence

Blackburn 1 - 1 Derby, CKR as RGS

Bournemouth 3 -1 Derby, RGS Lawrence

Derby 1 -1 Barnsley, RGS Lawrence

9 hours ago, IslandExile said:

It works far better in other sports - cricket, tennis, rugby - where there are natural breaks in play.

I agree with your comment about incompetence, I do think we exaggerate the flow of a football game though, there are plenty of stoppages, sometimes the ball is only in play for 20+ minutes in a half. 

Rooney's outburst: I am not going to judge him, he is perhaps cutting an increasingly desperate & forlorn figure. He reminds me of Clough during the long, awful spells, like '10-'11 (winter). He is obviously human & lets his emotions get the better of him, as can happen to all of us.

I thought Steve Morison was magnanimous. He could afford to be after a late win. He praised the way we played. Unfortunately, we lack a cutting edge, the lack of depth, quality & experience are now all too evident. The January window really damaged us. It is reminiscent of 2008/11pts. A squad on its knees, desperate for assistance & the in-coming players didn't make much of an impact, due to our position in attracting players & lack of finances. New signings can boost a team, offer alternatives (tactics) & allow other players to rest/recover from injuries instead of rushing them back. Instead, we lost some vital experience in Jagielka & Shinnie.

3 minutes ago, IslandExile said:

But then there's the Everton appeal for handball against Citeh, dismissed by VAR. 

Yes, I thought you'd bring that one up. You have to remember VAR is administered by referees and, again, is down to perception. And with or without VAR, referees can take the easy way out from big decisions.

As for a conspiracy, it does feel like it because we're in a situation where everything seems to be going against us, the football authorities, EFL, even the effing footballing gods upstairs are sprinkling their fairy dust over Middlesbrough & Forest in the FA Cup. One more likely reason is that we have a squad of players who are playing week in, week out, a third game in six days as pointed out, so fatigue plays a part.

5 minutes ago, TuffLuff said:

FWIW I think we’ve had odd decisions for a while now, it would be quite funny to see what random pedantic memories people of crap reffing. But let’s maybe not take it too seriously. Obviously a conspiracy is near impossible to prove, but I think we have a decent list of daft decisions over the last three seasons.

The first three I remember being a bit whiffy.

1) Lowe getting a straight red against Luton for ‘touching the ref’ something you see players do week in week out

2) That Ryan Yates two footed challenge on Matt Clarke’s ankle, not booked and no retrospective action leaving Clarke out for 2 months. Explain that one in respect to Craig Forsyth this season. 

3) Byrne getting a booking on his debut coming on as a sub for entering the pitch too early in an empty stadium. Was obviously an error that should be laughed off, but no we somehow get a booking. 

I agree, that was a terrible decision, with injury literally added to insult. I think other referees must have noted it because Yates went on to make a similar challenge & was red-carded in his next game at Bristol City. No consolation to us, but it suggests other referees may have thought it was lenient.

I think that's a fair assessment of the goal.  I'd have been happy to take it as a winner for us. It was a succession of mistakes, as often happens, a culmination of things, Ebosele slipping, allowing a good delivery into the box, Davies up against a sub, more energetic in his challenge against a tiring defender.

Referees have a tough job, but can often infuriate with their inconsistency. Agree.

Disagree with VAR, football is now a televised game, the speed & let's be honest, the gamesmanship of players, trying to buy any advantage by the use of dark arts, means VAR is necessary. I think incidents like Thierry Henry's handball against Ireland was the sort of thing that saw it brought in. I think it needs to be used with more discretion by referees, to support them with a contentious decision. One of the ironies about VAR is that fans now celebrate when a decision goes for them. I think the referee needs to assume responsibility again, but with VAR as a fail-safe.

I'm not sure how many VAR decisions occur in each PL game, I doubt it is as many as people think. It is just that some of them come across as bizarre, like the foot/arm slightly over the line. I was going to suggest allowing each team limited challenges as in cricket, initiating a challenge until they reach a limit of unsuccessful appeals. Of course, it is a different sport but I'm talking about the principle.

No one's giving up, but let's be realistic here. This season has been a physical slog, Nov to Feb really testing in this league. This side has won plaudits, but it is the month after the January window where we are now beginning to struggle. Yes, Lawrence was a big miss, but losing Jozwiak meant losing another option. We are asking Bielik to come into the midfield after a second major knee injury when the manager may have preferred to ease him in more.

This has been a bitterly disappointing period for us as fans, I could just about accept this miserable season (and likely relegation) if Quantuma could get their act together & announce a preferred bidder, or someone prepared to take us on. I'm not fooling myself that we will get promoted straightaway, but if we have someone like Mike Ashley, I'd be more confident that we would turn things around. 

9 minutes ago, AndyinLiverpool said:

That banker Lawrence has had a massive effect in the last few games

Not sure I agree with you, Andy. Yes, he's been a definite miss, one we  couldn't afford to lose, but so many other factors, the failure to bring in any players in January, the EFL vetoing any free signings now. 

This squad has been asked to do the impossible, minus 21pts. I think other factors like Reading scraping a win last week the day before we played. Little psychological blows/doubts.

I hate the way the media always call us 'struggling Derby'. Bloody hell, any EFL team would struggle with a 21 point deficit.

It would have to be a loanee from Boro, wouldn't it?

I forgive the young lads in our side, we lost experience in the window with Shinnie & Jagielka.

Cardiff 1 -1 Derby, RGS Kazim-Richards

Luton 1 -1 Derby, 

RGS, Stearman

0-0

Derby 2 Peterborough 1

FRGS, Knight

1-0

Derby 0 Hull 1

I didn't get the  Watford reference but then just found out the news about Ebosele. It gets worse. We're not even getting a fair price, if  that, for any of our players, the EFL are practically ensuring our youngsters are going for knockdown prices, rather than allowing us even to retain a modicum of a squad on which to (re)build upon

Mel's to blame, but I blame the EFL for their lack of leadership in the current situation, and for allowing Morris to run the club in the manner he did. 

typo: As others have pointed out, our games against our relegation rivals are vital as 6-pointers.

A bit disappointed that it doesn't look like others will get dragged into the dogfight, there's usually more sides involved & at the moment, we are amongst the four sides battling to avoid the three places available & the cushion between us & Cardiff looks too big a gap now. Sides can afford to have a poor run but eke out a vital win along the way. I can't see any side imploding 2nd half of the season as does occasionally happen. Swansea have been on a poor run but expect them to respond.

Gibson would probably sue the bin for preventing Boro getting in the play-offs. Apparently, Pulis wanted to sign it on loan.

I think the EFL lack the courage of their convictions - if they wanted to relegate/demote a club for various transgressions, then they ought to have done so at the season's outset. Instead, they keep changing the goal-posts (deliberate pun). They have ensured that we have been doubly disadvantaged by losing players but not being able to replace any with free signings etc in January. Surely, that weakens the integrity of the competition they espouse so much.

They have constantly put barriers which have stalled any bid. What I find truly bizarre is that they are hoarding trouble for themselves, and I take satisfaction in the thought that Rick Parry will soon have his work cut out, spinning plates, when the pandemic's effect on clubs' finances (Bristol City for example) really begins to take effect in the next twelve months. They are deliberately undermining a club at a time when others who abided the rules could enter difficult financial situations. Look at Rochdale, they keep selling their best players every window. Soon, they will run out of promising players  to sell in order to survive? Then what?

As for the OP's question, this was always my fear that injuries etc will take their toll and a thin squad get stretched. We have done so well to even get to this point of having a chance of survival. This is one of the bravest, most honest Derby sides I have ever had the pleasure of supporting, the most fitting tribute I can pay them is that they would beat the 11pt side, by sheer spirit alone (think how Preston brushed us aside in the FAC).

Reading are on the verge of imploding, the manager seems to have lost the dressing-room/or the owners can't afford to sack him. They are heading for serious financial problems themselves, as they are amongst the four teams (ourselves, Birmingham & Sheff W) whose owners sold their stadia to themselves. I can see blinking Ince though scoring the goals that somehow get them results.

My fear is that one of our relegation rivals will string a run of a couple of wins to keep them ahead of us, Cardiff's two wins will act as massive boosts for them, & surprise, surprise, a Boro loanee helped them to achieve one. As others have pointed out, our games against us are vital as 6-pointers.

Barnsley are gone, Peterborough weakened by the loss of Dembele & usually one promoted side returns straight back. I think our recent run heaped pressure on the sides above us, and the key to any survival clearly lies in scoring goals, so CKR's loss is a blow. Having said that, having a good midfield means that we can retain control of games. I don't like to see too much pressure put on Bielik, he has to be treated with some care, but the likes of Bird, Knight, etc mean our midfield is as competitive as any in the division, hence our results against the better sides. I hope Morrison uses the time out to reflect on his silly behaviour against Forest, and that he has something still to offer in terms of creativity in the absence of Jozwiak, and to treat this as an opportunity to redeem himself.

2-0