S8TY

Totally agree with all of this.
I think the last few games of this season are, for supporters, make or break. If we don't go up I'm not sure there will be many that will want to see another season of League One with Paul Warne. It's been hard enough to watch this season...and we're second!
Whether or not David Clowes sees it that way, though...

I like Warne as a person I've mentioned this many times but I still want to see a change at end of season
We need to be seeking out a young coach with bright ideas , we should as a club be looking constantly because long term Warne isn't the answer
Hearing how Alonso has transformed Leverkusen with his ideas and passion with players who are not big names is amazing considering he'd only ever managed a youth side and a B side in Spain yet Leverkusen saw something in Alonso, all good coaches and managers start somewhere why not at DCFC ?
There are also plenty of failures I know that but with our CAT1 academy wouldn't it be great foresight to try and get a young coach in with bright ideas who's going to embrace the academy  and have a long term project playing some decent football
Nothing against Warne but if we go up I'd like someone who will spend what funds we have prudently and build something sustainable here using the academy as well 

I like Warne as a person I've mentioned this many times but I still want to see a change at end of season
We need to be seeking out a young coach with bright ideas , we should as a club be looking constantly because long term Warne isn't the answer
Hearing how Alonso has transformed Leverkusen with his ideas and passion with players who are not big names is amazing considering he'd only ever managed a youth side and a B side in Spain yet Leverkusen saw something in Alonso, all good coaches and managers start somewhere why not at DCFC ?
There are also plenty of failures I know that but with our CAT1 academy wouldn't it be great foresight to try and get a young coach in with bright ideas who's going to embrace the academy  and have a long term project playing some decent football
Nothing against Warne but if we go up I'd like someone who will spend what funds we have prudently and build something sustainable here using the academy as well 

We are looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday including those who came on our first Taunton coach v Bolton and those travelling with us for the first time. You are ALL very welcome and your support is amazing!
We do have still a few coach seats still available - anyone interested should email us ASAP on:
derbycountytravel@gmail.com
Thank you and look forward to seeing you Saturday.
Come on You 🐏!!!
 
Justin Ratcliffe
Secretary - DCSCWCB
30th Anniversary 1994-2024
 
 

I’m new but will be there from Bristol. I’m so excited to be able to go to a game on my own! We’ll, with other Rams of course.

The Official Derby County Supporters Club West Country Branch are delighted to CONFIRM a supporters coach from Taunton J25/M5 for Rams v Orient on 13 April. (8.00 am depart)
Book now to join our family orientated travel. Pick ups at Bristol, Wychbold and Solihull. Executive 49s coach will full facilities. 
To book: Message on here with full contact details or email to: derbycountytravel@gmail.com 

Please indicate names of those wishing to travel and where you wish to get on.
Thank you to the brilliant group of Wedt Country Rams - some travelling 2 hours plus just to get up the meet point! 
More details on our FB page : https://www.facebook.com/share/p/VQY7aYtoBkr8mSoZ/?mibextid=WC7FNe
Justin Ratcliffe
Secretary - DCSCWCB
30th Anniversay: 1994-2024
 

Pride Park Stadium – KO: 15.00
After a chastening visit to Wycombe Wanderers, next up, the Rams play host to Leyton Orient. I know the whole, ‘must win game’ is horribly overused cliche in sport, but sadly, it actually applies on this occasion, as it will do for all of our remaining games. On the basis of ability and potential, you’d fancy our chances strongly, but as has been the case through a good deal of the season, the team remains somewhat Jekyll and Hyde and it’s anyone’s guess which Derby will turn up on Saturday. Having been concerned about the Wycombe game being a potential banana skin, I’m less so for this match, but it’d taker a braver man than I to be dogmatic about the outcome.
Leyton Orient:
Founded in 1881 as the Glyn Cricket Club, they began playing football as Orient in 1888 and joined the London League in 1896 after success in the Clapton & District League. The club adopted the name Clapton Orient two years later and were elected into the Football League in 1905. Most recently and under current manager Richie Wellens, the club was crowned champions of League Two in the 2022–23 campaign and sit mid-table in this current season.
Form Guide:
In the corresponding away fixture, we rode our luck a little early on, but having scored 1st, the game turned on a somewhat controversial sending off, with Brandon Cooper dismissed for a foul on Max Bird. Derby ultimately ran out comfortable 3-0 winners and this with Collo spurning a brace of golden opportunities, but even then, I felt the scoreline flattered us a little - Please see the match highlights link below. FWIW, my view is that Orient are a tidy enough side for the grade and should not be taken lightly. Much like Wycombe, they will be able to relax a little more than our lads and we need to be controlled and alert throughout the 90 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zPSKzMlFGE&ab_channel=DerbyCountyFootballClub
 
Most recently, Orient’s form has been decent enough, with a 1-0 victory away to Stevenage followed by two losses by the odd goal only to Lincoln and Peterborough. Their last two matches, both at home, yielded a 3-1 victory against Cheltenham, followed by a 2-2 draw against Exeter.
The most obvious dangerman would seem to be the ever-present Ruel Sotiriou with 11 goals and 5 assists across 42 games played. Shaquai Forde is next best with 9 goals and 5 assists, with Oliver O'Neil chipping in with 5 goals and 4 assists. Their preferred formation is seemingly a 4-2-3-1, but perhaps someone who has actually watched them regularly can confirm, as my research yielded conflicting data.
Head 2 Head:
Historically, Derby have the edge and perhaps more significantly, we have not lost at home to Leyton since 1981, with 5 home losses in total since the clubs first met way back in 1907 in what was then the 2nd division.
Games won: 23
Games drawn: 8
Games lost: 18
Team News:
Warne again has some worries to address. Our own @Caerphilly Ram has battled manfully to keep us all informed against an ever-changing background and his latest summary suggests the something akin to the following scenario for Saturday:
Joe Ward – was said to be out for 2 weeks at time of injury – 50:50 for this match is perhaps mildly optimistic
Max Bird – was mooted as a possible for the Wycombe game – may well figure from the bench
Dwight Gayle – not expected to play this weekend, but may be available for the last 2 games
Craig Forsyth - not expected to play this weekend, but may be available before season end
Callum Elder – groin injury, status unknown
Ryan Nyambe – out for the season
Tyreece John-Jules – most likely out for the season
Jake Rooney -  most likely out for the season, but has been ‘back on the grass’ we’re told. No jokes please!
I do have some sympathy for Warne as it seems every time he has the lads playing well, injuries to key players undermine any momentum, but that said, we’re not alone in that regard and we’ll need to make do as best we can.
Line-Up:
I think PW will start with a very similar line up to the last game. I’m going to suggest a slightly controversial tweak (assuming Ward is s recovered) and a change from the MF 2 we seem to favour, to variant of an undeniably old fashioned 4-4-2 – yeah, I know, straws...clutching...much… If Ward is indeed fit, he comes in for Nate, who looks like a man in need of freshening up – perhaps he and Max might be best deployed as ‘finishers’ off the bench when legs tire and the game is more stretched, assuming we’re not winning comfortably. Likewise Barks, who could also play on the right if Ward remains out. That said, if Max is healthy enough to start, I'd be sorely tempted to switch to a 4-3-3 with he and Corey either side of Ebou and Washington dropping to the bench. Irrespective, we must control the game better than we did in the 2nd half at Wycombe, where we repeatedly left a yawning chasm in front of our back 4, for their midfielders to play into.
The front two and CM remain unchanged for me; despite both Wash and Collo looking understandably short of match sharpness, IMO, they remain our best current options. Once again, the back 4 pick themselves, as do Corey and Ebou in at CM. Joe keeps his slot, having done well enough since his return to the fold.


The Match:
Honestly, I’ve no idea which Derby will turn up. After Wycombe, some will want wholesale changes, but my take on what was an admittedly hugely disappointing result, is that Wycombe should have been dead and buried inside 40 minutes. I’m not sure that the subsequent slaughtering of Warne for what was to my eye, the profligacy of his forward line, is entirely fair, but each to their own. He remains the incumbent, for better or worse and whatever might happen next year, it seems a long way off right now. As such, the focus for yours truly remains the next 3 games and nothing else.
A last word, as I’ve avoided reading all bar the last couple of pages of the last thread, would be that despite the stuttering effort against Wycombe, the travelling Rams faithful were magnificent in their support for the team. It’d be grand if we could mirror that at home and all try to channel our inner B4 and help carry the lads over the line. At least remember that Warne and his players are trying their best and are just people, like all of us and hurtful appraisals will only serve to undermine their confidence further.
Enjoy the game one and all.
COYR
BE MORE B4
  

I doubt Cardiff would be willign to sell to us no matter which league we're in. He has shown we need someone like him in the middle though.
This is how he statistically compares with others in the league:

Essentially, the key areas being: 40%+ aerial wins, and top 10% in the league for tackles, interceptions and overall defensive actions.
If we cut the list down to under 30s, and exclude those who joined a new club in January or ahve already agreed their next move, the only remaining player from League 1 is Freddie Potts (Wycombe on loan from Wycombe)

If signing from lower leagues, we'd be looking for yougner players with potential. In L2, the only player under 26 is Harvey Bunker (Forest Green)

I don't think you can blame the pass.  Yes there was an opportunity to pass it along the floor rather than take an extra touch but it was a harder pass to make and the keeper was less out of their goal and would have been able to cover some of it.  It's not like he could have put CBT in exactly the same position but with the ball rolling nicely.
The more I watch it the easier it looks to finish - just needs cushioning into the net I'd fancy myself to score it more often than not. 

I don't think the pass was "abysmal". If it was that bad CBT wouldn't have got anywhere near to it.
Maybe Washington could have done a little better but he had to get it between the keeper and defender and in front of CBT at a height that CBT could strike it. In that respect, Washington did pretty much as well as he could.

Would it have been better if the ball was on a plate and delivered by a waiter.
CBT is a pro footballer, Most likely since a child he's learned how to control a ball, Whether at pace or coming out of the sky with snow on it, The ball fell to CBT it was an open goal he fluffed it, Scuffed it call it what you like.
I find it extraordinary that posters are saying Washingtons ball was the fault, Then saying he should have scored 🙄
 

Good points but I think we'll be lucky to keep Adams if we are in L1
Personally I'd rather we tried a different coach who's going to use our younger players more ...if ready of course the squad needs major overhaul to me and not sure i want Warne to be conducting that 

he didn't need a touch he literally just needed to steer the ball in with one touch even with your less favoured foot I'd expect that to hit the open goal which is was really 
it was a very easy opportunity and i thought a good ball from Washington, no excuses about taking a touch it was a poor execution like he took his eye off of the ball 

Good points but I think we'll be lucky to keep Adams if we are in L1
Personally I'd rather we tried a different coach who's going to use our younger players more ...if ready of course the squad needs major overhaul to me and not sure i want Warne to be conducting that 

Good points but I think we'll be lucky to keep Adams if we are in L1
Personally I'd rather we tried a different coach who's going to use our younger players more ...if ready of course the squad needs major overhaul to me and not sure i want Warne to be conducting that 

There was nowt wrong with the pass...imo, It found it's target...CBT, He was unable to do what in 99% of the time he would score...imo, 
I saw Roger Davis miss an even easier at Stamford Bridge decades ago, It happens, But what makes it look bad is that we drew, But even if he'd had scored it was no guarantee of a win. 

Why would any footballer want to control the ball with the goal only a couple of feet away and empty? CBT just fluffed a great opportunity, I fear that miss will hang heavy on the player 😉

Hardly battered. They scored an early penalty and hit us on the counter in the 2nd half.
We still had 10 shots in that game (5 on target), with their keeper making some excellent saves. Also, Collins and Mendez-Laing both had goals ruled out for offside.

I think it boils down to two things....possibly three:
Whether you think the team is better than its sum parts.......that's what good managers achieve and many don't believe PW hasn't achieved that, despite us being in 2nd place.
Is the football good to watch?........I see a lot of snarking at those who are openly critical of the style of play but very few who openly think it's great.
But, I get your point. I'm not sure how it works..... but you can enjoy the season and the results without particularly enjoying the football itself. I'm sort of in that position and reasonably confident we'll hold on to 2nd place.
The other possibility is that we get very high quality football pumped into our living rooms for the rest of the week and unrealistically expect our squad to play error-free in the same manner. I find Man City quite boring to watch on occasions but the game against Real Madrid was a thriller. City made nearly 700 passes with over 90% completion and their outfield players only played 10 long balls. Last night we made 375 passes with less than 70% completion with 60 long balls by outfield players. 
Mrs Bat said to me this morning "I know we've got season tickets again and we may get promoted but I can't stand another season of this sh*t"
That's where a lot of people are I'm afraid.

1Wildsmith    6   made an important save in second half and was brave with the calamitous back pass in last min
2Wilson   5       flattered to deceive a bit last night 
35Nelson   6   had a tough game against a strong forward
6Cashin    6.5   had a reasonably good game 
17Sibley    5  needs to look after the ball more some of his passing was aimless
11Méndez-Laing    6   poor game for his standards 
12Smith        7  some good passing and think was one of our better players 
16Thompson   6  looked lively when came on but didn't have much time to get more thn a 6
32Adams    7  solid dependable and covered at the back also puts his head where some wouldn't
27Blackett-Taylor    5   poor display and should have  scored
4Hourihane    5  no real impact on game Smith was doing well 
14Washington   6.5 works hard and set up CBT but should've done better with his chance 
7Barkhuizen    5 no real impact and didn't get into the game 
9Collins    6  worked tirelessly but had little impact up front where we need him 
10Waghorn    5.5   not enough time really to impact the game but won a good header from NML cross
 

FWIW I thought Wycombe actually tried to play and were not as industrial as we've seen them under Ainsworth, played some neat football at times and could've won.
That miss from CBT was really quite poor, we now move on to the O's who whenever I've seen them this season have played some nice football so won't be easy, we need PP rocking on Saturday I still think 3 wins will get us over the line 

why try and disguise the fact it wasn't good enough last night even Warne didn't seem happy 
It was not great and nothing to learn from pretending it was anything different , the problem is its not a stand alone performance we missed 2 good chances but Wycombe could've scored 2 themselves , one where Wildsmith made a good save and the other more fortuitous chance that fell to there player in our area and he shot over but I didn't think wycombe were that bad they look like they're trying to change there style of play to me and thought they had a couple of decent players 
Zero shots on target is never good no matter what and this is a worry ..... Orient have looked like a good footballing side whenever I've watched them but we must win all 3 now and believe we can hope he keeps faith with Smith but another CM to make 3 i think will help, hope Bradley isn't brought back in tbh ...if Gayle could get himself fit I think he would be a very big boost for us 

1Wildsmith    6   made an important save in second half and was brave with the calamitous back pass in last min
2Wilson   5       flattered to deceive a bit last night 
35Nelson   6   had a tough game against a strong forward
6Cashin    6.5   had a reasonably good game 
17Sibley    5  needs to look after the ball more some of his passing was aimless
11Méndez-Laing    6   poor game for his standards 
12Smith        7  some good passing and think was one of our better players 
16Thompson   6  looked lively when came on but didn't have much time to get more thn a 6
32Adams    7  solid dependable and covered at the back also puts his head where some wouldn't
27Blackett-Taylor    5   poor display and should have  scored
4Hourihane    5  no real impact on game Smith was doing well 
14Washington   6.5 works hard and set up CBT but should've done better with his chance 
7Barkhuizen    5 no real impact and didn't get into the game 
9Collins    6  worked tirelessly but had little impact up front where we need him 
10Waghorn    5.5   not enough time really to impact the game but won a good header from NML cross
 

FWIW I thought Wycombe actually tried to play and were not as industrial as we've seen them under Ainsworth, played some neat football at times and could've won.
That miss from CBT was really quite poor, we now move on to the O's who whenever I've seen them this season have played some nice football so won't be easy, we need PP rocking on Saturday I still think 3 wins will get us over the line 

FWIW I thought Wycombe actually tried to play and were not as industrial as we've seen them under Ainsworth, played some neat football at times and could've won.
That miss from CBT was really quite poor, we now move on to the O's who whenever I've seen them this season have played some nice football so won't be easy, we need PP rocking on Saturday I still think 3 wins will get us over the line