chadlad

I'm one of them, 1st game 1966...last game Wigan 2023, It's not easy on the eye, Our fanbase is very strong, Derby is a football town, Mums, Dads and Children will still go, There's a solid hardcore of support, We all want success...then again what's success?, The football and the officials in League1 is awful to watch, People will vote with their feet if over the season it doesn't improve...only time will tell👍 

David Clowes is a Derby fan, I am sure he knows all about the history and tradition of this still great club. I am also sure that he must realise that most of our fans want to see football played mostly on the grass and with a style that is easy on the eye. Of course football is a running game and winning is important, but if you can’t win at least play with some skill and style.
Many of our fans grew up in the Clough/Taylor years and I can’t imagine that many of them are happy right now. Sooner or later, if this style of football continues they will vote with their feet and we will lose a good proportion of our fanbase, not just them but their kids and grandkids and the people they bring along.
We are Derby…
 

We did play good football. Against Charlton, Fleetwood and Shrewsbury away we created numerous chances. Lincoln away was only the really poor one that stands out. It happens. We were crap against them at home under Warne.
Interesting that of Rosenior’s nine games in charge, we played 7 top half sides. 
And our last game was a 2-1 win over Wycombe where we battered a fellow playoff challenger. Will we ever see such stats against a fellow playoff challenger under Paul Warne?

 

I was surprised that LR didn’t get a little more time. Felt that the players were happy and in his last game (was it Wycombe) they showed they he had their full support.
Big loss really, not just in results but in style of play. A lot of our fans have grown up watching an attractive style of football that is easy on the eye. Many of us will not put up with this PW anti football for very long…
 

Thought so…🙂

Having Derby County in 7th place in League One is clearly something no manager should survive.
Oh… hang on a minute

Funny that. I thought that we were in 7th place, only just outside the playoffs and playing good football as opposed to pub football.
LR had only around 10 games and a very small transfer window. PW has had getting on for a full season on charge and 2 transfer windows. 

Would have Mowbray here in a heartbeat.

Good result for Hull yesterday.
While I am pleased for Liam, I can’t help lamenting our loss.
”It feels great as we have come to a massive club with a fantastic coach and team.
"Not just the win, but the manner of the performance and the way we stuck to our guns and pressed the ball. We played some outstanding football.
"I have been here for eight months and we wouldn't have been capable of doing that when I first came in. That's why I keep saying it's a process.
 

Last year was a nightmare. The almost unthinkable nearly happened - we were so close to losing our beloved football club, founder members of the football league, champions under Clough and Mackay, FA cup winners after the war and European Cup semi-finalists.
David Clowes, a genuine fan with the means to do so, rescued the club at the last minute. He himself says it "was close".
Thanks to him, we have a club, our club.
We must learn the lessons of the past. We must not get into the same precarious mess ever again.
But....we can move on. We must move on. We should now look forward. We do not have to merely be content that the club is still in existence.
It's ok to demand more from the manager, the teams on the pitch (not just the first team but especially them).
We should demand exciting, entertaining football that gets results. It does not mean that we won't forever be grateful to David Clowes for saving the club.
It means we want Derby County to once again be a beacon for good football. Attacking football. Positive football. Entertaining football.
That means passing football, intricate moves, running with the ball, creating chances. It doesn't mean sitting back and hoping to score from a corner or a free kick.
I like Paul Warne, the man. But I don't like his tactics. I don't like his desire to play 3-5-2 with the players he has available, I don't like his use of players out of position or not giving the academy players a chance. I don't like the emphasis on set pieces rather than attacking play.
Yes, at least we still have a club.
But we are Derby County. The football should be, must be, ought to be better 🐏

Can you recall many goals we conceded from passing it around at the back under him? I can’t.
His away record was poor, can’t really deny it. But it was 4 games. I think you could probably play the Fleetwood game 100 times over and we’d never score 0 in it again. 4.something xG if I remember rightly.
Then we got rid at the first sign of him adapting slightly. He still won more games against top 6 sides than his successor and he was only in charge for about 9 games.

I would say that it would be his second huge call to make

I agree with this.  Could forgive Clowes anything as our rescuer but was upset at Warne replacing LR.  I did expect to be proved wrong until we reached the Championship when Warne would be found out.  But looking at us and Hull this season is making me feel justified and completely miserable.

Poll says it all, majority of fans happy to give him time but the fanbase isn’t fully sold on him.
I voted end of the season, for me he should stay beyond that if we’re playing well and the squad looks like it’s clicking by the end of the season, even if we miss out on the playoffs. I’m desperate to give a manager time to build a dressing room.
I was very fed up our squad made up of 6 different managers signings by the end of the Mel glory days. The day after we lost the play-off final, we had players on the books signed by Clough, McClaren, Clement, PEARSON (Anya, if you’re wondering), McClaren Mk2, Rowett and Lampard
The team Steve McClaren inherited in 2013 had a unified, hungry dressing room all signed by one manager and ready to take the next step
He deserves time, far too early to consider dumping the bloke just as he’s started to put a team together. Not sure how after the past decade you don’t look back and think of one manager you don’t think deserved more time
It’s such a tricky job at Derby, it’s high sky expectations in the Championship let alone Legaue One. As much as you’re chasing promotions, you have to accept that sometimes under good managers who can get you promoted you will look like complete dog
I’m not blind to the fact that we’ve been shocking early on in the season but we’re getting through it with enough points that it’s far from a disaster - promotion isn’t won or lost in the first 4 games of the season
We’ve got a lot more to improve on than you’d like but you have to give a manager time to turn it around, can you honestly look at the past decade and not think of one manager we’d have been better off giving more time?
Warne’s got out of this league three times and while that doesn’t count for any points, it’s enough to give him a full season. This club is so desperate for success, why not give the bloke who’s had success time to figure it out?
But despite all that Warne In™️ stuff being said, if you offered me an alternative timeline where Rosenior was made the permanent manager, I’d take that. Couldn’t argue with Warne’s credentials at the time but I was still on board with Rosenior - he’d been at the club for years, he’d built a team and I think we showed enough under him to give him the chance, we’d have turned those draws into wins before too long.

And of course it was nothing to do with the change in formation, resulting in him having to do much less of the stuff he's not good at, was it Paul? 🙄

Nobody expects promotion, but expecting to compete on the pitch is more than reasonable.
Are you really happy that we saw less of the ball than Burton and Fleetwood? I'm not. It's anti football, and Derby fans won't stand for it. It'll be what costs Warne his job if he doesn't sort it.

His short term approach to team selection and transfers. His tactics on the pitch which typically results in a less than entertaining performance on the pitch (more entertaining if you were a neutral watching our games), his lack in ability to spot what is the issue(s) on the pitch, his stubbornness to move away from what isn't working. The long term impact on our academy, stemming from his reluctance to trust and give opportunities to young players. The destruction of the togetherness and feel good factor around the club ever since his apppointment.

I forgot we didn't change our shape vs Fleetwood or add more pace to our defence. We still looked roped and were lucky not to concede at least 2 goals.
Go through every season since Bird has been in the first team and you'll notice our record every season with Bird playing is much better than without him. I made a post giving the exact point not too long ago but I guess you conveniently missed it. Out of our CMs, he's still our most creative, wins more in the air, and the best defensive contributor despite being given a more advanced role this season. The issue is with the two other CMs who leave our defence exposed in the current system.

ATG  
1Wildsmith- 6.5. Couple of crucial saves. Decent performance.
35Nelson-6. Best game so far. Still doesn’t look like a ball playing CB but the basics of kicking and heading were on display. Looked better in a back 4.
5Bradley-6. Cameo. Adds a threat to set pieces. 
34Rooney-7. Excellent performance. Did all that was expected and more. Hopefully a run in the team will further develop him and he should be a natural Cashin replacement.
14Washington-6.5. Got around the pitch well, seems to be on sane wavelength as Waggy. Ran out of gas and rightfully replaced. 
6Cashin-6.5. More like the Cashin we know. Another who looked happier in a 4. Possibility of this being his last home game for us.
12Smith-5. Just not working for him atm in our midfield. Energy is great but product is below expected levels. 
23Waghorn-7.5. Loved seeing Waggy charging around and driving forward. An absolute steal of a signing, 2 goals and an assist so far. Should have had a penalty too. 
4Hourihane-6. Great tackle to start the move for the goal. Still feel he plods around waiting for the next free kick or corner for him to take. Expect more from a Derby captain. 
3Forsyth-6.5. The usual steady and dependable performance from Fozzy. Never gets flustered and is a calming influence. 
11Méndez-Laing-6.5. Outstanding first half, quieter second. Think everyone could see how happy he was back out wide. Another who ran out of steam but a much improved performance.
20Elder-6. Come on, was steady.
9Collins-6. Fresh legs up top. Helped see game out. May have to get used to the bench life if Wash and Waggy continue their broship.
16Thompson-8. MOTM. Never thought I’d write that. Excellent performance and without doubt his best in a Rams shirt. Not sure what he’s changed this preseason but is my first name in Saturdays team sheet. 
17Sibley-6. Great to see Sibs back out there. Feels like this season is make or break for him. Like to see him in the Didzy role moving forward. Didn’t even pick up the standard Louie Sibley yellow card. 
 
Warne-7. Listened to the fans and changed the formation. Everyone in the stadium seemed to be happy with this. Subs were timed well abs we managed the game out well. Needs to use this and take it into Peterborough on Saturday. I will be making my first trip there since 93’, a losing effort thanks to a Ken Charlery goal. 😩

For some inexplicable reason after the match, I still came away feeling annoyed. I don't know why, I can't get my head around it. We won a home game though, box ticked.
Massive positive was Liam Thompson, I thought he was superb and exactly what we've missed in midfield, energy. Bird, Hourihane and Smith isn't going to work because they don't compliment each other's styles. Thompson is different. Aggressive with and without the ball, no fear. Difference maker, has to keep playing him because our midfield has no fight in a battle. Waggy getting another goal and a nice finish easy finish too. He's very comfortable at this level, he'll definitely get over 15 goals, what a good accident (massive piece of luck) that might turn out to be for Warne. He would have never bothered to look at him if it wasn't for Fozzy.
Negatives, we still looked pretty ropey on the ball and Fleetwood should have scored at least one goal. The keeper and the woodwork saved us big time. Fleetwood having so many clear cut chances scares me because I really don't think they played that well either. Why Warne switched to a back 5 near end to protect a one goal lead still baffles me a day later, this invited Fleetwood to create more chances rather than Derby being positive and getting the ball forward.
I'm a stubborn person, I don't rate Warne and his tripe "football" to be honest. I'm keeping the comfort and hope because he is a promotion specialist. Regardless of my opinion, I cannot deny his successes in the past. He can get it over the line. This is why at matches I'll cheer the team and back him to the moon if it gets us out of playing teams like Fleetwood again next season.

Pleased to see a back four today, at least in the first half. Rooney did well at RB and it was good to see Cashin in his preferred position of LCB. A back four of Rooney, Nelson, Cashin and Forsyth looked solid.
Upfront Waghorn and Washington worked hard and combined well for the goal. Thommo playing just behind the front two was tremendous, showing energy, skill and determination. For me he was MOTM showing a willingness to commit defenders and plenty of energy to get around the pitch. NML at right wing also did well, combining well with Rooney in a partnership with potential.
Smith and Hourihane in CM lack legs and bite. We missed Bird and need someone who can break up the play, organise and do the dirty work when it’s needed, Hourihane does at least contribute goals and assists, Smith for me adds nothing.
The 2nd half started in a similar fashion to the 1st half but it wasn’t long before we reverted to a back 3 which became a back 5 and subsequently a back 10! I am always surprised when teams change tactics and stop doing the things that seemed to be working.
Finally conceding 56% possession at home to Fleetwood is for me a disappointing statistic and illustrates very well the fact that we fail to control games when in a winning position.
 
 
 
 
 

Based on yesterday’s performance he has to start him next week right? He brings energy and dynamism that’s lacking. If everyone was fit I’d prefer Thompson in that more advanced role with Bird and Hourihane the deeper pairing in midfield. I think I saw it suggested on another thread that Thommo is potentially a “readymade” replacement for what Knight offered, they’re not exactly the same time of player but the running and energetic elements of their games are comparable.
Get someone more mobile in alongside Hourihane and stick with Thommo please Warney.

Had a long but good day yesterday, haven’t seen the highlights yet but my summary of the game based on what I saw and my own conclusions is as follows. 
Started the game really well, pace and intent from the kick off. I thought the first Waghorn incident was a pen and wonder if the ref panicked with it being so early in the game.
It looked to be a back 4 from where I was sat in the East stand @rammieib  with them lined up in a 4 and NML playing high on the right, which is why I posted yesterday to try and clarify the shape for other forum members….however there were times when NML dropped in as a rwb and it became a back 5 in defence, seemingly a sort of fluid 4/5 in defence. Then of course the clear change to 3/5 at the back late on.
The defence still looked nervy at times but the 4 worked well for the most part, Rooney was calm and assured considering his limited minutes before yesterday. Nelson and Cashin looked more comfortable as a 2. Fozzy was his typical composed presence, reading the game well and helping that calmness. Elder and Bradley seemed keen to impress when they came on which made for some nervy moments, one example that sticks out was when Elder went to head a lofted pass forward which he was never getting and ended up jumping through two of their players. BUT the defence and Wildsmith did all dig in and they got the clean sheet, even if it wasn’t pretty at times.
Waghorn and Washington showed what they can offer as a forward pairing with running and movement aplenty. Waghorn’s control of Wash’s shot to then turn and finish shows his quality. That’s 2 goals already for him, showing that he will indeed score at this level. Both tired as the game went on with Collins and Sibley putting an effort in when they came on but not quite having the same impact. I think that’s probably a combination of lack of mins for Sibley, and the fact we’d retreated more as the game went on. 

Thompson was everywhere, which I was really pleased with, I’ve said in pre season I thought he’d offer something to this side and think he took his chance with both hands. Apart from the silly booking it was a good all energy performance. Nipping in to win second balls and carry it forward, running and harrying their players, driving forward, and not shirking the physical battle as he was in a constant grind with their 6.  
NML, Smith and Hourihane put in plenty of effort and contributed to lots of nearly moments. NML was dangerous on the right, he first couple of runs nearly led to chances, if we can nail the final ball with him in those positions he’ll be back to scoring and assisting like he was last season. Smith and Hourihane both looked so slow, the intent and effort there to get across the ground but the legs not quite carrying them. A more mobile presence in there with Hourihane changes the side quite quickly I think, with Smith then an option to come on and help see out games/rotate. We need that signing. I think that contributes to our lack of control in games, the midfield is too immobile and gets bypassed at times, easier to see it in person than on ramstv, not slating their effort, just think it’s clear we need more legs in there, not dynamic enough.
In summary, it was a slightly better performance at times on the way to a much needed result, still some of the same worries remain. I think the change to 5 at the back late on was partly due to circumstances (not many options on the bench and wanting to grind out the win) but I’d have much preferred Warne to give the likes of Bardell and Robinson the chance. Robinson could have added some energy to a tired midfield and Bardell a more natural option at rb/rwb than Nelson who definitely got caught tucking in too Central a couple of times. 
However, a day in Derby in the sunshine, a rat burger outside the ground, quality time with my dad, sister and uncle, 3 points and a clean sheet, pretty happy day altogether. 

 
EDIT - forgot to add, the officials were poor. The linesman on this near side looked to take his cue from the ref every time, the NML booking (not seen a replay so could be mistaken) didn’t look like a foul, their bloke span away from NML and hit the deck but the linesman said nothing to the ref despite his clear view. They gave a foul for NML after a great run in which their lb had tried to violently undress the lad the whole way, however the “foul” in truth looked more like NML took out the lb, maybe it was for what had gone before? They just seemed soft and inconsistent throughout, for both sides. 

Pleased to see a back four today, at least in the first half. Rooney did well at RB and it was good to see Cashin in his preferred position of LCB. A back four of Rooney, Nelson, Cashin and Forsyth looked solid.
Upfront Waghorn and Washington worked hard and combined well for the goal. Thommo playing just behind the front two was tremendous, showing energy, skill and determination. For me he was MOTM showing a willingness to commit defenders and plenty of energy to get around the pitch. NML at right wing also did well, combining well with Rooney in a partnership with potential.
Smith and Hourihane in CM lack legs and bite. We missed Bird and need someone who can break up the play, organise and do the dirty work when it’s needed, Hourihane does at least contribute goals and assists, Smith for me adds nothing.
The 2nd half started in a similar fashion to the 1st half but it wasn’t long before we reverted to a back 3 which became a back 5 and subsequently a back 10! I am always surprised when teams change tactics and stop doing the things that seemed to be working.
Finally conceding 56% possession at home to Fleetwood is for me a disappointing statistic and illustrates very well the fact that we fail to control games when in a winning position.
 
 
 
 
 

Pleased to see a back four today, at least in the first half. Rooney did well at RB and it was good to see Cashin in his preferred position of LCB. A back four of Rooney, Nelson, Cashin and Forsyth looked solid.
Upfront Waghorn and Washington worked hard and combined well for the goal. Thommo playing just behind the front two was tremendous, showing energy, skill and determination. For me he was MOTM showing a willingness to commit defenders and plenty of energy to get around the pitch. NML at right wing also did well, combining well with Rooney in a partnership with potential.
Smith and Hourihane in CM lack legs and bite. We missed Bird and need someone who can break up the play, organise and do the dirty work when it’s needed, Hourihane does at least contribute goals and assists, Smith for me adds nothing.
The 2nd half started in a similar fashion to the 1st half but it wasn’t long before we reverted to a back 3 which became a back 5 and subsequently a back 10! I am always surprised when teams change tactics and stop doing the things that seemed to be working.
Finally conceding 56% possession at home to Fleetwood is for me a disappointing statistic and illustrates very well the fact that we fail to control games when in a winning position.