DCFC1388

Blackpool - W
Pompey - L
Wycombe - D
Leyton O - W
Cambridge - W
Carlisle - W
13pts from 18 available

My prediction is that all the top 7 teams will drop points and wobble. I'm hoping that Northampton was our wobble. If we bounce back with a win on friday and hopefully at least a draw at Pompey then we can hopefully hold second place. What we need is for us to wobble less than those below us! COYR.
I'm sticking my neck out to say second place on 90 points.

Yes plenty of positives.
After we lost to Stevenage and Shrewsbury in October, if someone said with 6 games to go you'll be 4 points clear of 3rd. Every one of us would have taken it.
Infact every single one of us would have probably taken Bolton's position after those games.
Yes yesterday was poor, but if we'd taken those huge chances we win that game comfortably and we go away happy. 
We have more than enough to beat Blackpool at home. Bolton have a tricky game at Stevenage. Who knows we could be 7 points clear by next Friday night. 
Wycombe away is 2 and a half weeks away. We could have Gayle, Barkhuizen back for then.

We haven't bottled anything. Our points per game is still better than 22 other sides in our league, the three sides behind us all have to win their games in hand to get to within 1 result of us.
We can probably forget about Portsmouth now, but I don't really care whether we finish 1st or 2nd.
It's a massive missed opportunity, but it's still in our hands. The constant negativity gets really tiresome sometimes.

Id be making 3 changes - Elder for Sibley, Smith for Hourihane & CBT for Thompson

Id be making 3 changes - Elder for Sibley, Smith for Hourihane & CBT for Thompson

I cant see Sibley & Ward starting at wingbacks this weekend. I dont think Warne will risk Ward starting especially when he has Wilson available. I think he will then go woth a more defensive LWB in Elder but then having Sibley as an attacking option from the bench....
Wildsmith - Nelson Forsyth Cashin - Wilson Adams Smith Elder - NML Waghorn CBT
Loach Bradley Ward Thompson Hourihane Sibley Washington

I cant see Sibley & Ward starting at wingbacks this weekend. I dont think Warne will risk Ward starting especially when he has Wilson available. I think he will then go woth a more defensive LWB in Elder but then having Sibley as an attacking option from the bench....
Wildsmith - Nelson Forsyth Cashin - Wilson Adams Smith Elder - NML Waghorn CBT
Loach Bradley Ward Thompson Hourihane Sibley Washington

TBF Ward is very much like Beckham was.  Get a yard then ping it in, and their left sided players didn't give him much space in the 1st half.  Therefore Warne made the change and Wilson being more of a dribbler was able to get at them a lot more effectively.  His goal came from a corner he himself won by going at their left back.
My point is our head coach identified a problem, and solved it.
I'd love for us to be like the Mac 1 era and blow teams out the water with free flowing, passing football, but let's remember that even Mac 2 failed to recreate that, and had no Plan B.  Here we have a coach who's had Plans A through to H, and some fans still think he's just a PE teacher who just shouts "Hoof it" at every game.  Is he perfect?  No.  Has he made mistakes?  Yes.  Overall is he doing a good job of getting us into a position whereby we could escape this league?  Yes.  Therefore he's well on target to reach the targets his employer set him...

I think a fresh & fit CBT could play a huge part in these final 7 games, will give us a chance to hopefuloy rest Barkhuizen & NML.
Good to see in the videos after the match that he seemed well involved with the players & seems to have settled into the team so hopefully we start to see what he can offer ob the pitch

WE ARE ACTUALLY SECOND IN THE LEAGUE
I’ve had plenty of conversations/disagreements on the forum with people who don’t rate the manager and would like a change but I at least know they’re Derby fans wanting the best for their club…At this point I’m done dancing round the fact and am calling it plainly, I don’t think you’re a Derby fan at all. You have posted this rhetoric about “luck” and “deserved” for more than a few weeks now, downplaying any and all results we have achieved. I don’t think I’ve ever read a constructive or positive post from you. 

After 39 games we have more points than 22 other sides, have scored more goals than 20 other sides in the league, have conceded less goals than  22 other sides in this league, and have a better goal difference than all the 23 other sides in the league… at some point all of that has to indicate we deserve to be where we are even if there’s been good and bad luck along the way. 

He's cost us a fraction of what even Camara cost, let alone FloJo. He's also played barely 180 minutes so far, so I don't know how anyone can really judge him yet.

I think a fresh & fit CBT could play a huge part in these final 7 games, will give us a chance to hopefuloy rest Barkhuizen & NML.
Good to see in the videos after the match that he seemed well involved with the players & seems to have settled into the team so hopefully we start to see what he can offer ob the pitch

Had to be Wilson who bagged the winner after Bolton decided against signing him after his medical there....their loss is our gain, two fold 🤣
Northampton game next week is massive now as we're the only top 6 team playing so gives us chance to get 3 points on the board. Hopefully a week between games gives Ward, Bradley & Barkhuizen chance to rest up/recover. Sounds like Washington could be back involved too.

I thought he looked like a beast in the first half and was thinking he'd slot in nicely between Cash and Nelson in a back three.  However it was obvious he is not great on the ball as our staff had devised a press which completely ignored him.  Some of the fans were not happy we were letting him have the ball with zero pressure, but to me it must have been deliberate.  It seemed to work too, as I don't remember him doing anything with the ball at his feet all match.

Had to be Wilson who bagged the winner after Bolton decided against signing him after his medical there....their loss is our gain, two fold 🤣
Northampton game next week is massive now as we're the only top 6 team playing so gives us chance to get 3 points on the board. Hopefully a week between games gives Ward, Bradley & Barkhuizen chance to rest up/recover. Sounds like Washington could be back involved too.

Had to be Wilson who bagged the winner after Bolton decided against signing him after his medical there....their loss is our gain, two fold 🤣
Northampton game next week is massive now as we're the only top 6 team playing so gives us chance to get 3 points on the board. Hopefully a week between games gives Ward, Bradley & Barkhuizen chance to rest up/recover. Sounds like Washington could be back involved too.

I don’t think this is a great idea, but something I’ve just thought of.
So Bradley has been playing well in defence and Forsyth was motm today, so could we fit both of them in.
Back 3 of Cashin, Nelson, Bradley. Try Forsyth out up front. He’s shown he can finish with his feet and he’s good in the air. Could he be a handy makeshift target man with his attributes. Imagine ward and sibley whipping balls in to him. We’ll also have that extra defender for set pieces. He was originally signed as a winger wasn’t he so playing further forward won’t be completely alien to him.

Had to be Wilson who bagged the winner after Bolton decided against signing him after his medical there....their loss is our gain, two fold 🤣
Northampton game next week is massive now as we're the only top 6 team playing so gives us chance to get 3 points on the board. Hopefully a week between games gives Ward, Bradley & Barkhuizen chance to rest up/recover. Sounds like Washington could be back involved too.

Had to be Wilson who bagged the winner after Bolton decided against signing him after his medical there....their loss is our gain, two fold 🤣
Northampton game next week is massive now as we're the only top 6 team playing so gives us chance to get 3 points on the board. Hopefully a week between games gives Ward, Bradley & Barkhuizen chance to rest up/recover. Sounds like Washington could be back involved too.

Warne just said Gayle’s injury is his hamstring. Barkhuizen and Ward both “sore” at half time so not wanting to take risks. 

Seems quite honest and grounded in his assessment, said he thought Bolton are right to think they deserved a point. Praised all the players, said he wanted to get CBT on but had ran out of subs which if those made for “soreness” couldn’t be avoided it makes sense. Acknowledged we rode our luck a little. Still 7 games to go so staying grounded. 
Young lad starting the bounce referred to as “little Collo” so Collins’ lad I guess.
Said the fans and atmosphere were great, set a standard they shouldn’t drop, amazed by all the flags and wants them there every week. 
Also just said “JJ was up here today and he’s maybe going to be fit by the end of the season”, if he’s still contracted to us we can use him right?!

How today goes will depend alotnon our press, Bolton like to play out fromt the back & even in their 5-0 win midweek Oxford got a few chances from pressing Bolton so if we get it right we could nick a goal or 2 from it

Derby 1 Bolton 2 
Frgs Gayle
 
I actually think it will be 2-1 us but we have done well when I have predicted against us 🤣

His energy off the ball in recent weeks has been excellent but doesnt always get noticed. 
For our 3rd goal vs Port Vale it came from him chasing a hopeless ball down & winning us a throw which led to our goal.

His energy off the ball in recent weeks has been excellent but doesnt always get noticed. 
For our 3rd goal vs Port Vale it came from him chasing a hopeless ball down & winning us a throw which led to our goal.