RoyMac5

20 minutes ago, DavesaRam said:

My concern is if we set up with a midfield two ….. again, because we will be over-run …. again. Especially if Hourihane starts, because then we will only have a midfield one and a half. It will also mean we have gone for “whack it wide and lob it into the box” …. again, so all Portsmouth will have to do is what Northampton did - put an extra man on each wing back.

We need to go 3 in midfield, and we need to play our game and make Portsmouth worry about us, not the other way round.

We can get at least a point from this match if we want to, and if we are allowed to.

My concern is we'll play Wilson and Ward, what with Sibs and (I don't track back)CBT on the other side, there'll not be much defensive solidity.

4 hours ago, jono said:

...Sibs has considerable abilities and is one of the few that has the potential to create a champagne moment but he is also more inconsistent and error prone than one would expect in someone with his level of natural talents

Not at all what you'd expect from a player of Sibs experience. The way you comment on my comments is very amusing. I only do it because your view of Sibs is typically 'one-eyed'. 😆

10 hours ago, jono said:

He was everything the recent Sibley has been. Some good positional play, a couple of clever darting runs, beat a man with some beautiful twinkle toes. A bullet of a left foot shot just over the bar. Then mix in some lousy passes under minimal pressure, got shoved too easily off the ball, slow to react. … Will the real LS please stand up. He confuses me ! 

He was the only one to make 'lousy' passes was he? Adams got caught on the ball at least twice, and had to hold off some of their players as he too reacted slowly on the ball - but he (rightly) gets MoM.

But you forgot the tracking the two Blackpool men into the box last minute, and making a great interception. Thought they were bound to equalise. Clearance finished by Cashin, Nelson and Adams.

3 minutes ago, plymouthram said:

He's got no choice, no Bradley or Forsyth and only 2 centre halfs left. lets hope they don't get injured.

Well before the team was announced, one suggestion was a three at the back with Elder as LCB. So there was a chance not. Or as we see he's discovered our England U19 player, who is a CB.

23 minutes ago, McArthur Park said:

It's got to be a caramel doughnut surely?😁

Blackcurrant cream. Or maybe they're not a thing anymore...

1 hour ago, TuffLuff said:

I don’t think it’s about taking the blame because that indicates that someone wasn’t working with good intentions, and I think at that point almost everyone was. It wasn’t one person/organisations fault what was happening with Kirchner, but you have to accept some responsibility for how it went wrong. That’s what becomes apparent to me when reading that article, they have spoken to a lot of people and none seemingly took any responsibility, the writers didnt question them on it and they didn’t cotton on to the idea that they all played a part in getting Kirchner so far down the line. The people don’t take responsibility and the writers don’t make them take responsibility when it’s obvious when reading that they should. 

My point about Preston isn’t that they did anything wrong particularly, but more that its similar to what is being said by @therealhantsram about MM, it’s ok for people to say they smelt a rat with Kirchner but at the time they didn’t raise any alarm bells with the EFL. It should be in Preston’s interest as much as Morris’ interest to declare to the EFL that they had doubts over Kirchner’s suitability. A Preston source calls Kirchner a tyre kicker in the article, well again they contributed to that tyre kicking when it came to Derby County! The article again, in my opinion, kinda shows an issue that helped Kirchner get further down the line but doesn’t delve further into the significance of it. Or both the Preston source and MM’s source are saving face which should be  rebutted in print, because they were both willing to try and sell to him!

The article brings up a lot of issues but doesn’t give them any significance essentially.

 

 

What would you want 'them' to take responsibility for? It only started to unravel when the money didn't arrive - why didn't Kirchner's money arrive? The fact that it wasn't Kirchner's money couldn't be deduced until he didn't hand it over.

2 minutes ago, YorkshireRam said:

So would you favour offensive prowess over defensive stability? No right answer, just curious. If we're moving to a back 4 then I'd probably prioritise stability which I think we'd have more of in Wilson at fullback.

In regards to attack, this is the game that CBT has to step up. Our marquee signing of Jan now has a gilt-edged chance to show what he's about. Just hope he takes it. ((If he doesn't start, serious questions need to be asked about recruitment!)

Wasn't there a game where Sibley played on the right in front of Wilson? Worked quite well. Then CBT on the left, Waggy/Collo in the middle?

15 minutes ago, TuffLuff said:

Yes I thought the MM bit was most interesting, I do hope we do end up hearing a bit more from his side. Although the idea he was sceptical yet still willingness to work with Kirchner to agree a sale of his club seems a bit of a stretch to me. 

I’ve got to be honest I just don’t think it’s a great article though. There’s a pretty obvious ‘joining of dots’ here that isn’t addressed in that whether its the supporters groups, MM, Garry Cook, The EFL, the Administrators or Stretford , none of them take responsibility for what they nearly did to Derby County. No one goes ‘we got this wrong and we added to the months of limbo for Derby County fans who didn’t know whether they would have a club by the of the season’, and I think it borders on disgraceful from those who fell for Kirchner hook, line and sinker and they all seemingly pop up in this article without much criticism. It’s also poor that the article has no reference to the fans and what we were going through because of Kirchner’s actions

I also find it poor that supposedly Preston’s board are unsure about Kirchner but seemingly do not raise any alarm bells to the EFL. If you want to see a part of what’s wrong with football then I think that’s a good example. 

Like most football journalism today, it about scratches the surface on a subject but there is zero depth.

I think whilst safe to say many Derby fans dislike the EFL I can't see how they take the blame for believing Kirchner - see all the big US organisations that were also 'taken in'. I presume Kirchner showed the money but just forgot to say it wasn't his!

As for Preston, there were things written at the time, and talked about on here, but most were saying they had an anti-CK axe to grind because he backed out of their deal. They got the blame for 'increasing' the asking price and were judged accordingly.

18 minutes ago, Crewton said:

Cashin was pushed head-long into the goalkeeper and could be seen sitting looking dazed while the melee around Bradley was going on. You surely noticed all that though, since you were watching on RamsTV.

No I missed that. Lucky Cashin didn't retaliate then.

59 minutes ago, Crewton said:

Given that Cashin was wrestled to the ground in that same incident (a clear foul which got lost in the histrionics by the Northampton players), I bet exactly the same thing happened to Bradley. No wonder Monthe was smirking.

 

Bloody hell he must have given Big Daddy lessons! Lucky then that Cashin wasn't as stupid as Bradley.

56 minutes ago, angieram said:

Were you there watching? No, so you're just guessing. 

As @Crewton said, there was a lot of holding onto our players all through the game which the referee was ignoring. I did see that. 

Doesn't forgive what follows. 

Was I watching - yes I was. And the replays on RamsTV.

No surprise there was lots of holding going on, that is Bradley's M.O. As I said 'who started it and who finished it'?

35 minutes ago, angieram said:

I said on the matchday thread that Bradley went to ground immediately before the incident. I think that part of the statement is true.

It's what he did afterwards that is the question but fans at a different angle to me saw contact, so it must have happened in retaliation. 

But we've seen him 'go to ground' in the opposition box before, there's a picture on a thread somewhere of him wrestling with a player and they fall over. Who starts it who finishes it? 

Bradley fell over I bet he was doing some awful attempt at s**thousing. He's just all round poor.

Warne said: "Sonny said, 'He (Monthe) was in my face and he pulled me down' and that he didn't do anything.

"I have to believe and trust my player until I see anything different. It's disappointing because it magnifies the poor day at the office we had. Six games left and you are missing three of those, so it's a massive blow. He was pretty confident he hadn't done anything wrong. I could see the lads all getting frustrated, and when it is like that you can't touch anyone.

"It's all right for us because we're on the side of the pitch, but the adrenaline is pumping as a player, your heart is going at 180bpm and you want to score a goal. It's easy to say don't get emotional, but it's difficult."

Surely Warne will take the unexpected opportunity to go with a four at the back, if so I think we'll get 2nd place. #COYR

Adam Thorley is back at Derby

Derby County's academy has been strengthened with the return of the highly-rated Adam Thorley. Thorley was poached by Chelsea back in 2021 when he became their under-15s coach.

But it is understood he has now returned to Derby where he has been appointed head of technical development for under-nines to under-16s. Thorley initially started his career at Derby having joined the club in 2010, but had a short stint at Wolves where he was YDP coach for eight months.

He was Derby's under-18s coach and professional development phase coach before leaving for Premier League Chelsea. During his time at Pride Park, the club cultivated a number of players to come through the academy including the likes of Kaide Gordon (Liverpool) and Liam Delap (Manchester City).

Robinson on duty with England

Young Derby County defender Keilen Robinson has been on England duty for the under-19s, coming on as a substitute in their 1-1 draw against Morocco last Thursday.

An own-goal just before half-time had given Morocco the lead at the Stade Moulay Hassan in Rabat before Chelsea defender Billy Gee equalised with ten minutes remaining.

Also included in the side which drew 1-1 was former Derby academy prospect Omari Kellyman, who left the club to join Aston Villa.

2 minutes ago, MadAmster said:

Did I say that? Merely pointing out that the current injury situation plus "whatever happened to Fornah" means the skipper is nailed on to start.

I thought Fornah was injured (his back).

1 minute ago, G STAR RAM said:

Or it could be that having a squad made up of bargain basement freebies and players in the twilight's of their careers, due to the financial constraints we were under, means that we are prone to injuries which in turn necessitate changes in formation and tactics.

Of course when they work it is because Warne is lucky and when it doesn't work it is because Warne is a limited tactically naive PE teacher.

Think I've got that right. 

FIFY

6 minutes ago, Srg said:

I'd pick Fornah with a broken back over Hourihane.

Hourihane is one of the few in the squad that organises the team and gets any real style of play from them. That's why he keeps getting picked imo. And Fornah is not much other than a bit of running around.

Just now, MadAmster said:

With Bird not ready, Adams apparently injured, whatever happened to Fornah, Hourihane looks nailed on to start.

You'd pick Fornah over Hourihane?