nottingram

More pleased today than I have been in weeks. Thought we played pretty well but Ipswich are a very good team who had multiple players who have cost them 7 figures.
Think we’d have got a point if the goal had stood and then conceded the 2nd at a really bad time to stop a bit of a grandstand finish. 
We’re also 2 points better off than I thought we’d be as Peterborough v Oxford looked a home banker. That said at this point I would rather see Warne just setting the team up in the 3-5-2 he obviously wants, and use some games to work out who can do what he needs them to in that shape

Going to be a hell of a score line when these decisions all even themselves out. 

Going to be a hell of a score line when these decisions all even themselves out. 

Going to be a hell of a score line when these decisions all even themselves out. 

They can’t sack Cooper as it means John Percy and Daniel Taylor would have to start describing him as “manager of the three-quarters of the season”, rather than “manager of the season”

Wouldn’t have hired him but would be lunacy to fire him now. 

Wouldn’t have hired him but would be lunacy to fire him now. 

I feel very conflicted about the current situation at the Club. 
Part of me is just grateful that we have a Club. That part believes we shouldn't really be judging Warne until we have a squad he has assembled on a level playing field with other clubs in the division ie by spending money that we can afford.
But, we knew when we signed Warne that we couldn't do this for at least this season and probably next. We also knew that the squad we had was put together, albeit hastily, by a different manager with a very different style of play in mind. 
Warne has worked this squad very hard to get them somewhere near the fitness levels he demands, but he isn't able to magic up physicality, or do anything about the age profile of the squad. He has inspired them personally, you can see the effort is there, but some players look to be treading treacle at this stage and in dire need of a rest, yet we've still 8-10 games to go. 
So something has to give somewhere. Could we have managed the squad's fitness better by not demanding up-tempo direct football that drains their energy levels in every game? Could we have used the players' undoubted football skills to make the ball do some of the work for them? Could we have rotated the squad better? Could we even (heaven forbid!) have set up not to lose some of these away matches, rather than go all out to win them? An extra 4 or 5 away points from grinding out defensive draws would be very welcome right now, imo.
Or should we look at this season as a free hit? See it as a learning opportunity for Warne to ascertain who he might want to keep in a much-changed squad for next season to play the way he wants and thinks will eventually succeed in getting us out of this division? Should we steel ourselves to waving goodbye to the type of pretty football that has been Derby's trademark for some years now, but has ultimately brought us little success?
I don't know the answer to any of those questions. 
And let's not forget this season isn't over yet.
Warne's high-risk, high-reward style of play may yet reap those rewards this season and we might all feel very differently if we gain promotion in a glorious win at Wembley in May. The struggle of how we got there will then be temporarily forgotten. 
Until it starts again next season and all the worries will surface again.
I don't think it's an easy time to be a fan at Derby County. 

We only played 2!
You'll be able to add Peterborough or Wycombe to it though if this crap carries on.

Wouldn’t have hired him but would be lunacy to fire him now. 

Wouldn’t have hired him but would be lunacy to fire him now. 

They can’t sack Cooper as it means John Percy and Daniel Taylor would have to start describing him as “manager of the three-quarters of the season”, rather than “manager of the season”

They can’t sack Cooper as it means John Percy and Daniel Taylor would have to start describing him as “manager of the three-quarters of the season”, rather than “manager of the season”

They can’t sack Cooper as it means John Percy and Daniel Taylor would have to start describing him as “manager of the three-quarters of the season”, rather than “manager of the season”

69% chance of making the play offs rather than being promoted through the play offs, down from 85% pre Saturday.
Ipswich’s 70% is because the other 30% is top 2. Our 69% is because the alternative is 7th or 8th, so while we are as likely (ish) to make the play offs the alternative is very different.
I don’t know how much weight is put on things like form in these things. And obviously if we lose on Saturday it probably moves to about 50/50 between us and Peterborough. It’s a useful model but maybe not that practical when one off results are moving the needle by 15/20% with 10 games to go.

Think he is different to what I and probably many expected but I think it’s a big call to say someone with 16 goals / assists doesn’t warrant a starting position. Highest contributing central midfielder in the league, with Adam Phillips and Barry Bannan next with 13. He would basically have to be a complete and utter liability defensively to not justify a starting spot, which he isn’t. 
Goals and assists not everything I know but the other of our more advanced regular starting central midfielders has 5 which is one behind one of Burton Albion’s centre backs. I like Knight a lot but you leave a lot of productivity behind if you start thinking about taking out Hourihane.

Think he is different to what I and probably many expected but I think it’s a big call to say someone with 16 goals / assists doesn’t warrant a starting position. Highest contributing central midfielder in the league, with Adam Phillips and Barry Bannan next with 13. He would basically have to be a complete and utter liability defensively to not justify a starting spot, which he isn’t. 
Goals and assists not everything I know but the other of our more advanced regular starting central midfielders has 5 which is one behind one of Burton Albion’s centre backs. I like Knight a lot but you leave a lot of productivity behind if you start thinking about taking out Hourihane.

Think he is different to what I and probably many expected but I think it’s a big call to say someone with 16 goals / assists doesn’t warrant a starting position. Highest contributing central midfielder in the league, with Adam Phillips and Barry Bannan next with 13. He would basically have to be a complete and utter liability defensively to not justify a starting spot, which he isn’t. 
Goals and assists not everything I know but the other of our more advanced regular starting central midfielders has 5 which is one behind one of Burton Albion’s centre backs. I like Knight a lot but you leave a lot of productivity behind if you start thinking about taking out Hourihane.

If the manager insists on boiling play down to working hard with little else then I’m not sure it’s really acceptable to not even be able to motivate them to do that.
Can think of a few occasions he’s talked about lacking work rate in the side. At half time he subbed off the one player who looked like he was bothered so not sure what he wants really.
Oh well, hard to be too bothered about this as I suspect it’s a bed we’ll be lying in for a few years yet and it’s something a lot of fans wanted. 

Absolutely disgraceful. In all my years going to the match I don’t think I’ve ever been so embarrassed and disappointed. 
Clapping Jack Marriott off ffs.

Can’t help but think that their home form deserting them might be a problem.

Can’t help but think that their home form deserting them might be a problem.

Not really, just based on what I see. We did however go on a run of barely conceding a chance over what, 7-10 games with him and Bird playing deep in a 4-4-2 / 4-2-3-1.
I don’t think he goes around flying into tackles, clearly, but I think he is largely good at filling in little gaps. Bird is a big miss as well as those little gaps are a bit bigger when he is not playing.
My overriding point really was that I am unsure if Sibley would be able to help Bird out as much as Hourihane does / would when Knight does his pressing. That’s not anyone’s fault, I just don’t think it suits him. Whereas Hourihane I feel does have that little bit more positional discipline.
That’s the defensive side of it. I would also need some persuading that leaving out Hourihane and the 20 or so goals you might expect him to contribute to is a good thing going forward. 
I would however like Sibley in the team and not as a left back, and I do think Warne will try to move us to a 3 at the back next season so in that case it leaves the front 2. Doesn’t have to be as a Jack Marriott not doing anything outside the box, he can still do the things he’s good at. 

Strange the BBC are apologising to him given I’ve read on here from those privy to his contract that his tweet was a clear breach of guidelines and they were correct to act as they did

Strange the BBC are apologising to him given I’ve read on here from those privy to his contract that his tweet was a clear breach of guidelines and they were correct to act as they did