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Andrew3000

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  1. Clap
    Andrew3000 reacted to Srg in Match Thread: vs Northampton Town (a)   
    The only reason to play Ebou further forward is for his pressing ability. Either way you slice it, it's a cover up for Hourihane. You're playing him there because Hourihane can't do it and when you do play him there, you lose out deeper because Hourihane is there. It was kinda ridiculous against Bolton that we ended up with our best defensive-minded midfielder running around pressing centre backs after Gayle went off. Should never ever be plan A.
  2. Clap
    Andrew3000 reacted to Foreveram in DERBY COUNTY FANS FORUM: MARCH 2024   
    If you want to take things out of context, Warne said he’d like to sign Jude Bellingham 😂
  3. Clap
    Andrew3000 reacted to Ram@Lincoln in Academy thread 23/24   
    Not losing him for pennies like we did with Ebiowei, Ebosele and others from recent years. If clubs really want him, pay up the big cash or go do one.
  4. Clap
    Andrew3000 reacted to Caerphilly Ram in Academy thread 23/24   
    There were some rumours of PL interest in Cruz at one point right? So hopefully this means a) we secured ourselves a talented footballer for the next few years and b) protected the investment in him somewhat
  5. COYR
    Andrew3000 reacted to Premier ram in Academy thread 23/24   
    Great news, Cruz is a very talented footballer with a big future , fingers crossed his best years are with the Rams
  6. Clap
    Andrew3000 reacted to RoyMac5 in Academy thread 23/24   
    https://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/2024/03/rams-youngster-allen-signs-first-professional-contract

     
    "...Academy Manager Matt Hale said: “Cruz has done really well in the Under-21s and also the Under-18s this year and we are keen to recognise players that have come through our pathway here at Derby County.
    “He has a lot of talent and this is fully deserved; we wish him well.”
    Allen is the third player from the Under-18s to sign professional terms this season, following in the footsteps of striker Dajaune Brown and goalkeeper Jack Thompson."
  7. Cheers
    Andrew3000 reacted to Srg in Academy thread 23/24   
    Cruz Allen has signed his first professional contract.
  8. Cheers
    Andrew3000 reacted to angieram in Academy thread 23/24   
    Some good stuff from Matt Hale last night about striking a balance between rewarding young players and keeping them hungry. 
    And about when and how to give chances, loans out etc.
    Worth a listen when the video comes out. 
  9. Haha
    Andrew3000 got a reaction from Scott129 in Dajaune Brown - loan to Gateshead until end of season   
    Totally agree, I'm very happy that footballers of his generation watch anime.
  10. Like
    Andrew3000 reacted to Chesterfield_Ram in Max Bird - flew the coop to Bristol City, loaned to us to end of season   
    While this is an interesting statistic, I think its important to look at who partnered him in midfield like @Ghost of Clough said. 
    I've always thought that we're at our best when only 1 of Hourihane or Bird are playing, not both. At least his transfer has sort of forced Warne's hand from next season.
    Having had a look at CH this season, we have won 5; drawn 3; and only lost to Charlton when Hourihane hasn't played or only played a 20 minutes or so. So again we have a winning record when CH hasn't played (or played very little).
  11. Clap
    Andrew3000 reacted to Rampant in Dwight Gayle   
    My biggest takeaway from this thread is we're a poorer side minus Gayle. 
    Going off on a tangent, all these injuries are probably just a sine of the times.
  12. Haha
    Andrew3000 reacted to Wignall12 in Dwight Gayle   
    There are 24 teams in our league , if you turn the table on its side you'll see its a long division 
  13. Clap
    Andrew3000 got a reaction from jono in Match Thread: vs Bolton Wanderers (H)   
    You are a class act. Bravo! And thankyou.
  14. Like
    Andrew3000 got a reaction from ariotofmyown in Match Thread: vs Bolton Wanderers (H)   
    You are a class act. Bravo! And thankyou.
  15. Haha
    Andrew3000 got a reaction from Ghost of Clough in Dajaune Brown - loan to Gateshead until end of season   
    Totally agree, I'm very happy that footballers of his generation watch anime.
  16. Haha
  17. Haha
    Andrew3000 got a reaction from DarkFruitsRam7 in Dajaune Brown - loan to Gateshead until end of season   
    Totally agree, I'm very happy that footballers of his generation watch anime.
  18. Cheers
    Andrew3000 reacted to DarkFruitsRam7 in Dajaune Brown - loan to Gateshead until end of season   
    Stuff like this is very encouraging 
     
  19. Clap
    Andrew3000 reacted to angieram in Corey Blackett-Taylor - Signed on Loan/Permanent in Summer   
    Barks hitting form just as CBT gets match fit might be no co-incidence! 
    An extra benefit of the increased competition. 
  20. Cheers
    Andrew3000 reacted to angieram in Academy thread 23/24   
  21. Clap
    Andrew3000 got a reaction from Ellafella in Match Thread: vs Bolton Wanderers (H)   
    You are a class act. Bravo! And thankyou.
  22. Clap
    Andrew3000 reacted to Ghost of Clough in Corey Blackett-Taylor - Signed on Loan/Permanent in Summer   
    Sign players who are used to playing in the sytem we're trying to implements and stick to that system. We'll then have a higher success rate with signings. Signing wingers, wing-backs, or full backs, then not playing with wingers, wing-backs, or full backs, is a recipe for failure. So too is signing slower defenders to play in a high line, orleavijg them exposed by pushing the other CBs high up the pitch.
    Flip flopping between formations and having a mish-mash of players who prefer different formations (including the ones signed by Warne) were probably bigger reasons. We're looking better now because this formation suits the majority of our fit squad members.
    We had Mendez-Laing and Barkhuizen contracted for the season, but Warne wanted to play a system which didn't use them so didn't sign anyone to play out wide. Except, a few weeks into the season we decided we now did want to play with wingers, but only had 2 players who were comfortable playing there. On to January, we finally sign a winger, only to change to a system which doesn't use wingers the very next day. With him back from injury and getting opportunities off the bench in a more settled system, he's starting to look better.
    We signed Elder to play a fairly unfamiliar LWB role and he struggled early on. He then picked up an injury which kept him out for a while. He returned when we were playing a back 4 and looked settled after a couple of games. Picked up another injury and we've gone back to wing backs. Where will he fit in long term?
    Wilson and Ward were signed for the RWB role but had niggles. Nyambe came in and we shifted away from a setup which used RWBs. Upon their return, we stuck with 4 at the back, which meant Ward/Wilson had to either play at RB where they have at times struggled defensively, or further forward where Ward doesn't have to pace to beat a man, and Wilson lacks consistent end product.
    Which brings us back to Nyambe. Where will he fit in? He's good 3rd choice cover at RWB (behind Ward and Wilson), but you don't want him playing there too often due to his poor end product. He doesn't get in at RCB over Nelson, so would we drop one of our highest earners (Bradley) to put him in? Or do we go back to a back 4, drop Bradley and waste Ward/Wilson?
     
    We're then onto the truly bad buys...
    Fornah was always a bad buy who will cost us a few hundred thousand eventually. When we already had Bird, Hourihane, Smith, Thompson, and Sibley, with DRobinson coming through, Fornah wasn't the right type of player to sign. We needed either an out and out DM (such as Adams), or an AM with end product.
    Embleton and John-Jules were high risk signings we should never have taken. With a number of other injury risks in the squad (Forsyth, Elder, Wilson, Waghorn, Washington) we couldn't afford to take on more. Embleton had only just returned to training after being out since December, and John-Jules was signed injured, having been out since the previous October.
  23. Cheers
    Andrew3000 reacted to liam.k in Kane Wilson podcast interview - Performing Under Pressure   
    Hey guys, not a Derby fan, but we recently had Kane Wilson come into the studio to talk about how he deals with the pressures of being a professional footballer. He mentions a few things that the club do to help the players psychologically, and recalls a game this season where he felt the pressure. A really great guy, and wish him all the best for the rest of the season.
    If your interested in giving it a listen, the link is below:
     
    Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/staffordshire-universitys-performing-under-pressure/id1728680321?i=1000649169616
  24. Clap
    Andrew3000 reacted to Rampant in Match Thread: vs Bolton Wanderers (H)   
    Saturday 16th March
    vs Bolton Wanderers
    Pride Park   KO 1500
     
    This match as a song by The Smiths: Some Games Are Bigger Than Others
    Opponents Bio: I had the honour of starting the match thread for the reverse fixture so may be repeating some of these nuggets of insignificant trivia. So in the hope that the forums' collective memory is worsening here we go again.
    Bolton Wanderers are, like ourselves, proud to be one of the twelve original founder members of the Football League. Not only that, the opening round of fixtures back on 8th September 1888 saw the two clubs meet for the first of 136 encounters (129 league, five FA Cup and two League Cup). Furthermore, Bolton winger Kenny Davenport has the distinction of being the first scorer in English Football League history as he netted after just two minutes of the game. The Rams did come back to win an opening day thriller 6-3 at Pikes Lane, Bolton in front of an estimated crowd of 3,000. 
    Bolton can proudly boast that they have spent more seasons in the top flight of the English game than they have outside of it and have seen giants of the game like Jimmy Armfield, Nat Lofthouse and Michael Ricketts sport their colours over the years.
    Bolton are commonly known as one of three nicknames; The Whites, due to the colour of their home kit, Wanderers, as it's their name, or The Trotters, chosen by their first owner who made his fortune selling laxatives.
    They have former Ram Ian Evatt as manager and also had a run of three successive bosses with Derby links between 1992 and 1999 as they were led by Bruce Rioch, Roy McFarland and then Colin Todd. Players who have represented both clubs include Franny Lee, John McGovern, Jeff Chandler and Andy Todd.
    Opponents Dangermen: Chief threat is 13-goal Dion Charles although he is doubtful with a knee injury. Victor Adeboyejo has ten goals but is likely out for the season which leaves Bolton with three principal goal threats; Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, ex-Ram Cameron Jerome and Aaron Collins whose five goals and ten assists make him a man to be wary of in our third. Josh Sheehan also poses a threat from midfield.
    Opponents Recent Form: Wanderers will rock up at Pride Park in third place, one position and one point behind ourselves and buoyed by an impressive 5-0 demolition of playoff chasing Oxford on Tuesday night. They are, however, winless in their last four away fixtures since winning 2-1 at Cambridge. Defeats at Blackpool (1-4) and Wigan (0-1) followed that victory and their most recent away games have seen them draw 2-2 at both Barnsley and Exeter. Whilst we're looking for positives, they have conceded at least once in their last eight road games. Their overall away record for the season is decent enough with nine wins, five draws and five defeats.
    Derby vs Bolton History: Derby have had by some margin the upper hand in the head-to-heads with Wanderers. In 129 meetings our record stands at W64-D23-L42. One statistic stands out in the meetings on our turf though and it is this:
    Bolton have never won at Pride Park.
    There, I've said it. 
    Since we moved to Pride Park, Bolton have visited us ten times in the league and drew on their third, fourth and fifth visits but went back up the M6 with nil points on the other seven occasions. We are P10: W7-D3-L0 with 24 goals scored and just five conceded when the Trotters come to town. They haven't scored more than once in any game at Pride Park and, alongside two victories by a one-goal margin, we have merrily spanked their chubby Lancashire backsides 4-0 twice, 4-1 twice and 3-0 once. Now if that isn't tempting fate I don't know what is.
    Expected Rams XI: Possibly same again do we think? Maybe Smith for Hourihane if the latter is still feeling the affects of Yiadom's brutal tackle in midweek.
    My Tuppence Worth: I mentioned it elsewhere but we have winnable looking (I know, I know) games against Blackpool, Orient, Carlisle, Northampton, Wycombe and Cambridge to come in the run-in. If we can do the business in those then a couple of draws in the games against Bolton and Portsmouth will be enough for an automatic place. What I'm suggesting is that given the respective fixture lists of ourselves and Bolton, a draw wouldn't be such a bad result on Saturday. If it's a must win game for either side then, in my opinion, it is more so for Wanderers than it is for us.
    Other Fixtures of Note: It's a significant round of matches as apart from second versus third in our match, it's fourth against first at London Road.
    Peterborough vs Portsmouth
    Barnsley vs Cheltenham
     
    COYR
     
  25. Cheers
    Andrew3000 reacted to Ghost of Clough in 2024 loans out   
    And he gets one
     
     
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