Ellafella

1Wildsmith 6 - just unbusy
35Nelson 8
5Bradley 8
6Cashin 8
2Wilson 7
12Smith 7.5
23Fornah 6
32Adams 8
10Waghorn 6
17Sibley 8.5 - also our MoM
16 Tommo 8
4Hourihane 6
9Collins 7
14Washington 5
11Méndez-Laing 7
7Barkhuisen 6
Coaching staff 9.5 - they were stifled
David Clowes - 10 for everything but especially his nice little wave today as requested

ATG
1Wildsmith 6.5…..had almost nothing to do so impossible to get a great score
35Nelson 7……untroubled defensively. Troubled their defence at set pieces 
5Bradley 7.5……good goals and solid in defence 
6Cashin 7……hands full with their 17 at times. Did very well 
2Wilson 7…..so much more of a threat from wingback. I’d have stuck with a back 4 and I’d have been wrong!
12Smith 7……hardly touched the ball and quite a few over hit passes but managed to have a very good game….how does that work?
23Fornah 6….very little time
32Adams 8…..destroyed as per….plus carried the ball with great energy today
10Waghorn 6…. Very little time
17Sibley 8…..my MOTM…..really good going forward and defensively. Better as a wing back but has done admirably in a 4
16 Tommo 7…..wouldn’t have picked him and I’d have been wrong. Team really benefitted from his high pressing 
4Hourihane 6….no time….but world’s best sub. Always cajoling and encouraging as he warms up.
9Collins 6.5…..great work rate and some good hold up play. Got very little off the ref
14Washington 6….just on long enough to miss a couple of decent chances! To be fair he worked very hard to get in position to miss them
11Méndez-Laing 7…..much better than of late. Great pressing and work rate
7Barkhuisen 7……with another CF, he’d have had 2 fantastic assists in no time on the pitch. Just the man for counter attacking 
PW got a lot right today. completely dominated Orient who were pretty toothless.
Thought the ref and linesmen were inept. No game changing mistakes but so many errors on throw-ins and corners, free kicks to Orient for next to no contact and then let their defenders pretty much assault Collins on occasions.
Completely failed to deal with our time-wasting and then only added on 4 mins. 😉

1Wildsmith 6
35Nelson 7
5Bradley 7
6Cashin 7
2Wilson 6
12Smith 7
23Fornah 6
32Adams 8
10Waghorn 6
17Sibley 8
16 Tommo 8
4Hourihane 6
9Collins 6
14Washington 6
11Méndez-Laing 6
7Barkhuisen 6

1Wildsmith. 7
35Nelson. 8
5Bradley 8.5. 
6Cashin 8
2Wilson. 7
12Smith. 7.5
23Fornah 6 was too busy checking the Bolton score at this point
32Adams 8
10Waghorn 6 as fornah
17Sibley. 8 defensively sound, threat on goal and set up a few chances 
32Thommo 7
4Hourihane. 6
9Collins. 7. 
14Washington 6 Fluffed a couple of chances - that said he got on the end of them to miss
11Méndez-Laing. 7
7Barlhuizen. 6

ATG
1Wildsmith 6
35Nelson 7.5
5Bradley 8
6Cashin 7
2Wilson 7.5
12Smith 7.5
23Fornah 6
32Adams 8.5
10Waghorn 6
17Sibley 8
16 Tommo 7.5
4Hourihane 6
9Collins 7.5
14Washington 6
11Méndez-Laing 7
7Barkhuisen 6

ATG
1Wildsmith 6
35Nelson 7
5Bradley 7.5 (for the goals)
6Cashin 7
2Wilson 6.5
12Smith 7.5
23Fornah 6
32Adams 7.5
10Waghorn 6
17Sibley 7.5
16 Tommo 6.5
4Hourihane 6
9Collins 6.5
14Washington 6
11Méndez-Laing 6.5
7Barkhuisen 6.5
Difficult to assess Derby’s performance when Orient were so poor but the application was there. 

Hopefully everyone has got their meltdowns out the way now and at 5 o'clock tomorrow all will be rosey again.
We tend to perform well after a disappointing performance this season, so I think we'll have the 3 points in a more comfortable win than people expect.
Meanwhile,  Bolton and Portsmouth draw to put us back in the driving seat as Peterborough have a tough game everyone seems to be ignoring as I expect Oxford to beat them.
 
Failing that, bet big on the National and ignore the footie!

It's an EFL tactic to ruin our last few games.

Lincoln supporters up in arms about this as they won all their games in March. Maybe we could gift it to them? 

With the form he's shown since being given a starting slot, I'd imagine it was a shortlist of one! Not often a kid who only recently turned 18 comes in and dominates teams the way he has. Hopefully he doubles down, works even harder, continues to listen to his coaches and in doing so maintains his current arc. He's a seriously exciting prospect for one so young and will surely be in and around the senior squad next season.

Rather have him in the squad than Washington tbh.
I know he's still developing but think he'd be a better option 

National League Player of the Month. Great showing young un.
https://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/2024/04/out-on-loan-brown-wins-national-league-player-of-the-month-award

It wasn’t a “chastening visit” to Wycombe, it was an improvement on last season when we lost, and a point closer to promotion.
Anyway, I came across the below on X today, said by a former Derby County legend who happened to be Bolton Wanderers manager at the time he said it. I completely subscribe to this philosophy, and I hope we can all embrace it for at least the last three games of this season. Too many of us seem to favour a “love the club, hate/slate the players and manger” kind of approach. That isn’t what we need. Let’s all be supporters as well as fans.

Sonny Bradley is available. 

Taking a friends lad to his first game for this one, just hoping for a good performance and a few opportunities to bounce to help get another Ram on the board (it's either us, or Liverpool, or whomsoever Messi is playing for ..  shrugs)
A win is going to be crucial, I feel the titles gone, and as such Portsmouth could do us a favour too, but if we lose and I'll start thinking playoffs. So the pressure is on, Warne will need to earn his money for this game, to not only drill the team to get past a resolute defence but to prevent us from being our own worst enemy, psychologically speaking.
Maybe not my selection but I'm predicting: 3 at the back, 3 in centre midfield including Hourihane, CBT on the bench, Nate and Collins up top. We will get a few shots off early as Warne will not have liked the stats v Wycombe. Solid line up designed to dominate possession and through sheer wait of odds and shots eventually score.
Leyton Orient? I know very little about them. I dont doubt they will be exotic, exciting, and I'll be very interested to see them, but ultimately given where they are from, not quite as capable as those from around our parts.*
*That was a really bad demonstration of an Orientalist, forgive me , I'm hardly Edward Said.
 

Not sure the addition of Bradley and Hourihane will 'freshen it up', or much else to be honest. Dropping Smith for the latter in particular, seems akin to an act of self-harm. We've looked ok defensively, having reverted to a back 4 and I'd fear a complete meltdown amongst the fans if we bring in the two slowest players on the roster for a game we absolutely need to be winning.

Funnily enough...
The 12 history books written on the club by its historian Neilson N. Kaufman between 1974 and 2015 suggest that the choice of the name Orient came about at the behest of a player, Jack R Dearing, who was an employee of the Orient Steam Navigation Company, later part of P&O – Peninsular & Oriental.

Pride Park Stadium – KO: 15.00
After a chastening visit to Wycombe Wanderers, next up, the Rams play host to Leyton Orient. I know the whole, ‘must win game’ is horribly overused cliche in sport, but sadly, it actually applies on this occasion, as it will do for all of our remaining games. On the basis of ability and potential, you’d fancy our chances strongly, but as has been the case through a good deal of the season, the team remains somewhat Jekyll and Hyde and it’s anyone’s guess which Derby will turn up on Saturday. Having been concerned about the Wycombe game being a potential banana skin, I’m less so for this match, but it’d taker a braver man than I to be dogmatic about the outcome.
Leyton Orient:
Founded in 1881 as the Glyn Cricket Club, they began playing football as Orient in 1888 and joined the London League in 1896 after success in the Clapton & District League. The club adopted the name Clapton Orient two years later and were elected into the Football League in 1905. Most recently and under current manager Richie Wellens, the club was crowned champions of League Two in the 2022–23 campaign and sit mid-table in this current season.
Form Guide:
In the corresponding away fixture, we rode our luck a little early on, but having scored 1st, the game turned on a somewhat controversial sending off, with Brandon Cooper dismissed for a foul on Max Bird. Derby ultimately ran out comfortable 3-0 winners and this with Collo spurning a brace of golden opportunities, but even then, I felt the scoreline flattered us a little - Please see the match highlights link below. FWIW, my view is that Orient are a tidy enough side for the grade and should not be taken lightly. Much like Wycombe, they will be able to relax a little more than our lads and we need to be controlled and alert throughout the 90 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zPSKzMlFGE&ab_channel=DerbyCountyFootballClub
 
Most recently, Orient’s form has been decent enough, with a 1-0 victory away to Stevenage followed by two losses by the odd goal only to Lincoln and Peterborough. Their last two matches, both at home, yielded a 3-1 victory against Cheltenham, followed by a 2-2 draw against Exeter.
The most obvious dangerman would seem to be the ever-present Ruel Sotiriou with 11 goals and 5 assists across 42 games played. Shaquai Forde is next best with 9 goals and 5 assists, with Oliver O'Neil chipping in with 5 goals and 4 assists. Their preferred formation is seemingly a 4-2-3-1, but perhaps someone who has actually watched them regularly can confirm, as my research yielded conflicting data.
Head 2 Head:
Historically, Derby have the edge and perhaps more significantly, we have not lost at home to Leyton since 1981, with 5 home losses in total since the clubs first met way back in 1907 in what was then the 2nd division.
Games won: 23
Games drawn: 8
Games lost: 18
Team News:
Warne again has some worries to address. Our own @Caerphilly Ram has battled manfully to keep us all informed against an ever-changing background and his latest summary suggests the something akin to the following scenario for Saturday:
Joe Ward – was said to be out for 2 weeks at time of injury – 50:50 for this match is perhaps mildly optimistic
Max Bird – was mooted as a possible for the Wycombe game – may well figure from the bench
Dwight Gayle – not expected to play this weekend, but may be available for the last 2 games
Craig Forsyth - not expected to play this weekend, but may be available before season end
Callum Elder – groin injury, status unknown
Ryan Nyambe – out for the season
Tyreece John-Jules – most likely out for the season
Jake Rooney -  most likely out for the season, but has been ‘back on the grass’ we’re told. No jokes please!
I do have some sympathy for Warne as it seems every time he has the lads playing well, injuries to key players undermine any momentum, but that said, we’re not alone in that regard and we’ll need to make do as best we can.
Line-Up:
I think PW will start with a very similar line up to the last game. I’m going to suggest a slightly controversial tweak (assuming Ward is s recovered) and a change from the MF 2 we seem to favour, to variant of an undeniably old fashioned 4-4-2 – yeah, I know, straws...clutching...much… If Ward is indeed fit, he comes in for Nate, who looks like a man in need of freshening up – perhaps he and Max might be best deployed as ‘finishers’ off the bench when legs tire and the game is more stretched, assuming we’re not winning comfortably. Likewise Barks, who could also play on the right if Ward remains out. That said, if Max is healthy enough to start, I'd be sorely tempted to switch to a 4-3-3 with he and Corey either side of Ebou and Washington dropping to the bench. Irrespective, we must control the game better than we did in the 2nd half at Wycombe, where we repeatedly left a yawning chasm in front of our back 4, for their midfielders to play into.
The front two and CM remain unchanged for me; despite both Wash and Collo looking understandably short of match sharpness, IMO, they remain our best current options. Once again, the back 4 pick themselves, as do Corey and Ebou in at CM. Joe keeps his slot, having done well enough since his return to the fold.


The Match:
Honestly, I’ve no idea which Derby will turn up. After Wycombe, some will want wholesale changes, but my take on what was an admittedly hugely disappointing result, is that Wycombe should have been dead and buried inside 40 minutes. I’m not sure that the subsequent slaughtering of Warne for what was to my eye, the profligacy of his forward line, is entirely fair, but each to their own. He remains the incumbent, for better or worse and whatever might happen next year, it seems a long way off right now. As such, the focus for yours truly remains the next 3 games and nothing else.
A last word, as I’ve avoided reading all bar the last couple of pages of the last thread, would be that despite the stuttering effort against Wycombe, the travelling Rams faithful were magnificent in their support for the team. It’d be grand if we could mirror that at home and all try to channel our inner B4 and help carry the lads over the line. At least remember that Warne and his players are trying their best and are just people, like all of us and hurtful appraisals will only serve to undermine their confidence further.
Enjoy the game one and all.
COYR
BE MORE B4
  

You can’t take up 2 coach seats @Anag Ram you know 😲

You can’t take up 2 coach seats @Anag Ram you know 😲

We are looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday including those who came on our first Taunton coach v Bolton and those travelling with us for the first time. You are ALL very welcome and your support is amazing!
We do have still a few coach seats still available - anyone interested should email us ASAP on:
derbycountytravel@gmail.com
Thank you and look forward to seeing you Saturday.
Come on You 🐏!!!
 
Justin Ratcliffe
Secretary - DCSCWCB
30th Anniversary 1994-2024
 
 

I’m new but will be there from Bristol. I’m so excited to be able to go to a game on my own! We’ll, with other Rams of course.