FlyBritishMidland

Great result and performance. A point away at the top of league in horrendous conditions is not to be sniffed at. I thought Ward took his goals well, especially the first. He hit it first time, no need for a touch to control it and that probably caught them out. CBT had his best performance in a Rams shirt and showed what he can offer now he’s over his niggles and settled in. Sibley did well against one of the best wingers in the league. Adams - my MoM, although Cashin ran him close. I thought we might need a 3rd man in midfield but having him as 1 of the 2 is like having 3 in midfield. The amount of ground he covers is superb, he tackles, he supports the attack and good on the ball. How he plays with that energy during Ramadan I’ll never know. I thought we were tactically spot on in the 2nd half and played the conditions well. No point in closing down, risk a slip that lets them through or gives away a free-kick. We made them go long and the ball skidded out on a slippy surface. It took a bit of luck (handball) and a cracking strike to equalise - Wildsmith was a bit unlucky with that. 4 to go, 3 wins should do it. April could feel like a long month!! COYR 🐏.

Portsmouth 1 Derby 1 FRGS CBT

Crikey I’m nervous - not just tonight but for the next 5 games. I think we’ll need an extra body in midfield so I’d bring Thompson in, maybe for NML as he’s had a knock recently. Ward and CBT in the wide positions and Collins up front, if he’s fit enough. With yesterdays results we have to go for it, playing for a draw doesn’t tend to end well. And PW, his staff and players keep talking about trying to catch Portsmouth. If that’s the aim, and why shouldn’t it be, we have to try to win. COYR 🐏.

Another professional performance. NML and Washington were used (and I use that word as a tactical instruction) as players coming back from knocks. No relentless pressing but more effective, at the right times. The midfield looked balanced and the defence was solid, as it usually is. For all their possession in the 2nd half, Wildsmith only had the free-kick to save. The results went for us. Just like our little wobble last week it was the same for the rest yesterday. 1 month and 5 games to go 🐏.

Derby 2 Blackpool 0 FRGS Sibley

That’s what I reckon (hope!!) too. If we can get 91 points, it means others have either got to win 6 out of 7 (Bolton) or 7 out of 8 (Barnsley and Peterborough). I can’t see Bolton beating all of Stevenage, Peterborough and Portsmouth. Barnsley are very inconsistent and have Stevenage and Portsmouth to play. Peterborough are the trickiest having an easier run in. Bolton aside, Oxford in the middle of April is probably their toughest and they’re still battling for the Play-offs. But they do have a lot of games in a short space of time, 9 in 30 days including the EFL cup final so fatigue could play a part. Friday is a big game 🐏.

Reflecting on yesterday, it wasn’t great, but I don’t think it’s the end of the world. It really comes down to the first half. We settled down after the first 10-15mins and got on top. The problem is we didn’t take our chances in that spell. We had 3 good opportunities and on another day at least 1 goes in. There was also a foul on Wilson for the goal - the ref was poor all game. They still have to get up the other end but we’re then dragged out of position but credit to their striker, he finished well. The 2nd half was incredibly scrappy and their gamesmanship of stopping play every 2mins got to us. The most disappointing thing is Bradley getting sent off, not for yesterday but for the impact on the next 3 games, especially with Fozzy out. It’s still in our hands, although tighter than we’d like. All other teams around us will also drop points as it’s a busy period. Hopefully having less games will work in our favour as we can be better prepared and players have more recovery time, especially as we’re a bit threadbare for the next 2-3 weeks. This team is resilient and bounces back. We just need to do it one more time for a final push.

Northampton 1 Derby 2 FRGS Nelson

I think we hadn’t scored in the previous 4 games but created loads of chances. Me and my mates had arranged to go into town after the game so Mrs FBM dropped me off. I remember saying to her on the way “someone’s in for a stuffing, and I hope it’s these”. OK, there may have been the odd expletive in that sentence. I seem to remember seeing a chap Jorrocks with a Rams shirt on a something like “Bryson 3-0” on it, age muddles the mind. It’s fair to say, we stayed out longer than we planned and drank considerably more than we planned!!

Could be were not talking to players about new contracts now because we don’t want it to be a distraction. And changes are inevitable whichever division we’re in due to the number of players out of contract, age profile, etc. And they probably know that anyway. Either way, I’d wait and watch it back later in the week. It’s impossible to get the context of the discussion in a tweet.

I’ve found a video their appeal……

You’ve got be of a certain vintage to get understand that. Did you’re Mum & Dad explain that to you @angieram ?

That’s what I’ve been think about too. Peterborough have probably got the easiest run-in, but have 9 games including the BSM Trophy Final. And it’s compounded by the fact that they don’t play this weekend. That means they have all 9 of these games in a 30 day period, so roughly a game every 3 days. It’s a big ask to keep momentum going over this period.

So we should ignore that the keeper did the job that he’s paid to do very well. He did what he was supposed to do when called upon. You do know that sometimes the opposition will inevitably get through the defence and have shot don’t you?

You’re right. Let’s ignore the actual result, the points awarded and league position and instead focus on a hypothetical scenario against an average team at a neutral ground. Makes perfect sense.

I was thinking about this earlier. With no midweek games I’d like to think we can get pretty close to a sellout. The Blackpool game might be tricky as it’s Good Friday and quite a few might be away on holiday. It would be great if we can get 29k - 30k for the 3. It was spine tingling yesterday, a brilliant atmosphere throughout. Let’s make every game now a “Black n White” game. The crowd can be so important in helping us win these last 3 home games that might make the difference between autos and play-offs 🐏.

I’ve bit. I’m sorry but what a load of…………nonsense. Firstly, leagues average opponent at a neutral ground. What does that even mean. Neutral ground - what a totally pointless statement as football isn’t played at neutral grounds. Secondly, ignore the result. What world does that happen. As far as I know, it’s results that determine the league table and teams end up where they deserve over 46 games. Yes, you’ve read that right, deserve based on results not some made up statistics. Thirdly, well I think @Caerphilly Ram has posted the evidence in response to that.

I think it’s pretty clear PW has built a fantastic culture and team spirit at the club. All of the players and staff are united and fighting to get us promoted. This is testament to his man-management skills. I seem to remember an interview with Ritchie Barker (?) not long after they joined compliment PW’s leadership and how they’d walk through a brick wall for him. I think he has that with players. In the past I’ve been critical of how he uses the subs but in the last few weeks he’s been spot on with these. He also seems to be managing the squad well. Some Rotherham fans talked about the players tiring at the end of the season. We’re not really seeing that and he seems to be managing the game time of the squad well and not taking unnecessary risks.

I’d go with either 3-4-3 or 3-5-2, depending who we’re playing and who’s available. Injuries and fitness of those available may dictate 3-5-2 against Northampton but I’d prefer a 3-4-3 set up. I think we can bit more attacking and go for it, a bit like Bristol Rovers away. Adam’s definitely starts in 1 of the 2 midfield positions with either Hourihane or Smith. But against Portsmouth for example, and maybe Blackpool, we’d probably benefit from the extra man in midfield so I’d prefer 3-5-2, similar to the 2nd half yesterday. I do think Thompson needs to be 1 of the 3 midfielders in a 3-5-2 for his energy and he can support the attack. Then it would be Adams plus either Hourihane or Smith.

Professional and resilient is my description for yesterday. After a 5-0 win in the week they were full of confidence. They played some nice football and we had be strong and well organised. Wildsmith probably had his best game of the season and his saves were just as important as the goal. Cashin was my MoM, I thought he was superb all game. Hourihane was missing for me. He had a few passes go astray early on and I think it affected his confidence. In games like that you look for your captain to be the calming influence but it wasn’t there. I think Thompson’s energy added a lot in the 2nd half. The subs in the last 2 games show how much we’re going to need all of the squad. It’s a shame Gayle is injured, hopefully not for too long. The flip side is we have players back for the run in. It seems like it’s 1 in, 1 out at the moment. Game 4 of an important month out of the way.

Derby 2 Bolton 2 FRGS NML

It really is squeaky bum time. This is quite a big weekend. If we win it’s a great result, draw and it’s a good result. Portsmouth v Peterborough is interesting. Both on a good run but Portsmouth have had the easier games. I think the winner of that will then continue their run. Personally, I’d be happy with a Portsmouth win. Let’s open a gap between us and 3rd and ease the pressure.

Good points. I don’t think it’s a bad thing having options to switch from 3 to 4 at the back, either during a game or for different games. Often a manager has been accused of no Plan B, now we seem to have one. I also think that the number of signings made in the summer and them taking time to adjust meant a lot of the players here were used. If it was evolution of the squad, signings may not have been questioned as much. At the start of the season Oxford were used as an example of a lot of signings making an impact, yet look at the comparative positions now. Agree that Embleton and John-Jules were high risk signings, not necessarily bad signings. They were definite gambles, and our BP probably meant they were worth taking. The jury’s out on Fornah and we’ll find out if he has a future in the summer as to whether he’s still here or not. If we can sign Adams, it would suggest his time is up.