Shadowplay

Let Chelsea know Brighton are interested and miss out the middleman.

Let Chelsea know Brighton are interested and miss out the middleman.

Let Chelsea know Brighton are interested and miss out the middleman.

Let Chelsea know Brighton are interested and miss out the middleman.

P*ssed not to do better today. But there's always hope, plus the feel good factor seeing what the club means to others.
 

I've heard Rodrigues is '90%' done, Didzy still wants 2 years and has offers from a few clubs. Not interesed in Langstaff 

https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/football/portsmouth-fc/breaking-portsmouth-skippers-future-decided-as-derby-county-lurk-amid-league-one-interest-for-former-aberdeen-blackpool-and-rotherham-man-4133982

https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/football/portsmouth-fc/breaking-portsmouth-skippers-future-decided-as-derby-county-lurk-amid-league-one-interest-for-former-aberdeen-blackpool-and-rotherham-man-4133982

Don't think we look that leggy. Seems an excuse meme.
Sibley is how old and has just started to look like a man playing football. Rather than a boy trying to step up like some of our loans.

But that isn't happening. Why has he totally dis-guarded the Plan A that worked in our unbeaten run? You asked why our grit and resilience seemed to have gone. What has Fozzy done to be dropped - if he's made mistakes they are no worse than Cashin's. What has Sibley done to be so ignored - he's better at LFB/WB than Roberts. He's better forward but that's another matter.
Why have we suddenly gone to playing a system that mostly we can't play well? Why in the 2nd half do substitutes seem to be thrown on at random? Etc...
There are more questions than answers. Can't see what it is that Warne does. There's no guile that's for sure.

I’ll carry on making this point until I’m blue in the face because I just don’t get it, Louie Sibley is the last player to score a goal for us, won the game with a brace at Oxford, should’ve had a run of games in the 10 after that to help him put some form together. Yet here we are 3 games later and he’s back on scrap minutes as though it’s last season, coming on with 12 to go at 2 down and expecting him to change the game is a joke.
The last two games we’ve played well in patches with lots of possession without ever really creating anything, it’s been crying out for someone to take the game by the scruff of the neck and start running at people and having shots from outside the box, Sibley has the ability to do that yet he’s sat twiddling his thumbs on the bench, he came on at bloody wing back last week and still created one of our best chances of the game. That midfield yesterday was severely lacking goals and creativity, at least Sibley will take risks and try things.

Sibley starting at #10 and scores twice in 45mins... who'd have thought it?! Get in!

Or could we just give a manager at derby more than one season to put a plan in place.. revolutionary i know 

Nervy start but improved. Passed well. 
 

Think Collins agrees with you - did you see him massively tear a strip off Dobbin at one point?

I was told our current U14s had something like an 85% win ratio last season which was the highest in all age groups. 
 
No players from these age groups had any players leave. 

First name Lennon. Forward. Signed for the U16s from Notts County last season. 1st year scholar but played a few games for the U18s last season.

I just want to say how lucky you are to have Paul Warne as manager. I've supported the millers for 69 years. Obviously, I've seen managers come and go during that period. As far as I'm concerned, and many other fans Warne is the best manager we've had.
Like Derby fans we went through some dark times. Administration points deducted, lost our ground, forced to play in Sheffield in an athletic stadium. No atmosphere, 4 years in the 4th division.
Paul has many qualities. Excellent staff management, a workaholic. He's articulate, honest and will live and breathe Derby County.
I thank him for all the memories, 3 Wembley wins 3 promotions and I wish him well and as a consequence wish the Rams well. I've never had a second team, but for the first time Derby County will be my second team. I look forward to seeing Paul succeed. 
Hopefully Derby will be promoted and we survive in the championship and look forward to see you at the New York stadium.
All the best.
 
 

So I'm putting this post together because since the start of the season there have been question marks on Knight starting at RB which have ranged from mildly questioning to outright ridiculing. 
But very frequently what gets missed is why Knight is starting there, why he's good at it and why it actually relies on his skillset. So I'm going to play devil's advocate and argue for Knight should start there.
Tactics
I think that Rosenior identified that a few things going into the season; we have talent in midfield, we likely have technical superiority and teams are likely going to sit back and try to counter or press and try to counter. And so he's built tactically from that point.You can see this in how our flanks are set up.
Wingers play high and wide and are both fast, phsyical and good 1v1. A compact opposition has to stretch or leave a man free. A team that presses always has to be wary of that threat in behind if they overcommit. Also it helps provide space in the centre for our midfield to take advantage of.
Meanwhile our fullbacks essentially play as midfielders when we have the ball. They tuck right into the middle operating from a much more central postion and given the responsibilities of a deep midfielder in getting the play going and supporting the play. This provides extra functional bodies in the build up play making it theoretically easier to pass through a press and it allows other midfielders to go take up dangerous positions further up field as they don't have to worry so much about the build up. Same applies to the wingers who can play high and wide because the fullbacks are functionally midfielders.
This isn't something revolutionary that Rosenior has done. In fact it's almost identical to what Guardiola has done in the past (who often would play midfielders like Delph at fullback).
Inverted fullback
The demands on this role are different that was is typically called for. They need to very comfortable on the ball in central areas, their passing needs to be good, they need to know what to do positionally when they are in midfield and they need that high energy to cover ground, support the attack and quickly get back into position. Functionally it operates a lot more like a wide midfield role on the ball.
Why Knight ? 
Simply put he excels at all of the above qualities is the primary reason whilst being sound defensively. There is a good reason why most our success in attacking has happened down the right. Playing him there essentially allows us to cheat and play another midfielder
The second reason is with a decent number of midfielders going into pre-season but no right back in sight with restricted dealings in the window. It made sense to coach someone into the role and Knight ticked the most boxes.
Why not X instead of Knight ? 
Odurah - Seems a decent prospect but looked a touch raw and shaky in pre-season. Likely isn't ready just yet.
Smith - This could work but Knight has more energy and crucially Smith hasn't had the same coaching time to coach him into the role.
Thompson - isn't as phsyical as Knight which could get exposed defensively and would need coaching into the role.
Stearman - This is a joke right ? He looks too awkward at CB on the ball never mind in midfield areas and would get exposed for pace.
Roberts - The role benefits from someone playing on their stronger side so they can open their body easier. Also needed at LB as Fozzy can't really play that role reliably.
New Right Back - Well yeah... but that's increasingly unlikely to happen but it won't be for a lack of trying.
Should he play midfield anyway ? 
Now that's a tricky question. Because we have a balance problem in midfield (at least some of the time) that you can point to Knight as a fix. And Id agree with that to a large degree that Knight as one of the three would help. The two counterarguments I might make are that problem might be better solved by playing either Sibley or a fit McGoldrick and by moving Knight from there you might be just shifting a problem rather than fixing it overall.
TLDR; The way we play calls for someone comfortable in midfield at right back. And Knight is likely the best at it we have.
(PS you may be able to tell I'm bored because I'm ill at home) 

A touch of class from Mendez-Laing after his goal today, acknowledging Barkhuizen's excellent assist.
 

Overall it was about as encouraging as a defeat can get, still a defeat and never nice to take but we simply didn't have our shooting boots on today. Everything else was either okay or good so far as an away performance at a good side goes, if we play like that every week we'll win a lot more than we lose and that is what we have to take away. Feel a bit for Liam, really tough to come away with 0 points, but no doubt we'll win games we don't deserve to this season too.

Frustrated by the result as it was undeserved but encouraged by the performance.
First half we battered them & don't think being 2 or 3 up would have flattered us. We were at them down both flanks, unlike last week the left side saw plenty of action with Roberts, Hourihane & Barkhuizen linking up very well. My only criticism was a lack of bodies in the box at times, which was the reason Mendez-Laing couldn't convert from Charlton keeper's spill from I think Hourihane's shot. Quality from right side was also variable.
Turning point was Collins hitting the post just before halftime. That goes in & we're in a position to control the tempo second half & pick them off. Thought Collins was overall a lot better than last week, held the ball much better & very tenacious.
Second half they had to improve & for the first 15 mins, they were the better side. They pressed us & our passing became sloppy...good call then from Rosenior to change things with Sibley on for Smith. Thereafter we regained our threat but by then Charlton had cottoned on to the long ball in behind our narrow fullback trick, which was pretty much the move for their goal. A quick break after a slip from Hourihane & Wildsmith parries a shot to their lad to finish.
Lots of effort late on to grab an equaliser but have to say the players looked exhausted. Managed a couple of half chances but some overly intricate build up play at times (especially to generate space for a cross). The big chance was Knight's header...all of us at top of the stand thought it was in & he should really have scored.
Overall, happy with performance but we have to be more clinical when we're in charge of games. To say its a new team though, the level of cohesion at times is impressive. We go again. COYR

I missed most of the first half because we threw a birthday barbecue for my daughter's partner. He is 30 today, and has never had a birthday party before in his life, so we did the only thing to do in that situation.  When they went home I waved goodbye through the front window as i struggled to put Rams TV on. I has to buy tickets to Tokyo first! And what I saw as two Derby players having to get treatment, Charlton miss an absolute sitter and Collins hit the post. Then it was half time. I love the comments on here about us playing them off the park, but not scoring, but am baffled by the doom merchants. Second half was disappointingly different, but knew it would be - if Charlton didn't get a boot up the backside, their manager needs sacking.
We actually played some really good football, which was a big improvement on last year's away offerings. Like many I used to think that Rosenior was the brains behind Rooney's achievements last season, but judging by our different approach I now have my doubts. As many have said the fact is that we are now creating chances, and we outplayed the home team, something we almost diligently avoided doing last year. And yes we did miss some sitters - if Collins had hit the ball straight on and straight ahead it would have broken the net and the keeper wouldn't have seen it. Instead he went with the outside of his boot, presumably thinking a straight belter was expected. Ho hum. And Knights miss - any other time that was a goal. But we also had a world class save and we hit the post. 
And the striker we so obviously miss was actually on the pitch for a lot of the second half. Young dobbin looks a good acquisition - he played well in the build up, and was there or thereabouts several times, but the ball just didn't quite arrive or fall for him. But he may well move things forwards for us. Bird has clearly stepped up a level or two since last season (although you could say it is because League 1 is a lower level, so he ought to look good!), but let's go with the "he's improved since last year", its much more positive! And my mate Sibley upped the ante yet again when he got on. I assume that Rosenior sees him as an impact player, but that's two games he has changed on arrival. Ho hum. Could he do more if he starts and plays in his best position? Dunno. That's why Rosenior manages a football team and I drive a lorry!
I'm not worried because there is a noticeable improvement to our play, and to our approach to the game, and with time for full fitness, and full integration of the squad, and the arrival of the final pieces for the team and we will be fine.