JJs dms

There's my dream of fa cup glory gone again for another year I know a lot of supporters don't seem too bothered about the cup anymore but I didn't realise the players felt the same! Don't normally comment but that was woeful
 
 

The captain debate is a boring one, an armband doesn't make you shout, scream, organise or anything any differently than you would anyway. If you're a leader, if you're vocal, then that's what you do regardless. Now it's certainly possible that we don't really have that type of player in the squad, other than maybe Bradley who can't really play football anymore.
There is a debate that the main problem in the team right now is not even James Collins anymore, it's the insistence on playing Korey Smith and Conor Hourihane together. Neither of them have the legs anymore, they don't cover enough ground, they don't close down with any intent, when they're bypassed they can't get back, they don't move off the ball to make angles for passes... At the moment, Hourihane is in the team as he's slightly more creative, particularly from dead balls, but I have zero idea why Smith is as well when Fornah is sat on the bench. It makes literally no sense. Until we stop this, we will have these inconsistent dud performances where teams with more athleticism and stamina outwork us.

The bigger problem is Warne's signings AREN'T playing. Last season's squad wasn't good enough to finish top 6 playing the way Warne wanted. From that most used 11, we've lost McGoldrick, Knight and Roberts, replacing them with Nelson and Nyambe being regualrs, whislt Bradley, Wilson, Fornah and Barkhuizen are close together for that final 11th spot.
We started the summer wanting to recruit for 5 at the back. We got our defensive players in early, but repeatedly missed out on a number of midfield and attacking players. 523, 532, 5212, etc, we kept changing on our number 1 formation based on who we moved on to next. We stopped going for mobile forwards suited to Warne's pressing game, and started to target the older but clinical forwards. They still chose to go elsewhere.
By the end of the transfer window, we had missed out on so many targets, that the squad we had left were mostly suited to 4 at the back, resulting in playing 4231 most weeks. Since we went through the entire summer not planning to play with wingers, we were then put in an awkward position of needing wingers. Our last throw of the dice was trying to tempt Blackett-Taylor away from Charlton on deadline day.
It means that we now have :
Some defenders who were signed to play in a different system. Failed to improve on the best 11 from last season Inadequate depth in key positions Signed injury prone players That may go some way towards explaining the inconsistency of play. The other key reason is player selection, as I explained I an earlier post today - a lack of players in the team who can create from open play without resorting to crosses.

There's my dream of fa cup glory gone again for another year I know a lot of supporters don't seem too bothered about the cup anymore but I didn't realise the players felt the same! Don't normally comment but that was woeful
 
 

There's my dream of fa cup glory gone again for another year I know a lot of supporters don't seem too bothered about the cup anymore but I didn't realise the players felt the same! Don't normally comment but that was woeful
 
 

What is scandalous is a midfield that completely failed. They allowed the opposition midfielders to run past them, our deepest sat midfielder didn't do enough to close down these runs, they didn't move the ball quickly, failed to win enough 50 50 challenges and the biggest failure their ability to pass the ball to a team mate.
The midfield is the engine that drives the team. Unfortunately our's is misfiring and definitely needs at least one of the pistons replacing.

We had leadership on the pitch? f*** me, I'd never have guessed......

A 3-0 win. Nothing to moan about. Going to be a quiet evening. May as well close the thread now.

Great result today. Really pleased again to see us hunting in packs to win the ball back. NML is in a rich vein of form and had their defence on toast first half. Hope the knock is enough to prevent him flying out with Gautemala, but not bad enough to be out for long. Wilson deputised admirably. He’s becoming a new favourite, and looking to be a bit of a bargain. Props to Collo for being where a striker should and getting the benefits- c*** on duck!
 
Thought both FB/CH pairings worked really well together today to snuff out what little threat Barnsley posed. I was very surprised with the opposition to be fair. For all their possession they were pretty toothless, and what threat they did have was largely from the ref giving them every chance with some poor decisions first half. 
 
Today just might’ve been the turning point the coaching team, the squad and the fans needed!
 
 

Two games spring to mind, both already mentioned. 
First, the 4-2 victory over Newcastle in 1976, 4 excellent goals and a feeling of invincibility, the double was well and truly on.
Second, that Wednesday 3-3 draw live on a Monday night tv, I was buzzing that much that when I got home at about 11pm, I had to watch the full recording in normal time, to live through it again. So unusual to feel that way after a game that we didn't win.

Who we’re expecting to win the headers from all of these crosses is still a mystery. It’s not how I’d want us to play but if this was his plan surely we need a tall striker?

A little nervous about this, our record at Crewe I dont think is great (went and saw us lose 3-0 once!). If we lose this time it will not only be my Crewe mad cousin giving me pelters, but the a few fans of my hometown club may point out that it's the first time in history they've gone further than us in the FA Cup (Alfreton).
So yeah please Derby win, for no other reason than giving me an easier week!

1976 Quarter Final 4-2 versus Newcastle United
Four of the best goals you will ever see.
But yeah, I also loved the 2-0 versus them from down the road.

It would be foolish to suddenly think everything is rosey again after one performance.
But if tonight was anything to go by then maybe Warne has got the ability to change, adapt and improve us. That was the first time I think I’ve really enjoyed watching us this season. Let’s kick on now and go on a run! 🐏

Good win and a decent performance, happy days 😊

No our players aren't that good.
Neither is our manager.
 

It wasn’t a 3-1 game. Two dubious free kicks and two really poor pieces of goalkeeping ultimately cost us. Looked good for first 15-20 mins of the second half but didn’t quite fall for us, or players (Washington, Bird) taking too long to shoot. Fizzled out to some degree as we tried to force the issue. On a positive note Mendez looks back to his best although he was also guilty of taking too many touches at times. 
I could take the defeat better had we played at our second half level through the game but that first half was abject. At no point did we impose our game on Stevenage and as a result we got done by two dodgy free kicks. Is that the manager? Is that the players? The great man said people talk nonsense about tactics, players win/lose you games, either way the buck stops with the manager.
Pressure again on Tuesday now. Two home games, he’s got to win them both for me to stay on board with him but my gut feeling is we’re going nowhere and a change is going to be needed at some point. The league is so poor this season it’s a great chance to get out of it but right now we are a poor team. An average league one team.

Agree Angie, I thought Sibley did ok tonight. Nothing flashy but he worked hard and made it possible for Bird to push on. He was solid and did a shift for the team.
 

I fink I’ll give it a miss.

Maybe it’s my age butI have tears in my eyes having just caught the news about Franny.
He was one of the game’s great characters and gave his all for the Rams.
I was at the match when he gestured to the Man City fans who had been chanting “City Reject!” at one of their greatest servants after scoring the winning goal for the Rams!
He also did his trademark crawl into the penalty area and was the picture of injured innocence when the ref didn’t award a penno!
RIP Francis and condolences to your family.

One of the greats from my youth. A real character and flipping good player to boot. There is a certain sort of player who you instinctively know loves what he does, loves the fans and plays for the sheer joy of it. Franny was one of those.
Saw him Manchester Airport in the early 90’s. One of those “I know you know who I am” nod with a wry smile and a thumbs up. Proper football legend.

It's a shame he's remembered more for his penalties and that scrap than he is a great footballer that helped turn us into a championship team.
He was to Mackay that Mackay was to Clough.

This is part of the problem for me. The new right back was signed as a last minute stopgap to replace Rooney, now Warne has figured out we have to play four at the back because he signed the wrong centre backs for the system he planned to play. In the meantime we spent summer signing not one but two right-sided wing backs. They have no obvious place in this new tactical set up.
Fornah was also last minute because it apparently wasn't clear to Warne during the summer that we needed more mobility and steel in midfield.
We didn't add any guile up front, because he didn't see that as a priority either. We signed Washington, who doesn't seem to fit in any system, and Waghorn (almost by accident). 
Its taken a year to hit on the right overall formation and our recruitment this summer was for something else entirely. 

I say ban this topic.  Ban it, I say... at least until Easter.
By uttering even the merest reference to it opens us up for ridicule.  For disappointment.  Even heartache for some.
Delete the thread.  Ban further reference to it.  Auto-Censor the number 11, and the word eleven.

Let's hear no more of it.
We reconvene at Easter... and remember, it's early next year!  March 29th (Good Friday) it is then...
 

 
 

Derby County v Carlisle United The Derby team celebrate their First Division League
Derby County v Carlisle United
The Derby team celebrate their First Division League Championship win with the trophy on a lap of honour.
26th April 1975
If I remember correctly we were ENGLISH CHAMPIONS and Carlisle were relegated.
 
Happy days