Derby County v Hull City

[RampantRam]

So I went to the game last night and can't believe we didn't come away with something. Hull had 2 shots and both of them went in. Call that clinical finishing if you want, but no Hull fan can be proud of that performance by any means. By far the worst performance from a team to come to Pride Park this season and take all 3 points. Fair play to Hull though, sign of a good team when they can play poorly and still come away with a win. Went with a neutral Stoke fan though and he said, and I quote, "How the f**k are these guys joint top of the Championship?!"

My player ratings:

Legzdins - 4 - Good distribution, only had 2 things to do, did neither.

Brayford - 5 - Very quiet, some good link up play with Coutts but didn't get forward as much as I would have liked.

Keogh - 7 - Solid again. Some great last minute tackles and a fantastic leader at the back.

O'Connor - 6 - Again, solid. Played much better than he usually does.

Roberts - 7 - Probably a contender for our MOTM. Solid as always, kept their right winger quiet for most of the night.

Coutts - 6 - Involved a lot, didn't really do much though.

Hendrick - 7 - Another good performance from him today, involved in everything in the 1st half, went quiet in the 2nd.

Hughes - 6 - Bit of an off-day, some good runs and slide tackles but not his usual best.

Bryson - 4 - Don't remember him doing anything with the ball.

Jacobs - 5 - Wildly inconsistent. Lost the ball way too many times. Scored a great goal though.

Sammon - 4 - So frustrating. Touch of a donkey and faded about 20 minutes into the 2nd half. Theo should have been brought on 15 minutes before he actually was.

Argee with all of your player ratings apart from Jacobs. You're right that he was quite inconsistent but he remained our brightest spark and looked the most likely to score when he got the ball at his feet.

Roberts I agree, MOTM. Didn't put a foot wrong, made some crucial challenges and clearances.

I was screaming for Theo by around the 60 minute mark, Sammon looked isolated and bullied by Faye all game, I expected Theo around 60/65 mins and maybe Tyson around the time that Clough actually made the change for Theo.

Not sure why he brought Jacobs off, as I said I thought he looked pretty bright, when you're 2-1 down at home, we need to be really hammering on their door, and we just didn't. Mainly because Sammon wasn't having the best game and was pretty lonely up top, but also because although he was having a steady game, we don't need a holding midfielder in Hendrick if we're really going for the win.

Its easy to say in hindsight but if we were always going to start with 1 up top, I'd prefer Theo to Sammon at the moment purely based on form.

[Bris Vegas]

I often read the forums of other teams. Sometimes I join them to partake in the post-match debate, sometimes I don't. I joined FoxesTalk after Leicester beat us 3-1, and Blackburn Rovers' forum after we lost 1-0 to them. Why do you care?

You're not really wrong, but as we beat you by a larger margin in our game at Pride Park last season and went above you into 6th as a result of that (with Nick Barmby as manager, no less!), it wouldn't have been too different to me joining up this year. Would it?

I think you'll find I've come in spite of the lack of compliments - In fact, I've actually come because of the many insults, which were posted both before and after the match.

This from a supporter of a team whose fans think they're going up because they have one half-decent 17-year-old? 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' />

"This time next year, Rodney..."

Fortunate? You don't win 14 games through good fortune. For the umpteenth time in my life as a football supporter I'll ask: why do fans only define 'good teams' as those who are great up-front, and not those who are great defensively?

Also, you clearly haven't seen much of us this season. We set up the way we did last night because you had lost just once at home. Bruce got his tactics spot on. I haven't read a single comment or match report that's said you had any real chances (in fact, most say quite the opposite). Do you think we play like that in every game? No, as different formations, players and tactics are required to best different opponents.

Most weeks, especially at home, we slaughter teams. Our games against Blackpool and Peterborough ended in two defeats and with six goals conceded. Another year we would have won them both by 3 or 4 goals. Blackburn away was a game we lost. We could have easily had a point. Charlton away we drew, and yet we missed half-a-dozen chances in the last 15 minutes alone. We absolutely battered Crystal Palace the other week, and should have won by at least 3 goals. Bristol City away we won 2-1 in a game that should have seen us five-up by half-time. Millwall at home we were only denied a 5-0 H/T lead by an appalling decision by the assistant referee. I could go on and on.

After our away game at Watford the other week, their Italian midfielder Marco Cassetti claimed we were the best team they'd played all season, and expressed his admiration of our willingness to keep the ball on the floor.

In short, just because we got the better of you in a game you feel you should have done better in, don't think you know everything about us.

So basically you've signed up to try and change the mind of an obvious bunch of biased fans on their own football forum.. Why?

You're clearly fishing for compliments, haven't found many, and now you're here telling us all how good Hull are.. Do you think we care?

I bet you wouldn't have signed up if you'd been around 14th in the table.. And I bet you went on the Leicester and Blackburn forum telling them they were lucky and once again posting how good you are and how you do this that and the other..

Again, stop bigging up your own team on our forum.. As if we care what some Watford player said.. What do you want us all to do? Give you a bunch of compliments, say how good you are? Say you're the best? etc etc.. Just so you can feel better?

We don't care about you.

[DCFCfranco]

hull are amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing

[Mr Tibbs]

I think we vary on the perfect away performance.. I'd call the perfect away performance going to somewhere like Hillsborough, dominating from the off, cutting their defence to ribbons and running out 2-5 winners..

I don't call sitting back on slight 1 goal lead and soaking up pressure and gifting the opposition the ball because of the mentality 'we don't need to score again' as the perfect away performance..

But that's just me

Depends who's point of view were looking from Bris. If we look from Hull's, who play like that away from home every week and most of the time get the 3 points, it was perfect. They were hardly troubled all second half. Not great to watch, but if I was a Hull fan coming to Pride Park last night I'd have been very happy with how easy they churned out the result.

[Scott129]

Argee with all of your player ratings apart from Jacobs. You're right that he was quite inconsistent but he remained our brightest spark and looked the most likely to score when he got the ball at his feet.

Roberts I agree, MOTM. Didn't put a foot wrong, made some crucial challenges and clearances.

I was screaming for Theo by around the 60 minute mark, Sammon looked isolated and bullied by Faye all game, I expected Theo around 60/65 mins and maybe Tyson around the time that Clough actually made the change for Theo.

Not sure why he brought Jacobs off, as I said I thought he looked pretty bright, when you're 2-1 down at home, we need to be really hammering on their door, and we just didn't. Mainly because Sammon wasn't having the best game and was pretty lonely up top, but also because although he was having a steady game, we don't need a holding midfielder in Hendrick if we're really going for the win.

Its easy to say in hindsight but if we were always going to start with 1 up top, I'd prefer Theo to Sammon at the moment purely based on form.

Perhaps. Jacobs was quite good at taking people on but then lost the ball on a few short passes that should have been completed. You could tell he's predominantly right-footed as well - he'd take someone on, then without fail, cut back on to his right. Very predictable to defend against. Personally, I'd have taken Hughes and Sammon off for Tyson & Theo about the hour mark.

[Scott129]

Depends who's point of view were looking from Bris. If we look from Hull's, who play like that away from home every week and most of the time get the 3 points, it was perfect. They were hardly troubled all second half. Not great to watch, but if I was a Hull fan coming to Pride Park last night I'd have been very happy with how easy they churned out the result.

They can't be happy with the way they got the 3 points though. If they play like that against teams more clinical and creative than ourselves, I'd put money on them being shredded to pieces. Proud of the result they should be, not the performance.

[RampantRam]

Perhaps. Jacobs was quite good at taking people on but then lost the ball on a few short passes that should have been completed. You could tell he's predominantly right-footed as well - he'd take someone on, then without fail, cut back on to his right. Very predictable to defend against. Personally, I'd have taken Hughes and Sammon off for Tyson & Theo about the hour mark.

True, Hughes was uncharateristically quiet, I think with Bryso still in the team though - its a bit of a mystery where Hughes was actually playing last night. He seemed to just float into the centre and a few times got caught up making all the same runs as Hendrick and Bryso. By the end of the game he was pushed so far back that I remember him knocking a ball through for Keogh, in fairness it was after the corner...but still he was just playing too deep.

[Scott129]

True, Hughes was uncharateristically quiet, I think with Bryso still in the team though - its a bit of a mystery where Hughes was actually playing last night. He seemed to just float into the centre and a few times got caught up making all the same runs as Hendrick and Bryso. By the end of the game he was pushed so far back that I remember him knocking a ball through for Keogh, in fairness it was after the corner...but still he was just playing too deep.

Yeah, those 3 in the middle just didn't work. I forgot Bryson was actually on the pitch at times, he barely did anything.

[DCFCfranco]

True, Hughes was uncharateristically quiet, I think with Bryso still in the team though - its a bit of a mystery where Hughes was actually playing last night. He seemed to just float into the centre and a few times got caught up making all the same runs as Hendrick and Bryso. By the end of the game he was pushed so far back that I remember him knocking a ball through for Keogh, in fairness it was after the corner...but still he was just playing too deep.

i think hughes was just knackered. he got a knoch early on and didnt look the same afterwards and he was marked out of the game by hull.

[RampantRam]

Yeah, those 3 in the middle just didn't work. I forgot Bryson was actually on the pitch at times, he barely did anything.

i think hughes was just knackered. he got a knoch early on and didnt look the same afterwards and he was marked out of the game by hull.

Yeah, we need to find a system that works in the centre of the park. Its clear that Hughes doesn't like being out on the left. Its going to get tougher to organise that midfield too with Ward coming back soon - news just came up on the dcfc site saying he's close to a return and is going to be training this week.

And DCFCfranco, I agree, players like Hughes, Jacobs and Hendrick are all still young and not used to this level and consistency of first team football and they do need to be rested from time to time. But it is nice to see the faith that Clough has in our younger players.

[Mr Tibbs]

They can't be happy with the way they got the 3 points though. If they play like that against teams more clinical and creative than ourselves, I'd put money on them being shredded to pieces. Proud of the result they should be, not the performance.

Disagree massively. They play like that because it works for them, it wasn't just a one off. They're the best team away from home because they are that solid most weeks away from home.

I'd be chuffed if I was a Hull fan, they didn't get out of 1st gear all game and still strolled to the victory.

I'd love to see us that solid away from home!

[PrivateDerby]

Did anyone else see Brucey being a childish c*ck last night?

[RampantRam]

Did anyone else see Brucey being a childish c*ck last night?

No? What did he do?

[PrivateDerby]

In our 10 minutes of 'attacking' pressure towards the end, the ball came off one of their players and bounced out towards him. I think it was Hendrick who ran over to take the throw in only to be met by Bruce cradling the ball which definitely stopped us scoring an equaliser.

[RampantRam]

In our 10 minutes of 'attacking' pressure towards the end, the ball came off one of their players and bounced out towards him. I think it was Hendrick who ran over to take the throw in only to be met by Bruce cradling the ball which definitely stopped us scoring an equaliser.

Without a doubt. That was the turning point right there. Haha.

[Erik]

So I went to the game last night and can't believe we didn't come away with something. Hull had 2 shots and both of them went in. Call that clinical finishing if you want, but no Hull fan can be proud of that performance by any means. By far the worst performance from a team to come to Pride Park this season and take all 3 points. Fair play to Hull though, sign of a good team when they can play poorly and still come away with a win. Went with a neutral Stoke fan though and he said, and I quote, "How the f**k are these guys joint top of the Championship?!"

This guy's comment is about right. Many of you are wrongly conflating one poor City performance with us being a poor team. We may well have been crud, but we were deserving winners and, as you say, to win when not playing well is the sign of a decent side.

So basically you've signed up to try and change the mind of an obvious bunch of biased fans on their own football forum.. Why?

You're clearly fishing for compliments, haven't found many, and now you're here telling us all how good Hull are.. Do you think we care?

I bet you wouldn't have signed up if you'd been around 14th in the table.. And I bet you went on the Leicester and Blackburn forum telling them they were lucky and once again posting how good you are and how you do this that and the other..

Again, stop bigging up your own team on our forum.. As if we care what some Watford player said.. What do you want us all to do? Give you a bunch of compliments, say how good you are? Say you're the best? etc etc.. Just so you can feel better?

I didn't say I'd signed up to change your minds. I signed up to discuss the match with your more reasonable fans and to let you know how pleased I was to have got one over the more arrogant Derby-supporting tools (like you).

Firstly, I'm not fishing for compliments at all, though I do actually see some (not sure how you've missed them).

There is no luck in football. You're either good enough to win or you're not. If you have 15 shots and score once, and your opponent has 3 and scores twice, you ain't good enough to get 3 points. If I recall correctly, all I said on the Leicester board was congratulations and that I thought Bruce had made a mistake with his team selection.

The point of me referencing what Cassetti had said was to point out what I said to the guy quoted above^ - that one poor performance in a game that we won does not make us a bad side, and that, contrary to what most of you on here seem to be telling yourselves, we do not set up to draw every week and we actually play some brilliant football. I think we'll be lucky to still be in the play-offs come May to be honest, but if we can sign a forward and a goalkeeper I don't see why we can't finish comfortably in the top-six.

[Brammie Steve]

You wanna goalkeeper?

We've got two but we're not selling.

If you spot someone who can capitalise on dead ball situations

send them our way please.

And a merry Christmas to all our North country cousins!

Hope yesterday's result brought you yuletide cheer. 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wub' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':wub:' />

[DCFCfranco]

You wanna goalkeeper?

We've got two but we're not selling.

If you spot someone who can capitalise on dead ball situations

send them our way please.

And a merry Christmas to all our North country cousins!

Hope yesterday's result brought you yuletide cheer. 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wub' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':wub:' />

they can have deeney steve!!!! you can have deeney!! now theres a great goalie

[Brammie Steve]

they can have deeney steve!!!! you can have deeney!! now theres a great goalie

Yeah! They can have Deeney if we can have a huge slice of their luck in the 2nd half of the season! 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':rolleyes:' />

[Scott129]

The important point is that, even though we lost, we have climbed above the Red Dogs!