The main reason we missed out this season!

[ChaddesdenRam]

I think we have scored enough goals this year even with Sammon criticism etc. and I think our defence has been adequately good enough.

 

 

In my opinion where we lost out this season is the following:

 

Bolton away

Wolves away

Huddersfield away

Peterborough away

Millwall away

Crystal Palace away

Burnley away

Brighton away

 

and Also 

 

Blackburn at home FA cup.

 

4-5-1!

 

 

We consistently played 451 every single away game for soooo long trying to play keep ball and maybe work a chance into the box while inviting the opposition onto us. out of the 9 games listed above we failed to score a goal in 6. You concede goals away from home in the champioship that is going to happen. It was ridiculous you score to win in football. Look at the teams near the top of the table they have conceded nearly the same amount as teams in mid table implying the defences in the championship are relatively similar BUT there is a correlation between goals for and league table position. 

 

We have proven away from home recently that the exact same players in a 442 formation could score away from home look at Birmingham, Leeds, Sheff Wed, Hull, Cardiff. We score in 442. 

 

 

Lets say we had picked up 2 draws and 1 win, even that is poor out of 8 games. We would be 5 points better off putting us near the playoffs. Imagine if we had done well in a few more of those games, I went to most and Huddersfield, Peterborough and Bolton spring to mind they were there for the taking big time.

 

 

The root of the problem is that we have 3 top quality central midfield players. Hughes Bryson Hendrick and Clough himself said he wants to get them all on the pitch so played 451 but it didnt work and only until one of them got injured did we start playing well away from home. Hendrick was dire in the first part of the season and was rested rightly so but even that came late it should have been 442 with Bryson and Hughes in so many of those games.

 

Rant over

 

Now my question is what will happen next season when all 3 are fit (Presume all three stay, whether Bryson will get a new contract and Hughes and Hendrick leaving that is for a different thread) will we see the return of 451. I hope not. But then who will get dropped.

 

 

 

 

[notts_ram]

Because we're not good enough

[Ambitious]

aren't we still closer to the bottom 3 than the top 6? This is what I'd expect in all honesty, we need to be a whole lot better next season.

 

The team isn't good enough, no ifs nor buts... that's why. I don't know why people point to key positions in the season - it could of gone either way for us if you look at it like that.

 

Bring in experienced quality players - 3/4 in the mould of Baptiste would be a huge boost, and then we need to pray on the young players in the squad to keep up their hard work. 

[Duracell]

Yet again it's the midfield which is the shortcoming for me. That's why we play 4-5-1. We fail to make the game our own in the centre. We don't dictate the tempo, protect the back four or supply our strikers with more than scraps often enough. When Hughes plays well, all that changes, but for me this seasons is further proof still that Hendrick and Bryson, while good players in isolation, are not the answer in central midfield. I don't believe we play 4-5-1 to be negative, I just believe Clough wants an extra body in there to help them out. It's the effect not cause for me.

 

It should be noted that in many of those 4-4-2 games we were playing teams with less effective midfields with fewer bodies packed in there.

 

Wolves at home sticks in my mind when we simply could not get the ball down and stop the hoofing from defence to defence. Hendrick had a decent game but there was no chemistry with Bryson and the game bypassed them both. It was awful to watch.

 

If reports from the pub Q & A sessions are correct we're looking for an old head in CM to help the young guys out, and that's something I thoroughly approve of. It's an easily fixable issue - if we sign the right man. Hughes still won't play every game and could be sold so it's a very important position to fill in the summer.

[ChaddesdenRam]

aren't we still closer to the bottom 3 than the top 6? This is what I'd expect in all honesty, we need to be a whole lot better next season.

 

The team isn't good enough, no ifs nor buts... that's why. I don't know why people point to key positions in the season - it could of gone either way for us if you look at it like that.

 

Bring in experienced quality players - 3/4 in the mould of Baptiste would be a huge boost, and then we need to pray on the young players in the squad to keep up their hard work. 

 

 

Personally I think the team is good enough scoring and defensively. I think it is consistency and I dont think that showed going 442 at home and then changing it at the next weekend to 442. 

 

 

I do agree though 3 experienced players will help improve the consistency of the team because it is so young at the moment. Also away from home you need older heads.

[North_Stand_Ram]

No experience is a reason. Big opportunity missed this season. Teams coming down next year will be very strong 

[notts_ram]

I think we have scored enough goals this year even with Sammon criticism etc. and I think our defence has been adequately good enough.

 

In all honesty the stats. don't lie, our defence hasn't been good enough, you can't use the words adequate and good in the same sentence - the defence has been barely adequate at times, look at the goals against column and look back with a shudder at some of the poor goals we have shipped.

 

All this has done is to contribute additionally to Sammon getting slagged off, because we are shipping too many goals it puts extra pressue on our forwards to score more to compensate. Buxton has improved as the season has gone on but both he and Keogh have been shown to be prone to schoolboy defending errors and lapses in concentration.

[EastKentRam]

The strikers arent good enough, the midfield isnt good enough and the defence isnt good enough.

 

It really is that simple

[Silver]

So many people seem to think a 20-goal a season is all we need to make the difference.  Signing one would not mean that we would score an extra 20-goals.  Putting aside the difficulty all clubs have in finding these, let's think about what this would mean.  If we replace Sammon it would mean circa an extra 10 goals from that position and probably a slight reduction in the goals scored by the supporting striker when we have played one.  So maybe an extra 6-7 goals.  If we replace the supporting striker it would probably mean and extra 2-3 goals given what Ward, Robinson, Martin, Theo etc. have scored when playing in that role.  Neither option would be likely to significantly increase our point total.

 

On the other hand, if we managed to reduce our goals against numbers by c20, we could easily be in the top 2.

 

I'm of the view that we should focus our summer spending on good defensive players.....

[Ambitious]

No experience is a reason. Big opportunity missed this season. Teams coming down next year will be very strong 

 

They won't, it's the biggest myth every year! I fully expected Wolves, Blackburn and Bolton to smash this league but all have flirted with the bottom 3, more than the top 6. 

 

Established premier league teams coming down, with established players find it a lot more difficult than they expect!

[North_Stand_Ram]

They won't, it's the biggest myth every year! I fully expected Wolves, Blackburn and Bolton to smash this league but all have flirted with the bottom 3, more than the top 6. 

 

Established premier league teams coming down, with established players find it a lot more difficult than they expect!

 

Yeah very good point. Its a completely different game in this league. Saying that, i reckon QPR will be very strong, Harry's said he'll stay on. Reading wont be great but will be a force. Not sure on the 3rd spot. Wigan would be average, Sunderland strong and Villa strong

[Blackandwhitepride]

Completely agree with the midfield being our stumbling block. If you look at our team we do lack I feel an enforcer if you will. Although I highly rate hendrick I don't feel he nor Bryson can successfully break up opposition attacks on a regular basis.

4-5-1 'could' work on the basis that we have a makelele type player who simply wins the ball or covers the area then feeds the ball to better players. We also need to find Sammon some shooting boots or buy someone new......

However we also need to replicate wards ability on the left with a right sided winger. Coutts while being great with Bradford isn't good enough IMO to warrant his spot week in week out if we are to push for a top 8-6 spot.

Hopefully this summer clough and rush can bring in experienced players and we keep Bradford and hendrick. We all know Hughes will go so let's build with the others.

[EastKentRam]

So many people seem to think a 20-goal a season is all we need to make the difference.  Signing one would not mean that we would score an extra 20-goals.  Putting aside the difficulty all clubs have in finding these, let's think about what this would mean.  If we replace Sammon it would mean circa an extra 10 goals from that position and probably a slight reduction in the goals scored by the supporting striker when we have played one.  So maybe an extra 6-7 goals.  If we replace the supporting striker it would probably mean and extra 2-3 goals given what Ward, Robinson, Martin, Theo etc. have scored when playing in that role.  Neither option would be likely to significantly increase our point total.

 

On the other hand, if we managed to reduce our goals against numbers by c20, we could easily be in the top 2.

 

I'm of the view that we should focus our summer spending on good defensive players.....

 

All of that is just pure guesswork based on very little. 

 

According to about 10 different opinions, we need to strengthen every area, which we probably do to some extent.

 

I still think the most important area where we are weakest is up front.

[Silver]

"We all know Hughes will go so let's build with the others."

 

Sam Rush doesn't appear to know this, he has said he expects Hughes to be at derby next season?

[Silver]

All of that is just pure guesswork based on very little. 

 

According to about 10 different opinions, we need to strengthen every area, which we probably do to some extent.

 

I still think the most important area where we are weakest is up front.

 

So EastKent are you going to play the new striker in addition to the existing 11-players or are you going to have to drop someone to play him.  If the latter you will lose the contribution made by that player.

[ronnieronalde]

The strikers arent good enough, the midfield isnt good enough and the defence isnt good enough.

 

It really is that simple

 

Come on EKR.

 

How do you know that when you don't watch us play? You;ve said yourself you can't be bothered anymore. You wouldnt watch us if we were in your back garden. All of our players are poor.

 

It's hardly a neutral starting point you've got, which is strange because as a Derby fan neutral should be the least you'd expect.

 

it's not fair this criticism, not of singular or of collective.

[Ambitious]

Yeah very good point. Its a completely different game in this league. Saying that, i reckon QPR will be very strong, Harry's said he'll stay on. Reading wont be great but will be a force. Not sure on the 3rd spot. Wigan would be average, Sunderland strong and Villa strong

 

There we go... mid-table at best.

[EastKentRam]

Come on EKR.

 

How do you know that when you don't watch us play? You;ve said yourself you can't be bothered anymore. You wouldnt watch us if we were in your back garden. All of our players are poor.

 

It's hardly a neutral starting point you've got, which is strange because as a Derby fan neutral should be the least you'd expect.

 

it's not fair this criticism, not of singular or of collective.

 

Dont really see what's unfair? I dont watch us play every game, but I've watched us play enough. You're just twisting what I'm saying as well. Using past exagerrated comments I've made to say I think we're ****. I think we're average, with some good players and some bad players. 

 

Of course we have got players in each part that are good enough, if Hughes plays I think central midfield is probably good enough. Wherever Ward plays, whether it out wide or up front, that position is good enough.

 

At right back we're good enough and with Keogh at centre half that position is arguably good enough, though I'm still not convinced but I can get on board.

 

Then in other positions we clearly arent good enough, left back, another centre half, another two strikers, another winger equalling that we arent good enough in attack, midfield or defence overall.

[EastKentRam]

So EastKent are you going to play the new striker in addition to the existing 11-players or are you going to have to drop someone to play him.  If the latter you will lose the contribution made by that player.

 

So we cant bring someone in who will make a better contribution than the dropped player?

 

That is kind of the point of transfers, to improve on what we've already got. 

[Blackandwhitepride]

Sorry when I said Hughes will go I didn't mean necessarily this summer but presumably in the next 2-3 years Hughes will leave for bigger things than derby which is what's in the best interests of him and I hold no grudge. But those like Bryson, hendrick, Brayford, Keogh ect we can keep and build a squad around them while adding improvements each year until we have a squad capable of getting promoted.