Derby County v Queens Park Rangers

[Asanovic]

The first thing that springs to mind is that Conor Sammon is worth his weight in gold in situations like last night. Put himself about, defended, took the ball to the corner, cleared it, kept possession. Masterstroke, and IMO probably the most important move of the game.

 

We executed a game plan perfectly. Martin was clearly given a brief to wind them up and did the job well, they should have had one red card and many more yellows. The back five were brilliant. What I like about SMc/Simbo is the pragmatism to know when and how to win without stringing dozens of passes together. We all want to see good football but against a team with so much experience we'd have been picked off playing pretty stuff. It's no coincidence that the big lads/brutes - Eustace, Buxton, Keogh, Martin - were our best players from what I saw.

 

How far we have come in such a short space of time is absolutely unbelieveable.

 

We're running out of time to balls this up. For the first time, in my head, I've already counted us in the play offs, and see 2nd spot as a straight shoot out between us and QPR - I just think Burnley will get steadied over the coming weeks.

[TuffLuff]

http://pdy.pr/gwJ2Ku

Chris Martin is my hero <3

[uttoxram75]

Want to see Barton clothes-lined by Chrissy Martin?

 

Course you do...

 

"http://blog.paddypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/JB" alt="JB">

The blatant elbow on Bucko is far worse - and he still tried to head it!

[HeyHudson]

The blatant elbow on Bucko is far worse - and he still tried to head it!

 

He would've made good contact with the ball were it not for that elbow

[Shuff264]

Anybody know why Granty got booked?

 

Also quite impressed by Russell getting most tackles for the team

[HeyHudson]

Anybody know why Granty got booked?

 

Time wasting, apparently, although not sure what the ref expected him to do - the ball was all the way over by the corner flag. He has to allow him time to retrieve it (although I'm sure Grant was in no rush)

[oomarkwright]

only saw it on telly, but great result. several key points-

 

barton was a dirty b*stard. should have had about 3 red cards never mind yellows, mainly for elbows, but nasty on bamford too, and yet the gobshite was moaning all through the game.

 

defence was amazin. bucko fantastic. keogh also good. wisdom strong and composed as usual.

 

martin- amazin. great workrate and strong forward. great little foul for the goal too. thought that shouldnt have stood but got away with it.

 

passing- abysmal at times. the number of times we lost possession was unbelievable. 5-10- 15 yard passes goin amiss and to the opposition, midfield mainly guilty. this needs to be better if we are to go up.

 

grant- looks solid. good signing. gives confidence, good save and prevented barton nabbing it.

 

bryso, hughes, neither had great games.

 

our weakness- still down the left side. any fast right wingers and we struggle- they looked better second half with hoylett but tbf forsyth held out.

[Derbyram1]

only saw it on telly, but great result. several key points-

 

barton was a dirty b*stard. should have had about 3 red cards never mind yellows, mainly for elbows, but nasty on bamford too, and yet the gobshite was moaning all through the game.

 

defence was amazin. bucko fantastic. keogh also good. wisdom strong and composed as usual.

 

martin- amazin. great workrate and strong forward. great little foul for the goal too. thought that shouldnt have stood but got away with it.

 

passing- abysmal at times. the number of times we lost possession was unbelievable. 5-10- 15 yard passes goin amiss and to the opposition, midfield mainly guilty. this needs to be better if we are to go up.

 

grant- looks solid. good signing. gives confidence, good save and prevented barton nabbing it.

 

bryso, hughes, neither had great games.

 

our weakness- still down the left side. any fast right wingers and we struggle- they looked better second half with hoylett but tbf forsyth held out.

Sorry mate but have to disagree regarding Bryson, although he wasnt at his best his running all night was incredible. Not sure if the Sky cameras picked up on it but his off the ball running and chasing down was as good as ever.

[RodleyRam]

It wasn't a pretty game but it's one of the most enjoyable I've been to this season.

 

Thought the fans were pretty good last night as well, certainly helped to give the players a boost at times when we were up against it. Having watched the highlights again I don't see how anyone can say QPR were the better side, they created one chance the whole game, we had much better quality of possession and should have scored a second.

 

Every player did a job last night, it was great to see them all absolutely desperate to get the 3 points and fight for each other. There will be a few more games like that this season, hopefully we can go into them with the confidence to know that we can mix it and grind out a result against a good side when needed.

 

On Barton, he's obviously on this earth to be a total cock but in fairness to him, without him they'd have sunk without a trace last night, he was the only player who seemed that bothered about it. I don't really mind the guy, he makes things interesting and you can't fault his desire. Even if he is a dirty, cheating Robbie Savage impersonator!

[TuffLuff]

It wasn't a pretty game but it's one of the most enjoyable I've been to this season.

 

Thought the fans were pretty good last night as well, certainly helped to give the players a boost at times when we were up against it. Having watched the highlights again I don't see how anyone can say QPR were the better side, they created one chance the whole game, we had much better quality of possession and should have scored a second.

 

Every player did a job last night, it was great to see them all absolutely desperate to get the 3 points and fight for each other. There will be a few more games like that this season, hopefully we can go into them with the confidence to know that we can mix it and grind out a result against a good side when needed.

 

On Barton, he's obviously on this earth to be a total cock but in fairness to him, without him they'd have sunk without a trace last night, he was the only player who seemed that bothered about it. I don't really mind the guy, he makes things interesting and you can't fault his desire. Even if he is a dirty, cheating Robbie Savage impersonator!

I apologise as this shouldn't be a Joey Barton thread, but how much of his desire went towards his team efforts? I thought he played how Robbie Savage used to sometimes for us, where he just look frustrated because he wasn't the player he once was. Runs about but no endeavor. When you are trying to get a goal kick passed out to you rather than your defenders then that says that he doesn't trust his defenders.

To me that was the major difference in sides, that one was a unit and the other was not

[G STAR RAM]

My take on last night:-

 

Grant 7 - One important save to make all night and did it, and also parried away from onrushing striker. Punching was excellent in comparison to Rob Greens. Good distribution first half, second half was a bit slow in getting the ball away few times.

 

Wisdom 7 - Solid at the back and a ventured forward a few times. Think he slows us down a bit at times.

 

Buxton 9 - MOTM for me and I am not one of the Bucko fan club either. Did not miss one single header or tackle all night that I remember.

 

Keogh 7 - Defended well, thought he lost a few headers though.

 

Forsyth 8 - No longer looking like a frightened little schoolboy and no longer targeted by teams. What an improvement from this guy. Put some good tackles in, not much of an attacking threat last night.

 

Eustace 8 - Was surprised to see him in the line up against such a strong attacking team but proved me very wrong. Got his usual tackles in and the goal rounded off his performance.

 

Hughes 6 - Passing was not great, put himself about a bit though. Earned himself an extra point by outmuscling Barton!

 

Bryson - 8 - I cannot believe his energy levels this far into the season, he just never stops running. Got in some great positions if his team mates had been a bit more aware. Would have been a 9 but for a few stray passes first half.

 

Ward 7 - Back to doing what he does best...roasting full backs...best game for a while, shame to see him go off injured.

 

Bamford 5 - Doesn't look comfortable out wide to me. Heavy touches let him down a few times. Should have got a shot away early on. Offered very little defensively

 

Martin 7 - Defenders must wake up sore the day after marking Martin. Put himself about and gave the defence a tough time. Annoys me that he gives away so many free kicks by not jumping.

 

Subs

 

Russell 6 - worked hard, sometimes tries to do a bit too much. Can't wait to see him back to full fitness.

 

Hendrick 6 - Put himself without really stamping too much authority on the game.

 

Sammon 6 - Did what he was brought on to do and helped us close the game out.

 

 

Would strongly disagree with those who thought the ref was good. Showed a complete lack of authority by letting Barton chase him round the pitch like a dog for 90 minutes, a yellow card early on would have stopped all of that. Overruled his assistant to give a throw in from about 30 yards away despite the linesman being in line with the ball?! Let Wisdom take a throw when the linesman was flagging for a QPR throw in.

 

I thought QPR were awful first half and I can only assume it was a complete lack of homework on us. Every team that has done well here have pressed us high up the pitch, for the first 45 minutes Grant was able to throw the ball to Forsyth 30 yards out. Changed a bit second half. Redknapp should be ashamed of having a squad like that at his disposal and not being at least 10 points clear at the top. To hear him go on about wanting Ravel Morrison makes my blood boil and his chairman would be stupid to throw any more money at the team.

 

Final point and will probably not go down well but where the hell was our support last night? Possibly our biggest game in 5 years and the ground was 1/3rd empty. I've sat on this forum for 3 or 4 years reading people questioning the commitment and ambition of our manager/board/owners and maybe now its time that questions were asked of our supporters. Yes I know it was on Sky and a Monday night but I can assure you that had it been Forest we were playing there would have been 34000 there. Fair play to the fans that did turn up though, got behind the team well last night 7/10.

[ladyram]

To summarise

Our goal was a foul

The second half was one way traffic

They lost 18 players in the summer

They basically picked up lads that were out of favour at their clubs and threw them together.

Only 8 teams have bounced back up.

It's been a complete rebuild.

They're having to play Dunne who was out the game for a year

Clubs like Derby and Brighton get 27-30k attendance. QPR just aren't a club of that size.

Bet the interview will pop up somewhere.

Have your violin ready. The guy has more cheek than money.

He's got more jowel than cheek.

[Ramarena]

The blatant elbow on Bucko is far worse - and he still tried to head it!

 

He tried to elbow him, but only managed a girly backhanded slap.

 

Note to Clint Hill, you can't stop the bearded beast. 

[HeyHudson]

Bit of shameless self-promotion, but he's a write-up I did on last night

 

http://stevebloomerswatching.com/blog/2014/02/11/match-report-derby-county-vs-qpr-mon-10th-feb-2014-ipro-stadium/

[Mafiabob]

My take on last night:-

Grant 7 - One important save to make all night and did it, and also parried away from onrushing striker. Punching was excellent in comparison to Rob Greens. Good distribution first half, second half was a bit slow in getting the ball away few times.

Wisdom 7 - Solid at the back and a ventured forward a few times. Think he slows us down a bit at times.

Buxton 9 - MOTM for me and I am not one of the Bucko fan club either. Did not miss one single header or tackle all night that I remember.

Keogh 7 - Defended well, thought he lost a few headers though.

Forsyth 8 - No longer looking like a frightened little schoolboy and no longer targeted by teams. What an improvement from this guy. Put some good tackles in, not much of an attacking threat last night.

Eustace 8 - Was surprised to see him in the line up against such a strong attacking team but proved me very wrong. Got his usual tackles in and the goal rounded off his performance.

Hughes 6 - Passing was not great, put himself about a bit though. Earned himself an extra point by outmuscling Barton!

Bryson - 8 - I cannot believe his energy levels this far into the season, he just never stops running. Got in some great positions if his team mates had been a bit more aware. Would have been a 9 but for a few stray passes first half.

Ward 7 - Back to doing what he does best...roasting full backs...best game for a while, shame to see him go off injured.

Bamford 5 - Doesn't look comfortable out wide to me. Heavy touches let him down a few times. Should have got a shot away early on. Offered very little defensively

Martin 7 - Defenders must wake up sore the day after marking Martin. Put himself about and gave the defence a tough time. Annoys me that he gives away so many free kicks by not jumping.

Subs

Russell 6 - worked hard, sometimes tries to do a bit too much. Can't wait to see him back to full fitness.

Hendrick 6 - Put himself without really stamping too much authority on the game.

Sammon 6 - Did what he was brought on to do and helped us close the game out.

Would strongly disagree with those who thought the ref was good. Showed a complete lack of authority by letting Barton chase him round the pitch like a dog for 90 minutes, a yellow card early on would have stopped all of that. Overruled his assistant to give a throw in from about 30 yards away despite the linesman being in line with the ball?! Let Wisdom take a throw when the linesman was flagging for a QPR throw in.

I thought QPR were awful first half and I can only assume it was a complete lack of homework on us. Every team that has done well here have pressed us high up the pitch, for the first 45 minutes Grant was able to throw the ball to Forsyth 30 yards out. Changed a bit second half. Redknapp should be ashamed of having a squad like that at his disposal and not being at least 10 points clear at the top. To hear him go on about wanting Ravel Morrison makes my blood boil and his chairman would be stupid to throw any more money at the team.

Final point and will probably not go down well but where the hell was our support last night? Possibly our biggest game in 5 years and the ground was 1/3rd empty. I've sat on this forum for 3 or 4 years reading people questioning the commitment and ambition of our manager/board/owners and maybe now its time that questions were asked of our supporters. Yes I know it was on Sky and a Monday night but I can assure you that had it been Forest we were playing there would have been 34000 there. Fair play to the fans that did turn up though, got behind the team well last night 7/10.

Only thing I will disagree with you is the referee. Thought he managed a tough game well. He could have been very over zealous and stuck to the rule book and everyone would be moaning he spoilt the game by booking 6 on each side and a couple of sending offs instead of using common sense. Thought it was a decent performance for common sense refereeing. Imagine he will be in bad books with FA though unfortunately as he used common sense. Thought it was a great battle last night and I thought the referee helped facilitate that. Could quite easily been spoilt by a referee with no common sense.

[Carl Sagan]

As well as the elbow on Bucko, Bamford is pulled out of the way. There's a lot happening in that penalty area! One reason why it's so tough for the ref, who I thought was reasonable.

[RodleyRam]

I apologise as this shouldn't be a Joey Barton thread, but how much of his desire went towards his team efforts? I thought he played how Robbie Savage used to sometimes for us, where he just look frustrated because he wasn't the player he once was. Runs about but no endeavor. When you are trying to get a goal kick passed out to you rather than your defenders then that says that he doesn't trust his defenders.

To me that was the major difference in sides, that one was a unit and the other was not

 

Yeh fair enough,

 

I thought he was the only one trying to make things happen for them though, he was all over the place. Whether that's a good thing or not I don't know but I thought he was trying to rally the troops. You're right though, they were a team of detached individuals, we were a unit from start to finish.

[G STAR RAM]

Like I say I thought he made a few bad decisions but on the whole you're probably right that he actually refereed the game quite well. Just don't understand why he did not show Joey Barton who was boss.

[DcFc Dyycheee]

Like I say I thought he made a few bad decisions but on the whole you're probably right that he actually refereed the game quite well. Just don't understand why he did not show Joey Barton who was boss.

I agree, just give him a yellow and f*ck him off, instead stood there for about 2 minutes talking to him!

[EastKentRam]

 

 

I thought QPR were awful first half and I can only assume it was a complete lack of homework on us. Every team that has done well here have pressed us high up the pitch, for the first 45 minutes Grant was able to throw the ball to Forsyth 30 yards out. Changed a bit second half. Redknapp should be ashamed of having a squad like that at his disposal and not being at least 10 points clear at the top. To hear him go on about wanting Ravel Morrison makes my blood boil and his chairman would be stupid to throw any more money at the team.

 

 

 

I used to think that but you look at their side last night, how old and slow are they? Yes, a lot of them used to be good players, but for the Championship you need a bit of pace and zip about you, they had none in that side yesterday.

 

All season I've thought they should walk this league, but you cant have the amount of has beens they've got and expect to be a good side. 

 

If they had Austin up top, Hoillet down one wing, Phillips down the other then I could see them being far better. Yes, they've got some big names, but they were at their best about 5 years ago, now most of them are average Championship footballers.