3 Draws 1 win last 4 home games in League.

[Alph]

IMO in home League games we are not hitting our best form or playing easy winning football

We are making it hard for ourselves much harder than it needs to be with the quality of players at our disposal.

Alpha I know you don't agree with me and Im not asking for that .

It's my point of view .

Obviously I'm in a minority but it's easy to get carried away because we are only 1 point off the top. .

Another 20 games will tell us where we are .

I'm just a bit worried if we carry on at home like this it's going to be a frustrating season

I'll just have to wait and see.

I don't want to criticise for the sake of it.

DERBY COUNTY are my team and I LOVE them

I'm not having a pop at you mate. I agree that some of the performances have been tired ones or we've played like winning is inevitable.

I think we need to appreciate how difficult it is. These players have developed a very controlled and dominant style quite quickly. When teams come here and celebrate a draw it tells you something of how much more highly rated we are. We are also still one of the leagues top scorers.

Breaking these teams is very difficult. If they've been organised well and keep shape and concentration then it's going to be hard for us.

We aren't miles better than any of our opponents. We haven't gone out and cherry picked these players. We haven't bought the pick of the league. We've gathered a squad of players with the same resources that are available to everyone. This isn't La Liga and we aren't one of the top 3. We have no huge advantage

What we do have is a system and style that our players know and enjoy. At the end of the day though we can only do so much.

If I send out a team and have them well drilled and organised for a draw and it YOU that has to come and break that down then who has the harder job? I'm simply here to stop you scoring and if we steal a goal on a set piece then that's a bonus. But I know what you've got and all I'm arsed about is stopping it. It's not easy for you.

I see Forest fans mockingly call us Barcelona B. Another side that's been accused of being boring when their opponents turn up and set up camp on their goal line.

You want exciting, winning, beautiful football? Who doesn't? It's the hardest thing to achieve.

You want goals galore against teams coming here to draw? That's not fair. You can't demand that when all we were 1 year ago was an average standard Championship side where teams would come to Pride Park to win. Not draw. Win.

We're trying. We're learning. But we want to control our matches.

You can't free flow through a solid wall of organised players easily. They need to

1) make mistakes that we exploit (which happens but we waste these rare chances too much)

2) tempt them out. Where the game opens up. Like our away games where teams are more ambitious or Fulham at home where they seemed to commit suicide.

An early goal is huge to a team like us at home. And we waste those chances too much

[Curtains]

I'm not having a pop at you mate. I agree that some of the performances have been tired ones or we've played like winning is inevitable.

I think we need to appreciate how difficult it is. These players have developed a very controlled and dominant style quite quickly. When teams come here and celebrate a draw it tells you something of how much more highly rated we are. We are also still one of the leagues top scorers.

Breaking these teams is very difficult. If they've been organised well and keep shape and concentration then it's going to be hard for us.

We aren't miles better than any of our opponents. We haven't gone out and cherry picked these players. We haven't bought the pick of the league. We've gathered a squad of players with the same resources that are available to everyone. This isn't La Liga and we aren't one of the top 3. We have no huge advantage

What we do have is a system and style that our players know and enjoy. At the end of the day though we can only do so much.

If I send out a team and have them well drilled and organised for a draw and it YOU that has to come and break that down then who has the harder job? I'm simply here to stop you scoring and if we steal a goal on a set piece then that's a bonus. But I know what you've got and all I'm arsed about is stopping it. It's not easy for you.

I see Forest fans mockingly call us Barcelona B. Another side that's been accused of being boring when their opponents turn up and set up camp on their goal line.

You want exciting, winning, beautiful football? Who doesn't? It's the hardest thing to achieve.

You want goals galore against teams coming here to draw? That's not fair. You can't demand that when all we were 1 year ago was an average standard Championship side where teams would come to Pride Park to win. Not draw. Win.

We're trying. We're learning. But we want to control our matches.

You can't free flow through a solid wall of organised players easily. They need to

1) make mistakes that we exploit (which happens but we waste these rare chances too much)

2) tempt them out. Where the game opens up. Like our away games where teams are more ambitious or Fulham at home where they seemed to commit suicide.

An early goal is huge to a team like us at home. And we waste those chances too much

I think it's difficult to reply to that as the points you make are all very astute.

I'll just simply say that we can play better at home IMO and I believe McClaren thinks that as well judging from his post match comments yesterday.

McClaren has done a great job since he arrived along with the rest of the staff at DCFC but the job is not even half done IMO.

[Alph]

I think it's difficult to reply to that as the points you make are all very astute.

I'll just simply say that we can play better at home IMO and I believe McClaren thinks that as well judging from his post match comments yesterday.

McClaren has done a great job since he arrived along with the rest if the staff at DCFC but the job is not even half done IMO.

An early goal at home would really help us. We just don't take any of the early chances we've had and we slowly get a bit bogged down for an hour until we throw the kitchen sink in at the risk of getting countered towards the end.

Against Millwall it was a bit slow and tired. They had been through the same frustrating routine against Bournemouth though to be fair.

Both were forgettable games. But we lost and drew with Millwall and Bolton under McClaren so these sort of chores are part of the way we play.

That early goal will change the whole plan of opponents at the iPro. Just need to start getting it. Should have been 2/3 up at half time v Cardiff. 2 up v Rotherham. Maybe 2/3 v Ipswich.

We're not doing it and getting bogged down. Ibe was guilty of overplaying. Whitbread too. You rightly mentioned Forsyth's crossing and the subs that cost us some width.

[Rampage]

Keep writing in Curtains, this site needs you. Doctor, Doctor, I feel like a pair of curtains. Yes, you do look rather drawn, pull yourself together man. I have been going off the rails a bit and I feel at times as if I am hanging by a thread. I feel hemmed in and do not know how to selvage my previous position without someone pulling the draw strings in my life. I am lining up a few beers with my pel Met to try to get a better pattern in my life. Hi Curtains, I was at the Middlesbrough, Aston Villa and Mansfield U21s matches. I agree that they are fantastic to watch. Just wondered if I had spoken to you at any of these matches? This site needs everyone to give their views honestly. That is what makes it fun. When everyone has exactly the same view then it is time to quit. I went for a job interview as a brain surgeon once. They liked me but did not want to put me off as I was not ready for the job so they told me to start as a chiropodist and work my way up. Keep your comments coming, Curtains.

[rammieib]

If you are Real Madrid, there must be a point soon where you see that Mascarell is not playing and call him back, if possible.

I struggle with the concept that Mascarell isn't playing because he seems a pointless signing given we had Eustace. Yes he is doing a sound job but Thorne was instrumental in our attacking fluency and Eustace doesn't offer that. Mascarell needs to be given time in game situations to see if he can offer it.

[Guest]

If you are Real Madrid, there must be a point soon where you see that Mascarell is not playing and call him back, if possible.

I struggle with the concept that Mascarell isn't playing because he seems a pointless signing given we had Eustace. Yes he is doing a sound job but Thorne was instrumental in our attacking fluency and Eustace doesn't offer that. Mascarell needs to be given time in game situations to see if he can offer it.

I agree kind of - and I'd like to see him there (especially at home) but we've not played that many games yet, rammie. I think as we go along you will start to see a transition to Mascarell, until the end of the season. Mac is bloodying him in slowly but surely. I hope I am wrong but I don't think Thorne will be back this season regardless of the bright eyed 6-9 month estimate ... 

[G STAR RAM]

If you are Real Madrid, there must be a point soon where you see that Mascarell is not playing and call him back, if possible.

I struggle with the concept that Mascarell isn't playing because he seems a pointless signing given we had Eustace. Yes he is doing a sound job but Thorne was instrumental in our attacking fluency and Eustace doesn't offer that. Mascarell needs to be given time in game situations to see if he can offer it.

The time for Mascarell to prove himself is the training ground. The fact that he is yet to force himself into the team makes me think he is not doing so.

[TigerTedd]

How is it Eustace's fault that we don't score goals???

He's role is to stop us conceding and with him in the team, we've kept 4 consecutive clean sheets so he's performing his role perfectly.

Everybody recognises that Eustace isn't as good as Thorne but in the meantime, he's playing very well

I agree with what most are saying here, and do believe curtains pessimism is unfounded. But, i do think it's worth noting that this is a similar situation (but the opposite) to the Keogh debate over the summer.

As a defender, his job is to stop goals, so when he makes a mistake and a goal gets conceded, everyone's on his back. But what many fail to see is that he's made that mistake because he's marauding forward, and that's how we play. Attacks start from the very back line, if a couple of mistakes are made and goals are conceded, so be it, as long as we score more than them.

So Just because we've kept 4 clean sheets in a row doesn't necessarily mean that the defense, and Eustace, are doing their job well. It is equally, in fact more, important forum to be involved in starting off attacks.

Having said that, in those 4 clean sheets we've scored, what, 5 or 6 goals. So I think Saturday was a blip, and as blips go, it could've been a lot worse. Nothing to worry about.

[Ilsonram12]

Good job we can win away though!

[Ovis aries]

Can anyone see us losing any of the next tree league games, I can't , we are OK.

[Animal is a Ram]

Teams sending players here will know that their men won't just waltz into this team. I'm sure Real Madrid will have known before they agreed to send Mascarell here. Players here know they have no divine right to be in this team. Which is how it should be. Players know they have to keep up their performance levels/not get booked, so that they keep the shirt. The players waiting on those positions know they have to be on their top level in training so they are ready for whatever, whenever.

 

Look at Millwall, a compact team who like to bully their opposition. Was this really the game to give Mascarell? He would have been targeted as soon as he came on the pitch. Eustace was left alone, and as such had plenty of time on the ball. Bearing in mind he's a 19yr old, who barely spoke English when he got here. Give the lad time to settle in, learn how we play, observe what happens in this league. 2nd league Spain =/= 2nd league England.

 

I think Reading post internationals would be a good place for him to start. They will have to come at us.

[Day]

I is not worried in the slightest.

[Bris Vegas]

The longer the game goes on at 0-0 the tougher it gets.

 

We've had six home games this season, and we've only scored in the first half in twice of them.

 

Like Alpha mentions, it's so hard to unlock a packed, disciplined defence which is conent on playing for a draw. We're not Barcelona where we can simply slice through them, so it's going to be tough.

 

But we've seen what happens like against Fulham when we get our noses infront. We can cause trouble and score goals. We'll be fine, we'll get better as the season progesses and when Thorne comes back we'll be almost unstoppable.

[eddie]

Can anyone see us losing any of the next tree league games, I can't , we are OK.

 

We're only playing them once more this season.

[Curtains]

The longer the game goes on at 0-0 the tougher it gets.

We've had six home games this season, and we've only scored in the first half in twice of them.

Like Alpha mentions, it's so hard to unlock a packed, disciplined defence which is conent on playing for a draw. We're not Barcelona where we can simply slice through them, so it's going to be tough.

But we've seen what happens like against Fulham when we get our noses infront. We can cause trouble and score goals. We'll be fine, we'll get better as the season progesses and when Thorne comes back we'll be almost unstoppable.

This is what I'm on about we don't score first half in home games and have to chase games in the 2nd half after system and personnel changes

I'm glad you observed that Bris.

What's the reason it can't just be the way the opposition set up can it ! I don't buy that.

I don't see it being that difficult to break teams down 1st half

Good teams find a way to do it.

[Ovis aries]

Can anyone see us losing any of the next three league games, I can't , we are OK.

[Sexydadbod]

Can anyone see us losing any of the next three league games, I can't , we are OK.

 

but I can see us drawing them

[Curtains]

Can anyone see us losing any of the next three league games, I can't , we are OK.

If I could predict football I would be a millionaire.

[-JW-]

Curtains is blind.

[Curtains]

Curtains is blind.