South Ram Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 A year ago yesterday we had just been thrashed 4-1 by Leicester, do you think we have came a long way since last January? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
South Ram Posted January 11, 2015 Author Share Posted January 11, 2015 a year ago last friday* but it was the 10th of jan, so yeah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ambitious Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 That was a bad game, but no worse than losing to Leeds 2-0. I'd say we're a slightly better team than we was at this point last season, though. Thorne makes a big, big difference.. or at least did last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcsilks Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 A year ago yesterday we had just been thrashed 4-1 by Leicester, do you think we have came a long way since last January? Not really. Less than a month ago, we were terrible against Boro. That's the nature of this league and Derby in the last 20 years. Up and down and inconsistent. We are not quite as easy on the eye this season as we were last but we are harder to score against. So we've sacrificed a little bit of flair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VulcanRam Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 No, I don't think we have come a long way. In some areas we are better, with Russell this season being better than he was and Ibe coming good in recent games. Hughes has benefited from another season. Bent will, I hope, improve us, as Bamford did this time last year. And hopefully Thorne's return will help. But Bryson hasn't been as effective, neither has Forsyth, Ward hasn't featured for a while and we miss Wisdom in defence. Everyone else has been about where they were a year ago. I'd say overall we are about where we were, which without having to make up a gap that Leicester and Burnley had, will hopefully be enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
South Ram Posted January 11, 2015 Author Share Posted January 11, 2015 We are 4 points better off that we were last year which is interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtains Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 We are 4 points better off that we were last year which is interesting! Still a long way to go that's for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kernow Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Not necessarily. We hit a ceiling very quickly under McClaren, and our level of performance was extremely good. We paid for a shaky start to the season under Clough and some may say we deserved to go up, some may say we didn't. This season it was about recovering from the most devastating of set-backs and carrying on from the previous season. Of the three remaining play-off sides, Wigan are second bottom and Brighton have only just pulled themselves out of the bottom three which shows how hard it can be to recover from those so-near-yet-so-far moments. The difference this year is the league is far more open and last season was an unusually high scoring league in terms of points totals. We're four points better off now than this stage last season, yet this season's points total will have us sat in the exact same position - 4th. It's all about perspective and relevant context. The starting eleven you could argue is no stronger than it was last season. We replaced Christie for Wisdom. Christie started well but in my opinion has a long way to go yet. I think Ibe offers more to us than Bamford did in terms of 90 minute performances, however we've lost Thorne for the majority of the season and his return will be a huge boost. One thing Steve has done which is a key argument for us being in a better position now than we were last season is our strength in depth. I'd argue our strength in depth is definitely in the top three in this league. We had Shotton, Bryson, Mascarell, Ward, Dawkins and Bent all sat on the bench. If you compare that to what we've been used to in the not too distant past it's extraordinary. I feel we have improved slowly and gradually and we are in a much healthier position as a club and as a squad now to push for promotion than we were last season, so maybe not going up last year wasn't so bad and another season at this level could benefit us. Yesterday was a different side to DCFC that I never really saw last season. We've managed to not quite play pretty but grind out a result that cannot be downplayed in terms of importance. Some have compared it to the Burnley result last season where had it gone the other way things could be very different. Last season we never really saw ourselves grind out a win. We beat teams at the death such as Sheffield Wednesday, but that was through a wonderstrike by Bamford. We hadn't really managed to grind out results this season either, until yesterday. As Steve said, it was a very mature performance and hopefully we now know what it takes to win the big games. I think that's another sign we have improved and matured as a side which is absolutely vital. A very happy Ram right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VulcanRam Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 We are 4 points better off that we were last year which is interesting! That only a win and a draw extra in half a season, hardly earth shattering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
South Ram Posted January 11, 2015 Author Share Posted January 11, 2015 That only a win and a draw extra in half a season, hardly earth shattering. I know, im just saying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kernow Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 That only a win and a draw extra in half a season, hardly earth shattering. You do realise how important 4 points can be come the end of the season don't you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VulcanRam Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 You do realise how important 4 points can be come the end of the season don't you? I won't dignify that with a response as it is taken so far out of context Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIMBAUD Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 That only a win and a draw extra in half a season, hardly earth shattering. Over a full season that could be 8 points - now that is pretty important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgford Ram Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 It doesn't 'feel' that we have hit the heights of last season yet. This is a different division this season though with no run away leader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
South Ram Posted January 11, 2015 Author Share Posted January 11, 2015 It doesn't 'feel' that we have hit the heights of last season yet. This is a different division this season though with no run away leader. agreed, but i feel the way we played against ipshit maybe a start Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BondJovi Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Not necessarily. We hit a ceiling very quickly under McClaren, and our level of performance was extremely good. We paid for a shaky start to the season under Clough and some may say we deserved to go up, some may say we didn't. This season it was about recovering from the most devastating of set-backs and carrying on from the previous season. Of the three remaining play-off sides, Wigan are second bottom and Brighton have only just pulled themselves out of the bottom three which shows how hard it can be to recover from those so-near-yet-so-far moments. The difference this year is the league is far more open and last season was an unusually high scoring league in terms of points totals. We're four points better off now than this stage last season, yet this season's points total will have us sat in the exact same position - 4th. It's all about perspective and relevant context. The starting eleven you could argue is no stronger than it was last season. We replaced Christie for Wisdom. Christie started well but in my opinion has a long way to go yet. I think Ibe offers more to us than Bamford did in terms of 90 minute performances, however we've lost Thorne for the majority of the season and his return will be a huge boost. One thing Steve has done which is a key argument for us being in a better position now than we were last season is our strength in depth. I'd argue our strength in depth is definitely in the top three in this league. We had Shotton, Bryson, Mascarell, Ward, Dawkins and Bent all sat on the bench. If you compare that to what we've been used to in the not too distant past it's extraordinary. I feel we have improved slowly and gradually and we are in a much healthier position as a club and as a squad now to push for promotion than we were last season, so maybe not going up last year wasn't so bad and another season at this level could benefit us. Yesterday was a different side to DCFC that I never really saw last season. We've managed to not quite play pretty but grind out a result that cannot be downplayed in terms of importance. Some have compared it to the Burnley result last season where had it gone the other way things could be very different. Last season we never really saw ourselves grind out a win. We beat teams at the death such as Sheffield Wednesday, but that was through a wonderstrike by Bamford. We hadn't really managed to grind out results this season either, until yesterday. As Steve said, it was a very mature performance and hopefully we now know what it takes to win the big games. I think that's another sign we have improved and matured as a side which is absolutely vital. A very happy Ram right now. I would add that all season we have been dealing the with added expectation of being favourites, on top of the obvious disappointment. I think people are downplaying how well we are actually doing this season. All the talk about the great runs Ipswich and Bournemouth have been on, yet there we sit, joint top. Most importantly as you say, we have excellent depth in our squad. All of those on our bench yesterday could have started for any other Championship team I reckon. Add Thorne and Albentosa(hopefully) into the mix and it looks damn impressive. Having such competition for places is fantastic. Just decent LB cover needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaffsRam Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 We were a surprise package last season. I'd imagine that more than a few expected us to not live up to last season's standard, let alone improve upon it. I think we've improved, especially defensively. Of course it also helps than no one in the league this year is as consistent as either Leicester or Burnley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroyDyer Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 I think yes, and no. I think we have come a fair way, but that hasn't translated as much because we are on a higher pedestal than we were. We are teams cup final now, where we were perhaps just another game last season. Teams try harder against us, and battle more against us, so our improvements are pegged back somewhat. I think anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ram a lamb a ding dong Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 We are tighter at the back No longer a suprise package which means teams play to contain us rather than have a go. Funny how many teams in the prem are relegated with second season syndrome. This is because these teams are no longer a suprise. Of the top 5 in the Championship only the Rams were expected to be up there the rest are suprised and caught teams cold. Grant, Russell, Hughesy and Martin have improved on last season. Ibe has been a revelation Forsyth was v average but since his goal at Brum hes improved. Keogh deserves recognition for how hes stepped up to the plate after Wembley. V good leader as well. Hendrick has been a little in and out as has Bryso. Bucko just getting his feet back under the table. Wardy was on it until he got injured and Dawkins has been mainly back up. Christie needs a few weeks out to refresh. I think the fact that teams now know what to expect from us and we are still top proves we are a top side. Bent could do for us what Fish couldnt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bris Vegas Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Mentioned this before, but we don't half overrate our side last of last season. This team now is better, harder to score against and more controlling. Last season we fluked a fair number of wins - last minute goals, lucky breaks, play poorly but win the game etc. Think about wins against Boro, Yeovil, Sheff Wed, QPR, Bournemouth, Brighton - 18 points right there that could and perhaps should have been seven maximum. This season, where has the luck been? Ipswich was probably the first game this season where we've won the game creating less than the opposition. Where has our last minute winners come from? Where has our defelcted thirty-yarders come from? We netted two in one game against Barnsley last year! Who have we faced that has thrown the game away by getting men sent off or giving away penalties? In fact, we've been down to 10 men this season three times more than our opponents against us. Where has our play rubbish and grab a wondergoal from Bamford been this season? When we've played poorly (Leeds, Boro, Wigan, Charlton) we've lost! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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