Derby County vs Brentford

[Carl Sagan]

Hendrick started well, and finished well (if you count the scuffed shot to Bent). Starting Russell if genuinely ill (and not being protected by the manager) sounded crazy. Maybe Johnny didn't let on as he was desperate to play, so only revealed it at half-time? Playing Martin left was weird, but he seemed in the game quite a lot.

Defeat and we'd have been 8th. That goal from Bent (now double figures for us) could still be the goal that, when we look back, made the difference and got us promotion. The top four all won again anyway and are out of sight. Now we've lowered our sights, today was about not being beaten. Somehow we managed that. Scoring injury time winners shows exactly the type of spirit we will need in what I hope are the remaining seven games of the season.

[Dimmu]

I'm still astounished how we didn't lose that one.

[RedSox]

....Automatics has been dead for a few weeks now. Just need to try and finish fourth as get to play at home in second leg.... 

 

​No chance, I'm afraid.  We're 6 points off Boro with 4 games to go.....it'll be Boro for us, if we are lucky.  Not a tempting prospect right now but nowt we can do about it.

[RedSox]

 

[HuddersRam]

Chris Martin is probably one of if not the best striker in the league. Chris Martin is probably one of if not the worst left winger at the club. I didn't hear McClaren's interview after, but did he shed any light on why he put our talismanic top scorer out wide, when we had both Dawkins and Ince playing in the middle? After so long without him and such a poor run, to put him in a position where he can't hold up, bring others into play is mindblowing.  

Last season and at very few times this year, have been my most enjoyable times watching Derby, free-flowing football, goals galore and just all round good football. But with all the speculation regarding the manager, it's just ruined the entire season, and today was just hard to watch, when we know what the side is capable of. Mac just seems like he doesn't want to be here anymore, like he's done his job of rebuilding his reputation and is ready to jump ship.

Hendrick and Bryson has never worked, and they just seemed to be nowhere today. Going forward and defending, they just seemed to be bypassed, which is a massive worry. Where are the U-21 midfielders? Bunjaku, Koblenz, both impressing and deserving of a chance, especially with Hughes out, but why do they never even make the bench?

Forsyth's performance summed up the team today. Completely shot of confidence, aimless, I can't remember a worse passing performance by an individual player. Thank the lord for Darren Bent.

[TroyDyer]

I'm basically just going to reiterate what everyone else has put really. 

Ratings: Grant - 6; Keogh - 6, Albentosa - 4, Forsyth - 2, Warnock - 5; Hendrick - 4, Bryson - 4; Ince - 5, Martin - 5, Russell - 4; Bent - 5. 

Dawkins - 6, Whitbread - 6 and Lingard - 5

Summary:

In truth, I think it was our worst performance of the season - largely due to the distribution. 

Keogh did well today but it's clear he isn't a right back, we need him in the heart of the defence for his distribution. However, with Christie and Shotton injured, I don't think he had much of a choice. 

Forsyth put in the worst performance of the season today, that I'm sure of. He was good in the air but that was it. He was all over the shop. I've never seen a player make so many bad passes. According to the stats, he played 19 long balls and only two hit their intended target. 

Albentosa looks like a poor signing. He's a bad footballer, which you can normally get away with as a defender, but he doesn't look at all comfortable defensively either. I thought on a couple of occasions today that he could have been at fault for a couple of goals.

Warnock was tidy on the ball and didn't lose it often but offered nothing going forward. He played one or two crosses that were just horrific on any level. 

Hendrick and Bryson can't play together, as people have touched on, but that's no secret. Hendrick forced himself on the game and came deep but made some horrendous decisions, lost the ball in dangerous areas which could have been costly. Bryson just didn't impose himself on the game at all. He was reasonably tidy but you could have been forgiven for not noticing him. 

All the attackers had fairly quiet games. Martin's midas touch wasn't there today and you could tell. Bent got the late equaliser and worked hard but didn't really have much good service to play with. Russell looked completely gone - shouldn't have started in the first place. Ince as always worked hard and tried to make things happen but it didn't really work for him. 

What needs to change: 

We need to get the footballers back in the defence; we need to stop playing the ball long. Albentosa and Forsyth don't work well together at all. Both players aren't good footballers, which ultimately leads to a lot of long passes up the field that never reach their marker. At least this will have opened people's eyes up to just how good the Keogh, Buxton partnership was. 

In midfield, we need someone who will sit and get the ball from the back four. Hanson wasn't great but after seeing the Hendrick, Bryson combination then I would opt to put him back in the side. Maybe even Klobenz - he's a holding midfielder, right? 

In attack, there is no major problem but we shouldn't be playing ill players when we're well stocked. Lingard, Ward or Dawkins would have been able to play the role asked of Russell today and perhaps would have done a lot better. 

I must say, though, the idea to put Martin on the left was perhaps the worst decision I can remember. 

​Actually mental. Seriously. Like WAT. 

Keogh did well? Umm... Left sided right footer is running at you... what do you do? Ask that to a ******* 6 year old and he will tell you to show him the touchline. Nah... just back off and show him inside so he can have a dig. Pathetic. 

Forsyth wasn't great but at least when he heads a ball he clears it, he kept a ball off the line and doesnt ******* he own players for his own shortcomings. If you genuinely think Keogh did well today then I have so answer to that. Apart from to shake my head and laugh. 

[North_Stand_Ram]

​We always look more likely to create with Dawkins on the pitch. It's excellent how he slows it down, because without him today every single player got the ball and tried to lump it forward to Bent and Martin marked by 6 players.

Ince is a great individual player for example, and he scores many more goals and creates more chances. But today Dawkins was what we needed. Ince is too much of an individual, and loses the ball at times when we need someone with the intelligence to just slow it down and keep that white round thing which we used to treat so preciously.

Dawkins allows other players to do what they're good at - he creates their space, and everyone around him plays better. From what I've seen so far, our whole team seems to suffer from Tom Ince's obvious obsession with goals and assists.

It's the "Ballon D'Or"-syndrome that Wenger and Mourinho have taken a pop at. 

We really don't. Our best form under McClaren came with Dawkins no where near the team, so to say that is false.

We created more in the first half than the second, we scored off a misshit which Dawkins wasn't involved in... 

[DesertRam]

Chris Martin is probably one of if not the best striker in the league. Chris Martin is probably one of if not the worst left winger at the club. I didn't hear McClaren's interview after, but did he shed any light on why he put our talismanic top scorer out wide, when we had both Dawkins and Ince playing in the middle? After so long without him and such a poor run, to put him in a position where he can't hold up, bring others into play is mindblowing.  

Last season and at very few times this year, have been my most enjoyable times watching Derby, free-flowing football, goals galore and just all round good football. But with all the speculation regarding the manager, it's just ruined the entire season, and today was just hard to watch, when we know what the side is capable of. Mac just seems like he doesn't want to be here anymore, like he's done his job of rebuilding his reputation and is ready to jump ship.

Hendrick and Bryson has never worked, and they just seemed to be nowhere today. Going forward and defending, they just seemed to be bypassed, which is a massive worry. Where are the U-21 midfielders? Bunjaku, Koblenz, both impressing and deserving of a chance, especially with Hughes out, but why do they never even make the bench?

Forsyth's performance summed up the team today. Completely shot of confidence, aimless, I can't remember a worse passing performance by an individual player. Thank the lord for Darren Bent.

​Think he went there of his own accord, to try to get some accurate passes to Bent, who had almost no service today,

 

 

[DesertRam]

Chris Martin is probably one of if not the best striker in the league. Chris Martin is probably one of if not the worst left winger at the club. I didn't hear McClaren's interview after, but did he shed any light on why he put our talismanic top scorer out wide, when we had both Dawkins and Ince playing in the middle? After so long without him and such a poor run, to put him in a position where he can't hold up, bring others into play is mindblowing.  

Last season and at very few times this year, have been my most enjoyable times watching Derby, free-flowing football, goals galore and just all round good football. But with all the speculation regarding the manager, it's just ruined the entire season, and today was just hard to watch, when we know what the side is capable of. Mac just seems like he doesn't want to be here anymore, like he's done his job of rebuilding his reputation and is ready to jump ship.

Hendrick and Bryson has never worked, and they just seemed to be nowhere today. Going forward and defending, they just seemed to be bypassed, which is a massive worry. Where are the U-21 midfielders? Bunjaku, Koblenz, both impressing and deserving of a chance, especially with Hughes out, but why do they never even make the bench?

Forsyth's performance summed up the team today. Completely shot of confidence, aimless, I can't remember a worse passing performance by an individual player. Thank the lord for Darren Bent.

​Think he went there of his own accord, to try to get some accurate passes to Bent, who had almost no service today,

 

 

[Ambitious]

​Actually mental. Seriously. Like WAT. 

Keogh did well? Umm... Left sided right footer is running at you... what do you do? Ask that to a ******* 6 year old and he will tell you to show him the touchline. Nah... just back off and show him inside so he can have a dig. Pathetic. 

Forsyth wasn't great but at least when he heads a ball he clears it, he kept a ball off the line and doesnt ******* he own players for his own shortcomings. If you genuinely think Keogh did well today then I have so answer to that. Apart from to shake my head and laugh. 

​I thought Keogh did average, hence the six, but so does the majority on the thread.

I'd argue that your comments are further from public opinion than mine, but then again, I don't have a vendetta against Keogh. 

[DesertRam]

Chris Martin is probably one of if not the best striker in the league. Chris Martin is probably one of if not the worst left winger at the club. I didn't hear McClaren's interview after, but did he shed any light on why he put our talismanic top scorer out wide, when we had both Dawkins and Ince playing in the middle? After so long without him and such a poor run, to put him in a position where he can't hold up, bring others into play is mindblowing.  

Last season and at very few times this year, have been my most enjoyable times watching Derby, free-flowing football, goals galore and just all round good football. But with all the speculation regarding the manager, it's just ruined the entire season, and today was just hard to watch, when we know what the side is capable of. Mac just seems like he doesn't want to be here anymore, like he's done his job of rebuilding his reputation and is ready to jump ship.

Hendrick and Bryson has never worked, and they just seemed to be nowhere today. Going forward and defending, they just seemed to be bypassed, which is a massive worry. Where are the U-21 midfielders? Bunjaku, Koblenz, both impressing and deserving of a chance, especially with Hughes out, but why do they never even make the bench?

Forsyth's performance summed up the team today. Completely shot of confidence, aimless, I can't remember a worse passing performance by an individual player. Thank the lord for Darren Bent.

​Think he went there of his own accord, to try to get some accurate passes to Bent, who had almost no service today,

 

 

[valleyram]

Bottom line is we need Chris Martin up top himself as target man , if that means bent is dropped then so be it , he's a good goal scorer but is detrimental to the team , mclaren you have a big decision to make and for the sake of the club hopefully you can see this 

[Todd Is God]

When I saw the team I predicted we would lose 2-0. I was wrong but I could easily have been right. Playing five players out of position can't work. We would be better putting a dev squad player in. Martin and Bent could work but only if we have two solid central midfield players in like Thorne and Hendrick or Eustace. As it was we were wide open and no-one had a clue where to look for a Derby shirt. This was predictable. Very disappointing.

[davenportram]

We really don't. Our best form under McClaren came with Dawkins no where near the team, so to say that is false.

We created more in the first half than the second, we scored off a misshit which Dawkins wasn't involved in... 

makes you wonder why he signed him then.

[North_Stand_Ram]

makes you wonder why he signed him then.

Dawkins was fantastic whilst on loan. Hasn't reproduced that form nor intensity since then. 

[TroyDyer]

​I thought Keogh did average, hence the six, but so does the majority on the thread.

I'd argue that your comments are further from public opinion than mine, but then again, I don't have a vendetta against Keogh. 

​I don't have a vendetta against Keogh. I'm just not scared to say that despite "He's our captain!!!", he isn't a very good footballer, and is infact massively detrimental to our team. 

[TroyDyer]

Dawkins was fantastic whilst on loan. Hasn't reproduced that form nor intensity since then. 

​Dawkins was our best player when he came on. He retained the ball. Stuck to him like glue, and passed the ball on. The fact Dawkins gets such a bad rep makes me wonder if football fans actually know anything about the game they are fanatical about. 

[Rev]

​I don't have a vendetta against Keogh. I'm just not scared to say that despite "He's our captain!!!", he isn't a very good footballer, and is infact massively detrimental to our team. 

You had to laugh when he tripped over his own legs 2nd half, very lucky that wasn't the most memorable thing a player in white did.

[valleyram]

Here's the scenario today 

keogh - out of position

forsyth - out of position 

bryson - out of position 

Martin - out of position 

no rocket science that against a good team it won't work 

mclaren has a lot to answer to 

 

[RLACML]

We played hoofball and we were terrible at it. I haven't read through the thread but I hope Dawkins gets some credit, he was superb. The boy can play.