Derby County v Bristol City

[eddie]

2 hours ago, Bris Vegas said:

Seeing as you'll be ever so quick to tell me I'm wrong at full-time if it works out , if it doesn't will you be just as quick to tell me I was right to think it's unbalanced?

it's not really the two up top that bothers me, it's Hendrick in a midfield two with no natural holding midfielder behind him to mop up for his mistakes. This isn't me picking on him by the way...

But he's a much better player in a midfield three and the furthest forward. 

It was not great - until the introduction of Thorne for Hendrick.

[DcFc Dyycheee]

Delighted for Ince, his first goal was unreal. Hopefully he's back to his best.

4-2-3-1 is the formation for home matches imo, would work even better with Martin up top. Ince seems to be better in that system as well. MK Dons away we went to that and got a goal + assist.

[i-Ram]

Will be interested to see performance details/player ratings later, but hats off to PC.  Whilst being very solid, and securing points, we have become predictable too.  He took a bit of a risk by not playing one of Thorne or Butterfield, and also by removing the anchor that is Martin, but I suspect Bristol were not expecting pace/directness. Good to mix it up and I imagine there is something banked that Ince is a much more effective player when not stuck out on the touch line.  Good result.  Now we need another "Hull performance" next game up. COYR!

[Rambalin]

Let's have some praise for Darren Bent tonight led the line well worked his socks off dragging the centre halves about.

Excellent movement on Ince's second pulling defenders out with his run to create the space and good awareness for his third.

Deserved a goal to never offside in the first half and unlucky to hit the post noticed how much praise he got from the other players during the game for his contribution.

[North_Stand_Ram]

Keeper and Defence - 6's, nothing to do

Johnson 8

Hendrick 6

Weimann 6

Russell 7

Ince 9

Bent 6

 

[RamFan13]

3points in the bag, I'm happy... 

Thought that firework was a bloody bomb or something at the end.

[kash_a_ram_a_ding_dong]

never mind bent,lets have some praise for russell...that header was sublime,the best goal of the match

[RamNut]

Strange game. Not a great performance but we got better with the introduction of thorne and butterfield.

4-0 flatters us tbh. Not sure what frankie was playing at. It seems strange that he was once competing with Butland to be rated as the best young English keeper.

the 4th goal was nice. Good play by butterfield in the build up.

good header

But brizzle were pretty hopeless.

[Ambitious]

Paul Clement gets a 10 tonight - excellent. 

In hindsight, playing Darren Bent was a stroke of genius. He pulled the centre backs all over the place and allowed the three attacking midfielders the space to cause the damage. 

Martin would have gone man-for-man and would have made for a much easier game for Bristol, certainly defensively. 

Ince should and probably will get the MOTM but without Bent I doubt he would have got a hat-trick. 

[jono]

Fascinating game. We didn't gel to begin with but they didn't have much in their locker. gOal helped but even start of second half was disjointed. Thought Hendrick and Johnson would work. But without Thorne it doesn't. George coming on altered the chemistry completely

Back four all sound as a pound. I felt sorry for Johnson .. Nothing worked for him, never got the luck of the bounce, gave the ball away too often but he kept grafting and fighting. Thorne coming on stabilised and balanced things up hugely. Bent worked the channels and dragged defenders all over the place for Incey's 3rd  on top of as his pass for the second. Great to see we have an alternative formation but on this evidence Thorne needs to be one of the central midfield pair.

peachy header from JR ... Just wonderful to watch it ping in. My opinion of Butterfield and his football intelligence stepped up a notch... Clever boy knows when to push on and when to hold. Left with a big grin. high fives to Ince for the hat trick and PC for genuine top drawer tactical savvy. 

[Alph]

That's 3 managers on the trot to try Jeff as a DM.

He's not a DM

[unclej]

'Job done, on we go...'

 

[Alph]

49 minutes ago, Squid said:

According to Tony Cottee we didn't play well & Bristol City were right in the game!  If that's the case I'll take it! 

I'd say we were patchy. 

At times we moved the ball with speed and purpose that made the impatient moans of the crowd seem very pathetic

Then we'd have a spell where we'd just try and force the game and leave gaping holes that a hopeless Bristol couldn't exploit and Derby raced back to fix very quickly in fairness. 

But it always seemed to me like a game of when rather than if. 

Ince was up for it.

[VulcanRam]

1 hour ago, Squid said:

According to Tony Cottee we didn't play well & Bristol City were right in the game!  If that's the case I'll take it! 

I didn't think we did play that well, and while it was 0-0 and 1-0 they were in it, though they never looked like scoring other than a goalmouth scramble which nearly sneaked in.

Second goal killed them and after that it was just a question of how many.

[VulcanRam]

1 hour ago, Daveo said:

Ince back scoring with Bent in the team doesn't not surprise me. He doesn't work with Martin, said it before. 

AS the game wore on the pair of them looked for each other all the time. Bent's movement and run across goal created the space for Ince to run into and shoot for his second, and they linked directly for the third with some good interplay. 

A good night for both. 

[Cam the Ram]

Ince's post match interview on Rams player - basically said he prefers the number 10 role he played today as he can get further up the pitch and do more damage. When out wide he feels he struggles to find space because teams naturally shift over to the wings and he always seems to have wingers tracking back as well as full backs and midfielders sticking tight to him.

[Srg]

Just looked like we were getting the ball to Ince early after his first. His tail was up and he wasn't second guessing himself. No coincidence he scored 2 with his right foot. Don't think it's a case of it being his position or not, he was just far superior to a poor Bristol team. 

[North_Stand_Ram]

What impressed me most about Ince tonight was his work off the ball. Won more tackles today than he has all season, worked so hard

[sage]

I thought that is was our worst home performance of the season (for an hour) then substitutes who can pass a ball improved us no end. 

It's hard to accurately attach ratings to players because Bristol were very, very poor. Worst I've seen here this season.

[Animal is a Ram]

First goal, classic Ince, take it on and great feet to just waltz on through. Not seen enough of that from him.

Thought we came out poorly in the second half. Bradley below par, just seemed to get the basics wrong, getting caught on the ball, and wasn't getting the bounce of the ball. Hendrick was anonymous for me. We improved the minute Thorne came on the pitch - more aggressive and more intelligent.

Bent played really well, was unfortunate not to score after being wrongly flagged offside, his movement caused so many problems dragging defenders away, linked up really well for Ince's 3rd.

Think Russell's goal was my favourite - was excellent from the minute Butterfield picked the pocket of the Bristol City player, showed great determination to keep going, then the vision to spread the ball to Baird, who put a great ball for Russell to finish with a bullet header.

Grant - 7 - good distribution, saved the only shot on target well. Only concern was that horror show in the first half

Warnock - 7 - don't understand how he wins so many headers. Keeps getting better, starting to show what Mac signed him for.
Shackell - 7 - unflappable. Just wish he was a bit better with the ball at his feet.
Keogh - 8 - another excellent performance, unlucky not to score. Shackell and Keogh forming one hell of a partnership.
Christie - 7 - see above, didn't really link up with either of Russell or Weimann though.

Hendrick - 5 - he played? Needs to sort himself out. Looked classy after coming back from ROI duties, has faded.
Johnson - 6 - not up to his usual standards. Sloppy. Maybe needs a game away?

Ince - 10 - Hat trick speaks for itself.
Weimann - 6 - usual endeavour, produced little, needs to work more with Warnock and Christie. Don't think its his position.
Russell - 7 - Quiet first half, came alive in the second
Bent - 8 - performance and support play deserved a goal to mark his 500th appearance.

Subs
Thorne - 8 - changed the game. Meant we weren't carrying Hendrick, better in the tackle, aggressive, accurate passing
Butterfield - 7 - didn't have all that much time, still did more than Hendrick and Johnson. Did really well for the 4th goal.
Baird - 7 - didn't have a great deal to do, good assist for Johnny.

Clement - 10. Made the right subs, at the right time. Experiment paid off.

Officials - 5. Some awful decisions. some mystifying decisions. Still don't think Bent was offside.