The Wassall impact

[Derby blood]

Wassell, appointed to get us playing the Derby way, and improving us as a club developing, our players, what a joke, we are playing worse than before, all he is good at is talking ****.Saying on sky t.v, how Johnston has been outstanding since he took over,what games has he been watching, Johnston has been awful in the last 4 games, how did he get back into the team, is anyone's guess, we are becoming a laughing stock, Wassell is talking rubbish after every match, he even said how well we played against Blackburn, we were awful against Blackburn, how we won that I will never know, and the football played was no better than under Clement in fact it was worse.

[MuespachRam]

9 minutes ago, DC-1975 said:

I agree with this Eddie, I enjoyed the McClaren seasons after almost losing interest in football, but maybe a little less style and a bit more substance will get us promoted in the short term. Then we can add more entertaining players.

We wouldn't have seen the likes of Eranio, Biano or Asanovic if we'd been in the Championship.

 

exactly correct.

IfI am totally honest I am not that bothered about begin in the Permiershite, we aren't going to do what Leicester are doing, we probably aren't going to do what West Brom are doing, it would be a desperate struggle for a couple of seasons minimum to survive. BUT, if we did survive then we could start to attract these types of players....Ask a chip eating Stokie if they thought they would ever have the midfield they have 5 years ago...!

[eddie]

2 hours ago, Spanish said:

fair point honestly made.  I feel let down by him and I'm not sure I can forget.  Having said that i'm a half fan and possibly more motivated by the result and than the performance.  I will defer to those who pay money for the 'entertainment'

I also feel let down by him.

I think at the time when asked I was implying that I would rather that he had not been sacked and that the whole Clement thing hadn't happened. I genuinely looked forward to matchdays under McClaren, but that didn't last long into this season. The first half against Blackburn and Darren Wassall's enthusiasm had me looking forward to Wolves last weekend - now I'm back to fear and trepidation again.

[Rev]

Maclaren wanted to stay and put things right through a sense of duty, Mel decided duty wasn't enough and he needed to see devotion, so sacked him.

Clement sacked because he allegedly put his ambitions before the club's. 

Seems Mel wants to find a manager whose absolute limit of ambition is to be Derby boss, in which case it's not Derby's 'Alex Ferguson' he's looking for, it's Derby's 'Dario Gradi'.

[YouRams]

4 minutes ago, reveldevil said:

Maclaren wanted to stay and put things right through a sense of duty, Mel decided duty wasn't enough and he needed to see devotion, so sacked him.

Clement sacked because he allegedly put his ambitions before the club's. 

Seems Mel wants to find a manager whose absolute limit of ambition is to be Derby boss, in which case it's not Derby's 'Alex Ferguson' he's looking for, it's Derby's 'Dario Gradi'.

I'd take Dario G the dj at the minute couldn't do a worse job. 

[Duracell]

I think anyone who believes Wassall will make a serious impact one way or another seriously underestimates the problems this squad has.

There was a spell after the second half on Saturday, which seems to have been forgotten, where we actually played quite well and I really thought we were going to go on to win the game. Then we seemed to run out of steam, just like how the performance level faded on Tuesday night.

Out of our squad of 13982028102823893 players, it's possible to put 7 or 8 in there who can string passes together and play coherently. But that's not enough for a 46 game season, and it especially doesn't seem enough for a squad which seems to be struggling with its fitness.

When players run out of juice, the options from the bench are woeful. We can bring on Weimann to tread on the ball or run into defenders, bring on Ince to get tackled and sulk, bring on Blackman to do his "Nathan Tyson coming back from a long-term injury" impression, or bring on Bent to stray offside to break down every exciting move we make.

I only rate half the squad as promotion material, or suitable to the way we play. 

The players in bold signed this summer. The players in italics joined in the McClaren/Evans era. Everyone else underlined was signed or brought into the first team by Nigel Clough, and Thorne, Christie and Shackell are underlined because they were either originally signed by Clough, or we know of our interest in them during his reign. 

Carson, Forsyth, Bryson, Hendrick, Thorne, Keogh, Grant, Hughes, Butterfield, Russell, Shackell, Buxton, Martin and Christie. These are the only players who have proved they can be part of a successful Derby side for any period of time in my opinion, and even in that list, there are some serious question marks for me. Are we going to have to watch Shackell kick it out for a line-out in every single game? Will Championship defenders learn not to be skinned by Christie's awful dribbling? Will we ever get the old Russell back? Is Thorne always going to be in and out of the team? But that's probably a bit nit-picky. There's no such thing as a perfect team.

The combined transfer fees of that lot is about the same as the combined transfer fees of Bradley Johnson and Tom Ince.

I've listed 14 players there, two of which are keepers. That's barely a squad large enough for football 30 or 40 years ago. Substitutions are so important these days and it's 14 players rather than 11 that win you games. Under McClaren, there were obvious like-for-like subsitutions on the bench, or options which offered us something slightly different. You could take off Dawkins and Ward and bring on Russell and Bamford. Or Russell and Ward for Ibe and Dawkins. Eustace for Thorne. Hughes tired? Not a problem. Bring on Hendrick. FFS, even Sammon did a job for us when he came on the pitch in the 13/14 season!!

What's also noticeable is that only 2 of those 14 have nothing to do with the manager we sacked 2 and a half years ago, in the form of Carson and Butterfield. Take away Morris' millions with a mean-spirited GSE still in charge and the best players in our squad would still be exactly the same.

That. Is. Madness.

If that doesn't worry you, I don't know what will. Our problems are bigger than whoever stands on the touchline at this moment in time - the transfer window has gone now, and we're stuck with what we've got. I actually applaud Paul Clement for getting this miserable lot top of the league at Christmas, but given that he thought that Nick Blackman was the answer to our problems, he was clearly not the man to sort this mess out. I care far more about what's going on in terms of sorting out recruitment and the structure of the club than who happens to be the captain of the listing ship at this precise moment in time.

 

 

[eddie]

Is 'The Wassall Impact' what some heads do in contact with a wall when they hear his post-match verdict?

[ValeRam]

On 28 February 2016 at 10:56, CornwallRam said:

I think that the club has got itself into a difficult situation. We've spent a lot of money bringing in players that don't seem to fit together very well. That spending will inhibit the club's ability to spend very much for the next couple of seasons. The players don't look to be displaying much team spirit. The coaching staff don't seem to be getting the best from the players, and they don't even look to be fit enough. It looks to me like the whole thing needs a huge shake up. 

I'd argue that it is virtually impossible for anyone from within the club to perform such a task. Darren Wassall may go on to be a good manager, but he is destined to fail in the current circumstances. That is no reflection on Wassall, it's just that I firmly believe that the problems can only be solved by someone with the respect that past success has brought coming in from outside. The continuity offered by an internal appointment is the very last thing that Derby County needs.

Our FFP situation also requires an experienced head. We need someone who can assess the current players and quickly understand exactly what is needed in terms of recruitment. We simply won't be able to waste any more cash, so our recruitment must be far more focused and effective. That won't come from a committee. It will come from a proper manager, with a track record of success, a clearly planned vision, and a big enough personality to face down all opposition - whether that be interfering owners, prima donna players, or fans wanting a particular player dropped.

Very good post Cornwall

Its probably by the by but I'm afraid DW is also pretty inept tactically as well and so is destined to fail on that front too. Anyone who consistently abandons the concept of playing to a formation ,when he makes substitutions, is going to really struggle. He could turn into a good manager as you say. I would very much doubt it, though, based on what I have seen so far.

[jagerbob]

We are not worse than before at all.

Only in terms of the team shape when we dont have the ball and the stupid gung ho approach.

At least Martin is getting some service now.

 

[ValeRam]

7 hours ago, Tombo said:

Wassall has the job until the end of the season. That isn't going to change. Just get behind him now for Gods sake. 

Some of us think Clement shouldn't have been sacked (including me), some of us think McClaren should never have been sacked, some even think Clough should never have been sacked.

All those managers have one thing in common - they're not coming back. Move on. At the end of the season, that's the time to judge Wassall. 

Lambasting an interim manager after 4 games is the most 'Forest-esque' thing I've ever seen. Let's not be that please. It's pathetic.

I take your point Tombo.

I would be totally behind any interim manager we had if we could just see common sense and basic footballing skills on the pitch. It genuinely wouldn't matter to me as long as  the team gave everything on the pitch, we tried our hardest , did the basics (like passing to a teammate, sticking to a formation, demonstrating togetherness) and yet still lost every game.

But we don't get that. We get a shambles and an embarrassment. 

Thats why the criticism happens and personally I think it is  fair enough given what we have to witness.

[Chester40]

36 minutes ago, Duracell said:

I think anyone who believes Wassall will make a serious impact one way or another seriously underestimates the problems this squad has.

There was a spell after the second half on Saturday, which seems to have been forgotten, where we actually played quite well and I really thought we were going to go on to win the game. Then we seemed to run out of steam, just like how the performance level faded on Tuesday night.

Out of our squad of 13982028102823893 players, it's possible to put 7 or 8 in there who can string passes together and play coherently. But that's not enough for a 46 game season, and it especially doesn't seem enough for a squad which seems to be struggling with its fitness.

When players run out of juice, the options from the bench are woeful. We can bring on Weimann to tread on the ball or run into defenders, bring on Ince to get tackled and sulk, bring on Blackman to do his "Nathan Tyson coming back from a long-term injury" impression, or bring on Bent to stray offside to break down every exciting move we make.

I only rate half the squad as promotion material, or suitable to the way we play. 

The players in bold signed this summer. The players in italics joined in the McClaren/Evans era. Everyone else underlined was signed or brought into the first team by Nigel Clough, and Thorne, Christie and Shackell are underlined because they were either originally signed by Clough, or we know of our interest in them during his reign. 

Carson, Forsyth, Bryson, Hendrick, Thorne, Keogh, Grant, Hughes, Butterfield, Russell, Shackell, Buxton, Martin and Christie. These are the only players who have proved they can be part of a successful Derby side for any period of time in my opinion, and even in that list, there are some serious question marks for me. Are we going to have to watch Shackell kick it out for a line-out in every single game? Will Championship defenders learn not to be skinned by Christie's awful dribbling? Will we ever get the old Russell back? Is Thorne always going to be in and out of the team? But that's probably a bit nit-picky. There's no such thing as a perfect team.

The combined transfer fees of that lot is about the same as the combined transfer fees of Bradley Johnson and Tom Ince.

I've listed 14 players there, two of which are keepers. That's barely a squad large enough for football 30 or 40 years ago. Substitutions are so important these days and it's 14 players rather than 11 that win you games. Under McClaren, there were obvious like-for-like subsitutions on the bench, or options which offered us something slightly different. You could take off Dawkins and Ward and bring on Russell and Bamford. Or Russell and Ward for Ibe and Dawkins. Eustace for Thorne. Hughes tired? Not a problem. Bring on Hendrick. FFS, even Sammon did a job for us when he came on the pitch in the 13/14 season!!

What's also noticeable is that only 2 of those 14 have nothing to do with the manager we sacked 2 and a half years ago, in the form of Carson and Butterfield. Take away Morris' millions with a mean-spirited GSE still in charge and the best players in our squad would still be exactly the same.

That. Is. Madness.

If that doesn't worry you, I don't know what will. Our problems are bigger than whoever stands on the touchline at this moment in time - the transfer window has gone now, and we're stuck with what we've got. I actually applaud Paul Clement for getting this miserable lot top of the league at Christmas, but given that he thought that Nick Blackman was the answer to our problems, he was clearly not the man to sort this mess out. I care far more about what's going on in terms of sorting out recruitment and the structure of the club than who happens to be the captain of the listing ship at this precise moment in time.

 

 

Brilliant post. Would give it three likes if I could.... I now can't wait for part 2 where you give us all the answers....

[Tombo]

18 minutes ago, ValeRam said:

I take your point Tombo.

I would be totally behind any interim manager we had if we could just see common sense and basic footballing skills on the pitch. It genuinely wouldn't matter to me as long as  the team gave everything on the pitch, we tried our hardest , did the basics (like passing to a teammate, sticking to a formation, demonstrating togetherness) and yet still lost every game.

But we don't get that. We get a shambles and an embarrassment. 

Thats why the criticism happens and personally I think it is  fair enough given what we have to witness.

It's not like I don't understand the criticism. Trust me, when the season is done and dusted I'll have plenty to say. There's plenty I've already said in critique. 

I just don't think now is the time. We're nearing the final stretch of the season. Hold your horses for just a bit longer. That's all I'm saying. We've got all summer to make our voices heard. But right now I don't think there's any benefit to such harsh criticism. It's not going to change anything.

Wass is doing what he thinks is right and is steadying the ship as best he can. That's all you can ask from an interim manager. You can't ask for style or a huge marked difference. You can only ask for him to keep the team happy and on a steady footing for the next man who takes over. He's doing okay on that front I think.

[MuespachRam]

Apart from B4, does anyone on here think we actually will get promoted this season? Anyone at all?

[Mick Harford]

1 hour ago, reveldevil said:

Maclaren wanted to stay and put things right through a sense of duty, Mel decided duty wasn't enough and he needed to see devotion, so sacked him.

 

Well in March members of Macs staff were going to see Mr. Rush to say that they wanted to stay at Derby and had no wish to go to Newcastle with Mac.

Unless of course you mean he felt bad after last seasons capitulation, in which case he'd burnt his bridges by then. Although one could argue that Mac wanted to be sacked so that Ashley didn't have to pay compensation for him.

If I had been faced with that sort of disloyalty I'd have got rid of him as well.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Tombo said:

It's not like I don't understand the criticism. Trust me, when the season is done and dusted I'll have plenty to say. There's plenty I've already said in critique. 

I just don't think now is the time. We're nearing the final stretch of the season. Hold your horses for just a bit longer. That's all I'm saying. We've got all summer to make our voices heard. But right now I don't think there's any benefit to such harsh criticism. It's not going to change anything.

Wass is doing what he thinks is right and is steadying the ship as best he can. That's all you can ask from an interim manager. You can't ask for style or a huge marked difference. You can only ask for him to keep the team happy and on a steady footing for the next man who takes over. He's doing okay on that front I think.

Unless you are Guss Hiddinck,  Di Matteo, Bentiez for example.  Where would be the logic for sacking a manager and replacing him with the expectation that the person you ask to take charge, wouldn't improve things ? 

Our chairman stated that we should start judging him after he has had 5 games, well that's Saturday and it's already clear to see that he is out of his depth, has taken us backwards and is in danger of creating a mini implosion at the club.  People are now starting to slate players for not living up to their potential / price tag, not taking into account that we have a manager that is giving them little or no direction, imagine the state of the club after another 10 games if DW continues to manage the club has he has done for the last 4?

Maybe an over exaggeration, but let's not under estimate the damage someone can do at a club and to players by destroying the feel good factor and taking us back to the days under NC, and he may be doing his best, but he has a few years experience under his belt managing the U21s, that's it, nothing else, never a number 2 I don't believe? if he want to do the right thing, pop round to Mel's for dinner, admit that this managing lark is a bit more than trying to be Mr Motivator and that maybe he should learn a bit more about the management side of football, before he does his career and some Derby players more damage than has already been done.

 

[jono]

Regardless of any manager or team selection or formation there is something wrong

1) with our team play in general, whether that is square pegs in round holes or some other issue but we are not a cohesive unit 

2) fitness .. I am serious .. We get bursts of frenetic activity for 15 mins but when during this season have we seen our team busting a gut for more than 30 minutes? Not many times I venture to suggest. I doubt some players ability to do it.  Some players have put in shifts in some games but to me the general level of physical stamina is below what other teams have shown .. Reading and Blackburn ran us in to the ground and we're still running. Unless you can do that then the sort of high tempo game we want to watch will never happen. 

I think we have the skill to be knocking on the door of the automatics but I really don't think we are fit enough compared to our opponents so it isn't going to happen. 

[froggg]

2 hours ago, MuespachRam said:

Apart from B4, does anyone on here think we actually will get promoted this season? Anyone at all?

Er no

[froggg]

And we shouldn't, we'd be straight back down again.......probably.

[RamNut]

3 hours ago, MuespachRam said:

Apart from B4, does anyone on here think we actually will get promoted this season? Anyone at all?

B4s dad.

[Ambitious]

Wassall is simply trying to keep morale high. 

The fans have done a sterling job in trying to lower it, therefore I'm glad we've got someone who is doing everything within his power to try and keep confidence high. 

The very worst thing about this season has been the fans, by and large. It's a chore to watch Derby, especially when you consider how many supporters we have that struggle to tie their shoelaces with a brand new Pritt Stick to hand.