Our players mental block.

[Mafiabob]

5 hours ago, Yojimbo said:

The problem is 40 years ago, supporters still had some form of camaraderie with the players and viewed them as peers. I don't want to speak for everyone of my generation (I'm 31) but for younger people, footballers are multi-millionaire celebrities and our "superiors" (because money's all that matters, of course) and it's hard to feel too much "thick-and-thin" empathy with them when you know that a) even average championship players pull in a week what most in the stands take in several months (Derbyshire's average wage is £22k p/a, and the average championship player is on £200k p/a, and you'd imagine our top "stars" that Badbuy Johnson are pulling seven figures) and b) most of them have little to no affinity with the club and will jump as soon as someone waves a paycheque under their nose. When people feel that far removed from the supporters (I have absolutely zero affinity for any of our players and view them as mentally weak willed charlatans pulling grossly undeserved paycheques who've done nothing but fail for the past three years) it is difficult to fully back them - footballers are no longer sportsman, they are professional entertainers who are supposed to fulfil vicarious wishes. And suporting Derby has been more or less a nightmare since 1999; remember, the younger generation don't have 1975 to fall back on

The main bent of it all is, football is no longer a sport, it's a business and the people on the ground aren't supporters anymore - they are customers, and customers expect value for their money (however unrealistic they consider value to be). 

Football is a wonderful thing; professional football, however, is the drizzling ***** and the further you go up the pyramid the more it stinks. 

A brilliant post, absolutely spot on.

Live in a different bubble to us nowadays. 

[cheron85]

16 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

But he did deliver. The point being he has done it, the players will respond differently. Interesting last season when Redknapp came in - comments from the players about his experience, etc. 

Often what separates good sportsmen from excellent ones is just that little extra, usually mental, in knowing what it takes to not just get to the line but get over it.

Posted mid-edit

What it should have said was:

The thing I thought Pearson would bring in; that he had a Leicester side which were tipped amongst the favourites (whether good enough or not) for 3 seasons and didn't deliver for 2 of them... 

[Mafiabob]

I think having 3 managers in a year hasn't helped either.

It will come if the hierarchy at the club stay patient, also the fans need to as well. Let's hope we don't go to form again.

[ewe beauties]

52 minutes ago, BondJovi said:

Interesting that in recent days we have had @Mostyn6 booing thread, the brilliant Murrays not Henmans and now now this one. Are more people starting to come to the conclusion that there is nothing wrong with our players footballing ability or their work rate but a mental fragility that we can't physically see so therefore can't quantify?

I said in the moaning about Pearson thread that I thought he was the right man for the job because I believed he would sort out what I perceived to be a mental weakness within the team but I was concerned that he was changing the footballing style. I feel somewhat reassured that in recent interviews Pearson has focused on this point about mental weakness. This is not something you could see in training. Other posters in this thread have expressed nicely the possible causes for this weakness. But to me this is clear evidence of Pearson managing the players and perhaps post Wembley what these players have needed is stronger management.

The solution? A leader in the team? A strong personality to pull everyone together, we have a team of nice guys. Do we need to break it up? That is out of our hands but this team certainly needs to be supported fully, get behind the players and give them vocal support. Who knows, you might find yourself enjoying matches more and the players might enjoy playing at home!

I said on the way back from Barnsley how it can't be right that all other fans and players are really enjoying their football and we trudge back feeling so dejected. Grimsby lost but you'd have thought they'd won the cup final- staying behind, applauding their players.

We have to stop this because everyone in football knows how we are behaving- and that's a real concern.

You're right to say what a 'team of nice guys' we have, and they deserve better from us. I think we make them feel uncomfortable at times and that can't be right.

 

 

[B4ev6is]

There one guy last night he was slating the lads i turned around and said to him try getting behind them or dont brother coming at all that soon shut him up.

[BOB BIGGS]

5 hours ago, Mostyn6 said:

what?

are you for real?

1999-2014 had 2 relegations, 6+ relegation fights, 1 play-off loss and 1 play-off win and a whole load of nothingness in the mix too. Three amigos, Phil Brown, players like Dean Holdsworth, Kevin Poole and Nick ******* Chadwick! Not to mention the likes of Conor Doyle and Michael Boulding.. But YOU think the last few years have been the problem?

Ah, Mostyn 6, we see things through such different eyes. Don't try to tell me about bad times. I was there for the Docherty years. You wouldn't have coped with that. I did, I just waited until he was sorted. Yes, bad times a plenty from 1999 to a few years ago. Lots of down times. Three Amiogs...Nasty....equally as bad a time as Docherty ...Billy Davies...success or failure? Paul Jewell...tried hard but failed. Then we started to turn the tide, mainly thanks to Nigel Clough. After he left, we've had ups and downs and we haven't really made too much progress on the field, despite the efforts of Messrs McLaren, Clement and the chaps running the Club. It hurts doesn't it? 

However, I keep things in perspective. It doesn't matter what I think and it doesn't matter what you think. Chill....it's only football.

 

[Robbie Ram]

3 hours ago, ewe beauties said:

I said on the way back from Barnsley how it can't be right that all other fans and players are really enjoying their football and we trudge back feeling so dejected. Grimsby lost but you'd have thought they'd won the cup final- staying behind, applauding their players.

We have to stop this because everyone in football knows how we are behaving- and that's a real concern.

You're right to say what a 'team of nice guys' we have, and they deserve better from us. I think we make them feel uncomfortable at times and that can't be right.

 

 

We have a team of mostly namby pambies.

Mel, please order up a squad of Jake Buxton type warriors.

Who love us and our club, just like he did.

Simples?

[Srg]

17 minutes ago, Robbie Ram said:

We have a team of mostly namby pambies.

Mel, please order up a squad of Jake Buxton type warriors.

Who love us and our club, just like he did.

Simples?

Ah yes, like that Bradl... oh wait

[JimmyDCFC]

7 hours ago, Ashz09 said:

The fans play a big part you hear players mention it a lot. Our players used to do it during the good times when the IPro wold be rocking.

 

A lot of commentators including ours used to mention in away games the fact the home fans are getting on there players back. It's exactly what we wanted and you could see the effect. I always remember a manager coming to the IPro saying a early goal is crucial as the fans go quiet and at times get on there players back. That was his key and he's right if we get a early goal we can get behind the team and its mesmerizing but if we don't or we concede early it's like a morgue..  

Totally spot on. We (fans) lack patience and it's hardly helping them fight back from a goal down if we're all over them and getting them down. Everyone moans that nobody wants to try anything or have any drive, but the reason for that is largely us. Who in their right mind wants to try anything new and risky with the knowledge they'll get abuse if it goes wrong. The easy option is to play it safe and hope somebody else tries something, meaning we never get anywhere. If they have our unconditional support, things will gradually get better. It's not the be all and end all, but it'll certainly help. 

[Robbie Ram]

55 minutes ago, Srg said:

Ah yes, like that Bradl... oh wait

Nonsense.

[Robbie Ram]

5 hours ago, Mafiabob said:

A brilliant post, absolutely spot on.

Live in a different bubble to us nowadays. 

That's why Sir Jake was so very special.

He lived right inside in our very own time warp.

Black boots in a 5p Tesco bag, shirt tucked in, pat the badge, steely eyed glare, humble, courageous, Viking beard, passionate warrior.

Who loved us and our club right back.

A true Rams hero.

So why the flaming fook did we bin him for nowt ffs?

Pearson's first gaffe, IMO.

Watch this space come December when we play Wigan twice.

Remember, you read it here first.

[Comrade 86]

19 hours ago, Alpha said:

Two Pearson interviews after a good night and in both he mentioned how players don't go out purposely to play bad or lose. But something mentally stops them from doing what they can do.

 

Is that pressure from us? The fact we can turn on them so quickly unless they're winning? The moans and groans at every error? 

Or is it the players who have grafted all season to see it come to nothing 3 times all after match 45. Are they scarred by it

Or is it something else?

Just found it interesting that he didn't shrug and say "that's football". He didn't say any of the usual stuff. He specifically mentioned mentality twice. 

Imagine if we as fans allowed them to make mistakes without murdering them at the ipro especially. If we just sucked up the heartbreak to try and keep them high. 

Great shout Alpha.  It'd be great if we could count on staunch support no matter what and I'd be near as damn it certain it would benefit the team, especially those a tad short on confidence.  Alas, it'll never be that way again.  

My lad's a Chelsea fan (he lives and grew up in South London so I've not beaten him with is own severed appendages for it) and even he was surprised how negative some fans were last time we travelled up to the iPro. Hopefully the win at Preston will breathe a bit of confidence into the team and their future performances will elicit cheers and not boos.