Is our team too old?

[Sparkle]

We do lack speed of thought and movement within the central midfield area, age may or may not be relevant but doing the right things at the right times helps 

[mozza]

 

@McLovin everytime you post i think there is a scratch on my screen , any chance you can change your avatar ? 

(what is it anyway , a pube ?)

[Van der MoodHoover]

Just now, David said:

See I've got a odd theory which I've not posted fearing ridicule.

To me the problem is the players.

Before you laugh, we went 10 games unbeaten with this squad, formation and kit. 

Xmas rolled round, picked up a few suspensions, injuries and we seemed to lose our mojo which has knocked the players confidence.

Fans are now on their backs after raising expectations, they will also be looking at the League Table knowing it's no longer in our hands, heading for another season in the Championship.

Some may think their time at Derby is up, by choice or the game time they've been given, we're now going through the motions with eyes on the summer holidays.

Hughes picked up a few knocks in several games, I don't think he's fully fit it all honesty. 

Looking back to January, we moved for Lansbury straight away so a CM was high on the shopping list, appears we had no other names. We needed one, badly in the end.

I do think we should remember Chris Evans returned to the club at the end of October. To expect him to have a full list of targets in 2 months is a big ask, this isn't a video game.

All eyes on him this summer. 

My feelings now are pure disappointment that the players appear to have given up. Injuries and suspensions you can give some allowances but all that hard work has now been undone. 2 wins in 8. Mid table at best form.

I'm not laughing. Or ridiculing you.

We lost that all important momentum and continuity. Injuries,  suspensions played a part for sure. 

I think it's reasonable to infer that belief/desire and also our overall fitness /conditioning have contributed.

Less clear to me is the impact of actual management decisions - mainly because it can be difficult to see whether a team change is for injury or tactical reasons. But I repeat a post I made elsewhere that mac was observed issuing instructions that were not being followed the other night. 

Putting all those influences together suggests that this group of players have run their course. Which in some ways is an astonishing conclusion given the investment. 

But it is suggestive of a new set of criteria needed for selecting developing and retaining players from here forwards. Proposed transfers in are particularly needing the closest scrutiny for attitude, fit, and all the soft skills stuff.

[Inverurie Ram]

New thread titles coming soon, to a forum near you......... 

Do our players smile enough?

Do our fans smile enough?

Does all the duff merchandise in the club shop make you smile?

Does SM smile too much for no apparent reason?

[WoollyJumper]

8 minutes ago, mozza said:

 

@McLovin everytime you post i think there is a scratch on my screen , any chance you can change your avatar ? 

(what is it anyway , a pube ?)

Bloody straightest pube I've ever seen.

[WoollyJumper]

6 minutes ago, Inverurie Ram said:

New thread titles coming soon, to a forum near you......... 

Do our players smile enough?

Do our fans smile enough?

Does all the duff merchandise in the club shop make you smile?

Does SM smile too much for no apparent reason?

They'll be short lived.  

[The Scarlet Pimpernel]

52 minutes ago, David said:

See I've got a odd theory which I've not posted fearing ridicule.

To me the problem is the players.

Before you laugh, we went 10 games unbeaten with this squad, formation and kit. 

Xmas rolled round, picked up a few suspensions, injuries and we seemed to lose our mojo which has knocked the players confidence.

Fans are now on their backs after raising expectations, they will also be looking at the League Table knowing it's no longer in our hands, heading for another season in the Championship.

Some may think their time at Derby is up, by choice or the game time they've been given, we're now going through the motions with eyes on the summer holidays.

Hughes picked up a few knocks in several games, I don't think he's fully fit it all honesty. 

Looking back to January, we moved for Lansbury straight away so a CM was high on the shopping list, appears we had no other names. We needed one, badly in the end.

I do think we should remember Chris Evans returned to the club at the end of October. To expect him to have a full list of targets in 2 months is a big ask, this isn't a video game.

All eyes on him this summer. 

My feelings now are pure disappointment that the players appear to have given up. Injuries and suspensions you can give some allowances but all that hard work has now been undone. 2 wins in 8. Mid table at best form.

I think you have hit the nail on the head. We have a team full of good players but not winners. They can play well because they are talented. If it clicks we win if it doesn't ...oh well.....seems the attitude.There definitely is an element of going through the motions. To be real winners they need an individual and collective desire to win. This team doesn't have it. They are happy to play for Derby but not enough desire to win for Derby.

 

[RadioactiveWaste]

14 minutes ago, HantsRam said:

I'm not laughing. Or ridiculing you.

We lost that all important momentum and continuity. Injuries,  suspensions played a part for sure. 

I think it's reasonable to infer that belief/desire and also our overall fitness /conditioning have contributed.

Less clear to me is the impact of actual management decisions - mainly because it can be difficult to see whether a team change is for injury or tactical reasons. But I repeat a post I made elsewhere that mac was observed issuing instructions that were not being followed the other night. 

Putting all those influences together suggests that this group of players have run their course. Which in some ways is an astonishing conclusion given the investment. 

But it is suggestive of a new set of criteria needed for selecting developing and retaining players from here forwards. Proposed transfers in are particularly needing the closest scrutiny for attitude, fit, and all the soft skills stuff.

I agree. There was something about losing that play off last season which felt like the end of an era for me, but then Pearson Uber Alles swept in and we all recoiled in horror.

[mozza]

13 minutes ago, WoollyJumper said:

Bloody straightest pube I've ever seen.

 

scratch then ?

[Inverurie Ram]

24 minutes ago, HantsRam said:

I'm not laughing. Or ridiculing you.

We lost that all important momentum and continuity. Injuries,  suspensions played a part for sure. 

I think it's reasonable to infer that belief/desire and also our overall fitness /conditioning have contributed.

Less clear to me is the impact of actual management decisions - mainly because it can be difficult to see whether a team change is for injury or tactical reasons. But I repeat a post I made elsewhere that mac was observed issuing instructions that were not being followed the other night. 

Putting all those influences together suggests that this group of players have run their course. Which in some ways is an astonishing conclusion given the investment. 

But it is suggestive of a new set of criteria needed for selecting developing and retaining players from here forwards. Proposed transfers in are particularly needing the closest scrutiny for attitude, fit, and all the soft skills stuff.

Or are the players deaf/blind/not very good? or is SM deaf/blind/not very good? or do the players think SM is deaf/blind/not very good? or do the players think the board are deaf/blind/not very good? or do the board think the players are deaf/blind/not very good?

Stevie Wonder required to replace Sam Rush who needs to slow down, is there a Sam Walk available? that isn't deaf/blind/not very good?

Sam Walks On Water..... Sing Up!

 

[TroyDyer]

Not good enough, not winners, not mentally strong enough to man up when the inevitable problems/injuries/dip in form comes along.

We're like the guy that starts the marathon at a million miles an hour and everyone thinks he must be half decent because he lead for a few miles of it. Yeah, but where did he finish?

If you are good enough, you are old enough. That works in reverse. If you are good enough, you are young enough. We aren't good enough. Particularly between the ears. Age is but a number. 

[Tombo]

2 hours ago, King Kevin said:

They did it was 2013 -14 and we just missed out.

But I thought we missed out because we didn't have enough experience? We needed to sign Joey Barton and Richard Dunne because their experience got QPR over the line? That's how I recall everyone calling it? 

[Van der MoodHoover]

1 hour ago, RadioactiveWaste said:

I agree. There was something about losing that play off last season which felt like the end of an era for me, but then Pearson Uber Alles swept in and we all recoiled in horror.

I'm certainly not going to forget Genghis Pearson in a hurry.

Folklore 

[archram]

4 hours ago, HantsRam said:

Pfft. Clearly it's the fans.

 

Or maybe the new pitch/lights/pre match music  (delete as applicable ).

I think it's the heaters on the concourse. I ask you, what's the world coming to, when you don't have to be freezing for every minute you're in the stadium? The fans have gone soft!

[i-Ram]

We are just bloated with average players in my opinion.  Without Thorne, and l fear we are going to have to get used to being without Thorne, we don't appear to have any catalyst.  Even Will who l had high hopes of a couple of years back seems to be regressing. Not sure what the answer is. Personally l don't think it is McClaren, but l really would like to be proved wrong.

[EnigmaRam]

No our team isn't too old, it just lacks the quality 

[Sexydadbod]

I guess it also depends on how players look after themselves in terms of eating. Some of our players look like they have a diet of burgers and chips with some carling on the side in comparison to the likes of ibrahimovic. Craig Bryson(one of our fittest players) even said that the gaffer allows the players to eat a lot of takeaways 

[David]

2 minutes ago, McLovin said:

I guess it also depends on how players look after themselves in terms of eating. Some of our players look like they have a diet of burgers and chips with some carling on the side in comparison to the likes of ibrahimovic. Craig Bryson(one of our fittest players) even said that the gaffer allows the players to eat a lot of takeaways 

Formation, age, now overweight. 

Which players look to be carrying extra pounds?

[Alph]

2 minutes ago, McLovin said:

I guess it also depends on how players look after themselves in terms of eating. Some of our players look like they have a diet of burgers and chips with some carling on the side in comparison to the likes of ibrahimovic. Craig Bryson(one of our fittest players) even said that the gaffer allows the players to eat a lot of takeaways 

They have a sports nutritionist and a strength and conditioning coach (he's worked there for some time. They monitored every day. 

I know a lad in the health and fitness game that's been involved. 

I don't know if Bryson said that or the context he said it in. But if he body weight isn't right, his heart rate isn't right etc then he won't be available for selection. 

 

[AndyinLiverpool]

4 minutes ago, David said:

Formation, age, now overweight. 

Which players look to be carrying extra pounds?

We should that reserve goalie from Sutton.