v Huddersfield Town (A) Match Thread

[Millenniumram]

Good solid performance all things considered in the end that. Not spectacular free flowing stuff, but it didn’t need to be in a tough away game like this- particularly not this early on. Game plan executed perfectly I’d say. First half we were excellent in possession, recycling the ball much better than last season. Second half we defended solidly as well, we were on the backfoot which isn’t what you want to happen often, but we dealt with it well. We were organised, rigid, and dealt well with most that was thrown at us- Clarke in particular doing well in the air and clearing well. Kept Huddersfield at bay in the main and reduced them to long shots.

Still some stuff to work on though, naturally we’re far from the finished article at this stage- both in terms of personnel and perfecting tactics, as you would expect first game of the season. Midfield remained the main issue, it was cut through too easy and didn’t create enough for me, or offer enough support to Waghorn. But it was definitely makeshift, and you wouldn’t ordinarily have both Huddlestone and Evans in there. With Bielik and Holmes to come in and maybe Rooney, hopefully it’ll be alright. We also gave away possession far too much in the second half, we need to look after the ball better and make better decisions otherwise the opposition will just keep coming at us and we’ll always be under the cosh.

Ratings for me:

Roos 6- Little to do and decent command in his box, but distribution was poor and his decisions were strange at times, replacement needed for me

Bogle 7- Good assist and decent On the balk throughout 

Keogh 8- Commanding in defence and bringing the ball out 

Clarke 9- Absolute monster, similar to Keogh but also excellent in the air, something we’ve lacked

Malone 6- Usual, decent going forward, awful positioning at the back

Huddlestone 6- Some decent passing but went awry at the end, and didn’t add enough in defence for me, bielik will improve us here I think 

Evans 7- Battled excellently and won a lot defensively in the middle of the park to start attacks, showed he was out of position when he got to the final third though, didn’t have a clue bless him. Again someone more suited here will improve us

Dowell 6- Some neat play, but naive for the pen at at other times in the match with his decisions. Needs to be stronger.

Josefzoon 4- Rank awful bar the odd bit of play. Needs replacing, showed why he barely played last year

Lawrence 10- Unreal, one of his best games in a Derby shirt. Two brilliant goals, worked his socks off in defence too and generally looked after the ball in general play too. Proper hard working performance that we need to see more of

Waghorn 6- Good first half, nearly scoring and holding up the ball. Struggled second half but lacked support.

Effectively, other than Lawrence and the centre backs, not many spectacular performances but everyone’s in the main was solid and did their job, which led to a solid and effective win. Exactly what’s needed this early in the season, in an away game like this everyone doing their jobs and executing the game plan.

 

[Mafiabob]

Thought the ref was good as well for what it’s worth.....

[kash_a_ram_a_ding_dong]

3 minutes ago, Mafiabob said:

Hahahahaha what absolute baalock s and you know it.

Give credit where it is due. He was good tonight 

He wasnt mate.

Lawrence was fantastic,Clarke was great,keogh was good.....waggers just wasn't tonight.

He'll be back though.

 

[Anon]

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the super sexy Cruijff turn perfectly executed by Bogle in the build up to the 2nd goal.

[EtoileSportiveDeDerby]

Great start we looked solid and well organised (most of the time) with players playing in the right positions.

Clarke looked very good, if he carries on like this (and with his looks) how long before he becomes the slab head of the championship, Brighton ypu may have got a bit of a bargain!

[Sweetness34]

Clarke looks like a fantastic signing. Granted, it’s one game but I prefer to be optimistic.

lawence was outstanding, his best game for Derby as far as I can remember.

great start to the season, looking forward to Saturday already

[Alph]

5 minutes ago, Mafiabob said:

Thought the ref was good as well for what it’s worth.....

They didn't! 

I did too. No cards which I love to see. Cuts out a lot of play acting

[Jourdan]

This team is still growing and still taking shape, so the fact we were able to mix it up, dig in and see the game out bodes very well.

There are tougher tests to come but there were very promising signs tonight, hopefully which have eased fears of a difficult season and a slow start.

Special mention for Lawrence and Clarke who were very impressive. I especially loved Lawrence’s all-round contribution. He was his usual self going forward, but also showed a willingness to work hard, track back and do defensive work too.

In truth we should have tied the game up in the first half. We had some very good chances, and the penalty was very avoidable.

We left the door open and rode our luck a touch in the second half. Huddersfield were very wasteful in promising positions. On another day and against a more clinical side, we might have been in trouble.

All in all, a hard fought win in the kind of game we would have slipped up in in previous years.

Excited to be back at PP on Saturday to see what Cocu can conjure up after another week of training with the players.

[maxjam]

 

Lawrence takes MOTM but this guy ran him a close second. 

[Owen87ITK]

3 hours ago, SaintRam said:

RamsTV obviously tied into the sky cameras, cos the camera keeps lingering on people in the crowd who's completely unknown to us/OB, so we just stare in silence ? 

I can confirm this is exactly what was going on. 

[Bob The Badger]

Maybe it's the thinning hair and the powerful way he meets the ball with his head, but Clarke reminded me of Oo Mark Wright.

[oomarkwright]

Well done lads. Superb back to the wall performance second half and centre backs amazing. 

Great first 25. Lozza immense. Hope he has a great season and took inspiration from working with Wilson last season. 

Only negatives for me; we keep giving the ball away!!! So annoying!!! ? Some poor passing and getting caught in possession when stationary. 

Think we played hudds at a good time because their confidence was so low first half and thought that they had forgotten how to play in the championship they gave us so much space! Big learning curve for them. 

As others have said. Drop zoon for.... Well anybody really. Sibley? Knight? Bennett. 

Bodes well for satdee. 

[SaintRam]

Just now, OwenB87 said:

I can confirm this is exactly what was going on. 

If this happens in future games you should just start riffing. Make up their persona, we won't know any different ?

It's what I'd do, anyway.

[LeedsCityRam]

Just got back from Huddersfield - enjoyable evening that. Good result & a large, noisy away following.

First half we looked very good - really controlled the tempo although was surprised Huddersfield sat off Huddlestone & Evans as much as they did. Should have been further ahead & the penalty was really soft. Second half, we didn't exhibit the same control, were a bit sloppy in possession & seemed content to sit in. It worked fine against a side as limited as Huddersfield - will be tougher tests than that though.

Clarke was a revelation on his debut - won everything in the air. I fully expect us to be much better defending set pieces than we were last season. Also felt Dowell played well, his penalty challenge aside - looks a class act & a more dominant midfield (with Bielik and/or Shinnie) could free him to cause some real damage. 

Lawrence was superb - not just going forward, where he looked our most dangerous outlet but tracking back. A superb tackle late on in the left back position was the highlight for me. Well worth his MOM & really hope he can kick on from this.

Although we looked very solid, I think this team will improve significantly with Bielik (from what I've seen of him) and a more effective right winger. Jozefzoon looks very timid currently - I'm sure there's a player in there somewhere but he's currently short of what we need. I'd say Bennett is a better option currently in the squad - better quality & better workrate. I'm guessing we will be in the market for a RW though before the window closes.

[Andicis]

It's actually crazy to think that you could yet add Bielik and Rooney to that midfield. Could be insanely good.

[JuanFloEvraTheCocu'sNesta]

Just done a lovely read of a Huddersfield forum. I particularly liked the post from a gent who only wanted them to win by one goal so as not to alert the league to their true potential.

"Prefer a victory by 1... don’t want to alert too many, want to stay under the radar. But wouldn’t be surprised to see us win by 2"

Ah, schadenfreud. The real reason we all watch football.

[maxjam]

4 minutes ago, JuanFloEvraTheCocu'sNesta said:

Just done a lovely read of a Huddersfield forum....

I just browsed a forest forum and found these gems;

You have to admit Derby appear to be doing everything right and spending money on quality over quantity.

Frank was a good fit originally and it elevated their standing commercially and allowed them to get some outstanding loans.

They’ve then convinced Cocu to manage them.

Highlighted a weak area and so signed a quality player in Bielik.

Looked to replace Mount and signed Dowell to fit into their system.

Get Rooney who will again probably pay for itself in terms of commercial revenue through the fact they will be on tv all the time now, sell plenty of shirts, and most likely attract more fans from across the world and increase their appeal.

All whilst we continue with the Mendes scattergun approach with a squad of about 40 players under an unproven manager who barely any of us had heard of...

This is depressing. He’ll still be great at this level despite his age. Especially with the league being as weak as it is. Can’t wait for this season to be over.

[SKRam]

I had to head out after game to celebrate. I mentioned the Rooney thing and was laughed at by erm an individual, him stating why would he come to Derby when he’s on XXX amount in US. I suggested he does wish to begin his coaching career and thought a few would believe this impossible. This is not impossible and our chairman may just be a genius 

[SKRam]

And you know what, looking at those two goals, that first was absolutely exquisite and the second was pure class. Never seen a better performance from Tom. Long may it continue. Thank you Frank for taking the Chelsea job ?

[RiddingsRam]

Enjoyed that ! Just back in to a full cooked dinner , that'll sit well in bed !

Onto the game , real solid performance. 

*Clarke's going to be an absolute warrior , why Brighton let him go I'll never know 

*Defensive shape was a lot narrower and we only pressed when we needed to instead of needlessly 

*Evans really impressed me

*Lost for words with Lawrence's performance thought he was fantastic in every aspect of his game , brilliant rapport with the fans at the end too , belting out super Tommy Lawrence he genuinely looked touched by it 

*Final point the chants of Rooney made me chuckle all night .