Marriot Ram99 Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 If we can perform like that from now until the end of the season the playoffs could be on and if we get into them as unlikely as it is we would have a chance in them as we have a lot of the best teams in the league still to play so we would have already beaten some of the teams in the playoffs to get there. It would be glorious if we could make the playoffs after being 20th in December, but even if we finish top 10 that would be pretty good all things considered, and I am starting to feel abit more optimistic about next season now it is clear how well we can play when at our best. If we improve our defence in the summer and add some quality and pace on the wing we should be looking very good for next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ossieram Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 Enjoyed that. Blackburn came out of the blocks faster, but we dealt with it and slowly but surely our passing football began to tell and we took control. Couldn't be happier for Sibley after that cracking goal, and Martins hold up play and passing was a joy to watch. Every player deserves credit after today, especially those that played on Thursday and although some looked knackered towards the end, they kept battling and got us a deserved 3 points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uttoxram75 Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 Walked out of the stadium with a good feeling. Sibley, Knight, Bird and Bogle all look good enough at this level with plenty of time to improve. Shinnie, Martin and Clarke were all impressive. Fozzy, Wizzy solid, Waggy would have been man of the match if he'd put his two sitters away, Hamer did what he had to when called upon. Good team performance against a team who thought they would beat us today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S8TY Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 6 minutes ago, Jourdan said: To be honest, there has been a change of opinion over time. I’ve always maintained that Cocu is a good manager, but is he the right fit for us and our circumstances? At the start of the season, I was surprised that Cocu was here and hopeful he would have a big impact and prove himself to be above the division. It was probably only in November or December that I started to lose belief in him and feel disillusioned. So it’s not as though I’ve been against him since day one. It’s possibly my own fault for expecting too much from him too soon. But yes, since Charlton at home, there have definitely been some very good signs and the team have been playing much closer to and sometimes even above the level we’d expect. We have a tough run in and I am not suggesting Cocu has to get us in the top 6 from here. Not at all. For me, it’s all about seeing signs for next season and not ending the season with a whimper. Yes, Millwall might win next week, but if they are going to win, let’s make sure they’ve been in a game and they have had to work hard for it. Not having their fans come on here saying it was the easiest 3 points they’ll get all season. And the same is true of the other 8 games. If we lose to Millwall it may be because consistency is difficult for younger players who are still learning the game and coming up against seasoned pros ...that is basically what I think bielleram is alluding too ...but how fantastic is it to see so many youngsters playing so well in a very cohesive performance ...I have no doubts they’ll be a few on here chomping at the bit to criticise if we fall over in the next game or the one after but what is true is ...Cocu has brought a lot of young players in and revitalised players like Martin and Lawrence and with a couple of additions ( and id like Clarke to be one of them ) we are going in the right direction ...there will be hiccups but that is no different to the start of the season ...Cocu has not had a squad overhaul ...he is working with the same players and squad who were failing to produce earlier in the season ...so it is getting better ...and that is down to Cocu and his staff....I still think we may be short this season but Cocu is proving his doubters wrong ....these things and improvements do not happen overnight as we saw in Peps first season and Klopps ...imo we are lucky to have such a good coach and he conducts himself like a gentleman .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van der MoodHoover Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 50 minutes ago, DarkFruitsRam7 said: Look at those arms. Can tell I pump iron. Too much trumpet polishing......? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mafiabob Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 I’ll keep repeating until I’m blue in the face..... patience is a virtue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavesaRam Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 Methinks today justified Cocu's team selection for Thursday night against Manu. However when I saw the team selection I was thinking two up front (I wish) with Chris Martin to set the chances up and Martin Waghorn to nearly score them. Actually I wasn't far out, but it is actually not difficult! Shame really, because Waggy played really well apart from his shooting. And yes, it was a penalty in the first half - the defender put his leg right across Waggy as he went through, but sadly our man tried to stay on his feet. The ref started out thinking that we were playing Manchester United again, because he was giving them everything for nothing, but quickly realised that the team playing more like Man u had got white shirts on, and settled down, although he did come up with some bizarre decision in the second half. But overall, not too bad! We took about 10 minutes to get going, although we often do, almost as though having yet another different team selection means we have to take a few moments to find out who is playing and where they all are. We then set about controlling the match for the rest of the half. An absolute stonker from Sibley set the scene, and it is terrific to find out that he has supported the Rams all his life. Way to go Louie! The second made Blackburn look finished for the rest of the half. Knight took a while to get going, but then was back to his best, and Bird only seemed to make mistakes when he got played into trouble with poor passes. I have known Sibley has what it takes for some time now, sometimes you only have to see a player once to know that there is something special - George Thorne's debut against the Red Dogs being a case in point. The young lads are astounding, with all of them looking like they could cut it in the Premier League, and maybe some international level talent is in there as well. We are well blessed. I don't know whether we back off a little for the second half, in true Cocu style, or whether Mowbray gave his team a rocket and change things around a bit but Blackburn had much more of the game in the second half, so we had to hold tight and see the pressure out for a while, but even so, the visitors didn't threaten that much. The third goal finished the game off, and the penalty was because simply because Blackburn couldn't live with us the way we were playing. A special mention to Chris Martin. Not only two goals, but superb hold-up and link-up play. Normally it comes in bursts with a time in between for a breather, but today he ran his socks off and was playing his little lay-offs constantly all match long. What a privilege to have him back at Pride Park. The future is really exciting. Who'd have though it? Certainly not me. After getting Franked in the summer all I wanted was for us to be mid-table by the end of the season. Cocu is doing s great job, although that wasn't too apparent at times up till Christmas. But Mel Morris has pulled off a master stroke, well two, actually. Firstly managing to land Philip Cocu, but secondly getting Wayne Rooney to join us, because Cocu has benefitted enormously from having someone who can take his ides out onto the pitch, and talk and coach the players into where to be and what to do. And even in his absence, his influence is very clear. We have just turned in our best performance of the season while Wayne is out injured, and it seemed like we didn't need him! What's not to like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Ram for All Seasons Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 25 minutes ago, Srg said: Bit of an aside, but any else noticed we’ve started coming to the ground on a team bus for home games? Was the same on Thursday and today. Wonder why the change. It's the bus from the Joiners Arms at Quarndon,?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mucker1884 Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 1 hour ago, TramRam said: Defence(Hamer not included in this)did their job, Clarke with one cracking stop in the 2nd half with his body while on the floor. Agreed. The goals he let in today were very disappointing, and spoilt an otherwise excellent scoreline. ?♂️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angieram Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 1 hour ago, 86 Schmokes & a Pancake said: Some thoughts... Hamer – Slightly nervy at times but was mostly solid under the ball and made a brilliant reaction save when unsighted and wrongfooted by a deflection. A really important stop at a point in time where Blackburn were threatening to rally. Bogle – Has threatened a return to top form in recent games and delivered it in style today. Imperious in defence and threatening in attack. On most other days, that would be a MOTM performance. Wisdom – Back from illness and boy, what a shift he put in. This lad is playing his best football in years. Clarke – Rested against United and returned fresh with a dominant performance. Looks more and more accomplished with every game. Forsyth – Typically strong in defence but a tad wasteful with the ball. He’ll say himself he’s had better games but played his part in ensuring we not only won, but did so with a clean sheet. Bird – Kid’s a Rolls Royce. I’ve literally run out of hyperbole to describe how calm and cultured he is on the ball, even without Rooney at his side. Future Derby skipper, future England international. Nuff said. Shinnie – Has come in for a bit of flak recently but having played so little football, he’s been entitled to look rusty. Today he was an absolute machine. I enjoyed some of his tackles as much as the goals. Huge respect as he’s had to wait for his chances. Man of the Match for me on a day where half a dozen had a shout. Knight – Another young lad with a huge future. Had to wait for his chance after he was rested for a few games by Cocu but clearly wasn’t bothered by it and he’s another whose improvement is exponential. No doubt at all for me that Jason can play at a higher level than the Championship. Sibley – The name that was on everybody’s lips early season, he’s had to work hard, be patient and wait for his chance. Suffice to say, he’s taken it in spectacular fashion. This kid’s got the lot and any initial worries I had over his temperament have long since evaporated. And that goal!!! Another who already has premiership quality written all over him. Waghorn – A typically honest day’s work from Waggy. Should probably have had a goal himself and came so close with probably his hardest chance, but this guy has an unbelievable amount of heart and an engine to match. Martin – Seems unreal to me that given his illness, he can turn in performance after performance of the highest quality. He is our heartbeat in the final third and has been at the heart of most of our strong performances this year. Sounds daft to say it, but despite needing time between games, he really does look as good as ever. A new contract is a certainty. Subs – Curtis and Jack on as we looked to close out the game. Curtis subject to a horrible challenge from Buckley who immediately saw the red card he deserved. Jack not given too much time to strut his stuff but did in fairness put in a wonderful, slide rule pass to put Jason Knight in on goal. The Manager – Folk have written off Cocu at various points this season and I concede that his team selections in the Cup games will have upset a few. That’s understandable. What’s no longer in dispute, surely, is the quality of football his team is producing, the improvement in so many of the players under him and astounding development of our young’uns. Some of the football we are currently playing is nothing short of sublime and with a couple more of his own players and a decent pre-season, who knows what he can achieve. Personally, I don’t think he’s given up on the play-offs as yet and while it is still a long shot, what’s certain is that nobody is going to want to play us right now. It’s not just the results we are delivering, but even more so the style in which we are doing it, that will ensure that all those top half teams who still have to play us should be more worried than we are. We’ve nothing to lose now, in my mind at least and if the bad results were down to Cocu, then on a day where Rooney sat out the game, all the kudos must surely go to him, Chris and Twan. Total football has come to Derby folks and long may it last. COYR Deserves more than one so ?????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamNut Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 3 minutes ago, angieram said: Deserves more than one so ?????? Um....even i gave him one......ooh missus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 Hamer - clean sheet - but flapping by punching the ball when it could be easily caught Bogle - decent wisdom - decent Clarke - cleared everything forsyth - lost the ball a couple of times but defending was excellent bird - excellent first half looked tired second half Shinnie - excellent professional performance knight - worked hard again and also looked tired late in the second half sibley. - great goal and played well waghorn - worked hard as usual again very close to a goal martin - MOM for me - scores goals for Derby county ! subs - Marriott - for me he is looking a lot more interested davies - steadying role as a sub as he knows what to do positive- no Rooney or Lawrence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NottsRam77 Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 1 hour ago, Woodley Ram said: Derby win and Chris Martin scores 2. That’s like going back in time . Thought we played well today, Forsyth was the only one to have an off day, it happens . scored 3 but should have had more, waghorn was brought down and that should have been a pen and he should have scored when he rounded the keeper. have a feeling young Sibley will not be here next year if he keeps playing like that, I’m sure he is being watched by the prem and we should wait for a bid for his services, his goal and attitude are excellent, he keeps looking to drive forward, Bogle also has a good game, glad to see him back. We’ll probably sell him for a couple of million and a bag of skittles to a Watford or the like while forest sell one of their been in the team for five minutes for 7m quid like Ben f ing brereton ... I mean really I like Mowbray as a manager but did he have a brain freeze that day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TramRam Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 3 minutes ago, Mucker1884 said: Agreed. The goals he let in today were very disappointing, and spoilt an otherwise excellent scoreline. ?♂️ Maybe just maybe I can see a bigger picture, Fare play he saved a deflected shot...well done for that, A half hearted shot that he was slow to get that bounced off his chest, Blackburn player slow to react, Punches rather than catches, Maybe that our keeper coach is telling him too. I'm not a Hamer fan, Then again and I hate to admit it...I dont think Pickford is Englands best keeper, But hey, It's only an opinion aye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NottsRam77 Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 30 minutes ago, S8TY said: If we lose to Millwall it may be because consistency is difficult for younger players who are still learning the game and coming up against seasoned pros ...that is basically what I think bielleram is alluding too ...but how fantastic is it to see so many youngsters playing so well in a very cohesive performance ...I have no doubts they’ll be a few on here chomping at the bit to criticise if we fall over in the next game or the one after but what is true is ...Cocu has brought a lot of young players in and revitalised players like Martin and Lawrence and with a couple of additions ( and id like Clarke to be one of them ) we are going in the right direction ...there will be hiccups but that is no different to the start of the season ...Cocu has not had a squad overhaul ...he is working with the same players and squad who were failing to produce earlier in the season ...so it is getting better ...and that is down to Cocu and his staff....I still think we may be short this season but Cocu is proving his doubters wrong ....these things and improvements do not happen overnight as we saw in Peps first season and Klopps ...imo we are lucky to have such a good coach and he conducts himself like a gentleman .... Couldn’t agree more re Clarke I really really like him, is he faultless .. no but dam it he ain’t bad is he wins the absolute majority Of his headers and duals and is very easy on the ball would love to see him here next year if it was at all possible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mucker1884 Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 1 minute ago, TramRam said: Maybe just maybe I can see a bigger picture, Fare play he saved a deflected shot...well done for that, A half hearted shot that he was slow to get that bounced off his chest, Blackburn player slow to react, Punches rather than catches, Maybe that our keeper coach is telling him too. I'm not a Hamer fan, Then again and I hate to admit it...I dont think Pickford is Englands best keeper, But hey, It's only an opinion aye. I'm with you on opinions. I'm with you that Hamer wasn't perfect today. I'm with you that there were some punches where catches would/should have been made. But I was responding to your hint that Hamer didn't do his job today, whilst the rest of the defence did. How does that work exactly, when we got a clean sheet? If you're inferring that Hamer "didn't do his job" because he wasn't perfect, are we to assume you considered the remaining defenders to have been perfect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldstar Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 Can we buy Clarke next season please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaffyRam Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 Good time to remind you that I have a tenner on at 200-1? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irobinson Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 goes to show - the teams after (WBA and Dirties) are really only quite average - Fulham probably best in the Div 3-6 position. How on earth Blackburn Rovers are up there - god knows!! is it because they are now missing Dak who is injured? I think it may be too early for us - but we can storm it next season Alternatively. - we may fall into the 6th slot this season.......as the other teams are bang average. If we win at the Den Saturday - anything could happen. Amazing. Kids were great today. - and that thunderbastard from Sibley today...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therealhantsram Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 Trying to think... When was the last time this season we were in the top half of the table? Must be November at least. Anyone know for sure.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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