v Coventry (H) - Match Thread

[dcfcreece1601]

23 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

His stats are poor and I assumed as he couldn't get a game when he was the only hold-up striker we had, that he was utter pants. An easy mistake to make, okay.

Not everyone is out for you roy I meant in general ?

[RoyMac5]

4 minutes ago, dcfcreece1601 said:

Not everyone is out for you roy I meant in general ?

Lol! Never thought it was aimed at me mate but ta. ?

[Anag Ram]

I just love the 'boo hoo Derby are losing, I can't take it any more' yellow bellies who scuttle off when the going gets tough. 

I am proud to tell anyone that I am a Derby supporter. 

Yes, we're bottom of the league and that amuses some. 

But I've been around long enough to know that these things are cyclical. 

Having periods like this make the successes that much sweeter. 

Anyone can pretend to be a Liverpool or Man City fan because they tend to win a lot. 

We Derby fans suffer for our loyalty and see it through to the end. 

Three points tonight. COYR. 

[brady1993]

36 minutes ago, Theres’s Only Wan Chope said:

Rooney had to change the team because it wasn't working and we actually looked better!! We looked better from crosses and had to match their physicality and aerial threat. Have to defend the team selection last week. Think Coventry play more fluid football but I would say many in that starting side earned another go today. 

Did he need to make changes ? Yeah sure. Did he need to make 7 changes, go ultra defensive in selection with no semblance of control in midfield and ditch players who have actually some credit this season for players who have been coasting for far too long off "experience" ? Not convinced by that and all of it to grind out a point against a Wycombe side that were clearly their to be got at it.

I am far from convinced that we got it right saturday and just for once I would like to see try naming something like an attacking line up and filling it to the brim with the actual talent in the squad. I honestly think we are going to name a pretty much unchanged side and pretty much get the same result; probably a draw.

[Sparkle]

1 minute ago, brady1993 said:

Did he need to make changes ? Yeah sure. Did he need to make 7 changes, go ultra defensive in selection with no semblance of control in midfield and ditch players who have actually some credit this season for players who have been coasting for far too long off "experience" ? Not convinced by that and all of it to grind out a point against a Wycombe side that were clearly their to be got at it.

I am far from convinced that we got it right saturday and just for once I would like to see try naming something like an attacking line up and filling it to the brim with the actual talent in the squad. I honestly think we are going to name a pretty much unchanged side and pretty much get the same result; probably a draw.

Who are the attacking players though? 

[brady1993]

5 minutes ago, Sparkle said:

Who are the attacking players though? 

An attacking line up not neccessarily attacking players. Not playing two defensive midfielders who are practically defenders though would be a start, naming both Sibley and Knight in midfield would be progress. 

[TheresOnlyWanChope]

14 minutes ago, brady1993 said:

Did he need to make changes ? Yeah sure. Did he need to make 7 changes, go ultra defensive in selection with no semblance of control in midfield and ditch players who have actually some credit this season for players who have been coasting for far too long off "experience" ? Not convinced by that and all of it to grind out a point against a Wycombe side that were clearly their to be got at it.

I am far from convinced that we got it right saturday and just for once I would like to see try naming something like an attacking line up and filling it to the brim with the actual talent in the squad. I honestly think we are going to name a pretty much unchanged side and pretty much get the same result; probably a draw.

Ultra defensive? We looked a bigger threat in attack compared to most other matches this season. We didn’t look defensive at all! We just can’t finish off teams because we don’t take chances. We at least created several chances. Second half we lost control because they gambled more and we couldn’t finish them off. They were putting a lot of balls into the box. We put players in the team with height and experience and it was needed. 

If we could actually take chances it would have been 2/3-0 to us by half time and a different game second half. 

[leroyoftherovers]

Rooney has indicated in interviews that we will need a side to play more football tonight,l think he will tinker with just minimal changes to give us more ball retention and more control of the game.Come on let's play some good confident football and get a very much needed 3 points.

[Ghost of Clough]

2 minutes ago, Theres’s Only Wan Chope said:

Rooney had to change the team because it wasn't working and we actually looked better!! We looked better from crosses and had to match their physicality and aerial threat. Have to defend the team selection last week. Think Coventry play more fluid football but I would say many in that starting side earned another go today. 

If you didn't know which team was which you would have been excused for thinking we had the smallest budget in the league and they had one of the biggest. Wycombe looked like the more technical side for large parts of the game. The football at times was akin to watching a non-league side.

Going with our 'most defensive' side didn't work at tightening the defence as we still conceded. We had 11 shots, 5 of those were defenders from corners (unlucky not to have scored 2 of those) so we're still not creating enough shots from open play. The move for our goal was very good however - one of the very few times we actually tried to string a few passes together. The other thing with our defensive back 4 is that they lack pace overall. This results in us sitting deeper and inviting pressure. 

Going with a more technical side including Bielik and Bird in midfield mean we have the ability to control the game - both in terms of keeping possession when it makes sense, but also the ability to thread balls through to our forwards quickly when needed. By being better at keeping possession, it means the opposition have less chance of scoring (they can't score if they don't have the ball). Of course, this also requires CBs who don't need a clean pair of underwear every time they receive the ball (Davies). The defenders need to be able pass out accurately and under pressure. Having Bielik at DM also means we have a more physical presence who can win something in the air (Evans and Shinnie only won 2 headers from open play all game), and also naturally slot into CB when we need to go more solid at the back. A switch from 4231 to 433 will naturally result in more progressive passing. In 4231, it's natural for the DMs to turn inside and pass to the other DM. The CBs stay narrow, and the wing backs can't push up as much without leaving the flanks exposed. With 433, the DM has more options in front of him, making a forward pass much easier to make. The CBs can push out wider and wing backs forward, further creating passing options.

I see our best team currently being this:

Marshall
Byrne   RCB   Clarke   Buchanan
Bielik
CM   AM
RW   Kazim   LW

RCB
Davies, Evans, Wisdom, te Wierik are the obvious candidates. Bielik could be included but I feel he offers greater balance to the team at DM.
Davies - too slow and ability in the air is diminishing, currently ranking 49th for aerial duels won (61%)
Evans -  Gets caught out by opposition running in behind him. Last season ranked as one of the worst for aerial duels won at CB but ahs improved and currently ranks 31st (67%), which may be due to a small sample size of just 2 games.
Wisdom - One of the worst CBs for aerial duels won in the league. Out of 96 CBs to have played more than once, he ranks 88th out of 96 with an aerial duels won of just 42%. Also gets caught out by opposition running in behind him.
te Wierik - The best overall option for the RCB slot. our 3rd best CB in the air, ranking 41st in the league (64%), good ability on the ball, and good awareness of players around him. He does however currently struggle with judging direct balls straight down the pitch

CM
Candidates for this role being Bird, Knight, Shinnie, at Holmes
Bird - One of the better defensive midfielders in the league, a lot of his work goes unnoticed. Incredibly calm on the ball, almost Hughes-esqe at times, but doesn't carry the ball forwards. By far the best passer from the options available.
Knight - The best allrounder, bringing energy, defensive work rate, range of passing and the occasional goal
Shinnie - Adds energy and defensive ability but little else
Holmes - Lacks the defensive ability required for this role, not the best passer, but brings energy and the ability to carry the ball forwards

AM
Knight, Sibley and Holmes the options here.
Knight - As above
Sibley - Scores goals in the right system as he's able to create space for himself. Presses well but not the best tackler. Carries the ball forward exceptionally well.
Holmes - Lacks enough end product 

Wings
A number of options with no real standout.
Lawrence - One of the few who can score from nothing. Also works hard defensively.
Jozwiak - Creative and a very good dribbler. Causes the opposition all sorts of trouble with his dribbling.
Ibe - Could be a very good player but needs to recover from illness then rebuild his fitness.
Whittaker - Tricky with an eye for goal. Lacks the defensive ability required from our wingers at the moment.
Waghorn - Adds a bit of muscle to our forward line. Takes a good freekick and can score.
Holmes - Adds energy and one of our better wingers for linking up play.
Knight - Looks much better when playing in the middle.

te Wierik, Bird, Knight, Waghorn, Lawrence got the nod from me (for now). The best footballing team being:

Marshall
Byrne   te Wierik   Clarke   Buchanan
Bielik
Bird   Knight
Waghorn   Kazim   Lawrence

It's a squad game, so we'd have Sibley rotating with the midfield 3, Holmes as backup. Jozwiak, Ibe and Whittaker rotating with the two wingers.

 

However, for tonight, you have to reward good performances, so Holmes and Fozzy keep their spots. Thanks to the mismanagement of the team, te Wierik also needs to rebuild his match fitness so will inevitably miss out, with Davies keeping his spot as a result. It'll also be a boring 4231, with Shinnie staying in there for his defensive ability.

Marshall
Byrne   Davies   Clarke   Forsyth
Knight   Shinnie
Holmes   Sibley   Lawrence
Kazim

[Ted McMinn Football Genius]

54 minutes ago, Anag Ram said:

I just love the 'boo hoo Derby are losing, I can't take it any more' yellow bellies who scuttle off when the going gets tough. 

I am proud to tell anyone that I am a Derby supporter. 

Yes, we're bottom of the league and that amuses some. 

But I've been around long enough to know that these things are cyclical. 

Having periods like this make the successes that much sweeter. 

Anyone can pretend to be a Liverpool or Man City fan because they tend to win a lot. 

We Derby fans suffer for our loyalty and see it through to the end. 

Three points tonight. COYR. 

With you 100% @Anag Ram

“Derby till I die”

????3 points this evening, hope CKR starts again tonight COYR ? 

[RoyMac5]

1 hour ago, Ghost of Clough said:

...with Shinnie staying in there for his defensive ability.

He 'allowed them' their goal and the crossbar shot - just watched them go by! Not for me he adds little else either.

[brady1993]

1 hour ago, Theres’s Only Wan Chope said:

Ultra defensive? We looked a bigger threat in attack compared to most other matches this season. We didn’t look defensive at all! We just can’t finish off teams because we don’t take chances. We at least created several chances. Second half we lost control because they gambled more and we couldn’t finish them off. They were putting a lot of balls into the box. We put players in the team with height and experience and it was needed. 

If we could actually take chances it would have been 2/3-0 to us by half time and a different game second half. 

Just because we created chances against the poorest team we've played this season  doesn't mean that line up we named wasn't defensive. We named a clear "defence first" back 4 and put two of the most defensive, defensive midfielders we had in front of it. Practically 6 outfield players who's chief job was stop us conceding, if that's not defensive then I don't know what is.

We lost control because we had nobody in midfield who could actually control the game and because Akinfenwa had the beating of Davies combined with deep backline. As much as we could have been 2-0/3-0, we could have easily lost what with Akinfenwa spurring a golden chance and McCleary hitting the underside of the cross bar.

I don't think it was a performance that answered any questions aside from that CKR is a decent option.

[Mafiabob]

I’d have Roos in goal tonight 

[roboto]

Forgot there was a match tonight... this actual football is distracting us from our lovely media circus.

[Jourdan]

2 minutes ago, Mafiabob said:

I’d have Roos in goal tonight 

I’ve been thinking the same. Marshall has had some outstanding games, but he has also made a few costly errors.

Roos can’t be far away from a start when we’ve kept just two clean sheets in 16 competitive games.

I really rate Marshall but I don’t think anyone’s place in the team is secure at this moment, especially when with Marshall he seems to go from the sublime to the ridiculous very easily.

[jono]

2 hours ago, Anag Ram said:

I just love the 'boo hoo Derby are losing, I can't take it any more' yellow bellies who scuttle off when the going gets tough. 

I am proud to tell anyone that I am a Derby supporter. 

Yes, we're bottom of the league and that amuses some. 

But I've been around long enough to know that these things are cyclical. 

Having periods like this make the successes that much sweeter. 

Anyone can pretend to be a Liverpool or Man City fan because they tend to win a lot. 

We Derby fans suffer for our loyalty and see it through to the end. 

Three points tonight. COYR. 

Great post and I’m with you, with the notable exception of “amuses me” .. I am not amused ! .. pragmatic, hopeful, grumpy slightly embarrassed and more than anything else perplexed .. I know our players as individuals are at the very least mid table and some a shade better. .. so let’s show it tonight here’s to 3 in the bag ?? 

[Chris_Martin]

15 minutes ago, Jourdan said:

I’ve been thinking the same. Marshall has had some outstanding games, but he has also made a few costly errors.

Roos can’t be far away from a start when we’ve kept just two clean sheets in 16 competitive games.

I really rate Marshall but I don’t think anyone’s place in the team is secure at this moment, especially when with Marshall he seems to go from the sublime to the ridiculous very easily.

And Roos doesn't?

At least with Marshall you know he can catch.

[Chris_Martin]

2 hours ago, LeedsRam1999 said:

Rooney’s comments after last game seemed to suggest he is going to play an experienced no nonsense side whilst we are still adrift at the bottom. So I reckon he goes;

              Marshall

Byrne Davies Clarke Fozzy

        Shinnie Bird

Lawerence Holmes Joz 

              Kazim

 

play direct to the big man, get a mobile 3 behind him playing off him and interchanging. Full backs forward every so often to get balls along the Corridor of uncertainty and a 2 man screen who Will recycle possession and win the ball back when we need. 

 

This. But i would have Lawrence in the no.10 and Holmes out wide. Lawrence seems to be better in the middle. That's how our goal came about v Wycombe. When he plays on the left he is too predictable, always cuts inside as he cant cross with left foot. In the middle he can go either way and possibly pick up the pieces easier from Kazim's knock downs. Also, doesn't quite have enough pace to be playing out wide.

[Jourdan]

7 minutes ago, Chris_Martin said:

And Roos doesn't?

At least with Marshall you know he can catch.

If the likes of Knight and Buchanan are not safe from being dropped, why would Marshall be any different?

I am not saying Roos is the answer but he might be due a chance if our slump continues. 

If Roos had made the mistakes Marshall made for the goals versus Barnsley and Wycombe, he would have been hammered.

[Ghost of Clough]

9 minutes ago, Chris_Martin said:

And Roos doesn't?

At least with Marshall you know he can catch.

Marshall punches too, but no one comments on it. I'm struggling to remember him collecting many crosses too.

What about keep the ball out of the net? Based on that stat you'd pick Roos

Roos: 3 games, 1 clean sheet, 3 goals conceded (1 pen conceded, 3 pens saved in shootout)
Marshall: 13 games, 1 clean sheet, 20 goals conceded (1 pen saved)

To be honest, I'd stick with Marshall for now