Matchday Thread - Derby County v Oxford United (30/07 15:00)

[DanS1992]

36 minutes ago, Malagaram said:

A right mardy sod and a banker to boot

Why? What did he say?

[Yani P]

Derby odds check..

Pre season 11/1 to be champions 7/2 for promotion.

After today 7/1 to be champions 9/4 for promotion...

Handy to keep tabs on these over the season..especially for laying off pre season bets later.

[Topram]

Great first 15 mins and last 10 of first half, couple missed chances by them helped, second half all us, Collins so unlucky not to have scored, deserved the 3 points great finish from a player that’ll win us plenty more points this season. 
 

Oxford a good side in this div, play the right way compared to most in league 1 but roughed it up when needed! So good too get of the mark against a decent side. 
 

Sibley changed game massively once we moved the ball faster we were a threat every time.

Striker different to collins needed another winger aswell, good start though up the rams 

[Jimbo Ram]

Just now, Topram said:

Great first 15 mins and last 10 of first half, couple missed chances by them helped, second half all us, Collins so unlucky not to have scored, deserved the 3 points great finish from a player that’ll win us plenty more points this season. 
 

Oxford a good side in this div, play the right way compared to most in league 1 but roughed it up when needed! So good too get of the mark against a decent side. 
 

Sibley changed game massively once we moved the ball faster we were a threat every time.

Striker different to collins needed another winger aswell, good start though up the rams 

I think Sibbo might have been written off a bit prematurely….

[Rich3478]

1 hour ago, Bris Vegas said:

Sibley’s introduction made a huge difference.

That’s the thing. Decent ball carriers moves the opposition out of position more than possession football (unless you pass at the speed of a PL side).

We were slow in possession. But getting NML, Sibley and Knight running on the ball moved them out of position and created the space.

I don’t think we can have Bird, Smith and Hourihane as a midfield three. All too similar possession players. We need a runner in there.

Knight in the midfield three seems an absolute no brainer!! Probably for smith.

[Scott129]

4 minutes ago, Woodley Ram said:

On my way back to woodley berks. Have just been reading the Oxford site who think we should have been down to 10 and it should have been a draw.

I was a bit under whelmed by Oxford, did some decent things in midfield but never really looked like scoring. 
 

I thought we were disjointed but that will improve, NML was mom for me and Sibley did well when he came on. 
I though we deserved the 3 points but we need to improve.

A bit shocked with the rough stuff. If this L1 ? You can man handle your player in the box? Tackles deemed ok today would get you a red in the Prem. 

to be fair the ref was bad but bad for both teams, punished Collins for nothing but gave nothing for other assaults. 
 

I thought the ref did OK today to be fair.

Yes, Hourihane could have had a second yellow by the letter of the law. But, with the challenges that we're flying in today, I thought it would have been harsh and not in keeping with the rest of the game.

And I thought that Collins challenge was a definite yellow from where I was sat. It looked exactly like the one Lawrence got sent off for at the back end of last season.

[DCFC1388]

Atmosphere was pretty poor ubtik they thought they could start kick & bully us...little did they know that not only will our players hold their own, but it will also rile us fans up who ended up making some noise. That resulted in us taking control of the game, the team had more energy in their press and the goal eventually came.

[Mucker1884]

Thoroughly enjoyed that.  Great to be back.  And fantastic to have something to come back to!

Lively start that arguably deserved an early lead?
Very impressed with NML, particularly first half.

Reasonably strong throughout, considering the number of newbies.
A healthy number of chances and half chances.  Could have a few, but in fairness, probably didn't deserve a big win, so all in all, the 1-0 is both merited and welcome in equal measure.

 

... and just think... how enjoyable will it be when (not if!) we knock Wycombe off the top spot!  ?

 

?

[Gisby]

25 minutes ago, Sparkle said:

Wildsmith - one good save 

knight - such a good player did excellent standing in at right back 

Davies - decent 

Cashin - did well but had a lot of chances to pass forwards to players making runs but didn’t 

Roberts - did ok 

Bird - fairly static I thought 

Hourihane - similar to Bird which meant we lacked movement - scored a Good goal when pushed forward 

Smith - hardly touched the ball I thought and not overly progressive - not sure about central midfield with the other two 

Barkhauzen - saw little of the ball mainly because no one passed it to him 

mendiz Lang - excellent/sloppy/ excellent - defenders don’t like him but we should as he has a go at defenders MOM 

collins - knows what his job is.

subs Sibley - game changer and without him we don’t win that one please keep him and use him 

Good start to first half then very sloppy and a decent finish to first half followed in the second half with a sloppy start but finished well once Sibley came on. We missed some very decent chances whilst we gave away some very sloppy chances to Oxford. I couldn’t really work out Oxfords game plan apart from putting the odd ball over the top of the two centre half’s on the angle. Anyway it’s nice to win a first game and have a football club.

Exactly this for me and said same to those with me. He’s got real pace and showed it in the second half on the odd occasion he was given the ball. Feel for him ref some of the comments about him having a ‘quiet’ game coz if the other 10 won’t pass to him what can he do ?‍♂️ Even when our defence had the ball over on the left we just turned back in went to Curtis who then went down the middle or to the right. NML was a threat admittedly but it didn’t half frustrate me. We won though, bit rusty but showed some good signs for the rest of the season. Bolster the squad in the next few weeks and we’ll be too good for this league.  COYR. 

[Rample]

54 minutes ago, DCFC1388 said:

 Might go unnoticed by many but I really enjoyed Collins performance. He put himself about, ran his socks off, won plenty of freekicks & nearly scored with a difficult volley.

Agreed. He'll find sharpness and the wingers will start knowing where to find him, but can't knock the effort. Moved into the channels to make stuff happen, hassled for the ball, and when Curtis was off for the corner it was Collins that filled in for him. 

You can see his heart and passion when decisions don't go his way. 

There were a couple of sub par performances but you could see already what the new players have mentally. Heads didn't drop when we were struggling and even those players got back into the game. 

Really good win given our short preseason. If we can pick up points whilst still getting upto fitness and with players bedding in it bodes well. I feel we're going to have to get through a number of scrappy games this season.

[Anag Ram]

Could I just say that I really liked the brooding classical music in the build up. 
 

Set the atmosphere well.

Thanks awfully.

[Wistaston Ram]

1 minute ago, Anag Ram said:

Could I just say that I really liked the brooding classical music in the build up. 
 

Set the atmosphere well.

Thanks awfully.

Agreed, shame the tannoy kept cutting out and the big screen needs looking at too with those annoying four black spots - thought it was my eyes!

[DavesaRam]

Well happy with that! We have things to work on, but have plenty to work with!

It was actually quite a good game of football, especially the first half, and felt at times that there was quite a difference in quality between the two teams. Our opening 20 minutes was especially good. And for the first 45 minutes was happy with the notion put forwards in the forum pre-match that Oxford were a footballing side. Even so, there was plenty of "thug" about their play, and they had definitely singled out our key players - Max Bird was clattered heavily on 3 or 4 occasions, needing 2 lengthy bouts of treatment, and they had a go at Jason Knight as well. 

Oxford only made a half hearted attempt to press our playing out from the back, and we quickly established a pattern between Davies, Wildsmith and Cashin, which followed the same pattern during the entire match, and what it did was create space further up the pitch, something which Oxford never really addressed, and for a change our playing out from the back didn't create any danger. Conversely, when we did pick the ball up at the back, there was an almost complete aversion to trying to catch Oxford out with a breakaway. Maybe something to work on there.

Once again the match officials displayed their allegiance to their EFL masters - we actually got 45 - 50 minutes of reasonable officiating, although the ref couldn't wait to book Collins. Our striker puts himself about a bit, and after his first hefty challenge the ref had a lengthy chat. He completely ignored the constant barging and pushing off the ball by their centre forward and centre half, and fell for several dives as soon as Derby player got within a yard or two of an Oxford shadow.

Second half and Oxford were clearly sent out to rough things up, with 3 really nasty challenges, all gong un-noticed. But when Collins challenged their left back(?) he didn't make any contact, but the defender flew through the air like he'd been hit by an Exocet missile, and out came the yellow card like it was on steroids. Moments later Knight was clattered with a challenge that lifted him 2 feet in the air, but the ref didn't even give a free kick. Towards the end, Davies went in hard and was carded almost immediately, with what was his first offence, and yet again there were at least 3 Oxford players who should have been carded.

It was getting to be frustrating, and then Sibley came on, and immediately Oxford tried to wind him up. And suddenly his running was pulling their defence all over the place and making spaces, and it was only a matter of time  before we scored. There were 3 consecutive bagatelle sessions in the Oxford area, and the inevitable goal duly arrived. And isn't great to get that feeling back? What is also great is the universal acknowledgement of Sibley's impact. Here's to a great season, Louie!

Despite the criticism from a West stander, the noise from the South Stand was tremendous for long periods, especially in the first half. The pre-match noise on the concourse was louder than for the Brighton play-off semi!

Its great to be back. Thank you David!

COME ON YOU RAMS!!!

[JuanFloEvraTheCocu'sNesta]

Considering that team has been cobbled together in a rush in six weeks that was alright. 

If Oxford are what passes for playoff contenders this season then we'll be fine.

[TuffLuff]

Some random thoughts:

Cashin and Davies cruised it, all the back four did to be honest. Cashin’s reading of the game for someone with so few games under his belt is impressive.

Knight MOTM over the 90, again his reading of the game and anticipation is a class above this level. He will be the best player in this league if he stays. 

Bird and Knight showed fantastic temperament after a few iffy challenges, kept playing their game and grew into it whilst Oxford stumbled. 

Mendez-Laing does his best work with his back to goal, getting the ball down, coming inside and leaving space outside for a simple pass to whoever is there. Opened them up a couple of times second half. We can tell he’s going to be hot/cold but you need players like that.

Hourihane really grew into the game, but you can tell he just loves playing football. Ran round like a mad man once he scored, was lovely to see. If in League 1 the opposition leaves so much space on the edge of the box then he will be the signing of the season.

Itll come with Collins, liked what I saw but needs to gel and get others around him. 

Sibley will love this league, again the amount of space he will get and defenders chopping in at him. Looks to be a bit more bulked up too.

We are looking to create and play into space, which in a look that’s more direct is going to be interesting. Make teams chase us and pull the opposition out of their positions. 

Slightly concerned to see a couple of challenges when the player isn’t in control of a dangling foot. Bird nearly got one in the first half, and then did catch one in the ankle second half. I don’t mind physicality and and that, but both were stupid and are dangerous to both players involved. Fearful we could see a proper ankle breaker coming up if it continues. As I say don’t mind tough challenges but you need to protect yourself and the opponent. 

Oxford essentially ‘showed their arse’ second half, probably through tiredness or whatever. A few frustration challenges, surrounding the ref asking for cards, trying to come across as physical rather than playing their game. They left a lot of open space and lost control of what they were attempting to do. Derby kept their head down, kept playing their way and opened Oxford up, took the chance and went away with 3 points. Interesting to see if that trend continues with opposition sides, you didn’t see that frustration/lack of discipline in the championship before I don’t think.

[scout's dad]

1 hour ago, Dai Capp said:

Not going to lie, I felt quite emotional when the pitch announcer did his bit in the centre circle - you could tell he meant every word and it brought it home just how close we came to never being at a match again.

As for the game I thought we were way the more skillful side, I was struck how much more physical it was and also how much the ref let go. All in all we were good value for the win.

Oh, and Karl Robinson is a right mardy sod...

Karl would be because Neighbours has ended.

Sorry I meant Paul Robinson?

[angieram]

7 minutes ago, TuffLuff said:

Some random thoughts:

Cashin and Davies cruised it, all the back four did to be honest. Cashin’s reading of the game for someone with so few games under his belt is impressive.

Knight MOTM over the 90, again his reading of the game and anticipation is a class above this level. He will be the best player in this league if he stays. 

Bird and Knight showed fantastic temperament after a few iffy challenges, kept playing their game and grew into it whilst Oxford stumbled. 

Mendez-Laing does his best work with his back to goal, getting the ball down, coming inside and leaving space outside for a simple pass to whoever is there. Opened them up a couple of times second half. We can tell he’s going to be hot/cold but you need players like that.

Hourihane really grew into the game, but you can tell he just loves playing football. Ran round like a mad man once he scored, was lovely to see. If in League 1 the opposition leaves so much space on the edge of the box then he will be the signing of the season.

Itll come with Collins, liked what I saw but needs to gel and get others around him. 

Sibley will love this league, again the amount of space he will get and defenders chopping in at him. Looks to be a bit more bulked up too.

We are looking to create and play into space, which in a look that’s more direct is going to be interesting. Make teams chase us and pull the opposition out of their positions. 

Slightly concerned to see a couple of challenges when the player isn’t in control of a dangling foot. Bird nearly got one in the first half, and then did catch one in the ankle second half. I don’t mind physicality and and that, but both were stupid and are dangerous to both players involved. Fearful we could see a proper ankle breaker coming up if it continues. As I say don’t mind tough challenges but you need to protect yourself and the opponent. 

Oxford essentially ‘showed their arse’ second half, probably through tiredness or whatever. A few frustration challenges, surrounding the ref asking for cards, trying to come across as physical rather than playing their game. They left a lot of open space and lost control of what they were attempting to do. Derby kept their head down, kept playing their way and opened Oxford up, took the chance and went away with 3 points. Interesting to see if that trend continues with opposition sides, you didn’t see that frustration/lack of discipline in the championship before I don’t think.

Spot on, Tuff Luff.

I was a bit worried when they started that stuff, expecting us to wilt under the challenges, but we looked well prepared for it.

It actually distracted them more than it did us.

[DCFC1388]

4 minutes ago, angieram said:

Spot on, Tuff Luff.

I was a bit worried when they started that stuff, expecting us to wilt under the challenges, but we looked well prepared for it.

It actually distracted them more than it did us.

I agree, like i said in another post, it actually woke/riled the fans up too which worked in our players favour too

[YouRams]

1 hour ago, RoyMac5 said:

 

Think he's delighted bless him 

[PistoldPete]

6 minutes ago, DCFC1388 said:

I agree, like i said in another post, it actually woke/riled the fans up too which worked in our players favour too

Yeah I thought so too. It got the crowd going and with it the team. The rough stuff backfired on Oxford.