Lincoln v Derby (A) Matchday Thread

[Leeds Ram]

Waited until today to post as I was seething after the match tbh. Thanks so much for @Bossfor the tickets as besides the game me and my gf had a cracking time in Lincoln.  The performance was utterly abject from first to last, mistakes littered the game but tactically Rosenior is either blind or stubborn at this point. I said a couple of weeks ago we were making chances and it was bad luck but I now feel there are systemic issues hindering us. There is absolutely no urgency playing out the back and once a team presses us we look decidedly nervous and are almost bound to make an error. Wildsmith's distribution is also absolutely shocking and needs working on asap. 

In the middle playing both Bird and Hourihane is suicide, both ball players who lack any bite or willingness to track their man or contribute in any way besides spraying slow 10-20 yard passes back and sidewards.  Someone mentioned Bird might be wanting to talk to his agent, well given his start to the season I wouldn't care one bit if he did. It isn't helped by the lack of quality out wide, NML can't cross or finish to save his life (no consistency at all in whether he pings, balloons or gets the ball in the middle at all and misses too many chances) Dobbin too often tries to dribble and looses it and Barkhauzen can't finish. Collins isn't being used properly so I don't want to blame him too much and the service he's getting is horribly inconsistent. 

Our slow tempo, dubious quality, and lack of cohesion are creating a team that are too easy to defend and attack against. Our midfield lacks shape and a willingness and ability to actually contribute defensively leaving the defence over exposed. We've seen this in a lot of games this season and it's partly why Cashin is making so many last ditch challenges. The slow tempo, lack of a central outlet for a ball in the final third and poor quality out wide are all contributing to a lack of clear chances and clinical finishing against teams who decide they're going to sit in and close down hard against us. 

It's embarrassing to lose and put in a performance that deserved nothing against a team struggling at the bottom of division 3. There is no other word for it, utterly embarrassing and I hope the players and staff woke up this morning feeling quite ashamed that this has happened. Yes, every team we play against will give an extra 10% and so will their fans because we're not Sutton United. But the fact that we are Derby County needs to be a reminder to every single player to not only give everything in the shirt but demand a certain level of performance that we ultimately expect of them. Last night was not good enough, Plymouth was not good enough, Shrewsbury was not good enough. We need to get our heads out of our collective ar*** and demand better. 

[kevinhectoring]

4 hours ago, S8TY said:

How is Max Bird being used incorrectly

He’s being played in a midfield group that’s got a design flaw 

[Crewton]

1 hour ago, Unlucky Alf said:

Going by that pic Crewton and the angle Collins looks offside to me, Distance from 6 yard line from Collins and their player Collins looks further forward?‍♀️

I think the perspective makes the defender look further away from the 6 yard line Alf. It's less distorting in the wider angle photo I took, but I agree the linos view may have been straightforward. Fine margins which have again gone against us. 

I looked at the penalty again and, even in slowmo, I couldn't for the life of me see the contact. It's one that even VAR might struggle to clarify. 

[RoyMac5]

2 minutes ago, Crewton said:

I think the perspective makes the defender look further away from the 6 yard line Alf. It's less distorting in the wider angle photo I took, but I agree the linos view may have been straightforward. Fine margins which have again gone against us. 

I looked at the penalty again and, even in slowmo, I couldn't for the life of me see the contact. It's one that even VAR might struggle to clarify. 

Knight put his arm across the attacker, simple as that.

[Foreveram]

10 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

Knight put his arm across the attacker, simple as that.

There is far more contact than that at every corner.

[RoyMac5]

8 minutes ago, Foreveram said:

There is far more contact than that at every corner.

And?

The bloke was in the area. The ref saw it as a foul - there was contact to see.

Edited September 14, 2022 by RoyMac5

[Foreveram]

3 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

And?

The foot long Lincolnshire sausage was nice 

[WestStandStartTheBounce]

3 hours ago, HorsforthRam said:

LR sees these players in match situations and training and analyses them to the last iota. Bearing in mind that most of us see them on match days (when it counts), can anyone put forward an argument to why he persists in playing a midfield that evidently doesn’t work? Are the names like Hourihane to big to drop? Is he hoping it will just sort of come good?

I haven't seen the away performances but basing it on the home performances I would make the following observations.

There seems to be a problems all over the pitch. Maybe its the formation or the players. When you build from the back you have a few options, long ball or tipy tappy looking for a killer pass or an outball to the wing. with the high press it is very hard to do the tipy tappy and I don't think we have the players with the ability to do that. I also think Wildsmith is a little dodgy from time to time and doesn't inspire confidence.  We currently don't have full backs that will bomb on like nathan byrne and lee buchanan. These were the outballs from defense and worked with the L and R midfielders. Now the wingers have to try and do it all on their own.

So tippy tappy didn't work. Then LR seemed to be keen on Forsyth holding a high line on the left and the ball is played long to him to nod down. Actually this did work quite well and fozzy did do it well. however it is easy to stop by just putting a big guy on fozzy. The other option is to play the percentages and hoof it up the middle and get someone to win it. However we don't have the players to do it. You need a striker like CKR or Martin. Battering rams that can rough up the defenders. This is never going to be Collins or McGoldricks game. So where does that leave us. Long ball doesnt work, tippy tappy doesn't work. playing down the wings doesn't work. maybe a formation change. 3 at the back and wing backs. We need a formation to suit the players at our disposal. Painful as the Plymouth game was you have to admire how they attacked. They cut through us like a knife through butter time and time again. We cant do that. If an individual doesn't do something brilliant we can't carve out a chance. Liam has got a lot to sort but I'm not convinced he has the ability to do it

[Tamworthram]

16 minutes ago, Foreveram said:

There is far more contact than that at every corner.

That’s sadly what football has come to. Players going down under the slightest of touches (some pundits seem to strangely condone it saying they have the right to go down) and, let’s be honest, we’ve had a few in our favour.

[Blondest Goat]

7 hours ago, QuitYourJibbaJivin said:

I can understand the possession football, I can also put up with the centre backs playing the ball between them at times because not every pass needs to be forced forwards if it’s not there. What’s really starting to irk me though is now we have Wildsmith stood in between the centre backs and they’re passing the ball between them. Wildsmith is not great with his distribution that’s already clear, the amount of times he’s nearly been caught clearing the ball is ridiculous so why are we putting the emphasis on him to come 30 yards off line, to kick the ball out of play the majority of the time. Football can be a simple game, there’s no need to over complicate it.

I actually find the passing around the back a bit embarassing and feel sorry for Wildsmith, Cashin and Davies with the pressure they are often put under.  Opposition fans must be loving it.  

When the passes aren't on just go long.  It's what every other team in the history of football does.  Why do we have to be the exception?

[jono]

4 hours ago, Rammeister said:

Watched it on RamsTV. Regretted it.

Incredibly poor performance mainly due to awful passing, and the fact Lincoln wanted it more.

I’m not of the view we should be changing the manager, though what I do think though is that we have actually got League 1 players now, and delusions that we have players who ‘should be playing at a higher level’ could well be wrong. Thirteenth place behind many so called ‘smaller’ teams tells its own story.

This will likely be a season of consolidation and stabilisation.

Yes and no. I genuinely believe that man for man we have a higher count than most of players that are Championship standard. By that I don’t mean all; but our squad is well enough armed in the talent department  to be, at the very least, play off quality.

Like last year we are seeing a football philosophy that is well intended but lacks an element of bravery (even though Liam would deny this as he constantly talks about tempo and self expression ) I have a sense that we are over coached to the extent that instincts have been dampened. You don’t want berserkers that go rogue and get yellow cards but you do want players to seize opportunities every now and then, rather than return to the default training map. NML and Sibley don’t but others, I think are too ready to “follow the instructions manual” . Yep and Knighty can play right back but we need his aggression in the middle and Connor, for all his deftness needs to realise this isn’t a retirement home for distressed gentlemen footballers. As for Max, I have always thought he was better further up the field, but somewhere he got cast as a DM. I don’t think he is and coupled with a drop in form and some bruising opponents he’s looking below par. 

Mind you, if we need a scapegoat I blame Nathan Byrne rather than LR ?

[chadlad]

9 hours ago, angieram said:

A few observations about last night's match.

Horrible place to get to, and get out of, traffic-wise. Ground didn't cope well with the Derby fans, not enough infrastructure, too much stewarding that did nothing! I questioned the sit anywhere policy and was told they'd sold more tickets than seats so wasn't going to be a place for everyone anyway. Resulted in two rows of our fans standing on fence behind goal and up every gangway.

I thought we played without urgency but I disagree with the cause of that. It's not Bird slowing it down, he played some fantastic forward passes to Sibley early doors. It's when the ball gets to Hourihane - it's an unnecessary step sideways as it's already with our most dangerous players. He's a bigger luxury than Lawrence in that he hasn't got any end product and he never drops back and does his defensive work. Lawrence did both. Liam drops him and we start working again. 

I thought Collins was offside and Mendez Laing wasn't. But officials seemed keen not to favour the 'big' club. We're seeing that time and time this season and it isn't going to change.

Penalty looked soft to me. A much stronger body check on Knight in second half not even a free kick (one of many), yet that a penalty? I don't see it. It's inconsistent. 

I lost my temper with Rosenior over the substitutions (sorry for the swearing!) Taking Sibley off, when he was creating, leaving Hourihane on when he was doing nothing. No way should a booked Hourihane stay on over Bird either. What for? A crap free kick that led to yet another counter attack from Lincoln. Look how many of those started from Hourihane losing or being too casual with the ball.

Cybulski currently could do a better job up front than Osula. Dobbin not strong enough, either, but he was occasionally wriggling away from his defender, played better than his replacement who should have done better with his one chance (did nothing after that.) 

Davies was off the pace but he was right to have a go back at the bloke giving him the w***** sign at the end of the game.

I thought Lincoln were strong, organised, fit and up for it. So were their fans, impressive all round. ??

Rosenior needs to wise up quickly to what wins games away from home in Division Three. Liam, here's a clue - it ain't pretty football.

Things must be bad if angieram is kicking off! ?

[Ramos]

I hold my hands up. I went last night (also been to Charlton away this season) and we never win when I go away so it’s my fault. But unlike Liam, I was not happy by the application or the (lack of) determination of the players. Usually I’m having banter with the forest fans at work but now I’ve got the bloody Lincoln fan giving it large. How far we have fallen. 

[Gee SCREAMER !!]

2 minutes ago, Ramos said:

I hold my hands up. I went last night (also been to Charlton away this season) and we never win when I go away so it’s my fault. But unlike Liam, I was not happy by the application or the (lack of) determination of the players. Usually I’m having banter with the forest fans at work but now I’ve got the bloody Lincoln fan giving it large. How far we have fallen. 

Tell them that in 135 years Derby haven't finished below them in the league, you could also add that their highest ever league finish was 5th in Division 2 which we would consider a very mediocre season.  Maybe get him a cake and some party poppers to celebrate their achievement. Really rub it in. 

[Ram-Alf]

1 hour ago, Crewton said:

I think the perspective makes the defender look further away from the 6 yard line Alf. It's less distorting in the wider angle photo I took, but I agree the linos view may have been straightforward. Fine margins which have again gone against us. 

I looked at the penalty again and, even in slowmo, I couldn't for the life of me see the contact. It's one that even VAR might struggle to clarify. 

Reading LRs thoughts on the official in the DET he wasn't best pleased with his performance, They(Lincoln)got all the calls when we got very little, Penalty very soft, He's put those remarks with others when he sends his report in... when received it'll be filed in the Derby County complaints cabinet and only opened once the official secrets act is again amended in 100 years time

 

[Crewton]

1 hour ago, RoyMac5 said:

Knight put his arm across the attacker, simple as that.

OK, that confirms it was a dive then. I thought the only possible explanation was that Knight caught the guy's foot as the player got infront of him. 

[Gee SCREAMER !!]

2 minutes ago, Unlucky Alf said:

Reading LRs thoughts on the official in the DET he wasn't best pleased with his performance, They(Lincoln)got all the calls when we got very little, Penalty very soft, He's put those remarks with others when he sends his report in... when received it'll be filed in the Derby County complaints cabinet and only opened once the official secrets act is again amended in 100 years time

 

It was almost inevitable that every part time ref you get in this league was going to get a stiffy with the chance to give penalties and disallow goals/ not disallow goals that they should against us.  The trick is to give them a tonne of s*** out on the pitch when it happens and make sure your constantly on the front foot to negate that somewhat.  We do neither. 

[DavesaRam]

8 hours ago, Curtains said:

Why do you say the penalty was dubious.

It was a stone waller .

The fans were let down last night .

I don’t we will ever have an Igor Stimac or his likes again.

Derby need to play to their strengths and play square pegs in square holes .

Role on Wycombe 

The penalty was soft - Knight hardly put snything on him, and you certainly couldn’t call it grappling. But nowadays it seems acceptable that as soon as a player feeks contact he us “entitled” to go down. NO YOU AREN’T. You fall down if a trip, pull or push throws you off balance. Falling to the ground at the slightest chance is CHEATING. 
 

Bearing that in mind, Knight was careless and foolish to go into the challenge like he did. Incidentally, how many penalties have gone Derby’s way with challenges like that? I’ll wait…………

[Ram-Alf]

4 minutes ago, Gee SCREAMER !! said:

It was almost inevitable that every part time ref you get in this league was going to get a stiffy with the chance to give penalties and disallow goals/ not disallow goals that they should against us.  The trick is to give them a tonne of s*** out on the pitch when it happens and make sure your constantly on the front foot to negate that somewhat.  We do neither. 

Perhaps the "niceness" of LR is rubbing off on the players ?

Remember this ?

 

[Crewton]

We've had allot of bad luck with penalties given against us and ones not given for us in the last two or three years. I keep telling myself it's just a coincidence.... ?