Tired

[sage]

We are tired.

Playing gas out football with a small squad aged under 23 or over 30 has caught up with us. 

We may have to play more fringe players as we limp on, hopefully hanging on a top 6 finish.

 

[plymouthram]

1 hour ago, sage said:

We are tired.

Playing gas out football with a small squad aged under 23 or over 30 has caught up with us. 

We may have to play more fringe players as we limp on, hopefully hanging on a top 6 finish.

 

Got some tough games coming up with Plymouth Tuesday followed by Oxford away. But looking at the last 7 games, we could have an easy finish to the season. Starting with Forest Green R away should be 3 pts even with some fringe players in the team. MK Dons, home same again. Bristol Rovers, away middle table with nothing to play for. Exeter, away same with them, middle table. Burton, home will depend if they still fighting relegation in late April. Pompey, home another middle table team. Last match away to Sheffield Weds, who I think will already be crowned champs.

Plenty of games in them last 7 fixtures where we can rest players ready for the play-offs. Don't think we will limp into finishing top 6. Got a feeling though, we might actually finish in 6th spot which means we would play the gutted team in 3rd place.

[Rev]

1 hour ago, sage said:

We are tired.

Playing gas out football with a small squad aged under 23 or over 30 has caught up with us. 

We may have to play more fringe players as we limp on, hopefully hanging on a top 6 finish.

 

 

4 minutes ago, Rev said:

He made one 40 yd run, where he knocked it around the full back and beat him to the ball, that resulted in him looking like a London Marathon winner after a sprint finish. 

This league, and it's schedule, are relentless, with no chance for a break. I'm getting worn out as a fan, so god knows how the players are feeling? 

There's an international break coming up soon, we'll possibly get enough call ups to postpone a game. 

If so, and the budget allows, I'd take the players away for a few days warm weather training, just to freshen things up.

Nail on head @sage. 

[Ram-Alf]

Yes I agree, Barks just before HT ran down the right...no back up and McGoldrick trying to keep up for the ball, Barks blowing more than the Beast from the East, I expected NML coming on at HT...

 

[Jourdan]

I don’t think the style is the issue. It’s the make up of the squad, the injuries, the restrictions we are under, and the sheer number of games we have played.

We have played 11 cup games this season. That’s almost a quarter of a League One season. It’s bound to take its toll.

We have a group of 13-14 that have been playing game in, game out for 7-8 months. 3-4 of those have been playing exclusively out of position. It’s also bound to take its toll.

The depth and quality of depth hasn’t been there for us to take the burden from the core group.

Imagine if Forsyth and Cashin could have been rotated out for Davies, Chester or Stearman. That hasn’t really been an option for the majority of the season.

If only we could give Wildsmith, Smith, Hourihane, Mendez Laing and McGoldrick a break, you could say. The alternatives are McGee or Loach, Oduroh or Rooney, White or Thompson, Springett, and of course Collins - all of whom are either too inferior or too inexperienced to rely on.

If we finish in the play-offs, we’ll have done very well all things considered.

[May Contain Nuts]

Yep, we're tired and performances have waned.

Much like they did when we faced a hectic start the season with a quickly assembled squad, fitness levels and squad familiarity were not as advanced as they are now and we didn't have some of our most influential players available.

Don't worry though, we were only getting worse back then because the opposition had found the manager out, but now we've got a combination of Brian Clough & Jim Smith reincarnated we'll never be outworked or outmanaged ever again.

Edited March 4, 2023 by Kokosnuss

[sage]

20 minutes ago, Jourdan said:

I don’t think the style is the issue. It’s the make up of the squad, the injuries, the restrictions we are under, and the sheer number of games we have played.

We have played 11 cup games this season. That’s almost a quarter of a League One season. It’s bound to take its toll.

We have a group of 13-14 that have been playing game in, game out for 7-8 months. 3-4 of those have been playing exclusively out of position. It’s also bound to take its toll.

The depth and quality of depth hasn’t been there for us to take the burden from the core group.

Imagine if Forsyth and Cashin could have been rotated out for Davies, Chester or Stearman. That hasn’t really been an option for the majority of the season.

If only we could give Wildsmith, Smith, Hourihane, Mendez Laing and McGoldrick a break, you could say. The alternatives are McGee or Loach, Oduroh or Rooney, White or Thompson, Springett, and of course Collins - all of whom are either too inferior or too inexperienced to rely on.

If we finish in the play-offs, we’ll have done very well all things considered.

The style is playing a part. We never control a game, even when 2 or 3 up, we don't then shut up shop. 

[oodledoodle]

Thought this was gonna be a thread about what it's like to support Derby.

[Crewton]

33 minutes ago, Kokosnuss said:

Yep, we're tired and performances have waned.

Much like they did when we faced a hectic start the season with a quickly assembled squad, fitness levels and squad familiarity were not as advanced as they are now and we didn't have some of our most influential players available.

Don't worry though, we were only getting worse back then because the opposition had found the manager out, but now we've got a combination of Brian Clough & Jim Smith reincarnated we'll never be outworked or outmanaged ever again.

He's not coming back, youth. 

[May Contain Nuts]

9 minutes ago, Crewton said:

He's not coming back, youth. 

?

I don't want him back, I've never said or even implied that I do.

Just pointing out the reality of our situation - I'm applying the same logic to our games as I did in earlier games, I'm being consistent.

...but the massive level of hypocrisy and b******* still needs calling out occasionally.

Edited March 4, 2023 by Kokosnuss

[cannable]

27 minutes ago, sage said:

The style is playing a part. We never control a game, even when 2 or 3 up, we don't then shut up shop. 

Remember when that was the biggest problem with the McClaren side (pre-injury crisis)? Blitzing Charlton for twenty minutes then just controlling the last seventy minutes.

Like when Ian Bell only scoring hundreds when somebody else did, if those are your problems you don’t realise how good you’ve got it!

[sage]

8 minutes ago, cannable said:

Remember when that was the biggest problem with the McClaren side (pre-injury crisis)? Blitzing Charlton for twenty minutes then just controlling the last seventy minutes.

Like when Ian Bell only scoring hundreds when somebody else did, if those are your problems you don’t realise how good you’ve got it!

It is a problem, we don't manage games. We can save our legs over a long season, but don't.

I loved Ian Bell. Great technique.

[Jourdan]

37 minutes ago, sage said:

The style is playing a part. We never control a game, even when 2 or 3 up, we don't then shut up shop. 

In the league, we’ve won 11 out of 14 under Warne when scoring first.

We lost v Port Vale and drew v Burton and Shrewsbury.

Perhaps it’s less about control and more about teams punishing mistakes?

Shrewsbury did that today. Barnsley did it last week. Wycombe did it a few weeks back.

This group is a good group but it’s a slog of a season and at any level, there is only so much you can get away with.

We’ve been sloppy, but it happens to even the very best over a long season.

[sage]

1 minute ago, Jourdan said:

In the league, we’ve won 11 out of 14 under Warne when scoring first.

We lost v Port Vale and drew v Burton and Shrewsbury.

Perhaps it’s less about control and more about teams punishing mistakes?

Shrewsbury did that today. Barnsley did it last week. Wycombe did it a few weeks back.

This group is a good group but it’s a slog of a season and at any level, there is only so much you can get away with.

We’ve been sloppy, but it happens to even the very best over a long season.

You're missing the point. By not controlling games, we aren't keeping possession  we aren't reducing our running.

Tired 

[Jourdan]

8 minutes ago, sage said:

It is a problem, we don't manage games. We can save our legs over a long season, but don't.

But can we?

Do we have the quality from the bench to ‘save our legs’?

Would you trust McGee to step in for Wildsmith?

Would you trust White or Thompson to step in for Hourihane?

Would you trust Rooney or Oduroh to step in for Smith?

Would you trust Collins to step in for McGoldrick?

The only real area where we have any reasonable depth is on the wing, but wingers by their nature are inconsistent.

I don’t think it’s as easy as you make it sound.

[Jourdan]

6 minutes ago, sage said:

You're missing the point. By not controlling games, we aren't keeping possession  we aren't reducing our running.

Tired 

In our two most recent losses, we had more possession. 60-40% and 57-43%.

We lost because we defended poorly and made mistakes that were punished.

I don’t think it’s down to the style. It’s a small squad with a good core but without the depth to make wholesale changes and maintain quality levels.

You can see that with Rooney coming in for Smith at RB but Smith still having to play.

[Jourdan]

50 minutes ago, Kokosnuss said:

?

I don't want him back, I've never said or even implied that I do.

Just pointing out the reality of our situation - I'm applying the same logic to our games as I did in earlier games, I'm being consistent.

...but the massive level of hypocrisy and b******* still needs calling out occasionally.

Hectic schedule? Under Warne, didn’t we have six away games in 28 days and 20+ games from October through to the beginning of January?

Injuries? Bird and Chester are currently out with what have been long term injuries. Knight, Sibley and McGoldrick have all had spells out injured under Warne. Forsyth has had to fill in where Davies, Chester and Stearman couldn’t. We’ve been playing midfielders at full back for the majority of the season.

Fitness and familiarity? Warne has had build all of that while having a similarly tough schedule.

No-one has said Warne is the next Clough or Sir Alex and no-one has said he can’t be outsmarted or outmanoeuvred. No-one is holding him to a different standard either.

Just two losses since October and just four in 25 league games overall tends to give you a bit of leeway.

[Brammie Steve]

 Maybe a little tired but nowhere near Warne Out!

[Rich84]

I agree, and have said previously, we look tired, so why aren't we using the bench effectively? 

Uou can change half of the outfield players during the match, but we seem reluctant to make changes, and certainly don't make them early enough IMO

[Jourdan]

9 minutes ago, Rich84 said:

I agree, and have said previously, we look tired, so why aren't we using the bench effectively? 

Uou can change half of the outfield players during the match, but we seem reluctant to make changes, and certainly don't make them early enough IMO

I guess the obvious answer to that is that certain players have earned the manager’s trust.

Wildsmith, Cashin, Forsyth, Smith, Hourihane, McGoldrick are all players we would love to rest from time to time but are their replacements going to offer the same quality?

You can have players and other options available, but if you feel like the team will suffer by changing things up, logically you will try to stick with what has proven to work.