MK Dons (H) Monday 10th April, 3pm KO

[RoyMac5]

2 minutes ago, Caerphilly Ram said:

How many games have we spoken about really strong first halves followed by a second half adjustment by the opponent that changes the game? Based on that my own observation is that Plan A seems quite clear, it’s just not quite being executed.
The way I see it is Warne wants the team to go out and blow teams away in the first half so the game is done and their spirit is broken meaning they can’t or won’t get back into it...

But that isn't happening. Why has he totally dis-guarded the Plan A that worked in our unbeaten run? You asked why our grit and resilience seemed to have gone. What has Fozzy done to be dropped - if he's made mistakes they are no worse than Cashin's. What has Sibley done to be so ignored - he's better at LFB/WB than Roberts. He's better forward but that's another matter.

Why have we suddenly gone to playing a system that mostly we can't play well? Why in the 2nd half do substitutes seem to be thrown on at random? Etc...

There are more questions than answers. Can't see what it is that Warne does. There's no guile that's for sure.

[TomTom92]

3 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

But that isn't happening. Why has he totally dis-guarded the Plan A that worked in our unbeaten run? You asked why our grit and resilience seemed to have gone. What has Fozzy done to be dropped - if he's made mistakes they are no worse than Cashin's. What has Sibley done to be so ignored - he's better at LFB/WB than Roberts. He's better forward but that's another matter.

Why have we suddenly gone to playing a system that mostly we can't play well? Why in the 2nd half do substitutes seem to be thrown on at random? Etc...

There are more questions than answers. Can't see what it is that Warne does. There's no guile that's for sure.

The standard of the opposition wasn’t as strong and we were all full of beans, now we look leggy especially the old boys. 
 
But agree he looks tactically naive and his basis of getting us out of this league is to out work the opposition.

Sibley’s treatment appears to be harsh but he’s not the first manager to do this so maybe the player needs to be questioned? 

[Jimbo Ram]

5 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

But that isn't happening. Why has he totally dis-guarded the Plan A that worked in our unbeaten run? You asked why our grit and resilience seemed to have gone. What has Fozzy done to be dropped - if he's made mistakes they are no worse than Cashin's. What has Sibley done to be so ignored - he's better at LFB/WB than Roberts. He's better forward but that's another matter.

Why have we suddenly gone to playing a system that mostly we can't play well? Why in the 2nd half do substitutes seem to be thrown on at random? Etc...

There are more questions than answers. Can't see what it is that Warne does. There's no guile that's for sure.

There’s just one answer Macca…..bring back Wazza. He sort of got it right after a dire start 😁

[Caerphilly Ram]

Just now, RoyMac5 said:

But that isn't happening. Why has he totally dis-guarded the Plan A that worked in our unbeaten run? You asked why our grit and resilience seemed to have gone. What has Fozzy done to be dropped - if he's made mistakes they are no worse than Cashin's. What has Sibley done to be so ignored - he's better at LFB/WB than Roberts. He's better forward but that's another matter.

Why have we suddenly gone to playing a system that mostly we can't play well? Why in the 2nd half do substitutes seem to be thrown on at random? Etc...

There are more questions than answers. Can't see what it is that Warne does. There's no guile that's for sure.

I don’t agree with that view on the system. We played it very well for a large portion of today. And it got us a result on Friday. I do agree with the subs, there’s a lot to be desired regarding a lack of game management at the moment. 
The plan A of that unbeaten run was disrupted by injury and the wheels came off, since then he’s been trying to settle on a way to make it work again is my observation, only Warne can fully answer those questions for you I’m afraid. Players not being used doesn’t have to equate to them having done anything wrong, just that Warne for whatever reasons is trying to make it work, arguably it did over this weekend (to a point). You say you can’t see what he does yet he’s trying to get the team working and back to winning ways by testing things out. If you can see the changes to the team you can see what he does, the effectiveness of that may be in question currently of course.
I accept your point about Sibley after he did so well scoring twice against Oxford. No doubt he’s capable of those magic moments that get us out of our seats but for all of us fans wanting to see him play as a 10 there has now been a succession of managers all with different approaches and experience, all of whom seem reluctant to use him there. Maybe they see something in training we don’t? Maybe it’s about the overall make up of the team, if you start Sibley as a 10 who else do you play and in what formation? 

[RoyMac5]

1 minute ago, TomTom92 said:

The standard of the opposition wasn’t as strong and we were all full of beans, now we look leggy especially the old boys. 
 
But agree he looks tactically naive and his basis of getting us out of this league is to out work the opposition.

Sibley’s treatment appears to be harsh but he’s not the first manager to do this so maybe the player needs to be questioned? 

Don't think we look that leggy. Seems an excuse meme.

Sibley is how old and has just started to look like a man playing football. Rather than a boy trying to step up like some of our loans.

[HorsforthRam]

Plenty of shots and chances first half but I still think we should have created more clear cut ones on top of the ones we did. We could and should have moved the ball quicker through midfield. Smith seemed to take an age to control and pass it at times 

[Ram-Alf]

39 minutes ago, jono said:

I agree and it is thoroughly normal, but two shouts from the south were so instant and so much in unison that I felt there must be a very very good cases. I was interested in hearing some honest appraisals from those with a good sight line and proximity.  
Knights falling over and the “possible” first half HB were very much maybe maybe if you’re lucky. The later ones seemed a different order all together?

I went to catch my bus...the heavens opened...I was soaked through...went home got changed and thought sod it so stayed home, I followed the game on here, Big shout for handball...It was Collins hand, Big shout for Knight going down, Some said penalty...some said not, We have a good set of posters on here, Some blinkered some not so, If they have a mixed response then I expect the official to have the same, We've been here all season where Penalties are concerned...it'll never change while the ball is round 😉

[DavesaRam]

Well what a day! I was well impressed by how w played as a team today, getting the ball down and playing it on the ground for lots of the game - was Warne on his Easter holiday or something? WE did everything but score, and although I wasn't able to watch the FGR match, this match seemed poles apart for how we played. I wonder if Warne was resting a few for that match, and deliberately went for "aerial assault" mode because of the awful pitch, which sounded like it was a ploughed field on heat. Today was way, way better. But then, so is the pitch! 27 shots says we are doing plenty that is right. I thought Roberts had a great game, despite missing that sitting duck near the end - almost as though he was frightened of hoofing it high and wide, and his hesitance made him miscue completely. Bird did something similar, when the ball sat up for him on the edge of the box. He had to challenge a defender for it, but was favourite, but instead he held back, possibly just in case, and the chance was gone, when he'd got the white's of the keeper's eyes in sight.

But the result hinged on 3 things - Mendez-Laing's inexplicable desire to play Knight offside, then shooting wide when he should have either taken the net off the posts, or laid the ball in to two better placed team mates. Either (or both) of those would have been the end of the Dons. And then the penalty shouts. I have to confess to playing the role of Gobby McBiggob by saying that the ref looked like he was ok, although I did wait until the second half to say it. At which point he remembered where his true loyalties lay, giving us the third instance which the result hung on. There were 3 really strong shouts for penalties in a 10 minute spell. The first one I could hear the smack of ball on flesh, and the arm was straight up in the air. Apparently Collins had tipped the ball onto the defender's hand with his own hand, so perhaps the ref got it right. But the response from the players and the crowd was instantaneous. As it was for the second shout moments later, with exactly the same response from the ref. And then the foul on Knight - I was looking straight at Knight's back when the defender barged into him, planting his shoulder between Knight's shoulder blade - which cannot be described as shoulder to shoulder, which is what the ref thought it was, unless he simply thought "Nahh not giving that". Moments later MK Dons equalised, and the bout of decisions had clearly got into our player's heads. The cynic in me thinks "just as it was designed to do". 

Listen: we should have put our chances away when we got the opportunity, and there are plenty of "do-gooders" on here saying that we shouldn't be dependant on refereeing decisions to win matches. Actually I agree, we shouldn't, but neither should we be dropping points  because of refereeing decisions. And allegedly refereeing decisions even themselves out over the season. Not during Derby's season, or seasons because we are nearly 4 years into this situation now. If they do even themselves up we will have to play extra time because there won't be enough time within the 90 minutes for all the penalties we are due.

But it didn't stop there - as most are, this ref was extremely quick to wave yellow cards at Derby players, but often didn't reciprocate for similar offences. White hauled a Don down in their own half to prevent a breakaway and a free-kick was rightly given. But instantly the card was out, even though the player wasn't breaking clear and in his own half. In the second either Dobbin or Sibley was actually clear in MK's half and hauled to the ground, but only a free-kick given. What's the difference, apart from the MK Don's foul being in a much more dangerous position. or another breakaway (with Barkhausen?) where a defender, in our half, had slid in with a challenge which failed, and then simply stayed down, lying inert on the ground and the ref stopped the match when we were in on goal. What happened to the rule that you only stop the match for head injuries? Or the defender making a hash of it, falling over and handling the ball, then simply grabbing it with both hands to stop it rolling to one of our players, and then literally picked the ball up. As yellow as any yellow card could ever be, but did the ref wave it? Not a chance, because the handball wasn't by a Derby player. Or their number 33, who had multiple fractures of his ankle 4 times, the last one literally rolling back onto the pitch right in front of the ref who was powerless to do anything about it. If we had picked the player up and carried him off we would have been carded for that, no doubt at all. There was also the shameless time wasting. Good grief. 

We are still in with a shout of the play-offs, but it will have to be a really loud one because we are talking mathematic chances, now, rather than dead certs. I actually don't mind, because even with an easing of the restrictions we will still find it hard to compete at the next level up, let alone in the play-offs themselves.

What was most satisfying today is that we played football for the majority of the match, and didn't resort to hoofing the ball into the channels as soon as we got pegged back. So there is still hope for proper football with this team and this manager!

Right! Let's dust ourselves down and go and see off Bristol Rovers on Tuesday!

[Ram-Alf]

22 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

 

Sibley is how old and has just started to look like a man playing football. Rather than a boy trying to step up like some of our loans.

He's 21 and played over 100 games for us, You'd have thought that he would have cemented a position by now , For whatever reason PW can't/wont put him in his favoured position...why 🤷‍♀️

[Ram-Alf]

16 minutes ago, DavesaRam said:

 

Right! Let's dust ourselves down and go and see off Bristol Rovers on Tuesday!

You OK Dave 🤷‍♀️

[RoyMac5]

5 minutes ago, The Last Post said:

He's 21 and played over 100 games for us, You'd have thought that he would have cemented a position by now , For whatever reason PW can't/wont put him in his favoured position...why 🤷‍♀️

Same reason he dropped Fozzy?

[MaltRam]

53 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

Maybe they can't see where it is they're going any more, what is our Plan A let alone Plan B?

Plan A worked beautifully up to the point someone needed to show some composure in the box. Cannot lay that at the manager's door, for the life of me.

[Ram-Alf]

10 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

Same reason he dropped Fozzy?

I'm going to chuck this out there, I don't expect Forsyth to be here next season, Maybe just maybe PW thinks he can play a system with the 3 young uns we had there...rather than a 34 year old, A bit mad...but 🤷‍♀️

[RoyMac5]

2 minutes ago, The Last Post said:

I'm going to chuck this out there, I don't expect Forsyth to be here next season, Maybe just maybe PW thinks he can play a system with the 3 young uns we had there...rather than a 34 year old, A bit mad...but 🤷‍♀️

Have to play this season out first. 

[DRBee]

2 hours ago, DiggerB said:

Hourihane defensively better but his corners are awful.

How did we score then?

[Ram-Alf]

9 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

Have to play this season out first. 

You have to play your strongest team as and when the manager sees fit, Forsyth has been great as a CH...It would appear the 3 at the back played well in defence, The bad part is those who had the 28 shots up front 🤷‍♀️

[RoyMac5]

8 minutes ago, The Last Post said:

You have to play your strongest team as and when the manager sees fit, Forsyth has been great as a CH...It would appear the 3 at the back played well in defence, The bad part is those who had the 28 shots up front 🤷‍♀️

Did they keep a clean sheet then?

[DavesaRam]

29 minutes ago, The Last Post said:

You OK Dave 🤷‍♀️

Oopps! I guess I just can't wait!

[Ram-Alf]

8 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

Did they keep a clean sheet then?

Yep it's in the bottom drawer in their bedroom, Go and have a drink of warm milk aye 🙄

[Ramarena]

1 hour ago, jono said:

I agree and it is thoroughly normal, but two shouts from the south were so instant and so much in unison that I felt there must be a very very good cases. I was interested in hearing some honest appraisals from those with a good sight line and proximity.  
Knights falling over and the “possible” first half HB were very much maybe maybe if you’re lucky. The later ones seemed a different order all together?

The knight peno was a tough call. I said earlier if it was given against us I’d be disappointed, but I’ve seen them given plenty of times.

The two handball claims were non starters. First one it was Collins handling it.

Second didn’t look like it was a handball.