Derby v Portsmouth Match Thread

[TuffLuff]

1 hour ago, jimtastic56 said:

Couldn’t believe how flat the atmosphere was outside and inside the ground. I don’t know if fans can take another 3 years of this , but I am not for Warne leaving. I am pinning my hopes on Sibley but wouldn’t say No to signing Lyle Taylor.

I’m starting to wonder whether reality is starting to hit for a few who have hung around once Clowes bought the club, fwiw this is mostly by those I’ve seen on social media and on here and I don’t think that is a 100% true perspective but I’ve kinda sensed this since the summer.

But what I mean is, the attendances rose around Mel’s era because we all drank the kool aid that we were close to a prem promotion. Those that come every once in a while wanted to experience that moment and got season tickets, it wasn’t happening but we slipped in the covid era before we saw a backlash. Once we could get back into the stadiums a siege mentality hit everyone because of our dire situation and I think those who might have backed out at that point felt ended up staying for that experience. We went to League One, and it felt like another chance to experience that promotion and it didn’t happen again last season. So I sense that there are there now people who are getting a bit fed, won’t accept the football, won’t accept Warne, think he’s out of his depth and whatever else they want to slang his way. For them I think because of his style and where he came from he’s an easy target (and what’s funny about that is he dropped a league to be here, how much can he out of his depth?). 

We are a work in progress, Rosenior scrambled a squad together but Clowes wanted to give his own man a chance to build something. They mostly worked with what they had last season and nearly stumbled over the finish line. The summer has seen Clowes really stamp his authority on his position and Warne has been able to shape the squad more into the squad he wants. We aren’t going to see overnight success and there’s 38 games to play.

There has to be some acceptance to where we are as a league one side, we are no better than that right now and it comes with inconsistencies. Again j have I sense that some fans think we are better than we are and ‘expect’ things the aren’t going to get. We aren’t going to play teams off the park and we aren’t going to win every game. My concerns is that we end up being a bit like Sheff Wed, think we are too good for this league, there will be a section that hate the manager, manager maybe scrapes through the play offs but then you aren’t really good enough for the champ (ignoring the nee manager/chairman stuff obvs). Is it worth being in that limbo, where you may end up spending money you don’t have to just survive in the champ, or just building a squad slowly and realise it’s going to be a slow progress and ignore everything else around us?

i also think we currently have a quite a few short term injuries that is a knock on effect of a tough pre season, im hoping that they are the type of injuries that we will shake off and in the next few weeks we will see the benefits of a tough pre season once that happens. We need to hit our stride soon though or else I think everyone may start to panic, but  I saw my signs of that stride today than I have done in the other 6 games. 

Our support is numbers is brilliant, but i sense a few thousand might end up missing out when Warne’s project starts to click!

(sorry didn’t mean to rant over your comment!)

[Ramarena]

2 hours ago, TuffLuff said:

Well…I thought we were alright for the 7th game of the season? Thought the defensive players were robust and our best players. It’s much like, once you give players time together on the pitch then they form an understanding with those around them? Bradley slaters take note, these things take time. 

We were a bit disjointed in midfield and attacking but thought Smith had his best game in a while and Embleton looked pretty good.

We over rely on NML and when he’s not in the mood then…it falls apart. Barks and Sibley brought something a bit different, feel Sibley especially will be crucial in the coming weeks.

Heres a thing, right now could you name a cohesive 11 who actually look 100% fit and match fit? Think we are picking up a few frustrating injuries after a proper pre season but maybe once we battle through the next couple of weeks we might see ourselves at something like a match sharp matchday squad and can see us going on a run then.

Thought today overall gave us something to build on, mostly strong defensively aside their goal and that shot by the defender and thought we were trying to attack the right way. I’m more postive after today than I was coming out of games before the international break.

Frankly think some of you need to give your head a bit of a wobble.

Yeah playing RB again seemed to give Smith a boost. Best he’s played to far this season.

He dropped off a bit when he moved into midfield, but it was still a decent performance from him.

[duncanjwitham]

10 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

He just got in Sibley's way half of the time!

But with instructions so vague... Are there any tactics at all?

We certainly don’t seem to be trying to actually change anything with all these subs, just get fresh legs on to do the same thing the last guy was doing., whatever that was supposed to be.

[Mucker1884]

Missed this, as I’ve spent the day driving home from France. 

#bornlucky

#whatarelief

#thankfookforthat

#etc

[DavesaRam]

7 hours ago, Steve How Hard? said:

Praise for a match official from @DavesaRam. Thought I'd never see the day.

HOLD MY BEER!

Actually she is still the best ref this season, but it is a pretty low bar to get over, which you can do on your hands and knees! And she is still the best ref we've had since we've been in League 1. And no, the bar hasn't moved up or down one iota!

But she did nothing to stop Portsmouth paying rugby for most of the match. I'm surprised they haven't offered to sponsor the Word Wildlife Fund and rename themselves Portsmouth Gorillas, because they looked like a herd of gorillas on the pitch today. Her second half performance was much worse, with a numb3r of mistakes for both sides. She should have booked Cashin, but was distracted by yellow-carding the Portsmouth player for telling her to wave a card at Cashin. I don't know who it was who bundled a Portsmouth player off the pitch near their own penalty area, but no free-kick was given. ITs normally fouls like that against Derby players that go unpunished. But a defender literally jumped into the back of Waggy, leading with his elbow but she gave a free kick against him! ??? I wrote to the EFL about last Saturday's shambolic refereeing, and got the usual condescending pack of lies by response, claiming that referees are extensively trained to the highest standards, so the fact that Rebecca's standards have fallen would suggest that the training is beginning to pay off, but she is still the best ref by far!!!

But at least we got a penalty!!! Woo Hoo!! its only taken 10 blatant fouls in the box, with two pretty good shouts today being turned down. And the one we got was probably the weakest shout of them all! Never mind.

payer performances is  ...... well calling them that i stretching things a bit, but Fozzy was pretty good overall, and Wildsmith kept us in the match several times, but other than that we were pretty poor, and Cashin's head is till turned. Thankfully the substitutions made a difference, particularly Barkhuisen and Sibley, and suddenly we were trying to play football.

But to drag the entire team back after we had scored to try and survive for 20 minutes is ridiculous, and we got what we deserved. The only real sore point about the equaliser as that it was Bishop who scored. He spent the entire match fouling, pushing, shoving, diving and whinging at the ref, and should have been carded for persistent fouling, so it was no surprise at all that he scored. There ere good shouts for handball in the build up, and offside in the execution, but in the end we deserved to throw those points away. There is still an almost total lack of plan or pattern, apart from hoof it into the channels, bung it into the box and see if anything drops for us. The only thig that dropped was two points, and we did the dropping.

As a season ticket holder I have paid my money, so I will go to all the matches, but boy, it is becoming something of a heavy drudge. I don't fall out with people, I don't hate people, but I wish I did so I could give that person my season ticket so that it would ruin their Saturday afternoon.

[DCFC1388]

Pretty drab game, draw was a fair result. Neither team created much, thought our defenders did well vs Bishop, for 94mins anyway, their goal was onside but there was a handball in the build up.

What I dont understand is people moaning about too many defensive players starting, this is purely down to fit players. The only fully fit attacking player who didnt start was Collins & if he started as well we would have had no striker on the bench. I very much doubt Warne wants to be playing Elder at left mid, but the alternative was an unfit player starting or go to wing backs which is more defensive than a LB playing LM in a 4231.

Our bench is starting to look stronger which means eventually our 11 will when these players get fit.

Not been a great start to the season performance wise but in the league no team has been outstanding against us & we have played a few of the top teams already, all whilst we have been playing bang average with a lot of players out.

I do think once we get more players back fit & get a run of lesser teams which we're coming into now that we will start to put some performances together & wins like we did last season. Our squad overall is stronger than last season, add TJJ, Bird & Ward to todays squad & you have 3 decent players potentially not involved at all.

Dont write the team or management off yet, we still have plenty of games to go.

[CBRammette]

12 minutes ago, DavesaRam said:

As a season ticket holder I have paid my money, so I will go to all the matches, but boy, it is becoming something of a heavy drudge. I don't fall out with people, I don't hate people, but I wish I did so I could give that person my season ticket so that it would ruin their Saturday afternoon.

👏👏👏👏👏👏

[Chris_Martin]

2 hours ago, jimtastic56 said:

Couldn’t believe how flat the atmosphere was outside and inside the ground. I don’t know if fans can take another 3 years of this , but I am not for Warne leaving. I am pinning my hopes on Sibley but wouldn’t say No to signing Lyle Taylor.

what exactly would he do in this team though?

[Anag Ram]

I didn’t think it was drab. It was certainly competitive- it just lacked quality.

 I didn’t get too excited when we scored the penalty as I knew Portsmouth would throw everything at us and that our defence was pretty shaky.

The Portsmouth fans I spoke to were happy with their draw.

[Chris_Martin]

2 hours ago, sage said:

This because he has a plan 

exactly.

[DavesaRam]

36 minutes ago, Millenniumram said:

Swear I heard Warne say after the match that we started off 4-2-3-1… I can assure him we did not. That was as flat a 4-4-2 as you can see. 

The man doesn’t even understand his own tactics ffs

Actually, if  it was his RD interview, he was going to play TJJ and us him in a 4-2-3-1. But plans changed when TJJ had a "slight injury". It would seem we signed him complete with a box of assorted injuries - Warne actually admitted that he knew the player was injury prone, but was hoping that the lad could give us the pace that we need. HE also said that we weren't at our best, and were lacking in our choice of final pass to put someone through. And yes, early on Hourihane did play 2 or 3  "Gorgeous  George" type through balls which were thwarted by some dubious offside calls, but after about 20 minutes Connor had regressed to "lump it in the air, hopefully a bit forwards, and see who gets it next".

[DavesaRam]

41 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

He just got in Sibley's way half of the time!

But with instructions so vague... Are there any tactics at all?

Tactics? Err ...... sorry. You got me there, Roy.

[Justa]

1 hour ago, Rev said:

Where do you sit?

East stand upper 

[Justa]

1 hour ago, CBRammette said:

Yep they were great singing during the minute's applause. And they did shut up when we scored and a fair few left. And why are they cockneys? 

Ah that’s different - yes that was poor but they really supported their team !

[Sheff Ram]

And another couple of positives.

At least we're not Man U fans

And Middlesbo are bottom of the Champ!

😉

Edited September 16, 2023 by Sheff Ram

[VulcanRam]

Boring game between two very average teams. A draw about right.

I’m starting to wonder whether this is the worst derby team since the 11-pointers, which on later it shouldn’t be as we have in our ranks some decent footballers.

However we need to see what Warne can do with a fully fit, or nearly fully fit squad. Hope more than expectation says he will change up to a better, more organised style of play where we can actually see what they players are trying to do. But continue to play this frankly bizarre, shapeless and often amateurish way and even the top 6 will be a challenge.
 

Atmosphere in the SS is as bad as I’ve known it. Good start bouncing off the Portsmouth fans but just went flat. 10 mins to go in the first half and plenty of people were disappearing downstairs and even sitting down. It just saps the enthusiasm out of you,

 

[bcnram]

1 hour ago, RoyMac5 said:

TBH I missed the early stuff but thought that 1st half challenge by Fornah should have been a booking and so a red?

From where I was sitting, he didn’t go through the player but alongside him. I think the ref would have just been giving him a ‘be careful’ talking to. 

[jimtastic56]

56 minutes ago, Chris_Martin said:

what exactly would he do in this team though?

Doesn’t have to be Lyle Taylor , there are other free-agents available . Just somebody with a touch of class like McGoldrick. Also a midfield enforcer / leader like Eustace. 

[Chellaston Ram]

Does anyone know why Fornah was substituted?

[angieram]

5 minutes ago, Chellaston Ram said:

Does anyone know why Fornah was substituted?

"Other reasons" according to Warne, which I took to mean a red card waiting to happen.