Derby v Cambridge Match Thread

[Jourdan]

8 minutes ago, Leeds Ram said:

Genuinely at what point aren't we a work in progress? What points in this division would be unexpected? We've won 2 of the last 13 at home I believe with 11 goals scored. That's really not good enough. I think many fans are starting to have enough of the turgid Warne ball which is being served up. 

How many points did you expect from our five home games? 10? 11? 12? 15?

No-one has said that 5 points from 15 at home is acceptable, but there hasn’t been very much between us being where we are and having more points on the board.

Cut out a mistake here and there and we have four to five more points v Wigan, Oxford and Portsmouth instead of just one. Take a chance here and there and we have two more points v Cambridge and instead of just one.

I really think this feeding frenzy is unnecessary.

[IronRam 140.6]

He so hell bent on a system, there is literally not one player just being themselves and trying to take the game by the scruff.   

Remember when we were s**** under managers like  Clough, Jewell, Brown et al there was always a player that did that.

Osman, Savage, Bryson, (Seth) Johnson. Even that has been stifled. Sure there are players in this squad who could do what those mentioned above did. 

Depressing. 

[PistoldPete]

33 minutes ago, Leeds Ram said:

On the one hand, we controlled the possession and the territory, which was good, and we ditched the 5 at the back. On the other hand we were so one dimensional and slow it was painful. Cambridge are well organised and have one of the better defensive records, I believe, but we made it so easy for them. Cross after cross going nowhere. Players taking 5-6 touches on the ball just passing it around with no urgency. The front line was so static offering no problems for their defense or anything different. It's a great formula for never scoring. It makes me wonder what do they do on the training ground all week as it doesn't seem like they do any movement, passing or tactical training of any kind. 

We have now i think won just 2 of the last 13 at home scoring 11 in the process so this isn't a recent problem for us. The substitutes were too late to make an effect and should have been made 20 minutes earlier. I was bored by 60 minutes in and couldn't see how we'd find a way through. Just 2 shots on targets says it all really. I didn't boo but neither did I clap. 

Sums it up. Can't disagree with any of that. I brought a book with me, read some at half time. I was tempted to open it again in the second half.

[jimtastic56]

10 minutes ago, QuitYourJibbaJivin said:

In tight games you really need your “big game players” to step up to the mark. 2 headers second half should have resulted in goals, waggys header was harder to miss! Fine margins 

Waghorn and Collins should hang their heads in shame at those 2 headers. But we knew we were going to miss the 25 goals from McGoldrick and we needed 25 more to get top 2. What did we do all Summer to solve the problem?

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, Jourdan said:

We all would love to see picture perfect performances and results, but the reality is that it will still be the same group of players until January who have yet to implement any plan particularly well.

We go direct? It’s too chaotic. We keep possession? It’s too slow. We have the ball? In control but no spark. We don’t have the ball? Pathetic.

What’s to say the new manager will do better? What’s to say the new manager won’t have teething problems?

 

PW has been somewhat unfortunate because he signed a player who can cross the ball but Joe Ward only made it through the first few games of the season. However on the evidence of today we set out to play with wingers whose crossing is a lottery, then we threw into the mix playing the long ball in the direction of Collins, who isn't a target man. (I still believe Collins can get on the end of things and finish them - relative to the level he's playing at - but he can't do much useful on the end of a 60-yard ball with his back to goal).

My point is that it's not just about the style (although that is dire with only a few recent flickers of improvement) but about how well the tactics complement the available players. It's easy to be blinkered about how good Sibley is (or isn't) and how useless Collins is (or isn't) but I would have thought the two most likely routes to assisting Collins are accurate crosses from the wing (not happening until Ward returns) or clever through-balls (not happening with the central/attacking midfield who played 88 minutes of this match).

That's my frustration, anyway.

Personally I don't believe there will be a new manager unless PW walks, but yes, there's no saying a new manager would do better. (Although I have a sneaky feeling that a certain manager would... whether you or I would want the manager I have in mind is another matter entirely!)

[PistoldPete]

2 minutes ago, Jourdan said:

How many points did you expect from our five home games? 10? 11? 12? 15?

No-one has said that 5 points from 15 at home is acceptable, but there hasn’t been very much between us being where we are and having more points on the board.

Cut out a mistake here and there and we have four to five more points v Wigan, Oxford and Portsmouth instead of just one. Take a chance here and there and we have two more points v Cambridge and instead of just one.

I really think this feeding frenzy is unnecessary.

I don't agree. It isn't just the results that have been dire, it's the performances as well. We are solid at the back now, which we weren't first two home games. But still woeful going forward the final ball is not good enough. and that isn't a new problem is it, it was the same last season. There is a common factor here. 

[Leeds Ram]

1 minute ago, Jourdan said:

How many points did you expect from our five home games? 10? 11? 12? 15?

No-one has said that 5 points from 15 at home is acceptable, but there hasn’t been very much between us being where we are and having more points on the board.

Cut out a mistake here and there and we have four to five more points v Wigan, Oxford and Portsmouth instead of just one. Take a chance here and there and we have two more points v Cambridge and instead of just one.

I really think this feeding frenzy is unnecessary.

I would have expected at least 10 points from the first 5 home games. Against Portsmouth and Oxford we were obviously second best, and i didn't think we did enough to win against Wigan either. That for me is the concerning thing. The performances have been almost uniformly appalling. We had 2 shots on target today and that wasn't because our finishing was dire and it was 'one of those days' it was because we created absolutely f*** all the entire game. 

The pattern emerging from last season is that we can't win games or score goals at home. That rests with the bloke in charge who thinks we played really well today when almost everyone else can see it wasn't that good even if it was an improvement on the borderline shambolic start to the season we've made at home.

[Leeds Ram]

10 minutes ago, PistoldPete said:

Sums it up. Can't disagree with any of that. I brought a book with me, read some at half time. I was tempted to open it again in the second half.

I was wishing I had brought a book with me tbh.

Edited September 30, 2023 by Leeds Ram

[Steve Buckley’s Dog]

I can’t say that was enjoyable. I thought Nyambe was excellent.  Nelson continues to impress and Fozzy is just Fozzy, what a player he is. Defence looks OK.

Collins, Washington and Waghorn however can’t control a football. But we all knew that and seemingly we appear happy with it so I guess that’s what it is. Waghorn is no McGoldrick though is he and playing there probably makes him look worse than he is. He offered nothing and has to be creative and involved if playing there. 

Let’s focus on the clean sheet and pretend that the whole thing didn’t happen, which shouldn’t be too hard. 

[kash_a_ram_a_ding_dong]

I thought we performed much,much better today and the new boys were a revelation,cool and collected on the ball and looked a class above.

Cambridge were pinned back from the start and we nullified them throughout the game.

Shame we didnt score but they did put their entire team behind the ball at times.

My only real issue was that I think that wash and Waggers make a better pairing than collins and waggy,who tend to get in each others way and they are both, essentially,number 9's.

A much improved performance all in all and it bodes well for the immediate future, especially with the injured players starting to return.

[VulcanRam]

7 minutes ago, Leeds Ram said:

I would have expected at least 10 points from the first 5 home games. Against Portsmouth and Oxford we were obviously second best, and i didn't think we did enough to win against Wigan either. That for me is the concerning thing. The performances have been almost uniformly appalling. We had 2 shots on target today and that wasn't because our finishing was dire and it was 'one of those days' it was because we created absolutely f*** all the entire game. 

The pattern emerging from last season is that we can't win games or score goals at home. That rests with the bloke in charge who thinks we played really well today when almost everyone else can see it wasn't that good even if it was an improvement on the borderline shambolic start to the season we've made at home.

I disagree with this bit. Mendez Laing was clean through on goal after a minute but despite having a run from half way, at some stage managed to run away from goal. That's a clear cut chance. Collins' header in the second half, a clear cut chance. Waghorn's header, a clear cut chance. Barks shot after Mendez's fail, a clear cut chance. Plus we hit the post in the first half (I think, it was down the far end).

We created more than enough to win the game, aside from the admittedly poor two efforts on target. 

[Topram]

 Barkhauzen shouldn’t of come off at all 

[Walkley Ram]

We're 4 points off top 6, and 7 off the top 2.

We're also 4 points above 18th, and 7 above burton (themselves one point above the drop, and technically behind Wigan after the points deduction).

Yes we have a game in hand, but so do 5 teams above us.

It's not good enough.

 

[DerbyAleMan]

For me first half the football is alot better, and we should have been in the lead, second half, we ran out of ideas, the big positives for me is the defence, that back 4 and Keeper look very good at this level, my man Nelson was excellent again, the same with Nyambe also excellent so strong, also reads the game well, and is quick, hope we keep him pass January, if 1 goes in today, we would have won 3 or 4 nil, also only 3 points away from the play offs, with a game in hand to some teams, so not a total disaster, 2 away games now, and don't put it pass us to get all 6 points from those games. 

[Leeds Ram]

Just now, VulcanRam said:

I disagree with this bit. Mendez Laing was clean through on goal after a minute but despite having a run from half way, at some stage managed to run away from goal. That's a clear cut chance. Collins' header in the second half, a clear cut chance. Waghorn's header, a clear cut chance. Barks shot after Mendez's fail, a clear cut chance. Plus we hit the post in the first half (I think, it was down the far end).

We created more than enough to win the game, aside from the admittedly poor two efforts on target. 

That came from a breakaway, and by the time he got near the box, Cambridge had got 3 defenders back, and the shot was blocked. Not a clear cut chance. 

I didn't think Waghorn's was a clear-cut chance, but he should have got it on target and the same with Collins from what I could see. We hit the post from a corner in the first half yeah. 

I thought Cambridge looked completely comfortable as we played in front of them offering only crosses into their area. They won almost every single one and we had no other ideas. Again, this is not a one-off but an increasing pattern at home where we struggle to look remotely dangerous or win games. If we want to play with crosses we need to be much quicker on the ball and far less static to make the space available for good chance to happen. Otherwise, like today, we'll keep not scoring.

[sage]

5 minutes ago, Topram said:

 Barkhauzen shouldn’t of come off at all 

It was his first start of the season. He was knackered. He was our best forward IMO

[ariotofmyown]

49 minutes ago, Bald Eagle's Barmy Army said:

We should be top 2 - simple as that. 

Therein lies the problem.

[MarsdenRam]

1 hour ago, Bald Eagle's Barmy Army said:

I’ve decided today that until Warne has gone I won’t be attending any more games.

He'll be gutted. 

[VulcanRam]

32 minutes ago, Marriot Ram99 said:

It's not about the points it's the performances at home and the whole approach being brain dead football Philistein like while also not getting enough wins.

I really hate to point this out, but I just can't let it go, I'm sorry. But the irony here is too much for me. 

[angieram]

1 minute ago, Leeds Ram said:

That came from a breakaway, and by the time he got near the box, Cambridge had got 3 defenders back, and the shot was blocked. Not a clear cut chance.

No, because he should have laid it off to Barhuizen instead of keep running with it, then it would have been. 

My left ear is still ringing from my other half yelling at him repeatedly to do exactly that.

It makes you wonder what goes on in footballers' minds at times!