The League of Enjoyment

[BaaLocks]

20 minutes ago, TINMANTED said:

i enjoyed lampards season,and he was unlucky losing mount,i do ultimately blame him for the position we are now in,picking that team at wembley

This one comes up again and again, it just feels like it has become the written history.

To remind:

- If you don't like the team Lampard picked on that day you don't like the team he picked in the SF (a) game (give or take - Marriott on the bench being the point I am making) vs Leeds. Given what happened there he'd have been equally slaughtered if he'd changed it.

- That Villa team was a whole hill of beans better than us, objectively. They had Grealish, McGinn, Abraham, Mings and a couple more (inc. Hourihane back when he could influence a game), it was about as good a Championship team as I can recall - I know we had Tomori, Wilson and Mount but still we had a few players who were well beyond their last hurrah (Huddlestone, Cole, Johnson).

If we played that game the other way round, a half dozen times over, I'd reckon we'd lose more times than we won (let's not forget they had beaten us 7-0 on aggregate in the league that season). Yes, it all went up a gear when Marriott came on but those rear view mirrors are great things that football managers do not possess in real time.

Not to say I didn't have my issues with Lampard but it is lazy memory (imho) to think it was all about the starting line up. We went in as heavy underdogs and we lost, as we were expected to.

Edited January 29 by BaaLocks

[Gee SCREAMER !!]

1 minute ago, BaaLocks said:

This one comes up again and again, it just feels like it has become the written history.

To remind:

- If you don't like the team Lampard picked on that day you don't like the team he picked in the SF (a) game vs Leeds. Given what happened there he'd have been equally slaughtered if he'd changed it.

- That Villa team was a whole hill of beans better than us, objectively. They had Grealish, McGinn, Abraham, Mings and a couple more (inc. Hourihane back when he could influence a game), it was about as good a Championship team as I can recall - I know we have Tomori, Wilson and Mount but still we had a few players who were well beyond their last hurrah (Huddlestone, Cole, Johnson).

If we played that game the other way round, a half dozen times over, I'd reckon we'd lose more times than we won. Not to say I didn't have my issues with Lampard but it is lazy memory (imho) to think it was all about the starting line up. We went in as heavy underdogs and we lost, as we were expected to.

We brought on Marriott for Holmes injury.  Pure chance, not selection.  Then reverted to a barren forward line at Wembley, pure selection.  We'd lost before we started.

[Animal is a Ram]

Bradley Johnson did a Q&A in the hospitality pre-Cheltenham. 

It interested me to hear that Lampard regretted his lineup in the final. He was trying to pick a team that would nullify McGinn and Grealish, hence Huddlestone's inclusion - instead of just leaving the team that finished the semi-final at Elland Road.

[BaaLocks]

14 minutes ago, Animal is a Ram said:

Bradley Johnson did a Q&A in the hospitality pre-Cheltenham. 

It interested me to hear that Lampard regretted his lineup in the final. He was trying to pick a team that would nullify McGinn and Grealish, hence Huddlestone's inclusion - instead of just leaving the team that finished the semi-final at Elland Road.

I just think that Villa team was better than our best XI, no matter what it was. I have no doubt what we started with was not able to win the game, I'm also certain in my own mind any other combination wouldn't have been either.

Many could argue we won the last ten minutes as soon as Marriott came on, we did. But I still think over the full ninety even that line up would have come up short.

Edited January 29 by BaaLocks

[RoyMac5]

1 hour ago, BaaLocks said:

I just think that Villa team was better than our best XI, no matter what it was. I have no doubt what we started with was not able to win the game, I'm also certain in my own mind any other combination wouldn't have been either.

Many could argue we won the last ten minutes as soon as Marriott came on, we did. But I still think over the full ninety even that line up would have come up short.

That's what Ipswich thought against Maidstone. It was a one-off game. Lampard got it wrong.

Edited January 29 by RoyMac5

[Jimbo Ram]

2 hours ago, BaaLocks said:

This one comes up again and again, it just feels like it has become the written history.

To remind:

- If you don't like the team Lampard picked on that day you don't like the team he picked in the SF (a) game (give or take - Marriott on the bench being the point I am making) vs Leeds. Given what happened there he'd have been equally slaughtered if he'd changed it.

- That Villa team was a whole hill of beans better than us, objectively. They had Grealish, McGinn, Abraham, Mings and a couple more (inc. Hourihane back when he could influence a game), it was about as good a Championship team as I can recall - I know we had Tomori, Wilson and Mount but still we had a few players who were well beyond their last hurrah (Huddlestone, Cole, Johnson).

If we played that game the other way round, a half dozen times over, I'd reckon we'd lose more times than we won (let's not forget they had beaten us 7-0 on aggregate in the league that season). Yes, it all went up a gear when Marriott came on but those rear view mirrors are great things that football managers do not possess in real time.

Not to say I didn't have my issues with Lampard but it is lazy memory (imho) to think it was all about the starting line up. We went in as heavy underdogs and we lost, as we were expected to.

How many more times 🤣 Marriott and Waggers weren’t fully fit. Hence they started on the bench.

[Gee SCREAMER !!]

33 minutes ago, Jimbo Ram said:

How many more times 🤣 Marriott and Waggers weren’t fully fit. Hence they started on the bench.

Marriott wasn't injured

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/derby-county-striker-jack-marriott-2916792

[Premier ram]

Top 3  Burley, McClaren, Clement

Bottom 3  Brown, Jewell, Pearson

[DavesaRam]

On 29/01/2024 at 12:10, Anag Ram said:

Forget us muppets in the crowd, I didn’t think the players looked like they were loving life on Saturday. 

Sometimes you really get the feeling they’re up for it but on Saturday even Collins looked subdued. They looked almost sullen as if they’d been told there was no pay rise this year.

I know the starting formation wasn’t great but the players had the opportunity to make it work with a bit of proactive decision making.

Had the four forwards come back to receive the ball and drive forward, we might have seen more entertaining football.

Standing in a line on the half way line just encouraged hoof ball which Davies lapped up.

All I’m saying is that the players take half the blame for poor football (at times).

I’d also add that I loved the goals we scored on Saturday.
 

I’m still of a mind that the players aren’t happy with what they are being asked to play like and are letting it be known. It is interesting that just about the only times we played football resulted in two goals. 
 

I think back to a match at PP against Manure under either Clement or Pearson, and we spent most of the match passing sideways around our own area. And suddenly George Thorne and Chris Martin decided they’d had enough and in three pass we’d gone from our own box and scored.

A bit of that right now wouldn’t go amiss!