Is this our worst Championship team since 08?

[Comrade 86]

Just now, Bris Vegas said:

It isn’t based on one league game though, is it?

I think a good number of supporters can look at the quality of our current players, how they’d fit into a best XI and make a solid judgement.

And presumably you then understand too that there's also 'a good number' who would rather not preemptively judge the squad, instead preferring to see who else we can get in and what we look like with them added to what we already have.

If a good many are already able to plot our season without knowing who will be in our favoured 11, fair play to them, but a good many were also suggesting we'd struggle last year until we didn't. Some even said we'd be fighting a relegation battle. Have a look at the season prediction thread for yourself and perhaps the alternative reasoning to your own will be more understandable.

[Will Hughes Hair]

I’m fairly sure 21/22 was worse even if we don’t bring anyone else in. Here’s the 11 players with the most league appearances that season…

Allsop

Byrne

Davies

Forsyth

Buchanan

Bird

Knight

Thompson

Lawrence

CKR

Morrison

It’s coincidence that it shoehorns into a 433 but makes comparisons easier. How many would start against Boro on Saturday (remembering they were 3 years younger as well)?

Lawrence for his goal threat wide left? Theoretically the 3yrs younger Forsyth would be an upgrade on the current version? Knight and Bird had precious few games behind them. Curtis for his leadership? Maybe maybe not.

What that team did have was depth. But even that was variable. For every Jagielka there was a Stearman. For every Festy a Jozwiak.

So work to do for the recruitment team. But I don’t think we go down.

[trappatoni]

I don't think Rooney gets enough credit for the job he did.  We had a centre back partnership with a combined age of about 75 - then lost Jags .  Look at how young and inexperienced so many of those players were.    I'd say the current management team have definitely been dealt an easier hand - whether the squad is stronger - how do you judge that other than by results? 

[Derant]

3 minutes ago, trappatoni said:

I don't think Rooney gets enough credit for the job he did.  We had a centre back partnership with a combined age of about 75 - then lost Jags .  Look at how young and inexperienced so many of those players were.    I'd say the current management team have definitely been dealt an easier hand - whether the squad is stronger - how do you judge that other than by results? 

I agree, you judge by results, but not after one result 

[MackworthRamIsGod]

3 hours ago, Bris Vegas said:

Looking back Nigel Clough took over a mess. But at least he had sone quality to work with right away in Hulse and Commons.

Philip Cocu was dealt a rough hand in his second season. Chris Martin had left, we seemingly had no forwards with CKR injured and Rooney was poor.

The administration season saw us relying on a bunch of kids. Yet without deductions, we would have been safely midtable. That surely wasn’t down to Rooney’s managerial ability?

Which leaves us the current side. I can’t help but feel Warne is up against it. Perhaps our struggles under Clough can give us some perspective regarding Warne’s future? It certainly wasn’t pretty under Clough, especially his second season post November.

I think the team we had when we signed Paul Thirlwell was bad, but they still stopped up.

I can't see for the life of me how this current squad stops up.

Loads of time to go in the window I know, 3 weeks left still is it?

[Chopper]

I agree with the suggestion that perhaps the Championship is stronger, the number of parachute clubs and gambling Owners appear to be greater. In previous seasons (when I've cared about the Championship) I could identify a couple of 'dead man walking'clubs quite early on. Usually Rotherham to be fair! 

Whether Derbys squad is the worst we've had at this level for a while, I dont know. I'm confident as it stands it's not one of the strongest Derby teams; but in previous years we either knew that the players had at very least done enough to be champioship quality or we had the hubris to believe that some were even Premier quality. This season we dont know, the players we have who have Champ experience either had it a few seasons ago, were 'bit part' players with few appearances, or both. CBT may be born for the Championship more so than L1, and as such we end up with a surprising front 3 that click and have us wondering why the Doom mongering. Or we get 20 in total from our forwards and they are truly dire.

[Ram-Alf]

Who gives a flying feck, The sun will rise in the Morning, The Earth will still spin, It gets dark at night and them feckers down the A52 are a bag of shyte

[Will Hughes Hair]

The 09/10 squad only had Barker, Commons and Hulse who I’d buy to improve us comparatively (with honourable nods to Paul Green and Sir Jake).

That side finished 14th. I’m not so sure the quality has changed as much as the finances.

[i-Ram]

33 minutes ago, Will Hughes Hair said:

I’m fairly sure 21/22 was worse even if we don’t bring anyone else in. Here’s the 11 players with the most league appearances that season…

Allsop

Byrne

Davies

Forsyth

Buchanan

Bird

Knight

Thompson

Lawrence

CKR

Morrison

It’s coincidence that it shoehorns into a 433 but makes comparisons easier. How many would start against Boro on Saturday (remembering they were 3 years younger as well)?

Lawrence for his goal threat wide left? Theoretically the 3yrs younger Forsyth would be an upgrade on the current version? Knight and Bird had precious few games behind them. Curtis for his leadership? Maybe maybe not.

What that team did have was depth. But even that was variable. For every Jagielka there was a Stearman. For every Festy a Jozwiak.

So work to do for the recruitment team. But I don’t think we go down.

That team, even given the relative inexperience of the midfield, looks better to me than what we might put out Saturday. I would also say it might have been a much better team to actually play ‘Warneball’. It’s all about opinions. If you don’t like this one, ask me for another.

Edited August 15 by i-Ram

[Will Hughes Hair]

5 minutes ago, i-Ram said:

That team, even given the relative inexperience of the midfield, looks better to me than what we might put out Saturday. I would also say it might have been a much better team to actually play ‘Warneball’. It’s all about opinions. If you don’t like this one, ask me for another.

I quite like your opinion on the midfield, as I like / liked all 3. I’d come back to the fact that a young Liam (a massively underrated player) was effectively 3rd choice CM back then. But an older wiser Liam is currently only 5th choice CM.

Not sure Ravel, Tom and Colin were / are prime Warneballers either.

[vonwright]

1 hour ago, Comrade 86 said:

And presumably you then understand too that there's also 'a good number' who would rather not preemptively judge the squad, instead preferring to see who else we can get in and what we look like with them added to what we already have.

So maybe this isn't the thread for you? 

[i-Ram]

5 minutes ago, Will Hughes Hair said:

I quite like your opinion on the midfield, as I like / liked all 3. I’d come back to the fact that a young Liam (a massively underrated player) was effectively 3rd choice CM back then. But an older wiser Liam is currently only 5th choice CM.

Not sure Ravel, Tom and Colin were / are prime Warneballers either.

They weren’t willing runners no, but Kaz would be a great Warne target man sticking always near the box, to be on to crosses from the attacking full backs. Byrne in particular. Lawrence would be a significant floating wideman upgrade on NML, and Knight would be running his arse off in a no. 10 position, while Ravel helped Bird anchor the midfield. Thompson wouldn’t be required really as we usually concede midfield under Warne, so perhaps double him up with Buchanan down the left. Keep it tight at the back, which we would do better with Curt, and get it hoofed down the wing. Aim for Kaz, Lawrence and Knight to pick up the knockdowns. Lovely stuff.

[vonwright]

I think my most controversial #dcfc opinion is that Ravel Morrison was a decent player for Derby.

Edited August 15 by vonwright

[Comrade 86]

23 minutes ago, vonwright said:

So maybe this isn't the thread for you? 

Sadly for you, where you feel I should or shouldn't post isn't something that remotely concerns me. 

[ariotofmyown]

I think this is the worst squad we've had in coming up from the 3rd tier with 3 weeks of the transfer window left who has yet to beat a top 10 side in a knockout match on foreign soil....ever!

[vonwright]

12 minutes ago, Comrade 86 said:

Sadly for you, where you feel I should or shouldn't post isn't something that remotely concerns me. 

Actually I quite admire your commitment to ceaselessly patrolling the forums for signs of wrongthink. Like Batman. 

[Comrade 86]

6 minutes ago, vonwright said:

Actually I quite admire your commitment to ceaselessly patrolling the forums for signs of wrongthink. Like Batman. 

Cheers love x

Edited August 15 by Comrade 86

[uttoxram75]

4 hours ago, ossieram said:

I don't know. 

Why don't you know?

Other people know after one game, call yourself a fan?

 

I don't know why i'm bothering tbh. We'll know next May if its our worst ever Championship team. By default, if we stay up it wont be our worst.

[oldtimeram]

A few irritable people on here today.

Chill and relax.  What will be will be.  There's nothing any of us can do about it.

Enjoy the ride and see what happens 

[Animal is a Ram]

To answer the question slightly differently, I think it's testament to the increasing quality of the division. 

The team that came down in '08 was lower than a snake's belly, and likely wouldn't hold a candle to the starting XI vs Blackburn - yet, they finished 18th.

Starting line up vs. Doncaster

                                                  Carroll

Albrechtsen             McEveley            Stubbs                 Mears

 Kazmierczak               Green       Pereplotkins          Commons

                                      Ellington         Hulse

 

and you thought a backline of Foz, Cashin, Nelson had pace issues? 

Edited August 15 by Animal is a Ram