Derby County 1 Bolton Wanderers 1

[Zico]

We have won 3 league games since Blackburn away in November. Yes that's right - three!

 

I wish people would look at the results, the performances and the formations.

 

Nothing has changed, we've barely moved forwards if at all & we cannot defend.

 

If you cannot take more points than that with a clearly talented squad then something us seriously wrong.

 

It's not even like were being unlucky as the last two games we deserved nothing by all accounts.

 

Blind faith in DF will only last until early next season and if we dont start the season well people will turn.

 

He doesn't appear to know what he's doing.

 

that's where I'm at, I don't see where it comes from

 

am happy with 5 points from 3

 

but 1 win in 2013 hasn't got me clamoring for next season just yet

[stelios05]

_{It sounded to me like we only came under increased pressure when we brought Kev Davies on, in my opinion i dont see the point in bringing davies on when we are winning. Once he comes on the opposition defence can push up as they know he will not be able to run in behind them, so that resulted in us losing possession around the half way line which puts our defence under constant pressure, and our defence isn't good enough to cope for long periods of pressure. The first half we were knocking the ball into the channels for n'gog & c davies to run into which resulted in us playing further up the pitch winning throw ins & corners. This also relieves pressure on our defence. The decision to replace n'gog for davies changed the game last night in my opinion, if n'gog was tired then sordell would have been the ideal change as we could continue playing further up the pitch with pace to peg derby back.}

[Casino]

sounded to me like they had nearly all the second half

 

much of it seemed to be due to us letting them have it, but nowt to do with davies coming on

[Smiffs]

In one

 

We could have brought messi on and it would have made no difference. We gave away to much cheap ball and when half the midfield can't or won't tackle you're fucked.

[Horwich]

What happend to df's possession football?

Edited February 20, 2013 by Horwich

[salop wanderer]

My first game of the season at PP last night - yeah I know, shit fan but alternative football commitments every weekend and most midweeks. In short spells I thought we looked pretty good particularly on the counter and defensively there were some heroic blocks put in as players put their bodies on the line. For me though, we were all too often wasteful with the ball and gave it away far too much. In the last 10 minutes when they were mounting the pressure it needed someone to put their foot on the ball and find a dark shirt. Frustrate the 'til then very quiet home fans and not give them any kind of lift. The defender (at other end so couldn't tell) literally was ball watching for their equaliser so another soft goal conceded and but for a strong arm from Ginge to keepo that close range header out we might have lost that. From the back Rickets must've wasted possession more than most and one ball from Knight in the second half was like 40 yards in front of a team mate. We looked poor on the evidence of the 90 but they were no great shakes. Notably, N'gog, Eagles, Spearing, Rickets all looked like they were struggling. I liked the look of Craig Davies and when SKD came on he won some important headers and made the ball stick up top a bit more. 1-1 the right result.

[Casino]

In one

 

We could have brought messi on and it would have made no difference. We gave away to much cheap ball and when half the midfield can't or won't tackle you're fucked.

 

the half being eagles and lee?

[Mounts Kipper]

sounded to me like they had nearly all the second half

 

much of it seemed to be due to us letting them have it, but nowt to do with davies comiong on

 

This tactic worries me more than anything we apply no pressure on the ball sit deep and hope the opposition lose possession and hope and pray that if the opposition get round the back our flimsy back 4 will cope which inevitably it will not, I'm not sure what other tactic DF has up his sleeve he's in danger of talking a good story though. Surely we should switch between sit back and occasionally as a team pressure the opposition as a team much further up the pitch.

[Estupendo]

 

 

the half being eagles and lee?

For those that were there last night, was that the problem? It's been my impression from other games that lee, eagles, also mavies do not defend. On the other hand, leave these players out and the possibility of creating chances diminishes massively.

This leaves us needing full backs who have to be excellent to cut out crosses, which on one side means Alonso in his current form. Did it look that way?

[stelios05]

I agree about pressing a team further up the pitch as it is alot easier for our defence & midfield to re-organised and be difficult to break down. Also it is alot harder for them to build attacks and cause as much problems. My point about davies earlier is that with a lack of pace upfront we have no out ball when defending, the opposition defence is never on the back foot giving them the impitous to pile men forward.

[DazBob]

My point about davies earlier is that with a lack of pace upfront we have no out ball when defending, the opposition defence is never on the back foot giving them the impitous to pile men forward.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with this.

 

We used to get away with it when he was able to dominate defenders. This just never happens any more. Take Saturday for example, Forest just had Ivan Drago marking him out of the game.

[bgoefc]

 

I wish people would look at the results, the performances and the formations.

 

 

If you cannot take more points than that with a clearly talented squad then something us seriously wrong.

 

 

I have been looking at the results of our "talented squad" for the last two seasons.

 

How long do they have to keep performing like this before you accept they are nowhere near as talented as you think?

[Piemon]

i havent seen any of our fullbacks actively try to stop a cross coming in from wide areas for months. It seems they just jockey and put the token leg up to look like they are trying. Until we defend our wings properly we will always concede goals from crosses.

[Carlos]

How long do they have to keep performing like this before you accept they are nowhere near as talented as you think?

 

Indeed. Something clearly is wrong, very wrong, and has been for a long time. I'm going out on a limb and blaming the players who earn 10x that of many of the teams around us.

 

Some people blame the manager, "he's clueless". So was the last one, oh and the one before.

[Smiffs]

the half being eagles and lee?

 

Yes.

 

I don't want them diving into tackles, that's not their job, but you cant go away from home with a paper thin midfield like that especially on a night when Spearing gave away so much possession.

 

I reckon I could get a team out of the pub to put pressure on us. Just go down the flanks; Eagles/Mears and Chungy/Ricketts, fuck mop it's like playing against traffic cones.

 

I don't blame Freedman one bit. This is Owen Coyles shower of pub league shit.

 

Silk purse sows ear....

[Leyther_Matt]

Was impressed with Craig Davies, he worked his nads off and his movement off the ball made him look a handful.

 

Thought bringing on SKD was entirely the wrong decision though, if we're going to try and defend a slender lead then it was crying out to shore up the midfield a bit, especially with said non-tacklers Eagles and Lee.

 

Credit where it's due to DF, it was a brave shout to go two up top away from home, but it just didn't work with the pattern of the game in the second half.

[Carlos]

The way Chungy gives the ball away reminds me of when I played at the Reebok and Super John just pushed me off the ball. The difference is he doesn't appear to recognise what's happening and wise up.

[Smiffs]

Indeed. Something clearly is wrong, very wrong, and has been for a long time. I'm going out on a limb and blaming the players who earn 10x that of many of the teams around us.

 

Some people blame the manager, "he's clueless". So was the last one, oh and the one before.

 

In one.

 

Towards the end of the first half and the first 10 of the second, Derby fans were getting fairly restless. All we needed to do was frustrate the game for another 10 and they'd have been right on their backs and the frustration would have set in. All we need to do then is keep the ball, clean sheet, three points. We managed it in the first half well enough..

 

In the 2nd we gave too much cheap ball away, individual errors, a lack of strong leadership in the middle (think Pollock, Warhurst, Frandsen) and that allowed Derby not just back into the game but to dominate it.

 

I'm slowly realising that we have shit players and have to be more realistic with our expectations.

 

They tried hard but most of them are just shit pub players.

 

Simple as that.

[Smiffs]

 

 

Credit where it's due to DF, it was a brave shout to go two up top away from home, but it just didn't work with the pattern of the game in the second half.

 

That's where his bench comes in. It was an attacking bench and an attacking first 11, had Coyle written all over it.

 

I couldn't understand why we had SCD, SKD, and Sordell on the pitch at the same time when our midfield was paper thin and getting overrun, then realised we had no other fucker to bring on to stiffen it up.

[zurichwhite]

We leave too much space in the central midfield area. The team generally sets up with Spearing in front of the defence, two wingers and two strikers and a lightweight, crap tackler like Eagles, Pratley or M. Davies behind the strikers. That allows us to get over-run far too often in the middle of the pitch.

[mickbrown]

I was baffled when we appointed him and, how ever many months later, I'm still baffled.

[Casino]

you're baffled why we appointed a bloke who built a team pushing to win the league for half a million quid with a history of using players who have come through the ranks

 

you're still baffled despite him getting players in beteer than those we had for less than fcuk all

 

you're baffled despite him getting shut of the petrov wage

 

you're baffled despite him getting the maximum out of alonso

 

lots must baffle you

 

if you're still baffled when he's fcuked off a good number in the summer, i'll be baffled

 

 

oh aye, we've lost 2 in 9, once against the in form team in the league, once against everton

 

stopping getting beat had to be the starting point

 

 

and, im enjoying my football again

[Carlos]

I'm baffled as to why he came here.

[Casino]

i reckon he'd heard how clued up the support were

[mickbrown]

This blind faith in him is admirable.

 

I'm baffled we appointed a bloke with next to feck all experience.

 

Last time we went down that route of giving jobs to blokes just starting out in the management game it took us to the brink. McGovern, Wright, Neal. It's a mugs game.

 

I hope I'm wrong, but I fully expect this time next year we'll be exactly where were are now, having the same conversation.