Matchday Thread: Rams v Crewe

[Andy_Faber]

I forgot Korey Smith in my list of players inherited by Warne. Thought he did a good job at RB last season but accept that Nyambe is a more natural RB even though he may only have a handful of games left to play for us. Who knows?
As regards LB I think Roberts was a great loan signing and is a hard act to follow.
I do quite rate Nelson but I’m not sure that this season’s CB partnership is stronger than last season’s surprise package of Forsyth and Cashin.
Not exactly ‘raving’ about Wilson, Sith...but I do think he’s one of last summer’s better and more enthusiastic signings.

Agree with all of that and Nyambe's poss exit and my suggestion that we must get some midfielders in Jan may result in Smith returning to where he was a reluctant solid citizen last year

Roberts was a big loss

[SithHappens]

Interesting discussion. Who would we vote player of the season so far?

Personally I'd say Fozzy which is probably telling that no one player has come in and set the world on fire. I would add if NML replicates the form from the past few games its probably him.

[Andy_Faber]

Interesting discussion. Who would we vote player of the season so far?

Personally I'd say Fozzy which is probably telling that no one player has come in and set the world on fire. I would add if NML replicates the form from the past few games its probably him.

I have an answer to a different question - player of the period since we came out of admin - Wildsmith, but yes Fozzy and NML have done OK too. My issue is with those least likely to be voted thus

[ramAnag]

Interesting discussion. Who would we vote player of the season so far?

Personally I'd say Fozzy which is probably telling that no one player has come in and set the world on fire. I would add if NML replicates the form from the past few games its probably him.

Struggling to see beyond the three names mentioned already at this stage of the season...although Wildsmith and Forsyth are probably always going to be more consistent than NML. Never met the latter, but CF and JW are also really decent and grounded individuals too.

[swaledale]

Sith makes a fair point, and I have no wish to reignite our previous war of words, but to me, ‘it hasn’t worked’ refers to our poor performances and early exits from potentially money spinning cup competitions together with the fact that I can’t think of a single aspect of this year’s team which is an improvement on last year’s.
If I look at last season’s and, more importantly, this season’s squads then the players that really made/make a difference - Wildsmith, Cashin, Forsyth, Knight, Roberts, McGoldrick, Collins (yes I know but his gpg record isn’t that bad), Smith, Bird, NML, Sibley - were all here already. Yes, Wilson, Nelson and Nyambe are decent signings but it’s questionable that they’ve actually strengthened us and, as RS has pointed out, we’re still lacking a leader and even then the one we’ve got preceded Warne’s arrival and wasn’t captain last season.

First lets compare last season with this, can't quite match number of games because of the match missed

22/23

P 17 W8 D4 L5 GF 23 GA 16 Pts 28 Pos 6th

23/24

P16 W8 D3 L5 GF28 GA15 PTS 27 Pos 7th


So this season with 1 fewer game played Derby have scored 5 more goals and conceded 1 less - GD is 13 as against 7.

Now overall performance is very similar, but the defence seems to be no worse and our strike rate is better, I know AF will call it stagnation I call it consistency and no evidence that we have been worse.

Yes I take the point we haven't progressed in the cups this year, but cup games are a lottery, one offs that can go either way and there is an argument that the cup runs last year were games too far for a threadbare squad which had a negative impact on the rest of the season

Given we hadn't a recognised RB an on loan LB and needed CB's to say Wilson, Nyambe and Nelson haven't strengthened the team is palpably untrue - whilst Collins has improved his goal tally, Waghorn looks a decent acquisition and with more goals from midfield (maybe playing Smith and Sibley in their natural positions has been positive in this regard) is definitely an improvement as the stats above demonstrate. Smith and Sibley not playing in defence certainly hasn't weakened the defence.

In short, whilst there might not have been the significant improvement over last season that fans hoped for or (unrealistically expected) it certainly cannot be claimed that all Warne's signings haven't worked.

The jury remains out with regards to Washington, Fornah, Bradley and Elder I'd agree. Ward has shown he has quality, but hasn't played enough. I'd also say Sibley hasn't shown much this season to be fair.

It is of course a matter of perception, but the league standings show that perception can be at odds with reality and the reality is that we are not that bad, maybe the expectations that with a transfer window Warne would be able to transform this team, were a tad unrealistic?

The question remains, can the squad push on from here without the distraction of cup games and with the possibility that there will be a couple of quality signings in January.

[macstheman]

As Andy and Swale point out for financial reasons it's highly unlikely that Warne will go. At the end of the season he may be more vulnerable but getting rid of him isn't my main concern. Personally, I find his post match interviews after a poor performance grinding particularly his willingness (almost eagerness) to put the blame for a poor performance on the team and/or individuals and also his irritation at any suggestion that he may be partly at fault. The Crewe performance was poo, so was his post match response.

[swaledale]

As Andy and Swale point out for financial reasons it's highly unlikely that Warne will go. At the end of the season he may be more vulnerable but getting rid of him isn't my main concern. Personally, I find his post match interviews after a poor performance grinding particularly his willingness (almost eagerness) to put the blame for a poor performance on the team and/or individuals and also his irritation at any suggestion that he may be partly at fault. The Crewe performance was poo, so was his post match response.

To an extent I agree, but if I were the manager and put out the same team in two successive games with the same instructions and tactics and they played like Barcelona (Exaggeration obvs) in one and then like Matlock Town in the next I'd be frustrated!!

[Andy_Faber]

As Andy and Swale point out for financial reasons it's highly unlikely that Warne will go. At the end of the season he may be more vulnerable but getting rid of him isn't my main concern. Personally, I find his post match interviews after a poor performance grinding particularly his willingness (almost eagerness) to put the blame for a poor performance on the team and/or individuals and also his irritation at any suggestion that he may be partly at fault. The Crewe performance was poo, so was his post match response.

Yes, if he wasn't so (to me anyway) unlikeable as a mouthpiece for the team I might have more of a Swale 'wait and see' persuasion

[Andy_Faber]

First lets compare last season with this, can't quite match number of games because of the match missed

22/23

P 17 W8 D4 L5 GF 23 GA 16 Pts 28 Pos 6th

23/24

P16 W8 D3 L5 GF28 GA15 PTS 27 Pos 7th


So this season with 1 fewer game played Derby have scored 5 more goals and conceded 1 less - GD is 13 as against 7.

Now overall performance is very similar, but the defence seems to be no worse and our strike rate is better, I know AF will call it stagnation I call it consistency and no evidence that we have been worse.

Yes I take the point we haven't progressed in the cups this year, but cup games are a lottery, one offs that can go either way and there is an argument that the cup runs last year were games too far for a threadbare squad which had a negative impact on the rest of the season

Given we hadn't a recognised RB an on loan LB and needed CB's to say Wilson, Nyambe and Nelson haven't strengthened the team is palpably untrue - whilst Collins has improved his goal tally, Waghorn looks a decent acquisition and with more goals from midfield (maybe playing Smith and Sibley in their natural positions has been positive in this regard) is definitely an improvement as the stats above demonstrate. Smith and Sibley not playing in defence certainly hasn't weakened the defence.

In short, whilst there might not have been the significant improvement over last season that fans hoped for or (unrealistically expected) it certainly cannot be claimed that all Warne's signings haven't worked.

The jury remains out with regards to Washington, Fornah, Bradley and Elder I'd agree. Ward has shown he has quality, but hasn't played enough. I'd also say Sibley hasn't shown much this season to be fair.

It is of course a matter of perception, but the league standings show that perception can be at odds with reality and the reality is that we are not that bad, maybe the expectations that with a transfer window Warne would be able to transform this team, were a tad unrealistic?

The question remains, can the squad push on from here without the distraction of cup games and with the possibility that there will be a couple of quality signings in January.

We are just two sides of the same coin Swale, I really hope I'm on your side in due course

Your comment about Sibley is IMO correct, but I'd actually say he's the current Derby County crystalised into a single player

[Ramshank72]

Interesting discussion. Who would we vote player of the season so far?

Personally I'd say Fozzy which is probably telling that no one player has come in and set the world on fire. I would add if NML replicates the form from the past few games its probably him.

Collins.