Derby vs Reading

[MadAmster]

We are too slow playing out from the back. Obvious for all to see. Some of the time it's a part of the tactics. Nothing wrong in it IMO. However, the rest of the time, it's partly down the the opposition pressing and harrying all over the park thereby not giving us a quick forward option and it's also down to our players being too static.

Reading always had an outlet. You can argue the toss as to whether it was down to them making runs into space or whether it was a (poor one IMO if it is) tactic we are employing in marking zonally as opposed to pressing and harrying players. Of one thin I am certain, we need far more movement from our forward players and by forward I mean all of them ahead of the man in possession.

We look like there is still 2 weeks of pre season to go. That's a worry.

Their first? How on earth did Joao manage to get 3 yards clear just 6 yards out? Why did we not have a man on the post? If we had, that would not have gone in. Having a man on the post at corners will save you at least half a dozen goals a season.

Their second? Great ball out from Cabral. Great control and an audacious backheel fron Joao and where was Wis when his man ran on to the pass and slotted it past Marshall who might have done better with that one. The ball seemed to go under him.

Us? 9 shots. Just the 2 on target. Both from Whittaker from outside the box.

I was not impressed.

Marshall 6 - forced into one very good save 1st half. Could have done better with their 2nd
Wis 5 - Ring rusty at best. It was his man who got their 2nd. He was nowhere near him.
Te Wierik 5 - Not the player I have seen in his time at Groningen. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and give him some time to adapt the the Championship. His biggest error when beaten out on our left he got back and harried the attacker into a mistake.
Clarke 7 - cool, calm, collected. Our best player IMO
Fozzy 5 - strangely for him I thought he was caught out of position too often. Lee B is still my preferred candidate for the LB role
Shinnie 4 - not at the races. I have voiced my doubts on him earlier, to the extent that in another thread I left him out of contention for a place in the squad. This performance was why.
Whittaker 6 - Attacked his man on a few occasions, ought to do somore often. He wasn't helped by, all too often, getting the ball with one, two and one time, three Reading players breathing down his neck. I'll repeat, why don't we do that to them? The lad had our only 2 shots on target.
Bird 5 - A shadow of last season's player. He misses forward runs by colleagues. He seems to have become very left footed over pre season and appears to totally ignore players in space down the right, preferring to put the ball left where it's very crowded and the man getting the pass is tightly marked.
Knight 5 - Works hard, you can't take that away from him but that was about it.
Sibley - 4 Showed his mental achilles heel with that yellow card. He was, IMO, frustrated at not being able to get into the game and lunged, hip high. Cut it out Sibs. Not his best game. Failed to make an impact. Didn't get into those pockets of space he exploited so well last season. His physical achilles heel was highlighted as well. Lack of real speed. The few runs he tried to make came to nothing as he was reeled in by one and sometimes two opponents.
Marriott 4 - a low mark because he wasn't really in the game. Not altogether his fault IMO. Got no ball in the positions he wants it in. Made runs but the ball went the other way. Came deep to try and get it and when he was given it, it came to nought. He has been widely criticised for a lack of shots and goals. If he's not given the ball where a striker ought to get it, he's not going to produce. Worked hard but to no avail.

Patience is a virtue. We fans need it in spades at the moment. There's a team in there somewhere. We just need it come together. With maybe one exception, yesterday's starting XI can all do better, individually, than they did. When that happens, the team will also improve.

[ramAnag]

We are too slow playing out from the back. Obvious for all to see. Some of the time it's a part of the tactics. Nothing wrong in it IMO. However, the rest of the time, it's partly down the the opposition pressing and harrying all over the park thereby not giving us a quick forward option and it's also down to our players being too static.

Reading always had an outlet. You can argue the toss as to whether it was down to them making runs into space or whether it was a (poor one IMO if it is) tactic we are employing in marking zonally as opposed to pressing and harrying players. Of one thin I am certain, we need far more movement from our forward players and by forward I mean all of them ahead of the man in possession.

We look like there is still 2 weeks of pre season to go. That's a worry.

Their first? How on earth did Joao manage to get 3 yards clear just 6 yards out? Why did we not have a man on the post? If we had, that would not have gone in. Having a man on the post at corners will save you at least half a dozen goals a season.

Their second? Great ball out from Cabral. Great control and an audacious backheel fron Joao and where was Wis when his man ran on to the pass and slotted it past Marshall who might have done better with that one. The ball seemed to go under him.

Us? 9 shots. Just the 2 on target. Both from Whittaker from outside the box.

I was not impressed.

Marshall 6 - forced into one very good save 1st half. Could have done better with their 2nd
Wis 5 - Ring rusty at best. It was his man who got their 2nd. He was nowhere near him.
Te Wierik 5 - Not the player I have seen in his time at Groningen. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and give him some time to adapt the the Championship. His biggest error when beaten out on our left he got back and harried the attacker into a mistake.
Clarke 7 - cool, calm, collected. Our best player IMO
Fozzy 5 - strangely for him I thought he was caught out of position too often. Lee B is still my preferred candidate for the LB role
Shinnie 4 - not at the races. I have voiced my doubts on him earlier, to the extent that in another thread I left him out of contention for a place in the squad. This performance was why.
Whittaker 6 - Attacked his man on a few occasions, ought to do somore often. He wasn't helped by, all too often, getting the ball with one, two and one time, three Reading players breathing down his neck. I'll repeat, why don't we do that to them? The lad had our only 2 shots on target.
Bird 5 - A shadow of last season's player. He misses forward runs by colleagues. He seems to have become very left footed over pre season and appears to totally ignore players in space down the right, preferring to put the ball left where it's very crowded and the man getting the pass is tightly marked.
Knight 5 - Works hard, you can't take that away from him but that was about it.
Sibley - 4 Showed his mental achilles heel with that yellow card. He was, IMO, frustrated at not being able to get into the game and lunged, hip high. Cut it out Sibs. Not his best game. Failed to make an impact. Didn't get into those pockets of space he exploited so well last season. His physical achilles heel was highlighted as well. Lack of real speed. The few runs he tried to make came to nothing as he was reeled in by one and sometimes two opponents.
Marriott 4 - a low mark because he wasn't really in the game. Not altogether his fault IMO. Got no ball in the positions he wants it in. Made runs but the ball went the other way. Came deep to try and get it and when he was given it, it came to nought. He has been widely criticised for a lack of shots and goals. If he's not given the ball where a striker ought to get it, he's not going to produce. Worked hard but to no avail.

Patience is a virtue. We fans need it in spades at the moment. There's a team in there somewhere. We just need it come together. With maybe one exception, yesterday's starting XI can all do better, individually, than they did. When that happens, the team will also improve.

I didn’t see it MA, but don’t you think the lack of a leader/puppet master is a huge - hopefully short term problem - at the moment?
Bird, Sibley and Knight haven’t suddenly become bad players but they haven’t had Rooney - or anyone else - pulling the strings so far this season.
Looking at yesterday’s team only Te Wierik and Marshall have real experience. One’s a newcomer and the other is a goalkeeper.
Making Bird captain seems probably a bridge too far...he wasn’t even a first choice in the squad a year ago.

This side will be a very different creature with Rooney, Bielik, Waghorn, Holmes and Lawrence back, but still leaves us looking for a mobile creative midfielder and a big strong forward. Unfortunately the reopened EFL case and the late closure of the ‘window’ - as far as possible Premiership loans are concerned - isn’t helping.

P.S. Huddlestone would have been useful yesterday...see no one’s ‘snapped him up’ since he down tooled in June. Funny that.

[AdiSalisbury]

I'd like to see Rooney played as a centre forward in games like yesterday, you never lose your strikers instinct, it'll worry opposition defences, and it might make the youngsters more confident to play it into the striker.

[mistaram]

One thing we always look is tired ffs, what do they do in training?

Bielsa has Leeds fit and stamina is never an issue for them, but with us we look sh*gged out after 30 minutes and none of them barely do any running

At last something we agree on ,we never look fit compared to other teams Lowe said last week he was astonished at how Sheff U train and I'm sure he has a point

[Manofpride]

I watched the match yesterday and thought that's as bad as it gets, awful. We just don't seem to be able to get the ball up front and every time the opponents have a set piece you know we have a problem. Just hoping with players coming back and a few newbies coming in things might change but this playing from the back doesn't seem to sit well with the players we have!

[Andy_Faber]

I watched the match yesterday and thought that's as bad as it gets, awful. We just don't seem to be able to get the ball up front and every time the opponents have a set piece you know we have a problem. Just hoping with players coming back and a few newbies coming in things might change but this playing from the back doesn't seem to sit well with the players we have!

...and worryingly there's only one fellah who doesn't seem to realise that, and he's the man in charge! Getting a feeling he's got an entrenched opinion on a style of play that just doesn't work a) with substandard players and b) in a blood and thunder league like the Champ

[mistaram]

I didn’t see it MA, but don’t you think the lack of a leader/puppet master is a huge - hopefully short term problem - at the moment?
Bird, Sibley and Knight haven’t suddenly become bad players but they haven’t had Rooney - or anyone else - pulling the strings so far this season.
Looking at yesterday’s team only Te Wierik and Marshall have real experience. One’s a newcomer and the other is a goalkeeper.
Making Bird captain seems probably a bridge too far...he wasn’t even a first choice in the squad a year ago.


This side will be a very different creature with Rooney, Bielik, Waghorn, Holmes and Lawrence back, but still leaves us looking for a mobile creative midfielder and a big strong forward. Unfortunately the reopened EFL case and the late closure of the ‘window’ - as far as possible Premiership loans are concerned - isn’t helping.

P.S. Huddlestone would have been useful yesterday...see no one’s ‘snapped him up’ since he down tooled in June. Funny that.

RA your spot on about lack of leaders ,We have nobody to shout and rollicking everybody ,just be the quietest team in football . We have a young captain still learning the game who wouldn't even raise his voice to his dog Nice lad but never be a leader He's never going to call the experience players out As for the signings it's the Derby way always takes us forever to sign anybody In not convinced the players you name will make much difference Rooney on his last legs now cost us goals towards the end of last season Bielic don't think we will see him before Xmas . Waghorn yes he will help ,but no pre-season ,also been told it's not a physical injury. Lawrence pass .

[MadAmster]

I didn’t see it MA, but don’t you think the lack of a leader/puppet master is a huge - hopefully short term problem - at the moment?
Bird, Sibley and Knight haven’t suddenly become bad players but they haven’t had Rooney - or anyone else - pulling the strings so far this season.
Looking at yesterday’s team only Te Wierik and Marshall have real experience. One’s a newcomer and the other is a goalkeeper.
Making Bird captain seems probably a bridge too far...he wasn’t even a first choice in the squad a year ago.

This side will be a very different creature with Rooney, Bielik, Waghorn, Holmes and Lawrence back, but still leaves us looking for a mobile creative midfielder and a big strong forward. Unfortunately the reopened EFL case and the late closure of the ‘window’ - as far as possible Premiership loans are concerned - isn’t helping.

P.S. Huddlestone would have been useful yesterday...see no one’s ‘snapped him up’ since he down tooled in June. Funny that.

We need someone to get players to move about. I was always taught, when not in possession, get in position. That means moving about to somewhere where you are in some space and available to receive the pass. Out lot aren't doing it. That, allied to the pressing the oppo gives us, and they all will now they've seen how well it works, is why the passes forward aren't happening. There is no safe outlet due to a combo of our lack of movement and their marking strategy.

Rooney? How often was he caught in possession when he came on? I'm afraid he isn't the answer he was 8 months ago.

[eddy779h34]

I didn’t see it MA, but don’t you think the lack of a leader/puppet master is a huge - hopefully short term problem - at the moment?
Bird, Sibley and Knight haven’t suddenly become bad players but they haven’t had Rooney - or anyone else - pulling the strings so far this season.
Looking at yesterday’s team only Te Wierik and Marshall have real experience. One’s a newcomer and the other is a goalkeeper.
Making Bird captain seems probably a bridge too far...he wasn’t even a first choice in the squad a year ago.

This side will be a very different creature with Rooney, Bielik, Waghorn, Holmes and Lawrence back, but still leaves us looking for a mobile creative midfielder and a big strong forward. Unfortunately the reopened EFL case and the late closure of the ‘window’ - as far as possible Premiership loans are concerned - isn’t helping.

P.S. Huddlestone would have been useful yesterday...see no one’s ‘snapped him up’ since he down tooled in June. Funny that.

Huddlestone would of been ideal yesterday instead of Shinnie , not the long term answer but I wonder if he would come back on a short term contract

[ramAnag]

Huddlestone would of been ideal yesterday instead of Shinnie , not the long term answer but I wonder if he would come back on a short term contract

Wouldn’t want him eddy. Yes he’d have been useful...but after making all of 12 appearances last season and then jumping ship as soon as possible suggests a complete lack of commitment and loyalty to me.
That’s why I’m not surprised no one has come in for him.