Matchday Thread: Bolton v Derby

[Andy_Faber]

You can make me out to be ‘concerned’, ‘pessimistic’ or on a ‘crusade’ if you think it helps. None of it’s true other than an element of ‘concern’ which I’d imagine most Derby fans share. The rest is in your head. All I’m wondering is whether our less effective defensive displays at this stage of the season are the result of the change in formation or personnel.

It may be semantics but 'disappointed' and 'frustrated' fit my mood. This time last year I was overjoyed that firstly we had a club and secondly the team that had been thrown together had some sort of cohesion, reflected in some 'ok' displays and some 'ok' results. We also has a manager it was easy to like albeit his earnest communication hadn't been tested in much on-field adversity. I didn't especially like the ponderous method of building up attacks but that aside I was somewhere between satisfied and elated with our situation. The disappointment and frustration arises because currently the underlying displays (forgetting the results) are worse (IMO significantly worse) in terms of both team cohesion and individual performance than last year, and the manager doesn't seem to be as bothered about it as the typical Rams fan. My 'concern' medium/long term is that PW was recruited based on a CV built on him having 'struck lucky' with his two promotions. I recall (not on here, on fb) a number of rotherham fans alluding to the fact that he was a bit clueless in turning a losing record round, based on Rotherham's two relegations and now reinforced by Derby's late season nosedive. IMO the jury is still out on his ability to do the biz and I'll happily eat humble pie on his ability if things come good (although I doubt I'll ever warm to him)