Matchday Thread: Bolton v Derby

[swaledale]

I’m sorry if the way I ‘phrase my concerns’ offends you, Swale, but ‘handwringing pessimism’? Really? I don’t think so.

This is, first and foremost, a DCFC football forum and, for the sake of perspective, it seems reasonable to make the following points and ask specific questions.
Last season’s relative ‘success’ was built on two things...McGoldrick’s goals and having, I think, the fourth best defence in the league, better than the eventual Champions if memory serves.
The former has obviously gone but the personnel from that defence - Wildsmith, Smith, Forsyth, Cashin and Sibley (when fit) - largely remain, albeit deployed in different positions and a different formation.
For some reason our defensive performances this season appear much less effective and I’m just asking if that’s down to formation or something else? I’d even be interested in your response which would make a pleasant change from you going on about Ipswich and Sunderland and making me out to be some sort of ‘handwringing’ doom monger.

For the record...I have never suggested Rosenior was better than Warne...have never implied that we’re heading for relegation and I remain optimistic about our long term future. I do however share the disappointment of others on here at the inconsistency we have shown, not just at the beginning of this season, but over the last five consecutive (footballing) months.

If after a defeat you immediately post a down beat critique of the game and the team, with no reference to the two key, factors that influenced the result, including questioning the defence, the formation and a comparison with the situation last season thats hand wringing in most people's assessments I'd say.

Its precisely because its a football forum that we are having this debate, your stating the bleeding obvious there rA! Or once you have posted your opinion, do you not expect to get a response and is any response supposed to agree with your sentiments?

Not really sure what the relevance of either the last 5 footballing months has with where we are today. Its a new season, and we have new team members many factors affect games, not least injuries, refs decisions, player form etc. etc.

You may not have suggested outright that Rosenior was better than Warne, but you certainly implied that the evidence suggested we'd have been better off sticking with the former and its a theme that reoccurs, as in comparing where we are now to this time last season.

Smith and Sibley the defence? last time I looked they were midfielders, but I guess I'm focussing on details here, as in Cashin wasn't playing either for reasons which were explained.

So looking at the facts, we had a changed defence due to injuries and the Cashin situation, within 15 mins, Rooney was injured, forcing a change and then Wildsmith was sent off, wrongly I thought at the time (see previous post) which has since been confirmed as Derby have won their appeal against the red card and we lost 1-2 away to one of the leagues stronger sides and the winning goal was an unfortunate deflection.

On that basis your questioning our defensive strength, the formation and Warne's tactics?

Had none of those factors been in play and we had lost 0-2 or worse, I'd see your point, as it is I don't think you have one. For the Bolton game at least Warne has plenty of mitigating factors.

Yes I agree we are more inconsistent since this time last season, but so what? Everything is different, which is why I pointed to Newcastle who having spent millions are having a poor start to their campaign.

The reason I keep mentioning Sunderland and Ipswich is because of how long it took those teams to get out of this division without being subject to EFL financial restrictions. You seem to think Derby should automatically be challenging for promotion and if they aren't its down purely to the manager