Matchday Thread: Rams v Posh 1/1/24

[ramAnag]

The OTT bit was about signing players in the Transfer window being vytal to our continued progress. I don't think it is, it wouldn't be an issue If we can get in some that add to the team, but I feel your over emphasising this point.

I don't have a bee in my bonnet about financial restrictions, I'm merely echoing what the situation is in January and what Warne and others have said. Its a difficult window and one can end up over paying for players if not careful. Derby aren't in a position to spend over the odds, nor would I want them to, thats what led to our downfall last time.

I don't disagree about Posh's squad, but one fact is overlooked, Posh weren't in administration 18 months ago, they didn't have their academy gutted to keep the club afloat and have had more time to scout and sign players they can develop, all things Derby had to restart. Indeed we have signed some promising youngsters, but it takes time to develop them into players that can slot into the first team, not sure Derby fans are that patient, Posh fans expect their team to be bobbing back and forth between this league and the championship, they survive by finding cheap gems, developing them and then selling them on and they have been doing it for years.

Yesterday, the team were off their game just as much as they were on it against Oxford, it happens I anticipated a dip, a game where our luck would run out, it happened yesterday. I'm not disputing the fact that yesterday we were 2nd best and the better team won, indeed that was my comment in my first post.

Does that necessarily point to we need new signings? Well yes if we can get some quality, but its unrealistic to think we will be signing a L2 player who will take L1 by storm in the second half of the season. I'm hopeful that we can possibly get a couple of good quality loans in and maybe sign a good player permanently.

Again we largely agree, but Posh’s ability to find ‘gems’ from Scotland/lower leagues is something we would do well to emulate and haven’t done for many years.

You said earlier we need two or three additions and have referred to the need to strengthen up front and in midfield. We agree! I have never ever mentioned spending more than we can afford, but Warne himself has said he made a mistake last year by only adding a couple of lightweights and thinking he’d already got enough. He hadn’t and if the indicators from yesterday are anything to go by we have to see that tired performance as a warning if we are to avoid the risk of deja vu.

P.S. Our luck didn’t ‘run out’ yesterday. In fact we were actually lucky to still be in touch by HT imo. Neither was it down to the referee or other misfortune. We were just, on the day, up against a fitter, better organised team.