Matchday Thread: Owls v Rams

[ramAnag]

I think you might be being a bit kind to JWZ on this occasion, MA. I’ll bow to your greater wisdom on the basis that you were a ‘keeper, but imo he’d gone walk about and wasn’t alert enough. Yes, the chance was brilliantly taken but, again imo, any keeper who gets beaten from that range is likely to be at fault. Hope he learns from it because the opposition certainly will have.

Agree with your list of possible exits. Washington must be really poor in training to not even get a look in given our shortage up front. Would you add Bradley to the list? I never understand why our 4th choice CB gets given the armband and imo he and CBT have been as disappointing as Nelson and Adams have been outstanding.

On the subject of CBT, as you say, he wasn’t fit when he arrived. Begs the question why, given our paucity of resources at the time, we decided to spend on him at all? I’ve never seen him as a player who looks happy to be at Derby and that as to be a concern. Shows occasional flashes but looks largely disinterested and that’s not what we’ll need in the coming months.

[Andy_Faber]

Agreeing with most of both your posts MA, two of their goals were high class

[MadAmster]

I think you might be being a bit kind to JWZ on this occasion, MA. I’ll bow to your greater wisdom on the basis that you were a ‘keeper, but imo he’d gone walk about and wasn’t alert enough. Yes, the chance was brilliantly taken but, again imo, any keeper who gets beaten from that range is likely to be at fault. Hope he learns from it because the opposition certainly will have.

Not only played keeper, I also coached them for years. Qualified coach at that. If you look at play in any pro game these days, when a team is in and around the opposition's penalty area, you'll find the keeper either around the edge of his box or outside it. Some venture as far as 10 yards from the centre line. It's what they're told to do. On Radio Derby a caller was slating JWZ for being just outside his area. Eric Steele, damned good keeper and coach, said that JWZ was exactly where he'd expect him to be. Coaches have come to the conclusion that coming out of the box costs fewer goals against than staying in the box as they can better intercept long balls.

It's one of those things, much like having all 11 players back at corners and free kicks, that fans don't like but coaches insist on as stats show it's the safest policy.

We may not agree with it but watch games at the top level in England, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Germany etc and you'll see keepers halfway up the pitch and boxes full at corners and free kicks. If it wasn't "economical" they wouldn't all be doing it.

JWZ won't have been there on a whim. He'll have been there because he's been told to be there.

[Ramshank72]

Anywhere but the top corner and he saves it anyway, it was a hell of a strike