Cobblers v Rams

[ramAnag]

Cobblers v the Cobblers.
So it's League one next season! ����

Waking up to the growing catalogue of injuries and the ridiculous suspension of the hapless Bradley - what a signing he’s been - it’s suddenly not looking good is it? Darkest before the dawn…or after being lucky against Reading and fortunate against Bolton have we just been found out? Let’s hope next Friday lives up to it’s name.

[swaledale]

Waking up to the growing catalogue of injuries and the ridiculous suspension of the hapless Bradley - what a signing he’s been - it’s suddenly not looking good is it? Darkest before the dawn…or after being lucky against Reading and fortunate against Bolton have we just been found out? Let’s hope next Friday lives up to it’s name.

I think its a little early for the wrist slashing to begin! Reading the match report, it seems Derby were a tad unlucky not get at least a draw, basically a tale of missed chances, hit the woodwork twice a shot cleared off the line and at least a couple of gilt edge chances missed. We have bemoaned the lack of a quality striker all season, but still have one of the highest goal differences.

Bradley's dismissal might be a blessing in disguise, it will force Warne to abandon playing 3 at the back, which despite the success that has been had with this formation IMO isn't Derby's most effective.

I don't think Derby are second on luck! But as we saw with The owls last season, inconsistency is common in teams that have been built on a low budget, though even Ipswich who spent £2 million plus last season, didn't exactly cement their promotion place until late on.

The injury list has been awful and not just because players with injury issues have been recruited, many of last seasons players are suffering.

One bright spark is CBT, who seems to be gaining fitness, Derby need him to step up now.

I remain optimistic but as I've said before it won't be straight forward but thats the Derby way.

[ramAnag]

I think its a little early for the wrist slashing to begin! Reading the match report, it seems Derby were a tad unlucky not get at least a draw, basically a tale of missed chances, hit the woodwork twice a shot cleared off the line and at least a couple of gilt edge chances missed. We have bemoaned the lack of a quality striker all season, but still have one of the highest goal differences.

Bradley's dismissal might be a blessing in disguise, it will force Warne to abandon playing 3 at the back, which despite the success that has been had with this formation IMO isn't Derby's most effective.

I don't think Derby are second on luck! But as we saw with The owls last season, inconsistency is common in teams that have been built on a low budget, though even Ipswich who spent £2 million plus last season, didn't exactly cement their promotion place until late on.

The injury list has been awful and not just because players with injury issues have been recruited, many of last seasons players are suffering.

One bright spark is CBT, who seems to be gaining fitness, Derby need him to step up now.

I remain optimistic but as I've said before it won't be straight forward but thats the Derby way.

Lol…no ‘wrist slashing’…just disappointment and the slight feeling of deja vu.

Agree about Bradley but the loss of Fozzy, who would normally do a much better job than Bradley and is infinitely more versatile, is a huge blow.

It’s seemed recently as if things were moving in our favour but we haven’t actually performed very well and fortune seems to be proving fickle again.

Friday will be massive…almost as big as the Bolton match…whether this squad can handle the pressure remains to be seen and yes, we certainly need CBT to step up now.

[Andy_Faber]

I think its a little early for the wrist slashing to begin! Reading the match report, it seems Derby were a tad unlucky not get at least a draw, basically a tale of missed chances, hit the woodwork twice a shot cleared off the line and at least a couple of gilt edge chances missed. We have bemoaned the lack of a quality striker all season, but still have one of the highest goal differences.

Bradley's dismissal might be a blessing in disguise, it will force Warne to abandon playing 3 at the back, which despite the success that has been had with this formation IMO isn't Derby's most effective.

I don't think Derby are second on luck! But as we saw with The owls last season, inconsistency is common in teams that have been built on a low budget, though even Ipswich who spent £2 million plus last season, didn't exactly cement their promotion place until late on.

The injury list has been awful and not just because players with injury issues have been recruited, many of last seasons players are suffering.

One bright spark is CBT, who seems to be gaining fitness, Derby need him to step up now.

I remain optimistic but as I've said before it won't be straight forward but thats the Derby way.

Agree there’s no need to panic but the performance was much worse than the pure stats re shots etc reveal. If we’d played well and lost fair enough but god we were awful

The one bright point is hopefully Bradley is out for 3, I don’t rate him at all and his poor touch almost cost us in a first-match style again yesterday. Nelson and Cashin is plenty of centre halves on the pitch thank you

CBT only reached mediocre yesterday but there again that was par for the course

[swaledale]

Agree there’s no need to panic but the performance was much worse than the pure stats re shots etc reveal. If we’d played well and lost fair enough but god we were awful

The one bright point is hopefully Bradley is out for 3, I don’t rate him at all and his poor touch almost cost us in a first-match style again yesterday. Nelson and Cashin is plenty of centre halves on the pitch thank you

CBT only reached mediocre yesterday but there again that was par for the course

To be fair AF you have described most performances as below par, you've seen more games than I have first hand, I've seen 7 and wouldn't describe any of the football as scintillating, but its about what I expect at this level and with the players we have, which though better than most in L1 are still lets not forget a bunch of free transfers.

RA is just one defeat away from slashing his wrists and continues to harbour doubts about both Warne's coaching, tactics and player recruitment. Yet Derby remain for now in 2nd place and the league table doesn't lie.

I read online that Rotherham fans were saying they wouldn't want Warne back, yet they are seem destined for L1 without him. For me its horses for courses and at this level Warne fits the bill.

[ramAnag]

RA is just one defeat away from slashing his wrists and continues to harbour doubts about both Warne's coaching, tactics and player recruitment. Yet Derby remain for now in 2nd place and the league table doesn't lie.

I read online that Rotherham fans were saying they wouldn't want Warne back, yet they are seem destined for L1 without him. For me its horses for courses and at this level Warne fits the bill.

No I’m not…it’s football…not real life.

But yes I do…it won’t be the ‘end of the world’ for me if Derby don’t go up but, on a football level, I do ‘harbour doubts about Warne’s tactics and player recruitment’. Further more you said, back in October I think, that you had reservations about Warne as a Championship manager.

You seem to be reiterating that by saying ‘at this level Warne fits the bill’ and Rotherham fans were always destined for L1 WITH him. Yes he took them up but the only time they stayed up was without him.

[swaledale]

No I’m not…it’s football…not real life.

But yes I do…it won’t be the ‘end of the world’ for me if Derby don’t go up but, on a football level, I do ‘harbour doubts about Warne’s tactics and player recruitment’. Further more you said, back in October I think, that you had reservations about Warne as a Championship manager.

You seem to be reiterating that by saying ‘at this level Warne fits the bill’ and Rotherham fans were always destined for L1 WITH him. Yes he took them up but the only time they stayed up was without him.

I was being a little tongue in cheek, though your posts do get a wee bit pessimistic whenever we lose and despite where we are, as I said, I sense your not convinced by Warne.

Indeed I do wonder about his credentials as a championship manager, partly because he has no track record as such, though in mitigation Rotherham have rarely had the resources to make a decent fist of it. Also the season they stayed up they were 8th when he left for us and it was his team that he had recruited, all on free transfers or loans, so by the logic you used re Rosenior he takes some of the credit. I just find it funny that Rotherham fans expect somehow that any manager would do better on the resources they have available and they are certainly heading for L1 at the moment.

Back in October I also said I was confident he'd get us top 6 at least by the end of the season, which after all was the reason he was recruited as Derby manager.

Hopefully we shall see next season whether he has got what it takes with a little more funds available.

[ramAnag]

I was being a little tongue in cheek, though your posts do get a wee bit pessimistic whenever we lose and despite where we are, as I said, I sense your not convinced by Warne.

Indeed I do wonder about his credentials as a championship manager, partly because he has no track record as such, though in mitigation Rotherham have rarely had the resources to make a decent fist of it. Also the season they stayed up they were 8th when he left for us and it was his team that he had recruited, all on free transfers or loans, so by the logic you used re Rosenior he takes some of the credit. I just find it funny that Rotherham fans expect somehow that any manager would do better on the resources they have available and they are certainly heading for L1 at the moment.

Back in October I also said I was confident he'd get us top 6 at least by the end of the season, which after all was the reason he was recruited as Derby manager.

Hopefully we shall see next season whether he has got what it takes with a little more funds available.

Tbf…it’s not just ‘whenever we lose’. My ‘wee bit’ of pessimism isn’t based on results alone…it’s based on the nature of the performance which in the last three matches - none of which I’ve seen - appears to have been, respectively, lucky, fortunate and shockingly poor…and our current injury situation which is partly horribly unlucky (Gayle, Fozzy and now NML) and partly very predictable (Washington, Waghorn and JJ)…imo.

I do have reservations about Warne, and not just at Championship level. Now however is not the time to voice them and I have never been someone who shouts negative comments at players or the management team from the stands, least of all when there remains everything to play for. Getting us in the top 6 isn’t though the ‘reason he was recruited as Derby manager’ imo. Getting us UP is the reason, and repeatedly stated aim, and he has been (relatively) heavily financially backed this season to achieve that.

The time to judge is at the end of the season. My feelings at the moment are that I have found some of the formations and selections very puzzling and the signings very ‘hit and miss’. I’m not sure Warne has been as deprived of resources as you make out - who else at this level could have added Adams and Gayle not to mention the £300k plus for CBT at the mid way point - but, despite the continued roller coaster of disappointment you are right to point out that we remain 2nd and are virtually nailed on for the play offs at least…so all still to play for.

[Andy_Faber]

To be fair AF you have described most performances as below par, you've seen more games than I have first hand, I've seen 7 and wouldn't describe any of the football as scintillating, but its about what I expect at this level and with the players we have, which though better than most in L1 are still lets not forget a bunch of free transfers.

RA is just one defeat away from slashing his wrists and continues to harbour doubts about both Warne's coaching, tactics and player recruitment. Yet Derby remain for now in 2nd place and the league table doesn't lie.

I read online that Rotherham fans were saying they wouldn't want Warne back, yet they are seem destined for L1 without him. For me its horses for courses and at this level Warne fits the bill.

My below par is in comparison to last year, skewed I will admit by the performance of one player having his best ever season

I didn’t actually mention Warne, I personally don’t warm to him but if he gets us promotion that will be irrelevant. His recruits have taken longer than most of us expected (and maybe him to) to have impact, CBT being a mystery and Bradley just a bad choice, both purely imo

But I’m not panicking (yet)