Bristol away

[ramAnag]

Think it’s all a bit ‘academic’, Rob...until the take over is sorted.
If a rich owner comes in I’d have thought it was unlikely he’d want a ‘rookie’ manager regardless of playing pedigree.
If the owner is not as wealthy as we’ve been led to believe I doubt Benitez would be interested, in which case Rooney plus a.n.other (Allardyce, McClaren, Phelan?) seems more likely imo.
Got a lot of time for Wassall, but I suspect a) he doesn’t want it b) he’s never been in the running if there actually is a big money takeover.

[Andy_Faber]

Is the lack of comment since the game a sign of how depressed we are about that bag of crap? One good thing to come out of it was that the four coaching musketeers showed they have no more clue than Cocu did, and Rooney can't possibly inspire when he plays so sloppily, so on both counts he/they won't be our new manager if the new owners have any sense. We MUST get someone who can root out the dross put a rocket under those remaining.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Hopefully it was so turgid as to lower your heart rate a bit, so the game served up some value

[AdiSalisbury]

Yes, we all just need to accept that our current coaching team are substandard, nothing will change unless we bring someone new in, with their own team.

Rosenior is a rabbit in the headlights, nice guy but not up to it.
Rooney needs a career change, he's not good enough for Derby County as a player let alone manager, reminds me of Eddie Lewis.

[Andy_Faber]

Yes, we all just need to accept that our current coaching team are substandard, nothing will change unless we bring someone new in, with their own team.

Rosenior is a rabbit in the headlights, nice guy but not up to it.
Rooney needs a career change, he's not good enough for Derby County as a player let alone manager, reminds me of Eddie Lewis.

Was it you that suggested watching the press conference from in the week? Rosenior reminded me of everything I hated about consultants when I worked in industry, just talked bland faux motivational *******s, and Rooney is barely able to put a sentence together, on top of which not one single thing they said manifested itself on the pitch today.

Paraphrasing a popular comments, I'm afraid they haven't found the dressing room

[AdiSalisbury]

Was it you that suggested watching the press conference from in the week? Rosenior reminded me of everything I hated about consultants when I worked in industry, just talked bland faux motivational *******s, and Rooney is barely able to put a sentence together, on top of which not one single thing they said manifested itself on the pitch today.

Paraphrasing a popular comments, I'm afraid they haven't found the dressing room

Yep. They have cured insomnia though!

[Andy_Faber]

Hopefully it was so turgid as to lower your heart rate a bit, so the game served up some value

like when marshall decided he was a footballer again?

[MadAmster]

There was less of the aimless passing between the defence and between the midfield and the defence, previously a first choice move but most of it against Brizzle was forced by their pressing game. Criticism of Holmes' passing could be levelled at quite a few of his team mates. Wis was as solid as Davies has been but he has the added bonus of being able to pass between the lines to someone in space. There was more moving forwards with what looked like to be some kind of purpose and there was improvement in that compared to recent weeks. We were about as toothless in the final third as we have been all season. Witness 63% possession yet we only outscored them on shots 13 - 11 and they managed 3 on target to our measly 2.

One thing that occurred to me in the game was that we didn't (or I must have blinked and missed it) make use of the Holmes long throw but, then again, we don't really have big guys up top to take advantage of it...... When we do get in or around their box we are simply not making the right choices. How many crosses did we put through the middle of the 6 yard box only to find that there was nobody there? Where is the striker who gambles on that? Yesterday he was wearing red.....

Of those out there on the park yesterday, there were a couple who, IMO, didn't do enough to warrant keeping the shirt. Top of my list would be Holmes and Lawrence with Waggy a close third. I also felt sorry for Knight and Shinnie. They've been rocks in central midfield and have put in performances seeing them in the top 3 or 4 each week when it comes to plumping for your MOTM. Shinnie on the bench and Knight wide right.

Of those not on the park, Jozwiak picked up a knock, well several knocks, in the Holland - Poland game where he was given special attention and was left on the ground a dozen or more times following what I can best describe as some "heavy challenges". In Casual Lad terms, he got a right good kicking. Bielik not even on the bench. Idem ditto Kazim, when he came I doubted the wisdom of it but, in the few minutes he's had out there, he has seemed to have a good understanding with Waggy and, to people of my age, strikers hunt in pairs.....

Might we have had 2 penalties late on? To my mind, another day, another ref, Stroud is not a ref you could call pro Derby IMO, and we may well have. I thought Jamahl was clever getting his body between defender and ball and he was pushed, which I believe was his intention. Could he have stayed on his feet? Maybe, maybe not but anywhere else on the pitch and he would have got the foul. Shortly after, Clarke was felled in the box, that was, IMO, even more of a penalty than Jamahl's but this one was also not given. Looks like the 4 horsemen are having about as much luck as their predecessors did.

I saw quite a few runs into space ignored by the midfield who, true to form, then chose to go the other way. Less poor decisions than we are used to but still a facet that needs improving.

One possible light on the horizon is that Ibe has been joining in, ever increasingly, with the first team squad training and he joins them full time starting tomorrow (Monday).

I thought we played reasonably well up to the final third and then it just fell apart. Their goal? We were done on the counter, again. As a team we are still not where we should be in terms of play and the final third remains a big worry. If fit enough, I'd ike to see Joz and Ibe with Jamahl in the middle. Rest Lawro and Waggy. Put Knight in MF in place of Holmes. I'd keep the rest of the side as it was.

[ramAnag]

Cheers MA...I didn’t see it but thanks for the objective and informed report.
One thing that seems puzzling from the match is the ‘penalty’ incident. Seems the ref booked Paterson for fouling Holmes and gave a corner.
Just can’t understand that outcome, any clarification?
Also, according to the DT, Bielik played 80 minutes behind closed doors on Friday afternoon. In a team as ‘lightweight’ as ours it seems strange to have ruled out his physical presence from even the last quarter of the game by doing that. Muddled managerial thinking?
I can’t for the life of me understand dropping Shinnie and not having the option of CKR...I know he may not have been the most inspiring of signings but he does add strength and a bit of guile when he comes on against tiring defences from what I’ve seen of his brief appearances to date.
You don’t mention Bird or Rooney by name. Again, just imo, Bird has had a dreadful season...showed great promise last season, made captain - much too young and inexperienced - and then completely lost form and his place as the team struggled. Now he’s suddenly back but did he perform or has he just been selected by Rooney to be his ‘legs’?

[MadAmster]

You don’t mention Bird or Rooney by name. Again, just imo, Bird has had a dreadful season...showed great promise last season, made captain - much too young and inexperienced - and then completely lost form and his place as the team struggled. Now he’s suddenly back but did he perform or has he just been selected by Rooney to be his ‘legs’?

Still crap in the final third but better up to that point.

Rooney. Put in some very good passes and there was none of thes serial being caught in possession he has been guilty of this season.
Bird had a good game. Ignored far less decent runs by forward players and played the ball both ways rather than 95% to the left as he has been guilty of earlier in the season.

Of the subs Whittaker (72 minutes) again was busy and put balls in the right area, just no striker gambling on it.
Sibley (81st minute) didn't really get into the game but did nothing wrong either.
JHI (88th minute) got to a ball in the 6 yard box, put his body between ball and man, push in the back, he went down, nothing given but it was Keith Stroud........ he doesn't have a history of being generous in our direction.

For Wednesday against the Smoggies, Id keep the back 5 as is, JHI in for Waggy (or Kazim in?), Joz in for Lawro is he's recovered from his Dutch kicking, move Knight into MF in place of Holmes and bring Ibe in if deemed fit enough for 90 minutes.

Looking at how the side