Matchday Thread: Derby v. Middlesborough

[Andy_Faber]

Was Wednesday the start of our march to world domination, a false dawn or 'just another game'? Will we revert to type against a team we've had mixed fortunes against over the years? Only time will tell. In the mean time what are your guesses, inside info and matchday intentions?

Me? **** knows, none and Radio Derby via Rams TV feed due to distance from home

Anyone?

[MadAmster]

#RamsTV video. I confidently predict a very "warm welcome" for Gibson if he has he cojones to show up.

Like us, they have a win, a draw and a defeat thus far. Same GD as well. Goals are 5/5 them and 3/3 us. This reeks of a 1-1 draw to me but I'll wait and see who we select.

As for selection, what will Rooney do with Loz? If he's fit to start he will start as he's Captain. However, none of the "front 4" deserve to be dropped to accommodate him. Unless he drops one of Bird/Shinnie to play Ravel as a DM. Having said that, Bird was excellent against Hull and Shinnie is the more "robust" of the DM pairing so Bird out would be more logical and Bird should not be dropped. Byrne is safe as the 2 other right backs are injured.

Never change a winning team? Sounds good but since the Hull game, those who played will have 2 light training days and Buchanan looked a little laboured. Will he have benefitted from 2 days light work or would he be better off on the bench?

[ramAnag]

Was Wednesday the start of our march to world domination, a false dawn or 'just another game'? Will we revert to type against a team we've had mixed fortunes against over the years? Only time will tell. In the mean time what are your guesses, inside info and matchday intentions?

Me? **** knows, none and Radio Derby via Rams TV feed due to distance from home

Anyone?

Of all the sides in the Championship to continue our resurgence (perhaps too strong a word) against, I’d choose Boro’...be lovely to beat them well.
With five scored in three and five conceded they obviously pose a threat but should be defensively vulnerable too.
With a little bit of luck, i.e. without minutes 90-100 last Saturday, we’d have been sitting pretty on seven points. Equally we could blow it tomorrow and be back to being just a point ahead of PNE and Forest.
The table doesn’t really matter for a while, but at least we should be able to take some much needed confidence into tomorrow’s match and it’s a while since we could say that.
2-2.

[Geoff Parkstone]

"Resurgence" LOL. We sneaked a narrow win against a newly promoted side who had had their arses well and truly kicked in their previous game. Before that we collected 1 from 6 against another newly promoted team and a fellow relegation candidate. Lets not get carried away!

We haven't really played "anyone any good" yet, and I don't think Middlesbro are likely to qualify as that either, so we have a chance, but experience has shown that we often flatter to deceive. It was refreshing to see less of the crab sideways and back style of play against Hull, but my innate pessimism about a young inexperienced side led by a young inexperienced manager up against a mature and gnarled manager with all the style and panache of a dumptruck will prove sadly justified.

[ramAnag]

"Resurgence" LOL. We sneaked a narrow win against a newly promoted side who had had their arses well and truly kicked in their previous game. Before that we collected 1 from 6 against another newly promoted team and a fellow relegation candidate. Lets not get carried away!

We haven't really played "anyone any good" yet, and I don't think Middlesbro are likely to qualify as that either, so we have a chance, but experience has shown that we often flatter to deceive. It was refreshing to see less of the crab sideways and back style of play against Hull, but my innate pessimism about a young inexperienced side led by a young inexperienced manager up against a mature and gnarled manager with all the style and panache of a dumptruck will prove sadly justified.

As I said, ‘perhaps too strong a word’...but P4 W2 D1 L1 is at least some sort of recovery given the results at the end of last season and the chaotic summer we’ve had.
It’s a better start than many of us, including you and I, might have hoped for.
Agree entirely with your comments about us ‘flattering to deceive’ and it being ‘the hope that gets you’ but, coming from someone known for their political optimism in the face of far greater adversity, your DCFC perspective does seem a tad pessimistic.

[macstheman]

Whenever the green shoots of something better rise up from the ashes of despair it seems that a swarm of locusts suddenly appear over the horizon! I reckon it'll be a while before pessimism can be consigned to history!
Having said perhaps a sneaky win might just raise the spirits a little bit more!

[Rich2462]

Probably a 1-1……. To be fair I’d take that at the moment!

Need to keep picking up a point a game until Christmas and then hopefully have new investors in place to assist in the transfer window.

[MadAmster]

Probably a 1-1……. To be fair I’d take that at the moment!

Need to keep picking up a point a game until Christmas and then hopefully have new investors in place to assist in the transfer window.

My take as well. Our current rate of 4 points every 3 games would see us just over 60 come May. Allowing for a 12 point deduction, we'd have 48 and ought to stay up with that many points.

[MadAmster]

Selection:

Roos; Byrne, Jagielka, Davies, Forsyth; Bird, Shinnie; Sibley, Morrison, Jozwiak; Baldock.
Subs: Allsop (gk); Stearman, Buchanan, Stretton, Watson, Hutchinson, Williams

Just Fozzy in for Lee B which isn't a shock as Lee looked leggy and off the pace at Hull. More work at MF and some late cameo minutes are what he needs rather than a start at the moment.

[MadAmster]

If I was a neutral, that would have been a good match. As a Rams fan I found it an enjoyable game of two very different halves.

We could/should have been out of sight at Half Time. Free kick and a shot from Bird and a shot by Baldock could easily have seen us 3 up at the break. One half hearted attempt aside, they weren't in the game.

2nd half they had the upper hand and apart from one very good save from a Sibs shot their keeper wasn't troubled. As Wayne and others have said, last season we'd have lost this. That gives me some heart for this season.

Yet again we had a poor ref. In the first half you could be forgiven for wondering if he wasn't on Boro's books. Less biased 2nd half but still nowhere near in danger of being called a homer. The Jags tackle? He went full blooded for the ball, played the ball and there was no way he could pull out. Never the red Colin W wanted.

Roos was good, distribution improved but can get better
Byrne and Fozzy were adequate
Jags and Davies were towers
Bird was again excellent
Shinnie was Shinnie again
Sibs and Joz were class first half but tailed off in the 2nd
Ravel good
Baldock good