Matchday Thread: Derby v Charlton

[SithHappens]

So disappointing. Derby February strikes again.

[MadAmster]

What a strange 90 odd minutes. For half an hour we bossed the game. Won all the second balls, applied the press very successfully causing them to give up possession. Lots of nice passing combinations and some of the best "proper" football we've seen all season. Unfortunately, it led to nothing as our 1st shot was on 18 minutes from Nyambe out wide and about 30 yards from goal and went 4 yards wide of the near post. Our 2nd was another hit and hope by Smith from outside the box. Our only other attempt on goal in the first half was the corner from which Cash scored. Honesty demands that I add, if we'd had VAR, it would have been disallowed for Nelson's headlock on one of their defenders preventing him from jumping for the ball.

The last 15 of the first half, was pretty even, apart from the goal.

2nd half we never got going. They got all the 2nd balls, their press worked and we, as with them 1st half, failed to string 3 passes together. They started to play long balls into the channels to try to undo us with their speed which caused the backline to defend deeper, dragging the MF back and the front 4 as well. Despite their having taken control, as with us, 1st half, that dominance didn't turn into decent attempts on goal. Then JW had his rush of blood, should never have gone through with the challenge, defenders and MF's were getting back and the Charlton player was going away from goal. Silly challenge and a penalty all the way. Then JW made a 2nd mistake. All that stupid jumping up and down and left to right, far from putting the taker off, actually gives him an advantage, one he seems to have gladly taken. When utilising these antics, the keeper's feet are off the ground more often than they are on it. When they are off the floor he can move neither right no left. The little jumps tend to be at a constant frequency. Time your run so you strike the ball when the keeper's feet are off the ground and anywhere towards either post will go in with the keeper totally stranded. had the ball gone straight down the middle and he'd stopped it, it would have been retaken as JW was off his line too soon... that would have been a 3rd error.

Their 2nd goal, poor pass from Wilson to Adams who, therefore, couldn't control it and the ball fell to Aneke who ran on, decent pass to a colleague whose shot was well parried by JW but the rebound fell to Anderson who smashed it into the roof of the net.

We well and truly shot ourselves in the foot.

[swaledale]

Didn’t Paul Warne’s first home match as manager end in defeat against Port Vale last season? He’d better get it right on Saturday because we can’t afford to drop points for a third successive match.
Seems like this is turning into ‘same old…same old’ and sounds like one or two, not least the manager, need to get a grip.

Same old same old? How? In the last 6 games Derby ahve won 3 drawn 1 and lost 2 and are still 2nd in the league. So talk of a slump is premature, the defeat on Saturday was against a good Barnsley team and a narrow one. Last night was a poor result, but down to individual errors largely. If they lose the next one then yes it will be worrying.

The consolation is that teams like Bolton and Posh who spent money in January are faring no better.

[ramAnag]

‘Same old, same old. How?’
For years it seemed as if there was an annual January Derby collapse. Now, for the second year running we seem to have swapped to February.

The fact that Bolton and Posh are ‘faring no better’ having ‘spent money in January’ is of limited consolation. Let’s not kid ourselves, we’ve only remained in the automatic places because of the failings of others…and we have also spent - or committed money - too…£300k and wages for CBT and wages etc for Adams.

Fact is we were ultimately fortunate to take all the points from Stevenage and we’ve apparently - I saw neither match - been very poor since.
As you said, and I agreed, it needs sorting quickly…starting on Saturday against another outfit fighting for L1 survival. Thankfully February will be done so maybe there’ll be a change of fortune.

[MadAmster]

Fact is we were ultimately fortunate to take all the points from Stevenage and we’ve apparently - I saw neither match - been very poor since.

Barnsley were no better/worse than we were. A draw would have, IMO, been the right result.

Charlton. Read my match report. Not perfect but we showed we could play football in the first half without creating too many chances. As it was we created more chances than they did. Their 2 goals came from individual errors by Derby players. 1st half good, 2nd half chasing shadows and failing to counter their changes in shape and tactics.

Stevenage. Neither side was any good in the first half although they had 2 decent chances to our 1. 2nd half started slowly but we soon took the game to them and from then on, if anybody was going to score, it was Derby.

For whatever reason, we seem unable to play well for 90 minutes. However, in the games you mention, it was not all doom and gloom.

I saw the Stevenage game live at PP and the other 2, as per, live on RamsTV.

[ramAnag]

Sorry MA, I’m not being all ‘doom and gloom’ and I only know what I’ve been told about the Barnsley and Charlton performances.
What I’m saying is that we have to improve…and quickly. We’re still, somehow, near the top of (imo) a very poor league, but the excuses about ‘individual mistakes’, inability to perform for ninety minutes and playing football without creating chances are becoming tiresome.
As for our inability to ‘counter their changes in shape and tactics’…isn’t that the same as saying we were out thought and out managed in the second half?

[MadAmster]

Sorry MA, I’m not being all ‘doom and gloom’ and I only know what I’ve been told about the Barnsley and Charlton performances.
What I’m saying is that we have to improve…and quickly. We’re still, somehow, near the top of (imo) a very poor league, but the excuses about ‘individual mistakes’, inability to perform for ninety minutes and playing football without creating chances are becoming tiresome.
As for our inability to ‘counter their changes in shape and tactics’…isn’t that the same as saying we were out thought and out managed in the second half?

Playing NML through the middle has seen his effectiveness plummet and we aren't creating chances. He needs to be moved out wide again.

Tiresome? Without that poor pass from Wilson, they wouldn't have their 2nd. Without JWs poor judgment they wouldn't have had their first. Their only real chance was headed against the woodwork. Facts.

Fans? I'm starting to think they don't watch. All over social media today there are fans slating PW for playing a back 3 last night "just to give Bradley another start". I point out we had a RB, 2 CHs and a LB. One reply was it looked like a back 3 from where he was stood in the South Stand. I then asked which of Nyambe, Nelson, Bradley and Cashin were playing elsewhere than in a back 4? No reply.

[ramAnag]

Playing NML through the middle has seen his effectiveness plummet and we aren't creating chances. He needs to be moved out wide again.

Tiresome? Without that poor pass from Wilson, they wouldn't have their 2nd. Without JWs poor judgment they wouldn't have had their first. Their only real chance was headed against the woodwork. Facts.

Fans? I'm starting to think they don't watch. All over social media today there are fans slating PW for playing a back 3 last night "just to give Bradley another start". I point out we had a RB, 2 CHs and a LB. One reply was it looked like a back 3 from where he was stood in the South Stand. I then asked which of Nyambe, Nelson, Bradley and Cashin were playing elsewhere than in a back 4? No reply.

Agreed about NML.

The ‘tiresome’ comment was just about these careless mistakes - last night Wilson/Adams and Wildsmith - happening time and time again and the other regularly trundled out excuses.

Agree about certain fans, but I too am concerned by the personnel rather than the formation…we always, imo, look better with Nelson and Cashin as the CB pairing, so always Nyambe, Nelson, Cash and Elder/Sibley or Forsyth (asap) for me please.

[Andy_Faber]

Agreed about NML.

The ‘tiresome’ comment was just about these careless mistakes - last night Wilson/Adams and Wildsmith - happening time and time again and the other regularly trundled out excuses.

Agree about certain fans, but I too am concerned by the personnel rather than the formation…we always, imo, look better with Nelson and Cashin as the CB pairing, so always Nyambe, Nelson, Cash and Elder/Sibley or Forsyth (asap) for me please.

Amazing to say we are missing Forsyth but we are, we've also lost the ability to build safely from the back.

[swaledale]

‘Same old, same old. How?’
For years it seemed as if there was an annual January Derby collapse. Now, for the second year running we seem to have swapped to February.

The fact that Bolton and Posh are ‘faring no better’ having ‘spent money in January’ is of limited consolation. Let’s not kid ourselves, we’ve only remained in the automatic places because of the failings of others…and we have also spent - or committed money - too…£300k and wages for CBT and wages etc for Adams.

Fact is we were ultimately fortunate to take all the points from Stevenage and we’ve apparently - I saw neither match - been very poor since.
As you said, and I agreed, it needs sorting quickly…starting on Saturday against another outfit fighting for L1 survival. Thankfully February will be done so maybe there’ll be a change of fortune.

I'm still puzzled as to how you can describe a run of 6 games, in which Derby lost 2 as a slump in February? OK 10 from a possible 18 pts was less than one would have hoped for, but its still hardly a slump. Whether there has been a "slump" in performances in January for years or whether that is just a perception is open to question, one would have to compare results which I haven't done, but certainly to describe the loss of the final 2 games in this month as a slump is not accurate.

Also however we have played and against Barnsley the general view, with the exception of those who seem to expect fantasy football in this league, was that Derby played well and were unlucky to lose, and perhaps derby were "lucky" to beat Stevenage but in the end its the result that matters.

I accept its frustrating that we have not managed to consolidate the current position and that's 2 games where we have scored first and lost, which is rather concerning and something as you say that needs addressing and for that the coach and team can be justifiably criticised.

I mention Posh and Bolton purely to illustrate that 2 clubs not as financially constrained as Derby are doing no better, it gives Derby's performance context which its important to remember.

It is rather out of Warne's hands when players make errors such as Wildsmith did and whilst yes its valid to say that there appears to be an inability to change tactics or shape to break down teams, to be fair Warne has changed the way the team plays and personnel quite drastically in games and after all one can only use the players available within the squad.