Ram it up 'em?! - Derby (A) 11/3/14

[Lost Leopard Spot]

We went. We saw. We didn't conquer.
It was drear, turgid stuff. The number of times we didn't close down was beyond counting. We had no thrust. From five minutes in it was obvious the game plan was absorption, and we were f*cking lucky that Derby didn't score - they had one where it was harder not to score with yards of wide open net and Boggers on his arse, but for the feeble shot placed directly into Boggers hands that actually transpired!
Why the bejabbering buggery didn't we have a go? Are we in such danger of relegation that that one point will save us?

[coffeymagic]

Seems like Dougie's recent Manager of the Month award winning performances have back fired on him.

If we were losing every game then we'd have been happy with a point but because we're now the new Barcelona it's suddenly a disappointing result.

We've got to be realistic here.

From the snippets on 5Live it sounded like we created a couple of chances and could have snatched it but so could Derby.

So 0-0 then.

Freedman earns himself a couple of days extra.

[BWFC_Insane]

No other fit strikers. Juke gets injured after 5 mins, I'd rather have an ill Mason than no one.

A redhoocliossly short-term view. I don't believe that he's ill at all.

It is a bit hobohesque just picking and choosing what you believe.....

I see absolutely no reason for Freedman to lie. The result was decent. He didn't need to cover up anything. And he's always been upfront when explaining team selections even if at times it has been to his detriment.

[Bruce Rioja]

No other fit strikers. Juke gets injured after 5 mins, I'd rather have an ill Mason than no one.

A redhoocliossly short-term view. I don't believe that he's ill at all.

It is a bit hobohesque just picking and choosing what you believe.....

I see absolutely no reason for Freedman to lie. The result was decent. He didn't need to cover up anything. And he's always been upfront when explaining team selections even if at times it has been to his detriment.

How fecking dare you?

Seriously though, if a player's ill then he's ill. If he isn't fit to play then he isn't fit to be on the bench either. Something doesn't stack up here.

[BWFC_Insane]

No other fit strikers. Juke gets injured after 5 mins, I'd rather have an ill Mason than no one.

A redhoocliossly short-term view. I don't believe that he's ill at all.

It is a bit hobohesque just picking and choosing what you believe.....

I see absolutely no reason for Freedman to lie. The result was decent. He didn't need to cover up anything. And he's always been upfront when explaining team selections even if at times it has been to his detriment.

How fecking dare you?

Seriously though, if a player's ill then he's ill. If he isn't fit to play then he isn't fit to be on the bench either. Something doesn't stack up here.

Not really...he might have been under the weather, but fit enough to play should we be desperate, and we don't have another fit striker to put on the bench....

It isn't like partially fit players being on the bench never happens in football. There isn't a finite black and white decision always. A player might be perfectly fit to run and around and play but ideally you want them to not have to do so as their energy levels are low with a cold or whatever.

[Prufrock]

No other fit strikers. Juke gets injured after 5 mins, I'd rather have an ill Mason than no one.

A redhoocliossly short-term view. I don't believe that he's ill at all.

It is a bit hobohesque just picking and choosing what you believe.....

I see absolutely no reason for Freedman to lie. The result was decent. He didn't need to cover up anything. And he's always been upfront when explaining team selections even if at times it has been to his detriment.

How fecking dare you?

Seriously though, if a player's ill then he's ill. If he isn't fit to play then he isn't fit to be on the bench either. Something doesn't stack up here.

Really? You can't accept it's possible someone is 'a bit' ill. That there is somewhere between f*cked in bed, and 100% right that means the manager might not want to risk you but decide you're ok to play if he has no other options?

That that is not only 'not probable', but so unlikely that the manager must be lying when he says that that is what happened?

I can get 'It's not what I would have done, I wouldn't risk a partially fit player' but not 'he must be lying, no-one could risk a partially fit player'. It's hardly a new idea.

[TANGODANCER]

Beckford was declared fit and raring to go in B.N on Monday? What happened there? Is he a bit of a marshmallow man or what?

[Gary the Enfield]

What has LLS done to Dan? Not a word since the pub.

Maybe he's sleeping with the (silver)fishes?

[Bruce Rioja]

What has LLS done to Dan? Not a word since the pub.

Maybe he's sleeping with the (silver)fishes?

Maybe Dan decided to share his opinion as to Derby's worth with one or two of the locals whilst fuelled on fizzy Coke, running around and bumping into stuff?!

[Lost Leopard Spot]

What has LLS done to Dan? Not a word since the pub.

Maybe he's sleeping with the (silver)fishes?

berded serial killer slays youth. Torso found in wheelie bin, police appeal for witnesses.

[Gary the Enfield]

What has LLS done to Dan? Not a word since the pub.

Maybe he's sleeping with the (silver)fishes?

berded serial killer slays youth. Torso found in wheelie bin, police appeal for witnesses.

I also noted that you refused to indulge in a 'selfie' with the (alleged) victim too. Hmmmm........

[Lost Leopard Spot]

What has LLS done to Dan? Not a word since the pub.

Maybe he's sleeping with the (silver)fishes?

berded serial killer slays youth. Torso found in wheelie bin, police appeal for witnesses.

I also noted that you refused to indulge in a 'selfie' with the (alleged) victim too. Hmmmm........

[Prufrock]

Ha!

LLS, or anyone else who went, how was Knight? Seemed to have a good game from what I could tell ( so not a lot) on twitter.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Ha!

LLS, or anyone else who went, how was Knight? Seemed to have a good game from what I could tell ( so not a lot) on twitter.

He didn't make any howlers and had a couple of good interceptions. In short he was alright, he certainly wasn't a knightmare.
Edit: but he is still captain, isn't he. and therefore the lack of zeal in pressing and closing down can, if you want to be mean, be laid at his door, I suppose.

[BWFC_Insane]

Ha!

LLS, or anyone else who went, how was Knight? Seemed to have a good game from what I could tell ( so not a lot) on twitter.

He didn't make any howlers and had a couple of good interceptions. In short he was alright, he certainly wasn't a knightmare.
Edit: but he is still captain, isn't he. and therefore the lack of zeal in pressing and closing down can, if you want to be mean, be laid at his door, I suppose.

I thought Spearing had retained captain's duties?

[NiceHotCuppaTea]

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Ha!

LLS, or anyone else who went, how was Knight? Seemed to have a good game from what I could tell ( so not a lot) on twitter.

He didn't make any howlers and had a couple of good interceptions. In short he was alright, he certainly wasn't a knightmare.
Edit: but he is still captain, isn't he. and therefore the lack of zeal in pressing and closing down can, if you want to be mean, be laid at his door, I suppose.

I thought Spearing had retained captain's duties?

I don't know, hence why I asked (although I forgot the question mark).

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

There's an art thread for this sort of thing Not that I personally think a black square is art

[Lost Leopard Spot]

There's an art thread for this sort of thing Not that I personally think a black square is art

Works for me AT... it's a little bit more than a black square. Are you viewing it on a phone per chance?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

For the people that were crying for a 442 in this match, if we had lost by playing 442 what would you have said ? 1 point away against the team in 3rd place, I'll take that.

Yes I'll take that, and accept that there may be mitigating factors for the apparent negativity this evening.
But it just seems like he's determined to stick to some predefined cautious plan. I still think back to Leicester away last season when we lost 3-2 but played a blinder, and I said so because we had a go. That's what I want to see. There is no evidence at all that we can win games with these players by being defensive and sneaking a goal, but he's seems stubbornly determined to prove that we can. On the face of it a decent result, but it still feels like a step back in terms of ambition and intent.

That good run back in Oct/Nov included wins at Birmingham and Watford achieved with only one striker on the pitch. In fact we played one up top for the majority of that eight-game unbeaten run. (Considering that when we did add another striker it was Ngog, the cruel could say we still only had one striker, but I'll not say such things.)

As has been said, flexibility of formation and personnel is important - and Moritz-for-Mason is hardly hoisting the flag of surrender. That said, I'm in no doubt that defensiveness is a mindset more than a formation. Did we look less like charging forward in this game? Possible that Freedman put less emphasis on counter-attacking.

He's often brought on a centre-back late in the game, I'm talking more about mindset and rapidity of transition from defence to attack.