[Thurnscoe_OWL]

Hutch was our best player yesterday and until the Maguire sub we were more than matching Derby, the only thing I would blame SG for yesterday (if it aint broke ).

Nuhiu caused problems with the CB's and created the space for Keane to get through on goal and score.

Keane took the goal well and could have gone down for a FK on the edge of the box just before (most other players would have) so I commend him for that

Kirkland nearly saved the pen and kept us in it later on when Derby could smell blood, coincidently (or not), after Hutch had been subbed.

Maguire did feck all, as did Mattock

[peiowl]

For once I agree with imre.

Thurny, get your mind off all these deviant thoughts you're having about getting it off with a porpoise and face reality.

Play the same f...g team?????

Have you gone stark raving mad???

Noopoo and Maguire????

You really do need to see a head doctor.

For once in his wayward life imre is talking common sense.

[St Charles Owl]

To be fair to Thurny, Maguire did not start the game yesterday, he was a sub and Nuhiu was only used because Bus was injured in the warm-up!! I will take your word for it about Hutch being our best player, but for me he is not having enough impact on the game as he is capable of. He was the one who was supposed to become our midfield geberal and he hasn't done that enough. Was a bonus it took until the second half for him to get booked.

[Thurnscoe_OWL]

For once I agree with imre.

Thurny, get your mind off all these deviant thoughts you're having about getting it off with a porpoise and face reality.

Play the same f...g team?????

Have you gone stark raving mad???

Noopoo and Maguire????

You really do need to see a head doctor.

For once in his wayward life imre is talking common sense.    

selective reading or are your glasses not strong enough?

I said start the same players who started yesterday but with Kirkland in. Those 10 outfield who started saw us go 2-1 up and it wasn't until the subs were made that everything went tits up.
I can kind of understand Keane coming off because it was only 4 days ago we were thinking his season was over but to bring Mattock on for him was daft
Again, Maghoma might not have done much but he came off for Maguire and our right wing became Derby's focal point of attacks and it worked.

---

Be interesting to see what madsteve thought about the game. Most people I have spoken to who were there have all said similar to what I've said

[Towinjustonce]

Like with a lot of our players Hutch isn't being played in his best position. He was a CB, RB at Chelsea. We were stuck last year so played him in CM, he did well, fair enough so we kept him there but he isn't a CM. To me he tries to do it all in CM which ends up not a whole lot and why he picks up the yellows. I would prefer to see him play alongside Lees or Loovens in a more controlled area of the field.

[madsteve]

Papering Over The Cracks

Very mixed feelings after this one. On one hand, we led twice against the side third in the league while on the other we were outclassed for pretty much 90 minutes, we gave away three goals due to bad defending, we made poor substitutions again and were lucky not to take a heavy beating.

I have been critical of the modern stadiums in the past but I am warming to them as our ground continues to decay. Pride Park (as I will call it) is probably the second best ground in the division now behind Brighton's ground. It certainly has a crackling atmosphere with most fans in their seats by 2.45. Compare that with S6, where there are barely 2000 in their seats at 2.45. It seems that crowd is right behind their team from minute one.

It seemed like just a matter of time before Derby scored as we looked very much second best. Then a moment of brilliance from McGugan lifted us from our seats (like we were in them anyway). There was no kidding ourselves that we were playing well but we could make life awkward for Derby & maybe snatch another on the break.

We reached half time somehow due to a combination of tackling, blocking & good fortune.

Pretty much we conceded straight away in the second. Lees was beaten in the air & it was 1-1. Derby threatened to over run us again but again we scored against the run of play. This time Keane made a great run & shot well enough to force the ball past Grant.

Maybe we could hold out this time although I wasn't holding my breath. Maguire came on for Maghoma, a move which usually means letting in a goal. Fek My Boots if we didn't concede the same goal again. Buxton beating Lees to head in a corner.

Mattock replaced Keane as we switched to 451 but the battle had already been lost. The inevitable happened when Westwood was adjudged to have brought down Ince as Derby got a free run through the centre of our defence. The ball broke to Bent, who put the ball in the net. The ref pulled play back to give a penalty & a red card. Think we should win an appeal here because he didn't deny a goal scoring opportunity as Bent scored.

Hutchinson was sacrificed to bring Kirkland on. Once Bent blasted home the penalty, it was backs to the wall. A combination of Kirkland and good fortune saved us several times. We could easily have lost 5-2 or 6-2 but we kept some respectability.

Westwood - 6 - unlucky red card, good saves
Palmer - 6 - generally solid
Lees - 4 - beaten for two goals, missed Loovens
Zayatte - 6 - two great blocks
Helan - 6 - pinned back, no attacking threat
Lee - 5 - not involved enough
Hutchinson - 7 - battled well, good positional play
McGugan - 6 - great goal but not much else
Maghoma - 5 - little influence
Nuhui - 5 - nuisance value but little goal threat
Keane - 6 - quality goal
..........................................................
Maguire - 4 - no impact
Mattock - 5 - added little
Kirkland - 6 - smart work kept score down

This was better than our efforts at Ipswich & Reading but we pretty much scored two goals from two decent chances while Derby scored three from a dozen decent chances. SG said afterwards that we deserved something from the game. The truth is that we got lucky twice and Derby missed several decent chances.

The big plus is that we were clinical and scored two goals from little more than half chances. If we could transfer this to home matches when we should create more, we should start rattling up the points.

The minus side is that we were out thought tactically and Derby cut a regular swathe through our defence. Our defence is no longer solid and Lees looks only half the player without Loovens by his side. Again, our substitutions made us worse. Whenever we bring Maguire on when we are winning, we invariably concede a goal & points. Mattock for Keane sent out the wrong message & just encouraged Derby to overwhelm us more.

Some might say that 3-2 at Derby is a decent result. That is another worry. The fact we led twice and only lost by one goal allows SG to paper over the cracks by saying we were unlucky. We were not unlucky, we were outclassed. At least we were outclassed by a decent side unlike being outclassed by off form sides like Ipswich & Reading.

Tuesday night is a big match for us against another terrible side in Millwall. A win & we are pretty much safe. A draw and we are nearly safe. A defeat and we face a battle to stay up.

Whatever the result on Tuesday, SG is not the man to take us forward. We got 58 points under DJ in our first season back at this level. Last season we got 53 points combined under DJ & SG. Are we going to beat 58 points this season? Are we going to get the 90 points next season to get promoted?

I suspect that the new owners will act swiftly when the takeover is ratified. It makes more sense to let a new manager have a couple of months to bed in and assess our existing players rather than bring a new man in in the summer.

SG is a nice guy but that is not what we need now. We need tactical acumen and a Manager that will attract better players. Thank You SG for pulling us clear of relegation last season.

---

Like with a lot of our players Hutch isn't being played in his best position. He was a CB, RB at Chelsea. We were stuck last year so played him in CM, he did well, fair enough so we kept him there but he isn't a CM. To me he tries to do it all in CM which ends up not a whole lot and why he picks up the yellows.  I would prefer to see him play alongside Lees or Loovens in a more controlled area of the field.

Hutchinson considers himself to be a CM player. However, he could work well at the back in a 352.

[Thurnscoe_OWL]

pretty much how I saw it MS I wasn't too pissed afterall

I said at 2-1, just after bringing on Maguire, that there was only one team going to win and it wasn't us.

I would still start the same 10 outfield that started yesterday

[St Charles Owl]

I think Helan needs to play in midfield on Tuesday, whether its Dielna or Mattock who slots in at LB we need Helan and his pace in midfield and going forward.

---

The minus side is that we were out thought tactically and Derby cut a regular swathe through our defence. Our defence is no longer solid and Lees looks only half the player without Loovens by his side. Again, our substitutions made us worse. Whenever we bring Maguire on when we are winning, we invariably concede a goal & points. Mattock for Keane sent out the wrong message & just encouraged Derby to overwhelm us more.

How many times have we said this during this season?? Once the ratification is complete I am really hoping they make a positive change by getting a proper manger in who can read a game and make decisions on the fly when its needed!!! I don't mind 442 if you have the players for it and it works for you, our problem is the times it doesn't work for us, there is no plan b!! Substitutes are designed to alter the way we are playing or improve our performance, they rarely do that for us anymore, and that has to be down to SG!!

[peiowl]

For once I agree with imre.

Thurny, get your mind off all these deviant thoughts you're having about getting it off with a porpoise and face reality.

Play the same f...g team?????

Have you gone stark raving mad???

Noopoo and Maguire????

You really do need to see a head doctor.

For once in his wayward life imre is talking common sense.    

selective reading or are your glasses not strong enough?

I said start the same players who started yesterday but with Kirkland in. Those 10 outfield who started saw us go 2-1 up and it wasn't until the subs were made that everything went tits up.
I can kind of understand Keane coming off because it was only 4 days ago we were thinking his season was over but to bring Mattock on for him was daft
Again, Maghoma might not have done much but he came off for Maguire and our right wing became Derby's focal point of attacks and it worked.

---

Be interesting to see what madsteve thought about the game. Most people I have spoken to who were there have all said similar to what I've said

My glasses are just fine . How's your gray matter doing?  Toss stuff around and you'll get it thrown back.

Starting line up had that total waste of space noopoo in it and you want him to lace up again???

He couldn't score a sodding goal if he had a bloody guarded escort leading him to it.

The guy is bleeding useless. Should be banned from S6. Either May, Bus (if he's fit) or Madine (bring the sod back!!), Keane, or even that guy who does the naked belly dancerTango would be better.

[madsteve]

pretty much how I saw it MS I wasn't too pissed afterall

I said at 2-1, just after bringing on Maguire, that there was only one team going to win and it wasn't us.

I would still start the same 10 outfield that started yesterday

I would play 352 or 433 but assuming that we will play 442 then I would go with May rather than Nuhui. also Hutchinson cannot play twice in a week without causing knee problems so he has to be rested.

So

Westwood/Kirkland
Palmer - Lees - Zayatte - Helan
Lee - Semedo/Melo - McGugan - Maghoma
Keane - May

I doubt that May will start though as it appeared that he had a row with SG before the match on Saturday. Think it may have been that he thought he should have replaced Bus rather than Nuhui but he had an argument with SG then sat out a bit of the warm up.