Verdict v Derby

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Well, we won but what a load of pants. We were bloody horrible, and fortunate to even get one point imo.

Difficult to know what to report except that it was a veritable comedy of errors - players continually getting in each others way, continually playing each other into difficulties, a complete lack of cohesion and communication, little movement off the ball, and an inability to pass 10 yds to a colleague. An unbelievably poor performance - and yet we won!

Positive aspects? Well:

* Given made a fantastic save from a penalty kick just inside his left post, and a couple of excellent reaction saves in the first 10 minutes. Undoubtedly MOTM, in a game of few candidates.
* We kept a clean sheet - although goodness how: it was like the Alamo at times.
* Bellamy buzzed around, but in truth even he wasn't as effective as he has been.
* Speed and Hughes had a few good moments.

All of the negatives I could certainly elaborate on would perhaps do a disservice to Derby, a team in trouble at the wrong end of the PL, but one who I thought played really well, closing us down all over the field and never allowing us to settle and play.

I'm desperately hoping this was the real story today, because if we really are as embarrassingly bad as we looked, the rest of the season will be very hard work for players and fans alike. Good grief!

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2001

Answers

Appalling!

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2001

Pretty much agree, although looking back we did have a hell of a lot of good chances, especially in the last half hour. Had we put those away it could easily have been 3 or 4. However it didn't happen, so it was a scraped 1-0 result - which I'll certainly take.

Thought Solano was a plus point, he really battled hard for the team and got back to defend when it was needed. He's not the best defender in the world, but he recognised his duties and did the damn best he could. The left side was a complete joke, Elliott was having a bad game, and this wasn't helped by Robert, who didn't care if he lost the ball - his attitude was severly wrong - surely Pedro can teach him a lesson or two about getting the ball back if you lose it.

Derby did play well, totally agree, it seems like they are getting it together now.

Their were problems all over the pitch for us, but a win is a win, and I'll take that any day, even if I have no bloddy nails left after every match :)

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2001


Paul - Solano worked a lot harder today than he has been. However, there was very little end product - not entirely his fault, I accept.

I also agree with you about the left side. Robert's attitude was nothing short of atrocious, and again I felt BR should have taken him off rather earlier than he did. As it was he was encouraging the crowd to applaud Robert off - for what ffs?

Elliott had another poor game, and while I really like the lad, it's looking as though we have a real problem at LB. I think we now have to give Bernard a run at LB to see how he performs.

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2001


Clarky - I think it would have been an injustice had we lost, but I can sympathise with the Derby supporters who had to leave empty handed. There are 11 playersin a team, and if one of them does his job so well as to stop the opposition scoring, then you always have a good chance of winnig.

But I guess some of that could also be put down as bad finishing. Indeed, we could have been 3 down before we got the penalty. Having seen the "extended" highlights on TV, I agree that it was a pen, altho I'm not sure there's was. My initial reaction at the game was no pen and seeing the replays hasn't changed my mind.

Apart from one very bad error, caught in posession, I thought O'Brien did OK. In fact, I thought the defence were OK - apart from Robbie Elliott, who who have been replaced by his little brother Billy.

Up front, Shearer battled, but all too often had to go wandering out on the wing 'cos yet again, Nobby came inside, causing the play to be far too narrow. Bellamy was probably the best of the outfield lot, but as you say, nowhere near up to what he has done earlier in the season. I thought Rob Lee had a stinker and he was kept company by Robert. Either he is injured and should be rested or he should be dropped (tho I heard daft rumours that his contract doesn't allow for that!). But he's certainly not the player that he was at the beginning of the season. Fair weather player???

Top marks to Shearer for having the b@lls to take the penalty. I know he has confidence in himself, but with Robert mouthing off earlier this week, Shearer had a point to prove - and a goal to score. Well done that man.

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2001


We deserved to win it but one whole goal to nil flattered us. I listed to Metro's phone in on the way home & can't understand how callers will slag off Solano & Robert, the former had a good game for me. Lee & Speed did a fine job at controlling the little bit of midfield in from of the centre halfs but that really isn't good enough. There is a great picture in the PINK with Bellemy starting a run & just out of focus is Lee & Speed stood still watching him, What is the bliddy point of two players doing one job. When Lee was good he'd help Watson get it to Dizzy & keep up with Dizzy giving him an option. Now Robert & Solano get the ball & have no options & often made to look stupid. Solano drifted into the centre of midfield & looked like he had some invention.

Bellemy was industrious & Shearer got better later on in the game. ONe thing struck me that when Nobby misplaces a pass there is a groan & abuse, three times in the first half Shearer gave the ball away cheaply and there is silence.

Carbone looked good for them as dis the centre half Half Mingingbottom or whatever.

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2001



Agree it was appalling.

Given was by a distance our man of the match, only thought Hughes deserved any other credit, all the rest were at best average.

From my seat Solano had an appaling first half, maybe not his fault maybe instructions but the righ hand side of our first half attack just wasn't there, not at all, we just ignored a quarter of the pitch. Solano often ended up on the left hand side of the midfield with huge gaping holes on the right hand side. Hughes coudln't go forward as there was no cover. All very nonsensical. We also ended up with Robert attacking through the inside right area to win a pen. Okay ends justify means I suppose, but generally it just meant it looked totally unorganised.

Lee and Speed are hopeless, Lee's increasing tendency to pass to the opposition just in front of our penalty area is petrifying.

Shearer suffered cos he had to play the right winger to supply Solano at centre forward. This is particularly difficult for Shearer given his complete lack of pace and mobility.

Bellamy tried hard but had no through balls to play with.

Pre match I'd chatted with my dad about Robert and whether he was really any good. I said I felt this game was a big test. I'd not seen any of the away games, I'd felt he'd been unwell for Villa, Derby was not a big game, today we'd find out what sort of stuff he was made of. Well its cottonwool. On the plus side the only time he ran at the opposition it produced a pen, so why not try it again ?? In the second half when an amount of covering, if not necessarily tackling, was needed he hid. The last 15-20 minutes he was on the pitch he was a disgrace, I did not applaud him as he left the field. (He should have been off a lot earlier).

Okay great to be 3rd, great to have 23 points, great to have a goalie in top form, sad there was nothing else to be happy about.

Ch-ch-ch-changes ?

Dunno really, as we have had the same starting XI for three games in a row this is clearly it, the best we have to offer. To add to the immovable objects which are Spped/Lee/Shearer we can now add Robert. All there as classy players who at th emoment are just not performing to high enough standard. Robson extolls Shola as being a great for hte future but he cannot get on for even ten minutes ahead of a statue at centre forward. Lua2 who has more positive attitude than Robert, and a desire to try things, and to tackel back gets three minutes as a time waste at the end. These are two positions which we do have options, we don't even have that with Lee/Speed area. No one was screaming for Acuna to come on, cos it'd be just more of the same mediocrity. Dyer could easily replace either of Speed or Lee, he doesn't have the tackling but neither do they, as noted by someone else, when we attack Lee and Speed are no where to be seen. We have convinced ourselves that we couldn't manage without the destructive side of the game that Speed/Lee bring, but we seem to have fogotten that we are suffering because those two offer nothing positive at all.

Post match ... Ben and I were chucked out of O'Neill's by a very snotty manageress as Ben was under age, this was our second visit, which she said couldn't be true as kids weren't allowed in, and I should have been couteous and asked at the bar of it was okay for kids to be in, while I'd been at the bar ordering three guys who couldn't sit up straight were being very loud/aggressive/drunk demanding more drinks and the bar staff gave them them, I suggested to the manageress that pouring yet more alcohol down the throats of very drunk men causing a commotion at the bar was probably even less coutreous than Ben being in, 'don't tell me how to do my job', i of course explained i couldn't possibly strive to be able to do that, as we left and crossed to the Central I mentioedn to two coppers who seemed to be desperately looking for a fight that there was some sort of commotion in O'Neill's with some drunks at the bar and we had had to leave to avoid it.

On the train, when we stopped at Berwick we were told there woudl be a delay in the doors would being opened, this coming just after an announcement that the boiler was bust in the buffet car, thought the two were connected until the Police arrived up the train and clamped hand cuffs on the guy standing necxt to us waiting to get off and charged hime with asault. Excitement .... "90 minutes at the match" 0-2 "postmatch "

-- Anonymous, November 25, 2001


Given, was the best player on the park, the woeful Robert should have been subbed a helluvalot earlier. Did he think people were cheering his performance when he was subbed? Speed showed an excellent attitude; fighting for surrendered possession, Bellamy never give up and Nobby was useful. Shearer almost chipped their keeper when he found himself with time to turn but most of the game he was kept under wraps by a Derby side who don't look as bad as there position suggests.

Grateful for the points but we must work harder.

-- Anonymous, November 25, 2001


For me, Nobby was sh*te in the first half and Lolo was sh*te in the second (although he's injured, which isn't great news). I thought Speed had one of his better games while Rob Lee was anonymous (although he too is injured) - time for Clarence to make an appearance? I thought Dabs had a bit of a mare as did Robbie Eliott while O'Brien and Hughes did OK. Given was wonderful. Up front, I thought Shearer and Bellamy had a good game (although they both spent vast parts of the match on the wing). We were lucky to take all three points but the stats and highlights suggest that we actually did have the better chances and let's face it, we aren't going to play like we did against Villa every week. It has to be said, though: we will play better than that and lose this season. By the way, I was sitting in the Leazes this week and as I walked to the turnstile, I saw one Wazza coming to watch the match with his bairn. Bless him.

-- Anonymous, November 25, 2001

Solano came inside to combat their midfield, as they were packing them in centrally and we couldn't cope. Not the way I would do it, but I saw BR telling Nobby to come inside. I can see the logic, and I suppose you could say it came off, but it was nervy stuff.

In the end it all comes down to a bit of luck.

Had Shearer's chip gone in, the game could have been different, but it was just over.

IMHO we won the game because of their penalty. After Given saved, it brought the crowd to life a bit and this transferred to the team.

-- Anonymous, November 25, 2001


Crap!

Midfield not interested Left back not interestd O'brien stood like a statue as he get's tackled again.

Ok I'll give Gary Speed a break cos he seemed to be trying hard to battle in midfield. I'd drop Robert and Solano for Tuesday though and see what someone who wants a chance at the first team will do.

Verdict is very unimpressed

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2001



For your info MacBeth, Tilley's at the bottom of Westgate Road let kids in pre and post match.

Agree with all comments re; Robert. It'll be interesing to see how he plays at Charlton.

Shay MOTM by a country mile. Can't believe we're 2 points off the top, nice though, just wait until we REALLY start playing!

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2001


The static mid-field has to be part of the instructions Bobby gives them, on the basis that it happens week after week after week, and they surely can't be so dim it hasn't dawned on anybody that the only result that pattern can produce is the crappy stop-the-ball-and- look-round style that's been driving me up the wall for far too long.

Maybe it hinges on the fact that teams are starting to suss how to stop us, so that in the split seconds there are to see players in space and to move the ball on with one touch, the player with the ball is repeatedly seeing a potential receiver as being hemmed in by two or three opposition players, leaving only the alternatives of holding the ball and waiting for someone to move, or clobbering it up field hoping our midgets can outjump Goliath proportion defenders, which is exactly what the opposition want.

Seems to me they'd be much better off with four or five going up on every attack. More risky defensively, no doubt, but at least the opposition defense would have to work a bliddy sight harder. The concensus seems to be that I missed nowt on Saturday, but at least my son's jinx has been broken, sort of, and the result contributed nicely to a great weekend, thank you very much.

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2001


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