Monthly Archives: December 2014

30th December – Bucko’s back as Rams roll over Leeds

31 Wednesday Dec 2014

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30th December

Derby County              2                  Leeds United                     0

Alex Mowatt (o.g.) 41

Jake Buxton 48

Rarely will the Rams have won a game as easily as this post Christmas affair and the fact that it was against old rivals Leeds United made it all the more satisfying.

Finding ourselves on TV again this match came at the end of the latest round of Championship games that had seen Bournemouth continue their winning streak but Middlesbrough and Brentford drop points making this both an opportunity for us to ease away from them a little but also a requirement to keep pace with the Cherries.

One change for the Rams saw the free from suspension Jake Buxton replace Ryan Shotton and I was not alone in greeting that news with a smile. As well as his comfort on the left side of the central defensive partnership (a position that the very right footed Shots does seem to struggle with) Bucko brings to the team a determination and will to win that we do miss when he is absent.

I am hard pressed to think of a more improved footballer in recent times to have passed through Derby – consider this is a player that did not make it at Mansfield Town but is now a more than competent Championship defender who seems to have stepped up another notch since the arrival of Steve McClaren et.al

A 31,000 plus crowd saw us control this game from start to finish and while we did not carve out chance after chance we created enough to have won a second consecutive game 4-0 had our finishing been sharper.

Leeds looked what they are – a poor team struggling to find an identity in the face of constant change and upheaval and the only negative from me in this game was the frustration at having lost to this mob at the end of November and how those extra three points would have us joint top with Bournemouth today.

Will Hughes had an excellent game, prompting and looking to create. His dangerous cross across the face of the Leeds goal panicked Leeds’s Alex Mowatt into putting the ball into his own net just before half time and then just after the break the returning Bucko freed himself to plant a header home from Jeff Hendrick’s free kick….and it was game over already.

We did carve out a number of half chances after the second goal with Leeds’ keeper Marco Silvestri making a couple of smart saves.

Johnny Russell yet again gave a tireless performance of both attack and supporting the defence and it was a feature of our play that both wide men snuffed out any potential Leeds attacking ploys very effectively.

Jordan Ibe looked dangerous and worried the Yorkshire rearguard regularly and the balance of the team seemed much better than in the recent past. Whether this is completely down to the re-introduction of John Eustace and Bucko is open to question but I think they have made a difference in these last two games.

One of the things I admire about our management set up is their willingness to change things when necessary.

The reintroduction of Eustace after it seemed that Omar Mascarell would be given more time to adapt to the challenge of playing the pivotal DM position and the return of Bucko for this game after it seemed that Ryan Shotton was the favoured player both show a flexibility that will serve us well.

While we were seeing off the old enemy the Tractor Boys were trundling to a 3-0 win over Charlton to keep themselves two points ahead of us in 2nd. Our next league game is against Mick McCarthy’s well drilled troops and while that 10th January game in Suffolk is too early to be season defining it would be a hell of a statement from us if we were to win it.

The January transfer window creaks open this week and there are rumours swirling around about the imminent arrival of Darren Bent at the iPro for the rest of the season, possibly to replace the returning Leon Best.

If true this surprises me for a number of reasons (wages, his fit into the way we play to name but two) – he does seem very much a “play on the last defender’s shoulder” type of striker, very different to what we have.

But…. he is an experienced, still pacey front man who scores goals so could give us those different options that we lack, something different to what we have (and without being unkind he cannot give us less than Leon Best)

So Southport on Saturday and despite my years I have never seen the Rams playing them, so am looking forward to that. The Sandgrounders are bringing nigh on 3,000 fans to Derby so there is a proper cup tie atmosphere to look forward to.

A very Happy New Year to fellow Rams – COYR !

 

26th December – No Christmas Blues as Rams boss Boxing Day

27 Saturday Dec 2014

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26th December

Birmingham City           0                         Derby County              4                

                                                                      Jordan Ibe 9   

                                                                     Chris Martin 23

                                                                      Craig Forsyth 77

                                                                      Johnny Russell 89

Any concerns about facing a rejuvenated Birmingham City were soon eased as the Rams produced one of the best performances of the season to win as comfortably as the 4-0 scoreline suggests and lift us back up to third place in the Championship.

John Eustace returned to the starting eleven, a popular move with most fans and he celebrated with an early yellow card to show that the enforcer was back. The veteran midfielder settled back into the team easily and provided that solidity at the base of our midfield that can help to control games and is something we have missed on a number of occasions this season.

The injured Craig Bryson was replaced by Will Hughes in the only other change to the team that drew with Norwich City on Saturday.

We bossed this game and the manner of the performance as well as the result is a big boost after the worries that have started to creep in during recent weeks.

Jordan Ibe had a great game against one of his other former loan clubs, he fired into the roof of the net after receiving the ball from Chris Martin and shimmying around a couple of defenders, he also set up Craig Forsyth’s goal later in the game, the under pressure defender firing home well to put us 3-0 up, and was a threat throughout from wide areas.

As was the indefatigable Johnny Russell who capped off yet another fine performance with the fourth goal, his eighth of the season, after determined work by Leon Best (I know!) had charged down a clearance from the Blues

Chris Martin’s 16th goal of the season was a belting free kick in the 23rd minute following a foul on Johnny Russell, our centre forward stepping up and arrowing the ball into the top right hand corner in very similar fashion to the one he scored against Bournemouth last season at the iPro.

Will Hughes played excellently and there was a comfort to the performance that has been missing recently despite Birmingham’s attempts to get back into the game after half time.

We are halfway through the season now, 42 points on the board – an identical haul of points in the second half of the season would leave us one short of last year’s total and also short, very probably of automatic promotion.

Free scoring Bournemouth head the table three points ahead of us and Ipswich Town sit in second a couple of points ahead. Thinking ahead to the rest of the season I do not think that Bournemouth are going to fade away in any meaningful way. Their performances so far suggest that they are well equipped to maintain their promotion push and they must be taken very seriously.

Ipswich with professional Yorkshireman Mick McCarthy in charge have a manager experienced in organising teams to win promotion from the Championship and , like their manager, are awkward, sometimes annoying but never on the back foot and could well be a thorn in our side to the end of the season.

Norwich City’s recent displays, including on our own turf, show why they are also to be watched as the season draws on. I’d be very disappointed as a Canaries fan not to be sitting in the top two right now with the players they have and they seem to be hitting a stride at the moment that could see them join us in the leading pack.

Middlesbrough, as we have seen, can organise with the best of them and have some very effective players. Compared to last season they seem to have ironed out the problems they had with scoring and they will be disappointed if they are not in the shake up at the end of the season.

And all this is not forgetting the over achieving Brentford who despite getting duffed up by Ipswich yesterday seem to have more than enough in their locker to be top six through to the end of the season.

So what do we need to do to avoid any heartache come May?

Personally I think 90pts gets you promoted automatically this season, anything less is risking the play offs and all the pain that can inflict.

48pts then from 23 games – that is going to need us to hit our stride with at least a couple of decent winning streaks between now and the end of the season.

A little payback is required for our recent defeat at Elland Road so I’m expecting three points on Tuesday when Leeds come to town to reduce that required points tally down a little further. It may be nearly 2015 but they are still Dirty Leeds and it still feels like the 1970’s to me when they come to town!

 

20th December – Martin on song but below par Rams let it slip against Canaries

20 Saturday Dec 2014

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20th December

Derby County               2                                        Norwich City    2  

 Johnny Russell 43                                                    Cameron Jerome 51 

Chris Martin (pen) 55                                               Steven Whittaker 89

This was an uneasy and uncomfortable performance from the Rams, ill fitting to the festive period as we gathered for another lunchtime kick off hoping for an early Christmas present of 3pts.

Not even the pre match appearance of the Jim Smith era stalwarts Darren Powell & Jacob Laursen settled the game, though it did remind me of the admirable Dane belting a free kick past Peter Schmeichel at the Baseball Ground back in the day.

Three changes for the Rams as Ryan Shotton replaced the suspended Jake Buxton, Jordan Ibe replaced Simon Dawkins and, to some surprise, Jeff Hendrick replaced Will Hughes.

Any concerns about the structure of our midfield were muted after the game, not because anyone had played well, more that everyone had had a go and underwhelmed.

We were under par throughout this game, never in control even when leading and would have been fortunate to have won it in all honesty.

Norwich looked one of the better, if not the best team, to visit us this season – run a very close second by Bournemouth, but our performance contributed to the edginess around the ground as the game unfolded.

Thank goodness for Chris Martin and Johnny Russell who both had good games today. Martin was very good in fact.

We played more direct balls from Lee Grant; a little bit less of playing it out from the back, and our number 9 did an excellent job of accepting the ball and bringing others into play.

The move for our first goal was a prime example of this.

Martin superbly took down a Grant pass turned and moved into the area, laying off to Russell who very quickly sorted his feet out to stab the ball past John Ruddy before he could set himself.

JR has had an excellent run in the team, is scoring goals and endears himself to us fans by his sheer hard work, will to win and passion. His roar of joy at scoring today was replicated in the stands and he is very much “Super Johnny Russell”

The timing of any appearance on the sidelines by Steve McClaren is taken to be a reliable indicator of his happiness so when he appeared during the first half my eyes flicked to the big screen clock.

 22 minutes….not good then. The Boss was more vocal than I have ever seen him on the sidelines, giving very direct and precise instruction to a number of players, particularly Jeff Hendrick, and often turning away in exasperation as moves broke down or faltered.

To go in 1-0 up was a bonus, particularly as the referee had ruled out a Norwich goal before we scored owing to Cameron Jerome dummying a move to the goal bound shot in an offside position. It felt like a reprieve.

Will Hughes replaced Jeff Hendrick at the half, presumably owing to injury, but as happens too regularly we conceded early as our left flank was exposed allowing a cross to travel across our area which Cameron Jerome (onside this time) put away.

In our best phase of the game we hit back immediately though and Chris Martin won a penalty against his former team mates by drawing a foul from Carlos Cuellar and confidently put it away for his 15th goal of the season.

After our second goal we looked like we might not only hold onto the lead but extend it without ever actually carving out a decent chance and as the clock ticked beyond the hour Norwich stepped up the possession and pressure.

To almost make it to the end of the game before conceding is disappointing but it was hardly unexpected when Steven Whittaker fired across the penalty area after a corner and the ball pinged in off the far post.

It could have been even worse as Jerome fired a decent chance over after Norwich equalised, and the confident and secure defence that kept those six clean sheets in a row earlier in the season seems long gone.

Craig Forsyth has lost his attacking verve as well as his defensive confidence and our left flank was certainly targeted by Norwich leading to the Rams swapping Johnny Russell over to the left to provide Forsyth with more protection, but arguably restricting his attacking input also.

What to say about our midfield? – It did not influence the game today. In his position we need to see Omar Mascarell direct play more, or break up the opposition play more and he did not achieve either today. It is a lot to ask of a young player in his first season in English football but our set up and formation demands a lot of that position and it is a pivot to our success.

So fifth at Christmas with a Boxing Day visit to Gary Rowett’s resurgent Birmingham City to come. What do we want from Santa Claus Rams fans? A fit and firing George Thorne??

 

16th December – Rams ask no Quarter but the cup run ends against Chelsea

17 Wednesday Dec 2014

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16th December

Derby County               1                     Chelsea               3

Craig Bryson 71                                     Eden Hazard 23                                          Jake Buxton sent off 78                        Felipe Luis  56                                                                Andre Schurrle 82

The Rams bowed out of the League Cup in the last eight after a spirited and skilful performance against an impressive Chelsea side.

The Premier League leaders showed their intent by fielding a strong side including ever popular captain John Terry, Cesc Fabregas, Nemanja Matic, Didier Drogba and, most damagingly for Derby, Eden Hazard.

For the Rams Jake Buxton replaced the suspended Ryan Shotton and Will Hughes was restored to the starting eleven replacing Jeff Hendrick.

A cagey start saw neither side create any meaningful chances, Derby being less keen to play out from the back at every opportunity as we tend to do in the Championship, probably a wise move with the likes of Hazard and Schurrle snapping away at our players.

This game was always going to be a good test of which of our players could cope with the demands of playing against a top Premier League team side and the performance should give us some cause for optimism.

I thought that Craig Bryson had an excellent game buzzing around with intent and causing problems for Chelsea as well as taking his goal very well. Similarly Will Hughes played well and as is par for the course Johnny Russell was tireless, chasing down, tracking back and also setting up our goal.

Omar Mascarell also played well and seemed much more at home than he sometimes does in the Championship perhaps reflecting the differing styles of those leagues and our opponents.

Also in the credit column for me was Jake Buxton who was strong, won a lot in the air and coped well with the challenges facing him right up until the wrong headed decision to send him off shortly after Craig Bryson’s goal had turned the noise in Pride Park up a notch or ten.

A ball over the top saw Bucko and Loic Remy, on for the injured Drogba, tussling as the ball skidded across the wet pitch, Bucko was clearly trying to shepherd the ball back to Lee Grant who duly came sliding out for the ball and, it seemed, possibly out of the area with the ball in hand.

At this point the linesman on the west side started waving his flag furiously ….Lee Grant clearly thought he was going to be dismissed, as did we, though being close to the linesman in question we were offering some words of wisdom to him in a sense of friendship and constructive criticism.

Confusion and anger greeted the subsequent waving of the red card in Bucko’s direction.

Denying a goal scoring opportunity? …really??

I am very confident that a similar situation in a, say, Chelsea vs. Manchester United game would not have resulted in a red card – we got the rough end of a Premier League vs. Championship decision there.

The momentum of our fight back was lost and it was no surprise to see Schurrle slot away a third goal shortly afterwards after Lee Grant saved well from Hazard.

 Eden Hazard was impressive throughout and a constant threat to us. After the good start it was frustrating to see Richard Keogh play the ball to Hazard on the edge of our area, a quick exchange of passes with Cesc Fabregas saw Hazard firing into the bottom corner to put Chelsea ahead.

Chelsea’s second goal led from another Premiership decision from the referee as willo-the-wisp Will Hughes brushed past Didier Drogba and sent the man mountain centre forward flying. From the subsequent free kick Felipe Luis belted the ball into the corner beyond the flying Grant.

Despite the scoreline we played well in this game and a similar level of performance will win most Championship games – and there in lies the challenge for Derby’s coaching staff – how to replicate this again and again.

A 30,000 crowd, a loud away contingent and a home crowd in boisterous and supportive voice gave an attractive indication of what it would be like to be back in the Premier League.

We saw a glimpse of what we are aiming at in this game and a reminder of the challenges that would await if we were successful but, personally, I can’t wait for us to be back in that top league.

 

13th December – Boro add to Rams away day blues as Bamford proves a point

14 Sunday Dec 2014

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13th December – Boro add to Rams away day blues as Bamford proves a point

 

Middlesbrough             2                 Derby County               0

Patrick Bamford 6                             Ryan Shotton sent off 62

Grant Leadbitter 63 (pen)

Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka became the second manager in short order to praise Derby County as the best team in the league immediately after his own team had just easily beaten us 2-0.

Like Neil Redfearn after Leeds had turned us over Jose Mourinho’s former assistant praised the Rams while basking in a well deserved win that knocked us off the top of the league in a morning kick off that did not get the weekend off to a flying start.

We were poor in this game, poor in so many areas and got exactly what we deserved from a vigorous and committed Boro. Of the players in the white shirts only Lee Grant and Johnny Russell can come out with any credit at all.

The fit again skipper Richard Keogh returned to the team with Jake Buxton dropping to the bench. Bucko gave a confident performance against an admittedly poor Brighton team last week and was a little unlucky to step down. Whether he would have made any difference to this defeat is unlikely though as we were being outgunned in all areas of the pitch throughout.

Much of the media coverage in the lead up to this game featured Patrick Bamford. He is an interesting footballer and not apparently victim to periods of crushing self doubt.

It was illuminating to read some of his comments after this game, referring to wanting to prove to us that he was not a “softy”, comments that shed just a little more light on why he was suited up in a red shirt for this game rather than a white one.

Despite his goals for us last season Bamford was always a player that generated lukewarm affection at best. Maybe this was an understandable hangover from his Forest roots, maybe because sometimes he appeared less than truly committed to the team ethic, whatever the reason it was not a total surprise to see him rock up at Middlesbrough rather than back at Derby as the season began though this may have had as much to do with our unwillingness to play him in his preferred central striking position rather than out wide.

He was certainly on a mission, scoring while criminally unmarked in our penalty area after only 6 minutes and then drawing a foul from last man Ryan Shotton as he prepared to fire on goal in the 63rd minute, leading to the defender’s dismissal and Grant Leadbitter’s goal from the spot.

Were it not for some fine saves from Lee Grant we could have been hammered 3-0, 4-0 in this game and apart from a tame Jeff Hendrick effort after some good Johnny Russell work in the first half and an excellent save from a Craig Bryson shot as the game drew to a close we never really worried the hosts.

They surrendered the ball and pressed us keeping players behind the ball – this is something we do not seem to be able to cope with and teams will increasingly exploit this weakness if we do not solve it quick sharp.

 Steve McClaren rolled the dice at half time throwing on Leon Best as well as Jordan Ibe but the big loanee from Blackburn had minimal effect in the new formation as Boro continued to control and dominate us.

The last time we won at Boro, 15th January 2000 when Malcolm Christie scored twice in a 4-1 win. My abiding memory of that game is the Radio Derby interview with Jim Smith where he as much as admits that he had intended to select Marvin Robinson but picked Malcolm accidentally…..

Eight defeats and one solitary draw in our visits to the Riverside since that win make it one of the most miserable of away visits, curious considering that the Riverside and Pride Park are identical you would imagine we would at least feel at home.

Four defeats in our last eight games leaves an uneasy feeling, as does seeing us drop from top to third because of this defeat. A joust with the best team in the Premiership next as Chelsea come to town for the quarter final of the league cup and then a very important game (aren’t they all?) against Norwich City next Saturday lunchtime.

Not much time then for the coaching staff to try and put things right as the hectic Christmas schedule hoves into view, there is lots to play for and we have some thinking to do….

 

6th December – Stroll in Pride Park for Rams against Sami’s sickly Seagulls

07 Sunday Dec 2014

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6th December – Stroll in Pride Park for Rams against Sami’s sickly Seagulls

Derby County               3       Brighton & Hove Albion         0

Chris Martin 10, 20

Johnny Russell 15

The last time these two teams played each other must have seemed a different world away for the thousand or so Seagulls fans that travelled north and roosted in the top of the south east corner.

The last time, of course, Sunday – 11th May 2014, tension in the air as the south coast team tried to overturn a 1-2 first leg deficit in an attempt to reach Wembley at our expense.

That game ended in a three goal win for the Rams, just as this game did, but the Seagulls look a shadow of that team of last year, denuded of manager and key players and, apparently, any confidence and verve they may have had. One win in sixteen games must do that to you though.

Three changes for the Rams from the disappointing loss at Leeds with Bucko-baur replacing injured skipper Richard Keogh and also taking over the armband while Craig Bryson & Simon Dawkins replaced Will Hughes & Jordan Ibe.

Strange to see Darren Bent in the Brighton line up, a premier league reputation on the pitch but he had little opportunity, save from scoring from an offside position with the score at 2-0, to prove his worth, most often operating in lonely isolation against Ryan Shotton & Bucko.

Strange also not to see Craig Mackail-Smith in opposition, strange and good as he is always a nuisance to play against. Despite three goals for the Seagulls this season he is now to be found back at Peterborough on loan.

Felt like ages since our last home game, that joyful 5-0 romp against the Wolves that took us top and while I was idly waiting for the pre-match activities to wrap up one of the songs being played on the stadium tannoy caught my ear.

Kudos to whoever chose “Sheep” by the Housemartins as a pre match track – took me back nearly thirty years and made me smile. I quite liked the relevance of the chorus (with a change to one word);

 “It’s sheep YOU’RE up against…….

Not quite the meaning that Paul Heaton had in mind when he wrote it, but even so…

We came out of the blocks firing for this game and it had the feel of an attack vs. defence training exercise for the first 20 minutes. The Rams were energetic, pinning the away team in their own half and attacking with threat.

Within those 20 minutes we were 3-0 up and the game was pretty much won. A neat composed finish from Chris Martin within the penalty area and a strong header home from the same player from a superb Cyrus Christie cross came either side of the peach of the three goals.

Martin and Dawkins combined, laying the ball off to Craig Forsyth who played a beautiful incisive pass into the area cutting apart the Brighton back line to find Johnny Russell who dinked the ball over the advancing David Stockdale.

3-0 after 20 minutes and I thought we might be in for an avalanche of goals, certainly Brighton looked ragged and short of ideas, but we eased off at that point and allowed the Seagulls to get a greater foothold into the game for the remainder of the half. The tactical switch on their part to bring on Rohan Ince before the half hour gave them more of a physical presence in midfield and the fact that both Cyrus Christie and Craig Forsyth had yellow cards by the break illustrated we did not have it completely all our own way.

We controlled the second half without ever reaching the heights of those first 20 minutes. More goals could have come though with Stockdale saving well from Jeff Hendrick, fumbling a Craig Bryson shot onto the post and Jordan Ibe flashing a shot narrowly wide after he came on.

Lee Grant was untroubled throughout and at one point in the second half sold Darren Bent a dummy as he dribbled a troublesome back pass out of his area, primarily to stave off boredom probably.

Craig Bryson was energetic throughout and always a problem for Brighton and Johnny Russell continued his campaign to be the ultimate team player covering every blade of grass, harrying his opponents as well as scoring and creating for his team mates.

It was good to see Jamie Ward make an appearance from the bench following injury showing his usual bite and snap though there still feels something not quite right about our defence, not that it mattered here, but there is a sense of vulnerability about us at the back that other teams may exploit.

The importance of the win was illustrated afterwards when we saw that Ipswich, Bournemouth and Middlesboro had all won.

We’re still top, it is a fierce fight, but we have the stomach for it, it seems.