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29th August – Uwe’s the man with the plan (again) as Leeds triumph

30 Sunday Aug 2015

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29th August

Derby County          1          Chris Martin 48

Leeds United           2          Tom Adeyemi 43, Chris Wood 88

Uwe Rosler seems to be a nice bloke but I’m taking a dislike to the way that every time he rocks up to the iPro, with whichever team he is in charge of, he waltzes away with the three points.

It is never fun losing, even more so when Leeds United are the opponents.

I wrote in the Birmingham blog that we look so much better when we move the ball at pace and for the first twenty minutes or so of the second half of this game we looked a good team.

Starting out 1-0 down the Rams came at Leeds with urgency and fire, in stark contrast to the performance in the first 45 minutes.

We could have won the game in that first part of the second half. Chris Martin equalised within three minutes with a very well taken goal.

Leeds looked on the ropes as wave after wave of attacks came from the Rams and the crowd, energised by the display, roared them on.

Jeff Hendrick missed a straightforward chance when presented with an opportunity from 12 yards out and we also looked to have been denied a penalty when Andreas Weimann’s attempt to play the ball across the six yard line, when released into the penalty area, was diverted by a sliding defender’s arm.

We didn’t cash in when we had the upper hand and paid for it as close to the end of the match Chris Wood picked up the ball outside of the area, pulled across to the right, turned and fired in a shot off Scott Carson’s left hand post to take the points and deliver Leeds’ first win at Derby for thirteen years.

It was very disappointing to not win, never mind lose, especially as we now go into the international break still looking for those first three points of the season.

It is still early days in this season though and those of us with a few years under our belts will remember that the promotions of 2006/7 and 1995/6 did not see us roaring out of the blocks.

The only concern I have is about whether Paul Clement is finding the transition to top job not as straightforward as he would have hoped.

Watching how we have played so far this season I’m not clear about what our approach is, it makes me wonder if Clement has found his managerial “voice” yet?

We are mostly less urgent going forward and only seem to wake up when we have gone a goal down (as we have done now in every game so far apart from Bolton)

Our defence does looks more secure than it did in those chaotic end of season games and the huge loss of Will Hughes after 30 minutes of the season cannot be overestimated for the scale of its impact on any new manager’s plans.

There were two changes for this game with previously injured midfielders Jeff Hendrick & Jamie Hanson returning with Darren Bent dropping to the bench and Cyrus Christie, not for the first time this season, dropping out of the match day squad completely.

Leeds started on the front foot and had fashioned a decent chance within a couple of minutes. We lacked creativity and struggled to get our key players into the game.

Both Johnny Russell and Tom Ince briefly threatened when given the ball in dangerous areas but we were effectively shut down by the visitors who looked sharp and lively across the park.

It looked like we might get to the half time break even-stevens when we fell asleep at a corner, it was taken short and from the subsequent cross Tom Adeyemi had plentiful time and space to plant a header past Scott Carson.

The Rams barrage at the start of the second half seemed to bode well but the air started to go out of the game with about 20 minutes to go.

George Thorne left the field midway through the half with what looked like a knock to his thigh and though Andi Weimann scampered about energetically a position either wide left or on the left of a three behind the striker does not seem to be suiting him.

Darren Bent replaced Johnny Russell with about 10 minutes to go and looked a little lost, sometimes looking for space where Chris Martin already was, sometimes being on a slightly different wavelength to his team mates.

Chris Wood had missed a decent headed chance to give us fair warning, and send Rosler into a rage of frustration on the sidelines, but with three minutes to go he made no mistake with a much harder chance and the game, and the points were lost.

Played GD Pts
17 Preston North End 5 -2 5
18 Brentford 4 -1 4
19 Derby County 5 -1 4
20 Bristol City 5 -4 4
21 Blackburn Rovers 5 -2 3
22 Huddersfield Town 5 -3 3

21st August – Johnny on the spot again for Rams at Blues

22 Saturday Aug 2015

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21st August

Birmingham City     1       Stephen Gleeson 45

Derby County          1          Johnny Russell 61

This was an exciting game with quality on show from both sides but the wait for a first win for Paul Clement’s Rams goes on.

The game statistics confirm that this was more of the same for Derby in that the Rams had;

63% of the possession

20 attempts on goal

Hit the woodwork four times

But only had Johnny Russell’s superb finish to show for it at the end.

Disappointment at not having won put aside, we looked better again in this game and there were long periods of the game where we attacked with tempo and created a lot of problems for the home team.

Tom Ince had his best game of the season so far, was involved throughout and hit the woodwork.

Birmingham played well and are a good side under Gary Rowett, and they will also be rueing the chances they had. Scott Carson had an excellent game in goal for us and made two great saves in the first ten minutes to keep the Blues at bay.

Richard Keogh had another good game and even a change of full backs for this game, with Cyrus Christie and Craig Forsyth brought into the team for this game, did not disturb that.

The swaps at full back were two of four changes made for this game. Johnny Russell started after his goal against Middlesbrough and Darren Bent made his first start of the season.

Chris Baird moved from right back to accompany George Thorne in the centre of midfield, Stephen Warnock and Andi Weimann dropped to the bench and the injured Jeff Hendrick and Jamie Hanson missed out.

We lined up in a 4-4-2 for this game and perhaps that determined the choice of full backs.

Stephen Warnock had a good game against Boro and Cyrus Christie was not even on the bench on Tuesday night but perhaps the mobility of Craig Forsyth and Christie determined their selection with more required from those positions to support the midfield.

Fozzie had a decent game all over the pitch, providing his usual threat going forward. Christie looked better going forward than defensively at times but this was an improvement from him.

After the home team’s energetic start the Rams hit a purple patch from the quarter hour onwards with opportunities in short order falling to Russell, Darren Bent, Bent (again), Tom Ince, Bent (again) and Ince (again)

The woodwork, good Blues defending, a fatal delay in shooting when the opportunity presented itself and rank bad luck all took their turn in preventing us from capitalising on these chances.

While the build up play was good there was a creeping sense of unease about not taking the chances when we had them in this most competitive of leagues.

The game quietened down towards half time but the Rams failure to close down on Stephen Gleeson as the ball was cleared from a corner cost us as his shot from distance took a deflection and found its way into the net to put the hosts ahead just before the break.

Birmingham made a strong start to the second half and came close to taking what may have been a decisive two goal lead heading a chance over and putting a shot wide – the Rams recovered though and hit another lengthy purple patch that lasted for a good twenty minutes.

Craig Forsyth hit a fine shot that Tomasz Kuszczak somehow managed to keep out and away from Darren Bent.

The pressure told for us just after the hour when George Thorne won a terrific tackle to regain possession in our half which in turn led to Tom Ince playing the lurking Johnny Russell in on the left of the Blues area.

With great power and precision JR fired into the roof of the net and we were level.

For a moment on 68 minutes it looked as if referee Lee Mason had awarded the Rams a penalty when Chris Martin went down in the area but, countering the old cliché that refs never change their minds, Mason then booked Martin for diving.

Was it a pen? – Seen them given….. Was it a booking? – Probably not.

It struck me as a Premier League ref in a Championship game feeling the need to make a “big” decision

Andi Weimann was brought on with twenty minutes to go replacing Darren Bent, but not before Bent had hit the woodwork again just after the equalising goal. On another night Bent would have personally bagged four.

The game closed with both sides still eager but both tiring to an extent.

Still unbeaten in the league but no wins for the Rams then.

The evidence on the pitch looks promising with development in each game – we are looking more threatening and our attacking game seems to be moving into gear.

We look particularly good when we move with high tempo.

Our old friends from Yorkshire next then.

                                                                   Played GD    Pts

  1. Wolves                                                       3       0       4
  2. Derby County                                           4       0       4
  3. Nottingham Forest                              3       0       4
  4. QPR                                                               3      -1      4
  5. Cardiff City                                               3       0       3
  6. Leeds United                                            3       0       3

12th August – Cup of woe as Rams beaten and bowed by Pompey

12 Wednesday Aug 2015

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12th August

Portsmouth     2         Adam McGurk 49, Conor Chaplin 76

Derby County  1         Jason Shackell 73

A Rams team lacking in energy and urgency were deservedly beaten by League Two Portsmouth in the First Round of the League Cup.

The home team were consistently in our faces, more determined and recovered from the Rams equalising with 15 minutes to go to hit back almost immediately and score the winning goal.

There was no sense of injustice at this result as the home team bridged the two division gap between the teams with seeming ease.

Paul Clement made eight changes for this game, in came Lee Grant, Isak Ssewankambo (for his debut), Alex Pearce (another debut), Craig Forsyth, Jeff Hendrick, Andreas Weimann, Simon Dawkins and Darren Bent.

The Rams lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Chris Baird & Hendrick anchoring the midfield and Russell, Weimann and Dawkins in support of Bent.

Pompey managed by the former Chesterfield firecracker of a manager Paul Cook started well and former Burton Albion player Adam McGurk pulled a chance wide in the first quarter of an hour after some Rams confusion on the right of the defence.

The theme of the first half continued to be more Portsmouth energy and attack as the home team stayed on the front foot and looked for gaps.

The Derby players seemed to struggle to acquaint themselves with each other and were ponderous in comparison.

There were little glimpses of promise during the latter part of the half with Johnny Russell and Weimann causing problems for Portsmouth without creating any clear chances. The half dribbled to a close without further incident and a sense of us not really hitting our stride at all.

The second half started with a flicker of intent from Derby as Weimann again caused problems but soon after Jeff Hendrick lost possession too easily, and Pompey scored following an awful mistake from Lee Grant, who made a mess of header from McGurk.

The disappointing thing was that the lead was entirely deserved on the balance of play up to that point.

Two changes on the hour for the Rams trying to change things as Chris Martin and Tom Ince came on for Darren Bent and Simon Dawkins.

Bent, particularly, struggled to be an influence on the game but he doesn’t prosper as the lone striker; we saw that a number of times last season, so it was a puzzle to see him in that role again.

The final change for the Rams saw George Thorne join the game after 68 minutes, debutant Ssewankambo making way and skipper Baird dropping back to right back.

Within a minute Thorne had played the best pass of the night to get an attack moving and a further three minutes later the Rams were level as Jason Shackell rose highest at a corner to head home.

Thoughts of powering on to take the lead disappeared quickly as Conor Chaplin shot home and gave Pompey the lead again.

We huffed and puffed as the game drew to a close without ever coming close to scoring and in contrast to last season when we made it to the last eight we bow out of the Cup at the first hurdle.

Sure we made eight changes, but so did Portsmouth, so we should have done better.

Jeff Hendrick had a poor game, but like Darren Bent he was again playing in a position that he does not seem suited to. Johnny Russell’s work rate was as herculean as ever but we hardly created a chance all night which was a worry.

Alex Pearce looked a little slow , expect to see former skipper Richard Keogh back on Saturday and it is pretty safe to say that Scott Carson is a strong favourite to start in goal against Charlton.

George Thorne looked a class apart in his brief cameo and in him and Jason Shackell we have the makings of a strong spine to the team.

Surely it is disappointing to lose this game but to expect us to hit the ground running after a summer with such significant change was always hopeful rather realistic.

Interviewed after the game Paul Clement said he already knew his team for Saturday’s home game at the iPro – I think we can all have a pretty informed view of that 11 as well that will face up to Charlton where a home win would be very welcomed.

2nd May – Season over after miserable Rams surrender

03 Sunday May 2015

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2nd May

Derby County     0

Reading              3     Appiah 2, Hector 72, McCleary 85 (pen)

Looking forward to this game some months ago I was hoping that it would be a promotion party – how wrong that turned out to be.

Needing a point to secure a place in the playoffs the Rams folded against a Reading team with nothing to play for, the final margin of victory not being flattering to the Royals

Yet another 30,000 plus attendance at the iPro was loud and urgent in its support for the team but, after a first half burst that saw a Darren Bent shot saved by Adam Federici, a corner nearly turned into his own net by Nathan Chalobah, a Richard Keogh effort cleared off the line and, most damagingly, a Darren Bent penalty saved on the stroke of half time we offered nothing in the second half and meekly fell out of the top six.

Something has gone very wrong at this club of ours over the last eight weeks – certainly injuries have damaged the team but the lack of defensive organisation and leadership from the team over this period has been painful to see.

I’m as sick as everyone is with the talk swirling around Steve McClaren’s future but he has handled this situation very badly with his evasive answers and insistence on legal type phrases such as

“I am contracted to Derby County”

With talk this morning (Sunday) of his imminent departure to the wreckage that is Newcastle United to rescue them from relegation I hope that one way or another we can get some certainty at Derby soon and start to plan for next season.

In possibly his last selection as Rams Head Coach McClaren made three changes, Raul Albentosa, Johnny Russell and Darren Bent returning to the starting line up in place of Conor Sammon and Jesse Lingard who dropped to the bench and Simon Dawkins who was absent owing to a personal situation.

This saw Stephen Warnock line up as defensive midfielder in a move that did not make it to half time as he was withdrawn on 37 minutes with the Rams chasing the game.

He struggled to make an impact and seemed to wander from his station – at one point I noticed with some alarm that he was our furthest forward player chasing down a Reading defender.

You had to feel for the player as he trudged off to be replaced by Jesse Lingard but his signing has been a strange one and his impact has been limited.

We were chasing the game at this point because of a characteristic self inflicted catastrophe on 2 minutes.

To calm frayed nerves we needed an early goal in this game and we surely got one – but in the wrong net.

Working the ball around the Reading half Will Hughes turned and played a pass back over half way directly to Kwesi Appiah who raced away from Raul Albentosa, evaded Craig Forsyth, sidestepped Richard Keogh’s sliding block and slotted the ball easily past Lee Grant.

Deflating and disappointing but sadly not at all surprising after recent weeks.

When our player of the season and one of the finest players at this level is making such an error it is yet another symptom of a team in trouble.

We huffed and puffed for the rest of the first half knowing that despite everything a point would still be good enough to get us into the playoffs but Darren Bent’s tentative saved penalty was another disappointment in a long recent list.

The second half saw the last throw of the dice, the emergence of a clearly below par Chris Martin in place of Johnny Russell.

Subsequent to this game more information has come out about the injury he is carrying – not so much a recovering hamstring but also a problem with tendons around his knee which explains the length of time it has been taking for him to recover.

In truth by even playing the parts of games that he has our Number 9 has been playing above and beyond the call of duty and potentially worsening the injury.

We posed little if any threat in the second half and gave away a second goal on 72 minutes failing to take two opportunities to clear a corner allowing Michael Hector to stab home and bring an end to our season.

Time was then marked as the game drew down, Reading, a team who had not won in nine games and had lost to Rotherham last Tuesday, were enjoying themselves enormously and to the unknowing observer looked like the play off team.

The final indignity came on 85 minutes when Reading cult hero Jem Karacan found himself all alone with the ball on the six yard line and was brought down by Lee Grant. Gareth McCleary put the penalty away and the scoring was complete.

Not that it mattered, but I thought that Karacan was offside and that Grant may have got a hand onto the ball. Having watched it back this morning I see that he wasn’t and he didn’t, so fair play to the officials for those decisions.

Walking away after the final whistle I felt less bothered than I thought I would be and less angry – just deeply disappointed that we have missed out on such a good opportunity as this season was.

In amongst all of the gloom that was yesterday it must be noted that the minute’s applause for Colin Bloomfield prior to the match was a genuinely moving affair and very fitting.

A big well done to Sam Rush for very quickly stating that the club would do this.

The Rams’ season ends then in failure and no little turmoil. We’ve all been here before.

What comfort I can draw when I think ahead is that the club is run well and that in Sam Rush we have someone with the ability to take us on.

It is going to be an interesting summer (again)

1. AFC Bournemouth 46 +53 90
2. Watford 46 +41 89
3. Norwich City 46 +40 86
4. Middlesbrough 46 +31 85
5. Brentford 46 +19 78
6. Ipswich Town 46 +18 78
7. Wolves 46 +14 78
8. Derby County 46 +29 77

14th April – Rams in Seasiders Stroll

15 Wednesday Apr 2015

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14th April

Derby County     4         Craig Bryson 3, Tom Ince 28, Darren Bent 29, 65(pen)

Blackpool            0

This proved to be just the game we needed after recent disappointments and frustrations.

A relegated Blackpool suffering the kind of off-field traumas to draw the sympathies of right minded football fans everywhere put up minimal resistance and also created one of the goals for us along the way as the Rams sauntered to a 4-0 win.

The match was played on a beautiful spring evening and the warm sunshine that bathed the iPro was a joy to behold. Pitchside the temperature was positively balmy and had me thinking idly what is must be like to watch your football in La Liga as I considered the latest changes to a Rams starting line up.

Four changes today as Zak Whitbread, Ryan Shotton, Simon Dawkins and Jesse Lingard started replacing Raul Albentosa, Craig Forsyth, Johnny Russell and Chris Martin.

Another new back four line up for this game with Richard Keogh moving back to centre half alongside Whitbread, Shotton returning to right back and Stephen Warnock carrying on at left back.

Blackpool posed little threat and were poor ( not that this has stopped us struggling before) but before the value of the clean sheet we earned is this game is totally written off it should be remembered that the Seasiders only lost 2-3 to Ipswich Town last Saturday, the Tractor Boys needing a last minute winner to seal the win.

As has been the case for a few games we started well on the front foot. Unlike recent games though, we scored an early goal which set the tone for the rest of the game.

Craig Bryson picked up the ball in midfield in the third minute and pressed forward unchallenged to the edge of the area letting fly with a strong, but bobbling shot that evaded keeper and Elliot Parish and hit the net.

Bryson’s celebration was very obvious and very pointed “shhhhhh” to all comers which suggests that all is not well with the midfielder, though this is no surprise to us who have seen but a shadow of the player who bagged 16 goals for us last season.

Tom Ince was busy and threatening and a lovely shimmy on the quarter hour saw him free up space and shoot over. His “I’m not celebrating “goal celebration was not long delayed however as he put us 2-0 up on 28 minutes.

For want of a better description our second goal was created by Ryan Shotton’s fake long throw as he gave every impression of preparing to fling the ball into the area but instead went short to Ince who dropped a shoulder, lost a defender and deliciously passed the ball into the far corner for his eighth goal of his loan spell.

Our third goal took a further 30 seconds or so to arrive as Blackpool kicked off and Charles Dunne catastrophically misjudged his pass to Darren O’Dea and served only to play in Darren Bent who gleefully slotted home to make it 3-0.

The relaxed air around the game made it easy for Rams fans to express our support for the hardy band of around 100 Blackpool fans who had made the trip south. Numerous chants inviting Karl Oyston to take his leave from the club were aired as well as the amusing “Oyston for Forest”

It was good to see us support fellow fans who have seen their club abused by those who have a responsibility to run the club and set up for relegation even before the season had started.

To read some of the Twitter reactions of Blackpool fans after the game was genuinely heart warming as shivers of recognition when thinking back to our own traumas of the past.

The second half was routine, even including our efforts to gift Blackpool a goal. Jesse Lingard skied a very good chance but looked threatening and, to be honest, seems to offer us more at the moment than the lion hearted Johnny Russell.

Ryan Shotton earned the fourth goal, fouled in the area as he rampaged along and Darren Bent walloped the resulting penalty into the top corner for his twelfth goal since January – an impressive return considering that we are still working out how best to play to his strengths.

I was a little concerned at Jeff Hendrick’s substitution – some bellowed exchanges with Paul Simpson preceded the change and to me he seemed to be gingerly holding his side / stomach as he left the pitch.

Surely not another injury?

I was pleased to see Zak Whitbread play and feel he offers us some defensive know how allied to an ability to play a decent pass. Yes, the opposition was poor but Ryan Shotton played well and Stephen Warnock looked much less ragged than on Saturday.

Jamie Ward made a late appearance and almost managed to start a fight when going in hard on one of the Blackpool players, A frustrated Peter Clarke looked like he wanted to punch someone, anyone, he did not seem too fussed, in response.

You can always rely on Jamie to add a little niggle to proceedings.

After the game Steve McClaren, when explaining the absence of Chris Martin, said that our iconic number nine had experienced “a setback” in training.

Considering our luck this season when it comes to injuries “a setback” could mean anything from a stubbed toe to having been abducted by aliens who have promised to bring him back in “2-4 weeks”

Hopefully he will return (again) soon.

As is traditional in recent weeks every team above us in the league that was playing won their games meaning that fifth place is looking about as good as it will get for us this season.

Another spin at the playoffs is not to be scorned but we need to recover the momentum and form that took us higher in the league against opponents who will not be as obliging as Blackpool were.

Played GD Pts
1. AFC Bournemouth 43 +47 83
2. Norwich City 43 +39 82
3. Middlesbrough 43 +31 81
4. Watford 42 +36 79
5. Derby County 43 +32 75
6. Ipswich Town 43 +18 74
7. Brentford 43 +14 71
8. Wolves 43 +11 71

11th April – Rams steal a point & hang on to play off spot

12 Sunday Apr 2015

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11th April

Derby County         1      Darren Bent 90+2

Brentford                1      Alex Pritchard 28

The Rams smuggled a point away from this game at the death in a manner that challenges the Hatton Gardens safety deposit box raid in terms of biggest heist of the week.

Brentford outplayed Derby throughout, looked better organised and missed a handful of decent chances to leave themselves vulnerable to the late equaliser that Darren Bent bundled home after a Jeff Hendrick miscued shot fell to him in the six yard box.

Satisfaction at gaining a point when it was scarcely deserved and hanging on to a play off spot were the only positives to take from this disjointed and confused Rams performance.

Light relief before the start of the game when I spotted Steve Claridge on the press benches at the iPro. It is safe to say that he is not a fan of doing his pre-match homework as he chatted on the phone and looked idly across the ground as kick off approached.

It was good to see Charlie George make a nostalgic appearance before kick off and be interviewed on the pitch, though slightly alarming to cast my mind back 40 years to remember seeing him play in a Rams shirt.

Chris Martin and Craig Bryson were the two additions to the starting line up replacing the suspended Will Hughes and Jamie Ward who dropped to the bench. A second outing then for the new look defence with skipper Richard Keogh and Stephen Warnock in the full back spots and Raul Albentosa & Craig Forsyth being the central defensive partnership.

The pre-match chit chat suggested we would set up in a 4-2-3-1 with Martin playing the central role but we quickly seemed to morph into a 4-4-2 with Johnny Russell and Tom Ince playing wide.

The first 15 minutes or so of the game was our best period with Tom Ince coming close twice with a whipped free kick that flew narrowly past David Button’s left hand post and then forcing the keeper into a smart save as he cut inside the area and shot towards the opposite corner.

We lost any control we had after that point though and Brentford increasingly came onto the front foot.

Even before the visitors took the lead, just before the half hour, with a very well taken Alex Pritchard strike from the edge of the area following a sweeping breakaway the Bees were looking organised, threatening and comfortable.

Uncertainty and lack of confidence leaked off the Rams players and transmitted itself to the fans. Steve McClaren was again on the sidelines early and in the first half Craig Bryson, notably, came to the technical area twice for an energetic exchange of views with the Head Coach leaving the discussion with an expression that suggested frustration rather than enlightenment.

The second half saw an ill Johnny Russell replaced by Simon Dawkins but there was no improvement and increased confusion as the game progressed.

Andre Gray missed three presentable second half opportunities for the Bees. Craig Forsyth, in his one high point of the game, made a superb goal line clearance to foil Jonathan Douglas and there seemed little prospect of us rescuing anything from the match.

Jeff Hendrick worked hard to get into the game and to try and create something but he was often isolated in his efforts.

For some unknown reason Chris Martin appeared to be stationed wide left for much of the second half which was an unexpected move and limited his involvement.

The suspended Will Hughes was sorely missed as we lacked creativity and control and as a final roll of the dice with fifteen minutes to go Stephen Warnock and Craig Bryson were withdrawn to be replaced with Jesse Lingard and Zak Whitbread.

Craig Forsyth returned to his normal left back berth – and spent much of the rest of the game being harangued by Steve McClaren to get forward.

In his short involvement Whitbread gave an assured and confident performance and I hope to see him starting on Tuesday when we take on Blackpool.

Time was running out when Jeff Hendrick picked up the ball outside of the Bees area and took his shot leading to Darren Bent bundling in his 10th goal of his loan period.

It was barely deserved but gratefully received and it felt unusual to be on the receiving end of some good fortune after our experiences this season.

This result along with wins for all of the top four realistically ends any hopes that we had for finishing in the top two this season. We are now in a battle for a play off spot with the table showing four teams fighting for two places, only a point separating the Rams, Ipswich, Brentford and Wolves.

Changing formations and experimenting with the defence in the final six games of a season is not something successful teams normally do.

There is something amiss at the heart of the team, the confident flowing Rams of last season seem a world away at the moment and we need to find some form quickly if we are to not only stumble into the playoffs but actually give a good account of ourselves in them.

That feels more like wishful thinking at the moment.

Played GD Pts
1. AFC Bournemouth 42 +46 80
2. Norwich City 42 +37 79
3. Watford 42 +36 79
4. Middlesbrough 42 +30 78
5. Derby County 42 +28 72
6. Ipswich Town 42 +16 71
7. Brentford 42 +15 71
8. Wolves 42 +12 71

6th April – Relief as Rams back to winning ways at Wigan

06 Monday Apr 2015

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6th April

Wigan Athletic    0

Derby County      2        Chris Martin 51, Darren Bent 81

Chris Martin’s 20th goal of the season and his inspiring performance after coming on as a half time substitute lead the Rams to our first win in eight at the DW Stadium.

There is no doubting the contribution our number 9 makes to our success and the difference he made to a poor and lethargic first half performance was a clear indication of the value he adds to the team.

The prospect of facing a poor and disjointed Wigan team heading for the Third Division (as it should be called…none of this League One nonsense) on a very poor pitch had the makings of a banana skin for a team as lacking in confidence as we were entering this game.

The first half was a poor spectacle that we allowed Wigan to increasingly dominate with their physical approach but the introduction of Martin at half time changed our approach and as soon as we took the lead Wigan’s threat receded.

The Rams made four changes for this game with Raul Albentosa, Stephen Warnock, Jeff Hendrick and Jamie Ward coming into the starting eleven replacing the injured Ryan Shotton, George Thorne and Craig Bryson as well as the struggling Cyrus Christie who dropped to the bench.

There was lots of puzzlement amongst the fans when looking at the defence  Richard Keogh at right back, Craig Forsyth at centre half.

It felt like a gambler’s throw of the dice to me and not the kind of experimentation you indulge in with six games of a season to go and all to play for….but I am delighted to be proved wrong as the new defence delivered the first clean sheet since our last win on 24th February when we beat Charlton 2-0.

Steve McClaren spoke after the game about having two “talkers” in the full back positions in Keogh & Warnock and also about how they had identified left centre half as being a position that Craig Forsyth could play.

Having seen Keogh & Shotton and also Keogh & Albentosa, both right footed combinations, sometimes struggle as a central partnership, it was no surprise that a lefty was being thought of but it was definitely a surprise to see us go for it with Fozzy today.

The back five had a good game, Granty making two excellent saves and the skipper and Fozzy coping well with their new positions. Raul started slowly but Warnock had a good game, as did the unit as a whole, albeit against a team that had not won a home match since August.

The Rams should have been ahead on 11 minutes when Darren Bent played Tom Ince in following a break lead by Craig Forsyth but Ince could only tamely shoot straight at keeper Ali Al Habsi.

Without ever really threatening in the first quarter hour the hosts forced five corners which tested the new look Rams back line. All were coped with competently if not always comfortably.

It was truly a dull and lifeless first half – we struggled to make any impact upon the Wigan goal and the only real moment of note after the Tom Ince chance was a great save from Lee Grant as the game moved beyond 35 minutes keeping out a McLean header.

The talismanic Chris Martin replaced Jamie Ward at half time who, like most other Rams, had had a very quiet first half.

There was a feeling of being back on the right track when a couple of minutes into ths second half we saw our first Chrissy Martin “wardrobe” free kick. – How we have missed those….

Joy two minutes later as Chris Martin started and finished a move with the assistance of Johnny Russell, the lively Scot finding Martin with a precise pass from the edge of the area which Martin put away with a clinical finish to put the Rams 1-0 up and send the 4,000 plus Rams fans into loud raptures of delight.

Without wishing to labour the point there was such a change of mood and performance as soon as Chris Martin was back on the pitch.

We have sorely lacked leadership on the pitch and this is something that Martin gives us, of all our players he appears to be the one with the greatest will to win.

Steve McLaren spoke after the game about Martin having 45 minutes in him today. For our prospects for the rest of the season it is to be hoped his journey back to full match fitness is rapid.

The crucial second goal came for the Rams on 81 minutes with a move started by Will Hughes and again involving Johnny Russell, the chance fell to Chris Martin who missed his attempt but Darren Bent was on the spot to fire in his ninth goal of his loan spell.

Lee Grant rounded off his excellent game making another vital save, this time from Kim-Bo Kyung as we moved into five minutes of injury time.

One downside of today was Will Hughes’ 10th booking of the season which will see him miss the games against Brentford and Blackpool.

As good a player as he is, and by god he is, it is frustrating that so many of Will’s bookings are silly niggly ones – just as today’s was.

Yet more changes in the leadership of the league that no-one wants to win as the leaders coming into today, Middlesbrough, were beaten 2-0 at Watford and dropped back to 4th allowing Bournemouth to return to the top with a 4-2 win against Birmingham.

Norwich City rose into the second automatic spot with a 2-0 home win over Sheffield Wednesday.

The automatic places may seem a long shot for us now but we have a real opportunity to push on with the two home games coming up against Brentford and Blackpool.

We have already seen this season what a good and resilient team Brentford are but this is crunch time now and the early kick off on Saturday is our chance to build on the excellent second half performance today.

Played GD Pts
1. AFC Bournemouth 41 +44 77
2. Norwich City 41 +36 76
3. Watford 41 +34 76
4. Middlesbrough 41 +28 75
5. Derby County 41 +28 71
6. Brentford 41 +15 70

17th February – Loan rangers save the day as Millers make hay with Rams defence

17 Tuesday Feb 2015

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17th February

Rotherham United    3    Paul Green 35, Richard Smallwood 49, Matt Derbyshire 55

Derby County   3  Tom Ince 36,64    Darren Bent 83

Football eh? – Bloody hell.

Given the chance to go top of the league with a win we escaped with a point from the New York Stadium after being 3-1 down with half an hour to go.

Our defence seems to veer between rock solid and accident prone and the defending tonight was as poor as it has been for a very long time – or as Steve McClaren put it darkly afterwards – “You can’t win games defending like that….”

So a choice confronts us between being disappointed about missing out on going top or acknowledging a barnstorming comeback to win a hard earned point.

There was one change for the Rams from the last league game at Bournemouth as Darren Bent started in place of the injured Chris Martin.

The hosts had two former Rams in their team with Paul Green as captain and Ben Pringle also featuring. Watching on for the Millers was on loan Conor Sammon unable to play against us as part of his loan.

The hosts made a good start keeping us in our half for the first few minutes without really creating anything in the early minutes apart from a dangerous Ben Pringle free kick that Danny Ward headed straight at Lee Grant.

The Rams first attack had seen us break away on a move that saw Tom Ince shoot on goal but the save was easily made by Adam Collin.

Darren Bent drew a more difficult save from the Millers keeper and one of his defenders who just kept the ball off the line after a pass from Jeff Hendrick and, as the Rams stepped up their momentum Jamie Ward had two excellent chances as the game moved to the half hour.

A break for a serious looking injury to Rotherham’s Jack Hunt seemed to stall our momentum and we paid the price for losing focus as, inevitably, Paul Green was left unmarked to stab home from close range to put the Millers ahead.

It was obviously the kick up the backside that we needed as we were level within a minute thanks to a terrific goal from Tom Ince, again putting in a terrific performance, making some room for himself on the left hand side of the area and firing home.

We settled after the equaliser and controlled the rest of the half without ever creating a clear chance, the closest being when Tom Ince swung in a dangerous free kick that Darren Bent just missed.

As happens too often we made a slow start and fell behind again, giving away a sloppy free kick swung in by Richard Smallwood, Lee Grant went for the punch, missed and the ball went in to put the Millers ahead again on 49 minutes.

Bad became much worse as Matt Derbyshire was released by a mix up between Omar Mascarell and Richard Keogh and found himself through on Lee Grant firing home to make it 3-1 on 55 minutes.

The top of the table seemed a long way distant but our Head Coach is nothing if not a man of action and we saw a triple substitution on 59 minutes with Craig Bryson, Simon Dawkins and Jesse Lingard replacing Omar Mascarell, Jamie Ward and Jeff Hendrick.

Just after the changes Matt Derbyshire nearly made it 4-1 forcing a terrific save from Lee Grant but the substitutes then began making an impact and the roller coaster took another turn with man of the moment Tom Ince scoring again firing home a cross from Craig Forsyth to score his fifth goal for the Rams and pull it back to 3-2.

Rotherham started pulling back into their shell then, trying to hold what they had as the Rams showed more energy and invention and approximately 30 seconds after Steve McClaren moved Jesse Lingard over to the left wing, swapping with Simon Dawkins, the Manchester United loanee surged down the left, crossed and Darren Bent stole in front of the goalkeeper to pull the game level on 83 minutes.

From considering a demoralising defeat we were suddenly dreaming of an unlikely win but despite more pressure we could not complete the most unlikely of victories.

If we are to win promotion we must defend better than this and it was interesting to hear Paul Simpson speak before the game about how close Kelle Roos is running Lee Grant for a first team place. That was a surprise to hear and maybe Granty revels in a little pressure but we may well see changes on Saturday when we face Sheffield Wednesday – not least the return of Ryan Shotton.

Consider the impact of Tom Ince and Darren Bent since their arrival at the club – ten goals between them already and so influential to the team with the threat they provide – very little settling in required for both of these players, particularly Ince who is showing the explosive form that made him a hot property not so long ago.

So we are in 2nd place tonight – tomorrow Middlesbrough travel to Birmingham City with a chance to go 3pts clear at the top, quite an incentive when the table is as tight as this.

Played GD Pts
1. AFC Bournemouth 31 +33 59
2. Derby County 31 +30 59
3. Middlesbrough 30 +28 59
4. Ipswich Town 31 +19 57
5. Watford 31 +26 56
6. Norwich City 31 +23 53

14th February – Ten man Rams run it close but bow out to Royals

15 Sunday Feb 2015

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14th February

Derby County 1 Stephen Warnock sent off 39, Darren Bent 61
Reading 2 Hal Robson-Kanu 53, Yakubu Aiyegbeni 82

Derby County are out of the FA Cup at the Fifth Round stage beaten by a late goal from substitute Yakubu after a performance that was both entertaining and admirable playing, as we did, against the odds for 50 minutes.

Steve McClaren made seven changes from the team that drew 2-2 at Bournemouth, two of them enforced, with Kelle Roos, Ryan Shotton, Stephen Warnock, Craig Bryson, Simon Dawkins, Jesse Lingard and Darren Bent coming in for the injured Chris Martin, the cup-tied Tom Ince and the rested Lee Grant, Jake Buxton, Craig Forsyth, Will Hughes and Jamie Ward.

On the bench for the first time this season was George Thorne who received an enthusiastic welcome from the crowd both when he first appeared pre-match and also whenever he warmed up throughout the game. Unfortunately the way the game panned out our returning midfield linchpin never got the chance to play but his presence in the match day squad is a big boost.

The team selection meant Rams debuts for Warnock and Lingard after their arrival in the January transfer window though they were debuts of contrasting fortunes for the two players.

Warnock never made it to his half time orange (or gel sachet, to be more modern) as he collected his second yellow card on 39 minutes and left us down to ten men for the remainder of the game.

There were howls of outrage from around the ground when Craig Pawson dismissed Warnock but, in truth, our full back had left the referee little option as he went barrelling into ex Red Dog Jamie Mackie (as he himself acknowledged in a post match Tweet).

That is not to say that the referee had a good game – he reached for the yellow cards too quickly and this created a tension the game did not warrant.

It was interesting to see both teams substituting players who had been booked which felt like a defensive response to a refereeing performance that verged into “look at me” territory (In marked comparison to the performance of Mark Clattenburg on Tuesday night it should be noted)

The Rams were always up against it in this game from the moment that Warnock was dismissed but it was a brave and sterling effort and hard to see the evidence for which team had ten men as the game went on.

Steve McClaren explained afterwards that a replay was the last thing we wanted in a crowded fixture schedule and rather than try and close the game out after we equalised we continued on the attack which made for an exciting game but also left the door open for Reading to counter attack.

This was a Reading team much changed in performance if not personnel since Steve Clarke was appointed manager and their fielding of a first choice eleven reflected the fact that, drifting in mid table as they are, this game was a much higher priority for them than us.

We started the game well and a lovely move involving Lingard, Dawkins and Bent in the first two minutes played in Craig Bryson who forced a good save from Adam Federici.

The Reading keeper also made a superb instinctive save from Darren Bent in the first half when the striker turned and shot sharply as well as a great save from substitute Jamie Ward in the second half as we made a number of chances.

We were fortunate though that the other former Forest player on the pitch for the Royals, Simon Cox, is such a poor finisher as he missed two golden chances in the first half alone.

Reading took the lead from a neat finish from Hal Robson-Kanu early in the second half but we took only eight minutes to equalise.

Craig Forsyth (brought on for Omar Mascarell after Warnock’s dismissal) ranged forward and his cross was received by Jesse Lingard, who looked sharp, quick and creative on debut, and his shot hit Darren Bent and deflected in. Very much right man in the right place at the right time for our loan striker with his fifth goal for us.

We continued to push on for what would have been a gutsy winner but were caught on the break late in the game as Yakubu, on as a substitute after signing this week for the Royals as a free agent, was played in between Shotton & Forsyth and held off our left back to fire past Roos from the edge of the area.

Yakubu is one of those players (akin to Billy Sharp & David Nugent) who have a bad habit of scoring against us and those Rams with particularly long memories will remember John Gregory trying to sign him as a 19yr old for Derby back in the day but being unable to do so because of work permit issues.

Away from the iPro the most significant result for us was Bournemouth’s 1-1 home draw with Huddersfield which put them back top but must have felt like a disappointment for them.

 Elsewhere Ipswich, Watford and Norwich all won which leaves the top six looking tighter again. We travel to Rotherham on Tuesday night to play a team hitting some form but with a big incentive to come back with the three points. – COYR.

 

    Played GD Pts
1. AFC Bournemouth 31 +33 59
2. Middlesbrough 30 +28 59
3. Derby County 30 +30 58
4. Ipswich Town 31 +19 57
5. Watford 31 +26 56
6. Norwich City 31 +23 53

10th February – Resilient Rams make a point at Bournemouth

10 Tuesday Feb 2015

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10th February

AFC Bournemouth 2 Matt Ritchie 12, Callum Wilson 44
Derby County 2 Tom Ince 30, Darren Bent 68

There is such a thing as a good point and in the aftermath of a breathless game at the Goldsands Stadium this feels like one.

This was such an intense game. It was high on tension, but also high in quality, as the Rams showed great character and resolve to equalise twice against the free scoring hosts and secure that good point.

Indeed we largely controlled the second half, restricted Bournemouth to one skewed Harry Artur effort and could quite easily have taken the three points from this crucial game.

Two of our January signings were on the score sheet with Tom Ince and Darren Bent both showing great poise to put away their chances and in doing so vindicating again the decision making processes at the club at the moment.

Think for a moment the impact that Ince jr. and Darren Bent have had in their short time at the Rams, seven goals between them and a lift to the squad and the team – and they are only part of the enhancement to the squad in January with Raul Albentosa likely to play a key part in the season to come and the presence of Stephen Warnock on the bench surely a factor in the resurgence of Craig Forsyth’s form in recent weeks.

The Rams made one change for this game, Cyrus Christie replacing Ryan Shotton at right back and it was a quick and powerful start to the game by Derby putting pressure on the hosts who looked nervy for the first five minutes and creaky at the back.

The mood changed quickly though and we seemed to be unsettled by an incident on 10 minutes when Lee Grant handled outside of the area while, arguably, being obstructed by Callum Wilson.

Referee Mark Clattenburg, who had a good game, made a pragmatic decision not punishing the Rams keeper but awarding the Cherries a free kick in a dangerous area. The free kick passed harmlessly but Bournemouth then scored with their first incisive attack Callum Wilson and Yann Kermogant setting up Matt Richie to score.

Bad became worse on 14 minutes when Chris Martin limped off with what looked like an ankle injury and was replaced by Darren Bent.

Of the many things that impressed me about the Rams tonight, how we coped without our talismanic No.9 was right up there.

Talk to Rams fans throughout this season and top of the list of our concerns was how the team would function without Chris Martin. Well, we were going to have to find out pretty sharpish in probably our most difficult game of the season after he limped off.

We struggled to settle in the aftermath of the goal and a weak backheader from Keogh almost gifted a second goal but Wilson could not finish.

After some heroics from Jake Buxton putting his body on the line to repel a Cherries attacks the Rams equalised thanks to the midfield maestro Hughes who tried to play in Darren Bent on the right hand side of the area.

The on loan striker robbed the Bournemouth full back Simon Francis and played a superb pass for Tom Ince and the man of the moment shimmied to dummy a defender and finished superbly for the goal.

From a high to a low within minutes though. After our equaliser we continued to pressure the hosts but then undid so much good work when just before the half time whistle Wilson was allowed to accept the ball by the Rams central defence and fire the Cherries back into the lead.

The second half started at a lesser pace than what had gone before, but no surprise there as it would have taken a superhuman effort by both sides to keep up the intensity.

The Rams slowly cranked up the pressure and control and worked a half chance for Tom Ince who got past a couple of defenders but was prevented from scoring again by a superb tackle from Tommy Elphick.

The second equaliser came from a clinical finish from Darren Bent. Good play by Craig Forsyth and Simon Dawkins (on as substitute only two minutes earlier for Jamie Ward) saw Dawkins play the ball across the area and the former England striker nipped in front of the defence for his fourth goal for the Rams – a quality finish from quality striker.

The Rams put more pressure on Cherries after the second equaliser and Bournemouth increasingly looked towards Callum Wilson for the long ball outlet as the game went on and had little else to offer by way of threat.

Even though we could not force the winner this was a performance to give us great heart for the rest of the season.

There were good performances all over the pitch tonight, Craig Forsyth having a good game, as did Omar Mascarell who is seemingly growing with every game. Tom Ince and Darren Bent provide us with a very welcome cutting edge.

Jeff Hendrick was again very good and Will Hughes has maintained a level of excellence over a number of games now that is a joy to see.

I can’t remember the last time a point felt so satisfying and positive and even seeing Middlesbrough grub their way past Blackpool 2-1 to go top could not detract from that.