Tag Archives: Will Hughes

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 !

 

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.

 

1st November – That sinking feeling as Bees sting Rams at the last

02 Sunday Nov 2014

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1st November 

Brentford   2                                    Derby County      1 

Andre Gray 49                                  Chris Martin 27

Stuart Dallas 90+3

The log jam nature of the Championship was evidenced again as the Rams slipped from top of the league to 5th place owing to this defeat at the hands of Brentford that was capped off by a late late winner from Stuart Dallas.

 For the second league game in succession the Rams went in at half time 1-0 up and ended up losing the game – maybe it is a Uwe Rosler thing as this occurred against his current and former teams – hopefully so as we will now have got this bad habit out of our system until the reverse matches – but there does appear to be a falling away of performance and application across these two games.

Ifs ands and maybes serve no benefit but it is hard to ignore the fact that if, for instance, we had gained 4pts from those two half time positions we would still be top tonight with a lead of 3pts over third place.

The Rams started well in this game, passing the ball around fluently and creating half chances and indeed chances the best of which Simon Dawkins was not able to put away.

A characteristic finish by Chris Martin from an excellent Craig Forsyth cross just before the half hour put us 1-0 up and continues our Number 9’s golden run of form that has produced 12 goals so far this season and 8 goals in his last 8 games.

It is not difficult to see how important he is to us not only from his goal scoring contribution but also what he adds to the build up play and attack.

It is interesting to look at Chris Martin’s career stats before and after last season (2013-14)

Prior to August 2013 he had scored 57 goals in 221games (a goal in every four games roughly) but since the start of last season he has scored 37 goals in 72 games (better than a goal in every two games) a significant upturn in scoring rate and one that certainly puzzles a Swindon Town supporting work colleague of mine who saw him on loan at that club two years ago.

As has been the case in a few games now the Rams tempo went off the boil and allowed the opposition a way back into a game we really should have closed out if we want to live up to ambitions of a top two finish.

Brentford hit Derby on the break as the half was barely five minutes old Andre Grey looping a shot into Jack Butland’s goal and the rest of the half was one that fell into a pattern of even possession without either side really carving out any meaningful chances.

Steve McClaren shuffled the pack in a predictable fashion with Will Hughes replacing Craig Bryson and Jordan Ibe replacing Simon Dawkins, and a little more surprisingly removing Johnny Russell from the fray with Paul Coutts taking his place.

Will Hughes’ presence had an immediate impact and we did look more threatening with him co-ordinating play.

  1. Being wise after the event is the easiest job in the world but why he and also John Eustace did not start is a pertinent question. It was a question, though, that was not particularly welcomed in the after match interview on Radio Derby as we got our first appearance from grumpy Steve McClaren this season in response to Owen Bradley’s reasonable queries.The last ten minutes of the match became more fractious with yellow cards flying around and tempers fraying. The Rams carved out a couple of half chances that never really developed but were not able to hold onto what would have been a decent point as Dallas struck a cross that had made its way across the Rams box first time and it flew into the net. Two home games now before the international break and there is a sense of unease around about our performances in the last two league games. Two confident performances and six points from those home games would give a boost to us all but Huddersfield fresh from their 3-0 win over Forest and Wolves having an excellent season following promotion will be a test for us.