So here we are, one year in to the latest ‘three year plan’ under a new coach; are we moving forward, or shuffling on the spot?
Gary Rowett has changed our way of playing but crucially we appear to still have only the one way of playing, seemingly unable to adapt to different opposition or the way that games are panning out. Substitutions are again prescriptive, apparently made to a pre-arranged plan, and tend to be like-for-like rather than making any real impact.
There are no signs of the Academy players coming through yet, with a policy of buying players for whom there is very little chance of recouping any fee and zero chance of any personal development. There have been some questionable contract extensions if our aim is the Premier League and so we have to examine if the pre-season talk of long term plans were sincere; there seems to be very little opportunity for this squad to improve.
We all (seemingly) agreed with Uncle Mel’s mooted transition period at the time, but there is now palpable apathy and discontent at matches, particularly at Pride Park… are we really prepared then to take the one step backward that might enable us to take two forward? There is of course an argument to change little by little but to coin Rowett’s favourite phrase, the reality is that by buying ‘last contract’ players like Nugent, Davies, Huddlestone, and Jerome, we’re going to spend the next few windows buying players to replace the players Rowett’s brought to the club in the first place; it’s window dressing is what it is, giving the appearance of change but fundamentally achieving only the status quo.
What’s to be done then? The Academy players could easily be swamped by the often-toxic atmosphere at home. Buying ‘proven’ players means no chance to recoup fees unless we buy younger for significantly higher prices; that’s how you end up with the pressure that Tom Lawrence is currently struggling under, and the dissident section of the crowd don’t encourage they demand, and woe betide anyone who doesn’t hit the ground running. If we speculate on lower-league players then again the Academy players are frozen out and the fans decry the transfer policy.
I don’t think we’re particularly further forward than we were when Rowett was appointed and I don’t think there’s much evidence of initiating a strategy, but I also don’t see many prepared to take that one step backward either; what’s to be done? I'd give Rowett 6/10 so far but I don't think we as fans are helping him, or the club, to move the club forward either.
"Happy" Anniversary...?
posted on 17/3/18
Atmosphere? I get annoyed at ‘fans’ leaving at half time.
Surely that’s a factor in ‘atmosphere’ waning? Plus to me, if you’re Derby, you’ve made a covenant and you stay to the end 👍
Did the traffic.
posted on 17/3/18
omment by ViewFrom (U1581)
posted 3 minutes ago
Atmosphere? I get annoyed at ‘fans’ leaving at half time
———————————————————————
So you’re saying when I decide to leave that’s to do with the lack of atmosphere You’re more deluded than I thought so
posted on 17/3/18
comment by 🐏Wassa🐏 (U2584)
posted 14 seconds ago
omment by ViewFrom (U1581)
posted 3 minutes ago
Atmosphere? I get annoyed at ‘fans’ leaving at half time
———————————————————————
So you’re saying when I decide to leave that’s to do with the lack of atmosphereYou’re more deluded than I thought so
----------------------------------------------------------------------
What? You leave at half time?
(So, you think I’m deluded? What have I said?)
Didn’t know that. Why?
posted on 17/3/18
comment by 🐏Wassa🐏 (U2584)
posted 3 minutes ago
omment by ViewFrom (U1581)
posted 3 minutes ago
Atmosphere? I get annoyed at ‘fans’ leaving at half time
———————————————————————
So you’re saying when I decide to leave that’s to do with the lack of atmosphereYou’re more deluded than I thought so
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah, probably improves it !
posted on 17/3/18
Deluded! I assumed we are all deluded. For goodness sake we support Derby. 'Tis a a basic requirement
posted on 17/3/18
I think the assumption would be that if fans leave early then they have contributed to the atmosphere dying off, which naturally it would: the fewer in the ground, the quieter it will be.
It doesn't account for the toxic atmosphere though: that's caused by people still inside the stadium.
posted on 17/3/18
Anything a manager says after a defeat tends to sound like an excuse. What Rowett ACTUALLY said after the Sheffield Wednesday defeat was not that we lost because we had too much possession but that we did not defend well enough. He hasn't been shy of criticising the performance whether we have won or lost and it’s daft to say that he is making “excuses” - he is obliged to do post-match interviews after all. If we lose tomorrow what will the reasons be (or “excuses” )? That Cardiff are playing better than us, in a fantastic run of form and full of confidence? That we are lacking confidence and have a lot of injuries? These are simply facts. I agree with criticism of some of the work done in the transfer windows and the dour nature of some of the football but that doesn’t mean that everything in the garden is crappy. Do you actually want Rowett to be sacked, Wassa? You make a lot of negative comments but you never actually say what you think should happen.
posted on 17/3/18
The toxic atmosphere inside Pride Park is down to the Russians.
Several years ago The Kremlin identified DCFC among a group of elite European clubs that would challenge the future dominance of Russian clubs in Europe following the fake World Cup victory of the home side this summer.
For several years now home fans at Pride Park have been subject to a audiatry depressant triggered by the singing of “Steve Bloomers Watching”
Russian boffins had been experimenting for years on the effects of vibrations on the human psyche and saw the opportunity to turn Robert Lindsay when he visited Moscow.
Lindsay was brainwashed into penning the ditty to the precise wavelength determined to cause the malaise currently abundant at PP.
posted on 17/3/18
Also Wassa, not to mention Fulham failing to hold onto a two-nil lead against a very poor QPR team today, and Villa being thrashed at home by the same very poor team last week.
posted on 17/3/18
RiD's team trying to do us a favour, 1-0 up against Villa at HT.