What's the reality.

We were strongly linked with Scott Sinclair and Bart Ramselar before the last transfer window closed. Sinclair was supposedly a part-swap deal with Lowe going the other way but it didn't happen. I don't think Cocu has got the wide players he wants at the club but until the next window he will have to do the best with what he has. He has given Josefzoon every chance, having not used him at all when they were together previously at PSV. I find it hard to believe that he won't be happy to let him go and be looking to get better players in wide positions. It's our weakest area.

I for one am becoming increasingly pessimistic about our new manager and squad. I’ve not been so disillusioned with our play since the days of Clement and Clough. Not for one minute am I suggesting we start and look to replace Cocu but ...

1) Our insistence on playing from the back is bordering on suicide. Our players are simply not good enough and the opposition are all too aware of this.

2) The players look unmotivated and at times disinterested . Has Cocu the ability to inspire and motivate them?

3) we have a questionable keeper, look dodgy at the back, are struggling at both fallback positions, we are slow and uncreative in midfield, have no effective wingers and are not firing on all cylinders upfront . Toothless.

The next 5/6 games look more appealing on paper but I’m expecting much of the same, sadly.

UTR

I'd say that the wide positions are our weakest area is an understatement
We don't have one natural wide player let alone 3 required for a promotion season

Put Sinclair and Ibe in the team and I'd be confident of top 6. I dont know enough about Ramselar but I'd suggest that would turn us into a promotion team

All easier said than done of course and I'd be amazed if Patterson was in Cocu's top 5 choices

can't help but think even players like Blackman would have stood a chance of getting into this team, he was garbage most of the time, but no worse than some of these pointless loans we have this season.

still think we missed a trick letting Rawson go a while back too, might only be league 2, but a Forest Green supporting friend thinks he's been an absolute revelation and will be playing at the top one day.

I honestly think the loan signings we have were rushed through after some kind of deal with Chelsea fell through, there's no real logic behind them, and it shows. Giving average players that we don't even own a runout seems utterly pointless.

The Leeds performance was one of the worst I've seen from us, the last minute goal seems to have glossed over that for a lot of people because we got a point, but at no point did we look competitive. We made it look more like one of those cup ties where a non-league team holds out for most of 90 minutes against one of the top 4 premiership teams then suckerpunches them at the end. Only real positives I can take from that is that there were times when Lowe actually looked OK, and that Martin actually took his chance, which shows he does actually still want to be here and achieve something.

There's no real quality in the depth of this squad, we saw that last season when the quality loanees were having off days, The only teams we have beaten are propping up their respective leagues.

Is Anya still injured/alive/at the club? He should be able to do much of what Russell did.

Do you mean go to the USA Heb? Not by Thomas Cook he won't.

It worries me that I keep hearing about Cocu’s philosophy and how we need to adapt to it. We haven’t got the players to adapt to it, we try to play with 2 wide men when we don’t have a single wide player that can take a man on or cross a ball. We continue to with 2 DM midfielders who are offering zero protection to the defence.
It is not the players that need to buy into Cocu’s philosophy, it’s Cocu that needs to adapt his philosophy to the players at his disposal.

I agree with that 100% Tommo.

He may well have to adapt Tommo. We’ll have to see how stubborn he is if Plan A continues to prove unproductive.
Saying that he has changed things at half time on several occasions so I do think he may well decide not to flog a dead horse for too much longer.

A good debate and a worthy debate this one. Some honest opinions. I was amazed to see derby persist with trying to play the back out of defence as Leeds won possession on the final third countless times in the first half. Keeper and centre backs don’t look comfortable on the ball. Seen that Clarke twice now and I don’t like the look of him. I thought he was a 30yr old and amazed just now to see he is only 22 with loads of games under his belt. How many centre backs do Brighton need - they already had Duffy dunk and burn, then they paid a shed load for Webster whilst already having white and Clarke there.

In terms of possession/control/touches in opposition box it was as one sided a draw as you’ll see but credit to derby for sticking at it.