Backo and I sat 3 seats away from Kevin Hector who commented:

'its going to take time to play a new system but I'm really concerned bout lack of chances'...

He didnt rate the right hand side russell ,christie says that needs improving , he thought newcastle are decent but they had a bit of a easy game, long way to go...

I personally thought Johnny had a decent game and looked lively. Very little end product though..

Steve Nicholson reports this is the worst start to a season in our history (1 goal in 6).

Also worth noting newly-promoted Barnsley have scored 13 more than us

..ps a pretty fair assessment 3R

👏3R

I enjoyed the first 20 minutes. We matched them and it was set to be the first game I have enjoyed at the iPro for months.

Then it went. Unfortunately and we never seemed to get it back. Shelvey for them played the perfect game, got stuck in, made his mark, got , then quietly orchestrated things from the peripary.........proper leader. Maybe that's what we lack with the utmost respect to Richard Keogh 🤔

Totally agree view re: Shelvey. Completely ran the show, and what a ball in for their second!

It would be great to have someone like that...

I said it last night - and I'll say it again- amongst other faults we are definitely too lightweight and small, all over the park. We got muscled off the ball more times than I can remember yesterday.

Nevertheless I was fairly encouraged by what I saw, particularly the effort/desire. Newcastle were very,very strong side.

We'll turn this around

Thanks 3R, good summary as ever
I agree about the defending, regarding their first goal. Neither Shackell or Wilson stretched every sinew to cut out the cross. JR tried hard, but for every decent pass he made, and there were a couple of good long balls towards the strikers, he mis-controlled or misplaced his pass. Thought Bryson & Hughes did well in the circumstances, but they were always going to be bullied out of it a bit.
I think the true test of our current level will be on Tuesday night

Their second goal certainly on the match hi-lights looked to be a pure Derby defensive nightmare. Shambolic defending at it's worst, hopefully there are a few of those left by the time we visit?

First goal was unstoppable though.

Bear, first was stoppable if the cross had been cut out.
Second was inevitable, with only one defender on the pitch

The first was a corner, Ang: how do you suggest that gets cut out?

The number of times Bryson, Hughes, and Russell were just eased off the ball was truly alarming, and often in our own half too.

With Toon holding a high defensive line you'd have thought the new pacey strikers would have a field day but shots were rare: the service to them was no better than Martin endured. NP needs to address midfield, sharpish.

Just watching it again now

Danny Higgingbottom analysing their 1st goal: Wilson was the man given the task of marking the scorer. He peeled of his man (well rehearsed, clearly) to the back post. Wilson instantly lost sight of his man, and the ball . Gouffran watched the ball the whole way and timed his volley to perfection.

Tough, maybe, to criticise Wilson, but that's how it played out.

Re:- Russell, I like his energy but there is no end product. He's a passenger Derby can't afford he's got to go in the next window if he doesn't start producing.

comment by 666 ⚽️ (U11795)
posted 1 hour, 6 minutes ago
The first was a corner, Ang: how do you suggest that gets cut out?
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Can you not cross a ball in from a corner then ? You could in my day.
I'm not suggesting it was cut out at source, but en route to it's destination. I suggest Wilson, and your man Shackell, could have made greater efforts to do that.

Until Thorne returns we may need to stick Johnson in the middle just to give us a bit of steel, wondered if he'd do that yesterday and sit him on Shelvey.

Tommo

We have a real problem in the central midfield and as a unit physically. We can not control games by playing 4-4-2 with the players we are playing. Bryson & Hughes are being asked to perform a role they have hardly played in 4 years. Add that they both are not known for their strength then its causing us problems. We are not a physically strong side all over the pitch. I don't know what Pearson plans to do about this apart from play Johnson. Then he has to leave Bryson or Hughes out if hes persisting with 2 centrally. We said it earlier in the season but im not sure its the right thing to do UNTIL he gets players that can play it more effectively.

If we are playing 442 then there isn't room for Thorne when he's back, 442 doesn't have a defensive midfielder so we need a player with some bite and we don't have anyone in the club with that.

No we don't Griff and with no loans now we are stuck with what we have till at least January. Thorne wont be anywhere near till November anyway.

BJ has the bite, we saw it in his first few games. Can he resurrect it, will he be given chance? Who knows.

He seems a 'confidence' player to me. I'd like to see him rediscover it and see him back

Baz, if Johnson is the metal of the midfield we have problems. I've not seen anything from him to show he has the bite we need. I remember him trying to be hard once away at Burnley last year and Barton soon put him back in his place.

We defo have problems in that area lads. Now everybody knows I was a Hendrick fan. Way before the Euros. All I heard when the bid was made is that its a great deal...good money. I actually don't care about the money I was looking at the team. Hendrick is a big loss for us. Hes big,hes strong and energetic. Hes getting better. I hear hes inconsistent....well so is everybody then. He is the one that could of made 4-4-2 work. Pearson said he wanted to go. Fine...if we get a replacement in you can go should of been the deal. We didn't. Its not overhyping Hendrick I'm just seeing us getting bullied at the minute. Hendrick would not be bullied so easy.

comment by GRIFF....fair price for football fans...not al... (U3408)
posted 1 hour, 44 minutes ago
Baz, if Johnson is the metal of the midfield we have problems. I've not seen anything from him to show he has the bite we need. I remember him trying to be hard once away at Burnley last year and Barton soon put him back in his place.
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Griff, when he arrived he was an absolute tank for the first 6 or so games. Power, strength, composure, and could pick a pass too. It's in his locker for sure.

Shows some of it here also. Why on earth can't he replicate this form for us?

https://youtu.be/tawbfy404OM

It wasn't some the selling of Hendrick, the issue for me is not replacing him.

Backo,

It's not like we had a choice, he asked to go

Hard to blame him.

Tommo he was under contract. But I know they don't mean a thing.

Igor...im not blaming him im blaming ourselves for not getting a replacement.