A few of our midfielders are just a bit weak, we can't expect to hold on for that long with maybe 2 clever bits of possession in 70 minutes. No shame in not being as good as this lot tbh, neither team could afford these players. Well not without the rebate from HMRC.
Ainsworth got that wrong today. Was very obvious at half time we needed extra protection - even more so after Derby’s first attacking sub early in the second half. In response, he did nish.
However, they’re a fantastic side and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re pushing for autos come the end of the season.
Press high until we score, don’t give Derby time on the ball.
When we score, sit back, dig in and defend for our lives.
A few seasons ago that probably would have been our only bet of getting any kind of result, but with the quality of the squad now, we’re doing ourselves a disservice to set up like that time and time again against good (but not earth-shattering) opponents.
With Mawson, Taf, Max, Wing, Vokes, Mehmeti, we really don’t need to have such a pessimistic plan to get points.
Eugh - pretty classless chanting there at the end from Derby as well. Just when I thought I never had to deal with Sunderland’s type ever again…
5-3-2 does not work. Two games on the trot with very poor general play, only with Mehmeti as any spark. Please, please, please back to 4-2-3-1. We ditched it last season and improved dramatically, why have we returned to it? We have two of the best centre backs we have EVER had, we do not need a 3rd back! It is a complete wasted player and we are being too negative generally. Third game on the trot we have sat back and showed very little except Mehmeti. We’re set up like we don’t really believe in ourselves. Unless that changes, mid table beckons, which is a shame as I think we have the players to get to the playoffs.
Taf - needs to move into the middle or we need to go back to a flat back 4. He looks really awkward playing wider on the left, which turns a key player into a weakness.
Max - what a find. Given the very public nature of who we wanted at the start of the season, to basically silence that talk in a matter of weeks is a testament to how he’s slotted in. Didn’t deserve to be on the losing side today.
Mehmeti - sell for no less than £4m.
Wing - when he’s fit I think Kaikai will be more dangerous in that no. 10 position. Wing has a quality touch but in a team that rarely has the ball for any sustained period of time, he’s wasted, and his defensive shortcomings expose us. Kaikai has performed consistently when called upon for us and has a delivery every bit as good as Wing’s.
Scowen - I really hope he’s not out for long, we missed him today.
It feels like Ainsworth is still trying to channel the spirit of 2019/20 - when trying to nick narrow wins was a sensible approach as we didn't have a fantastic squad. Now we do, and we're not maximising it as you say.
Max is clearly a very good shot stopper and I'm impressed with his confidence and decision-making but his distribution is not there yet. The times he threw the ball out we played well but his kicking was poor - the only time it worked was for the Mehmeti goal and that relied on a mis-control by a Derby defender.
Kaikai had a fantastic shot on him at the end. I'd love to see Mehmeti-Kaikai-McCleary behind Vokes, though as @Quarterman says, that means going back to 4-2-3-1 and not wasting a place on an extra central defender. Grimmer did ok but not well enough to keep his place in the team.
Once again, I'm far from convinced by Wing - though if Young isn't ready it's hard to see a better option alongside Gape with Scowen, Thompson and Wheeler all out.
That was coming from the moment we took the lead unfortunately. Too many times now that gone in front and decided to just stop playing and let the opposition have a free run up to our final third. Second half was a disappointment - the coming run of fixtures are a real concern if Scowen isn't back quickly.
Well beaten today. We looked pretty weak in midfield with Josh Scowen. We bossed the first 20 mins and the Mehmeti goal was brilliant, especially the way he dropped his shoulder moved inside and then dragged the ball past that last defender and found the net.
After that first 20, we were really second best and they really dominated play and deserved the win.
Still only 3 points off the play offs, but it stretches up quickly above that.
Difficult run of fixtures coming with Sheff Wed, Plymouth, Oxford and Peterborough, so you dare say we'll see what we're made of at the end of that run.
Unfortunately, we’ve been rolled over several times recently.
It was good to see Al Al-Hamadi and KaiKai putting themselves about for a few minutes.
Hope @trevor and @Quartersman80 are ok. Probably stunned by the result but girding their loins for a full frontal attack (not a pretty sight) on tactics, substitutions etc.
Derby - tens of millions in debt to HMRC and various other creditors - able to afford players like McGoldrick, Hourihane, Chester, Barkhuizen, Collins, Mendez-Laing. All proven Championship performers, some of whom were playing in the Prem a couple of years ago. The quality told in the end, and they'll be near top of the league once they all click. They've truly gotten away with murder. I despise them, possibly as much as MK now
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Sad to say but, to be fair, Derby were the better side by quite a margin for an hour of that game. Only one MoM.
A few of our midfielders are just a bit weak, we can't expect to hold on for that long with maybe 2 clever bits of possession in 70 minutes. No shame in not being as good as this lot tbh, neither team could afford these players. Well not without the rebate from HMRC.
Ainsworth got that wrong today. Was very obvious at half time we needed extra protection - even more so after Derby’s first attacking sub early in the second half. In response, he did nish.
However, they’re a fantastic side and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re pushing for autos come the end of the season.
At half time we were 6th. We dropped 10 places in 45 mins...
Press high until we score, don’t give Derby time on the ball.
When we score, sit back, dig in and defend for our lives.
A few seasons ago that probably would have been our only bet of getting any kind of result, but with the quality of the squad now, we’re doing ourselves a disservice to set up like that time and time again against good (but not earth-shattering) opponents.
With Mawson, Taf, Max, Wing, Vokes, Mehmeti, we really don’t need to have such a pessimistic plan to get points.
Eugh - pretty classless chanting there at the end from Derby as well. Just when I thought I never had to deal with Sunderland’s type ever again…
Derby were absolutely dreadful in the opening 20.
Probably the absolute worst game for Scowen to miss, but we can't rely on 1 player missing for excuses.
We're definitely not utilising a cracking set of players fully at the moment though.
Someone said about a player Derby had is a cheat code in league1 , but we have 5 or 6 who are definitely above this level (as Gaz likes to say).
Yeah, I was being facetious. It was just really poor from Gaz today.
What was the chanting?
5-3-2 does not work. Two games on the trot with very poor general play, only with Mehmeti as any spark. Please, please, please back to 4-2-3-1. We ditched it last season and improved dramatically, why have we returned to it? We have two of the best centre backs we have EVER had, we do not need a 3rd back! It is a complete wasted player and we are being too negative generally. Third game on the trot we have sat back and showed very little except Mehmeti. We’re set up like we don’t really believe in ourselves. Unless that changes, mid table beckons, which is a shame as I think we have the players to get to the playoffs.
Unlike the movies in reality the good guys don’t always win but we are insufferable bastards who don’t roll over so back again next game.
Few individual points on players.
Taf - needs to move into the middle or we need to go back to a flat back 4. He looks really awkward playing wider on the left, which turns a key player into a weakness.
Max - what a find. Given the very public nature of who we wanted at the start of the season, to basically silence that talk in a matter of weeks is a testament to how he’s slotted in. Didn’t deserve to be on the losing side today.
Mehmeti - sell for no less than £4m.
Wing - when he’s fit I think Kaikai will be more dangerous in that no. 10 position. Wing has a quality touch but in a team that rarely has the ball for any sustained period of time, he’s wasted, and his defensive shortcomings expose us. Kaikai has performed consistently when called upon for us and has a delivery every bit as good as Wing’s.
Scowen - I really hope he’s not out for long, we missed him today.
It feels like Ainsworth is still trying to channel the spirit of 2019/20 - when trying to nick narrow wins was a sensible approach as we didn't have a fantastic squad. Now we do, and we're not maximising it as you say.
Max is clearly a very good shot stopper and I'm impressed with his confidence and decision-making but his distribution is not there yet. The times he threw the ball out we played well but his kicking was poor - the only time it worked was for the Mehmeti goal and that relied on a mis-control by a Derby defender.
Kaikai had a fantastic shot on him at the end. I'd love to see Mehmeti-Kaikai-McCleary behind Vokes, though as @Quarterman says, that means going back to 4-2-3-1 and not wasting a place on an extra central defender. Grimmer did ok but not well enough to keep his place in the team.
Once again, I'm far from convinced by Wing - though if Young isn't ready it's hard to see a better option alongside Gape with Scowen, Thompson and Wheeler all out.
Really good point. It's like there is managerial muscle memory that is hard to change. We keep saying we are not Little Wycombe but play like we are.
That was coming from the moment we took the lead unfortunately. Too many times now that gone in front and decided to just stop playing and let the opposition have a free run up to our final third. Second half was a disappointment - the coming run of fixtures are a real concern if Scowen isn't back quickly.
felt like we were going to leave it until we conceded before we made a sub…and then that’s exactly what happened
Well beaten today. We looked pretty weak in midfield with Josh Scowen. We bossed the first 20 mins and the Mehmeti goal was brilliant, especially the way he dropped his shoulder moved inside and then dragged the ball past that last defender and found the net.
After that first 20, we were really second best and they really dominated play and deserved the win.
Still only 3 points off the play offs, but it stretches up quickly above that.
Difficult run of fixtures coming with Sheff Wed, Plymouth, Oxford and Peterborough, so you dare say we'll see what we're made of at the end of that run.
With Josh Scowen missing!!!!!!!
Around the hour mark I think I’d have stuck Joe Jacobson on instead of Wing and asked him to sit in front of the back three.
A bit unusual, but we’re short of options in the middle and I think he’d have helped tighten things up a bit.
Agreed with this. Playing 3 at the back may get Grimmer a game, but Tafa on the left does nothing for him.
I think we need to decide McCarthy v Grimmer and play one only, move to the 2 centre backs approach again and work from that.
We have a few options with McClearly being out, so that can't be used as an excuse.
All feels very bitty this first 6 weeks of the season, having got a few things wrong in the summer, and a few players being injured too.
What was Gaz watching out there to make him think 'This is fine'? https://twitter.com/OptaAnalyst/status/1571170614106357760
Unfortunately, we’ve been rolled over several times recently.
It was good to see Al Al-Hamadi and KaiKai putting themselves about for a few minutes.
Hope @trevor and @Quartersman80 are ok. Probably stunned by the result but girding their loins for a full frontal attack (not a pretty sight) on tactics, substitutions etc.
Anyone else feeling a utterly sick at that?
Derby - tens of millions in debt to HMRC and various other creditors - able to afford players like McGoldrick, Hourihane, Chester, Barkhuizen, Collins, Mendez-Laing. All proven Championship performers, some of whom were playing in the Prem a couple of years ago. The quality told in the end, and they'll be near top of the league once they all click. They've truly gotten away with murder. I despise them, possibly as much as MK now
We looked a bit like we did just before we ditched three at the back last time. Not convinced it was the right move to go back to it.
Not sure what game you were watching as we played with a back four for the large majority today
No we didn’t. It was three at the back all match.
Didn't look that way to me at all.
@frequentstander we absolutely did not play a back 4
I agree with that statement wholeheartedly.