RAMS V BORO | Page 2 | Vital Football

RAMS V BORO

How can we go on a run like we did and now on a run like this! All those clean sheets and now when a team puts a bit of pressure on us we collapse. I was looking forward to the world cup but now I'm thinking more woe on it's way!
 
Last 19 games, 20 points. A huge improvement today on recent performances. We actually had 16 shots, 7 of which were on target. There was effort energy and givafuquedness about the performance. Add the final pass to the equation and we can win on Tuesday.
 
Plenty of effort but mainly huff and puff!! Never a feeling of control and you knew they were going to score!! They were way better and will be a danger in the play-offs. As for us, no hopers!!
 
I kept yesterday's "match report" to a minimum to simply put out there my enjoyment at the match on the whole. Looking at the fixtures they all have to play, we are still in with a shout of making the top 6. Get more used to the new system over the next 3 games and with this new found vigour and we have a chance of going up. I realise that promotion, if achieved, would mean half of yesterday's starters going plus at least half the bench too would have to go. That, however, has been obvious for quite a while now. The amazing thing about the game is that I can't remember having been so buoyed by a defeat in a long time. I actually enjoyed the game.

Traore is a handful. I enjoyed watching him tease and taunt our defence. I am not a masochist, I just admire good football when I see it. On a couple of occasions he slalomed through the heart of our defence and midfield as though they weren't there. His take off speed from a standing start is electric.

Their goals. First. Fozzy should not have attempted the tackle. He should have stayed on his feet. That way he would have been up with Traore when he reached the goalline and cut out the cross. That was our first mistake. Then the cross was headed half away, Besic picked up the ball 25 yards out ran 5 yards inside the box, cut inside and put a good shot just inside the near post. Carson had no chance. Where were the challenges on the lad? Where was the closing down? Two players were in a position to close him down. I think BJ was one, Keogh was the other. Neither got close enough to him to stop him doing what he had already decided to do. Mistakes from 3 of our defenders and, to make matters worse, the goal was against the run of play. We had done well up to that point.

We now move on to the 58th minute. The game was still even stevens and an equal scoreline would not have been amiss. For the next 10 minutes they took over. A couple of narrow misses and one even narrower that hit the top of the cross bar. We then had 2 minutes in the ascendency and then in the 70th they attacked again, the ball went out to their right wing and the cross was met by Assombalonga who had time to control, feint, put Carson on his 'arris and then pick his spot. His marker, and you all know who it was, had left him to go to the near post to back up a colleague or 3 rather than do his job and stay with Britt...... 0-2.

After that, we didn't fold, went looking for a way back. Got the penalty, which should have been our 2nd of the game. A game of nearly but not quite for Derby. As I said earlier, not happy that we lost but I saw sufficient to give me hope that top 6 is still a possibility. Far from guaranteed but not the impossibility it seemed a few days ago.

Now, Probert. I don't think I am being unkind if I say it was far from his best game ever. He made life difficult for himself in the first minute when he booked one of theirs. Having done so, he should have booked Nugent for that challenge on Shotton but didn't. He then booked others for offences, some of which he got right, some he didn't. He also failed to book some players, from both sides, for fouls that should have been bookings. For them Clayton and Traore both got booked and both should have had 2 more bookings but didn't get them. the same is true of Nugent for us. The level of inconsistency he showed had to be seen to be believed. His was, without doubt, the worst performance of the day.

Palmer? When a player has his leg bandaged up during the pre match warm up you know he isn't going to last the distance. In that case, I would start him. Let him do his "thing" for however many minutes he has in him and then substitute him. That uses 1 sub. Start him on the bench, bring him on after 65 minutes, he could break down in the 66th and you have to sub him off. That costs 2 substitutions. If you started him it would probably mean Vydra starting on the bench but he has been carrying knocks/injuries for weeks and every contact has him limping after he has got up 40 seconds later. This has been obvious for weeks. He needs careful handling if we do have 5 or 6 more games to go rather than just 3.

Top 6 isn't a gimme. It does, however, look more likely now than it did yesterday morning, and that is progress.

Football is a weird game, you feel down, lose 2-1 at home to a rival yet you feel better after the game than you did before....... talk about roller-coasters....
 
Batsman or bowler, Adi, or a bit of both??
Second wicket down me with a few offies when asked. Rest of the time hid on the boundary!!
Opening batsmen, token fielder, tea eater. You'd get me out, the team yesterday brought a spinner on early (very unsporting imo), took me 3 balls to pick a fielder.

Glad I didn't miss anything yesterday, when I saw the starting line-up it confirmed my decision to not pay any attention. 10th spot looks likely.
 
All over the 'net folk moaning about the number of defensive players picked. Then we actually go and attack for a change. 16 shots, 7 of which were on target. When did we last manage that? As I wrote in another post, I enjoyed that game more, way more, than I have others of late. The only personnel change I would make is to have Palmer start in place of BJ. Tactically, I would have the team press and harry the opposition.
 
Latest Rams News