Thoughts on the match | Vital Football

Thoughts on the match

MadAmster

MadAmster

Vital Squad Member
This Leeds team has the look of a side that will do extremely well this season. However, we made life easy for them. The ref cannot be accused of being a homer.

Can't blame Carson for the defeat.
The fullbacks are constantly looking to bomb on and leave us, basically, with a back 2. I think they are playing to orders and any blame lies with FL. As has already been suggested, a back 3 might be a good idea (Wisdom, Tomori, Davies?) We could then use Bogle at RWB and Lowe on the left. Evans at DM. Mount and Lawrence ahead of the DM in a sort of inside forward role. Pick any two of the strikers to play up top.
We were overrun in midfield where they always seemed to have men over. Hardly surprising as they play 4 in MF to our 3. The problem is that we have stopped the pressing and harrying that undid Soton and the Dog'eads. We are also standing off opponents again. Their 1st for instance. Lowe lost the ball well inside their half. Two passes saw the ball at Klich's feet, centrally and 20 yards out AND in acres of space. He chose his spot and put it away well. All too often they had men in space to give the ball to.
Only 1 of the 3 midfielders is a proper creative player. That is a problem IMO.
Up front Lawro looked dangerous but after one too many kicks he disappeared. Waghorn did that "not jumping for headers" thing that Martin is so good at. Showed flashes. Wilson also started brightly but faded out.

The ref? As I said, definitely not a homer. Booked 5 of ours, most justified IMO. 2 of theirs, Bamford and Alioski, both late on. For the rest of the game he either didn't give us free kicks we should have had and when he did, he failed to card the offence despite it being worse than any of the offences Derby players got booked for.

On the positive side, we won't play a side that good every week.
 
The ref had nothing to do with it imo MA.
We were just comprehensively outplayed, out thought and out fought.
The disappointing thing for me was the performance of the ‘old heads’. With the number of young players we have they are vital to provide leadership, example and encouragement.
Only Carson woud have merited a score of more than 3/10 amongst the experienced players. Bryson and Keogh were both awful, though at least the latter refused to hide and Ledley’s ‘performance’ was as bad as anything I’ve ever seen in a Derby shirt.
First few weeks apart I honestly think Ledley is now a candidate for consideration as one of our all time bad signings.
On the plus side, I thought Tomori was good though the poor guy must wonder what he’s joined.
One serious point...I know Luke Ayling isn’t one of the glamour players at Leeds but he is exactly what we need as a DCM imo.
Big, raw boned, uncompromising without being dirty and he can play a bit...actually pass to a team mate, that sort of thing.
Made his name at Yeovil and then on to Bristol City....how come we can’t find players like that and when are we going to find that ‘warrior’ that Thorne and BJ - despite the tattoos - are never going to be?

Millwall away next....oh joy! No hiding place there...time for a few to stand up and be counted.
 
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Disagree rA...... time for several to be shot!!!!
FL showed his complete naievety of the championship and of what constitutes a midfield in this division. Too many pansies and not enough grit and sheer bloody mindedness never mind the creativity of a squashed snail (and pace!!).
Millwall will have all those qualities in abundance, not only in mid-field but all over the pitch, coupled with venom, spite and deafening noise from their fans....... could be painful, literally!!
 
ramAnag said:
The ref had nothing to do with it imo MA.
Click to expand...

That wasn't the point I hoped I was making. They were better than us and fully deserved the win. No arguments from me on that.

My point was that Leeds got away with some cynical "tackles". Tackles worse than ones our lads got booked for. No complaints about the Keogh and Ledley cards. My point was that I can remember half a dozen "tackles" by Leeds that either weren't blown for when they should have been OR the foul was given but the card it deserved wasn't shown. One particular bad one was on Bryson who was kicked on his ankle several seconds after the ball had gone. Nailed on yellow that wasn't shown. The ref was poor and a lot of what he did worked in Leeds' favour but I suspect he didn't do it on purpose. Poor marking was far more responsible for the defeat than any of the ref's bad decisions. Even if he had got all those decisions right we would still have lost......
 
Once you get a yellow I don't think you play your normal game, the thought of a red must enter your mind with every tackle!
 
We were poor and got what we deserved but the officials were awful. As previously pointed out, their players virtually forced the ref into giving them a card.

The cross that led to the corner for the second goal was made by a player 2 to 3 yards offside in a slow moving action only 10 yards from the linesman. We tried to take quick free kick only to be stopped by one Leeds player who was warned more than once. The free kick for Lawrence's goal was awarded against a player stopping a clean run into the penalty area, but no card was issued.
 
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