Agreed mate. It's almost like we are just staying tight at the back until we get our 'options' back up to speed (Gray, Hughes, Sarr, Capoue, Perica etc). I don't think it's a bad thing to be grinding out ugly wins like this with some incredibly average players to call upon like Murray and Chalobah. Can't wait until some of these boys are back up to speed.
We look so, so solid at the back so huge credit to Ivic for that. Still need to create more but hopefully that'll come when one of our 3 strikers become available again!
First half was the Watford Dead, AMC's new show. Lifeless from both sides. Second half wasn't much better but a moment of Brazilian magic from Pedro. Did we deserve it? Probably not for the performance but you win ugly in this league, and we were solid at the back. Was it a penalty? Ball to hand in my book but Sema was a livewire and Foster had nothing to do. Had Shrek's FK gone in at the death it would of been very Watfordy. Derby deserved a point, but we took the spoils so cannot be too biased. Didn'et play well, but how we are still near the top with no strikers is bemusing. Feet up lads, job done till Wednesday. Watch Saturday games with no fear.
Sorry but how was that a crap performance? A major part of the game is defending and we largely did that very well. Of course it was a dull game but we got the result and,hopefully,have a bit more quality coming in. The strike was great but the movement from Pedro is really good and he continues to improve. Ivic won't deserve a second year if we don't go up.
Risk averse performance. I'd take that every week away from home though. Another game where the opposition look turgid but maybe its us doing well at defending? Wilmot did well for our goal.
Lol, why are you up on your high horse, exactly? It was quite clearly a turd performance and we were saved from another goalless bore-fest by a wonder goal out of nowhere. That doesn't change the fact that we looked completely crap.
As anticipated. We know the drill by now. However, swap Quina and Chalobah out for Gray and Capoue and we'll look a bit more coherent in future. Good that we've dodged a potential banana skin while still not close to full strength. JP still should be playing as a left-winger or second striker - no surprise his goal came from receiving the ball to feet on the edge of the box in the left channel - but well done the kid for still finding the opportunity to show a glimpse of the class we know he has when it matters. Shout out to King Ken for blocking off their CB to allow JP to get the shot away as well. Troost-Ekong seemed solid enough defensively, some loose passes, but also a few good long balls to the left flank. The only time Derby looked like scoring was from yet another instance of gifting the opposition the ball under little pressure in a dangerous position, it was Chalobah (I think) vs Reading, and Kabs vs Luton; today it was Cleverley. Luck favoured us today though and we weren't punished from it. Fine margins.
Strange to go from looking like conceding at any moment and looking like scoring occasionally, to looking like never conceding but also like never scoring.
Would love to have seen your face after that goal went in. Must have been absolutely gutted your post-match whingings look even more impotent than usual.
Not a great game, but a great goal defensively we seem ok, but need more up front, however JP has scored 2 if he gets some confidence he could be truly class Quina has talent but seems slow and easily out muscled ,Kiko played well
I wouldn't say we looked crap, I would say we looked toothless in the final third, but missing a lot of creativity and game changers at the moment. The second half we completely bossed it in 2nd gear but only won the game due to a moment of magic which we desperately needed. First half very poor.
Because we can still barely string two passes together, create nothing and play with zero intensity? I've said repeatedly that we clearly look solid at the back and that's great, but that doesn't take away from our complete lack of attacking prowess and creativity. We were saved by a wonder goal, let's not act like our overall game was great and Derby were lucky to come away from tonight with just a 1-0 loss. Without Pedro we had nothing.
It was a poor performance, we're definitely not going to win every game if we play like that, but with the players we had out, I couldn't give a flying fig. Hughes, Capoue, Sarr, and actual, able-bodied centre-forwards to come back, and suddenly everything is looking rosier again. ******* get in!
Exactly. I’m delighted with the win but WT claiming the moral victory after that performance is the most stupid thing I’ve seen since he talked relentlessly at Burnsy about their being no U23s involved about an hour before 3 of them were named on the bench. He’s excelling himself today.
He didn’t get MOTM. He’s Pedro’s gopher - gets sent out to do the interviews and pick up the award on his behalf.
Exactly this. 5th in the league and not conceding goals, with players to come back who every team in this division would be desperate to have as the first name on their team sheet. Grind out the results until these players are back, then hopefully we can see more of the attacking play we saw against Spurs and snippets against L*ton.
Yeah I was really, really sad to see us score a great goal. Again, you're up on your high horse but your own posts in recent weeks are getting worse and worse.
You should congratulate the team for working hard and getting the win . I don't have a problem with criticism after a loss or even a draw. But a win with no fit strikers and Sarr not available?! No pleasing you is there.
Reading not your strong point fella? Pretty sure the discussion was I don't think u23s will start unless there's an injury crisis. We've got 10 players unavailable and they still didn't set foot on the pitch so could you explain that for me?
Dire match except for one moment of sheer quality ! We got the points that’s the key thing .Not much more to say . I’m glad we are picking up points while we have so many players out. The transfer window Is shut so we can now have an idea of the sort of side we will be putting out once everyone is back to fitness, so not much point ruminating over the weaknesses in the current 11. Get Hughes , Capoue, Sarr, Deeney , Gray, Perica back in the side and things will look a lot different . I feel we will still have to wait a few weeks before that happens though .
I agree with you, tonight was rancid, but that aside we don’t let any goals in, so chuck three quality players in and we’ll be ok.
Thought we should have had a penalty too. A first proper glimpse tonight of what Wilmot can offer carrying the ball forward. Lovely work to set up the goal. Some talk that Troost has done his hamstring. Hope not, and that he just went off as he hasn’t many minutes in the tank. With 15 mins left I was busy musing as to whether Ivic might go down as the most boring coach we’ve had as another 0-0 looked on the cards. But then came a moment of magic. We all knew our defence needed surgery. Five games in and so far only 1 conceded. That’s progress at the back. Let’s now hope the imminent return of Sarr plus Perica, Gray and Deeney in attack and Hughes and Capoue in midfield allows us to build on our new found defensive stability and actually lets us look more competent going forward. We really need it.
I'm pleased with the fact that we won, I'm please with Pedro scoring a great goal, I'm pleased we look solid at the back. I'm not pleased that, for the most part, we still looked utterly woeful going forward and in possession and didn't look like scoring ever again if not for a random wonder strike.
