The sacking of Paul Clement

As the fans left the away end after the Fulham match I heard one man loudly proclaim two things. The first was that the fans "shouldn't clap that s**t" as the payers walked past the Putney End towards the tunnel. The second was that Paul Clement was "inept" and that he "wouldn't go to another away match" whilst Clement was still manager. He could have done with toning down his language (there were children around), but still, he got his point across to everybody in earshot.

This man I can only assume is now very happy at the events that took place last night, as Paul Clement was relieved of his duties by Mel Morris only eight months after taking the job. The statement released was bizarre to say the least.

Morris explained:

"promotion this season was not the primary target. The priorities were building on the Derby way and style of football enjoyed in the past two seasons; adding depth and strength to our playing squad; and, developing and improving player and team performance." 

  

CEO Sam Rush added:

"Our focus is to get the team back on track, delivering the style of football and performance we know they are capable of."

The idea of a 'Derby Way' seems to have been met with scorn amongst some areas of the press and supporters of other teams, but Morris explained many times in the summer what he meant by this. The idea was that everybody; from the under 8's up to the first team quad would play the same brand of expansive attacking football introduced by Nigel Clough and fine tuned by Steve McClaren. For this to work, everybody on the club has to be on the same page and there has to be a clear pathway from the academy to the first team.

Mel Morris (Andy Clarke)

Some fans have undoubtedly been unhappy with the more cautious approach of Clement that has frequently led to dull matches; the antithesis of what Mel Morris wanted. Fans go to watch football to be entertained and I don't truly think that many have been entertained this season - it's typically been a case of Derby not playing too well but grinding out the result with their superior quality. None of the quick, incisive play that blew teams away during McClaren's reign. The statement above explicitly states that was the aim and I think it's fair to say that Clement hadn't achieved that and wasn't about to anytime soon. You can get away with dull football if you get results, but there's nowhere to hide if your style of play is poor and doesn't pick up points at the same time.

There have been rumblings that Morris was unhappy at the lack of academy players in the match day squad; it was stated in pre-season that the aim was to have three academy graduates in the squad every week and each would be involved, at the very least from the bench. The loss of Will Hughes inevitably set this back, but there has still been a sense that Clement hasn't got much time for youth. The likes of Jamie Hanson would have hoped to be getting more game time, especially with George Thorne's patchy injury record. Indeed Mason Bennett (currently on loan at Burton Albion) seemed to suggest as much in an interview last week after leaving for the League One leaders. 

Perhaps inevitably, there have also been the typical 'lost the dressing room' rumours that swirl around after a sacking.  People claiming to be in the know have suggested that several players went to Morris directly to lay bare their unhappiness. This is just a rumour and should be taken with a pinch of salt, but I know that Clement looked like a lonely man walking back to that dressing room on Saturday. The fact that no players have publicly thanked him for his efforts (as is usually the case after a sacking) is very telling.

Question must be asked of the senior management on the back of this decision. Exactly who has the final say with regards to transfers? Derby's approach over the last two transfer windows appears to have been throw money at whoever has just hit career best form, with only Jacob Butterfield and Scott Carson having really proved their worth. If Morris really wanted more academy players in the squad why did allow Clement to sign the likes of Johnson, Camara and Blackman, pushing those academy graduates back down the pecking order? Or indeed, were any of those signings Clement's? Was he saddled with a bunch of expensive players that he felt obliged to play because of their price?

Paul Clement may rejoin Carlo Ancelotti at Bayern Munich (Andy Clarke)

What next for all parties involved? The smart money would be on Clement rejoining Carlo Ancelotti at Bayern Munich as his assistant. At Derby it has been announced that Director of the Academy Darren Wassall will take charge of the team until the end of the season, but I doubt he'll last that long. The most likely scenario is that he'll take charge for a couple of games and then a replacement will be brought in. There have already been several names floated around; the likes of David Moyes (who has watched some of Derby's recent matches), Gary Rowett and Brendan Rodgers have all been linked. If Morris is being truthful when he says the problem was the style of football then he should go for a Rodgers type manager (not that he'd necessarily get Rodgers) who is more idealistic in his approach. 

My first reaction to Clement's sacking was one of shock, followed immediately by anger. I've cooled down a bit in the process of writing this blog. Clement will be judged based on the remit he was given when he was brought to the club in July. Looking at the terms he agreed to when he signed his contract I think it's fair to say he failed:

• Play attacking, expansive football in the style the fans have become accustomed to over the past couple of seasons. Failed - Clements football was dull, with the buildup being far too slow an the attacking play not intelligent enough to break down defences. It's arguable that performances were getting worse, not better leading up to his sacking.
• Introduce talent from the academy into the first team. Failed (Sort of) - At the start of the season Jamie Hanson was getting regular playing time in midfield, but then the likes of Johnson and Buterfield were brought in for big money, pushing him down the pecking order. This also pushed Hendrick, another academy graduate, out of the team and the January signings of Camara and Blackman got rid of any slim chance Mason Bennett had of playing first team football. Like I said above, everyone is culpable in this. If Clement wanted to sign the new players Rush and Morris should have slammed their feet down and told Clement to use the academy. If Morris and Rush were forcing these signings on Clement then he should have put his foot down and said no, as Clement was supposed to have the final say on transfers. 

Notice that promotion was not a requirement this season, just a broad improvement in terms of style and academy involvement; the idea being that promotion would be a natural result either this season or the next. On those counts Clement was failing and although I probably would have given him more time to show he can turn it around Morris obviously doesn't have that patience. With no obvious signs of improvement - Clement still didn't know his best team over half way through the season - you could say the decision was harsh, but not completely surprising.

I must say however that replacing him with Wassall reeks of a decision made in haste. They should have had a replacement lined up to take over immediately - a promotion push is still a distinct possibility this season. Remember, this team is only five points from the top of the table with 16 games to play, more than enough time for form to pick up. We'll have to wait and see if Morris and Rush have played their cards close to their chests and already have someone lined up. 

One thing I can say with certainty - on the pitch or off it, it's never dull being a Derby fan.

Where has Chris Martin's Magic gone?

I think it's fair to say that Chris Martin has not had the best of seasons so far, with just the 9 goals by the end of January. Where exactly has it gone wrong?

It's fair to say that Martin could be doing a lot worse. With 9 goals he's still our top goalscorer and he does still contribute with assists, but for some reason, things aren't quite clicking. For a player who thrives off bringing other players into the game, his first touch has been poorer than usual this season and he's not holding up the ball as effectively as before.

There are some reasons for this that aren't necessarily down to him. After his breakout season when Steve McClaren first arrived at Derby, opposition teams quickly figured out Derby's game; dropping deeper and swarming around Martin. By not allowing him the time and space to bring the ball down, Martin would grow frustrated and give away fouls in his attempts to win the ball back. Even so, he still managed a remarkable 21 goals the season after, despite being a marked man and missing a chunk of the season through injury.

So we move to this season. McClaren left in the summer, replaced by the more cautious Paul Clement. It's clear that Martins role in the team has changed this season; no longer is he the focal point through which all of our play moves. Clement looked back at last season and saw our collapse without him in the team and decided we should have a Plan B. This new style of play introduced by the manager has been very successful defensively (until the last month or so), but at the expense of leaving Martin an isolated and peripheral figure, flickering in and out of games.

Chris Martin has hit a rough patch for the first time in his Derby career

I think looking at Martin's body language on the pitch he's not too happy at his role change. To further darken his mood, Referees have become wise to his antics; too often he will go down looking for a free kick that he might have received in previous seasons. Not anymore. It's sad to see a player who has single handedly bullied defenses for the past two seasons (and to be fair, on a couple of occasions this season) be so out of form. How does one overcome this predicament? Do you drop him and play someone else? Or just power through hoping he finds form again?

Watching Derby play Manchester United last night, it struck me like a bolt of lightning, although I'm sure I'm not the first to come to this conclusion. As Martin gathered the ball, something incredible happened. Something I've barely seen all season. A midfielder made a run past him. This remarkable occurrence has happened few and far between this season, so imagine my surprise when George Thorne, our defensive midfielder comes charging through to help the attack. Next thing you know, one lovely, lofted ball over the top later, Derby have equalised against Louis van Gaal's team.

Martin's best season since he arrived at Derby was when Craig Bryson (who coincidentally was on the bench last night) was consistently bombing forward, beyond Martin from midfield. This is no coincidence. Bryson's runs forward would often force the opposition defence further back, opening up space for Martin to work in, and the opportunity for him to thread balls in to players further forward. This obviously isn't quite as effective when the opposition plays deliberately deep, but there are ways around this.

Craig Bryson was instrumental to Martin's form (Laurence Griffiths)

The most obvious thing to do is to up the tempo. When Derby were at their swashbuckling best under McClaren they attacked like a pack of feral dogs; touches were kept to a minimum and every movement was decisive. This doesn't allow the opposition to get into a set shape that is difficult to break down and as a bonus, is a joy to watch. This can be difficult to do if there is a lack of movement up front, a lack of options to pass forward to. This can also be remedied by pushing one midfielder forward off the ball; Martin on his own up front isn't capable of that sort of movement, but in tandem with another player he is. It doesn't have to be Bryson who does this; the likes of Johnson, Hendrick and Butterfield are all more than capable of providing this service. Hell, even George Thorne can do it, as he has shown several times this season.

The downside to this is that it leaves you slightly more exposed if the ball is lost to the opposition. McClaren saw this and tried to fix the problem by bringing in Thorne (who was then cruelly injured in pre season) and then Omar Mascarell as a replacement. However, Mascarell wasn't a defensive midfielder by trade and when he played Bryson was told to sit deeper to help him out. The old adage of square pegs and round holes comes to mind. With Thorne fully fit (or at least able to run) this season this shouldn't be a problem.

We know this team is capable of playing fast football and obliterating the opposition, but it seems that there is a mentality holding this team back. A mentality of staying solid no matter what, and only attacking when golden opportunities present themselves. This conservative approach doesn't help Martin in the slightest, it does the opposite, hindering him and in effect minimising the impact he can have on the team.

Being thankful for what we have

Things are looking less than peachy for Derby at the moment, with the team in something of a slump. I find that in moments like this, as a fan who cannot influence the outcome, sometimes the best thing to do is look around at our peers and see how good we have it.

The obvious place to look is at Bolton Wanderers, rooted to the bottom of the table, 7 points from safety. When Derby played them on the opening day of the season, I was there in the stands, silently passing judgement as Will Hughes and Craig Bryson left the field due to injuries (innocuous in both cases). I had some thoughts leaving that match regarding Bolton:

• My main memory of the match will always be Gary Madine elbowing Jason Shackell and Richard Keogh every time he leapt for the ball and the referee letting him get away with it. That probably sounds like sour grapes, but I can assure you it isn't - I love a competitor as much as the next man. 
• Bolton did play some good stuff, and actually dominated us for long stretches of the match. Their main problem was actually putting the ball in the net, which they seemed unable to do. 
• They were as a team very physical, much like Neil Lennon in his playing days, or so I'm told. Committed and physical but never outright dirty (Madine being the exception), with some talented players. 

Neil Lennon has a tough job on his hands at Bolton

 Over half a season later it would appear they have the same problems on the pitch. They've scored only 21 goals, the joint worst tally in the league - along with Charlton. They also have an abysmal goals against record, having conceded 45 goals in 27 matches. However, they are in the middle of pack for near enough every other measurable statistic; possession, shots taken, shots against, pass success percentage. This suggests a weak underbelly, with Bolton being too easy to score against on the counter. I must admit, looking at some of their highlights it looks like there is simply a lack of steel in their defensive midfield, leaving their centre backs far too exposed.

Off the pitch, things look even worse. Facing a winding up order from Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC), with near £172.9 Million of debt and wages not being paid on time, Bolton could be in worse trouble by the end of the season. Although owner Eddie Davies is looking to sell up and has offered to wipe off all the debt upon the sale of the club, a buyer doesn't appear to be forthcoming. To keep to books open various sections of the club are being sold off, with the likes of Preston and Wigan interested in buying the club's training ground. This will inevitably affect matters on the pitch as Neil Lennon is forced to sell promising young players like Zach Clough to try and balance the books. But with no salvation in sight, it appears from afar that things will get worse before they get better.

Joining the Trotters in the bottom three are Charlton Athletic. Like Bolton, Charlton are struggling at both ends of the pitch having conceded a stunning 53 goals in 27 matches - the most in the league. I have to be honest, having not really paid attention to Charlton last year and having only really seen them when they visited the iPro, I was initially surprised to see them near the bottom. They looked organised at our place, difficult to break down and had several players who impressed me; Simon Makienok was a handful in the air and Tony Watt buzzed around the pitch menacingly. Even though it was early days, I thought that if they improved their finishing they might be an outside bet for the play offs. 

Unfortunately, like Bolton they are also facing problems off the pitch with fans unhappy at the mismanagement of the club by owner Roland Duchâtelet and chief executive Katrien Meire. Duchâtelet bought the club in January 2014 and with the club sitting at the bottom of the table sacked Chris Powell in March of that year. On the face of it this seems to be a completely justified sacking, but there were rumbling that Powell was sacked, in part because of his refusal to listen to
Duchâtelet's opinions on team selection. After going through managers like wildfire in the next two years, Jose Riga was appointed as head coach of Charlton for the second time in January 2016.

Katrien Meire hasn't endeared herself to the Charlton faithful.

This managerial upheaval is a symptom of mismanagement at board level. The club has no Director of Football, no Chief Scout and Meire has come out and said that going forward the club will fund itself by selling it's youth products. This system can work for teams, with Peterborough being one of it's most successful exponents, but fans of bigger clubs such as Charlton would quite rightly see it as a sign of lack of ambition. Having already sold the likes of Diego Poyet and Joe Gomez to Premier League teams during their tenure at the club they have had some success, but the talent pool will eventually dry out. From the outside looking in, things look bleak with Duchâtelet and co. taking a route similar to the Oystens at Blackpool; both in terms of cost cutting in the playing staff and from a public relations stand point - Meire has recently called fans "weird" for feeling they should have a say in how the club is run. It would appear that Duchâtelet has no intention of selling up either, having repeatedly rejected requests for meetings from former Chief Executive Peter Varney who is willing to bring in new investment to the club. For Charlton, it will be a case of staying up in spite of their owner, not because of him. 

 

Derby fans know all about mismanagement having had several periods of mismanagement in our history; the most recent of which being the tenure of the Three Amigos. It's always good to take stock and see what could have been if we had been taken over by the wrong sort (SISU, the owners of Coventry City were at one point interested in taking us over). Sometimes you don't even have to look that far. I sincerely hope that Bolton and Charlton are able to improve both off and on the pitch; as is often the case in football, it's the fans who have the most to lose when things go wrong.

The 2015 DCFC Oscars

As 2015 comes to an end it has become clear that it's never dull following Derby County. I was originally going to review each month of the year in depth but work has been getting in the way so instead I'll do something a little different. Allow me to introduce The 2015 DCFC Oscars.

Player of the Year
There's been some stiff competition this year for the top award. In the first half of the year the forwards proved their worth, with the likes of Chris Martin dragging us kicking and screaming towards the play-offs. When Martin got injured Darren Bent and Tom Ince took up the slack scoring goal after goal to make up for our leaky defence. In the second half of the year our defence improved dramatically, showing us what we had been missing in the second half of last season.

Honourable Mentions:
Tom Ince - Admittedly not everyones cup of tea but thanks to his goals last season we nearly made it to the play-offs and his goals this season have been invaluable in our rise to the top two.

Richard Keogh - Has been superb since the arrival of Paul Clement and despite what people were saying, played well enough at the end of last season trying to hold together a defence with no holding midfielder, a confidence shot Cyrus Christie next to him and a different CB partner every week.

Winner:

Chris Martin

Chris Martin - There was no doubt in my mind when it came to this. Derby were hovering safely in the play-offs when he got injured against Bournemouth and we were unable to replace him. Coming back into the team towards the end of the season about 2 stone overweight he still nearly guided us in. This season, despite playing a slightly different role he's still our top goalscorer and invaluable to the way we play and I'm confident he'll get his third twenty goal season in a row.

Signing of the Year
The most important thing I like to look for in a siging is impact on the team and value for money. For instance, January siging Tom Ince would have won this comfortably had we not spent £5 Million on him in the summer, which is a bit too dear for my liking.

Tom Ince has been influential in the year since he arrived at Derby

Honourable Mentions:
Tom Ince (Overall) - Slotted into the team seamlessly when he first arrived scoring a very impressive 11 goals in 18 games. Struggled a bit more for goals this season, but has contributed a lot more defensively and has been targetted by opposition teams.

Stephen Warnock - Despite having an incredibly shaky start to his Derby career (I don't think I'll ever truly forgive him for that sending off against Reading), he's proved a lot of people, including me, wrong this season. The very definition of a solid defender, he's alsoo started contributing more going forward.

Bradley Johnson - £6 Million. I'll just let that sink in. I never thought we would spend that much on someone, but here we are. He's taken to this Derby team like a duck to water and his sheer presence seeems to drive the team forward. However, he's wasted when played deep. Get him forward and let him wreck havock on the opposition.

Scott Carson - I have to be honest, I thought we might need a new goalkeeper this season, but I didn't think we needed him. He's proved me wrong commanding his box with an authority we just don't see from Grant and pulling off some cracking saves. 

Winner:

Jason Shackell (Andy Clarke)

Jason Shackell - I didn't realise how much we've missed him during his 3 year detour in Burnley. His organisation of the defence allows everyone else to just get on and do their jobs, and he's so effective that I have to focus on him to see what he actually does. A defence of Keogh and Shackell is what we should have had 3 years ago.

Goal of the Year
There have been some truly great goals scored this year; long range screamers and passing masterpieces.

Honourable Mentions:
Tom Ince vs Huddersfield

Jeff Hendrick vs Millwall

Chris Martin vs Preston

Chris Martin vs Wolves

Tom Ince vs Bristol City

Winner:
George Thorne vs Huddersfield

Best Young Player of the Year

Jamie Hanson

For the past couple seasons Derby's outstanding young talent has been Will Hughes and in many ways he still is - he hasn't even reached his 21st birthday yet! However, for this one I'm going to go for Jamie Hanson. Although he's only made 10 appearences this year and most of these have been from the bench, he's made an ipression on me. Scoring and performing admiraly on his debut against Norwich last season, his tenacious style of play and his passing give me high hopes for the future.



Most Improved Player

Cyrus Christie

There can be only one winner of this one. At the start of 2015 most Derby fans were begging for Cyrus Christie to be removed from the squad as his indecisiveness kept getting the better of him and was beginning to take it's toll not only on him, but the team as well. What a difference it is now, with him being one of our best attacking threats and solid (for the most part) defensively. His gallops down the Derby right are a joy to behold and he has developed a really good understanding with Tom Ince. Next area for improvement Cyrus? Crossing.

Sheffield Wednesday 0 Derby 0

We are reaching that pivotal point of the season when the cream begins to rise to the top of the Championship table. Teams can get to the top of the table in the first half of the season, but one injury to a key player during the busy Christmas period can spell disaster if there's no one to replace them - case in point being Derby last season. Already this season we can see a group of five teams springing clear of the rest of the field leaving a melee for the final play-off spot, with one of these teams being Sheffield Wednesday.

I have to admit I wasn't sure what to make of the Owls going into the match, partly because I haven't really seen them in action. They've had some impressive performances this season, particularly at home; beating Arsenal 3-0 in the Capital One Cup and holding unbeaten Brighton to a 0-0 draw. In fact, their only loss at home this season came courtesy of the Rams fellow promotion chasers Middlesbrough in August. On the other hand they lost 3-1 to Charlton, a team seemingly destined for League One. It was very much a case of wondering which Wednesday team would turn up.

Wednesday Head Coach Carlos Carvalhal (Ed Sykes)

Derby made two changes from the team that swatted aside Hull more than a week earlier with Lee Grant replacing the injured Scott Carson in goal and Bradley Johnson replacing Jeff Hendrick in midfield. It's not quite clicking for Hendrick at the moment - he's playing well enough to fill in when someone get suspended or injured but not quite well enough to force his way into the team - but I'm sure he'll get more opportunities to impress over the festive period.

The match kicked off and it was clear that Wednesday's Head Coach Carlos Carvalhal had done his homework with  Lucas Joao and Fernando Forestieri taking turns man marking George Thorne. Saying that, the match that followed could have been very different if an early decision had gone Derby's way. In the third minute Thorne lofted a superb through ball towards Andreas Weimann who had sprung the Wednesday offside trap and with only goalkeeper to beat, he was pulled up by the Linesman's flag. Replays showed that he was onside and an early chance was gone. That was Derby's warning and the team from Yorkshire took note and reacted. No longer was Thorne to be allowed time on the ball and it showed as Wednesday took control of the game.

Bradley Johnson chases the ball (@dcfcofficial)

For all of their dominance though, they lacked a real cutting edge up front as Derby moved back into their defensive shape, packing the middle of the park. Forcing the Owls out wide, the onus was on their wingers and full backs to put in some high quality crosses for Joao to get his head on and to their credit they did. The only problem was the immovable object that is Jason Shackell was there every time. This pattern was repeated again and again, so much so that I think Shackell might have lost a few brain cells over the course of the 90 minutes.

Wednesday were restricted in general to long shots. Shackell headed the ball clear and it fell to Ross Wallace (who seems to have been around forever), who smashed a looping half-volley that Grant palmed over. Not the best save in the world, but a tricky one to make none the less. Derby had a poor first half going forward, but defensively were so solid, I didn't doubt for one second we would finish the game with a clean sheet.

The game opened up a bit more in the second half, with Clement having told his players to be more proactive. Johnson headed the ball over from a free kick, when he really should have hit the target. Then came the one time in the match Wednesday got the ball on the floor in our box. Shackell was drawn out wide to clear the ball, which fell straight to an opposition player. Joao picked the ball up and played it into Forestieri, who then shuffled the ball bagged to him. Joao's snapshot was blocked by the returning Shackell and the ball fell to Pudil, who shot wide. Midway through the half, Derby broke with Weimann working the ball out wide to Chris Martin who then fed the ball into Johnson. His curling shot was at a nice height for Westwood to make his first save of the afternoon.

Chris Martin challenges a Wednesday player for the ball (@dcfcofficial)

Clement then decided to wring the changes with Darren Bent and Johnny Russell arriving to help find a breakthrough. Bent nearly made an immediate impact; Martin flicked on a long ball and Bent started chasing. Put under pressure Glen Loovens passed the ball back to Westwood and Derby had an indirect free kick in the box. Johnson took charge and cannoned the ball off the underside of the bar, with Westwood plucking Martin's follow up out of the air. Down at the other end, Loovens got free of Shackell at a corner but planted his header wide. In the final minute of injury time, Martin looped a ball to Bent who returned it and Martin smacked the ball wide - it wouldn't have counted even if it had gone in, Bent as he so often is, was offside.

So full time and a dull game mercifully ended. I was impressed with Sheffield Wednesday; they were very well drilled, knew exactly when to press us and every player knew where they ought to be when not on the ball. That being said, they didn't carve us open (but then again, who has this season). I was impressed with Liam Palmer who bombed up and down the right wing all day long, very much like Cyrus Christie and Forestieri was his usual nippy, annoying self. They're a good bet for the play-offs I'd say if they can perform like that on the road.

Player Performances

Lee Grant - Only had one save to make and had all the others covered. His distribution could have been a little better, but he did everything that was asked of him.

Cyrus Christie - Good defensively, forcing his man out wide again and again. Mixed going forward, he was manfully covered by the tireless Barry Bannon, but was still able to get some joy down that flank.

Richard Keogh - Had a tough game as more often than not Joao took up residence on his shoulder and made his life difficult. Unable to bring the ball out of defence as often as he would've liked, but his main job is defending and he did that well.

Jason Shackell - Absolutely superb, his best performance since he returned to the club. Dealt with everything they lobbed in the box, and made a cracking block to make up for one of his errors.

Stephen Warnock - Had a very good first half, but I do still worry about some of his passing. On more than one occasion he put the team in danger with loose passes behind his man, nearly allowing Wednesday to counter.

George Thorne - Was marked out of the match really. That third minute through ball was superb, but he was shutdown after that. He'll have to learn from this and find a way round it in the future as more teams take notice of him.

Jacob Butterfield in action on a mixed afternoon fro him (@dcfcofficial)

Jacob Butterfield - Tried to make things happen, but was ineffectual. Wasn't near enough to Martin to make any sort of impact going forward. Should be on notice, because Hendrick and Bryson are breathing down his neck.

Bradley Johnson - Looked most likely to get a goal for us and his added bite in midfield helped us no end. He'll be dissappointed he only hit the bar for the free kick, but we still look better with him in the team.

Tom Ince - It's been the tale of his season really, double marked out the game. Defensively, as ever, he's doing well, but it's still just not clicking for him. He was poor in terms of his effect on the game and I don't think it's a coincidence that we did better after he went off.

Andreas Weimann - If he hadn't been given offside in the first minute, things would have been so different. Worked hard as ever, but some of his control left something to be desired.

Chris Martin - Ineffectual to say the least, he was far too isolated. With no one up there to pass to, how is he meant to keep the ball. To be fair Wednesday's midfield and defence combined well to shackle him.

Johnny Russell - Worked hard as usual, but he needs to stop trying to hit the ball past players. The opposition are getting wise to it.

Chris Baird - Came on at left back, which is nowhere near his best position. Did well enough, made no glaring errors.

Darren Bent - How many times this season am I going to day he changed the game. He may have been offside half the time, but we looked so much better with him on. He'll force his way into the starting eleven soon enough.

Parting Thoughts

• We got the point without playing anywhere near our best and even then, only the woodwork and a dodgy offside stopped us taking all three. This bodes well for the rest of the season.
•  The difference Shackell has made to this defence has been amazing - whereas last season we looked like conceding every match, now we don't. The fact we have the bet defence in the league tells it's own story. 
•  We aren't the free flowing team we were under McClaren, but that's no bad thing. If you want to get up to the premier league and more importantly, stay there, you have to build from the back and that's what Clement is doing.

Nottingham Forest 1 Derby 0

If there is one thing everyone should have learnt over the past couple of seasons, it's that you can never predict how The East Midlands Derby will pan out. A couple of seasons ago Derby thrashed Forest 5-0 despite having not scored in the preceding 4 matches and last season Forest won 2-1 having not won in 8 games. It's that old cliche - 'form goes out the window' when it comes to local Derby's.

Before this encounter you would have struggled to find teams in more different form; Derby were on a 10 game unbeaten run, having won 8 of those whilst Forest hadn't won in 8 matches and were beginning to slip perilously close to the relegation places. Going into the match, Paul Clement made 2 changes from the team that pushed QPR aside in midweek; Stephen Warnock replacing the injured Craig Forsyth and George Thorne taking Jacob Butterfield's place in central midfield. I can't help but feel that Butterfield was a tad unlucky to be left out after playing well in midweek, but Thorne is one of those players who comes in automatically if he's fit.

As the game got underway under the floodlights I noticed that there were several thousand empty red seats around the City Ground, a sign of unhappiness at results on the pitch one can only assume. Forest started brightly, buzzing around Derby like Wasps to a rotten apple, not allowing anybody in a white shirt the time to settle on the ball. In the first minute former Ram Jamie Ward jinked his way past Warnock and fired the ball into Nelson Oliveira (on-loan from Benfica) who killed the ball on the spot. The onrushing Johnny Williams (on-loan from Crystal Palace) then charged onto it and proceeded to tumble under the challenge from Thorne. The referee then, much to the chagrin of the home crowd booked Williams for diving and the replays proved this to be the correct decision with Thorne's swinging boot going nowhere near him.

Nelson Oliveira celebrates his goal (Joesph Raynor)

Forest's early endeavour was rewarded in the 4th minute when they took the lead, although to say it was avoidable is an understatement. Chris Martin's stray pass was picked up in the Forest half and they proceeded to swarm forward. The ball was worked to Oliveira who's blocked first shot came straight back at him. At the second time of asking he moved the ball onto his left foot and his low shot was deflected by the sliding Richard Keogh and past a helpless Scott Carson in the net.

It was a punishing counter attack and one that would be repeated time after time over the rest of the evening, with varying degrees of success. Ward's left footed curling shot was tipped round the post by Carson after a neat give-and-go with Oliveira and Matt Mills had a goal from a corner disallowed for pushing in the box. At the other end much of Derby's play was looking laboured with Jeff Hendrick being the only man to try and work an opening, constantly looking to turn with the ball and run at the heart of the Forest defence. This would normally be great apart from the fact that the rest of the attack would do nothing to help him in these situations. Every single supporting run, whether it be from Russell or Andreas Weimann, was in a straight line making it easy to defend against. Saying that, Hendrick did clip the top of the crossbar with a curling 25 yard strike and Warnock whipped in a teasing cross that just eluded Chris Martin.

Other than that though, the first half was a tale of shots going high, shots going wide, shots going everywhere but in the net. The teams were unchanged going into the second half, but one would have expected at least a change in attitude from the Derby players, and we got one. Just not the right one. Whereas in the first half there was some urgency going forward, the same could not be said in the second half.  The passing was sloppy and every player was looking to take one to many touches on the ball. ON the red half of the pitch, Forest doubled down defensively, moving into 2 defensive banks content to let us have the ball, safe in the knowledge that we probably weren't going to do anything with it.

Matt Mills' header would be disallowed for a foul on Jason Shackell (skysports.com)

To put it mildly, the second half was a bit of a bore fest with the only real chances of note coming at Carson's net. Danile Pinillos was given the freedom of Derby's penalty area to just waltz in and fire the ball across net where Ryan Mendes (on-loan from Lille) was waiting to pounce. Somehow Warnock was able to get back and swipe the ball clear from under Mendes' feet. Mendes then produced a darting run with the ball, played a 1-2 with Henri Lansbury and received the ball in the box with no one near him. His scuffed shot however, did his run a disservice and was saved by Carson's outstretched leg.

All in all, a poor day at the office for Derby. I was impressed with Forest's willingness to make life difficult for us going forwards; pressing as a team and forcing us wide time and time again where they knew we would be less dangerous. Again, in attack they were also much more willing to gamble and their quick, snappy passing made life difficult for us. I was impressed by their loan players, especially with Oliveira and Mendes. Oliveira had a touch of class about him with his hold up play, whilst Mendes is exactly the sort of player who thrives in this league where raw pace can get you a long way. On the other hand, I can also see why they haven't scored many this season, most of their shots came from outside the box and when they got inside they were reluctant to shoot. The perfect example of the latter being when Warnock was able to nip the ball away from Mendes; all the winger had to do was step towards the ball and it would have been a certain goal. Defensively they were well drilled, but then again, having taken an early lead they were under no pressure to leave gaps for us to exploit.

Paul Clement tries to get his point across (nottinghampost.com)

Player Performances

Scott Carson - On first viewing I thought he could have done better for the goal, having been beaten at his near post. However the reply put me straight, showing the deflection off Keogh, nothing he could have done. Made some fine saves against Ward and Mendes, with a moment of madness when he tried to control the ball under pressure.

Cyrus Christie - A mixed bag to be honest. Going forward he was his usual aggressive self, but his decision making got worse and worse as the match wore on. Had a hard night defensively against Mendes and was largely nullified when Ben Osborn came on in the second half.

Richard Keogh - There's no doubting his passion and he was a little unlucky that the goal deflected off him. However, he was given the run around by Oliveira and his passing wasn't up to his usual high standards.

Jason Shackell - Marshalled the defence well for the most part and Oliveira wisely targeted Keogh for most of the night. His poor backpass for Carson nearly embarrassed the goalkeeper, but he got a lucky escape in that case.

Stephen Warnock - In the past I've slated him, but I have to say, I think that was his best performance in a Derby shirt. After a nervy first couple of minutes where Ward skinned him, he upped his game with the highlight of the match being his last ditch clearance to deny Mendes.

George Thorne - I think he'll be the first to admit he didn't have the best of games. Didn't break up opposition counter attacks like he normally does and some of his passing was off range. He wasn't helped by the fact that Forest dropped so deep when he picked up the ball, leaving no space for him to find runners.

George Thorne competes with Ryan Mendes for the ball (Getty Images)

Jeff Hendrick - Had a superb first 30 minutes, looking threatening every time he moved forward and clipping the top of the bar with a 25 yard shot. After that though, when it became clear he was our main threat Dougie Freedman stuck two men on him and he was taken out of the game. Had a quieter second half, but I think he was unlucky to be substituted.

Bradley Johnson - Wasteful. Time and again he would pick the ball up in promising positions and then take and extra touch, or shoot when the better option would have been to keep the ball moving. I thought he was lucky to stay on the pitch  for the full 90 minutes as even his defensive contribution was pretty poor.

Johnny Russell - I don't think I've ever seen such an up and down performance. On one hand, his set piece deliveries were great and we should have taken advantage of those. But on the other, he constantly took one too many touches and his passing was abysmal, too often putting the receiver in danger or just giving the ball away and allowing Forest to spring the counter. Worked hard as he always does, but lucky to stay on as long as he did.

Andreas Weimann - It's matches like this where I feel sorry for Weimann. A striker pushed out to be a winger, because we don't player 2 up front and his pace was never really used. Indeed as Forest dropped deeper and deeper, he became more and more ineffective. Tried hard and made some good runs, but his first touch still leaves something to be desired.

Chris Martin - You could have been forgiven for thinking he wasn't playing today. Got no change whatsoever out of Mills and Jack Hobbs and in all honesty, needed a strike partner to try and free up some space for him. It was no coincidence he suddenly saw more of the ball when Darren Bent came on.

Tom Ince - Tried to make things happen and run with the ball. We did look better after he came on and his directness caused panic a couple of times in the Forest defence. Needed to be on the pitch longer though to have a greater impact.

Jacob Butterfield - Was unfortunate to drop to the bench and even more unfortunate not to get on the pitch sooner. Played a couple of lovely through balls while on and I think he'll get more game time as the season goes on.

Darren Bent - In all honesty, this game was crying out for him from the moment Forest scored. With Martin not seeing any of the ball, we desperately needed another presence up front to help share the load. We finally moved to two up front when he came on and looked so much better for it, finally stretching their back four. Looked dangerous when he came on and had an understanding with Martin that suggests we may see more of them together in the future.


Parting Thoughts

• I've heard some people saying that the disallowed goal should have stood. Obviously as I'm a Derby fan I'm a little biased, but I think it was the right decision. Shackell who was marking Mills was tackled to the ground by Hobbs, clearly impeding his ability to compete for the ball. Some might argue that this sort of thing happens all the time and referees don't punish it, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a foul. 
• I can't help but feel that this was the perfect game for Craig Bryson to come on and reintroduce himself to those of us who have forgotten how good he can be. His darting runs in behind Martin would have opened up more room in which he could work and he lives for these sort of matches.
• From what I can gather (and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here Forest fans), that was Forest's best performance of the season. I'm certain that was one of Derby's worst performances of the season; as a team nothing really seemed to click. So the fact that these two teams were polar opposites in terms of performance and there was still only one goal in it is interesting. Just an observation. 
• On the whole though, I can have no complaints. It was obvious that they just wanted it more than us and I'm sure Clement would have actually learnt a lot from this match with regards to both individual players and tactically. 

 Edit: I originally stated that Johnny Russell made the stray pass leading to their goal. This was incorrect, it was in fact Chris Martin.

Left Back - Clement's Problem Position?

We are now 13 games into the season and things appear to be clicking for Derby. After losing to Leeds in late August, Paul Clement's side have gone 8 games unbeaten, winning 6. A grand total of 20 points from a possible 24 suggests that things a finally clicking on the pitch, with this being backed up with some superb performances - the ones against Wolves and Huddersfield being my personal favourites.

At the same time Clement has also found consistency in his team selection. The midfield and forwards have been largely unchanged since the transfer window snapped shut, as has Scott Carson's position as Clement's preferred shot-stopper, with changes only being made when injuries reared their ugly heads. The defence has also been largely unchanged with Cyrus Christie cementing his place as first choice Right Back alongside Richard Keogh and Jason Shackell.

The only position that it appears is still up for grabs is Left Back where Stephen Warnock and Craig Forsyth have shared the role thus far. Now anyone who knows me in the outside world knows I much prefer Forsyth as a LB to Warnock. Indeed I'm sure looking back over the short history of this blog you can probably find some not so subtle hints of this. It appears that Clement doesn't share my doubts, having started Warnock in 5 matches this season and starting Forsyth in the remaining 8. It made me curious; what does Clement see that I don't?

Stephen Warnock controls the ball (Andy Clarke)

Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics
How can you prove a certain player performs better than another? Clubs have been using stats for the better part of 2 decades now to help try and gain a cutting edge and an insight into potential improvements. So I pulled up the data for all the matches played by Warnock and Forsyth in the Championship this season, courtesy of WhoScored.

Going purely on physical attributes it would appear that Forsyth wins out over Warnock every time - he's taller, stronger, quicker and younger. Forsyth's 6' 2" frame gives him a significant height advantage over Warnock and pretty much every opposition winger he'll come up against. This shows in the stats where he wins on average 2 aerial challenges for each one lost, compared to Warnock who actually loses more aerial challenges than he wins. Warnock also seems to lack the stamina of Forsyth; in 2 matches he was substituted with cramp - perhaps a sign of his age catching up with him. Forsyth on the other hand hasn't missed a Derby match due to injury since he signed from Watford.

Paolo Maldini (Yelena Rybakova)

Defensively, it's tough to choose between them. On one hand, Warnock makes more tackles than Forsyth, with an average of 3 per match compared to 'Fozzy's' 2.8 per match, but he is also dribbled past more often. This would come as no surprise to people watching the team regularly; Forsyth is a difficult player to get past, often forcing players down the line where he then blocks the cross. Warnock on the other hand is far more prone to diving in, often in an attempt to win the ball after a poor first touch. Something about this strikes me as naive; it's the sort of thing inexperienced players do in their eagerness to make an impact, not at all what one would expect from a former England international. Xabi Alonso summed up my thinking best when he said this - "tackling is a last resort". Paolo Maldini, probably the best defender of his generation was a master at not needing to tackle the opposition.

 The obvious difference between the 2 though is going forward. In his 5 matches Warnock has barely moved over the half way line, but the one time he did he set up Bradley Johnson to open the scoring against MK Dons. Compare this to Forsyth who charges forward with glee, providing an overlap for the winger in front and firing crosses into the opposition penalty area. These varying styles explain the differences in pass success between our 2 resident LB's. Forsyth attempts more passes than Warnock, but a higher proportion of these are forward passes and more likely to be intercepted as a result.

One area 'Fozzy' definitely excels at compared to Warnock is at 'Key Passes'. To avoid confusion, a 'Key Pass' is defined as a pass or cross leading to a shot on goal, which is a much better indicator of how effective a player is in the opposition third than counting assists. Warnock averages just over 1 'Key Pass' every 2 games whereas Forsyth averages nearly 2 per match; a huge increase. All offensive stats favour Forsyth.

Craig Forsyth moves forward with the ball (Andy Clarke)

In fairness to Warnock, when he has played it has looked as if he has been told to stay back and shore up the defence allowing Christie on the other side to go forward. However his passing forward with the ball leaves much to be desired; he often hesitates passing forward and by the time he sees the pass the opposition have often cut off the opportunity. To put it bluntly, Warnock is the place where forward momentum dies; 9 times out of 10 a pass to him will end up with him passing the ball to Shackell or Carson. Good if you want to keep possession. Not so good, if you want to be progressive down the wing.

Forsyth's main problem isn't a lack of willingness to get forward. His main problem is the inaccuracy of his passing when playing the ball forward, although this tends to be because he's playing ambitious passes that have high payoffs if they succeed. A nightmare if possession is at a premium, but useful if you're in a team dominating play as Derby so often are. I think it's fair to say that 'Fozzy' suits our style of play so much more than Warnock.

It's interesting to note that Warnock hasn't played 2 consecutive matches this season. He has usually played after Forsyth has played 2 matches in a week - perhaps Clement has concerns about Forsyth's fitness. This is just conjecture though; if I truly knew the mind of Paul Clement I'd be a manager myself, not some random know-it-all on the Internet. We'll find out if Clement agrees with me that 'Fozzy' is the man for the job as the season goes on.