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 Derby Must Do Better! - RamFan MatchDay MusingsSat 05th Mar 2011 10:49 by I.Saw & Stuart Hughes Two of RamZone's regular columnists have taken a look ahead to the Rams clash against Barnsley and what is required to repair the damage done vs. Donny.
I.Saw - RamZone Match Reporter: Well another home game, this time Barnsley the visitors, it’s hard to be positive and have confidence in the team especially after an abysmal second half midweek when the Rams were destroyed by Doncaster. Yet if it’s hard for us, the die hard fans, then what must it be like for the players? Their belief in their own abilities must surely come into question. It’s a downward spiral towards relegation were it not for the saving grace of Preston, Sheffield United, Scunthorpe and Crystal Palace’s form. A situation that we dare not take for granted much longer. Derby as a team need to be lifted and yes we fans can play a part but it’s the domain of the manager in truth. Nigel Clough has to be charged with getting the most out of the players. If he really feels that we don’t have a reserve left back capable of stepping up. Or if the Rams are better served with Paul Green as a right back rather than his preferred role as an attacking midfielder, then we have to accept it whilst he remains our manager. How long that will be remains to be seen, Phil Brown for example didn’t last long after he received the “You Don’t Know What Your Doing” chant and Mr Clough’s reason for substituting Robinson “He never controlled the ball once” lost some of it’s validity when the replacement Alberto Bueno clearly isn’t the type of player to do that either. Especially if you play the ball two foot over his head. We need to turn it round, we need to recognise our strengths and minimise our weaknesses. Our best football this season has been when we’ve taken the game to the opposition, played our creative players and “gone for it”. Can we do it again or do we try to “shut up shop” and defend. I know which I’d rather see, although I suspect I’m going to be disappointed. I.Saw's Prediction - Rams 1 Tykes 2.
Stuart Hughes - RamZone Columnist and local writer: I’m certainly hoping that Derby County can do much better against Barnsley on Saturday than they did against Doncaster Rovers on Tuesday night. The Rams fans deserve far more than they witnessed at Pride Park Stadium in the second-half of their last home game and it’s mind-boggling that we have to go all the way back to 20th November for Derby County’s last home win – a 3-2 victory over Scunthorpe United. I’m also hoping that manager Nigel Clough will be braver in his team selection than he has been of late. In selecting a solid looking midfield that lacks creativity it is as if he’s selecting a team not to lose rather than one that are looking to take the game to the opposition and create things. After the break against Doncaster, when everything was falling apart, the two brightest sparks for a Rams recovery were offered by second-half substitutes Tomasz Cywka and Alberto Bueno. Barnsley are three points better off than Derby County so surely there is nothing to fear. I urge Nigel Clough to pick a team to go out and win the game. To select his best two goal scorers up front and if Jamie Ward is one of them, to play him as a striker not as a wide midfielder so other players can be accommodated up front. To be brave enough to start our two most creative players Cywka and Bueno. And to minimise the number of players out of position in the back four. Derby County need a home victory desperately. Picking a team to win the game, rather than one designed not to lose, would be a huge step in the right direction. It’s time for the manager to be brave and bold.
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