Sometimes you have to rant don't you? Well perhaps you don't, but then you're not me. For which you should (on balance) be grateful.

On Saturday, a beer festival at the Brunswick Inn was the gloss on the day. It was all downhill from the Brampton Mild (beautifully loaded with chocolate flavours and at 5% - strong).

Even in happy mood the performance at the iPro was dire. Derby hosted Millwall. It was ninety plus minutes of dross.

We managed one solitary shot on target. Blink and you'd miss it. Unfortunately their keeper didn't.

We had a referee. Mark Haywood. He had a yellow card. The button on his pocket fell off. He flashed his yellow thingy eight times (I think) in a match that had little enough passion to merit a telling off. Indeed three of those eight came from Haywood's interpretation of a dive by Jordon Ibe in the box.

The Lions came to frustrate (like last year). The Rams pale reflections of recent performances. We created little; our crossing was poor, over hit, under hit, appallingly free of threat. Our final ball, when it came was even worse.

The changing of Shotton for Zak Whitbread at centre half pre-match added little, the latters passing whilst accurate, was slow and lethargic it created no movement, space or opportunities.

Others didn't create either, our midfield retained possession but found no forward options.

The option of bringing on Leon Best was enough to question why Connor Sammon was despatched to Ipswich and Mason Bennett to some god forsaken lower league outfit.

Objectively, Best struggles to escape his marker, the one occasion he did yesterday he was yards offside. He has no real pace, he's not great in the air and in the contributions I've seen so far this season he's a liability.

Listening to Craig Ramage on Radio Derby afterwards his opinion was that Best didn't get much playing time at Blackburn, or at Derby so far and that he would "come good".

Sometimes Craig the simple explanations are the easiest. He got no playing time because quite frankly he's useless. Yes somebody spent £3m on him but then how much did we spend on Claude Davis?

Maybe Best actually can play football but our style doesn't suit him, maybe he needs to be fed the ball six yards out in space for him to be effective, a bit like Derrick Hales. Maybe, but I doubt he's changed from what he was when languishing in the Lancashire team reserves.

Maybe he just needs to be loved. They say love and hate are closely associated. Not in my case. I hate the bloke with a passion he doesn't even come close to showing when he's wearing the White Shirt. The sooner he buggers off back to Blackburn the better.

That said and my colours nailed firmly to the mast, the consideration of Best being even on the bench makes me wonder what skeletons are in McClaren's closet that forces him to include the striker in his line up, or what deal we struck with Blackburn (don't you love a good conspiracy theory).

Come back Mike Tyson, Theo Robinson or at least Bennett and Sammon both of whom ran their hearts out when selected.

Yes I know it's just a blip, and yes I know I'm over the top, and yes I'm thankful for where we are in the table and no I don't want McClaren out.

I just want to have a whinge every now and then.

OK?

Is that alright boss?

Photo: Action Images

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