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RamsFan Report - Fiesty Foxes Ruin Rams Run!
RamsFan Report - Fiesty Foxes Ruin Rams Run!
Sunday, 14th Nov 2010 13:59 by I.Saw

Derby were hoping to continue their winning form Sven they visited the Foxes lair but unfortunately it was not to be.

 

Leicester City 2 vs. 0 Derby County   

Saturday 13th November 2010 15:00

The Walker Stadium - Leicester

 

Referee: S. Tanner

 

Attendance: 25,930 (3,321 Travelling Rams)

 

Teams:

Foxes:

Weale, Hobbs, Gallagher, Howard (Waghorn 90), King, Naughton, Wellens, Abe, Davies, Cunningham, Vassell (Dyer 64). 

Subs: Fryatt, Logan, Berner, Moussa, Morrison.

Yellow Cards: Abe

Goals: King (13), Howard (71 Pen)

 

Rams: Fielding, Brayford, Barker (Anderson 78), Leacock, Moxey, Bailey, Green, Cywka (Doyle 84), Pearson (Kuqi 69), Commons, Moore.

Subs: Deeney, Bywater, Savage, Pringle.

Yellow Cards: Leacock, Commons, Barker

 

RamsFan Report by I.Saw:

Put two instructions together in the same sentence and the chances are it’ll go badly wrong. It did yesterday at Leicester. "There will be the playing of ‘The Last Post’ followed by the referee’s whistle and a minute‘s silence".

 

Well the fans managed to get that badly wrong. Applause during ‘The Last Post’ followed by cheers, then jeers during the minute’s silence. Each set of fans blaming each other. At least no poppies were burned at least from where I was sitting.

 

And if simple instructions like that can’t be followed on the terraces then what chance footballers or Derby County ones at least.

 

Like a three legged sack race we lined up. Legs tied together by a formation that often saw Kris Commons in front of the back three and Stephen Pearson the most attacking midfielder level with Luke Moore. Bizarre doesn’t come close. Did Nigel Clough send them out to play this way? It’s hard to imagine.

 

Then again imagination didn’t figure at the forefront of the Rams game plan. Once the Foxes had sat two players wide on both sides of the pitch the supply down the wings from John Brayford and Dean Moxey simply evaporated. Plan A up the Kibosh.

 

Well’s there always the option of playing it through the middle I hear you cry. "There must be space there". And there was, but our central spine was bench warming. We had nobody to put their foot on the ball and spread the play, Savage was on the bench.

We had nobody to hold the ball alone upfront and bring others into the game, Kuqi was on the bench. And by the time we brought the ball under control we were closed down faster than Pearson pointless running.

 

So in time honoured tradition we hoofed the ball and hoofed it again and again and again in the vain hope that somebody might just happen to be able to produce a moment of magic and score a goal. It didn’t happen. Statistically the closest we got was Moore who ran on and blasted over the bar.

 

All credit through to Leicester, Sven Goran Eriksson tactically got it spot on. "Prevent the supply wide, cut out the crosses and close down quickly". Hardly rocket science but it proved too much for Derby to overcome.

 

After an early scare which saw Vassell net before an offside flag came to the Rams rescue, Derby conceded.

 

This time the stub of the central spine, the bit not rested, Shaun Barker, lost the ball and Andy King timed his run to perfection splitting the defence and coolly slotting home. One nil to the Foxes and not even a quarter of an hour played.

 

It was all City as the midfield five of Green, Bailey, Commons, Cywka and Pearson were out fought and out thought.

 

Changes then at half time?

 

Nope, both teams carried on as before the break and in a rare moment of Derby attack Paul Green headed wide after good work from Luke Moore on the wing. Perhaps if the roles had been reversed we might have levelled.

 

With twenty minutes left Shefki Kuqi was belatedly brought into the play, Pearson went off leaving a gap down the Rams left, Commons tried to fill it and in doing so ran across the path of Kyle Naughton who went down under the slightest of contacts.

 

Stevie Howard, who had been a thorn all afternoon and not a well received one at that by the Rams faithful, smashed the ball home.

 

All that was left was for Frank Fielding to keep the score down to two with a brace of fantastic saves. For Conor Doyle and Russell Anderson to have a run out at the expense of Cywka and Barker, the latter picking up a booking which is his fifth of the season and will rule him out of the next match. That and the Foxes fans to taunt us about being two nil and still being here.

 

Well guys that’s what true fans do!

 

Managers Reaction:

Nigel Clough stayed positive after the defeat:

“It showed today that when we're not a hundred per cent at it as a team, we don't look as good or composed as we have done. We gifted two goals away to be honest, the first was from losing possession and the second was a penalty which was needless”. 

"In the last few weeks we took our chances when we needed to in matches; the only difference was today we didn't. We've taken six points from a possible nine inside the last week, so we've got to get back at it and back to winning ways against Scunthorpe next weekend." 

"The defeat hasn't done too much damage in terms of our league position that shows how we've come in a short space of time, where a set-back doesn't hit us too hard. We're in the playoff places with a home game to come next Saturday, so it isn't all bad”. 

"I'm sure we will be fine against Scunthorpe next week, when we are back at Pride Park in front of our fans”.

"We have a clear week too to get plenty of training in, and importantly make sure are out of the blocks quickly against Scunthorpe."

 

Stand-In Captain Reaction:

Shaun Barker wore the armband with Sav on the bench but was not happy with the result:

"Defeats are hard to take, whether you are on an unbeaten run or if you've lost four on the spin. It is always hard to take losing to your local rivals; especially because we've done alright away from home lately”. 

"We didn't start well; they got at us and stopped us playing by matching us up. Both goals were sloppy and being honest I don't think we were good enough today”. 

"We could say luck was against us, but you make your own luck. We have done fantastic this season and got ourselves in a great position, but it is all about how we bounce back now”. 

"The characters are there to kick on, and I am sure we can get back on track against Scunthorpe next week."

Next Match:

Derby vs. Scunthorpe

Saturday November 20th

3pm – Pride Park Stadium

 

Photo: Action Images



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