From an early age babies learn that square pegs don’t go into round holes.So why then yesterday at Pride Park did we forget our childhood lessons?
Okay, lets listen to the manager “we are tired” “lacking in energy” so you can perhaps allow Nigel the latitude to set up in a defensive 4-5-1 formation not looking to lose.
It’s negative at home but sometimes needs must.What I can’t for the life of me understand is why we played Theo Robinson on the left hand side of midfield. Robinson is a striker, he’s erratic, he has pace and his only position is as an out and out forward.
Yet for forty five minutes Robinson like a whippet chained is focused on the halfway line and not going across it. You can almost see “Defend, Defend, Defend” mechanically whirring away in his head, it’s like setting a hare free and telling the greyhound to “Stay”.
“But boss I can catch that Boss, I’m good at it Boss, please Boss”. “No Stay”.Robinson like a good boy stayed. He did as he was told and in doing so had the worse game I’ve seen him play for the Rams. And that’s not his fault; after all would goalkeeper Saul Deeney make a centre forward.
Battling away upfront Connor Sammon was a fish out of water, little support and his leaps to attempt to win free kicks became more and more obvious.
Brighton dominated, and only some lacklustre finishing prevented the visitors taking the lead they deserved.
Half time and we have a change, Will Hughes off and left winger Michael Jacobs on. We smile surely it’s 4-4-2 and we are going for it.
Oh no we’re not! The pantomime continues; Yes Jacobs is on the left wing, but now Robinson is on the right side of midfield and Paul Coutts is switched inside. 4-5-1 continues and Theo is lost in space again.
With twenty four to go, Clough brings on Ben Davies, a right winger, for Robinson and for the first time in the match we are set up for playing 4-5-1 with round pegs in round holes.
It’s no coincidence the last twenty minutes we take the game to Brighton, we nearly score , once, twice, thrice.
It would have been an injustice had we won.Perhaps we spectators ought to take a leaf out of Mr Clough’s book and all re-shape our own edges so that we fit in with his lack of ambition. Perhaps we should all become Burton fans.