The Weston Report: We Needed A Reaction, A Statement... We Got Neither!

What’s that old saying about a week being a long time in football? Well, this one was like a typical seven day holiday abroad. It began with excitement, there was a disappointing excursion in the middle only to finish up with the horrible realisation when it’s all over and reality hits.

The FA cup win at Hartlepool, followed by that small team from Manchester being pulled after us from the velvet bag, seemed to set the tone for a profitable week. Two home games against decent, well-organised but beatable sides would see us but points on the board.

Wouldn’t it?

It might be a new year but the Championship doesn’t change. What had to change was the dreadful display produced against Reading on Tuesday. A game which was extremely odd, on and off the pitch. An abject display and a poor atmosphere, with many supporters in my region of the ground arguing with each other and vocally hanging certain players out to dry. Perhaps I had missed the latest league table putting us in the bottom three?

Angry managers, changing room visiting chairman and a cancelled trip to Dubai dominated the aftermath.

We needed a reaction. We needed a statement. We got neither!

Clement’s reaction to the debacle in midweek was to give Chris Martin splinters, with new man Blackman leading the attack. George Thorne was happily fit enough to start in the easiest change in selection and Hendrick somewhat surprisingly replacing Butterfield.

More surprising still was that Russell and Ince both claimed starting spots when one or both had probably expected to be watching from the bench.

Those that were and those in the stands were treated to a positive, if not explosive start. An early goal was sought but was not forthcoming, with Hendrick’s low centre and wild strike wide the most we had to show for our early dominance.

There was however more control in our early play in comparison to the midweek game, where we were as controlled as Leon Best in the penalty area. Ince and Christie had the bit between their teeth, with the latter’s cross headed tamely wide by Blackman, before Ince’s fancy feet saw the striker lash well wide.

Ince was then on the end of a long punt from Grant after Morrison misread the bounce. The ball however just wouldn’t fall for Tom, who was possibly pulled back before the ball reached Kuszczak in goal.

A good atmosphere off the pitch, helped by a sell-out contingent of Blues fans, was trying to spur the action into life. Derby pushed and probed, but missed a Hughes or Butterfield type character to find a killer pass or raise the tempo. What we did have was Bradley Johnson, who instead played the first-time lofted ball to no-one in particular sublimely…

That said, as the game reached the half-hour mark, we should have gone ahead. Good work from Russell on the left saw him battle and play to Warnock. The newly anointed skipper’s cross was perfect for the arriving Hendrick, the sort of late run that Paul Scholes mastered in his pomp… Oh for Paul Scholes to have arrived instead of Jeff, whose header screwed horribly wide.

The old-fashioned 50 pence piece head.

Except that’s an insult… to a 50 pence piece…

With half time approaching, both sides looked to steal the initiative. First, Thorne teed up Johnson for a shot which fizzed wide, before Toral finally tested Grant with a shot that he did well to hold. In added time, a typical but all-to rare (in recent weeks) Derby move saw Hendrick collect on the edge of the box and with a shimmy and a shake he let fly with a poor curling effort that my cat would have saved. Half-time.

More tempo and more care in the final third would be required if we were to record a needed victory and with the plethora of attacking talent on the bench (curiously minus Darren Bent) my personal confidence was high.

The same cannot be said for the boys in black and white as the Blues continued to stifle our average attacks. In turn, their own confidence was noticeably growing. Ex-Brewers man Maghoma forced an excellent block from Warnock, before Grant saved from both he and Toral.

With our midfield beginning to tread water, Rowett’s men smelt blood. A break down our left saw the ball find Toral in the D of the box. His delightful chip was scrambled against the woodwork and behind by Grant. We were under the pump. Around 30 seconds later, we were on the way to being sunk.

A near post corner was flicked on and found Robinson, who was presented with a header so simple that even Hendrick wouldn’t have missed. 0-1.

We looked to respond immediately, with Thorne’s long free-kick into the box flicked wide by Russell via a deflection. What was concerning was the range of the free kick, with a toss into the mixer somewhat signally we had run out of ideas.

Unsurprisingly, Clement called for the cavalry. A triple substitution, with Martin, Camara and Butterfield replacing Russell, Ince and Thorne, which almost caused a riot in some parts. One can only imagine that George wasn’t 100% on his first game back, as Johnson was having that much of a stinker I could smell him from my seat.

There were just over 20 minutes where we could be Heroes, for a Starman to shine and produce some quality Sound and Vision. However, we just couldn’t put a stubborn Birmingham Under Pressure and with 15 minutes to go, it got worse and we could only watch As The World Falls Down. (my little tribute - RIP David Bowie...).

Good interplay around the box saw Gleeson cross for the impressive Donaldson in the box. Except the ball was nowhere near him and instead looped over Grant and into the top corner. Jammier than a jam tart in a traffic jam. Not that you’d know it given Gleeson’s celebration, which wouldn’t have been out a place in a cup final.

Perhaps picking on the South Stand wasn’t the best idea, as bottles, coins and boos rained down on him, before the referee gave him a card to remember it by.

Gleeson also scored a jammy goal in the earlier fixture at St Andrews, where a huge deflection nestled into the corner. Has that £33m Lotto jackpot been claimed yet? He better check his tickets…

Anyhow, to our credit, we tried to respond immediately. Blackman’s shot on the turn was parried away by Kuszczak, before Camara beat his man and delivered a high deep cross. Butterfield volleyed back into the box, where Blackman surely had to score with the goal gaping? Instead, a diving, Maradona-esque handball (which still went wide) just about summed things up.

Except there was more.

After Toral had seen another shot blocked, Birmingham scored the type of goal that teams concede when they’re down. Poor defending by Camara saw him turn his back on Maghoma, who hung up a cross that was headed away to Kieftenbeld. From twenty-five yards, the midfielder smashed a first-time volley which crashed off Shackell and into the corner.

Salt.

Wounds.

Pressing for a consolation as the fire-drill started, Johnson saw a header well saved from another good Camara cross, before Blackman’s header was cleared off the line. It was not to be though, as the last five minutes were played out in front of a dreaming and vocal and hugely irritating away following.

But who could blame them? They’d done a job on us, and some. 0-3 was harsh but somehow unsurprising given the last few days.

A crisis? No!

Time to panic? Far from it!

Questions though need to be asked and some serious looking in the mirror needs to be done. All teams go through bad patches, but the alarming slump in form is quite concerning.

How a player like Darren Bent can’t make our 18 is also a mystery.

Time for changes perhaps Mr Clement.

Let’s hope the next week is a better one.

After the week that was… we could all do with some Dancing In The Street.

Weston’s Player Rating:

Lee Grant — 5: Perhaps embarrassed by the second and a few nervy passes.

Cyrus Christie — 6: Ok in the first half but going back to turning into blind alleys.

Richard Keogh — 6: Tried his best but helpless with all three goals.

Jason Shackell — 5: You know it’s bad when he has a poor game.

Stephen Warnock — 6: Steady but limited in possession.

George Thorne — 6: Even King George couldn’t help us.

Jeff Hendrick — 6: Looked the most likely in the first half but faded.

Bradley Johnson — 4: Can his body double please stop playing and get the real Bradley back?! Awful. How he stayed on is anyones guess.

Johnny Russell — 6: Works hard but another anonymous game.

Tom Ince — 6: Flashes. But not good enough.

Nick Blackman — 6: Early days but we should keep the receipt.

Subs:

Chris Martin — 6: Linked up fairly well but it was all too late.

Jacob Butterfield — 6: Very unfortunate not to start.

Abdoul Camara — 7: The only bright spark. Looks an old school winger.

We said / They Said…

We Said - Derby County boss Paul Clement:

"I was very angry and frustrated after the game against Reading but I'm more disappointed today. I'm disappointed we didn't get the reaction and performance we needed.”

"We are a team in a bad moment and confidence is everything - it can go as quickly as it can come back and I still believe we are a good side. We are a good side in a bad period, but I've full confidence in the players that we will get through this. I don't think it's abnormal that a team will go through a difficult period in a long season."

They said - Birmingham City manager Gary Rowett:

"When you look at the week Derby have had and the two or three-week period they've had, you could sense maybe a little bit of nervousness and vulnerability around the place. I thought we were okay first half but we didn't commit to our attacking play enough. I just said to the players at half-time, 'come on, if we are going to do it, we are going to do it properly, so can we get on the front foot and be a bit braver.”

"In that second half, with a bit more drive about us and playing five more yards up the pitch, it made a huge difference."

Match Highlights:

Derby 0 v 3 Birmingham

Gaffer / Player Interviews:

Paul Clement after the loss to the Blues:

COYR!!

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