Derby 1 Charlton 0 (COC) After Match Thoughts

Derby squeezed past Charlton in the dying minutes of this Capital One Cup tie to avoid extra time and penalties thanks to a late goal from Ivan Calero.

Steve McClaren made six changes, but the team was still a strong looking side.

New signing Ryan Shotton came in for Cyrus Christie and impressed on his debut. It will be interesting to see where Shotton fits in on Saturday as Christie has been in good form.

Zak Whitbread predictably stood in for Jake Buxton who's been struggling with a hip injury since the opening day. Whitbread did a decent job once again.

John Eustace was given the night off and his place was taken by Omar Mascarell. Mascarell did seem, at times, a little to anxious to impress, but made a good steady debut. 

Will Hughes started in midfield as Craig Bryson dropped to the bench and Simon Dawkins was recalled up front with Leon Best.

Best showed flashes of skill and will no doubt be wanting some more playing time.

It was a triple substitution in the second half that really injected some life into the team. 

Alefie Santos and Ivan a Calero making their first ever appearances for the senior side added some pace to the game. The other sub Chris Martin set up Calero for the winning goal.

I can see Steve McClaren having selection problems in the months ahead. Apart from recognised first team regulars, there's a lot of players knocking on the door of the first team. Farend Rawson was an used substitute and Jamie Hanson is also said to be impressing in the Under-21 side.

If Jordon Ibe does arrive in loan, he will want regular first team experience. A coaches nightmare having a glut of talent and having to disappoint those players not selected, but a nice problem to have indeed. 

Prices Cut for the Cup, Shotton In!

Tomorrow's Capital One Cup fixture with Charlton sees fans being charged from as little as a fiver for season ticket holders.

It's sad, but it's a fact that the early rounds of the competition fail to attract good crowds.

Years ago cup competitions saw some great attendances, but nowadays fans just don't seem interested which is a shame!

Brian Clough in his days as a manager wanted to win every trophy going and he treasured them all! League Cup, League title, Texaco Cup, Watney Cup were there to win and teams did their all to win them.

Steve McClaren has stated his intent to go as far as we can and will name a strong side to face Charlton.

It is conceivable that he could make a few changes, but they are unlikely to weaken the side. Whitbread could come in for Buxton who has been nursing a hip injury and we could see Leon Best get his first start for the club since joining on loan from Blackburn.

New signing Ryan Shotton could also be in line for an appearance and perhaps even a start for Omar Mascarell? None of these changes if made would deserve claims of weakling the side.

Ryan Shotton has joined the club today from Stoke City and is seen as a useful asset due to his ability to play in a variety of positions. 

Also, Jordan Ibe of Liverpool has been linked with the club. Now that would be some addition. He's rated very highly by those I have spoken to who have seen him in action. Hopefully some more news on this will be forthcoming very soon.

Derby 5 Fulham 1 - Thoughts

What a great feeling it is to come away from a game having witnessed the sort of football we were used to seeing last season.

A few questions had been asked of us so far and they were answered. 

The holding midfield role was handed to John Eustace for the first time this season and he carried on from where he left off last season. The midfield was much more better balanced!

Keogh and Buxton had better games at the back and Johnny Russell had a great game playing to the left side of Chris Martin.

The first goal was well worked and saw Jamie award hit his third goal in two games. Ward was a revelation and he should have the few haters off his back.

I thought that during the first half Fulham looked like they had come to give us a game. They certainly moved the ball about nicely and to be honest had worked quite well when Scott Parker got them an equaliser.

The response from Derby was immediate though. Chris Martin had gone close before Bryson knocked in his first goal of the season. Chris Martin then hit his second and third goals of the campaign and Fulham went to pieces.

It was great to see Simon Dawkins score the fifth! He's had a tough time so far, so maybe this will help inject a bit of confidence into him.

Will Hughes played a vital part when he came on including being involved in the build up to two of the goals and he looked so much better in an attacking role.

Hopefully we can move on now and build on this result.

Fulham have some good talented young players, but I feel that Felix Magath will be heading for the exit door very soon. They need a manager who can get the best out of this team. Tony Pulis anyone?

On to Charlton at home in the League Cup on Tuesday night and the visit of Ipswich on Saturday!

Charlton 3 Derby 2 after match thoughts!

There has been much debate about our opening three games and fans have been engaged in much discussion on the various media forums.

Twitter has been in overdrive too!

The fact is that our form so far has been a little disappointing. This is obviously being met with some disapproval from certain fans. Obviously after such a great season last time out, expectations are going to be higher from the paying fans!

Every fan has a right to there opinion! I might not agree with it, but it's your right to hold it and engage in debate. This is what the game is all about! It's not a perfect science.

Getting back to events on the field, my own concerns aren't limited to the results. We have won, drawn and lost our opening three league games and scored a Labourious victory over League Two opposition in the League Cup. 

Many will point out that it's early days and we had the same at this stage last season. Yes we did under a different manager. The flair and excitement that was evident with Steve McClarens side last season has thus far been absent.

I won't take the argument that the team needs time to gel either! Our starting eleven with the exception of Cyrus Christie were all here last season. We had the advantage of retaining most of our squad too!

Christie himself was man of the match for many people in the opening couple of games too!

Another excuse given is the loss of George Thorne to injury. I'm not buying that excuse either! He played in the last ten games of the season and might not have played at all had it not been for the suspension of John Eustace. We were in third place already when Thorne arrived.

Having Thorne would no doubt improve the quality, but we can still put out virtually the same side that wowed us with the attractive football we played last season.

The main areas for concern to me are defensively and attack! The two most important pieces in a football teams plan.

I knew it wouldn't be long before we started to let goals in! I'm not on the Keogh out bandwagon although he is till to recapture the form of two seasons ago. I'm concerned that Stevie Mac continues to play Will Hughes at Holding Midfielder. 

We have two players sat on the bench ready made to sit in that role. Namely John Eustace who was a revelation last season (And don't expect me to take the 'his legs have gone argument, if so why guve him another contract?), and Omar Mascarell. If the young Spanish lad isn't going to be given a chance why sign him! 

Will Hughes is a class act whilst in attack! He's not a defensive player! Keep playing him deep and we will see him seriously injured. I hope Steve McClaren hasn't fallen into the same trap as Nigel Clough in not knowing who to leave out! Hughes, Bryson, Hendrick are three quality players, but you have to be brave and play those who are playing better at the time. There can be no room for sentimentality during team selection.

Craig Bryson was superb last season and thoroughly deserved his new contract. Now he is the clubs highest paid player, he needs to reproduce that form this season. I love him as a player, but his performances thus far have been below par!

On the attacking front, we are failing to create the chances for Martin to put away! You get the ball to Martin and he will convert given half the chance. I've thought for many years now that we've lacked a real flair wide man! We need that option! Hopefully we can bring a new face in!

We face a tough game on Saturday with another large crowd expected. Let's hope they will go away happy!

A Look at the Opening Three Games

Well we have finally kicked off a new season and so far it's seen some different performances from The Rams.

The opening day victory against Rotherham was a hard fought game. We initially dominated only for Rotherham to be allowed back into the game.

For all of our possession we really did fail to capitalise. Very few chances created and and three shots on target the whole game.

Rotherham might have even snatched something from the game as Lee Grant mDe a great save and then moments later Craig Forsyth cleared an attempt off the line.

Jeff Hendrick's winning goal was received with a huge sigh of relief from Rams fans. The ball played to him by Cyrus Christie and Hendrick knocking the ball into the top corner giving the Millers keeper no chance.

The visit to Carlisle for the Capital One Cup game was equally frustrating. Bags of possession over long periods, but no end product yet again! 

Jeff Hendrick finally putting us ahead nodding in from close range settled the nerves a little, but we had to wait til right near the end before a piece of class finishing by Chris Martin saw us safely through to the second round of the competition.

Saturday at Sheffield Wednesday saw an afternoon where for large parts of the game we were second best. Only some missed chances and great goalkeeping from Lee Grant kept the Owls out.

What was pleasing at Hillsborough was seeing Richard Keogh back to nearer his best.

What has been evident in our opening three games is the fact that we aren't just going to score for fun like last season. Teams are well aware that if they don't keep things tight at the back, that they will pay a heavy price!

We definately need to implement a Plan B when it becomes obvious that our passing game is not going to produce the goods. We need an alternative to 4-3-3. Maybe a 4-4-2 with a midfield diamond?

What is certain is that we are in need of a natural wide man.  Simon Dawkins form has been woeful in the opening games! I prefer to see Jamie Ward on the left too

Two more fixtures this week. A visit to the Valley tomorrow night against a much improved Charlton team and then back to the iPro on Saturday for the visit of Fulham. 

Six points from these two games are possible, but so are none!

We need to be on top of our game and much improvement from our first three matches is essential. Clean sheets are good, but a few more goals will be needed.

Sheff Wed 0 Derby 0

A few thoughts

Still struggling to create chances

Hendrick had a poor game

Ward on the right not working. Didn't click with Christie.

Dawkins had another poor game.

Buxton and Keogh solid in defence.

Hughes wasted at HMF.

Mascerell will surely be looking to start sooner rather than later.

MOTM Jake Buxton.

Carlisle 0 Derby 2 -Capital One Cup

Post Match Thoughts

Lots of possession once again, but were frustrated in large parts of the game.

Would be good to sign a natural wide man! Ward, Dawkins, Russell are not natural wingers.

Cyrus Christie once again very impressive as was Craig Forsyth.

Jeff Hendrick now with two goals in two games, can he do what Bryson did last season.

Chris Martin off the Mark. Sometimes needs to keep his cool when things aren't going for him. Quality finish though.

Zak Whitbread had a steady game deputising for Jake Buxton.

Man of the match Cyrus Christie.

Derby 1 Rotherham 0

Newly promoted Rotherham provided Derby with a real test.

The Rams showed real intent by pressurising the Millers defence for the opening ten minutes, but couldnt find a way through! However frustrated they stuck to the task in hand.

Cyrus Christie was impressive on his debut and cued up Jeff Hendrick for the winning goal.

Will Hughes I thought was immense in the holding midfield role, though I prefer to see him playing further forward. Mascerell eased into the role when he replaced Hughes after the hour.

Buxton did a decent job especially considering he hasn't trained properly for two weeks.

Keogh still not looking the dominant force he was a couple of seasons ago.

Frustrating times up front for Martin, Russell and Dawkins.

I thought Best looked lively for the few minutes he played.

Both Grant and Forsyth saved us towards the end of the game.

Rotherham will give plenty of teams problems this season. They were very well organised and credit to their fans who were noisy throughout!

Those are my thoughts! 

My man of the match Cyrus Christie.

Rotherham United Squad

1.  Scott Loach

2.  Richard Brindley

3.  Joe Skarz

4.  Kari Arnason

5.  Kirk Broadfoot

6.  Richard Wood

7.  Ryan Hall

8.  Lee Frecklington

9.  Alex Revell

10 Jordan Bowery

11 Paul Green

14 Mark Bradley

15 Robert Milsom

16 Frazer Richardson

17 Conor Newton

18 Ben Pringle

19 Mat Sadler

20 Craig Morgan

21 Adam Collin (GK)

22 Keiran Ayard

23 Michael Tidser

24 Febian Brandy

27 Matt Derbyshire

Championship Preview!

Ive spoken a great deal on our chances of making promotion this season, but what about the rest? The promoted sides? The relegated sides?

Only a fool would write off those who dropped down from the Premier League! Cardiff and Fulham especially have squads that will be the envy of other clubs in the Championship.

Birmingham struggled last season and it looks like another season where the blues are going to be up against it for me. A lack of cash to improve the side means I see them possibly sliding down to League One. The loss of Chris Burke hasn't helped their case at all.

Blackburn, Gary Bowyer steadied the ship last season and got them playing some better football. Less interference from the owners could see them mount a promotion bid. I certainly think that they should be looking at top eight at the very least.

Blackpool will do well just to field a side on opening day. There's been very little investment from the owners and fans are rightly getting very frustrated. From the Premier League two seasons ago to a relegation season in my eyes. Only a change of policy and some good investment will stop the slide.

Bolton are the divisions under achievers. With a massive wage bill they need promotion ASAP. Dougie Freedman hasn't had the success that many were hoping for and at present I would say around mid table is where they're likely to finish.

Bournemouth were a surprise package last season and although they have lost Lewis Grabban, Eddie Howe will keep them up in the top half of the division. He's proven to be a very tactically astute manager. They impressed me greatly both times we played them last season.

Brentford are a new name to the Championship and were promoted playing some very attractive football. Like Yeovil last season though, they will find the going very tough and I tip them to go straight back down again.

Brighton reached the play offs last season and there's no reason that they shouldn't have them in their sights again this time round, although there's been a big change in the playing staff. That in itself might hinder them, but Hyypia should be able to steer them upwards.

Cardiff have a very strong squad and a very expensive one too. It's time for Ole Gunnar Solksjaer to prove himself as a manager. Anything less than promotion will be seen as failure. Surely will be top six.

Charlton struggled last season and haven't really strengthened during the summer. Last season Chris Powell was fired and Bob Peeters will be looking at a similar fate unless he can stop the rot. Lower half of the table.

Derby I will have to amend my original prediction as we have now added Leon Best and Omar Mascarell to the squad. A lot will depend on the form of the young spainard. Quality midfield, dangerous attack, defence dodgy at times. Tighten up at the back and it's top six.

Fulham are some peoples favourites to bounce straight back into the Premier League. They've shown intent by splashing out on Ross McCormack, however we all know that this league is as tough as any. I certainly see them challenging to make a quick return to the Prem, but they're not bankers for me,

Huddersfield I can't see as promotion challengers, however I don't see them dropping either. They've got enough experience in their squad to survive another season. They would probably finish higher if a James Vaughan could avoid injury. On his day he's as good as any striker at this level.

Ipswich are dark horses for me. Mick McCarthy has steadily rebuilt the side and I can now see them edging towards the play off zone. It's been evolution rather than revolution and they just might reap the rewards this season.

Leeds have sold Ross McCormack to Fulham and seem set for yet another season of mediocrity. We all love to hate the team that we call 'Dirty Leeds' but their fans deserve better. Once a major European force they now struggle in the second tier. I don't see things changing very soon.

Middlesbrough are dark horses with some, but they just lack a little to sustain a real challenge in my opinion. They have a decent squad, but just lack cutting edge! A prolific goalscorer is a real need.

Millwall struggled last season and lack quality to be much different this season. Survival will again be the name of the game. Ian Holloway is experienced and tactically astute enough to stop the slide, but turning them into a top six side will be beyond even the likes of him.

Norwich like the other relegated clubs will be amongst the favourites to go up. I though don't think that they will find it easy. I'm not convinced that they have the self belief and depth to achieve it. Neil Adams will have hIs work cut out to getromotion.

Nottingham Forest will be looking towards club legend Stuart Pearce to guide them back to the top tier. They've spent millions the past few seasons and have disappointed their fans, they have a squad filled with quality, but also injury prone players. Assombalonga is a gamble at 5.5m+ but if they go up! who will care. I see them as play off material if players stay fit.

Reading under the leadership of Nigel Adkins will be a team to watch. Can Adkins take another side up? I'm not sure that Simon Cox will be the striker to score the goals that are needed to them to the next level, but they'll be top eight for sure.

Rotherham make a return to the championship after many years away. Steve Evans, the manager a lot of fans love to hate has done a good job and they'll not be whipping boys! Survival will be the name of the game and I fully expect them to survive as well.

Sheffield Wednesday are a club that's underperformed for years. A good club, well supported by fans, but not well supported financially. The sale of Antonio for 1.5m will see them needing to invest in at least another wide man. They'll stay up, but need some cash to move up to the next level.

Watford didn't manage to make the play offs last season and I don't see them doing this time around either. They'll be safe enough away from the drop zone, but just lack that little extra to be chasing promotion.

Wigan disappointed last season. Expected by many to go up automatically, but fell in the play offs to QPR. Roster turned them round and they had a decent run in to clinch a place in the top six. They'll surely be top six material!

Wolves bounced straight back after being relegated to League One for a season. Kenny Jackett making success of his switch from Millwall. I don't expect them to struggle, but feel it will be a season too early for them to be looking at a return to the top flight.

So there it is!

I'm far from being an expert predictor and one of my tips for struggle always shows me up!