v Derby County (a) - 8/3/2025

[Cherry Blue]

3 minutes ago, Lecogsportif said:

JE knew where to hit us, packed the midfield, disrupting the middle of the park and getting lot of bodies in the box. Credit to VE for the change of shape and tactics. Was an uphill battle going 2 nil down so early in the game.

lets see if he hass the balls to drop...... where do I start.....

Pears

Dolan

[Bethnal]

Just now, simongarnerisgod said:

i really think next season will be a complete implosion with not many fans in attendance

Friends and family up north have already said they’re not bothering with a season ticket next season. Today’s genuinely the first time I’ve considered not watching anymore since about 2011-12. I entirely stopped engaging for about 18 months or so, living abroad.

Today has been a bit of an eye-opener, on a personal level. Was a little nervous this morning, wondering about the lineup, wondering what Eustace would be trying to capitalise on, while trying to look at it rationally, that Derby are relegation fodder and a mid-table league one side in a championship stadium. Essentially put off a bunch of important stuff due to fretting about this. Did the odd bit, here and there but it’s taken about 9 hours of my day so far. And I’ll get up now and dawdle about a bit, maybe have SNF on in the background and do something else in the flat, but it’ll still be there. And tomorrow, just as it was yesterday, Thursday and Wednesday before.

And that’s me as a relative armchair fan. Think about the 2700 that travelled. Maybe a handful live locally or local-enough that the journey isn’t hours each way. But they all turned up, prioritised it over other things. For what?

We turn up, we tune in and the people in charge cop out. There are people that have made millions out of this club while achieving nothing. The decision makers haven’t watched a game in a decade. And we’re still turning up every week, buying the shirts, the tickets, the poorly-poured pints, the hospitality, the pies, the Bovril and all the bullshit they spout.

And they’re laughing at us. They’re laughing at us not being able to get a protest together for over ten years (25 tennis balls, aside). Laughing at us arguing with each other that no other person in the world would buy and finance us as the current owners do. Laughing at us when they’ve sold our best assets for medium-sized bucks and invested virtually nothing, before telling us they’ve “made significant investment.” Laughing at us when they say that if we want safe standing, we’ll need to crowdfund it. Laughing at us when they’ve talked about how impressive it was to have paid all our bills.

Post-match, we’re all prone to hyperbole, but I think - for the rest of this season, at least - that’s me done.

 

[cesus]

The dismissive in me says we've been today's team for years, bullied, not up for a fight, beaten by a nothing team. The realist in me says this team has nothing tangible to work for, they are reliant on Steve Fucking Waggott to get anything sorted, I can't say anymore than that.  

[LDRover]

1 hour ago, roverandout said:

Ismail will be gone in a year's time 

Hopefully a month

[CambridgeRover]

I think as a club Venkys and Waggott have handled the appointment change very poorly. 
 

The one thing they managed to do right is make Eustace the pariah 

Edited March 8 by CambridgeRover

[superniko]

21 minutes ago, Ianrally said:

Definitely by design I’m afraid. 

Ironically appears to be the only thing our overlords are any good at. 
Brutally ripping any hope and aspiration out of us every year, rinse and repeat 

[rog of the rovers]

Is anyone actually surprised?

Consistently underwhelm and underperform in meaningful games, particularly away from home.

First major blow in any playoff push, it’s going to take real character to get back into serious contention, character I just don’t think these players and the club has at the moment. 

[Cherry Blue]

Do these players have any respect for the fans? 

[superniko]

23 minutes ago, Groundhog said:

Lots of cuddles, hugs and smiles between Eustace and the Rovers players

Fuck off all of you

Eustace patting the badge on his chest to the Derby fans

Pathetic, all of it

Shameful, but a few of them will fancy heading over there in a few months with a nice signing bonus.

This club is rotten, and I’m almost done with football 

[Ferrit]

Maggott really earning that 100K pay rise

[Paul Mellelieu]

Today's result is part of a pattern over many seasons, so no-one should be surprised.  We are a mid table second tier club just about holding our own.

[Exiled_Rover]

9 minutes ago, StHelensRover said:

In 97 minutes we barely laid a glove on them, despite them being absolutely terrified at 2-1 and just hoofing it anywhere. They didn't need to be. If we start like that against Stoke on Wednesday it will be very similar. Eustace be laughing his head tonight.

Ohashi should have scored and we should have had a penalty (and potentially Phillips sent off for bringing Ohashi down).

It's not fair to say we didn't lay a glove on them - but we did gift them a 2 goal lead. Very few teams can come back from that.

[Paul Mellelieu]

12 minutes ago, neophox said:

Think the lot of us said JE was Euseless in the first 5-6 games...

In the first season.

[Paul Mellelieu]

12 minutes ago, Herbie6590 said:

Don’t forget vote for the BRFCS POTM…link pinned at the top of the thread…😳

No

[Dolly blue]

2 minutes ago, Paul Mellelieu said:

Today's result is part of a pattern over many seasons, so no-one should be surprised.  We are a mid table second tier club just about holding our own.

I totally agree ..but it would be nice to hold it with a bit of dignity and fight ! 

[aletheia]

.....of course they should have had a penalty and should definitley have scored a third...

[DeeCee]

27 minutes ago, USABlue said:

I think the performances are a reflection of the players feelings about the new guy.  Expect a player exodus in Summer relegation next season.  How are Stanley doin these days 

Don't go all Ken Wilkie now Mart. 🥴

[Exiled_Rover]

2 minutes ago, aletheia said:

.....of course they should have had a penalty and should definitley have scored a third...

I thought there was a foul on Ribeiro in the lead up to that Yates miss.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

14 minutes ago, rog of the rovers said:

Consistently underwhelm and underperform in meaningful games

Strange isn't it...almost engineered to happen in their painful outcomes.

Edited March 8 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[DE.]

Two people who 100% deserve this result are Suhail and Waggott. Unfortunately the same two people couldn't care less. The gravy train keeps rolling on either way. 

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

I admire the teams confidence - believing they can give their ex boss 3 points and still make the play offs 🤔

[martonrover]

7 minutes ago, Paul Mellelieu said:

Today's result is part of a pattern over many seasons, so no-one should be surprised.  We are a mid table second tier club just about holding our own.

Yes, I agree, it’s a pattern, but it could be so different with emotionally invested owners and club hierarchy.

I think we’re already starting to see how good a job Eustace did.

We got the previous two head coach appointments right.

This one feels all wrong, and combined with a whole heap of players leaving in the Summer, this time next season could be a horror show.

[chaddyrovers]

Quick Summary from me, before a bigger report later when back. 

Very poor performance.

Created very little apart 2 chances which Gueye took one and Ohashi in the first half. 

Second half, not good enough, created little, Wing backs too deep, Not using Gueye enough. Poor. 

For their goals, they bullied us and Pears flapping again hurt us. NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Cost us the game. 

Need to be much better on Wednesday at Stoke. 

More in depth report later. 

[Gamst]

3 minutes ago, Cherry Blue said:

Do these players have any respect for the fans? 

They don’t support the club and the club are unwilling to prolong their contracts. They realise they are likely to leave soon and will want to preserve their fitness for any future move. A bad injury could see them unemployed next season. They also probably realise that the owners and directors don’t actually care about the club and sense that the club is about to fall off a precipice. Add to that a popular manager just left to join a team who are likely to be relegated in preference of staying with a playoff challenging club. He has been replaced by a disciplinarian who has been given the long contract that they and the former manager are not being offered despite their hard work. As highly paid professionals they should do a lot better than today and mostly the effort over the season has been excellent. These are not excuses but I can see why heads might drop and I doubt a lack of respect for the fans is a contributing factor. I find the players quite likeable mostly and this is not really their fault. What an unholy mess and if rumours are to be believed the architects of the chaos and decay have been given a pay rise. 

[Cherry Blue]

2 minutes ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

Strange isn't it...almost engineered to happen in its painful outcome.

A regular con.

Players put out a message that they're up for it, as Carter did midweek, then let fans down massively by not turning up. Derby wanted to win and showed it. Our lot couldn't give a toss.

If I was VE I'd certainly make a statement in team choice v Stoke.

Well done to the 2,700 loyal Rovers fans