Derby

[tamworthram]

How the Hell are we massive underdogs.
We have a better squad, play better football, and can actually defend.

Bloody bookies.

No offence and I wouldn't say you're "massive" underdogs but you are underdogs. Simply because we've beaten you twice and, we finished 13 points ahead of you. You may have a better defensive record than us but only by 12 goals whereas we have scored 29 goals more than you. Can't really comment on quality of squad and football played as, I don't know you're squad well enough apart from the games against each other, I've only really seen your highlights on the football league show. I suspect the same might be true for you. I have seen current form mentioned as well and whilst you may be unbeaten in 8 games weren't 4 of those draws? whereas we've won 6 drawn 1 and lost 1

Having said all of that, there's nothing wrong with being the underdog. League position and previous results count for nothing in the play off and I really think it could go either way. As I've said on another post, if it's not us going up then I want it to be you.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I'd have said it was perfectly obvious from the final table that Derby were favourites. I don't mind that, it doesn't mean anything on the pitch.

I don't know enough about their players to start calling the shots, they strike me very much as a cohesive team, with no real stars, unlike Redknapp's overpaid Harlem Globetrotters. Will Hughes has always impressed me, but I was interested to see a fair few Derby fans expressing surprise that he'd made the PFA team of the year for the Championship, so perhaps he hasn't had the consistency this time round.

I feel incredibly relaxed this season, unlike last, where the realisation that we needed to beat THEM to promotion, and the prospect of the consequences if we didn't, made it almost unbearably tense.

This time? Meh If we play to our best, we're as good as any of them. So long as we give it a decent shot this time (and ideally avoid all the dramas afterwards), that would be great.

 

[moggy]

Found these stats on twitter, spot on and very interesting

tug509 wrote: The Derby fans seem to put a lot of stock over their 2 wins against us this season ,the first being against a squad with 9 top players out injured ,the second at the iPRO again against a heavily depleted side ,winning by a single deflected Bamford goal .
Looking at both teams results against the other 5 top sides over the season puts things in perspective ,against Leicester ,Burnley ,QPR ,Wigan and Reading ,both home and away ,Derby won 2 ,drew 1 and lost 7 of their 10 games ,we won 5 ,drew 4 and lost 1 of our 10 . No doubt Derby are a top side ,but they havn`t played Brighton yet this season imho . UTA

 

[Turkey]

I think hopeful rather than expectant sums up the feelings this year? Although expectant is perhaps a bit harsh on us last year, I think it was more fearful, losing to Palace too hard to contemplate. We can handle losing to Derby. Over the course of the season they've been better than us. Hopefully over 2 games we're better or luckier than them.

 

[Dandyman]

Hi chaps, just want to congratulate you lot in making the play-offs two years in a row, no easy feat. Particularly pleased you pipped Reading to the post because of my hatred of Nigel Adkins, stemming back from his Soton days where he always struck me as a smug b*stard.

I must admit the general feeling on our forum (dcfc fans, if you're interested) is that you were the ones we wanted to play. I mean no offence by this and I definitely don't underestimate you slightly, but you were the best draw for us mainly because we've done the double over you this season where as we'd struggled against Reading. You also seem to play decent football, which suits us massively as we've struggled against physical teams that come to limit us rather than play themselves (Wigan did that to great effect). However saying that, I feel like we got you lot at the right time at the start of the season and the game at our place could have gone either well. Ulloa seems a cracking player and one I'd kill to sign if we went up as he's similar to Chris Martin but considerably stronger in the air (something we don't really have up top).

But, I was just wondering what your thoughts about us and the tie were? We've really had the best season for a long time, considering the last few years have been mid-table and dull. At the start of the year we'd have been pretty chuffed to be in your position right now, but we're finding ourselves disappointed with 3rd.

I've already said that this tie was the best result for neutrals and wish you all the best

Fair play to you. Derby are a good side and I doubt any of us think we need to be anything other than at the top of our game to get past you. That said there is far less pressure than last year and even if we **** up I will never feel as awful as I did after the second Palarse game (Derby also has some very fine pubs to drown our sorrows in).

 

[Tarpon]

Found these stats on twitter, spot on and very interesting

tug509 wrote: The Derby fans seem to put a lot of stock over their 2 wins against us this season ,the first being against a squad with 9 top players out injured ,the second at the iPRO again against a heavily depleted side ,winning by a single deflected Bamford goal .
Looking at both teams results against the other 5 top sides over the season puts things in perspective ,against Leicester ,Burnley ,QPR ,Wigan and Reading ,both home and away ,Derby won 2 ,drew 1 and lost 7 of their 10 games ,we won 5 ,drew 4 and lost 1 of our 10 . No doubt Derby are a top side ,but they havn`t played Brighton yet this season imho . UTA

I like this logic. COME ON!

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

Promotion this year is still very unlikely for whoever wins from our semi. We all fully expect to find Harry Redknapps millionaires waiting on the other side but Wigan would be worse for both of us I reckon.

QPR are the glamour team of the championship right enough but Wigan are the banana skin.

I have a funny feeling we will sail past Derby, get all excited when Wigan snatch an unlikely win over the two legs and will end up crying into our Harvey's when they beat us on penalties at wembley.

This is Brighton and hove Albion remember? If we don't win outright we will contrive to lose somehow.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

SkySports will be absolutely praying for QPR to win, won't they? Players they recognise, plus their favourite chirpy cockney wide-boy manager.

 

[Tarpon]

SkySports will be absolutely praying for QPR to win, won't they? Players they recognise, plus their favourite chirpy cockney wide-boy manager.

God, after Adkins, how beautiful would it be for 'Arry to fail too? Note sure I could handle another transfer window with rent a gob.

 

[FriendlyRam]

You Brighton fellas rate QPR a lot higher than we do at Derby. I think you won and lost one aswell?

Bunch of has beens still living off past glories on fat wage packets that can deal with the percentage crap that gets thrown at them.

They might well go up. Harry Houdini and his £magic£ signings are an experienced, composed team. But they aren't better.

Too many players at the likes of QPR and the lower PL sides are living off past glories. They just keep treading water. The PL is just a big budget movie and a lot of these players are the extras. Doesn't count for actual quality. 'An experienced Premier League player'. What's so special about that? Sky Sports might not like it but the Premier League has some rubbish players if they look at the other 14 teams in there. Peter Crouch is an experienced international. So what? So teams will turn their noses up at other talent to keep to the inner circle of tried and tested players.

I think Wigan will be a massive threat to QPR. I think both Brighton and Derby will make them sweat. They aren't head and shoulders above us. They won't get bread and butter hoofball from our sides. Not unless we all bottle it under the pressure of playing the likes a French superstar Joey Barton.

I know they have quality. But can't believe they're so widely fancied. Especially with that muppet in charge. How much has he spent in his career? To win what? Shows what the media can do when he's linked with the big jobs.

Watch them win it now...

 

[Horses Arse]

What is up with all these Rams fans? Are none of them retarded wind up merchants who know nothing about football?

Far too many well considered reasonable posts for my liking, bunch of bloody weirdos!

 

[FriendlyRam]

If it starts getting a bit ArsenalCardiff between us we can always do some chants about being gay? You could maybe remind us how unpleasant Derby is and how you want to go home?
If it gets too friendly like.

 

[Simster]

If it starts getting a bit ArsenalCardiff between us we can always do some chants about being gay? You could maybe remind us how unpleasant Derby is and how you want to go home?
If it gets too friendly like.

Heh. I understand what you say about QPR and we took four points off them. My feeling is that they are a bunch of big time charlie's with a bang average manager, who have been going through the motions all season doing just about the bare minimum. However, I do think that now they have to stand up and be counted, they probably will.

That said, this play-off four are probably the tightest I can remember. By which I mean I wouldn't write off any of them.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Heh. I understand what you say about QPR and we took four points off them. My feeling is that they are a bunch of big time charlie's with a bang average manager, who have been going through the motions all season doing just about the bare minimum. However, I do think that now they have to stand up and be counted, they probably will.

That said, this play-off four are probably the tightest I can remember. By which I mean I wouldn't write off any of them.

How can you SAY such a thing about The People's Favourite For The England Job (©H.Redknapp), a man with such an illustrious career record as a fourth division title win, a Championship trophy* and one FA Cup**?



*when Pompey spent loads of money and every other club was on it's knees due to the ITV digital failure

**against a Championship side, while paying players £90k per week

 

[Simster]

How can you SAY such a thing about The People's Favourite For The England Job (©H.Redknapp), a man with such an illustrious career record as a fourth division title win, a Championship trophy* and one FA Cup**?



*when Pompey spent loads of money and every other club was on it's knees due to the ITV digital failure

**against a Championship side, while paying players £90k per week

Well quite. Edna, we both know that QPR are going to win the play-offs, and all because of Harry's triffic management skills and triffic set of lads.

But at least Wembley won't be a quarter empty thanks to Wigan bringing 14,000 fans.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Well quite. Edna, we both know that QPR are going to win the play-offs, and all because of Harry's triffic management skills and triffic set of lads.

But at least Wembley won't be a quarter empty thanks to Wigan bringing 14,000 fans.

Be interesting to see how many do travel down if they made it, having already played at Wembley twice in the last year.

Every club has a finite number of fans, and that's not going to change for Wigan no matter how successful they are. They used to play in front of 1,500 at Springfield Park, so their current crowds are a huge increase on that. They can't really help having relatively small crowds so I'm not always comfortable with taking the piss. It is, to quote Billy Davies, what it is.

 

[Simster]

Be interesting to see how many do travel down if they made it, having already played at Wembley twice in the last year.

Every club has a finite number of fans, and that's not going to change for Wigan no matter how successful they are. They used to play in front of 1,500 at Springfield Park, so their current crowds are a huge increase on that. They can't really help having relatively small crowds so I'm not always comfortable with taking the piss. It is, to quote Billy Davies, what it is.

I didn't make myself clear there. It's not the fact that Wigan are poorly supported that bothers me - it's the fact that Derby and Brighton would both sell out, and then watch as their team CRUMPLED meekly to a team celebrating in front of nobody at the national stadium. In our case, to complete our deja-vu feeling, perhaps Wigan would call on support from their "hated" neighbours in the local press much as County did with Forest fans.

 

[symyjym]

I don’t know about anyone else but I like the idea of playing the first leg at the Amex because no matter what happens it will not end there. There will be no extra preparations, confetti or fireworks organisied in anticipation in the event that we win, and everyone will stay to the end to applaud our squad giving them a fantastic send off to the second leg.

Our away support is and has always been fantastic, and taking 2,500 up to Derby, cramming our best voices in one corner of the ground, our players will not be intimidated by the opposing fans. The Derby fans will have a false sense of security of playing at home which will add extra pressure to their players, as failure would be too devastating to contemplate after one of the best seasons they have had for many years.

 

[Don Quixote]

We can beat any team in the division. So, we can beat Derby. I am not too worried. Our manager is a winner.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I didn't make myself clear there. It's not the fact that Wigan are poorly supported that bothers me - it's the fact that Derby and Brighton would both sell out, and then watch as their team CRUMPLED meekly to a team celebrating in front of nobody at the national stadium. In our case, to complete our deja-vu feeling, perhaps Wigan would call on support from their "hated" neighbours in the local press much as County did with Forest fans.

I suppose, if you were to get to Wembley, and then found yourself looking at blocks and blocks of empty seats, it might somewhat diminish the feeling of the occasion, yes.

History has done that before though. Doncaster beat- I think- Leeds at Wembley in a play off, presumably there were about 20,000 Rovers fans and at least 200,000 from Leeds (actually, I've just looked it up: Doncaster 24,000, Leeds just under 44,000).

The largest ever Championship play off crowd, fact fans, was (to my surprise) 86,703, between Bristol City and Hull in 2008.