Derby County Preview

[1864roverite]

I had been wondering just what to make of the first 47 minutes having forgotten what it is like to dominate a half for some 80% of the game played so far. Comfortable first 25 mins negotiated and well on top then we concede with Derby's first chance. How a 6ft mountain like Nelsen gets himself shoved off the ball by a midget is beyond me ! Still at 0-1 down I was happy that we would easily make this game 3 points !

Then Nelsen commits suicide again and even survives a second yellow card having given Derby a soft penalty. Has ladyluck returned I asked my self whilst at the same time feeling confident that Brad would save the day. A good save keeps it at 0-1 then we break, Benni should have scored but fear ye not RSC slams the ball home. 1-1 Rovers back on top. The current motm Bentley enters the fray and unleashes a 25 yarder bottom corner 2-1 Rovers.

Half time negotiated and Rovers set for a not so bad bollocking from our glorious leader.

My view - What position is Tugay supposed to be playing ? Thankfully he hasnt been in any positions to give the ball away.

Nelsen needs a rocket, I cannot fathom what has gone wrong with his confidence.

MGP with a little bit more belief will run riot second half.

Bert needs to keep makign the runs he does as he will do likewise.

Come on Benni, smash this bad run of dry goals and notch in the second half.

On a footnote, did anyone see Savages face ? It had transfer written all over it. Seems very much like he has lost his Rovers shirt.

[Ozzie Rover]

Can anyone help...

In Melbourne Australia , the game is live on Fox , is it live on the box in Blackburn ?

[Paul Mellelieu]

It's on Sky.

[T4E]

What the (Please don't use that word again) is Pedersen's problem?!?!?!

[Ozzie Rover]

It's on Sky.

Thanks and GO ROVERS

[eddiewac]

whats mokoena doing!?! ok he got the ball but he went in just a bit high

[Exiled_Rover]

What the (Please don't use that word again) is Pedersen's problem?!?!?!

He has no confidence, neither does McCarthy. Can't believe Gamst and Mokoena haven't been taken off, both have been poor.

[G Somerset Rover]

I thought McCarthy had a good first half but has had a shocker this second.

[ontwowheels]

Typical of the Rovers against sides lower in the league. Tense and Nervy. Mokoena and McCarthy have been poor, our overall distribution is woeful, but it is the 3 points that we needed.

[Presty On Tour]

3 points wheeeeeeey!! and happy new year everyone

[Exiled in Toronto]

Mokoena, for all his faults, made more interceptions and tackles today than fat boy has made in the last month. It was also his sliding interception that kept the move going for the winning goal.

Benni I though looked rusty and then frustrated, but he did something no other player apart from Santa has done for a while in making the keeper work - fantastic bit of control for the first goal, which I thought was more a good save than a Benni miss.

Pederson however, amazes me. Yes he has improved, but from a liability to ineffectual - no posiitve impact on the game at all.

Nelsen I feel was better today. He made a lot of headers in open play; could have done a bit better for Derby's goal but was obstructed, and the penalty was a dive!

Well done to the ref who could have easily ruined the game by sending off three players, none of whom would have deserved to go.

[philipl]

3 points safely tucked away.

Nelsen was fouled for their opener then Miller dived for the penalty.

MGP and Benni both short on confidence and making wrong decisions in front of goal.

However, RSC was imperious up front and scored again whilst Bentley was pure quality all game.

10 games running Rovers go 1-0 down. Do that against Sunderland and they won't be anywhere near as easy as Derby. First top flight win at Derby since 1926 which goes to show that when we were up there they weren't and vice versa. By my reckoning, that also means Rovers for the cup in 2010!

[Tim Southampton Rover]

After reading some of these posts, it looks like i've watched a different game to some people.

I thought Tugay was superb today when he was on the ball. Pedersen and Warnock linked up well down the left. Emerton was fully of energy on the right and Friedel's penalty save was superb and as usual filled me with confidence on crosses or shots from Derby. Bentley and Roque were different class today. Miles ahead of everyone on the park.

Great win. I felt we controlled the game and the second half probably seemed closer than it actually was. I don't really recall them threatening us that much in the second half and felt we could have stepped up a gear if we really needed to.

[Rovermatt]

That was a far harder result than it should have been. Games against Derby should be guaranteed 3 pointers quite frankly and for them to score first was nigh on acceptable.

The missed penalty was where our luck started to turn. If they'd gone 2 up there would have been no way back I feel and credit must go to the forwards for dragging us back into it. Santa Cruz and McCarthy really got under Derby's skin. It was typical of McCarthy's season though that his excellent turn and shot was foiled only for Santa Cruz to simply poke it home.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

Oh forgot to mention Zurab.

Other footballers could have crumbled after a bit of a shocker in the previous match but he was superb today in defence considering only a few starts this season. Looked like he's played there all season. Well done Khiza!

[1864roverite]

So, its the end of football for 2007.

Great result for Rovers, an away win at Derby puts us on 30 points and position 9th in the table, only a coule of wins away from 5th spot. Although I am pleased with that current haul, you just cant get away from the feeling that Rovers should really be cemented in the top 5 already.

Back to todays game, its alright some of you moaning about this and that, but remember that massive footballing team that is Liverpoo only just scraped a last minute flukey 2-1 win a couple of days ago whereas Rovers had almost 67% of the game against Derby.

Rovers just couldnt find that killer 3rd goal and it bugs me to think what might have been.

Every credit to Rovers, they have a base to move on. January offers Rovers a potential 12 point haul and the FA Cup 3rd round. I am sure we will see some movement, both in and out.

HAPPY NEW YEAR ROVERS FANS.

[1864roverite]

That was a far harder result than it should have been. Games against Derby should be guaranteed 3 pointers quite frankly and for them to score first was nigh on acceptable.

what utter crap, just ask manure, who have now recently lost to bolton and wham, ask arsenal who lost at boro and ask Rovers who lost at Wigan !!!

[frosty]

Good win, feared the worst when the penalty was given.

Bentley and Santa above everybody else today, also thought Pedersen did better. Wasn't too pleased when I saw Tugay and the Axe on the teamsheet but they both did their jobs well. Savage and Roberts are defintetely off.

[winner]

We must be grateful for 3 points.

We got away with commiting defensive suicide today, we wont get the same luck against Sunderland.

It is time that Nelson started playing well again.

Overall, 30 points from 20 games is a very good return for us. 9th Place is not bad.

[joey_big_nose]

For me we were lucky to not have both Nelsen anf Mokoena sent off. Generally speaking I think everybody had a decent enough game apart from Nelsen who absolutely has to be dropped. Soemthing is very very wrong with hm at the moment, maybe his confidence has suffered as well as his pace. THere has to be no doubt that going into the New Year the centreback partnership is Samba and Zurab. Hopefully the Kiwi can sort hinself out.

Pedersen had great movement and control causing their right side lots of problems but his crossing and passing were absolutely woeful. Good free kick.

Mokoena should of got sent off, somehow didn't. Was decent in the first 60 mins but after that scare completely faded.

I thought Warnock and Emerton were good enough- not sure why Tugay4England thought the Aussie was poor.

Friedle- caught out for the goal but good otherwise, great block lowdown with his right hand.

Tugay- very good, authoratative in the middle spreading the ball.

Cruz- class as always.

Bentley- MOTM. Everything threatening we did came through him.

Benni- Good first half, impressed with his running, control and his movement- he made Cruz's goal. Come the seond half he was lethargic, poor control, poor finishing. How did he last 85 minutes?

Zurab- amazingly we have gone to the ludicrous positon of him being substantially better than Nelsen. Who would of thought that three months ago? Unless we bring someone in January he is going to play regularly. I am impressed with his application and focus.

Hughes- What was going on with the substitutions? To use a Drogism a blind man sitting backwards on a galloping horse could see that Benni needed to come off after about an hour and that Mokoena was a liability after the red card that wasn't. Over the Christmas period you would think that the players should be rotated a bit too. So why not use Derbyshire and Dunn before c. 90th minute? Also Savage and Roberts are clearly off in the window. Two left backs on the bench? Major reorganisation coming up.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

We got the three points our possession fully deserved.......great shot by Bentley!

Not a bad performance on the whole but we still look shaky at the back, I wanted the chair to swallow me up when their penalty was given.I hate to say this but Nelson is starting to scare the shyte out of me and wants to buck his ideas up and fast!

We cant allow McCarthy to leave under any circumstances,there is alot of potential with him and Cruz, its a good partnership that could really bear fruit for us.

NICE TO FINISH THE YEAR WITH A WIN!

[Bing]

After reading some of these posts, it looks like i've watched a different game to some people.

I thought Tugay was superb today when he was on the ball. Pedersen and Warnock linked up well down the left. Emerton was fully of energy on the right and Friedel's penalty save was superb and as usual filled me with confidence on crosses or shots from Derby. Bentley and Roque were different class today. Miles ahead of everyone on the park.

Great win. I felt we controlled the game and the second half probably seemed closer than it actually was. I don't really recall them threatening us that much in the second half and felt we could have stepped up a gear if we really needed to.

Agree with all of that. Everything good that we did went through Tugay. Always open to receive the ball and just looks so graceful on the ball and like he's got it on a string. Compare that to someone like Reid who always looks clumsy on it and is desperate to just get rid of it to anybody.

Pedersen was much better and continues to improve and we again saw the Zurab that played against Chelsea.

[mjs]

Oh forgot to mention Zurab.

Other footballers could have crumbled after a bit of a shocker in the previous match but he was superb today in defence considering only a few starts this season. Looked like he's played there all season. Well done Khiza!

Perhaps playing him in the right position helped too!!

Has to keep his place ahead of Samba at the moment.

[Wolves_Rover]

Perhaps playing him in the right position helped too!!

Has to keep his place ahead of Samba at the moment.

No, he has to replace Nelsen.

[JAL]

Ryan Nelsen who the ferk is Ryan Nelsen hes certainly not the player i thought he was, an absolute liability at the moment, at fault for Derby's goal then committed an amateurs tackle for the penalty and should have received his second booking .....hes costing Rovers big time at the moment but hes not alone.

What on earth is Hughes doing picking Mokoena he should be on the training ground with those talentless Derby County players should have received a second yellow card.

Overall another weird game of football were Rovers were the stronger outfit but a big BUT ......

Apparently Samba's missus is not only having a baby but they are in the process of moving house what timing.