[Archived] Matt Derbyshire

[Commondore]

Good goal aswell

Youtube clip

Isn't he right-footed? That's a pretty sweet left foot strike.

[Wild Irish Rover]

Isn't he right-footed? That's a pretty sweet left foot strike.

Had the goalkeeper been shot or perhaps gone on a fortnights holiday? Typical Derbs though - turned the defender went inside and lashed a shot away. It can only be good for the lad, plus it will add value to his price-tag. Win win.

[Blue n White Rover]

Is it me or does Derbyshire look bigger in that clip? His upper body looks a lot bigger, he may well have been working on his upper body strength, and if he has, he may well be a great asset to us again next season.

Had the goalkeeper been shot or perhaps gone on a fortnights holiday? Typical Derbs though - turned the defender went inside and lashed a shot away. It can only be good for the lad, plus it will add value to his price-tag. Win win.

A price has already been agreed if newspaper reports (and Nicko) are to go by.

[Hughesy]

A good article about Matty here from the Mail

Greece is the word!

[Tom]

I've had a bit of a U turn of thought on Derbs I think, previously I think I judged him harshly and banded him with gally as far as his attitude goes but from that article he comes across as a clever committed bloke.

Hopefully the experience has done him good and he can play a part for us next season, if not well thne I hope he brings in a decent fee and we can build from that.

I still think he's mainly a squad player but if we were only going to replace him with another similar type it may be a pointless exercise.

In an ideal world we sell Rocky for a good price and then replace him then have a fit Benni, Roberts and Derbyshire all vying for the second place up front.

[DanLad]

Good for him!

Brave choice to go over there and it looks like he's getting his rewards!

[Hughesy]

Looking at his agent's comments, no deal is set up to allow Matty to go there. Athenian club fancy their chances of convincing Blackburn to sell them the player outright - though they are yet to actively pursue this angle

[modes98]

I still think he's mainly a squad player but if we were only going to replace him with another similar type it may be a pointless exercise.

A squad player who scores important goals is important. Getting rid of a player who loves the club and replacing him with some cheap foreign import is a waste of time and resources. Keep Matty and concentrate on replacing Rocky and buying us a Central Midfield.

[JamieUK]

Matt's scored again...! Pulled one back for Olympiakos - currently 2-1 to AEK after 50 min.

edit : He's scored twice! Looked like AEK had won it with a goal in the 89th min but he scored on 90 to take it to extra time... They'll not let him come home if they go on to win this...

[Tom]

Good for him, could make a Greek Legend of himself at this rate.

[JamieUK]

Congrats to Matty - after an epic game Olympiakos have won 15-14 on penalties...!

[John]

Blackburn striker Matt Derbyshire admits he would like to turn his loan deal with Olympiacos into a permanent transfer this summer.

[Tom]

Fair play to him, its a shame a fee would have been agreed as we may have got more after tonight

[Mr. E]

frak that, I can't imagine letting Derbs go and keeping that no-show Cruz. Derbs is our player and we need to get him back at Ewood and start playing him more regularly. Yes - he often disappears in games but he is probably the best finisher at the club. Would have scored at least half of what Roberts missed through the season.

#1 priority for Sam - get Derbs back, sell Cruz to whoever offers some decent money for him, and use it to strengthen the midfield.

[Tom]

Sorry Mr E, there are good arguments to keep Derbs but in no way is he close to as good a finisher as a certain Benedict Saul McCarthy.

[Mr. E]

Sorry Mr E, there are good arguments to keep Derbs but in no way is he close to as good a finisher as a certain Benedict Saul McCarthy.

Benni and Derbs are #1 and 2 for me. Benni is perhaps the better overall player, but he has some lapses in his finishing too. I'd love if it if we can use both of them next season though.

[Tom]

Agreed, as I said I had a u turn on Derbs and as a bench player I cant see us finding better with what we have to spend.

[rover6]

Not surprised that Derbyshire wants to stay in Greece. (Although, maybe Rovers' will waft a nice new contract under his nose to tempt him back).

If Derbs returns next season, what has he to look forward to at Rovers? Long ballism dullness, strangulation by statistical and physiological analysis, splinters in the backside, Diouf's embarrassing personality, typical Lancashire weather, mid-table grappling amongst the dregs of the league, inglorious cup exits.

In Greece he can live it large, scoring goals without trying as defenders run into one another for a team competing to win things and in the early stages of the Champs League. And, Olympiakos have a bit of money don't they - so the pay won't be bad, surely. He might miss Countdown but sacrifices always have to be made.

[Hughesy]

If Rovers want him, Derbyshire stays - its that simple.

Derbyshire is a local lad and wants to play for us, thats still the case, but if Sam cant offer him plenty of 1st team opportunites then he will leave.

That comes from a member of his family.

[thenodrog]

If Rovers want him, Derbyshire stays - its that simple.

Derbyshire is a local lad and wants to play for us, thats still the case, but if Sam cant offer him plenty of 1st team opportunites then he will leave.

That comes from a member of his family.

May be wrong but I don't think Derbyshire will fit into our style. It's obvious that SA likes big centre forwards and with dangerous midfield players feeding off them. Derbyshire is dangerous enough but simply cannot contribute anything from midfield. He is a 4-4-2 striker and not adaptable in any way.

[Claytons Left Boot]

A shame really if he goes. Up until the Chelsea semi final he was getting games under his belt and scoring goals. He was also very match fit. Enter Roberts for the semi and it all changed. Derbs then became a cameo player and usually not in his preferred, or best, position. A local lad, he wouldn't have initially wanted to leave his local club. Becoming a bench player will have got him thinking, knowing he probably doesn't fit in to Sam's style of play will have got him thinking even more and this successful spell i Greece will more than likely seal his move away. Strange how these things work out. Unfortunate chain of events imo.

[Pinch]

It seems to me that Big Sam doesn't rate Matty..not the Big Sam type of centre forward. I mean, rates him behind RSC, Benni, and Roberts...and probably Samba too. It seems to be a case of round peg for a square hole. It is a shame for me, but hopefully Sam has an open mind, Matty's surely impressed a lot of people.

[rover6]

I think you underestimate not only Matt Derbyshire's game but also his mental strength.

He went to Plymouth and scored a hat-trick for their reserves within days of arrival. He was then shunned by Tony Pulis. Despite the setback he went and plundered goals at Wrexham. So, Derbs has already shown that he can overcome disappointment. At Rovers too, he has suffered the repeated disappointment of not cutting it as a starter - but he's always come back as a sub and scored the odd goal. The lad has backbone and quiet self-belief which belies his unspectacular ability. He may well fail in Greece - after all, the fans probably expect a lot from him and, let's face it, he's no genius. However, no way will he atrophy into a journeyman.

Jon Stead has more technical ability than Derbyshire - however, Steadinho's mental strength is weak and with the technical, ball to feet, game he plays, it was inevitable that once his self-belief went, his game would disappear. Incidentally, I recently saw some of Stead's goals for Huddersfield in their promotion season and I realised why he was attracting attention. The guy was doing step-overs, running at defenders, playing through balls and scoring from long-range. He had/has ability.

I just quote the above to confirm my belief in Derbs' mental strength. He is inferior to Jon Stead, in terms of skill and, in fact, many aspects of the game. However, Derbyshire has the invaluable quality of not being easily downcast by failures.

Very much like Michael Owen, imo.

[The Prof.]

Playing in the Greek sunshine, a boatride away from some of the best island beaches in the world, European Cup beckoning, team playing short sharp passes to his feet, average defenders, Athenien booty everywhere, worshiped as a Greek god, OR

Hey Matty, come back to a tough season here, you'll be mainly on the bench, chasing long balls for the last 15mins - if picked, rain, hail, bitter fans away, home fans who think you're worse than Jon Stead!

I know where I'd be!

[RoyRover]

I wouldn't blame him if he decided to stay in Athens. He's playing for a big club, who win stuff every season and are consistently in the Champions League. He has proven that he can score goals in the Greek League and even though it some way behind the other big European Leagues, it's a respectable place to play and enjoy a different way of life. If he wants to return, fair enough, if he decides to stay, good luck to him.