Post by popsideprince on Apr 2, 2006 19:11:24 GMT -1
Hiya everyone,
I went to the Reading game yesterday. I mean after travelling 150-odd miles there, paying £26 for the match ticket & travel expenses and waking up at 7am, my whole day was centred around 90 minutes of football. So I was hoping the lads would repay my loyalty, by at least producing a competitive display.
But no, Derby were abject and spineless and handed Reading three easy points after another common second half collapse away from home.
In the first half, our formation suggested we were contesting for a draw. Playing five in midfield and Peschisolido as a lone striker never really troubled Reading and chances for us were few and far between, in what was a uninspring first half, that showed how much we were missing Kevin Lisbie.
Idiakez looked uncomfortable and failed to stamp any authority onto the game. Peschisolido ran his socks off but never was going trouble the powerful and pacy Ibrahima Sonko in the Reading defence, who was well supported by Graeme Murty and Nicky Shorey.
Barnes was full of energy and made a few promising runs but failed to deliver testing efforts on goal. Smith had a off-colour afternoon, and was outshone by Michael McIndoe, whose mazy runs and trickery was cause for concern for the Reading defence, but he too could not find the end product.
Bolder tried and tried, but was outmuscled in midfield by Harper and Ingimarsson, and did his best to soak up the pressure created by Reading's agressive forward-play, but was powerless as Reading found the time and space to carve out the best chances of the first half. Only desperate Derby defending stopped Reading taking an inevitable lead.
After being fortunate to be ending the half on level terms, there was hope that we could come away with something if we played a bit more positively, perhaps go to 4-4-2, so Peschisolido had some assistance up front. Westley decided to keep things the same and his decision seemed wise as Derby began the second half positively, instantly going on the attack.
Smith rode the challenges of the defence and found space to have an attempt at goal on the edge of the area, Derby fans (me included) had their hearts in their mouths, as he seemingly had the goal at his mercy. To only hurl over the crossbar to everyone's anger, when he should have at least tested the keeper.
Then after some patient build up, McIndoe jockeyed past a defender or two, and raced into the box, and lashed a shot from an acute angle, which Hahnemann did well to parry. Peschisolido tried to pick up the pieces, but the Reading defence scrambled it away for a corner (or at least I thought so) The referee gave a Reading goal kick, and then I just knew it was not going to be our day.
After that, everything went Reading's way. Refeereeing decisions, the balance of play, everything. Derby just shattered and went defensively awol. Dont get me wrong, Reading played some very good football in the last half-hour, but it was a poor Derby performance that made Reading look so irresistible. After Harper capitalised on some slack Derby defending, he raced into the box and lashed the ball past Camp. From then on, the players' heads dropped. They rolled over and died. Doyle, only moments later, was on the end of a swift Reading attack, heading in at the far post after losing his marker. Then after our defence failed to clear a goalmouth scramble, Oster forced the ball past Camp from just inside the box. Fellow substitute Shane Long scored a late brace to condemn Derby to another crushing away day defeat, which left many questions about our future and worries over relegation fears.
What a waste of a Saturday!
Jourdan
DCFC
I went to the Reading game yesterday. I mean after travelling 150-odd miles there, paying £26 for the match ticket & travel expenses and waking up at 7am, my whole day was centred around 90 minutes of football. So I was hoping the lads would repay my loyalty, by at least producing a competitive display.
But no, Derby were abject and spineless and handed Reading three easy points after another common second half collapse away from home.
In the first half, our formation suggested we were contesting for a draw. Playing five in midfield and Peschisolido as a lone striker never really troubled Reading and chances for us were few and far between, in what was a uninspring first half, that showed how much we were missing Kevin Lisbie.
Idiakez looked uncomfortable and failed to stamp any authority onto the game. Peschisolido ran his socks off but never was going trouble the powerful and pacy Ibrahima Sonko in the Reading defence, who was well supported by Graeme Murty and Nicky Shorey.
Barnes was full of energy and made a few promising runs but failed to deliver testing efforts on goal. Smith had a off-colour afternoon, and was outshone by Michael McIndoe, whose mazy runs and trickery was cause for concern for the Reading defence, but he too could not find the end product.
Bolder tried and tried, but was outmuscled in midfield by Harper and Ingimarsson, and did his best to soak up the pressure created by Reading's agressive forward-play, but was powerless as Reading found the time and space to carve out the best chances of the first half. Only desperate Derby defending stopped Reading taking an inevitable lead.
After being fortunate to be ending the half on level terms, there was hope that we could come away with something if we played a bit more positively, perhaps go to 4-4-2, so Peschisolido had some assistance up front. Westley decided to keep things the same and his decision seemed wise as Derby began the second half positively, instantly going on the attack.
Smith rode the challenges of the defence and found space to have an attempt at goal on the edge of the area, Derby fans (me included) had their hearts in their mouths, as he seemingly had the goal at his mercy. To only hurl over the crossbar to everyone's anger, when he should have at least tested the keeper.
Then after some patient build up, McIndoe jockeyed past a defender or two, and raced into the box, and lashed a shot from an acute angle, which Hahnemann did well to parry. Peschisolido tried to pick up the pieces, but the Reading defence scrambled it away for a corner (or at least I thought so) The referee gave a Reading goal kick, and then I just knew it was not going to be our day.
After that, everything went Reading's way. Refeereeing decisions, the balance of play, everything. Derby just shattered and went defensively awol. Dont get me wrong, Reading played some very good football in the last half-hour, but it was a poor Derby performance that made Reading look so irresistible. After Harper capitalised on some slack Derby defending, he raced into the box and lashed the ball past Camp. From then on, the players' heads dropped. They rolled over and died. Doyle, only moments later, was on the end of a swift Reading attack, heading in at the far post after losing his marker. Then after our defence failed to clear a goalmouth scramble, Oster forced the ball past Camp from just inside the box. Fellow substitute Shane Long scored a late brace to condemn Derby to another crushing away day defeat, which left many questions about our future and worries over relegation fears.
What a waste of a Saturday!
Jourdan
DCFC
