Brentford 3 - 0 Derby County

Anyone think Cocu needs to smarten himself up round the head a bit BTW?

He looks like he's not been home after a good night out?

We are well off this point last season
This time last year we had beat Reading, Ipswich. Preston and hull in the league. Lost to Leeds and Millwall and beat Oldham and hull in the cup and was looking forward to a trip to Old Trafford
We had 12 points scored 10 goals and conceded 8 in the league compared to this year we have scored 6 goals and conceded 9 and been dumped out of the cup

We had luck early last season that we haven’t had this. We fluked the win at Reading and got quite lucky at Hull. Of our first six fixtures, four were against very poor teams. Our two missed penalties this season have cost four points. All part of the game of course but it shows how tight the margins are between happiness and misery.

That may all be speculation, but what is certrain in my mind is that we have not replaced the 3 quality loans we had last year and consequently the squad is much weaker. The odds of pulling out this slump are therefore much worse.

As I said, I can't really blame Cocu for the performances, the blame lies 100% with the players. Senior players not trying hard enough, or not being good enough mostly - it doesn't surprise me to see the youth involved.

I don't think this is an overreaction, my analysis is based on far more than a single result.

I think in terms of squad quality we're somewhere around a team that fluked promotion from league 1 through the playoffs and have decided to chance survival on some unproven castoffs that may or may not perform. This is without the momentum of actually coming up through the playoffs too.

Last season we almost fluked promotion through the playoffs in this league, but that was with an additional spine of players who were far better than this level.

The only blame with Cocu really sits with the loan signings, none of whom inspire me. Maybe they were last resort options because we were hoping for some favors from Chelsea that never arrived, who knows.

I'm glad to see him being more willing to experiment, more willing to find things out about his players and freshen things up, and I don't want to see him out the door, but the way things are going the mood at home games is going to quickly turn especially with that Forest loss thrown in so early.

It's going to be a tough season, and a real test of character for the players we have. We're going to need a lot out there who can pick up a game by the scruff of its neck and turn it around. Does any of this squad have that in them?

Also who are the 3 worse teams in this league this season?

Stoke aren't performing right now, but that's because they've got a moody bunch of players who down tools when things aren't going their way, however, as much as I don't rate Ince as a team player, I think he will score the goals to keep them up for the sake of his own skin if it comes to it.

Huddersfield are in freefall, yes, don't know if they can turn it around.

Other teams have strengthened, or gelled further compared to last season, and we've not got the likes of Bolton sitting on the edge of bankruptcy this season. It's going to be a competitive league this season I think.

I think Clarke looks a good player. I can’t believe how fans write players off so quickly. There were plenty on here who were very critical of Tomori after the first few games of last season but who have forgotten about it all now. Owd Spart was all for sending Wilson back to Liverpool, guess what he’s forgotten all about that and says we will never replace him!

I definitely agree that we have lost the ability to grab a goal from nowhere that can win a game. When that happens we forget all about the performance. Last season was unusual in that a relatively small proportion of our goals was scored by the strikers. When you rely on individuals rather than team play you are built on straw to an extent. If we have lost the worldies from thirty yards then we need to score more “normal” goals. Marriott and Waghorn, especially Marriott, are decent enough finishers to get goals if they get chances. Yesterday was desperate by the sound of it but we created plenty of good chances last week against a solid defence, so we know it is at least possible. I think Cocu will find the balance in midfield before too long but I do worry about the lack of genuine threat in the wide positions.

I sincerely hope Tom Lawrence personally apologised to Buchanan after leaving him to get absolutely slaughtered in that first half.

I hope Cocu realised that Huddlestone is too slow to occupy the DM position on his own.

Dowell has been and was again, dog 💩 to the point where he was cheered when subbed.

Saw Marriott’s frustration yesterday, towards the end of the second half, Bennett wasted an opportunity to square the ball across the box to him and he was going mental.

I see Cocu has questioned the players attitude and professionalism in the first half, wonder how much of this was because of Tuesday?

Good to meet you yesterday tommo.Cheers for the drink, I owe you one.

Look at the shot Lawrence had that went wide of the keepers right post in the second half (it's on the Sky "highlights". Marriott was screaming for it to be passed to him on the left, (as were most of the Derby fans). I don't think he even looked-up?

comment by Scouse (U9675)
posted 7 minutes ago
Good to meet you yesterday tommo.Cheers for the drink, I owe you one.

Look at the shot Lawrence had that went wide of the keepers right post in the second half (it's on the Sky "highlights". Marriott was screaming for it to be passed to him on the left, (as were most of the Derby fans). I don't think he even looked-up?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
And you Scouse 👍

It was Lawrence actually that I am thinking of. Couldn’t remember if it was him or Bennett as both wasted opportunities in that position.