 Friday, 3rd Dec 2010 23:53 by Mick McDermott The Rams return home from a defeat and the icy conditions of Burnley to find much the same awaiting them at Pride Park.
Derby County vs. Norwich City 15:00 - Saturday 4th December 2010 Pride Park Derbyshire
Derby v Norwich - Historical P 30 W 11 D 12 L 7 F 38 A 33
Last game at Pride Park 28/10/08 Derby County 3 - 1 Norwich; Kazmierczak, Green, Hulse
Recent Form Norwich 5/24 P 19 W 8 D 6 L 5 F 30 A 20 Leading scorers: Holt 7lg2cp
Derby 4/24 P 19 W 9 D 3 L 7 F 37 A 19 Leading scorers: Commons (10)
The Rams We're slipping a bit - and we need to get back on track. Too many bad habits resurfaced against Burnley. Okay we were missing a few key players - that's football and we have to learn to live with that. That's not major criticism. If you'd asked me pre-season if I'd have been disappointed with a 2-1 reverse at Turf Moor, I'd have probably mumbled something about "Not expecting anything there". The injury to Bueno and Commons illness probably contributed - Commons being the latest victim of the bug - but it's disappointing to concede late goals when you are ahead. Hopefully Clough and the team will learn how to cope with late surges by teams. One thing other that Clough needs to learn. Stephen Pearson is still not 100% and is not looking good in the midfield role. He doesn't win the ball, doesn't score and does not pass well. He doesn't seem to have absorbed the team spirit. Don't get me wrong. Pearson is clearly a talented footballer - it's just that we aren't seeing much of it. Performances don't lie. He's not been effective for a while.
Probable Team Fielding Brayford, Barker, Leacock, Moxe Bailey, Savage Green, Cywka, Commons Moore Substitutes Bywater, Pringle, Hendrick, Kuqi, Porter, Doyle
Current Rams Squad No. Position Player 1 Keeper Stephen Bywater 2 Defender John Brayford 3 Defender Gareth Roberts 4 Midfield Paul Green 5 Defender Shaun Barker (vice-captain) 6 Defender Dean Leacock 7 Striker Steve Davies 8 Midfield Robbie Savage 9 Striker Shefki Kuqi (on loan from Swansea City) 10 Midfield Kris Commons 11 Midfield Stephen Pearson 12 Striker Chris Porter 13 Keeper Saul Deeney 14 Defender Russell Anderson 15 Midfield David Martin 16 Midfield James Bailey 17 Defender Jake Buxton 18 Midfield Ben Pringle 19 Striker Tomasz Cywka 20 Defender Miles Addison 21 Defender Dean Moxey 23 Striker Conor Doyle 25 Defender Mark O'Brien 26 Striker Callum Ball 27 Striker Alberto Bueno (on loan from Real Valladolid) 28 Striker Luke Moore (on loan from West Bromwich Albion) 30 Keeper Ross Atkins 34 Keeper Frank Fielding (on loan from Blackburn Rovers) 35 Midfield Jeff Hendrick 36 Defender Kallum Keane 37 Midfield Ryan Connolly 38 Midfield Medi Abalimba 39 Defender Mitchell Hanson
Norwich Norwich are flying high at the moment. 5th in the league and fresh from a 4-1 defeat of main Rivals Ipswich, all the talk is of the Premier League - sometime within the next seven years! Chief executive David McNally this week laid out plans for the Canaries future. Speaking to Radio Norfolk he said; "We are one year into the plan, the plan includes three years in the Championship, first year to settle down." "We would then be promoted to the Premier League, allowing for immediate relegation and an immediate return." "From that point on we would continue to play our football in the Premier League." Maybe he was speaking tongue in cheek when he added; "We might be fortunate enough to beat that plan." Paul Lambert has received plenty of financial backing from the Carrow Road board on the back of last seasons promotion with seven new players arriving in the summer. It's paying dividends as well with the Canaries flying high at the moment. And the spending doesn't end there with the board promising money will be available in January and the following summer. Bad news for Paul Lambert is that Andrew Surman has been ruled out until at least the New Year with a knee injury.
Current Squad No. Position Player 1 Keeper John Ruddy 2 Defender Russell Martin 3 Defender Adam Drury 4 Midfield Matthew Gill 5 Defender Michael Nelson 6 Defender Zak Whitbread 7 Midfield Andrew Crofts 8 Midfield Stephen Hughes 9 Striker Grant Holt (captain) 10 Striker Simeon Jackson 11 Midfield Andrew Surman 12 Midfield Henri Lansbury (on loan from Arsenal) 13 Keeper Declan Rudd 14 Midfield Wes Hoolahan 15 Midfield David Fox 16 Striker Chris Martin 18 Midfield Korey Smith 19 Midfield Simon Lappin 20 Defender Leon Barnett 22 Defender Elliott Ward 23 Striker Oli Johnson 24 Midfield Anthony McNamee 25 Striker Luke Daley 26 Defender Steven Smith 29 Midfield Josh Dawkin 30 Midfield Owain Tudur Jones 31 Keeper Jed Steer 33 Defender Jens Berthel Askou 36 Defender Sam Habergham
What the bookies think Derby is favourites at 21/20 on while the Canaries are at 12/5. The draw is 13/5. Kris Commons is 4/1 as first goal scorer while Luke Moore and Alberto Bueno are at 5/1. Someone tell William Hill. Grant Holt is at 5/1 for the Canaries.
Information for travelling fans Driving It’s a long cold journey from Norwich to Derby. Head for the M1 North to J16 for Derby. Take the A500/A50 to Derby. Take the A6 turn-off for Derby and the ground and away parking are signposted. About 80 miles and a 1.5 hours drive. Parking Away fans can park at Catalyst on London Rd opposite the Navigation pub. It's about 10-15 minutes from the ground. Don't be tempted to park at Pride Park shopping centre unless you fancy being clamped. You can also park at the Fireplace showroom just at the turn off the A52 for Pride Park. Don’t be in a rush to leave however as it takes an age to get out of there. Another alternative is to pass the exit for Pride Park on Brian Clough Way and head for Pentagon Island... Take the first exit and turn left and after a few hundred yards you will come to The Cattle Market Car Park. It's about 10 minutes walk to the ground from here. Drinking There are a few pubs very close to the ground but if you come by train, the locale around the station is fairly inviting. The Crown and Cushion at the junction of London Rd always seems to be full of away supporters. The Brunswick is a must for any real ale fans and the Alexandra next door is my personal favourite. Fans tend to mingle in these pubs and as long as you're not being aggressive, the atmosphere is good. The Waterfall opposite the station is very good as well. If you are driving, the Navigation Pub on London Rd opposite the parking area is your best bet. Around the ground there's a Frankie & Bennie's, Harvester and the Pride Park but these tend to be very busy.
Mick's Prediction Marc Edworthy is predicting an entertaining game in the Norwich evening news while Kris Commons is predicting Grant Holt will be a handful for our defence. With that in mind I'm predicting 2-2 for this one. It's likely to be very cold so wrap up warm!
Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
You need to login in order to post your comments |
   Derby County Polls[ Vote here ] |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.We in turn value your personal details in accordance with our Privacy Policy.