'We've got enough to get us through this season'. Well I don't pay 400 quid a year to 'get through'. Can we have a refund?

Derby County vs. Ipswich Town

Tuesday 1st February 2011

Pride Park - Derbyshire

P 34 W 14 D 11 L 9 F 52 A 44

Last game at Pride Park

5/4/2010 Derby County    1 - 3    Ipswich Town

Season Stats

Ipswich

19/24 P 26 W 9 D 4 L 13 F 30 A 36  

Leading scorers

 Norris (4lg3cp), Priskin(4lg3cp),Scotland (7)

Derby

15/24  Derby P 27 W 10 D 4 L 13 F 39 A 39

Leading scorers

Commons (13), Cywka (4)

The Rams

Kris Commons wasn't my favourite player. He won't be in my all-time Rams XI - not even near the bench.

The thing is that most of the good games since relegation have feature Commons in a prominent role so I suppose at least we have some good memories of his time at Derby.

I can accept he wanted to move on and that our Nigel and the board were only going to go so far in trying to keep him.

What I can't accept is that a team with over 20,000 season ticket holders can't put out a team to compete in the Championship - or in the FA Cup against non league opposition.

That we don't have a number 9 or 10 striker on the books.

That we've sold our last two leading scorers.

That we have a management team that seems to think the fans are to stupid to see the obvious deficiencies on the pitch.

That thinks non league players and division 2 journeymen are good enough to wear the shirt.

That Robbie Savage thinks we should accept that we're not a big club any more (how would you feel Rob if I said Wales was a small country that shouldn't try to compete with the big boys).

That Robbie Savage plays for Derby ...

It's hard to garner any enthisiasm for this game.

The return of Paul Jewell?

What formation and team will show up?

Does anyone care?

Media Build Up

Nigel Clough was focusing on the job at hand when speaking to the DET:

"We've had a bad couple of months, now let's finish the season as we were playing a few months ago, we have said this before but form doesn't just click back into place."

"I think one good performance would change the feeling around the place and lift the players' confidence, especially with two of our next three games coming up at home."

"It is absolutely imperative we start winning again, starting against Ipswich. Without wanting to pile too much pressure on, this is as big a game as we have had for some time in terms of a league game."

"Looking over our shoulder is the last thing we want to be doing, we have done that in the last couple of seasons and we feel we have improved since then but we have to prove it out there on the pitch."

"We don't want to get dragged into anything near the bottom three.

"We went into the bottom three earlier this season after we lost at Hull.

"We don't want to be down there again. We want to be going in the other direction."

Possible team

Bywater

Brayford Barker Addison Roberts

B.Davies Savage Green Bueno

Cywka Porter

SUBS - Deeney, S.Davies, Pringle, Bailey, Pearson, Leacock, Addison

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

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

23    Striker     Conor Doyle

25    Defender     Mark O'Brien

26    Striker     Callum Ball

27    Striker     Alberto Bueno (on loan from Real Valladolid)

28   Midfield    Ben Davies

30    Keeper         Ross Atkins

35    Midfield     Jeff Hendrick

36    Defender     Kallum Keane

37    Midfield     Ryan Connolly

38    Midfield     Medi Abalimba

39    Defender     Mitchell Hanson

Ipswich

Paul Jewell hasn't spent his time monitoring players - he's gone out and got them. The first signing was Jimmy Bullard. Jewell knows Bullard well from his time at Wigan.

Speaking to the Ipswich website he said;

"He is a good technician and a good passer of the ball. He's also a great character.I know Jimmy well from our days at Wigan and he will give us something different in the middle of the park,"

"He has played in the Premier League and has a lot of experience."

Jewell's second signing was Andy Drury.

"For the money we got him for and his ability I think it's a really good deal and a really good addition,"

"If Andy gets in and gets a chance I don't think he'll disappoint people."

"He can play right-side and left-side of midfield and down the middle, he's a good technician with a good delivery from dead balls."

Also - Jewell is getting to keep the players he has. Jewell went on;

"The owner deserves credit because we've had a couple of fairly hefty offers for players whose contracts are running out."

"But we don't want to lose our players. I can't agree terms with them at the moment but I've said to those players give it all you've got and put the ball back in our court at the end of the season."

"I haven't spoken to them all but certainly the ones that have been in the news all want to stay here."

Drury is likely to be a substitute while Bullard will probably be in the starting line up.

Jewell was also not expecting a welcome return to Pride Park:

"I don't think I will get a great welcome. Ihad sympathy for the club in the position they were in when I was there. I cannot say that I did well there but there were mitigating circumstances."

"Am I a better manager for my experience at Pride Park? Time will tell but I think so."

"I made a lot of mistakes but they were not all my fault. I could have been more patient and now I am not so impatient and perhaps a bit nicer."

Current Squad

No.    Position    Player

1    Keeper        Brian Murphy

2    Midfield    Jaime Peters

3    Defender    Shane O'Connor

4    Defender    Gareth McAuley

5    Defender    Damien Delaney

6    Midfield    Grant Leadbitter

7    Midfield    Carlos Edwards

8    Midfield    David Norris (captain)

9    Striker        Connor Wickham

10    Striker        Jason Scotland

11    Midfield    Lee Martin

12    Keeper        Arran Lee-Barrett

13    Keeper        Ian McLoughlin

14    Midfield    Jake Livermore (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)

15    Midfield    Alan Quinn

16    Striker        Tamás Priskin

19    Midfield    Luke Hyam

20    Defender    Tommy Smith

21    Keeper        Márton Fülöp

22    Defender    Troy Brown

23    Defender    Tom Eastman

24    Midfield    Colin Healy

25    Midfield    Billy Clark

26    Midfield    Luciano Civelli

27    Midfield    Reggie Lambe

28    Striker        Ronan Murray

29    Defender    Jack Ainsley

30    Defender    Seb Dunbar

31    Midfield    David Cawley

32    Midfield    Jamie Griffiths

34    Midfield    Conor Hourihane

39    Defender    Mark Kennedy

42    Midfield    Josh Carson

48    Defender    Darren O'Dea (on loan from Celtic)

–    Midfield    Jimmy Bullard (on loan from Hull City)

–    Midfield    Andy Drury

What the bookies think

We are favourites for this at 13/10 while The Tractor boys are at 21/10. The draw is 23/10.

Chris Porter is our high hope at 5/1 while Alberto Bueno & Tomasz Cywka are at 6/1.

Jason Scotland and Tamas Priskin are both at 7/1.

Information for travelling fans 

Driving

It’s a fairly long drove from Ipswich to Derby. Take the A14 to theM1 and then head nOrth to J25 and take the A52 Brian Clough way. Pride Park is on the left as you enter the city.

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

Its an early kick off and the police aren't likely to let away fans out of their sight, but 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

This is a game we should absolutly be in a position to win yet we seem to be in freefall. Paul Jewell is back and has managed one win - but the club is keeping it's players and getting players in. Derby by contrast are a shambles.

Result?

We may win this one - and I bet Glick & Clough are praying for one. a Bad result may precipitate a protest.

One may happen anyway.

Photo: Action Images

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