Derby County versus Leeds United Official match day thread

[SG90]

Arguably the best coach in the championship.

I defy anyone to name a better one ?

Holloway on the new football show on Quest reckons he is premiership class

I said all last season that these players were more than good enough and we just needed a top manager to go alongside them.

I'm worried a PL club will throw money at him when a manager is inevitably sacked in a few games.

[The Subhuman]

Yeah we did, they were s**t

[Muppet the Cat]

Didn't see the game as away, but having just read through all the posts sounds as if was another terrific performance

[HarryofOz]

A complete performance. Even better than last week.

Apart from the quality of our football what impressed me was the willingness to make themselves available for a pass. Whoever has the ball always had options to pass to. It shows a great confidence in themselves, not hiding away to avoid getting the ball.

And it really looked like there were more Leeds than Derby players on the field. Whenever there was a loose ball, we were almost always there first.

[rab_rant]

Good observations Weasel , agree with you mate once more it's imperative we Leeds fans remain calm and support the team and players he squad of players . We should not underestimate anyone especially our own team of players . We are our own worst enemy and should never get on their backs.

The one thing I don't like about the fans attitude is when they start singing
Leeds Leeds are falling apart again It is supposed to be ironic and funny
but when we do play badly the opposition fans then start singing it and it
it then has the most devastating demoralising effect.

I wish Bielsa would come straight out and condemn it as not being constructive
as the opposition can then easily use it as a stick for our backs.

Why not sing Leeds Leeds are ripping you apart again that would be
more appropriate when the lads are turning in a spectacular performance
and would certainly give the players a boost and make them feel good about
themselves.

I hope I never hear that falling apart chant ever again... from neither our own fans
or the opposition.

[weasel]

A complete performance. Even better than last week.

Apart from the quality of our football what impressed me was the willingness to make themselves available for a pass. Whoever has the ball always had options to pass to. It shows a great confidence in themselves, not hiding away to avoid getting the ball.

And it really looked like there were more Leeds than Derby players on the field. Whenever there was a loose ball, we were almost always there first.

This will be key when we play teams that are more used to 'getting stuck in' such as Millwall and possibly other teams that will look at what happened to us last year. It is so crucial that when we play these matches we have players still wanting the ball at all times, still giving our player in possession the same options.

It is a noticeable trait of all top teams that the loose balls, clearances etc seem to always fall to their players - it isn't coincidence but players being told where to be at all times and that despite us playing with great freedom the players are all working incredibly hard whether we are in possession or not. It has a huge demoralising effect on a team when every clearance sees the ball coming back at them as they simply don't get chance to play themselves into a match and don't have time to think but have to continually react as the ball keeps coming back at them.

[weasel]

The one thing I don't like about the fans attitude is when they start singing
Leeds Leeds are falling apart again It is supposed to be ironic and funny
but when we do play badly the opposition fans then start singing it and it
it then has the most devastating demoralising effect.

I wish Bielsa would come straight out and condemn it as not being constructive
as the opposition can then easily use it as a stick for our backs.

Why not sing Leeds Leeds are ripping you apart again that would be
more appropriate when the lads are turning in a spectacular performance
and would certainly give the players a boost and make them feel good about
themselves.

I hope I never hear that falling apart chant ever again... from neither our own fans
or the opposition.

Agree 100%. A great joke at the start but simply not funny any more. Similarly I hate the 'you're sh*t' one that continually gets sung at the opposition keeper on goal kicks despite the keeper having made successful kick after successful kick - makes us just look like a tin-pot club in my eyes.

[Norm]

SG90 wrote:

I said all last season that these players were more than good enough and we just needed a top manager to go alongside them.

faaip's mantra and I agree with it. You can't blame the players when the coach has no plan.

SG90 wrote:
I'm worried a PL club will throw money at him when a manager is inevitably sacked in a few games.

I think he'll have more integrity than that. Leeds United represents a real challenge for him to prove beyond all doubt that he is as good as the top people (whom he has taught) allege.

[1964white]

The one thing I don't like about the fans attitude is when they start singing
Leeds Leeds are falling apart again It is supposed to be ironic and funny
but when we do play badly the opposition fans then start singing it and it
it then has the most devastating demoralising effect.

I wish Bielsa would come straight out and condemn it as not being constructive
as the opposition can then easily use it as a stick for our backs.

Why not sing Leeds Leeds are ripping you apart again that would be
more appropriate when the lads are turning in a spectacular performance
and would certainly give the players a boost and make them feel good about
themselves.

I hope I never hear that falling apart chant ever again... from neither our own fans
or the opposition.

1000's of Leeds fans singing it with big grins on their faces aimed at the Derby fans ironic just like us singing "we all hate Leeds scum"
Doesn't worry me & I'm pretty sure our players see the funny side of it. some have joined in with the ironic chants in the past. I draw a line with the horrible Jimmy Saville songs

Hard to be too critical of our magnificent support, I see the same faces at aways every game, they have been there for Leeds over the last fifteen years during a period when it has been truly shocking watching poor football, they could have walked away or like some of our telly fans whom have switch off their TV when things were bad.
Knocking the paying fans supporting Leeds doesn't lay easy with me unless their behaviour is totally unreasonable as can be the case away from the terraces

[HarryofOz]

This will be key when we play teams that are more used to 'getting stuck in' such as Millwall and possibly other teams that will look at what happened to us last year. It is so crucial that when we play these matches we have players still wanting the ball at all times, still giving our player in possession the same options.

It is a noticeable trait of all top teams that the loose balls, clearances etc seem to always fall to their players - it isn't coincidence but players being told where to be at all times and that despite us playing with great freedom the players are all working incredibly hard whether we are in possession or not. It has a huge demoralising effect on a team when every clearance sees the ball coming back at them as they simply don't get chance to play themselves into a match and don't have time to think but have to continually react as the ball keeps coming back at them.

Absolutely - so far at least, that is a huge impact that Bielsa has brought in. The commentator for the broadcast we received here was saying that Bielsa works his teams very hard, up to three training sessions a day. And anyone who doesn't fall in with that doesn't get picked.

[rab_rant]

1000's of Leeds fans singing it with big grins on their faces aimed at the Derby fans

But when Bamford and Boro ripped us a new one and the opposition fans began to sing that chant
you could see the Leeds players heads drop, and a general apathy set in, because they lose belief
in their skills and abilities.

It is a horrible chant, no matter how ironic. For motivation, praise is more important than criticism.
But Leeds fans have sharp and evil tongues when it comes to criticizing, be it the Crest, or Orta, or Cooper
or O'Kane. Always ready to lay the blame at somebody else's door.

It Bielsa has worked a miracle by changing the playing style and attitudes of the players on the pitch to
be positive and energetic, would it be too much to ask that there would be a paradigm shift in the mindset
of the fans that they too would be uplifting and inspiring... they have the passion as can be witnessed each
and every week at home and away games, but who is there to direct that passion in a more positive direction?

A good song is the 12th man in the stadium... but the wrong song in the wrong hands is a sword to pierce our hearts.

[danhirons]

I don't think for a second of we stop singing it the opposition fans will stop so I see no problem with it.

Re bielsa, good start but let's not get carried away. TC had an amazing start as well...

[rab_rant]

I don't think for a second of we stop singing it the opposition fans will stop so I see no problem with it.

Of course the opposition will chant it and especially if we are loosing... opposition fans do anything to tear our team down.
The whole irony of the situation is that Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester
Bars of soap should be supplied to all Leeds fans who sing this chant, so they can wash their mouths out.
I should imagine they do not want to be associated with anything from Manchester

[1964white]

Yet another stunning performance

My concern when approaching the Pride Park stadium was whether we could replicate the Stoke performance away from ER. My doubts were soon put to bed as Bielsa's same XI ran riot v Lampard's lambs

Positives

Every single player wearing the new away shirt of Leeds

Roofe was exceptional with two sublime goals, loved his header leaping like a salmon to plant the ball into the corner of the net, the type of goal you expect watching Real or Barcelona

Klich the way he controls the engine-room with his sublime skills

Saiz whose zest to get forward was too much for Derby to handle as the Leeds fans sang "Saiz is too good for you"

Phillips is everywhere tidying up the pieces

Berardi's tackles in the second-half, I could hear & feel his challenges from where I was stood, he landed on his head once & bounced straight back up again ready for the next tackle

Fitness, formation, passing, movement, goals all top drawer once again

Negatives

Hard to be critical about the performance however Peacock-Farrell should have saved the wicked dipping shot that went straight through him. Credit to the lad he got on with his job & looked comfortable after his error

Atmosphere

Always special being a Leeds fan as we outsung the Rams support
Our scintillating play soon shut the Derby fans up, I reckon their drummer boy must have made an early exit to the bar

A good friend of mine, a season-ticket holder spotted me on the telly & sent me a picture of me looking quite pensive even though I was in seventh heaven I'm still nervous even when we are winning, the joys of watching Leeds United

6 Peacock-Farrell
8 Ayling
8 Berardi
8 Phillips
8 Cooper
8 Douglas
9 Klich
9 Saiz
8 Hernandez
8 Alioski
9+ Roofe MOTM

[The Subhuman]

I don't think for a second of we stop singing it the opposition fans will stop so I see no problem with it.

Re bielsa, good start but let's not get carried away. TC had an amazing start as well...

Massive difference imo...

[1964white]

I don't think for a second of we stop singing it the opposition fans will stop so I see no problem with it.

Re bielsa, good start but let's not get carried away. TC had an amazing start as well...

Massive difference

Our three better performances under TC were against three teams that finished in the bottom six, two of them were relegated

We've comprehensively thrashed two of the play-off favourites, our performances v Stoke & Derby were better than anything we witnessed last season by a country mile

Bielsa - Premiership class perhaps World class

Christiansen - average 2nd rate coach

[Durly]

Two sublime performances on the bounce.......I'm still pinching myself!

[LUFC 1966]

I love Bielsa ball . The bucket has spoken and we are playing sublime football for this League. Yes it is only two games but Stoke and Derby are favourites for this league so I demand the right to be excited. When I saw the start we had I thought we would be lucky to get 2 points by the end of August. The team are better for having an assured midfielder in Klich and Saiz and Roofe is proving why they spent 3 mil on him. Amazeballs

[Genghers]

People being very harsh on BPF for the goal. Watch it back from the reverse angle and it clearly swerves all over the place. I thought he was pretty composed in general and came for crosses well.

All round a fantastic performance - can't really add to what others have said! Considering we've got Jansson to come into the starting 11 as well it's all very promising.

Re: the interviews, it's a contractual obligation with Sky that the manager conducts the pre- and post-match questions. Bielsa could just use his interpreter (as he does in full press conferences), but clearly wants to make the effort which is admirable considering he's never done post match interviews in his career and is also still in the early stage of learning English...

[SG90]

faaip's mantra and I agree with it. You can't blame the players when the coach has no plan.



I think he'll have more integrity than that. Leeds United represents a real challenge for him to prove beyond all doubt that he is as good as the top people (whom he has taught) allege.

I took a lot of stick last year for calling for Hecky's head and demanding we didn't waste the start of this season on him, but thankfully the club saw the light. No doubt in my mind, we'd be bottom with a heavy negative goal difference if he was still here.

I doubt Bielsa would want to go, but it won't take long for the gutter press to start making up stories about him wanting to go and try and get the fans to turn on him.