THE SHEEPSHAGGERS GET RAMMED

DERBY COUNTY 2 CARDIFF CITY 1

The Brand New Cardiff City are fast becoming the Same Old Cardiff City.

Last week they showed that they couldn't follow up a great performance and result with another one but this week showed they are fully capable of producing successive rank bad displays.
This time it was at Derby's Pride Park, their ground name is the only way you can associate Pride with City at present. A 2-1 defeat makes it sound like it was close. Believe me, it never ever was. Just like last week, Cameron Jerome netted a late consolation after a first half battering and second half submission that was no consolation to anyone.

The Rams look a good side who will undoubtedly beat better sides than Cardiff but, even allowing for that, it was a truly sorry Bluebird performance. The team were poor in every area of the pitch and trying to find any positives is too much like hard work. It's hard to imagine Derby will collect an easier three points all season.

Maybe it's still too early to panic although I'm getting ready for someone to tell us to judge them after 12 games. It can only improve (can't it???) and league table mean little after 4 games but, right now, nobody will argue against City 21st place being entirely merited. Increasing fears of another long season fighting relegation appear to be justified on the evidence to date, the only exception to disjointed, uninspiring football lacking in character and passion was that second half display to blast Leeds United. It's fast becoming a distant memory I'm afraid.

Ninian Park to Pride Park is one of the smaller journeys of the season but sandwiched between Stoke and Nottingham, it's still a 325 mile round trip along the M4/M50/M5/M42/A52 for those who went by car or coach. Many opted to take the train.

"Behave yourself with the lady driver", Roger The Lansdowne Landlord was told by his wife as the coach pulled up. The driver however was very much a male and like something from a Spinal Tap movie, the long, blonde silky hair was white and straggly. Add in a coach with the yellow school sign, a tv that was pinched and a toilet that wouldn't have been out of place in Calcutta and you get the picture. Just for good measure, the driver wanted to know where to leave his bus when we got back to Cardiff so he could go on the lash in town. Quality.

Thankfully, it had a good engine. We picked up from The Muni, Newport Road and then Malpas. We were last to arrive at Pride Park but that was on account of a stop in Tamworth. Excellent Wetherspoon's just as you enter its centre with the entertainment facility of climbing the beer garden ladder, don't ask. Sitting outside in warm sun almost made us want to stay there all afternoon. If we knew what was coming, we would have.

Pride Park is close to Derby's centre and, I guess, is the type of stadium City and Hammam strive to deliver to us one day ... the work's going to start before the end of the year seems to be the latest claim on a stadium that would have been built and in use by now according to the original claims. Anyway, Derby have a 34,000 all seater ground, excellent clear view and good facilities inside. Let's hope we see something like that in our City.

Almost relegated two seasons ago but transformed into losing play-off semi-finalists last season, Derby still sacked their manager, George Burley, with rumours of him arriving drunk for training sessions. Maybe Lennie should have tried that. New boss Phil Brown was Sam Allardyce's number 2 at Bolton and has started well. His side are now in 3rd place after draws at home with Brighton and away at Preston and wins at Plymouth and now against us. They showed to potential to stay at that end of the table.

Brown's squad is small so will be added to. One addition this week their old boy from a 4 year holiday at Leeds. United paid an astounding £7M transfer fee and an incredible £7M more in wages, Johnson started just 43 league games and had he started one more, Leeds would have had to pay another £250k so cut their losses and let him go. A sound piece of business by a certain Peter Ridsdale.

He took his place on the sub's bench as Derby were unchanged with Camp, Edworthy-Michael Johnson-Davies-Jackson, Thirlwell-Idiakez-Bolder-Bisgaard, Smith-Rasiak. The Camp keeper(!) is an England Under-21 Premiership prospect whose baseball cap seems to be surgically attached to his forehead. Defence is generally experienced but Andrew Davies is a youngster on loan from Middlesborough.

The foreigner connection with Spanish midfield playmaker Idiakez, ex-Liverpool Danish international Bisgaard and Polish striker Rasiak fresh from netting two for his country in a midweek friendly were the ones to watch. Problem was, too many of our players were guilty of doing exactly that, watching them.

As for City, the chief activity since that awful awful Watford home defeat and live tv shocker 8 days ago were attempts to land a striker. Newspapers spoke of big money bids, loan attempts and enquiries but, at this stage, they all came to nought so DJ had to look to his squad minus Richard Langley seemingly en route to Crystal Palace.

Jones did however spring two surprises - one was pleasing with Jason Koumas starting and Phil Mulryne having to make way, the other more bewildering as he may be the only person around Ninian Park with faith in playing Paul Parry behind Cameron once again. Once again, it just didn't come off and never looked like it would either. What must Alan Lee be thing on the bench and knowing DJ wants two new strikers anyway?

So it was 4-4-1-1 again with Alexander, Darlington-Cox-Purse-Barker, Ardley-Koumas-Whitley-Cooper, Parry, Jerome. On the bench were Margetson-Boland-Lee-Loovens-Mulryne.
And so to the match. I'll keep this part brief, quite easy really as City never made any attack of note in the entire match other than their late goal, no moments of quality and no occasions when they provided any hope. Derby had the game won by half-time and eased off as we provided so little threat, it nearly cost them the result and gained us a point which would never have been deserved.

The game started with a carefree spirit and decent tempo but we soon came to realise it was only Derby who could provide it. First scare came in the first five minutes as Darlington let a clearance go over and the livewire Tommy Smith raced away, fortunately for us, denied by an offside flag. Idakez made Alexander save a long range free kick and other chances went begging before City's gave their first gift and presented Derby with the lead.

The defending was so bad and comical that it should have been accompanied by the 'chase' music from old Benny Hill shows. Think of the tune as you visualise Darlington being turned inside out on the right and, for good measure, being beaten again then when he got the ball, BISGAARD took it away from him,skipped past Neil Cox's attempt at a tackle before angling a shot past Alexander inside the 6 yard box.

The agonies came and the comedy defending came thick and fast. Smith ran though the heart of City's defence as if they weren't on the pitch, Cox desperately tackled and just got a touch which luckily diverted to Alexander who only went and kicked it back to Smith. The striker rounded Alexander but, fortunately, hit the ball too hard and the glorious chance was wasted.

Just before half-time, Purse fell over on the ball and sent Bolder clear on goal. His standards was just as bad, he put it badly wide. And then, it was hard to know whether to laugh or cry at the penalty we conceded, one minute before the interval.

A high ball was hit over Darlington, Alexander ran out then stopped and ran back, Darlington stopped, the ball was allowed to bounce and was taken by Smith who skipped a couple of powdwerpuff challenges before Darlington got everything wrong again and took him down. Neil Alexander was in goal, IDIAKEZ was taking the penalty so the rest was obvious. Ball went one way, Alexander went the other, two-nil. We were lucky to be only two down.


Half-time: DERBY 2 CITY 0


The mood underneath the stands at half-time was complete shell shock at how bad things were, even the optimists amongst our support offered no excuses and no real hope. Quite a few didn't come back from there for the 2nd half, they were joined by many more as the half progressed. If you stayed below or left early, you didn't miss much, if you went back to the game, you didn't see much.

Alan Lee replaced Parry and City went 4-4-2 but without a clue. Derby knew they had the game in the bag so just kept things reasonably tight rather than bust a gut for more goals. Not long after the restart and Derby had missed two more chances, both coming from more basic mistakes, Willie Boland replaced the highly ineffective Cooper and promptly got booked for hacking down a player but the ball ran loose to Idiakez who missed another good chance, poor finishing prevented it being a rout in truth.

Alan Lee tried hard and caused problems but too often down the channels rather than anything in or near the penalty area, he ended up being one of 6 City players yellow carded, just about all of them on niggly fouls or stopping opponents running through them.

A glimmer of undeserved hope came with 7 minutes remaining as we won a corner, the afternoon was so bad that we had to cheer that success. Neil Ardley's corner was won by Lee who headed down and CAMERON JEROME acrobatically turned it home.
City's support urged, City huffed and puffed, Derby showed signs of panic but no further chances were created and the right result was secured by the home side..

It's near impossible to describe any qualities from this performance and, just like last week, it is impossible to name anybody who gave an acceptable performance they could feel justified about. Neil Alexander was lucky to get away with one howler and, with his defence, working on communication and agreeing who does what is now paramount. Chris Barker was ok but rang ragged and made little impression. Jermaine Darlington is struggling more with each game as a full back, he looks like the team bearing his name rather than a Championship defender currently. It comes to something that even Rhys Weston's critics are wanting to see him back in the team.

Our much vaunted centre halves with team captain Darren Purse and club captain Neil Cox with all their experience just is not working. Cox is an ageing pro whose best days are behind him but we surely should expect more and better from Purse, a £700k signing. As Captains, we look to them to set examples, they are not. Both lack pace so struggle badly as a duo when faced with it, it must be time to take a look at Glen Loovens.

Midfield just isn't functioning. Whitley was probably the pick but no better than barely adequate. Like all of City's central players, completely outshone by Idiakez, Bisgaard and co.
Koumas will improve with match fitness and hopefully bring a spark of life and invention but made no impression and was anonymous today. Still, that's more than can be said for Cooper and Ardley. No pace, no tricks, no noticeable guile so no wonder we're not seeing any attacking action. Right now, Ardley is reminding me as John Robinson this time 12 months ago who realised he was on the slide and couldn't maintain standards with consistency. He is struggling but so is Cooper but doesn't seem to be making any telling contribution to a game.

Yet again, both wide men played on their wrong sides and did nothing more than check out, come inside and rolling balls sideways or backwards, not always to a blue shirt either. Hurry back Joe Ledley!

Up front, Paul Parry and Cameron Jerome are being wasted. Both playing alien roles that enables neither of them to display what they're best at. If they're falling short on form and confidence, then why be surprised considering what they're being asked to do? However we can't get the ball forward with any quality and can't hold it when it gets there anyway, it's a huge struggle.

Collectively, it's just a mess. We are one paced and that pace is too slow and one dimensional. When players can't create or inject life into a game, it's worrying but when they can't even send simple passes to one another and make mistakes all over the shop, it numbs you. The players naturally don't look happy but to see them so impassioned and appearing to lack belief is depressing. Yet with all the experienced players we have, shouldn't we expect that as a minimum? They're letting themselves down and they're letting us down too.

It's another tough week ahead for Dave Jones and the team. The transfer window closes in 10 days and we're stuck with what we've got until January unless we strike now. Regardless, tactics have to alter and so must some personnel.

Thankfully, I'm going on holidays and will miss the next couple of games. When I booked, I was gutted to miss matches but circumstances meant I could only go now. Suddenly it doesn't seem such a bad thing to do after all. We must stay patient, we must hope and believe but just two weeks into the season and we're depressed already, it's a sad but true indictment of the football we've seen.


The Cost of Being A City Fan

Match Tickets (with booking fee) £23.50
Transport to/from Barry/Cardiff £4
Coach Travel £15
Coach scratchcards £2
Food and Drink £25
Programme: Didn't see any on sale

Total cost for game: £69.50

Total cost for season to date: £386