Tommy Smith + Bradley Orr

[waterbuffalo]

you know after the attention savage gave adel,
i have half a feeling we should rest adel and tommy for the first half against Cardiff.
Put them on when they (sheep) have calmed down.

play a tight game, bring our two boys for the last 20 mins. If we lose so what,? we have three more games to to do it.

[Shania]

I thought Smith was very good last night. Made some great runs, and put a few decent balls in. Although I don't feel Routs was great, he certainly wasn't poor, either. I thought the CB pairing looked comfortable, and MC looked more confident than of late, which is a good sign. There were a few decent individual performances, but as a team, we just didn't click.

Derby did their homework, and they worked very hard as a team. They always seemed to have two or three men ready to close the ball down.

Fairplay to them, and especially Savage, who clearly won the vital battle between him and Taarabt. Dress it up as much as you like, but Taarabt can't handle the banter. He has no problem with the physical side, but he can't deal with a player like Savage or Michael Brown for that matter.

well said. it was like the players had met each other for the first time.

And I would also like Taraabt to look up before he makes a pass. He CAN handle a team entirely on his own but even a potential worldclass player like him has still got a few issues to work on! Rome wasnt built on one day.

Im not sure it was the right decicion to sub him. Adel can turn a game around within a split of a second, that´s for sure, but why didnt Buzz come on instead of Hulse or whoever?

This situation doesnt bode well for Buzz and his future at Loftus Road

[Yousef]

Tommy Smith - Worked his socks off tonight for me he was our man of the match

Bradley Orr - He gets into some good positions going forward but his crosses / final balls are Orr-ful (sorry)

Wel said. Smith reminds me of Mackie's committment.

[KLOS]

WB,

I am with you on this. I see Cardiff settng out to wind - up Adel early knowing he has a short fuse and believing we are all getting nervy and. This game will be sufficiently difficult without having to play with 10. Our going behind early would greatly accentuate the risk.

[Dazzer1977]

Said this the other week when people on here were banging on about him being great and things like he can cut it in the Premiership. Glad some of those blinkered supporters have put their hands up in this thread. One good game doesn't make you a good player. He occasionally shows that he is better than what we had but still a long way off what we need and what I expect from a right back playing in a R's shirt.

After last night performance I think it is safe to say we need at least 7 very good players to make a team up fit to keep us in the Premiership. The only players who will cut it are:

Kenny - No.1 on my team sheet and probably our best signing in the last 10-12years. Probably one of the best keepers in the country at the minute and proved that last night. Forgiven for his perfomance against Scunthorpe.

Taarabt - Spat the dummy out again last night but I think he was more disappointed in his performance rather than that was a reaction to NW taking him off.

Derry - Deserves another chance, although never had the best of games last night, I still think he's good enough.

Faurlin - One of his worse games last night, but still think he's good enough.

Smith - Has the ability just hope he still has the legs next season.

Mackie - His workrate is top draw therefore he should be able to make the step up, just worried if he can find that same application he had before the leg break.

Buzz - Big season for him coming up, could he handle it? If he can string some games together and find his old form then I think the Premiership will suit his game style.

BIG MAYBE's

Connolly - At the minute he's a fringe 1st team player for the Premiership, needs to get his head sorted out but I think he could be a good player in the future.

Gorkks - Another fringe 1st team player for the Premiership, but only because I rate him better than Evatt at Blackpool and he has sort of coped.

[swanleyhoop]

I'm starting to get slightly irked with NW's reluctance to use Buzz.
Why have him on the bench if he's not going to use him, ffs?
Replacing creative players like Taarabt and Routledge with Agyemang and Miller was never going to get us a result last night.
Savage was in AT's ear the whole match, and psyched him out of his own performance, but AT was STILL drawing a clutch of defenders when he did get the ball, creating space, and we lost that space and our shape when he was taken off.

Last night was a game to learn lessons from, and I hope thaqt Cardiff will swee something different.

[Dazzer1977]

I'm starting to get slightly irked with NW's reluctance to use Buzz.
Why have him on the bench if he's not going to use him, ffs?
Replacing creative players like Taarabt and Routledge with Agyemang and Miller was never going to get us a result last night.
Savage was in AT's ear the whole match, and psyched him out of his own performance, but AT was STILL drawing a clutch of defenders when he did get the ball, creating space, and we lost that space and our shape when he was taken off.

Last night was a game to learn lessons from, and I hope thaqt Cardiff will swee something different.

A very good assessment there. Routledge for me should of been the one off first instead of Taarabt. The trouble last night was too many players were below par. You can get away with one or two (sometimes even three) but last night there wasn't much from our midfield in general. Taarabt had three players around him far too often and we needed a big game from the rest of the midfield to exploit the holes but that never happened. In fairness Derby setup really well. Maybe Taarabt should have been on the bench and come on for the last 30mins when Derby looked really tired? Instead we took him off and left other under performing players on the pitch.

[waterbuffalo]

WB,

I am with you on this. I see Cardiff settng out to wind - up Adel early knowing he has a short fuse and believing we are all getting nervy and. This game will be sufficiently difficult without having to play with 10. Our going behind early would greatly accentuate the risk.

and who was that guy who pushed Gorkss under a camera? that was ridiculous, and this was a home game too.

[swanleyhoop]

and who was that guy who pushed Gorkss under a camera? that was ridiculous, and this was a home game too.

Gorkss was well and truly clattered there -- from our angle his momentum would have taken him far further, and the camera being there halted him head first -- Very lucky not to have received a bad neck injury.
Very lucky he's Latvian and made out of solid steel...

[waterbuffalo]

Gorkss was well and truly clattered there -- from our angle his momentum would have taken him far further, and the camera being there halted him head first -- Very lucky not to have received a bad neck injury.
Very lucky he's Latvian and made out of solid steel...

yeah he probably thinks Cardiff will be the third game of the season.

[silvercue]

Smith was **** poor last night as he was against Barnsley and Sunthorpe....I really wonder what game people watch sometimes. Just because he worked his socks off doen't mean he had a good game. Absolutely no final product, he never seemed to have the ball under complete control a real weak link. Both Smith and Routledge the past 3 matches have been useless, its been very frustrating watching the pair of them and 2 goals in 3 games tells you all you need to know about the pairs contribution. As for Orr does what it says on the tin with regards to defending and was one of our better players last night.

Last week I couldn't agree with anything you said, but I totally agree about Smith.

Yes, he worked hard, but he was totally non productive. Great - he chased down some defenders - anyone can do that. He was not doing his job well enough last night.

This is one thing I hate about Championship fans - they only applaud hard work...yet they do it even if it was utterly useless hard work. Yet flair players get slaughtered if they get a ball wrong.

Smith was pants.

[stainrodisalegend]

I too worry about Buz though have to admit he hasn't exactly set the world alight when he has come on as sub, always seems a little bit leisurely. Wd dearly love him to rediscover his touch but at the moment his magic isn't there.

[dave58]

agree thought smith was our best player last night he just seems to be able to find space.

[superhoop67]

Last week I couldn't agree with anything you said, but I totally agree about Smith.

Yes, he worked hard, but he was totally non productive. Great - he chased down some defenders - anyone can do that. He was not doing his job well enough last night.

This is one thing I hate about Championship fans - they only applaud hard work...yet they do it even if it was utterly useless hard work. Yet flair players get slaughtered if they get a ball wrong.

Smith was pants.

Agree , people confuse running around a lot ,with being a good player , really expected a lot more from Smith this season

[BigDanShittu]

Smith looked decent last night but only because Routs and Taraabt were very poor. Least Smith gives you effort even when he's not playing well which Taraabt and Routledge didnt do last night. Orr IMO is much better defensively than Walker but going forward he may aswell not be there, some those crosses were diabolical. My MOTM last night Kenny one of very few who didn't have stinkers with Gorkss and Connolly.