After the game against Swindon on 8 August, BBM spoke of the need for new additions to his squad in what, for him, were very strong terms, he spoke of us being well short of the numbers we needed.
Well, today marks more or less the halfway point in the period between BBM’s remarks and the closure of the transfer window and, in that time, we’ve brought in a single loan signing – a player who was with us last season. I hope it’s glaringly obvious to all involved in City’s recruitment of players that we have to do a lot better than that in the short amount of time before we reach the stage where we won’t be able to bring in anyone other than free agents for dour months.
As of today, we have one fit specialist centreback (and many will tell you that there are injury issues with him), while we have, in the absence of a replacement, effectively given away last season’s players’ and fans’ Player of the Year. Besides that, wing and striker were identified by what I’ll call “club insiders” at the end of last season as positions where we were looking to strengthen – Jack Moylan played on the wing in the final stages on Monday and I daresay he could do a job as a striker, but, surely, he’s not the sort of player that was in mind when those positions were identified as areas needing reinforcement?
A quick word too on the under 21s’ first league game of the season at Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday afternoon against Barnsley. Unfortunately, the team that were so impressive in the Cup game against Bournemouth on Friday were completely at the other end of the performance scale as they proved that adage about the inconsistency of youngsters correct.
Maybe, some of them were a bit nervous about playing in the big ground and there was a physical reaction to the effort they’d put in three days earlier, but a City side that showed only one change from the previous game found themselves appearing less fit and less motivated than their opponents, who, technically, looked some way behind us.
Despite that, City could have few complaints about their 2-1 defeat, they took the lead in slightly fortunate style when Troy Perrett’s shot got a touch on it which took it out of the reach of the keeper, but had nothing to give when Barnsley reacted positively to falling behind and pulled themselves level within three minutes. The decisive goal came about twenty minutes from the end from a corner as the visitors took advantage of their physical superiority and some weak defending to score a headed winner.
On to the quiz then, seven Derby related questions, the answers to which will be posted on here on Sunday morning.
60s. Leg parts combine with consummate grifter to produce full back who spent all of his long career in Yorkshire apart from three years at Derby.
70s. They made a total of just short of three hundred and eighty league appearances for Derby between them in the sixties and seventies, but I’m pretty sure the pair of them wouldn’t have played a single first team match for the Rams these days because they’d be considered too small – who am I describing?
80s. Sounds like stuffing half a horse perhaps!
90s. Mirage seen in Argentina and California initially. (5.6)
00s. He was a Derby player at the start of this decade, is currently in management and has, reportedly, made a shortlist for the City manager’s job in his time. Who is he?
10s. Half a Supremes hit meets world Champions at Derby during this decade.
20s. Which Derby player was playing for his country when it conceded a goal to Desire Doue in this summer’s World Cup?
