Performance unacceptable in Rosenior’s view after Derby crash
COACH ‘SPEECHLESS’ OVER LACK OF PASSION IN THE FIRST HALF
LIAM Rosenior says Derby County need to find answers – and quickly – as they sit bottom of the Championship ahead of tomorrow’s home game against Wycombe Wanderers.
Rosenior labelled the performance “unacceptable” after the Rams crashed to a 3-0 defeat against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday night, the home side’s goals coming from Britt Assombalonga, a Matt Clarke own goal and Marvin Johnson.
Rosenior is part of a four-man coaching team along with Wayne Rooney, Shay Given and Justin Walker who have been put in charge of first-team matters following the departure of manager Phillip Cocu.
Asked for his thoughts on the latest defeat – the Rams’ ninth in 13 League games – Rosenior said it was: “Painful, chastening.
“I am not going to stand here and make excuses. I am speechless in what I saw in the first half in terms of desire, passion, and winning duels.
“I can accept losing when you put a performance in and you put intensity in and energy in the game.
“I can’t stand here and defend that. I can’t defend myself, I can’t defend anything about the evening.
“It was unacceptable. Attitude is absolutely everything.
“I want to see a team that goes out and gives everything for this club and what the fans deserve. I can only apologise to them and everybody surrounding the club for that performance.”
Rosenior acknowledged that sevral of Derby’s young players are still on a steep learning curve.
“What I will say is I have a group of good lads, we have a young squad and we need to learn very, very quickly what it takes to win games in the Championship,” he said.
“Before you speak about tactics or playing style, you need to compete, you need to win headers, you need to win second balls, you need to track runners.
“I feel there is a real lack of confidence at the moment and it is something we are going to have really affect now – it has to change now.
“This has to be a watershed moment. Not just for this season but for this club.
“We need to move things forward. To do that in the Championship, you have to do the basics.
“After a much more positive performance at Bristol City (on Saturday), I did not see that coming. We need to find answers.”
The Rams lost striker Martyn Waghorn at half-time and he is a doubt for tomorrow’s game against a Wycombe side who sit two places and three points ahead of Derby.
“He had a knock and I was thinking right now we cannot afford anyone carrying a knock, we need 11 players who are fully fit and raring to go,” said Rosenior.
“Possibly he will be fit for Saturday, we don’t know yet, but I felt at half time we needed to affect something.
“Waggy works for the team, he is a great lad, it wasn’t a reflection of his performance, it was a reflection on the team’s performance.
“Credit to him, I heard him with 10 minutes to go still encouraging the players and we need good people and good characters in that dressing room. Waggy is definitely one of those people.”
Derby again left Krystian Bielik out of the 20-man squad.
The Polish international also missed the defeat to Bristol City, having played 80 minutes in an under-23 friendly the previous day.
The idea was to continue to build Bielik’s match fitness following a 10-month spell out injured, although he played 90 minutes in the last home game, against Barnsley.
“He is fine,” said Rosenior.
“What we wanted was an offensive bench. Graeme Shinnie and George Evans had trained fantastically well.
“They didn’t come on and didn’t come on on Saturday.
“We know we are lacking scoring goals. Jack Stretton made his first appearance on the bench. I didn’t feel it was the right game for Jack to bring him on.
“We have a good squad and Krystian comes into our thinking for Saturday’s game, as he did for this game.”
The nine substitutes named last night were Kelle Roos, Duane Holmes, Colin Kazim-richards, Louie Sibley, Stretton, Shinnie and Evans.