Andy Munro on Blues’ 3-1 defeat at Derby.
It all started off so well, with Blues proving a real handful in the first half as the Adams/Juke combo yet again proved deadly. All looked set fair as Blues held their shape in that first period and could have increased their lead, not least when a decent call for a penalty was turned down.
Unfortunately, the second half was a different story with Derby gaining the upper hand thanks to two quick goals against an unusually slack Blues rearguard. The fact that they added a third was academic as Blues surged forward trying to get back on level terms leaving themselves open to the counter.
To look at the positive side, we proved yet again that we can score goals against the top sides and in some ways, the defeat was the unbeaten monkey off our back. Of course, it’s how we bounce back and thankfully with Monk and his team in charge that is very much a possibility although nobody in the Championship is a pushover, as the Baggies found out.
With Maghoma and even Vassell’s return fairly imminent, our options certainly offensively give reason for some optimism in the near future.
However, the defeat probably sticks in the throat a little more as we lost to Frank Lampard’s Derby the new media darlings of the Championship. That’s a reason why I couldn’t watch the highlights on Sky without having a sick bag nearby.
Still, we knew we were no Barcelona but are just a working-class club full of grafters with merely a thin veneer of icing on a fairly plain footballing cake. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me that now we’ve lost having amassed a decent points tally that the muppets at the EFL decide to fix a date for their disciplinary panel just to rub in the misery.
Yet, we’re Blues and as our song says, we’ll keep right on….regardless.