I know many couldn't make it last night so I shall do my best to say what I saw then give some insight. I've not read any match reports so this is just how I viewed it. I promise I will get to the Button criticism later but there's a lot more to it than just that. I'll start with a summary, with one disclaimer, I was up at the back, so for any cases of mistaken identity I apologise.
Derby scored early with the first real chance of the game. Good through ball and a centre forward running off the last man, so credit where it's due, but it just looked a bit too easy. We spent the next half hour playing 'crab football' in their half (side to side). With no centre forward playing we had nobody running centrally in behind, so our only outlets were the full backs, especially Fredericks. We were reasonably dangerous and put plenty of good balls in, but with no centre forward attacking the 6 yard box Derby were able to defend there fairly easily, if not always comfortably. We obviously needed a bit more up top, on 20 mins or so Piazon was dropped deeper and Aluko went to the front of the front 3. This improved things a bit, as although not really a natural centre forward he at least went and stood on the last man and made Derby work a bit when the ball came in. For their part, Derby did not do much until after we equalised, but somehow looked threatening when our attacks inevitably broke down, or when we were sloppy in possession which went unpunished a couple of times in the first half. They seemed to be happy to risk our attacks and left 2 or 3 of Ince, Nugent and Russell pushed forward looking to spring counters. We equalised on about 35 with a really good team goal and typical of this season. Overloaded the play down the left, then switched it over the other side to Fredericks who took it past his man and put the ball in. For the first time we had men in the box (men plural) and with Derby's defenders having to deal with something, the ball broke to Ayite who did the decent thing. Really proper team goal. This was the moment to take the game away from Derby, we were the better team at that point with all the play and could have capitalised.
We then could and should have taken the lead almost straight from the kick off. Another ball in and somehow Aluko, Piazon Cainey and Ayite all had the ball at their feet in the box but none took a shot. It was like watching 4 sharpshooter marksmen passing a gun around because none of them knew how to take off the safety catch. Should have been, but wasn't and actually I think probably would have won us the game. Then we started to capitulate. Derby had still not offered much, but had obviously noticed a bit of sloppy passing and were pushing up on our defence and goal kicks. This led to the penalty, goalie played it short, and the defence gave the ball away. It was foul or concede and the penalty was given. Good save from that but from the resultant corner Nugent was left unmarked for the knock down and did what a centre forward will. He had so much space. 2-1. Needing an equaliser we hit the crossbar on ht. For only the 3rd time in the game we had men in the box and how it didn't go in I don't know. Ayite should have done better with the finish.
Second half was poor for us. Rowett brought on an ht sub, who seemed to relieve Russell of any defensive responsibility. With Russell pushed right forward down our right, Fredericks was greatly nullified and we lost our biggest threat - and we still had nobody to run in behind centrally so we started to look really toothless. Malone was very occupied on the other side with Ince, and Nugent through the middle pinned back our centre backs.
With our full backs defensively occupied we played some more crab football for 10 minutes, without creating anything of note. Derby were happy to leave 3 pushed on and wait for our attacks to break down or mistakes in possession. Which moves us onto their third goal. Overplaying at the back and the ball broke to Nugent. Button charged out to block but his attempted clearance cannoned straight into Nugent and into his path, he couldn't miss. 3-1. After a bit more toothless attacking from us we concede another cock up. Button played a defence splitting roll out, Johnny Russell said thank you and that was that. 4-1. Nothing much happened for a while until we scored the consolation; Derby looked like scoring a fifth, within a few moments Aluko has the ball running at their defence, drew his man and released Ayite who finished. Good counter and again, one of the only times we had men breaking their neck to get forward centrally - Aluko could have released more than one player. Derby saw it out fairly comfortably.
So why did Derby win and more importantly why did we lose? The obvious and cosmetic answer is the mistakes. Button takes much responsibility and really must be dropped or improve vastly. It's not often you say that about a penalty saving goalie, but to make repeated mistakes of the same type is not acceptable. The centre backs were also woeful in possession and contributed as much as Button to the cock ups overall. But actually that doesn't tell the whole story. We still could and maybe should have won. The weakness is depressingly obvious. We have no centre forward (or at least none that is good enough - jury out on Cyriac). The first half was a procession towards the Derby goal and yet somehow until the equaliser we had no real good chances. Plenty of good balls, plenty of opportunity, but nobody to run in behind the centre backs and stick it in the net, or attack a cut in cross from wide.
Contrast that with Derby. They had almost none of the play, especially first half, but what they did have was a front 3 made up of fantastic (on the night at least) players. What they did, that none of our players did, was run off the shoulder of the deepest defenders and attack balls in the box. The effect of their running off the last man was to nullify our full backs, especially second half, but mainly to force our defensive line deeper. This meant building from the back always happened from deep, giving them the opportunity to close down in dangerous areas and help our players make catastrophic mistakes. It also meant when we did play out successfully, it was from so deep that it took too long to bring the ball forward. This was compounded as we had no presence up front aerially and no runners in behind to exploit any space.
Derby gambled. They gambled we couldn't score and left their men up to capitalise, which they did ruthlessly. Had we had a centre forward we would have made the best of our chances and they wouldn't have been able to play that way. As it was they could and effectively played our biggest systemic weakness, lack of centre forward, into their biggest strength, their front 3. Other observation is that the team was very lacklustre overall, like a beer that was once delicious but has just gone a bit warm and flat. Not quite undrinkable, but somehow not what it was even very recently. Also, SJ is doing a great job generally but selection and subs left me confused - Piazon should never have started and it was obvious from 15mins in (tbh before kick off) we needed a proper centre forward on. The only one is Cyriac, so he came on after 85 minutes. Can't understand that.
Lessons for next games (and next season - whichever division we are in)
Goalkeeping. Big decision here, Button does not deserve his place but changing goalie now is a big call.
Piazon is not up to it. About as useful as a petrol based fire extinguisher. He is not a centre forward and we have better players for the inside forward role.
Ayite, Kebano, Aluko, Piazon are all the same type of player. Flying winger/inside forward. They are the Hazard/Pedro player, not the Costa (sorry, I know it's Chelsea but they play a front three and it illustrates the point). We must play a centre forward - I don't like Martin, but it's him, Cyriac or a kid. Like Klose led the Germans to a World Cup (and played instead of the technically better Schurrle), we must have a centre forward. Woodrow to get the winner at wembley anyone?
The players need either a rest or a kick up the backside, or both. The whole team was stale and jaded, nobody really played well. Fredericks first half was dangerous, Ayite took 2 chances well, so good for that but also wasted opportunities that, say, Nugent wouldn't have and could have turned the game. I don't fault anyone's effort, even Button and the centre backs, but it was just poor. Nobody really emerges with any credit from last night, the goalie, the defence, any other players, the manager and not the board who could have provided a centre forward, the missing link. But given we could still go up and for a brief few minutes of the game I thought we could win, it's not so bad I guess.. Onwards!