Some Derby County supporters have taken to Twitter to comment on Duane Holmes after his performance against Barnsley divided opinion among Rams fans.
The Rams will see the 2-2 draw at Barnsley as two points dropped after Cauley Woodrow scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time to rescue a draw for the Tykes.
(Photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images).
There were plenty of positives for Derby on the night. However, the frustration at not winning is easy to comprehend when considering the chances to kill the game off.
Holmes was a driving force in Derby’s midfield. However, the former Scunthorpe man was also guilty of wasting possession which was picked up on by some fans.
Here are a few of the best comments:
Duane Holmes, by the way. What a signing he is. #DCFC #DCFCFans
— Richard Cusack (@RichardCusackBM) October 2, 2019
Played well but the prime culprit in giving it away when we were in on goal
— Kingram (@kingram84) October 2, 2019
Final ball was atrocious could have seen us out of sight with more care
— Matt Dowling (@Matt_Dowling86) October 2, 2019
Thought he was terrible tonight lacked composure and ability to make right decisions
— theaz (@redrunazza) October 2, 2019
Holmes and Paterson brilliant. Martin with some good touches. We definitely missed Bogle. Waghorn loses the ball so much but a workhorse.
Have never seen a good performance from Lawrence. His work rate is poor. Holmes a better 10 and Patterson a better winger. #dcfc #DCFC
— Matt (@MatthewCole2892) October 2, 2019
Duane Holmes 0 end product
— DCFC (@DcfcFansTalk) October 2, 2019
MOTM for us was Bielik. Read the game great at both CB and DM. Lowe not far behind. Waghorn, Paterson, Martin and Holmes were good in flashes but gave the ball away too often. Lawrence again didn’t impress in a chance he was fortunate to get. #dcfc
— Alex Taylor (@ACTaylor96) October 2, 2019
Waggy and Holmes having poor games….neither can keep possession #dcfc #dcfcfans
— Scott H (@scotthammond1) October 2, 2019
The good and bad of Duane Holmes at Oakwell:
Holmes missed the start of the season with an injury dating back from the end of last season. The American was sorely missed with his impressive energy and drive.
Since returning to Derby’s midfield, the Rams have started to look like a team capable of carving out chances. And they had their fair share at Barnsley.
The Tykes threw caution to the wind in the second period at 2-1 down. It allowed Derby to break on them at will, and the Rams racked up several potential openings.
The final ball, however, consistently lacked quality and Holmes was guilty more than once. His 75% pass-accuracy rate was among the team’s lowest. Moreover, he made just one key pass whereas fellow attack-minded midfielder Jamie Paterson topped Derby’s charts with three.
(Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images).
Holmes is blessed with a low sense of gravity and pace over 10 yards. He can breeze past opponents. However, the 24-year-old needs to work on his end-product.
In four Championship starts, he averages just one key pass per game and has one assist. For a player who gets in such good positions, those tallies ought to be higher.