MadAmster

15 hours ago, Raich Carter said:

Of those I imagine we'd be looking to keep Bird, Sibs and Cash. Maybe Thommo, Houri and Wildsmith but I imagine the rest will be replaced by younger models as we'll need something different in the Championship (which is where we'll be next season - there, I said it!).

... and I don't think them being offered new deals will see the others get mardy. It might even spur them on as better performances will either force PW to negotiate and offer them one or persuade other clubs that they want them even if Derby don't.

To those who think the club might cause unrest in the squad by offering some new contracts and not others. Will Rooney's new contract upset the rest of the squad whose contracts expire next summer? Probably not. Even the younger members of the squad like Bird, Cash, Sibs will understand the ways of the football contracts world.

18 hours ago, hiltonram said:

Apparently not, why does it take so long for the government to get this done when clubs are going out of business.

I noticed that the EFL bent over backwards to help Reading survive in the championship when they were telling Derby to sell everyone the other January and allowing Reading to bring in new players and now look Reading are in financial trouble. EFL not fit for purpose.

I will vote for the party that sorts out the governance of football. Does this party exist? Will it ever get sorted?

Probably not.

20 hours ago, hiltonram said:

The governance of football really has to be looked at to stop this continually happening. How is the independent regulator getting on, are they making a difference?

That bill hasn't gone through Parliament yet, has it? Is there an indy regulator yet?

21 hours ago, ram59 said:

None of those players are Warne signings, some he'll want keep, depending on which division we'll be playing in. If we do get promoted, we'll need a certain amount of clearing of the decks in order to get better players in to compete at a higher level.

The trouble with offering certain players extended contracts now, is that those who aren't offered new contracts will feel put out. Warne is a big one on harmony within the squad, a sure way to spoil this is to effectively say to a few of the team 'I'm not interested in keeping you'.  I think that Warne will also need to evaluate how these players fit into the new dynamics of the team, which we will see this season.

I think that new contracts will be looked at in the lead up to the new year, when we have a better idea of where we are headed and how the players fit into the project.

Good point but from Jan 1st, half the squad will be allowed to look elsewhere and leave for nowt next summer. How often has running contracts down and letting the players leave for nowt been slammed by fans?

21 hours ago, Caerphilly Ram said:

Some had 3 year deals. Elder, Ward and maybe Vickers.

Ta for the info.

... a bit of a worry.

The following players' contracts all expire next summer... Knight (almost certain to be going to Brizzle), Bird, Sibs, Cash, Barks, NML, Thommo, Hourihane, Smith, Wildsmith, Collo, Fozzy, Loach and Robinson. I think all 7 of the newbies got 2 years, so till 2025. Rooney to 2026.

That's 13 players going into the last season of their contracts. Not an issue with Foz and Loach but the other 11, we need to decide who we want to keep and get them signed up NOW rather than sometime in the future. Aren't they allowed to talk to other clubs come January and sign pre contract deals?

Wildsmith 

Nelson Bradley Cashin

Ward Bird Hourihane Elder

          Sibley

Collo Washington

Born in '54. First game in '61. As with @Geriatram, there is a very good chance I won't see the heights of the 70s again. I do hope I will and, failing that, I'd love my 2 lads (now 28 and 30) to see us be the best again.

Both were born some 15 miles from the Ajax Stadium. Both are Derby through and through so I got that right. Internationals? They do support Holland, however, when the opposition is England they support England.

Whatever the level there will always be things to savour.

Last season we were in with a shout right up to the last kick of the season and only missed out on the playoffs thanks to a dubious penalty. Didzy was a joy to watch.

Season before? We nearly lost the club we all love. The togetherness that generated will long be remembered.

Cut us, we bleed black and white.

13 hours ago, Scott129 said:

Well that's just semantics.

I would personally consider 500k to be a significant fee, especially considering the league we're in and how the majority of deals going on around us are either frees or loans.

I would not be surprised with that either, although I suspect Washington will come in.

Part of the point, which I didn't go into is what yardstick are they using to determine what "moderate" is? Is that relative to the fees clubs like Burton and Fleetwood etc can pay on their 3k to 4K gates? Relative to the average for L1? Relative to what Derby can afford. As I've posted in other threads on here, if I've understood last season's finances correctly, we have north of £6M in the bank. For us, paying £1.5M for Clarke-Harris could well be seen as moderate but it's around 30% of the entire budget of the 2 teams I mentioned earlier. What is "moderate". As stated in my my post to which you replied, we can only guess...

6 hours ago, Scott129 said:

Good player.

I would be uncomfortable with spending a significant amount of money on him though - he's another one that will have no resale value whatsoever.

We may only pay moderate fees this season. I've not seen any detail on what a "moderate fee" actually means but, at L1 level, I'd guess that to be £500K at the most. We won't be spending a "significant amount of money" on anybody in this or the next window. We can't.

I'd not be surprised if, come August 5th, Collo is still our only senior striker and I'd expect to see young Brown either up top alongside him or, if we play Collo as a lone striker, on the bench.

20 minutes ago, CBX1985 said:

Not sure what that has to do with anything.

South stand is oversubscribed; the North stand is undersubscribed.  Basic economic theory postulates that you increase pricing structure to moderate the demand in the oversubsribed part.  

I don't see the demand for an extension because we are not filling the stadium.  If the whole stadium was oversubscibed, you either a) raise all prices to maximise on price b) increase supply to meet the demand.

You do not increase supply in one part if it would canabalise the sales elsewhere.  That is a dead cost for the Club.

Where we currently are, L1, there is no need to increase capacity. IMO, the same applies to the Championship. Get back to the PL amd I'd also leave it be for the 1st season, at least.

Should demand exceed availability, then there's a case to  up the capacity. I know that the infrastructure is physically in place to add another 11000 seats. The foundations are there and it's a case of putting the extra tier on. I know this as my cousin's husband was one of the site managers for the original build. The big question is, would 44K be too high a capacity or will crowds grow to fit the stadium?

Our owner owns a building company. I wonder who would get the contract? Would Clowes Development give the club a good discount?

The other question is, is the planning permission to expand, which was part of the original planning permission, still valid / been renewed or has it expired?

1 hour ago, Gerry Daly said:

I get the argument that there are some fans who can only afford to go to a few games so therefore selling all tickets as season tickets would be unfair. However I think there are 3 points

1. I think if you want a season ticket you should be able to buy one(and see point 3 below)

2. If we can sell all seats as season tickets then still have walk ups the ground isn't big enough. The South stand in particular is over subscribed. that needs extending

3. The walk ups really only want the 'plum' games. Having a season ticket means you don't have to compete with the those people for those games

4. Expats. I live in the Netherlands. 10 years ago I could, for a Saturday game, fly in on the Friday morning, 2 nights hotel, match ticket, 3 days food and drink, travel from and to the airport and back home Sunday evening all for a mere £250. Fast forward to pre covid and the cost had gone up to £350. Last season it was up to £500 (did 5 home games) and the 2 away games I came back for (hospitality at FGR and Barnsley) cost closer to £800 a pop. It's not a question of "plum" games, it's a question of having the money and it not clashing with life over here. Looking at between 6 and 8 home games this season, one a month roughly. Quite sure there'll be a plum one in there somewhere but there'll also be a Wycombe/ Cheltenham/Fleetwood/Stevenage or two to compensate.

5. There'll be those with shift patterns that don't permit a season ticket as well or dependants for whom they care......

This article in the DT says roughly the same as I have repeatedly posted on here...

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/derby-county-transfer-window-striker-8573655?utm_source=derbyshire_live_newsletter&utm_campaign=breaking_dcfc_newsletter2&utm_medium=email

1 hour ago, jimtastic56 said:

No , didn’t miss all that . But having my own business for 30 years I learnt the benefit of “Speculate to Accumulate “. I was only talking about loosening the purse strings a LITTLE. A good striker could make the difference between going up and staying down. He could also get a few fans out of their armchairs and down to PP for midweek games.

True, but if, as I suspect, "moderate fee" in L1 terms means a max of £500K, we aren't going to get much of a striker unless we get lucky like we did with Didzy. Plus, strikers worth having will be being looked at by more clubs than just us and they and their agent can play one off against the other to get the most money possible. I hope I'm wrong but I would not be surprised to see the League campaign start with only Collo on board as agents hold out for more for their striker...

Bielik cash will have gone straight to Arsenal. It looks like we have more than £6M in the bank from last season. It's spending limits and power being wielded by agents and players that is holding up the signing of strikers, not just by us but by everybody.

I think that new We are Derby multi coloured logo would look great on the front of a T shirt.

25 minutes ago, Tamworthram said:

Whilst I share your confidence, there are two concerns niggling away at me.

Firstly, I think he also expected more signing in January but those were thwarted - probably better that than sign someone in the notoriously difficult January window. I am comforted though by the fact that, circumstances are now very different to what they were in January.

Whoever we sign, I hope they’re not last minute deals and the players have plenty of time to train and gel with the rest of the squad. I think we have a relatively favourable start to the season and it would a blow to miss the opportunity to make a fast start if we’re waiting for key players to fit in.

At the end of the day though, there is nothing we as supporters can do so there is no point getting our underwear in a tangle. I’m sure PW and his recruitment team are doing all they can to get the players they want and in situ as soon as possible.

... and there lies the problem IMO Tammuth. Strikers and their agents (and their current club) know they are a greatly desired and cherished product and they can afford to hold out for higher fees and wages. They hold the power, not the clubs.

9 hours ago, jimtastic56 said:

The secret to a happy life is making compromises. D C may have to loosen the purse strings a little , and if Billy Sharpe and Lyle Taylor start as our front two on the first day , us fans will have to bite our lips.

Business plan? Moderate fees? Wages cap? Did you miss all the news and social media posts on these things? There are limits on both fees and wages that no amount of loosening, this season, can get round. 

How many strikers have moved to EFL clubs so far this window? Didzy and that's about it. Strikers are at a premium and they know it. Dither and dilly and dally to force eventual wages up. Maybe a higher signing on fee. Strikers have the power, not the clubs and DCFC has limits they may not exceed. I would not be surprised if we started the season with Collo as our only striker. Not a desired situation but certainly a realistic prospect.

Agree with folk on Collo. He needs telling he stays, mainly, central or he's on the bench. High balls, he jumps for or he's on the bench. If he's been told that and isn't doing it, bench!

9 hours ago, hintonsboots said:

Agree. Maybe we can’t finalise signings until Knight future sorted ?

Edited...

21 hours ago, DiggerB said:

Based on absolutely no evidence whatsoever, other than a nagging feeling all weekend I think we’ll see Clark-Harris in our new kit at MF by the end of the week*.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*waits to be inevitably shot down when he signs for a Champ club on Tuesday!!

I think you're 100% wrong Digger. We are allowed to pay moderate fees. I reckon that's a £500K, or thereabouts, ceiling. Clarke-Harris will cost 3 or 4, maybe more, times that. Don't build your hopes up, you'll be very disappointed.

On 02/07/2023 at 16:58, Srg said:

And for the record on him, as so many love him, he was cack on loan and most didn’t know why we signed him. And look how he turned out. 

I said he'd do the business if we got him in on a permanent. I was right. I'm also right now in saying he shouldn't come back unless it's as a coach.

@Owen87ITK Will the pre season friendlies be available on RamsTV, Owen?

2 hours ago, hintonsboots said:

Agree. Maybe we can’t finalise signings until Knight future sorted ?

I don't think we have to wait for any sales before finalising signings. Why?

We had a business plan, agreed to by the EFL. We did not exceed that budget so we will have some cash in the bank. On top of that, the business plan budget was based on 17K gates. We averaged more than 27K, that's >10K per game. At 20 quid a throw that's around £6M.

When we can only spend "moderate fees", which I take to be £500K max or thereabouts, and we have a wage cap. Last season's profit which should exceed £6M, will more than cover fees and wages. Plus we've just sold >17K season tickets and that number is growing. The cash is there, within the agreed budget. If there is any hindrance to signings, it isn't finances.

PS - I didn't mention the Bielik fee as, if I'm right, that will have gone straight to Arsenal ...