Jourdan

Lighten up, mate. You know how this forum works.

Just joking. On a serious note, I think Warne actually enjoys the love-hate relationship with the fans. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him cupping his ears on the open top bus in May.

I don’t blame him. @Caerphilly Ram has been gunning for him for months now. It’s bound to take its toll.

Warne reading all of our posts after 20 minutes:

A predictable outcome. We were due an off day. We’ll bounce back on Monday.

Mendez-Laing is on track for the most productive season of his career, so it’s inevitable there’ll be January interest. I think the club will be open to a deal - it would free up some wages and we could possibly use any proceeds to invest in a longer term option in the mould of Kane Wilson. Of course he would be a loss as no-one wants to lose their most productive player mid-season, however you can see why the club might entertain it. Mendez-Laing is having a great season but he is the kind of player that could be red hot for 20 games and then go 15-20 games with far lesser output.

I have a horrible feeling that this could be another Stevenage. I am expecting a really tough game and it will be a job well done to get a point and keep momentum rolling. However if we win it would be a massive statement of intent and I think it would be the first time in the past 18 months in League One that you could reasonably argue we look like a credible automatic promotion contender. Fingers crossed.

Oxford 2-0 Derby Rodrigues

Warne reading the forum every week since Stevenage away:

Seven wins in eight. Six points from top with a game in hand.

Massive result and a case of job done and move on. Winning when you are not at full flow is so important. However the performance really underlined that the balance of the team is not quite right. For me, it raised question marks over Ward, Barkhuizen and the midfield. Better teams would exploit these weak points. The conditions were probably a factor in the performance - it was very cold and windy all day. It certainly looked like it led to some less than composed passes and some unpredictable bounces and movement. But that aside, you can see why we are amongst the chasing pack and not champions in the making. We are a top six side missing some extra quality and balance to make us a genuine and sustainable top two side. Maybe January will help..:

First game at PP for us since the opening day. I remember being so angry with that result that I had visions of disappearing to an Italian island and forgetting football exists. Here’s hoping for better tonight! I’d go for: Wildsmith Nyambe - Nelson - Cashin - Forsyth Bird - Fornah - Sibley Wilson - Collins - NML

Nuno did a fantastic job at Wolves and he is surely getting the job on the strength of that. The thinking behind it is obvious: if Nuno could achieve top 10 finishes and a European run with Wolves, why not Forest? I think the one thing that the Forest board may have overlooked is that Wolves’s success was built on recruitment and having great connections. The recruitment at Forest has been anything but joined up, and without good recruitment, I am not sure that Nuno raises their ceiling much higher.

Derby 4-0 Lincoln Mendez Laing

A point isn’t the end of the world. We were bound to come unstuck at some point. It would have been nice to go into the Christmas fixtures on a long winning run, but we know this group of players have a ceiling and consistency is an issue and high performance levels are difficult to maintain. What’s important is we bounce back in midweek and win v Lincoln to keep momentum and confidence flowing. To me, a game like today underlines our limitations. We are good enough for top six but drop too many points to be front runners.

Derby 3-0 Wycombe Collins

You have to wonder what’s changed. After Stevenage away, Warne and the boys looked like a half eaten Irish breakfast. In fairness, when you get soundly beaten by a Steve Evans side, it will lead even the most positive people down a road of introspective despair. Now if we win our next two home games, we could go into the festive period v Wigan, Oxford and Peterborough as the form team in the division and on the cusp of the top two. I can’t wait for Lincoln at home. My fiancée will be leading the chants of ‘If you love Paul Warne, jump around.’ when we are 4-0 up.

Five league wins in a row and edging closer to the top two. A comfortable passage into the latter stages of the EFL Trophy. We’re back!

I’ve just realised that I’ll be on my honeymoon over the weekend of the final. Where’s my hatchet?

Three wins from a Wembley final. Those taking a hatchet to selections, substitutions, and performances - why?

People are not interested until it gets down to the last four. I think that goes for clubs, managers, fans, and players alike. If we get to the semi final, interest will be through the roof because people will want priority for a potential Wembley ticket.

I think midfield should be the priority. Bird’s contract is running down and he is potentially on the way out and Smith and Hourihane are fading fast and can’t perform consistently at the level required, only really when the opposition’s tactics and the playing conditions are favourable. Fornah, Thompson, Fapetu and Robinson are good prospects for the future, but we need a player to come in and hit the ground running.

Credit where it’s due. Warne and the players are trying to make amends for previous results. They are digging in and showing fight. Warne looked dead and buried after Stevenage away, so to notch up four league wins in a row and move into the top six is a very good response and a small reward for those who remained patient and unlike myself didn’t experience a wobble at any point. In my mind, there was an air of resignation after Stevenage away and I don’t think that has completely disappeared in truth. Current results are largely very positive but it would be very typical of us to drop the baby in upcoming games and doom engulfs the fanbase again. There’s still some convincing that needs to be done. If we play to our potential, there’s no reason why we can’t go into 2024 on the back of a solid unbeaten run. Four wins and some hard-fought draws would leave us well placed heading into January. Hopefully Warne and the players don’t let us down.

Port Vale 1-1 Derby Collins FRGS

Derby 2-1 Bristol Rovers Collins FRGS