Jourdan

Allocation of 1,642 for Plymouth away.

Get in touch if you want to camp in my garden.

POV: David Prutton and Don Goodman joining the Warne obsessives...

Wycombe 1-2 Derby

McGoldrick FRGS

Five wins and one draw needed to reach the ‘magic 40’, or 16 points in 17 games.

It’s really difficult to see them going down from this position. Sadly I think the teams around them are in too much turmoil to really put them under pressure.

Bournemouth and Southampton are starting to look dead and buried. We’ve been waiting for Leicester, Wolves, West Ham, Leeds and Everton to get their acts together, and we’re still waiting.

Meanwhile Forest are starting to get into the habit of clawing and scratching their way to a win. Five of their six league wins have been at home, five of their six wins have also been by a single goal.

It would take a collapse for the ages for them to go down now. We live in hope.

The end to this season will be a lot of fun.

I think automatic promotion is still a long shot because Plymouth have shown enough over the course of the season to suggest they will bounce back and get back to winning regularly. One slip up and we’re a long way away really.

That said, what a job Warne is doing to have actually given us a genuine reason to ponder the idea of automatic promotion, instead of looking over our shoulders at the team in 7th.

Personally I want the Wembley win, but pipping Plymouth to 2nd in front of 4-6,000 Rams fans at Hillsborough on the last day would be special too if we somehow achieved it.

Six league wins in a row has given us an opportunity. Now we’ve just got to keep winning and see where it takes us. Finishing third after pushing for the top two would still give us a lot of confidence moving forward. We’re really in a win-win situation whatever happens when you think about it.

The next 5-6 games will set the tone for the run-in. If we can win 4 or 5 before going to Plymouth in March, the heat will be on and I’ll be scrambling for tickets for what I expected to be the one game I’d be able to get to being 45 minutes from sofa to seat.

Warne obsessives meet up on the Barbican in March, anyone?

Warne obsessives, assemble!

Derby 2-0 Morecambe

Mendez-Laing FRGS

1 hour ago, TuffLuff said:

If I’m being critical, based on tonight I’m not sure ‘Warneball’ suits playing higher league opposition because you aren’t positionally disciplined enough. Not that I don’t like his ideas and how he sees football, I’m just not sure it works against a better opposition

It’s an interesting theory but it kind of falls down when you consider that should we move up through the leagues, our squad will change and (hopefully) improve as we do.

Warne will (hopefully) pinpoint players who can perform the roles he is looking for and the style he is looking for in a more developed and complete way. Our opposition will improve but we’ll be aiming to as well.

Saying the style of play can’t be scaled up on the basis of a cup tie (where we didn’t disgrace ourselves) against a team two divisions above us seems like scaremongering, to be honest.

95% of cup ties between sides in the two positions we are in play out like this.

Compared to the Wrexham v Sheff Utd game yesterday, this fell flat as a spectacle.

I don’t think you can fault the effort, but we lacked some spark and some bravery. We didn’t ask West Ham enough questions. McGoldrick was a huge miss and Dobbin should have started.

We then didn’t help ourselves by switching off too easily and conceding two tame goals. But those are the margins when you face a Premier League side. You make a small mistake, you lose focus for a moment, and it can be thoroughly punished.

It’s disappointing to lose in the manner that we did, but fortunately we have a quick turnaround and can get back to winning ways right away with a favourable home game on Saturday.

What did we learn? McGoldrick is the glue that binds the team together and we need another option if his current injury or any future injuries are serious.

I think Warne has taken the job knowing that should he take us back to the Championship, he is going to have far more flexibility than he ever did at Rotherham.

It’s one step back at the current time, but potentially 10 steps forward if he can get it right here.

I would expect us to need a season to stabilise ourselves back in the Championship, so I hope we stay grounded in our expectations.

The pressure will come once we’ve done that. Can he keep pace with growing expectations? That is the worry for me - the expectations from the fans as we reach a more familiar position could swallow him up.

Saying that he seems like he enjoys proving people wrong and I think he has already shown that he is adaptable and that he can find solutions to problems from within, both in terms of tactics and personnel.

My confidence in him is growing with each passing game, but it is fair to say there are greater challenges ahead.

4 minutes ago, uttoxram75 said:

The truth is that he was a brilliant leader in our worst ever period. 

He galvanised the players and fans and was instrumental in keeping our club alive.

 

He was in a no-lose situation.

He had a lengthy contract with the club. He was in a job at a very good level despite limited to no coaching experience.

I’ve never really understood the fawning over Rooney. He gave it a good go at keeping us up and created a siege mentality, as all managers would attempt to do.

I could understand the adulation if he had stayed with the club up to now and was leading the charge back into the Championship. But he left pretty sharpishly.

David Clowes was instrumental in keeping the club alive. Rooney was simply doing what was in his interests.

Perhaps I am wrong but that’s the way it seemed.

30 minutes ago, plymouthram said:

I can understand the concerns of some bloggers on here. You class Cocu, Rooney and Rosenior has inexperienced managers in the particular division we were in. I have to agree with that comment, but Rooney, Rosenior were restricted in transfers etc. Cocu seemed successful under PSV in his youth team coaching role, but never did that much in running senior teams. To be fair with Rosenior, yes he was inexperienced, but you can't fault the recruitment in a short period of time that he brought to the club.

We will never know whether he would have succeded at Derby and whether the team would have got better and Liam might have adjusted the teams playing style. Warne was renown for playering 3 centrebacks and 2 wing backs whilst at Rotherham during his 3 year spell in which he achieved 3 promotions and 2 relegations. At Derby he has adapted and changed the style, formation and tactics and with it the team have vastly improved. Perhaps his first 3 years has a manager could be classed inexperienced along side his coaching team. To state Vitesse (top league in holland, Hull ( in the Championship) and DC United (totally different league) can't be classed as advancing their career, comes across a bit naive, it's obvious the standards are better than League one football..

Cocu was out of work for two years until recently. He was given the job at Vitesse, a club he previously played for. Why? Consider that Cocu had had previous success with a much bigger club in Dutch football in PSV, so why would he take a step down?

Rooney was given the job at DC United, a club he previously played for. Why? If Rooney’s reputation had been so enhanced, why would he go to a team rooted to the bottom of the MLS? Surely there were better options out there?

Rosenior was given a chance at Hull, a club he previously played for. Why? If people in football circles appreciated his work at Derby, why wouldn’t he wait for a better offer?

All three clubs were struggling at the time and obviously having a familiar face in charge would encourage patience and goodwill in difficult times, so you can understand it from the clubs’ point of view.

But if these managers had done such commendable work at Derby, why are they where they are?

4 minutes ago, Gisby said:

Come on boys & girls. We are all Derby County aren’t we? Who cares whether we were for or against PW initially. We are where we are and what’s not to like about it? Remember where we were 12 months ago. Put the points scoring go bed and let’s look to the future. COYR. 

You are right, but it’s the nature of the forum sometimes. We still love being on here, for better or for worse.

Some of the comments I’ve had directed towards me just for holding one opinion or another have been genuinely horrible. But we’re all passionate and emotional people and sometimes it can spill over.

For example, had we gone on to achieve success under Cocu, Rooney or Rosenior, there would have been comments singling me out, of that I am sure. ’Jourdan must be devastated...’ and so on.

This will all be forgotten about when McGoldrick puts us 3-0 up v West Ham.

Just now, Rev said:

If you can't name names, I'd suggest it's Curtains for your argument!

Read the tone of @LeedsCityRam’s post above and you’ll understand what naming names leads too. It’s antagonistic.

The fact that @Carl Sagan took the time and was able to quote multiple posters’ comments shows what I am saying obviously has some weight.

But please continue trying to score points if you must.

1 minute ago, i-Ram said:

Come on @Jourdan. 20 minutes to come up with two names. I am beginning to think you may have made that bit up.

Calm down. You’re being confrontational for no real reason.

I didn’t even mention you directly or anyone specific. But what I am saying is fair and true and if you have been paying attention, you would know that.

But naming names or quoting people and their comments was never my intention. I am not in the business of embarrassing people.

11 minutes ago, Rev said:

Now we're getting to the nub. 

The sheer hypocrisy of @Jourdan, of all people, to call others out for not supporting the manager is somewhat galling.

It’s not hypocritical, though.

Cocu, Rooney and Rosenior weren’t taking us anywhere. I can appreciate that they had to contend with difficult circumstances and they all had some good spells or good moments, but let’s be honest, those were few and far between.

They were all inexperienced at managing clubs in the particular division we were in and never looked likely to move us forward in the way we needed.

Vitesse, Hull, DC United - would you say any of those managers advanced their careers on the strength of their work here, or more likely their previous connection to the clubs?

Warne arrived here with actual tangible success in this very division, so of course it seems strange that he wasn’t given more support from the start.

11 minutes ago, angieram said:

That didn't stop you from slagging off our previous management on here, though, did it? 

 

It’s what tends to happen when you don’t win football matches or you don’t look like you’re improving or working towards something better.

Difference is Warne was being questioned before he had even changed into his club tracksuit and sliders.

35 minutes ago, i-Ram said:

My question is a medical one. There has been a poster on here for the last two years who has been as negative as f***. Now he seems as happy as Larry, and can’t understand why one or two might be a little negative. Is he on some wonder drug, or has he had some HRT therapy, or has he just learnt the joy that can be found from being able to play a musical instrument ?

 

Just two years? Where have you been for the other 9-10 years?

What can I say? The club is going in a positive direction. Winning football matches is great for the soul. With David Clowes, it feels like we have a good, dutiful man who is happy to operate away from the limelight, making sound decisions and righting wrongs. And with Paul Warne, we also have a manager who is proving himself to be perfect for our current circumstances.

So there’s all that, but to be fair it could also be down to crack and sound therapy.

1 hour ago, Tamworthram said:

"We were incredibly dismissive", "What we deserve"? Speak for yourself. I'm sure Warne is far too intelligent to tar us all with the same brush and, if he'd been foolish enough to frequent social media sites, I'm sure he'd have realised that the relatively few prematurely overly negative comments were not necessarily representative of the majority. Whilst a lot of people may have had their doubts, the overwhelming majority (IMO) were prepared to give him a chance before passing judgement.

He has been quoted in an earlier Athletic article saying 50-60% of the fanbase didn’t want him, so what else is he suggesting?

It doesn’t sound like he felt welcomed with open arms, does it? It doesn’t sound like he understood that the majority were open and willing to give him a chance, does it?

I think it’s great that he is proving people wrong and long may it continue. However it is naive of any of us to think that players and managers don’t take any notice of what gets said on forums and social media.

3 hours ago, Rev said:

I don't recall many, or indeed any such comments on here. 

Prove it.

Read the first 10-15 pages of this very thread.

The comments are all there. I’ve not plucked any of it out of the sky.

If I quoted them all, I’d be here all night and have to charge an hourly rate.

6 minutes ago, Foreveram said:

And lots of us just waited and didn’t comment until we saw something worth commenting on.

Absolutely true. Many of us were were willing to wait and see and many of us were optimistic, quietly or otherwise.

But the fact that even the manager caught wind of the mood of the fanbase perhaps shows that the impact of our words and our thoughts is more significant than we realise.

When the manager himself acknowledges that at least half of the fanbase didn’t want him and his team, that tells you all you need to know.

We were incredibly dismissive of Warne and unfairly so. A pound shop Rowett, some said. The next Jewell, some said. The next Pearson, some said. Taking a leaf out of the Mel Morris playbook, some said.

It was so bad that some respected posters have gone into complete hiding knowing they well and truly overreacted to his appointment.

Doing the bounce when we get promoted? If I were Warne, I would be doing laps of the pitch cupping my ears. It’d be what we deserve.

He’s doing a cracking job and it’s a shame it’s taken us going 14 games unbeaten for him and his team to get some credit.

Port Vale 0-2 Derby

Barkhuizen FRGS