Somersall Ram

22 hours ago, Carl Sagan said:

Thomas Delaney (Danish international midfielder) only has a year on his Sevilla contract left and they don't want him. He spent last season on loan at Anderlecht, with an option to buy for 3 million Euros, but reportedly the Spaniards are now ready to take 1.5 million: https://www.anderlecht-online.be/en/article/232104

He's 32 years old but could be the central midfield leader we need to make a difference. He's got American citizenship through his dad so I imagine would be comfortable in an English-speaking environment. 

It's laughable that Cardiff want half a million pounds for Ebou, but for just over twice as much we could maybe buy someone like this.

Ludicrous suggestion. 32 and heavy fee with wages. And to draw comparison with Rotherham young keeper is just as daft. 

I’m actually ashamed of our pitch in this modern era. 

Max Bird gives another masterclass as a passenger. He has one good game followed by 6 or 7 awful performances. 

21 hours ago, Wolfie20 said:

Sounds like you're after his job?

Somebody should be 

21 hours ago, Simmo’s left foot said:

Hilarious. The pitch is looking ok for mid winter! The goalmouths are still grass, and just a bit of mud where the linesman runs! What a nonsense post.

Maybe you’re standards are not mine

20 hours ago, jono said:

And you know that for a fact ? And you recognise that PL clubs have around 100 times the budget that we have ? And that 100 times isn’t hyperbole it’s real !
Honestly, wake up. I don’t think I have ever seen a post so entitled, plain ignorant (and lacking intelligence, perspective and plain common sense. ) Look at what you have written. Think man. You sound like an 18 year old that says I can drive, I ought to be able to have a Ferrari, it’s not fair. 

And that my friend is the reason you’re such a waste of space. No ambition or drive. There should be no logical reason between standard of pitches in premiership and us. Preparation of sub base and base with grass is not rocket science and grass doesn’t grown better on a premiership club. Just they employ better ground staff. Are you watching Middlesbrough game. There pitch is light years ahead of ours. Don’t embarrass yourself anymore

47 minutes ago, jono said:

I suspect every uncovered sports ground in the country has the same problem including in the PL. Do you live in a VR world ? 
Would that intervention be something along the lines of Moses ? 
Nature is powerful and whilst technology can solve many things, there are limits, along with budgets and the basic fact that soil is porous, and gets wet when it rains. In case you hadn’t noticed it has rained quite a lot recently.

Lots of premier league teams have far superior pitches. Does it not rain in those locations. Our pitch is awful in comparison 

The pitch really is not of a good standard. Patchy grass and patches of mud. It’s really not acceptable in this day and age. I realise it’s been very wet. But considering how little it is used there should be intervention by management to bring in the type of groundsman who can guarantee the surface. 

1 minute ago, sage said:

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but I would vehemently disagree.

He was up against 3 athletic CMs today, with initially just Hourihane with him, then with Sibs and Tommo both playing as 8s.

He ran himself into the ground playing every minute of the last 3 games in 6 days.

Wasn't amazing today, but played pretty well and to suggest a poor work ethic is bizarre 

You are obviously watching a different match if that’s your analysis of Birds contribution. He was bypassed all day long and made no real effort to at least be difficult to pass. Basically he was a passenger 

1 hour ago, Comrade 86 said:

WTF! Really? He was off it today, but he's having a cracking season. If you'd be happy to get shot with any fee 'a bonus' in your opinion, you've clearly not got a scooby. 

Sorry but I don’t accept your view. If his standard is according to you cracking then we have little chance of promotion 

Sorry but the sooner we get an improvement on Max Bird the better. He was anonymous in this match. Poor work ethic and offers nothing going forward or back. If we got any fee for him I would class it as a bonus 

41 minutes ago, Kokosnuss said:

Bit of a weird post to pick out from a match thread the next day, but hey, whatever.

tbf though I did misremember the years he actually won POTS, so I take back the claim he won it for being active in a mid table team while at Derby.

Nevertheless, he was a good footballer but his defending really wasn't all that much cop, as could be seen pretty much any time we were operating with a less than ideal balance in midfield. Curtis Davies was twice the outright defender (and person) Keogh was, but Keogh had other strengths which better suited the style of play we decided upon for most of the time he was here.

In his first 2 season here Jake Buxton was the better defender, and at times even had more consistent passing. Keogh did improve over the years but never lost that propensity toward a calamitous f*** up, the unique ability to spread his own panic to his teammates and he still struggled against attackers who were anything more than decent in the air.

Pulling out the "well loads of managers picked him" stuff is a right load of BS, whatever the case. Plenty of very very average and even poor players 'get picked' by multiple managers, it's not an automatic stamp of quality.

There were a few half-hearted attempts to 'replace' Keogh but they mostly failed because the way the defence and midfield was set up was specifically tailored Keogh's playing style, no replacement ever really had the time to settle into anything.

He was the captain , we'd built the defence (which constantly failed when put under any sustained amount of pressure, over a number of years) and to a degree our attack on his specific skillset. He'd also made himself 'kingpin' of the dressing room.

We hired and fired managers at a rate of knots. When a new manager comes into a well established dressing room, who do you think they lean on to get the low-down on the squad? Hello Mr Captain. 

The only time someone didn't do that he went running to Mel to get him sacked (Pearson).

In some way he was as much a part of the problem behind the scenes as he was an asset, which was evident in his lack of leadership and organisational skills on a number of occasions on the pitch and even spread to his life off it, on one particular evening...

 

I can not remember a more unbalanced post ever. I suppose he played lots of international matches as he couldn’t defend. He looked ungainly but make no mistake I would love keogh back here in his prime. 

On 02/09/2023 at 16:17, Kokosnuss said:

Only because he was an all-action defender in a lower mid table team at the time, so caught the eye. He didn't win it for the actual quality of his defending.

What an idiotic comment. Not only was he poy several times but each new manager picked him as a centre half …..  maybe you don’t understand …. A defender. Just count how many managers picked him and you obviously can’t judge any player 

Whatever the reason his work rate is shocking !!

2 hours ago, RoyMac5 said:

What absolute nonsense.

Seems about what I would expect from you 

2 hours ago, jameso said:

Let's put aside for a moment the issue that we've been watching different matches; let me ask you this:

When you say you "expect so much more", do you mean -

1) Bird is clearly a very good player so you expect more from him?

2) Bird gets talked about all the time (and apparently other teams are interested in him) so you expect more from him?

3) Derby clearly should be doing better (more successfully) so you expect more from a player picked to play for us? [Alternatively: League One is clearly a poor standard so anyone should be able to do better against this level of competition]

...or something else?

I expect more from all our players not just Bird. The least they can do chase every ball. Tackle and intercept and use all their energy to try and win the match. I can accept losing if the opposition are better than us. But not Bird’s and others apathy. The absolute minimum is the walk off the pitch at full time exhausted as you have given everything. Something Bird is not doing !

3 hours ago, jameso said:

OK, while I'm on my way there, indulge me: are you saying Bird has put in zero good performances so far this season?

By the way, just checking - do you wear an eye patch over both eyes during matches? 😜

Bird was invisible and z waste of space against Wigan and Oxford. No making excuses he was shocking. Against button he had a reasonable second half. But I expect so much more and I’m fed up of being continually disappointed in his lack lustre performances 

35 minutes ago, jameso said:

I don't know how far back you're going with that comment but, if you're limiting it to this season, I have to disagree re Bird. He's one of a very limited few who have done themselves justice with their performances.

You’re having a laugh. If you think bird’s performances this season are good then you should have to specsavers 

3 hours ago, jameso said:

Hourihane was voted one of the league’s best midfielders by his League One peers so I do wonder if I’m missing something. He’s obviously got quality but keeps it to himself too much!

I don’t think Bird is considered one of the best at present, but he could be, and he has started well this season.

It’s all ifs and maybees. The pair of them should be ashamed of their collective performances 

14 hours ago, DCFC Kicks said:

Brannagan and McGuane are two of the best midfielders in the league. Derby were probably scared they would just pass through them if we pressed high. Saying that, we have Bird and Hourihane who are also two of the best midfielders in the league. We also outnumbered them as we had Smith as well, but there you go... 

I’m mystified why anyone would consider Bird and Hourihane as two of the leagues best midfielders 

1 hour ago, Premier ram said:

Pathetic

In you’re opinion. Most fans seem to be on my wavelength. He isn’t a target man. Doesn’t win much in the air. Isn’t quick and first touch not great. I for one do not like paying substantial wages for someone who takes up valuable resources of our club. You have you’re opinion and I just injected a little humour to express my opinion

I would love to know where people think Bird shout play. He has no physicality to pay centre holding midfield. Doesn’t tackle well or head well. Moved off the ball to easily. Can’t play no 10 position. Isn’t box to box energetic player. Doesn’t assist or score much. So where should we accommodate someone who appears to offer so little 

If he is so touchy I will drop him off at the donkey sanctuary. He might feel the love there 

What a shambles. Wildsmith Cashin Bradley smith Bird and Collins were all embarrassing. If someone offers us 2 packets of crisps and a mars bar for Bird we should take it. He is going back. Poor control and passing and just goes missing in the game. Lightweight and just a waste of space. 

On 24/07/2023 at 08:58, BaaLocks said:

SIlly summer season - how about a most hated Derby XI. Not necessarily the worst, but the team the fans just didn't like. For example, Francois Grenet, Mikkel Beck were just rubbish. It's the ones who got the boos, or at least a very muffled reaction, when their name was announced. And it has to be while they were with Derby - not because they went off to Leeds or wherever.

I'll kick us off (and try not to just make it a load of ex-Forest players, I could easily fill this with Paterson, Dowell, Tyson etc). Has to be players who really got on the wrong side of the fans):

 

Chairman: Mel Morris / Robert Maxwell job share

Manager: Tommy Docherty

Assistant Manager: Billy Davies

Director Of Football: Sam Rush

 

1: Jon Middleton

2: Tyrone Mears

3: Stephan Schnoor

4: Jacob Butterfield

5: Richard Keogh

6: Kenny Burns

7: Gary Teale

8: Don Masson

9: Rob Earnshaw

10: Mason Bennett

11: John Robertson

 

Subs:

- John McGovern

- Vic Moreland

- Robbie Savage

- Fabrizio Ravanelli

 

There you go, that's a pretty unpopular team to go watch.

What a joke inc Keogh. Do you even know every manager who managed derby played him and was very popular contrary to you’re pathetic post