Gabby'sThighs

Just had a glimpse and we are in a playoff spot already,Yahoo 🍾

90 minutes? I played getting on half my career there before retiring at 53.
My best season? That would be 98/99. The team had a perfect record. Played 22, lost 22. We averaged 8 or 9 goals against every game. It could easily have been 20 a game, hence a good season. 8 or 9 a game good? IMO, yes. I'll explain...
I was 44 at the start of the season. The average age of the side was about 50. The back 4 were all good players but the left back, at 52, was the baby of the defence. The central defenders were 56 and 58 and the right back was 60. We were ahead come HT in a few games, level in some and, even when behind, there was usually just the one goal in it. Around the 65 to 70 minute mark, all 4 were done for. That was when the deluge started. Kept me on my toes but you can't stop 'em all although I did stop a lot. I would think a good 80%+ of our goals against came in the last 20 minutes of games. The opposition teams were all 20s to early 30 in age.

I think he's a shout because he was brought up around Derby, although he was born in Canada. He probably has family and friends in the area.

Top picks
GK
Nathan Trott (25) West Ham - Free
Walton (28) Ipswich - Free
Daniel Iversen (26) Leicester - A Fee/Loan
 
LWB
Martin Frese (26) Nordsjaelland - Free
Thierry Small (19) Charlton - A Fee
Ben Osborn (29) Sheff UTD - Free
 
CB
Michael Helik (28) Huddersfield - A Fee
El Yaakoubi (28) Excelsior - Free
Ben Gibson (31) Norwich - Free
Di’shon Bernard (23) Sheff Wed - Free
 
CM (6/8)
Ebou Adams (26) Cardiff - A Fee
Julian Baas (22) Excelsior - Free
Juninho Bacuna (26) Birmingham - A Fee
Shandon Baptiste (26) Brentford - Free
Bobby Clark (19) Liverpool - Loan
 
NUMBER 10
Adam Phillips (26) Barnsley - A Fee
Paris Maghoma (23) Brentford - Loan
Thordarson (25) Silkeborg - Free
Karamoko Dembele (21) Brest - Loan
Jack Taylor (25) Ipswich - Loan
 
WINGERS
Kasey McAteer (22) Leicester - Loan
Femi Azeez (22) Reading - A Fee
Jesuran Rak-Sakyi (21) Palace - Loan
 
ST
Theo Bair (24) Motherwell - A Fee
Mika Bierith (21) Arsenal - Loan
Tyrese Campbell (24) Stoke - Free
Ali Al Hamadi (22) Ipswich - Loan
Daniel Jebbison (20) Sheff UTD - Free

I'm sure I saw an interview with him where he said this had been done in January! He's also said that he doesn't expect any movement until June at the earliest.Players on holiday,initial contacts made and under discussion,house moves to be considered ,salaries,tours of Moor Farm etc etc -,these things all take time.I can also remember 2/3 players saying they'd signed for us weeks before announcements were made and ,for me,keeping a tight lid on incomings is the best way.As you say,time to relax and stop fretting about league tables for a few weeks!

Well, you can prove anything with facts! 
Yeah, they won the Conference in 12/13, the season after he left. (He is still playing, and just got promoted from the National League with Chesterfield.)

Kelle Roos from Nuneaton Town unfortunately 👍

If we exclude U21/23 signings...
Roos from Nuneaton, Pringle from Ilkeston, Holdsworth from Havant & Waterlooville

I absolutely love Peterborough's approach to recruitment - the most underrated in the country. The wages they pay are surprisingly small and the talent they bring to the club, develop and make a profit on is fantastic. They seem to take a player every year from Barnet so by extension they're doing something right there too. 
Ironically, with the player in question, I've never seen him play, never heard of him until he signed for Peterborough. Watched his highlights and instantly knew that based on his profile and the simple fact Peterborough have signed him that there is a big chance he's a name to remember. 
I'm really not sure how they do it so consistently - for as long as I can remember they have had a healthy supply of attacking options. It's all credit to the chairman who has created an environment that works. He knows the limitations of the club's infrastructure so sets out a vision to create a platform for young players to showcase their ability and have a business model whereby they make profits on players. It's not as though it's always a high quality manager/head coach at the helm but they always seem to be consistent in being the highest scoring team and frankly entertaining team at their natural level, League One. 
I think for any young player with ability wanting to make his way up the pyramid then Peterborough is a fantastic option and they've proven that time and again.

Good spot! Looks like he was the one drawn out to try and block the shot. Good job he didn't or he would have signed for us last year with a huge hole in his chest 💣

Brentford incrementally hoisted themselves from relative obscurity by recruiting players on a data based model of analysing player attributes, buying those that excel in footballing stats in relation to their playing positions and then selling them on when, surprise, surprise they repeated their statistical strengths at a higher level. 

Whilst some may scoff at this data-based approach, they got far more right than wrong and they're now in the Premier League and have made a profit on players of well north of £100m.

Bigger Premier League teams can afford to buy "off the peg" and mostly need instant results. We need to learn some lessons from Brentford if we want to slowly work our way back to the promised land. Mel mostly messed up by cherry picking some of the best players from our rivals, then trying to crowbar them into our team, ignoring the fact that we played a different style from the team we bought them from.

We've a long way to go before we can dream of a similar renaissance, but be more Brentford. Player stats are by no means perfect, but can lead you to spend your money wisely, and hit the jackpot of resales on a fairly frequent basis.

The first stat we should concentrate on is players who regularly are able to play 40+ games a year consistently.  At least you're not buying a " Maradonna for 5 games a season ".

Every penny will count this season. We're fairly lean now, with little debt. Not a time for risks.....

Good job, Rams fans 

The word 'elite' gets bandied about all the time in football, and I find it an annoying piece of marketing manager-speak.
When you describe Pep Guardiola, or whoever, as 'elite', it implies he's some kind of wizardly demi-god with secret football ju-ju. It's normally just who the football writes like at any particular time. It also gets used so often that it has become meaningless. I'm sure Marcus Rashford was an 'elite player' not long ago but now he can't get to ten goals.
The other weird phrase is 'in-and-around', as in, "We need to get the ball in-and-around James Collins." You want to get the ball in James Collins. Really? I don't think he'd like that.

I like it like that. Means everyone is pulling in the same direction when nothing is getting out there on our side. 

Tell me about it!
My Champ Man knowledge tells me Shaun broke through at Man City just recently....in about 2002.

Best of luck Marco, loved you back in the day. 
BBC News - Sunderland legend shares heart bypass surgery shock
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c722xmm8yvpo

Manchester City are just boring.
The players are like machines. They function well but I don't want to watch them.

A bit lightweight for Rugby League?

Not sure what the contract looks like, but he’s been offered the biggest deal ever in Preston’s history - larger than what both Sheff Utd and Coventry have offered. 
I’ve got to guess it’s going to be in excess of £35-40k a week. All the will in the world, well beyond what we’re going to be offering. 

Nathan Trott has an extraordinary record in Denmark, it took me a while to find the numbers but I can see why he’s so highly regarded, especially on the back of this season. 
XGOT - expected goal on target. 
He had a XGOT of 51.2 goals and he conceded 35. 75% save percentage. 
The numbers may even be the close to being the best in Europe, I’ve never seen a disparity like that personally. 

My head says, I would like us to start with a good sensible recruitment drive.  Sign players who are young with promise, I would like to see a few unknown foreign players...players who will contribute and become saleable assets.
I would also like to see us pick up a few Luke Planges from the Arsenals/Liverpools of the world, try and get some u21s who are on the cusp of the 1st team.
Id hope we see a team fighting and I would be happy to finish anywhere but relegation, ideally around mid table. And with another couple of decent windows, hopefully, we start challenging again.
HOWEVER...my heart says, lets ride this wave we are on, selling out the stadium, stick the house on Black, sign some players and lets go and win the bloody thing!
 

We'll probably have a new goalie, midfield, and strikers. Without knowing any in and outs yet, just staying up has to be the goal. 21st place with some hope for the future. It's tough to blend a new XI but if I trust Warne to do one thing, it's to create a positive team spirit. Good vibes, yeah?
I hope the fans adjust their expectations and back the team, not wet their pants and turn nasty if we're 20th at Christmas...

Beyond that, I'd like to see some entertaining football, recruitment of players with potential (and re-sale value), and some academy lads in the squad.

Steve Powell, Scot Gemmill, Andy Todd.

Your wish is my command! 😁 
Looking a little fragile defensively and on the bench mind...
Any I've missed?