Banksy

The FA Youth Cup third round tie against Man Utd is provisionally arranged to be played at Old Trafford on Tuesday 19th December.

Phew......Derby win 10-9 on penalties. Thank goodness.

Full time. Gone to penalties.

1-1 latest score. Staveley's goal from a free kick: COYR we can beat these...they're from Step 6.

Minutes too for Banks with Oguntulu and Eames on the bench. They only got minutes as subs the Youth Cup game at Bolton.

Good to see them giving Evans some minutes after three games sitting on the bench at Barwell.

I agree with that. I think the same about Jack Thompson too. Did you miss him out or does it not apply to him?

Neither do I with the exception of Brown and Weston. I just couldn't take seriously your expectations of some of the others.

I know that Matt Hamshaw and Andy Warrington were taking a direct interest before this to be fair. Back in October the academy coaches had considered putting Jack Thompson into the U21 side. Discussions surrounded as to whether or not he was ready to step up at 16. Hamshaw and Warrington watched him in the U18 team and said they wanted to see him in the U21s because they thought he was ready and so he was put in. A friend of mine watched the game on the TV stream last night and he says that Bradley Johnson commented that having Thompson in goal is almost like having an extra defender because he is so good with the ball at his feet and the defence use him in passing out from the back. In fairness to Warne and his staff this is the first time they have been at a club with an academy. Using the available resources at the right time may be a learning curve for them. The interviews I have seen with Matt Hale, Craig Fleming, Bucko and Danny Maye are very encouraging for me and I think we may be seeing positive signs of a closer bonding between the first team and academy coaches. I hope so because it can only be for the greater good of the club.

David Clowes and the first-team coaches sat together near to where I was sitting. They also attended the previous tie at Mansfield. Matt Hamshaw and Andy Warrington watched the last 70 minutes of the U21 game against Arsenal on Friday. It's a very recent phenomenon and good to see. None of them joined Nigel Clough on the bench at the U21 game at Mansfield early in the month. Maybe it's not just a coincidence that this has come about since @Ghost of Clough and @Bald Eagle's Barmy Army raised their concerns. I hope so because it's very positive to think that those running the club will take notice of what they see as valid fan opinions.

I was bored to tears last week with the lack of football to watch and except for the two England games there was hardly anything of much interest on TV. Now, I've been to the game yesterday, I'm going to the Youth Cup game at Bolton tomorrow and then Port Vale on Tuesday. My wife asked me if I've got a day off this week and I had a slip of the tongue and said Wednesday . I've just realised the U21 have a Derbyshire Cup game on Wednesday at Staveley MW.....Oops. That one is going to have to hit my pocket....... quick trip to the florists for a bouquet in the morning and that should fix it. She loves her flowers as much as I love the Rams and my wife of course. I think the job's a good 'un. 😉😂🐏🐏.

No clubs publicise internal discussions. Why should they? It's where issues get thrashed out. This is a rebuild of the whole club and a work in progress. It's the end product that matters. If anyone involved can't buy into it, there's always someone waiting in the wings. The head coach is directly accountable to the owner, not the fans. Thank goodness.

Not worrying about this. It's almost the identical story to when Jack Thompson was offered his contract. Then it was Chelsea, City and Spurs; always top six clubs that are suddenly interested. Agents feeding desperate journalists a story knowing they'll print it and it gives publicity for the client. I think the need for a pathway is recognised within the club and it will be defined. That's how Hale worked at Southampton. He and Fleming and the other academy coaches have not come here to be messed about. The academy as a resource is vital to the club and we simply have to make best use of it. I'm sure Warne will come to realise that very soon if he doesn't already.

I can't be getting too excited or worried about this speculation. This is not the first time we've been here with newspaper gossip about top six clubs coming after our youngsters as soon as the club has offered them a professional contract in the past couple of years when it's turned out to be nothing more than their agent feeding journalists bogus information merely for publicity purposes.; it's always the very biggest clubs mentioned, not Brighton, Southampton, Villa, Leicester etc. I don't know if that is the case with Allen and Nixon but few of us would pay Nicko for information and it has exactly the same whiff of what went before.

Danny Maye's preview of the 2nd round FA Youth Cup tie away to Bolton Wanderers at the Toughsheet Community Stadium tomorrow night. https://fb.watch/oz9FjLssut/ Let's hope it's Toughsheet for the Trotters and not the Young Rams 🐏🐏🐏.