Wanderlust

Totally agree with this - Ferguson has rested some of his better players and removed the risk of injury, tiredness and suspension in preparation for the playoffs, whereas Evatt is now faced with a game of chicken trying to work out who should be risked and at what point does he take the better players off? The chances of you not winning and us winning by 3 or more is 175 -1 with some bookies so why does he even consider playing his best side against Posh? Other than the argument of coming into the playoffs with a winning mentality? He could regret it if key players are injured again at this stage. It's a dilemma.

A four goal victory bridges the seven goal swing required Warren - but it's irrelevant as Derby will not lose to Carlisle. Sure it will be a bit of fun for a while on the final day, but although most Rams fans on here are fairly sensible, they, like us, have their idiots and you really shouldn't encourage them by talking about our chances of replacing them in second. Let their idiots troll our idiots and leave them to it. The sensible Rams - and their manager - were gracious enough to recognise they were lucky to get the points against us to put them where they are so the least we can do is be gracious enough to accept our fate and focus on the our own games - and the fact that we actually threw away the title (and 20+ points) through poor performances against teams in the bottom half earlier in the season. Probably best just to say "well done Derby" and leave it at that.

OK just for you, it was handball. But the reality is we created the better chances and didn't take them, and a lot of credit has to go to your goalie. Equally, the responsibility lies with our strikers who are simply not as ruthless as our usual starters, especially Dion Charles. As I mentioned during the match when we were battering you but couldn't score in a brothel, it was obvious that you'd get a scabby goal to win it which you did, but that's football folks - you don't always get what you deserve, and we didn't deserve to lose that, not that you care. The irony is that it was Kane Wilson who was credited with the goal - a player we'd agreed a fee with Brizzle to sign, but didn't in the end as his personal terms and wage demands were too high for us, so he came to you instead. Anyhoo, onwards and sideways.....

Well done. Thought we deserved more but that's football. See how it goes from here on in, but glad I don't have to watch that every week TBH. We'll live 🙂

SEVEN minutes??? Is that all?

LOL Had to happen and had to be Wilson.

All this lying down business - there's going to be 15 minutes added time at this rate.

All this shithousing and rolling around is breaking up our play. Sure sign you'll nick one.

What a save from Wildsmith!

This is a historic fixture. One of ours scored the first goal ever in worldwide league football against you in a game you went on to win - 137 years ago! We have an appalling away record against you - the 4th worst of all the teams we've played. You've halted your slide down the leagues, we're on the way back from the brink of extinction. Two original clubs. History points to you winning again today and the contrast of styles and tactics will be decisive one way or the other. We're nervous - you're nervous - it's massive and PP will be full. Which for a League 1 game is outstanding. Whoever wins - fair play.

I apologise unreservedly and if it was up to me I'd hand you the one point now.

Which bit of "water under the bridge" do you not get? I'm not complaining - just expressing a widely-held opinion and anyhoo it's all about this afternoon - when almost anything could happen.

Whilst I'm posting, thought you might enjoy this "alternative" commentary on our Oxford game. Please note it contains a lot of swearing and - more worryingly - Peter Kay so not for the "sensitive".

Well said.

OK point made. Interpretation - the core element of a discussion forum. Anyhoo, it's water under the bridge and we need to lighten the mood so let's cheer ourselves up and watch the EFL goal of the month for February...:)

"Everyone" being the Derby fans - and the ref? Haven't met a single person who isn't a fan of either BWFC or DCFC who doesn't think Gayle was cheating. TBF, several Derby fans went on the Reading fans forum and "apologised" for the incident, acknowledging Gayle conned the ref and it was a poor decision and should never had been a pen. But whilst that was agreed the Reading fans were gracious enough to say one bad decision doesn't make a bad referee.

OK - interpretation. But IMO the goalie was almost standing still with his hands ready to catch it, whereas Gayle was full pelt and extended his arm to knock it out of the goalie's hand. And I'm struggling to see how handling the ball is a natural reaction to being worried about the contact.

We're wondering the same - it's a dilemma for Evatt because he changed things up for the Oxford game and put more emphasis on depending on Santos' athleticism to snuff out any counter attacks - he is a beast after all, but he's not been at his best recently. Conversely, it would be risky for the Rams to commit too many players forward as our midfield plays quickly through the lines and we'll be in your box faster than you can say rampant rabbit. A problem for both managers and it will be interesting to see which way it goes.

You know I try to be fair in my comments and I have to point out that I hope you do play like you did last week, because every other referee on the planet would see what everyone impartial fan in the country saw and would have sent the cheating, handballing con man Gayle off and you wouldn't have won leaving us ahead of you in the league. Is that not fair or are you going to convince me he didn't handball it and dive into the goalie?

He's not been a regular starter for a while now since he came back from injury. Did really well for us when were down to the bare bones a couple of months ago but had to play with - check this out - a broken vertebrae. I s*** you not - we were desperate. Anyway he was rested when George T returned from suspension and has mainly been used as a sub since. Sheehan and George Thomason are the string pullers, with Sheehan playing just in front of the back 3. More recently, Maghoma has been playing too. All 3 can make killer passes. Some of our better players are out for the season - a couple will be returning soon hopefully. As regards our wage structure, it's changed a lot over the last 2 years. A lot of our players were bought on the cheap e.g. our captain Santos from Barnet and Eoin Toal from Derry City who was £75k - although this rose by another £75k when he was capped for NI - however I can't imagine he's on much. But in January we splashed out on Collins (est £750k) as we had no strikers under the age of 30 still fit, and he'll be on a load. Generally though we've stuck to a firm wage cap. That tight-fisted approach cost us as we walked away from two excellent players whose personal demands scuppered the deals despite the clubs agreeing a sale. And the team cost around £2.5 million in transfers including signings for the B team. Wages a lot less than yours but more than half I'd have thought.

There won't be any room :)

Not a clue how it will turn out but there will be goals - so not 0 - 0.

Yup - it's all about who performs on the day. But we totally dominated Oxford.

t was the beautiful football we played early in the season - something we've not seen for a while....

I know a few Wanderers fans who predict we'll win every game even though we don't and I know plenty like me, who are hopeful but I don't know a single one who is "confident". Mainly because we don't know which Wanderers team will turn up.