England Ram

Is it time to break this out again yet? 

Academy spend is exempt from P&S, but sales are not. So even if you spend £40m on the academy but only receive £1m in sales, you'd still be £1m better off for P&S than if you didn't have an academy at all.
Since the start of the 11/12 season, I believe we have spent the best part of £40m on the academy. We have have sold players for about £32m (based on transfermarkt and newspaper figures). But, we also have a number of players in the first team who will have a non-paper value. Assign values to the likes of Buchanan, Bird, Knight and Sibley, and I think it's fair to say we've got more out of the academy than we've put in

Exactly this. There are no guarantees in football and for every ten investors, only two are "succesful" - if success is measured on a scale of only promotion is good enough.
The other eight aren't all crooks or were rubbish. They just tried and failed. 
Overall the last seven years have been more enjoyable on the pitch than they haven't and I like others am just sad that it didn't work out for Mel. Have met him a few times I feel he is a decent guy who only ever wanted the best for this club.
There is no magic formula for success. I have just rewatched the review of the 13/14 season (I know!)
Leeds were in the High Court, look where they are now. Wigan, alternatively, were riding high. Look how divergent their future paths have been.
There's nothing guaranteed in football but we journey with hope, that's what we enjoy. 
For those of you that just enjoy wallowing in the misery, this may well have been your season, but beware, things might get better! 

Football club ownership is a lose/lose situation, doesn’t matter what they do, you’ve done it wrong.
They will be asked to sit in the corner, be quiet, just sign the cheques, but wait, why are they so quiet, we demand answers.
Cut back spending, be sensible, wait a minute we still want that £10m striker and £5m defender, and a £8m keeper....oh and don’t forget that £7m midfielder....but don’t you dare take us close to that FFP limit, no football club should be losing money.
Bored now, we need a new owner, anyone just get rid...wait not him, we don’t want him Jesus, but get rid asap.
Hold on, why’s this guy wanting to buy a second tier football club, I smell something fishy, what’s his intentions, why us, why not one of those football clubs that actually make money like erm...errrrrm....
Honestly, I could be the richest man in the world, sat in trillions in the bank account and I would never touch a football club, even Derby. 
I could turn us into the next Man City and some would still have something to complain about, winning leagues, competing in Europe but yeah that David bloke what a @#%! for killing the atmosphere and turning us into a tourist fan club, all those fake fans over in Asia. I want to see us lose games, can’t remember the last time I saw us get a classic Derby tonking.
Now imagine football clubs owned by football fans, oh my, a group of Newcastle fans are looking to buy a stake in their club. Can already see the fall out there, desperate to get rid of Ashley they donate all they can, then Ant and Dec disagree over firing the manager, Cheryl Cole storms off wanting her £5.68 back as she thought one of the fans would be appointed manager.
Would not touch with a barge pole.

Which is what we are doing now. But fans will moan about that when they have endure mid table mediocrity (as an aspiration). Remember the Nigel Clough years and protests outside the ground at GSE?! And they ran the club responsibly.
Mel tried to get us out of this league. He’s stood by the club bankrolling it and not walked away until a buyer is in place. He made some big mistakes early on with signings and managerial appointments that has ultimately cost him and us down the line - not helped by ridiculous FFP rules. But he’s done it out of a need of trying to compete with clubs with parachute payments. Right intentions always, yes he’s made some mistakes, yes he’s not immune from criticism but some of the flak he gets is unjustified. 
 

Have you been talking to my wife?

Prove you know more than me about kebabs - I dare you. 

It never cease to amaze me how suddenly people become experts in business, finance and football takeovers - when in reality, their only expertise is on kebabs, eBay and Amazon. 
All I care about is being able to watch my team, hopefully do well, be entertained - and that’s it. 
I’ll just chill my beanz and watch other ‘know it all’s’ go in to sizemic meltdowns ?
 
 

Just watching them attack is a joy to see.
Overlapping midfielders and forward movement as soon as they have chance both out wide and through the middle. 
Lovely to see what can happen when you take it to the opposition and make them worry about you. 
 
let’s hope it’s 9/10 - 0 tonight to give us a few goals to the good next match ?

*waits for Sheffield Wednesday fan to turn up and tell us all the doom and gloom before nearly 500 pages of nothing ensues*

So after 133 years of playing football, we've averaged a very "meh" 1.4 points per game. Mid-table.
Just about sums us up, really.
I blame Keogh

Good signing this.  Adds some real paces d experience to our front line. 
Brilliant job all round to get 5 in. 

DCFCFans at 11pm

He’s a young lad who might just make the most money in one go that he will ever see if his career doesn’t pan out. He’s 16. He’s not a Derby fan. 
How many of us at that age could honestly say we wouldn’t jump at the chance at a massive pay off, just for moving clubs. 

Sometimes fans have an absolute skewed view of life. 

I run my own company that I’ve built from the ground up. My wife is my business partner and we are now quite successful and growing. I couldn’t be more invested in the company I work for and love being my own boss. I consider myself as a very loyal type.
However, even I had my head turned when I was head hunted by a national company and was really tempted to join them and in part it was the pay incentive, the ‘national’ aspect etc. In the end I decided to stay and continue to grow my own company, but it was a massive decision for me. 
And some of us are expecting a 16 year old with no other investment in the club than a year or so of training to NOT be enticed by a big pay day and ‘national’ pull. 

He’s a young lad who might just make the most money in one go that he will ever see if his career doesn’t pan out. He’s 16. He’s not a Derby fan. 
How many of us at that age could honestly say we wouldn’t jump at the chance at a massive pay off, just for moving clubs. 

Sometimes fans have an absolute skewed view of life. 

I run my own company that I’ve built from the ground up. My wife is my business partner and we are now quite successful and growing. I couldn’t be more invested in the company I work for and love being my own boss. I consider myself as a very loyal type.
However, even I had my head turned when I was head hunted by a national company and was really tempted to join them and in part it was the pay incentive, the ‘national’ aspect etc. In the end I decided to stay and continue to grow my own company, but it was a massive decision for me. 
And some of us are expecting a 16 year old with no other investment in the club than a year or so of training to NOT be enticed by a big pay day and ‘national’ pull. 

He’s a young lad who might just make the most money in one go that he will ever see if his career doesn’t pan out. He’s 16. He’s not a Derby fan. 
How many of us at that age could honestly say we wouldn’t jump at the chance at a massive pay off, just for moving clubs. 

Sometimes fans have an absolute skewed view of life. 

I run my own company that I’ve built from the ground up. My wife is my business partner and we are now quite successful and growing. I couldn’t be more invested in the company I work for and love being my own boss. I consider myself as a very loyal type.
However, even I had my head turned when I was head hunted by a national company and was really tempted to join them and in part it was the pay incentive, the ‘national’ aspect etc. In the end I decided to stay and continue to grow my own company, but it was a massive decision for me. 
And some of us are expecting a 16 year old with no other investment in the club than a year or so of training to NOT be enticed by a big pay day and ‘national’ pull. 

He’s a young lad who might just make the most money in one go that he will ever see if his career doesn’t pan out. He’s 16. He’s not a Derby fan. 
How many of us at that age could honestly say we wouldn’t jump at the chance at a massive pay off, just for moving clubs. 

Sometimes fans have an absolute skewed view of life. 

I run my own company that I’ve built from the ground up. My wife is my business partner and we are now quite successful and growing. I couldn’t be more invested in the company I work for and love being my own boss. I consider myself as a very loyal type.
However, even I had my head turned when I was head hunted by a national company and was really tempted to join them and in part it was the pay incentive, the ‘national’ aspect etc. In the end I decided to stay and continue to grow my own company, but it was a massive decision for me. 
And some of us are expecting a 16 year old with no other investment in the club than a year or so of training to NOT be enticed by a big pay day and ‘national’ pull. 

He’s a young lad who might just make the most money in one go that he will ever see if his career doesn’t pan out. He’s 16. He’s not a Derby fan. 
How many of us at that age could honestly say we wouldn’t jump at the chance at a massive pay off, just for moving clubs. 

Sometimes fans have an absolute skewed view of life. 

I run my own company that I’ve built from the ground up. My wife is my business partner and we are now quite successful and growing. I couldn’t be more invested in the company I work for and love being my own boss. I consider myself as a very loyal type.
However, even I had my head turned when I was head hunted by a national company and was really tempted to join them and in part it was the pay incentive, the ‘national’ aspect etc. In the end I decided to stay and continue to grow my own company, but it was a massive decision for me. 
And some of us are expecting a 16 year old with no other investment in the club than a year or so of training to NOT be enticed by a big pay day and ‘national’ pull. 

He’s a young lad who might just make the most money in one go that he will ever see if his career doesn’t pan out. He’s 16. He’s not a Derby fan. 
How many of us at that age could honestly say we wouldn’t jump at the chance at a massive pay off, just for moving clubs. 

Sometimes fans have an absolute skewed view of life. 

I run my own company that I’ve built from the ground up. My wife is my business partner and we are now quite successful and growing. I couldn’t be more invested in the company I work for and love being my own boss. I consider myself as a very loyal type.
However, even I had my head turned when I was head hunted by a national company and was really tempted to join them and in part it was the pay incentive, the ‘national’ aspect etc. In the end I decided to stay and continue to grow my own company, but it was a massive decision for me. 
And some of us are expecting a 16 year old with no other investment in the club than a year or so of training to NOT be enticed by a big pay day and ‘national’ pull. 

He’s a young lad who might just make the most money in one go that he will ever see if his career doesn’t pan out. He’s 16. He’s not a Derby fan. 
How many of us at that age could honestly say we wouldn’t jump at the chance at a massive pay off, just for moving clubs. 

Sometimes fans have an absolute skewed view of life. 

I run my own company that I’ve built from the ground up. My wife is my business partner and we are now quite successful and growing. I couldn’t be more invested in the company I work for and love being my own boss. I consider myself as a very loyal type.
However, even I had my head turned when I was head hunted by a national company and was really tempted to join them and in part it was the pay incentive, the ‘national’ aspect etc. In the end I decided to stay and continue to grow my own company, but it was a massive decision for me. 
And some of us are expecting a 16 year old with no other investment in the club than a year or so of training to NOT be enticed by a big pay day and ‘national’ pull.