England Ram

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. 

Just listened to CKR interview on RamsTV.......... I could listen to him all day!  Such an engaging and inspirational speaker and will be as big an influence off the pitch as he is on it.  I know he’s 34 but as he says, “age is just a number” and for me he deserves at least another 12 months contract and probably 2 years.

To be fair I wouldn't want them to.
They are a nice club who have tried to do things the right way and not throw millions at it and risk their future as a club. They are now financially secure and have a manager who comes across as a good bloke who is a supporter of the club. They have hard working players who give their all.
We deserved that record not only for the mess on the pitch but because we had two managers who were not focused on the job in hand. Billy was too busy moaning on the Wembley pitch and that never went right after that, we invested in some of the worst buys in club history and then Jewell came in, in more than one videoed place, and brought in even more crap in January.
When a club looks like beating our record when they are such a mess I'll happily give them the record.

To be fair I wouldn't want them to.
They are a nice club who have tried to do things the right way and not throw millions at it and risk their future as a club. They are now financially secure and have a manager who comes across as a good bloke who is a supporter of the club. They have hard working players who give their all.
We deserved that record not only for the mess on the pitch but because we had two managers who were not focused on the job in hand. Billy was too busy moaning on the Wembley pitch and that never went right after that, we invested in some of the worst buys in club history and then Jewell came in, in more than one videoed place, and brought in even more crap in January.
When a club looks like beating our record when they are such a mess I'll happily give them the record.

To be fair I wouldn't want them to.
They are a nice club who have tried to do things the right way and not throw millions at it and risk their future as a club. They are now financially secure and have a manager who comes across as a good bloke who is a supporter of the club. They have hard working players who give their all.
We deserved that record not only for the mess on the pitch but because we had two managers who were not focused on the job in hand. Billy was too busy moaning on the Wembley pitch and that never went right after that, we invested in some of the worst buys in club history and then Jewell came in, in more than one videoed place, and brought in even more crap in January.
When a club looks like beating our record when they are such a mess I'll happily give them the record.

To be fair I wouldn't want them to.
They are a nice club who have tried to do things the right way and not throw millions at it and risk their future as a club. They are now financially secure and have a manager who comes across as a good bloke who is a supporter of the club. They have hard working players who give their all.
We deserved that record not only for the mess on the pitch but because we had two managers who were not focused on the job in hand. Billy was too busy moaning on the Wembley pitch and that never went right after that, we invested in some of the worst buys in club history and then Jewell came in, in more than one videoed place, and brought in even more crap in January.
When a club looks like beating our record when they are such a mess I'll happily give them the record.

To be fair I wouldn't want them to.
They are a nice club who have tried to do things the right way and not throw millions at it and risk their future as a club. They are now financially secure and have a manager who comes across as a good bloke who is a supporter of the club. They have hard working players who give their all.
We deserved that record not only for the mess on the pitch but because we had two managers who were not focused on the job in hand. Billy was too busy moaning on the Wembley pitch and that never went right after that, we invested in some of the worst buys in club history and then Jewell came in, in more than one videoed place, and brought in even more crap in January.
When a club looks like beating our record when they are such a mess I'll happily give them the record.

I have felt too emotional about the whole situation to offer my view up to now.
My heart is broken for a good captain and warrior for DCFC. To be sacked from the club you have given 100% to on the pitch over seven gruelling seasons must be humiliating and make you feel dreadful.
However, my head now questions how much of Keogh's passion for Derby is real. The least favourable offer he turned down from the club, if accurate, of £3,000 per week, is more than the prime minister's salary and only slightly less than the chief police constable of Derbyshire who has responsibility for a huge budget and staff team  who do a tremendously difficult job every day at work.
He was also being offered free state of the art rehabilitation facilities, could start to work on his coaching badges if he wished and presumably would also be free to supplement his income with appearances on Sky ("like you say") or other options if that is his choice. Most importantly in all this he was being offered an opportunity to retain his status as a good servant of the club and the adoration and support of the fans.
He has chosen to reject all this for what? More money. Not much of a swap in my opinion.
His action will now by actively costing the club too as they will have been taking expensive legal advice and will have to continue to do so over the appeal and possible tribunal.
People are wondering why no official statement from Derby. I wonder whether the 'statement' we are reading is actually the dismissal letter to Keogh as the wording in it, including the 14 days' appeal time, reads like a letter from HR. 
I don't know if I am being overly supportive of my club, but the whole way this story has broken makes me think it has come from Keogh's side. He clearly feels very aggrieved about the way he is being treated.
I also think this will have been going back and forward for some time, that this is just the latest play from the club and that they might have been hoping for a response from Keogh that would have allowed him a successful appeal, rather than a messy, public and prolonged visit to an industrial tribunal.
All this is huge speculation on my part, for which I hold my hands up. It is coloured by my huge love for our club, rather than for any individual player, no matter how good a servant he has been to DCFC.
What I do know is that while Keogh still has my sympathy, he's lost my respect. 
 
 

Hi Simon