England Ram

As someone who has been right in the middle of this I'll clarify a few points as to what has been shared quite candidly with me with the head supervisor and steward over that area (not their boss as he keeps himself away from coming down to our block but does stand around before the game in the upper block behind us) .
 
For some context as to my knowledge etc....
I sit on the very back row of Block I which has been highlighted in the opening picture. Myself and my lad are usually one of the first in to the ground so get to spend around an hour in our seating area every match and have a great relationship with all the stewards near us as we have been there for around 9 years.
All of this stewarding and not selling the match day tickets has come about by the club receiving more than one complaint from people who sit in the first few rows of block J who sit during the game and can't see due to those in the block below them standing.
After receiving some of these complaints the club had a representative of the board, or someone reporting directly to the board sit in upper block I to see first hand what the problem is. This was done in the Bolton game and may have also been done in the Barnsley game before.
From what they saw the report back was to remove those who are not season ticket holders from the lower block I particularly so that those left could be identified and challenged and potentially blocked from the ground if they persist in breaking the ground rules and stand up.
From that many of us in both the upper and lower blocks received an email, although the stewards have been told that the club are not actually bothered by those standing at the top of J block as no one is complaining behind them and they won't challenge the South stand as the club feel that everyone in that area go there with the understanding that it is a 'standing' area so they don't complain.
The only real area of concern and focus is our lower block I due to those in the bottom seats of block J who complain, even though they have curtailed sales in the other nearby blocks.
The stewards are aware, and I have replied in my email to the club to explain the same, that if someone even 3 or 4 rows in front of us stands up, our view of the game is obscured or blocked.
We are always mindful on the back row to try and perch as much as we can (actually causing some real leg and arse pain in the process) if the 4th row in front is standing, but this is only when the two rows directly in front of us are also perching or sitting because as soon as they stand, we have to stand or we see nothing.
None of us have ever complained about the standing, even when one of the ladies was 8 months pregnant coming to the games as we love the atmosphere and banter in the area, even if we'd chose to sit if we could.
Do I understand people complaining.....slightly, and I do get the whole 'it's the rules' argument if it is enforced equally around the ground, but some of these are the same people who remained seated V Morcombe when we scored, all 5, got the pennos and throughout all celebrations and following chants etc so they are always going to miss something when the rest of the ground are on their feet.
One in particular has made it a point to complain for a long time and even though they have a right to sit in the seat with the ticket they bought, the dynamic of that whole area has changed from what it was, so it may not be the best place for them to remain seated etc compared to the few hundred who now enjoy the match day experience differently there and all those who have to stand to be able to see as well.
If the club want to stop the standing, as in really stop the standing in that area, the stewards and the club need to challenge those at the front who stand with no one in front of them as they are the real cause of the issue, if it is deemed to be one. As soon as they remain standing it has a knock on effect to the rest of the block. It annoyed everyone of us near the back to be challenged when we don't chose to stand, we are forced to stand to see the game as others obscure or block our views.
 
I've had no reply to my email after they sent me one so have not been able to enter discussions directly with the club, but the stewards are doing what they have been instructed to by the club.
Hope that helps in expanding on the explanation a bit.

Dear EFL,
Please can you explain how he passed your fit and proper owners test?
Ta
SaffyRam ?

[Insert club name] fan here in peace
Why is it we never get any topics with....
[Insert club name] fan here to be an arse

Wednesday fan in peace. Tough times for us both, 2 great clubs who’s fans deserve better than what we are getting at the minute. Hope you guys join us in the top 2 come end of the season. On current form, there’s no doubt about it. Have great memories of the baseball ground. That epic 3-3 fa cup game in 1993 is the best away game I’ve been to. Up the owls & rams ?

- Eiran Cashin. Well on the way to becoming a Derby County legend.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64539624
 

Oh.  The link is there mate.  Very much so.
Try unbuttoning your shirt, and rip open your chest.  You'll find him in there... right next to your beating heart!  He is in each and every one of us.  Some just don't realise it!
?

Hi lads, Spurs fan here!

I watch quite a lot of our u21 games so hopefully I can give a fair assessment of where he's at and what he might bring you.
He's a very versatile player, he mainly plays CM or DM but has filled in at LB (our u21s dont have a natural LB) a lot and played at LM. Conte even started him as a false 9 in place of Kane in our post-worldcup friendlies but before you get your hopes up he's not a natural striker! IMO like a lot of creative players his best role is possibly AM in a free role but he's not played there much recently because our u21 team has quite a lot of forwards to accommodate. He was loaned out to Pompey a couple of seasons ago and I believe the club have had loan offers for him pretty much every window since but they've been blocked by the club for various reason which has frustratingly stalled his development a bit. He's got great range of passing and not sure how many of them are on youtube but he's scored some unbelievable direct freekicks over the years in the youth teams. The youth coaches have said he's one of the smartest players they've coached and according to the Pompey manager when he was there he's very easy to coach, "You only have to tell him an instruction once. He's like a sponge and you'll tell him something once and then he'll be doing it. He's so easy to coach, a coach's dream."
 
Hopefully it all goes ahead and he does well for you and maybe he can go on loan again with you next season in the championship ?

Irrespective of whether we catch the top 2 or not (unlikely in my opinion but stranger things have happened), isn't this just quite enjoyable?
We're on an unbeaten run, conceding few goals and having some good days out as fans. Fourth in the league, competitive, good morale, smiles on faces. What's not to like?
This is the reason I wasn't fussed about being relegated to L1. There was always the chance that we might have a good time in this division. And besides, the way I see it we have two promotions to aim for. Compare this to when we were in the Championship, desperate for promotion to the supposed promised land and filled with bitterness, bickering and dissatisfaction.
In short, these are good days. Enjoy them because that's what follwing a team is all about.

If Mr Clowes trusts him then that’s good enough for me.

I can't wait until we're crowned champions and we're all dancing around singing "We only had 5 men, we only had 5 men. 5 men......"

Football is about perspectives, but I thought it was a good game to watch against two, evenly matched, teams.
I actually thought we were the better team and, if Collins could have connected with that half volley, we could have won.
I also think we need some context, Sheff Weds have more experience in this league now and a bigger, more settled, squad. 
All in all, probably a fair result and one that gives me optimism, I think Warne is hardening our, at times, soft underbelly ?
 
 

That comment aged well….. 

I think he’s the type of player that needs the right compliment next to him to bring out his best. 
put him next to a tackler/ harrier/ sitting type player and he will be at his best. 
Sit him next to someone similar to himself and he gets lost. 

I think he’s the type of player that needs the right compliment next to him to bring out his best. 
put him next to a tackler/ harrier/ sitting type player and he will be at his best. 
Sit him next to someone similar to himself and he gets lost. 

I think he’s the type of player that needs the right compliment next to him to bring out his best. 
put him next to a tackler/ harrier/ sitting type player and he will be at his best. 
Sit him next to someone similar to himself and he gets lost. 

Warne has already said some of the positions he is looking to strengthen and none are really a surprise.
We need a:
New right back - Obviously the young lad from Man City is not ready yet so he's already said there's a dearth of talent there.
Wing backs -  We don't actually have anyone who plays that position as a norm. We have two/one serviceable players in NML and Barks but neither has that as their preferred position.
Center Back - He's already alluded to the age and injuries we are sustaining and to play 3 of them will wear them out quicker. Even if he decides to stay with two we won't get the rest of the season with Davies and Chester without getting injured again.
Forwards - Originally he did say we had good cover but lately he has been saying how some of the younger lads are not ready to step in and the quality hasn't been there, so one more in this department if possible.
I'd say that's 5 players possibly he'd like to bring in.
If we add getting Belik back that would be a good boost to the squad and give us some strength in depth which we are sorely lacking now.
Will we get 5? Can we afford 5? We will have to wait and see.

Fantastic win by the sound of it. Look forward to watching the full 90 back on RamsTV, which I haven't always been able to say. Always makes the weekend better.

I’m working at a wedding full of Ipswich fans. 
The atmosphere just took a nose dive as I’m smiling to myself. 
The little joy after missing the game today! 

I’m working at a wedding full of Ipswich fans. 
The atmosphere just took a nose dive as I’m smiling to myself. 
The little joy after missing the game today! 

I’m working at a wedding full of Ipswich fans. 
The atmosphere just took a nose dive as I’m smiling to myself. 
The little joy after missing the game today! 

We played more long balls against Plymouth (62) and Wycombe (63) than we did against Port Vale (52), so I'm not sure where the assumption we've now suddenly become a long ball team has come from? 
We're getting the ball forward quicker, but not necessarily by long passing. It's usually just getting the ball forward, down the wings and then in the box. It's disappointing to lose a game that we should definitely be winning, but important to not let assumptions/prejudices get into the way of the facts. 

It is interesting to me that if we had played the way we did in the first half for the whole game and finished those chances the response would have been massively different.
The team were clapped off at half time, the fans were on the whole excited for a less pedestrian approach and it wasn't hoof ball but a quicker progression of play and Vale were on the back foot for a lot of it.
The fans were off their seats expecting a goal way more than we have been.
The second half changed with the two brain dead decisions from our players, firstly to conceded the second peno and then the sending off. After that happened we went long aimless ball and played into their hands and the football was awful.

I'll take us playing like we did in the first half any time over passing it around at the back for 30 mins out of the 45 and possibly mustering a shot once a half.
I'll give Warne no criticism for that second half as the team went away from his direction and the errors were all our own making (peno, sending off, losing the ball running in front of our back 4 when a simple pass is on etc) and I'm not a clapper, just feel I am more of a realist when I'd seen the posative reaction of the fans after that first half.

It is interesting to me that if we had played the way we did in the first half for the whole game and finished those chances the response would have been massively different.
The team were clapped off at half time, the fans were on the whole excited for a less pedestrian approach and it wasn't hoof ball but a quicker progression of play and Vale were on the back foot for a lot of it.
The fans were off their seats expecting a goal way more than we have been.
The second half changed with the two brain dead decisions from our players, firstly to conceded the second peno and then the sending off. After that happened we went long aimless ball and played into their hands and the football was awful.

I'll take us playing like we did in the first half any time over passing it around at the back for 30 mins out of the 45 and possibly mustering a shot once a half.
I'll give Warne no criticism for that second half as the team went away from his direction and the errors were all our own making (peno, sending off, losing the ball running in front of our back 4 when a simple pass is on etc) and I'm not a clapper, just feel I am more of a realist when I'd seen the posative reaction of the fans after that first half.

Stop passing out from the back they said, get the ball forward more quickly they said.... ?