LeedsCityRam

Would be disappointed if it wasn't an unchanged side - lots of positivity about the line up so makes no sense to change it unless we're forced into it by injury. Warne is also the least likely Derby manager in recent times to change a winning team so strongly suspect we will be unchanged.

Reading are not to be taken lightly given the quality they have (and that the EFL continually wave through for them to 'buy' despite their ongoing financial incontinence) - they're also not clear of relegation yet & probably fear another points deduction before the season is out, so will be highly motivated.

It will be a tightly fought contest & I would like to see us dominate the ball throughout like we did first half on Saturday but with a better final ball. Getting them chasing the ball will tire them out & also conserve our energy after Saturday's effort - definitely don't want to see us camped in our own half looking to hit them on the break. Lots of quality options off the bench if the game is finely poised after 60/70 mins - any sign of fatigue from Saturday's exertions & we have to be proactive with getting subs on the park.

Derby 2 Blandest club in Britain 1

FRGS Gayle

1 minute ago, sage said:

Another goal and assist from Barkhuizen. May actually start to be appreciated now 

Yes, no coincidence we look much better with Barkhuizen back in the side. Get the sense his languid, slightly disheveled demeanour masks his true quality & workrate in the eyes of some. He is significantly better than Kane Wilson in that role...a genuine final third threat & likely creates more space for Gayle & Mendez-Laing with being on the park. Another crucial part of this well balanced team.

1 hour ago, Ambitious said:

I don’t want to get ahead of myself or allow myself to be excited, but.. I feel like something has finally clicked.

Best performance we’ve ever had under Warne, in my opinion. We’ve fell on to a workable system, the main reason was the recruitment staff doing their job and finding a gem in Ebou Adams and very recently I think it’s not in any small part to having to change the dynamic with Gayle upfront. I believe these two signings in particular have changed our fortunes, similarly to how Nyambe did earlier in the season.

Sibley and Ward are excelling. The defence are well balanced, the cohesion between the midfield and defence is significantly better, gaps aren’t as freely available for the other team and we are now working well going forward. I think we actually look like a team now, which for the majority of the season has definitely been missing something. The last two performances, the dynamic of the team, I’m finally hopeful. 

Very much how I feel, I don't want to get carried away either but as soon as I saw the line up last Saturday I thought 'that potentially works very well' and the evidence is starting to mount up on the pitch. The team looks very well balanced with plenty of attacking options & defensive cover - the inclusion of Adams & wing backs with real menace has improved us massively. And whilst I don't imagine Gayle would be Warne's ideal number 9 (in comparison to say Michael Smith), he has given us a real cutting edge, changed our delivery slightly to being more accurate/ground based & works very well in tandem with our wide men.

Our problem this season has been posting dominant home displays & the next week will tell us a lot about how 'all-court' this system is. What I particularly liked about yesterday was how we played first half - kept it on the deck, moved them around & dominated territory. It was only some wayward final 3rd balls & reluctance to shoot (and a duff offside call) that stopped us converting our dominance into goals & that tells me it is a system that could be equally effective at PP.  Could be a defining week ahead - Reading are a perennial pain in the backside with some good players who will make it difficult & Bolton are a direct top 2 rival with all the occasion pressure that will bring. Two games I would ordinarily expect us to struggle in but if we win both, I'll be finally thinking top 2 is definitely on.

Excellent performance, excellent result & with results elsewhere, a brillant day.

Whilst its fair to say we didn't trouble the keeper too much first 45 mins, I was really pleased with the display. Got the ball down & played some smart stuff, Bristol were very much second best even though the ref was allowing them snidey little trips & then responding to any home crowd noise with decisions their way. The offside goal was a fantastic move, such a shame Gayle (?) strayed slightly. Sibley & Ward again made the 3-4-3 very potent...I enjoyed the football.

Second half we reverted to our typical away style as they picked up the tempo & we just picked them off. 0-3 probably flattered them given the chances we missed. That front 3 of Barkhuizen, Mendez-Laing & Gayle looks so dangerous on the counter and some great decision making/finishing from all 3. Good subs as well, Korey Smith added a measure of control as they were building up a head of steam & Waghorn kept up the forward press intensity. Well done all.

Massive 2 games coming up but keep that line up & level of intensity and we won't go far wrong. COYR 💪

5 hours ago, NottsRam77 said:

With due respect your taking one year in isolation….

anyone that knows anything at all about bitcoin or has cared to do any research knows that it is an opensource protocol based around 4 year cycles / halving events.

anyone who puts money into something with a one year hope of return isnt investing is merely hopefully speculating/ gambling.

over a long term period from 2008 u can pick any cycle you like and bitcoin has outperformed any other global stock.

im not suggesting anyone gets involved, certainly if they are sceptical likes yourself im just pointing out the facts  

maybe it is a bubble .. but its a bubble walls street are now buying mindblowing amounts of daily that will be sat in most of our pension pots to try and beat inflation without us even realising 

welcome to the club 😉 lol

yours truly 

M saylor 😂

Probably also worth mentioning that other bubbles (Dotcom Bubble, 17th century Dutch Tulip Bubble & 18th century South Sea Bubble) lasted 2-3 years...Bitcoin has been here 15 years, has survived price collapses & come back much stronger every time.

As you rightly say, it has outperformed any global asset by some magnitude & there is a reason that US authorities are seeking to regulate it properly for corporate investors. Wouldnt worry about the cynicism though, dont forget there were plenty of 'wise' folk in the late 90s who thought the internet was a passing fad & would die out 😆

Gas 1 Derby 0

10 hours ago, Srg said:

No one is ever beating 11 points, and I've long since made peace with that.

The rest of it is just whatever, but Sheffield United are truly horrific. That's 16 goals conceded in their last 3 home games (a record). 3 teams have scored more goals at Bramall Lane this year than they have.

I agree its unlikely we'll ever lose the 11 point record but Sheff Utd are very fortunate there is another team struggling just as badly pointswise (Burnley). 2007/08 was such a strong division & we were so much worse than the 19th best team hence the total. We also had a manager who seemed to be sabotaging the squad from the outset in some strange power game with the board. A perfect storm.

As others mention, the way we rallied around such a poor team was different class & won us a lot of respect from Prem clubs & media. Am really struggling to think of a fanbase that dial up their support when times are so grim...we saw similiar in 2021/22 when in administration. Probably why the 'entitlement' accusation has so infuriated me this season, like we're not ever allowed to demand success even after such a garbage last 20 years.

18 minutes ago, Stive Pesley said:

I guess the real trouble comes when the big financial institutions start leveraging their BTC holdings to generate returns?

 

Yes, definitely some systemic risk there considering how volatile BTC can be, the fresh availability of ETFs & loose regulation. Although most consider leverage & crypto to be a pretty bad combination, 2004-08 proves that if big banks/institutions can see ever higher profits, they'll take crazy risks to do it. In the short term that could send BTC price rocketing but wouldn't rule out crashes (and financial market contagion) either if a couple of institutions over-reach.

On 01/03/2024 at 16:57, Stive Pesley said:

Interesting article on the BBC about who holds all the BTC

Looks like the big banks and investment companies are now coming along to take control of the situation for us

With only 1% of the "ordinary" global population holding BTC, it's hard to see how it's ever going to become the miracle solution to FIAT money

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-68434579

I wouldn't see BTC as the solution in itself to fiat money insofar as people using it directly to make everyday purchases etc. It is primarily a store of value or digital gold and private investors are currently using it in the same way many use high value property or fine art to store their capital.

It could conceivably become a reserve currency in the future though, to which other currencies are pegged. There is significant global discomfort at the USD reserve currency status & the undue influence the Fed has over the global ecomomy. An independent alternative is what China, Russia, Gulf States & BRICs are pushing for and other than gold, there aren't any other obvious alternatives. Strong rumours abound that some sovereign states are starting to privately stack BTC reserves in preparation for a Bitcoin Gold Standard (El Salvador of course have been very public with this). Big banks & investment companies are posiitoning themselves for future developments also, they will have the inside track on where this is all heading.

6 hours ago, FlyBritishMidland said:

I think LWB is the ideal position for him.  Having played at LB for a fair chunk of last season I thought he’d be a good LWB for this.  He already had the attacking side of his game and I think Warne and his team did a good job working on the defensive side last season.

I find him a frustrating player when he’s in midfield.  He’s too inconsistent and doesn’t seem to grab hold of the game.  Also, I think at LWB he has a bit more space as he’s not marked as tightly.  That gives him more time and space to create or, as he did yesterday, drift into the box to shoot.

Agree. My biggest issue with Sibley has been a heavy touch & inability to protect the ball well enough...two traits which really limit his ability to play in what many would deem his favoured number 10 position. By contrast at LWB, he is coming onto the ball so touch isn't quite as vital as if he were surrounded by defenders & he still gets plenty of opportunities to join the attack (both in counter attack & when we're dominating territory and possession). As you rightly say, his defensive work has improved a lot since start of last season.

Although yesterday wasn't the sternest test, I thought the balance of the entire team looked good & that this formation could work equally well home or away. Sibley & Ward can be potent attacking weapons when we're making the running in games and our front 3 are well marshalled but are solid enough defensively to turn us into an effective 5-2-3 if we're under the pump & punish teams on the counter. My biggest criticism of previous iterations has been the use of Nyambe & Elder at wingback who offered little to no cutting edge going forward.

If Warne is adamant about keeping 3 at the back, I reckon he should keep with this first XI to build cohesion & partnerships around the field for these last 10 games. I'd love this to be the spell Sibley finally clicks again (leading to a contract extension), there is definitely a player there & it would be sad for him to depart with his peak being his first 10 games in 2020.

On 02/02/2024 at 16:29, LeedsCityRam said:

1. Bolton

2. Pompey

3. Peterborough

4. Derby

5. Barnsley

6. Oxford

Barnsley to beat us in the playoffs & a managerial change in May

Still 4th but Peterborough & Barnsley going in different directions 

1. Pompey

2. Bolton

3. Barnsley

4. Derby 

5. Peterborough 

6. Oxford

Still don't see us winning a 2 legged playoff semifinal.

Decent result & OK performance for me.

Was reasonably enthused by the team lineup despite not wanting a back 3 pre-match. Sibley & Ward as wing backs are credible attacking outlets so making it more of a 3-4-3 and with a sharp front 3, putting Ward back in with his delivery made a lot of sense. Barkhuizen back in place of Wilson improved our attacking threat significantly too.

Good to score early but was disappointed with the quality of our play for a lot of the first half. We did our usual trick of sitting back after scoring & the ball retention was frankly poor for a good 20 odd mins so allowing Port Vale to doninate territory as we kept on turning over possession. I'm glad Warne has acknowledged this in interviews since but this is a consequence of the sit back & hit on counter tactic we use plus our reluctance to slow the tempo by holding onto possession. This needs to change when we are leading in games, it is inviting unnecessary problems. The half finished well though with a great finish from Gayle (and delivery in)...he looks sharp already & this line up has the potential to provide him with plenty of service.

Other than a Vale shot just wide at the start of the second half, Derby dominated thereafter & 3-0 was a fair reflection. I must say Port Vale were appalling & for those inclined to wail about lack of credit to our team, I would point to the Vale away end who angrily chanted 'you're not fit to wear the shirt' at the end. They look certain to go down on that evidence.

Welcome 3 points but much bigger tests ahead. COYR

14 hours ago, i-Ram said:

Would anyone on here pick Bradley in the starting 11 for this game? Anyone?

Not even Warne's disciples would pick Bradley looking at their line-ups - pretty telling.

Anyroad, I'd just settle for getting some defenders off the park. Flat back 4 please, Korey Smith at RB if Nyambe is injured & let's actually play like a 2nd placed team at home against a relegation contender. Dominate the ball, dominate the territory.

Hourihane, Blackett-Taylor & Waghorn to come on later in the game once their 'Cup Final' energy has subsided somewhat.

2 hours ago, Tamworthram said:

Very kind of you to think of me.

I’m a trustee on two charity boards, one of which is Citizens Advice, and this does quite interest me. I do wonder though if it should be someone more local? Tamworth isn’t that far but a Derby based supporter might be more appropriate 🤷🏻

I wouldn't have thought location would be an issue & argument for saying Derby fans outside the local bubble might be an advantage in some ways (different perspective as an expat, knowing how their respective local clubs are run & positive ideas/insight they could bring to a discussion). In this day & age with Teams/Zoom, am sure meetings could be conducted as a hybrid of remote/in person anyway. Sounds like you definitely have the gravitas to operate at that level, hope you go for one of the positions 👍

2 hours ago, Comrade 86 said:

Elite level plate-spinner required. Must be able to simultaneously herd hangry cats whilst also always displaying the patience of Mother Theresa and the diplomatic skills of Kofi Annan. A penchant for being regularly abused by perfect strangers a definite asset.

Remuneration package to include tea, sausage cobs and copious thanks from above.

31 minutes ago, Alty_Ram said:

Boo ! Boo ! I didn't vote for you, you don't speak for me ! Boo!!! BOOOO!!! You're just in it for yourself. You can't possibly be doing it for the right reasons so I reserve the right to respond with irrational foaming-at-the-mouth negativity and vitriol regardless of who applies and what they plan to do.... er... BOOO!!! Down with this sort of thing !

Genuinely don't think this role would generate the type of social media moaning you've seen whenever supporter groups put out tweets. This role wouldn't be a social media mouthpiece for the fans or the club - its about providing quality advice, asking reasonable questions on behalf of fans (via the public facing email address) & suspect most conversations will be below the radar (element regarding finances would obviously have to be confidential for example)

2 hours ago, David said:

There are no pros, just plenty of cons in my view anyway.

Having been there in what appears to be a similar role, it’s a thankless task.

Can I ask though, what exactly is the difference between being on the supporters board and the supporters charter group?

If it’s simply someone that’s independent from a fan group, how do they gauge the views from the wider fanbase? 

Just to clarify, its not a similiar role to that of a comventional fan representative. Its about individuals bringing their work/life expertise to the Board & applying scrutiny to the running of the club - primarily the finances but also the values & strategic direction of the club. The independent members of the Board won't necessarily be casting for public opinion nor would I think they'd have much of a public profile. They will be working with the club and given the club's enthusiasm for this model, it could lead to some great opportunities to shape the club's direction with well positioned external advice.

As @angieram rightly says, there are some posters who would clearly add value to the roles. A cursory read of the admin thread & the detail that certain individuals went into evidences this. I'd urge anyone who has an interest in the governance & strategic direction of the club to apply.

Derby 1 Tiny Stoke 1

FRGS Barkhuizen

27 minutes ago, Jourdan said:

He won four and lost three out of nine league games. He didn’t win an away league game.

Why is McGoldrick being injured or unfit always used as a shield for Rosenior? We have had so many unfortunate injuries under Warne and no-one seems to sympathise.

For Rosenior, 14 points from 27 points simply wasn’t a compelling audition for the full time role assuming he wanted it.

He is doing a good job at Hull at the moment, but in what way are the circumstances at Hull comparable to ours?

To state the obvious because McGoldrick was by far our best player & leading scorer - Warne had access to him, Rosenior didn't. Despite that, Warne's points per game last season was only marginally better than Rosenior (1.7 PPG v 1.6 PPG) and of course Warne was unable to improve on the 7th position Rosenior left us in. Not exactly compelling either.

5 minutes ago, Kernow said:

I probably would too, but that won’t happen. If Clowes’ plan is to appoint a League One ‘promotion specialist’ purely to get out of the division, then get rid, he wouldn’t have been given a 4 year contract. I think that Warne will get sacked if we’re in a position similar to the one Sheffield Wednesday were in, but if we’re teetering on the edge of the relegation zone, he’ll still be here.

In an ideal world for everyone, Warne gets us promoted and then someone like his hometown club of Norwich thinks “we want him” and poach him off us. If we do go up, he will probably still be here at the end of his current contract as long as we are a mid-to-bottom half Championship side.

Guess that would be dependant on whether Clowes has changed his mind on Warne in the 17 months he's been here & whether he wanted to give him that length of contract in the first place - I suspect that was the price of Warne dropping a division. Clowes will be well aware of the red flags since Sep 2022 indicating Warne's poor in-game management, supporter unrest at the style of play (Stevenage & Shrewsbury stand out in that regard) & there is still the fundamental mismatch between Warne's ideal squad conditions (ready made experienced pros) & the sustainability Clowes is aiming for (youth graduates & players brought in to develop).

It will be imperative not to go down if we do go up & hence I could see Clowes being as merciless with Warne post-promotion as he was with Rosenior post-purchase. To fully buy into a season with Warne at the level above means buying very specific players to suit his style & in the event of things going wrong, would severely limit the ability of an emergency replacement to keep us up (as they would be primarily honest, limited, hard working types). I'm not convinced Clowes would want to take that risk from the outset.

4 hours ago, Kernow said:

I think if we are facing a third year in League One, then that’s the time to make the change. When we still sit in the automatic places, have a favourable run-in, and a go in the play-offs if we fall just short, then sacking him isn’t even going to be thought about.

I would have to agree with this even though I would make a change irrespective of the final outcome come May.

Reality is we are too deep into this promotion push & a change for the last 11 games is likely to cause so much upheaval as to totally derail our chances irrespective of how gifted any caretaker manager would be (I'm also struggling to think of anyone available who would galvanise us that quickly). Given the paucity of top 6 opposition, there is still a chance of going up & at this stage, I would take any sort of promotion even if inevitably we're going to need a complete overhaul should we go up.

Financially it would clearly be very expensive & that doesn't strike me as wise until failure has been confirmed. I'd expect a full appraisal of the season & how Warne's managerial style fits with the long term plan of the club away from the emotional highs & lows of the season, before any action is taken.

1 hour ago, Ellafella said:

It feels to me that the momentum we had has been sacrificed all for keeping Sonney Bradley at CH in a starting position. It took a new level last night when our best player /prospect was played at left-back.

The style of football is Sunday Morning Burton & District FA circa 1989 (picture of Terry Whyman pops into my mind’s eye) - smash the ball forward/wide quickly and then “lump it” into the box. 
 

I am even considering not renewing my season ticket after over 10 consecutive seasons, it’s that dire. 

Yes, this is infuriating me also - Warne seems utterly determined to keep Bradley in the side & to make our best CB move way is unfathomable. I get the sense he has a pre-determined agenda irrespective of the evidence on the park & the evidence thus far is that Bradley has at best been a disappointing signing & is lacking in a couple of key areas (technically & pace/movement). My guess is Warne seems him as his answer to Richard Wood - a relatively prolific big CB that scored plenty for Warne's Rotherham & as Warne has relatively few other tactical ploys, he is hammering this one until it works.

There are other highly questionable selections - Kane Wilson seems to be getting a free pass in this team but Barkhuizen (despite having far the superior goals/assists record) is constantly benched. I also can't understand why Liam Thompson is being underused - his form pre-injury was fantastic & even away at Oxford, he changed the game. Instead Warne seems hell bent on keeping more pedestrian midfielders in the team & then we all wonder why we're getting overrun in there. I'm also concerned about the start Blackett-Taylor has made at the club - a negligible impact so far for a marquee signing & although some may cite injury, I feel there's something going on there.

Re season ticket - I'm in a similar place. The quality of football is so far removed from what I enjoy watching, there seems little sign of progression/evolution & even the victories are so devoid of joy, it feels like a box tickling exercise. Granted I'm still fuming from last night but am increasingly questioning the wisdom of committing to 150 mile round trips every other week if this continues.

Awful result. Awful performance. Awful starting line up.

This result has been coming for a while. We simply do not create enough chamces/shots on target & the appalling ball retention is to blame. I'm gobsmacked some folk thought we played well first half...we really didn't. It was a series of aimless hoofs & misplaced passes, Charlton played much the better stuff. We look to have regressed technically & its a concern.

Still can't believe how few attack minded players we started with tonight. The blunt reality is Kane Wilson isn't very effective in the final 3rd so when it was apparent Mendez-Laing was having a quiet game, our attacking threat was reduced to very little. We are 2nd in the table & at home..we should be looking to dominate a team 5th from bottom with their poor form. What happened to this so called 'gung ho' Warne style? Looks like reheated Billy Davies 'snatch & hold on for dear life' to me. Massive improvement needed from here.

On 23/02/2024 at 23:40, NottsRam77 said:

I started it at 19k 🚀

I thinl etf investment is huge.. already btc left on exchanges are at a all time low.

etfs alone are buying up on a bad day double the amount of daily mined btc and on a good day 10 times.

that mined amount is going to get slashed in half in less than 60 days time

im not here to give anyone financial advice … but i know what im doing 

as u say buddy.. hodle to the moon 

Well done, you must have got in same time as me (Nov 2020?) - Ethers were $500 at the time too

I'm still sceptical we'll see the price acceleration of previous halvings because of the ETF - corporate America likes big profits but not the massive retracements we sometimes see with crypto. Steady price rises as inflation remains stubbornly high is my guess.

Am also keeping a close eye on El Salvador - they adopted BTC as legal tender end of 2021, have ridden out the crypto winter & look well placed with sizeable BTC reserves. Nayib Bukele seems to be aiming for a Latin American version of Singapore & investment is growing in that country (some similarities in attitude to crime/human rights too). I'd imagine there are a few inflation ridden/highly USD dependant countries in that region that are keeping tabs what happens. Could be another game changer in terms of adoption & ultimately BTC price.

Derby 1 Addicks 1

FRGS Mendez-Laing

7 hours ago, Leicester Ram said:

Ever since the change of logo, the Adidas train has picked up pace and is about to leave the station, I would very much like us to be on board

I love Adidas retro gear but their previous time with us (2007-2011?) was characterised by really lazy tops - basically training gear with the Ram slapped on.

The Puma tops I've seen recently for other clubs have been very sharp & as others mention, the kits they did with us from 1995 to 2000 (?) were some of the finest tops we've had the modern era.