TuffLuff

I know some won’t be too bothered about stuff like this, but it’s the international break and nothing else is happening so bugger it. 

For whatever reason, and one I don’t really want to go into now, but I do think we lost a lot of our heritage, community and identity during the Mel era, especially in how the club fits into the city and the surrounding county.

I think a lot has happened from the march onwards to get some of that back but I do think we could go further. It’s one aspect I actually think Notts Forest has done well in, by making its fans feel part of the club and part of its history (sorry I won’t mention them again now).

One thing I’d love us to do is to connect our local folk songs into the club, not necessarily through chants although The Derby Ram and King Of Rome could work pregame at the very least but even if the club used them a bit rather than the generic bleeping blip music it tends to go for. I thinks there’s an opportunity to do something really cool and give us a link to our history and our culture through songs.

Not really expecting this to go anywhere, just hope someone picks it up as an idea and tries to do something with it. Like I say it’s international break, what else is there to discuss?

FWIW, I think we won’t see the best of our defenders until we get a settled midfield in front. Warne has his players in now and needs to figure out what his best eleven is in the international break. I don’t think we have enough partnerships that have been formed in our backline either where players know their jobs. When you have 2-5 new players playing together it naturally takes time for them to grasp their roles.

Again, Davies struggled when he came under Rowett in the first couple of months. Some players come in and everything clicks, some it takes a little time. I think after the international break we will see a much different Sonny Bradley.

‘Yeah I’m sure we can squeeze you into the budget’

11 hours ago, JfR said:

Bit rude of them to turn on him after all he's done for them in the past...

I have no issue with a club feeling aggrieved, even though I think it was a red and a pen. I do have an issue with someone at Forest needing to get this out in the media and Percy essentially allowing himself to be a journalistic mouthpiece for the club.

It’s putting pressure on refs for their upcoming fixtures isn’t it? Percy should know better.

In my best ‘Cocu being picked up on the RamsTV mics during the covid season’ impression

’GO ON WAGGY’

7 minutes ago, Srg said:

Wing back should be a long way second. When you've got Rooney and Smith who could play right, Forsyth and Elder to play left. Why would we want another just cover for 2 months?

I think he may look at a versatile pacey defensive player, who’s going to fill defensive gaps (although if Cashin goes we might need an actual centre back), that atleast make sense to me in what we might need now. The 4th, which I just posted above which may be a stretch is Collins goes out and we bring Smith from Wednesday in but it’s probably less of a priority to a pacey defender.

This is putting 2+2 together and getting 5, but I wonder now considering Warne saying he ideally wanted 4 in before the end of the window and we have a bit of pace up front that, that we might see Collins get that move to Shrewsbury and Smith coming to us from Wednesday? 

46 minutes ago, Rammy03 said:

Why is it only half a season loan

Presumably with his injury record everyone wants to see how it’ll go. My inkling suspicion also throughout this summer is that Warne expects one player will be made available in January who may currently by a third or fourth option at their current club. Hence we are holding back some of our budget for then as well. I’d put money on that player being Lapado but I could very well be wrong. 

Mel Morris is said to have an account on here 👀

8 hours ago, David said:

But what @Carnero said was true. Only 2 have come from Rotherham, right?

As a general point, I think the ‘being linked to Warne’s former players/targets’ thing probably shows tht theee is still fans who don’t quite realise where we are and have been for quite a while.

Its not Warne being lazy or unadventurous, it’s more that we’ve been in the same market for players  as Rotherham for about three seasons now!

15 minutes ago, Sparkle said:

So Waghorn in the third division is a decent option then? 
Also helps that he didn’t cost £5 million as well.

I’ll say this reluctantly but I think he may have that something we saw with McGoldrick last season where he’s got that extra bit of quality when hitting a ball into the goal that most strikers don’t quite have in this league. Let’s not have him chasing around looking lost and have him making slave for himself in the box being in the right place and he will strike the ball as clean as anyone. His strike on Tuesday went a bit unnoticed but it was a sweet strike that would beat most keepers in any league, and todays was just a good confident finish. The type we didn’t see after his first season under Lampard. 

He won’t reach the numbers McGoldrick did, but I’m more assured in him than I was a few weeks ago. Him and Collins wouldnt work which is maybe the biggest issue right now up front.

Consider me part of the Curtis Nelson Fan Club, thought he’s been steady so far but was excellent today. Won everything in the box and got some important interceptions in. He was my motm tbh…

49 minutes ago, Van der MoodHoover said:

How has this changed so quickly? What's happened?

Whilst I’d agree with @sage about the contingency budget,  I’d also say that the market is moving better than it was a week or so ago as teams in leagues above are getting their main business done. With the market that we are looking in (players who can play in the champ, perform consistently in a 30,000 seater stadium) our main targets are going to be different to most in the league and we’ve needed patience for them to come available. That’s maybe why we haven’t pushed for May, Smith or Harris and in the next couple of weeks we will bring someone in who’s much more suited to what the club needs 

Tbh, I’m more concerned with Cashin. Positionally all over the place and opposition players are targeting his lack of pace. I think this stretches Bradley’s defence work. Mix this with our midfield not gelling and I think he’s just a bit exposed whilst learning about the players around him. 

I’m not one for showing my starting 11’s or completely ripping up the tactics board, but id Fozzy back into a back three or as two cbs for a couple of games. If we stuck with 352 id have Smith and Thompson sitting and take your pick from Bird, Hourihane or Sibley in the more attacking role. Smith covers the defence, Thompson breaks up play.

My big concern right now is that Warne has made a system that is going to work great going to the small away grounds and everything is a lot tighter, but when you are on a big pitch everyone is about 3 yards away from where they should be and all teams will do like Oxford did andsoak up the pressure and counter attack once we make a mistake.

Could be a make or break decision for Warne, whether he continues or tries to change something.

I think the club just gave me PTSD

Was going to make a new thread on this but I think it slides in here ok.

I do wonder whether we are in the midst of what might be a difficult few months for both Clowes and Warne, I nearly went with the idea that this might be a ‘second difficult season but I’m reluctant to go too hyperbolic on this. But it’s been a significant summer for both, first for Clowes he’s tried to put his mark on the club with the colours that represent the clubs values (for lack of a better term, his own ‘Derby way’) and has made a significant decision in bringing in his own head of the Academy. These are the first steps of what we can consider to be the Clowes era. For Warne, he now has the man he wanted as his Head of Recruitment through the door, he’s starting the season with a new style of play and bringing in his own sheds for the first time. Again it’s the beginning of what we consider to be Warne’s era. 

The point being, there’s been a few significant appointments and a shift in the identity of the club both from Clowes and Warne and…are we experiencing some teething problems? With recruitment, this was our first significant window since Cocu and have we missed out on players because all our ducks weren’t in a row? With the valuations of Knight and Bird that our academy maybe wasn’t quite in the shape that it should have been for Cat A? Communication problems on the pitch with a new style of play? Fozzy’s testimonial maybe not being what it could be? Kit launches being off etc etc. Not moaning btw, it is what it is in my book, it’s just a lot of significant changes are happening and once and it might take a few more weeks before we see real progress on all fronts.

Dunno, just something I’ve been thinking about since Tuesday, not saying I’m right or wrong. 

7 minutes ago, Caerphilly Ram said:

I do enjoy the Twitter admin’s work a lot of the time, but is there a need to “tease” everything? Surely on occasion signings, kit reveals etc, could just be announced without the 15 mins delay in between posts

In fairness, they’ve currently got me hook line and sinker that it could be a signing reveal too (I know it’s not really), but it’s all engagement for them 

Last weeks presser was Thursday and it probably wouldn’t have been the worst idea to have had it today in all honesty.

But saying that I’m pretty sure Warne said on Tuesday they were off yesterday (said something about two days to prep for Saturday), which maybe debunks Trav’s comments about the mood being low yesterday?? 

6 minutes ago, swanny said:

Does anyone know what the plan is for for closing/opening roads after a game? I'd always thought the cars near the frankie and bennies roundabout were held until the buses left. 

 

Last night there we only three buses of derby fans (and one of them was a mini bus) instead they held a  massive queue of traffic from the industrial estate while no busses or cars went over the bridge (towards a52) for about twenty minutes until the away fans were due to leave. 

 

it seemed totally pointless with nothing leaving pride park until the away buses did. 

 

Maybe there is a grad plan and I just dont get it but it seemed daft to prevent anything from leaving pride park for so long. 

 

 

It’s just always how it’s done there and they won’t change procedure just because it’s a bit quieter. Even last night I bet you get a few hundred going down that way to the river path and if anything happened on the land it wouldn’t just be the driver who would be liable. Also I imagine as the the road going past PP is closed by police and fans are walking along the road, then they can’t get to the A52 anyway. 

It always been the same there, always have a little giggle at those who have tried to leave early and get caught out yelling at the blokes having to hold everyone up. Also the ones who try to sneak out driving up the wrong lane and can only get so far. 

30 minutes ago, jimtastic56 said:

I have attended the last 3 home games and and in all of them - the opposition midfield players have been able to carry the ball from box to box without a challenge going in . We don’t have a midfield player that could tackle a Pukka Pie. I would consider putting Collins in midfield v Burton for a bit of aggression.

Yeah I’m surprised how little the issues with midfield are discussed tbh. It wasn’t balanced last season and it’s not this season. Hourihane being made captain was a bit of a concern because it near on makes him an ever present which wasnt the best idea last season. Then Smith and Bird, like both of them as footballers (I do like all three tbf), but Bird hasn’t lit up League 1 at all and Smith is very passive. It’s just too much of a muchness and there is no balance, no aggression and you just don’t believe they will win any battles in the middle of the pitch, which means there’s no control of the game…in a stadium with 25,000-30,000 home fans in. 

4 minutes ago, Big Trav said:

Told this morning the moods been very low in the camp. Take that how you will 

They’ve just lost two games at home Trav, I’m not expecting it to be good! Really appreciate your insights but not sure what this achieves?

I get there is a lot of frustration about and fully understand it was a bit of a daft comment last night but…this is all a bit of an over reaction. Radio Derby have helped and they’ve fuelled the fire of those online. 

I thought the main point Warne was getting across that there is players who need to stop turning up to games believing they are better and will automatically win games. Don’t believe the hype. I don’t have an issue with this, to be honest it was something that was needed to be said last year.

with the ‘head turned’ comment, what he’s trying to say isn’t about the players effort but it’s about the backwards and sideways passing and players being safe on the ball. It’s not a conscious effort that a player wants a move, it’s that a player is being safe on the ball as they don’t want to be seen as making mistakes, which then has a detriment to the team and Warne as the manager. Yes it’s not the best way of putting it, but I’m done with making excuses for players too. We all like pretty footballers but it’s nothing if you aren’t using that skill to go out and win games of football.

8 minutes ago, BaaLocks said:

I really wanted it to work out with Cocu. Obviously, I want it to work out with every Derby manager but I really thought we were onto something with Cocu, it just felt like we had got ourselves someone a bit special. So sad when that didn't happen, and equally sad to see that Vitesse, who he is now managing, have only achieved the 30% win rate that he got at Derby.

If ifs and buts were apples and nuts eh!

I see it now as the right man at the wrong time. How he infiltrated the youth into the squad and our style of play was exactly what Morris and the fans were after and it was taking a very good shape on the pitch before the covid shutdown. I don’t think anyone was expecting play offs that season, but I think the players and the fans were just starting to buy into what Cocu was wanting. Then covid happened and behind the scenes it was falling apart. Reading the post on the Waggy thread it seems that Rooney was dividing the players, our scouting and recruitment was a mess and the finances speak for themselves. That second season everyone’s heads went and it just got worse and worse.

Maybe worth pointing out that Ryan himself hasn’t posted anywhere that there is a confirmed release date or anything just yet so may be best to hold off,m until he announces? Especially if you want a different link to Amazon!

Edit:

Ok it’s all up and confirmed on the Pitch Publishing website with a few different links so guess we are all good!

https://www.pitchpublishing.co.uk/shop/pride-fall