TuffLuff

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!

@Macintosh’s post in the Waggy thread pointed this out but Ryan Conways book about the Cocu-Rooney years has a release date and is available for pre order: 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pride-Before-Fall-Play-Off-Extinction/dp/1801505039
Be interesting to see if anything new comes from it and I hope it does well for Ryan.

There's a new book coming out in October about the Rams' last few seasons Pride Before the Fall). A nice mention of Waggy:
 
Underpinning some of Cocu’s demise was the presence of Rooney. Talk of Cocu not particularly wanting Rooney at the club and the signing being thrust upon him was doing the rounds amid the squad in earnest. Rooney had been brought in as a player-coach, but did little in the way of coaching outside of sitting in on video sessions and passing on some advice to several players.
‘If he liked you, he’d offer you advice,’ Max Lowe remarked. ‘[Max] Bird, [Jason] Knight – they were his boys. I think he saw some of himself in them. He liked them. Waggy [Martyn Waghorn], too. But for some of the lads it was a bit hard to integrate with Wayne. Obviously we were at a different level from where he’d come from. I think it was hard to find a bit of common ground with him sometimes.’
Whispers had also spread through the squad that Rooney had a clause in his contract that he was going to be the next manager – something which created somewhat of an uneasy tension within the changing room.
‘Sometimes you didn’t feel like you were just playing with Wayne the player. You felt like it was an audition to see if the next manager wanted you there,’ said Lowe.
‘You’d come in on a Monday and we’d break out into our warm-ups and people would ask where Wayne was,’ Lowe said. ‘I think Waghorn would get a bit annoyed especially as he and Wayne would play on the PlayStation together and stuff – they were pretty close – then Wayne wouldn’t show the next day.
‘We never got told if it was a day off or if he was injured or excused for personal reasons. None of that. He just wasn’t there. Then obviously he’d come straight into the team at the weekend and it meant guys like Duane, or Graeme [Shinnie], or Knight, or [Krystian] Bielik had to drop out of the team.’

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

@Macintosh’s post in the Waggy thread pointed this out but Ryan Conways book about the Cocu-Rooney years has a release date and is available for pre order: 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pride-Before-Fall-Play-Off-Extinction/dp/1801505039
Be interesting to see if anything new comes from it and I hope it does well for Ryan.

@Macintosh’s post in the Waggy thread pointed this out but Ryan Conways book about the Cocu-Rooney years has a release date and is available for pre order: 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pride-Before-Fall-Play-Off-Extinction/dp/1801505039
Be interesting to see if anything new comes from it and I hope it does well for Ryan.

@Macintosh’s post in the Waggy thread pointed this out but Ryan Conways book about the Cocu-Rooney years has a release date and is available for pre order: 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pride-Before-Fall-Play-Off-Extinction/dp/1801505039
Be interesting to see if anything new comes from it and I hope it does well for Ryan.

Yes, can’t have been easy for Waggy. No doubt by the standards of many he will be well paid but it’s a big thing at his age. Just 12 pay cheques to go. Maybe he will get a year on top, maybe not .. he probably does have 2/3 years of playing left but what next ? 
I really like Waggy, you can see from his social media that he always leaves an enduring good taste wherever he’s been, which says something about the man. I’d just love it if he has an Indian summer with us ! 

Just to point out one tiny thing, but it was largely Waghorn that helped us see the best of Sibley in those first few games when Sibley looked like the next big thing. At the moment, I’m not sure how it would work but Waghorn might be the right player we need to hold up the ball, move into a space and make room for someone like Sibley to get a shot in. Could be something to keep an eye on going forward…

Just to point out one tiny thing, but it was largely Waghorn that helped us see the best of Sibley in those first few games when Sibley looked like the next big thing. At the moment, I’m not sure how it would work but Waghorn might be the right player we need to hold up the ball, move into a space and make room for someone like Sibley to get a shot in. Could be something to keep an eye on going forward…

Just to point out one tiny thing, but it was largely Waghorn that helped us see the best of Sibley in those first few games when Sibley looked like the next big thing. At the moment, I’m not sure how it would work but Waghorn might be the right player we need to hold up the ball, move into a space and make room for someone like Sibley to get a shot in. Could be something to keep an eye on going forward…

Just to point out one tiny thing, but it was largely Waghorn that helped us see the best of Sibley in those first few games when Sibley looked like the next big thing. At the moment, I’m not sure how it would work but Waghorn might be the right player we need to hold up the ball, move into a space and make room for someone like Sibley to get a shot in. Could be something to keep an eye on going forward…

Just to point out one tiny thing, but it was largely Waghorn that helped us see the best of Sibley in those first few games when Sibley looked like the next big thing. At the moment, I’m not sure how it would work but Waghorn might be the right player we need to hold up the ball, move into a space and make room for someone like Sibley to get a shot in. Could be something to keep an eye on going forward…

Just to point out one tiny thing, but it was largely Waghorn that helped us see the best of Sibley in those first few games when Sibley looked like the next big thing. At the moment, I’m not sure how it would work but Waghorn might be the right player we need to hold up the ball, move into a space and make room for someone like Sibley to get a shot in. Could be something to keep an eye on going forward…

Just to point out one tiny thing, but it was largely Waghorn that helped us see the best of Sibley in those first few games when Sibley looked like the next big thing. At the moment, I’m not sure how it would work but Waghorn might be the right player we need to hold up the ball, move into a space and make room for someone like Sibley to get a shot in. Could be something to keep an eye on going forward…

Been meh about this. But just watched his interview and dont think I've ever seen such a happy signing! If happiness equates to goal contributions he'll be alright. Like the point @TuffLuff above makes about Sibley so🤞on that one. However, as a grumpy morning person Waggy and Warney would drive me over the edge. Good luck for the season Waggy

Just to point out one tiny thing, but it was largely Waghorn that helped us see the best of Sibley in those first few games when Sibley looked like the next big thing. At the moment, I’m not sure how it would work but Waghorn might be the right player we need to hold up the ball, move into a space and make room for someone like Sibley to get a shot in. Could be something to keep an eye on going forward…

Just to point out one tiny thing, but it was largely Waghorn that helped us see the best of Sibley in those first few games when Sibley looked like the next big thing. At the moment, I’m not sure how it would work but Waghorn might be the right player we need to hold up the ball, move into a space and make room for someone like Sibley to get a shot in. Could be something to keep an eye on going forward…

Just to point out one tiny thing, but it was largely Waghorn that helped us see the best of Sibley in those first few games when Sibley looked like the next big thing. At the moment, I’m not sure how it would work but Waghorn might be the right player we need to hold up the ball, move into a space and make room for someone like Sibley to get a shot in. Could be something to keep an eye on going forward…

Just to point out one tiny thing, but it was largely Waghorn that helped us see the best of Sibley in those first few games when Sibley looked like the next big thing. At the moment, I’m not sure how it would work but Waghorn might be the right player we need to hold up the ball, move into a space and make room for someone like Sibley to get a shot in. Could be something to keep an eye on going forward…

Just to point out one tiny thing, but it was largely Waghorn that helped us see the best of Sibley in those first few games when Sibley looked like the next big thing. At the moment, I’m not sure how it would work but Waghorn might be the right player we need to hold up the ball, move into a space and make room for someone like Sibley to get a shot in. Could be something to keep an eye on going forward…

Just to point out one tiny thing, but it was largely Waghorn that helped us see the best of Sibley in those first few games when Sibley looked like the next big thing. At the moment, I’m not sure how it would work but Waghorn might be the right player we need to hold up the ball, move into a space and make room for someone like Sibley to get a shot in. Could be something to keep an eye on going forward…

We are short on numbers and short on strikers. Then add in his spirit -  this has to be a good signing for the group as a whole. Yes we need more pace but this will not have upset the budget one bit.
Past his prime but he is a good footballer, we need some. 

Got to say I respectfully disagree with the ‘I don’t want Sharp here’ talk and think it’s a bit daft. Yesterday was a reminder of what I think some of our problem was last year in that we really lack winners in our current side. Lots of good footballers, lots of nice players, but not many who you’d say have a real winning mentality. I do think Bradley and Nelson have a bit of that so think we are ok at the back but we lack a winner in more attacking areas and Sharp would tick that box for me no matter of his age. Also the market hasn’t moved in a way that has made players like Godden, Lapado and seemingly Smith available at this time. Derby are also in a tight market as they need 25-30 year olds, willing to play in league one but can also play consistently in front if big crowds. That isn’t easy.
We need someone who can get something out of nothing, turn draws into wins etc and I think I’d rather have Sharp here than anywhere else in this league.

Well I do think you raise a good point that actually I’m not sure our midfield is strong enough (again, good footballers but I’m not sure they have a winning mentality) but that’s maybe a debate for another day.
I’m just not sure, with the market as it currently is, that we can get better and it’s probably better to have him through the door that not to. The market is slow in the leagues above us, the lower prem sides aren’t really bringing in the players they want to get, so aren’t getting players out on loan or on transfers, which means the championship sides aren’t doing their business which then effects us. So you gamble and wait for it to get to the last day of the window or do you get a couple of players on deals that will see us through to Jan? I’ve thought for a while that we are waiting to see if Lapado comes available at Ipswich (no itk, that’s just seemed to me the transfer that would make sense), if that’s the case then we may need to wait until January before Ipswich are willing to budge. Or could be the same with Smith or Goddard. It’s all hypothetical but would you be better with Waghorn and Sharp to tide us over until Jan or try and bring in someone to replace what you want Lapado/Smith/Goddard etc to come in and do