Ram@Lincoln

Some of the goals against were completely our own doing, losing the ball at ease in dangerous areas. Seems like they've taken tips from the first team there. Just looked him up, free transfer at the end of his contract. Young age, high performing in the Irish league like you say, why on earth didn't we look at him? He's a cheap gamble to make like Weston.

Warne confirms we're only signing one more player, a striker. But then suggests some players don't want to be here so can leave for others to come in.

I watched them a couple of times in September as a guest of a club sponsor, they were incredibly impressive. Tika taka football as the kids say. They went from goalkeeper at the back right through to the striker to tap home in probably 100 passes. Similar to the Yeovil goal of ours from the Steve Mac days. I don't know how they're getting on now with a new manager, but if it's anything similar, the striker just needs to stand in the box and wait for the quality service into him to finish. Brown should do well there.

At a guess it's officially a free transfer at the end of the loan, not him going out of contract and signing for us or a pre contract if that's against the rules. Or perhaps, signing on loan then pre contract is allowed as the player is already registered to you. Whatever it is, the EFL have obviously permitted it so it's all fine.

Bet those numpties down at Wycombe are having a right blow up with this deal structure!

Personal opinions aside, I'm just making reference to the fact he's only played 2 minutes in the last 6 league games. He hasn't even been in the squad for 3 of them, with Thompson featuring in every first team game since his lengthy injury. Fornah on paper looks good, he's a good age, played the season previous in the league above...but he can't even get in the match day squad anymore. If I'm Warne and knew he was hardly going to play for whatever reason, I'd be looking to reinvest the wage cost in a player that will play.

I overheard someone stood behind me at the game already slagging off Blackett Taylor. Apparently he isn't good enough as he's a Charlton cast off, they're selling him to anyone who'll take him. He won't get into the team as Mendez Laing is twice the player of him and it's a ridiculous signing by Warne just signing former Rotherham players (despite CBT never playing for Rotherham...). We should be signing the Borges chap from Man City instead as he scored a hat trick against us (who joined Ajax in the summer for big money). Borges isn't signing as Warne and Clowes don't have any ambition for the club and they're happy to be in League One for years.... The mind baffles sometimes with Derby folk.

Could we see Fornah leave on loan? He's only played 2 minutes in the last 6 league games. Wasn't even in the matchday squad for 3 of them, unused sub in another. Pulled off at half time against Bradford in the EFL trophy. Surely the end already for the boy?

Well he's seemingly used to playing and performing in front of large crowds, so that's a tick in Warne's checklist. Being in the second division, I assume that's affordable to us especially on a free. Only snag, could he be mates with Albentosa who might put him off Derby? Playing wise, what a left foot the boy has for shooting!

There would be a trickle down, although small, it'll be something. Swansea would make more money on their own sell on clauses with Plymouth, which would trickle down to our sell on clauses. Easy rough numbers pulled out of the air. We sell for a £1m plus 10% profit sell on. Swansea sell for £1.5m plus 10% profit sell on, we get an extra £50k. Plymouth sell for £15m, Swansea get £1.35m, we get an extra £135k. I guess it pays for a third or so of Blackett Taylor if the transfers go through.

From a trawl of LinkedIn, the first team scouting setup: John O'Dwyer - 25 years as a scout for Southend, Bristol Rovers, Exeter, Crewe, Cardiff and Cheltenham. Joined Derby last January from Crewe. Alan Dawson - Old school again, 25 years as a scout for Bournemouth, Leicester, Leeds, Luton, Sheffield United, Bury, Crawley, Sheffield Wednesday, Cardiff, Middlesbrough, Sunderland. Joined Derby December 2022. James Fazackerley - Mark Thomas signing, was at Oxford 8 years, previously Birmingham and Leicester. Fashion model in his spare time. https://pha-agency.co.uk/talent/james-fazackerley/ Robin Krasniqi - 25 year old Austrian, working from Spain, European scout. Mark Thomas signing from Oxford. Article about him: https://www.ucfb.ac.uk/news/ucfb-graduate-on-working-as-scout-for-derby-county-and-rayo-vallecano/

ATG 31Vickers - 6.5 - did his job, nothing remarkable. Good save from free kick. 2Wilson - 6 - could've been sent off, rather quiet going forward. Meh game. 35Nelson - 7 - won his headers, steady performance. Should've scored. 6Cashin - 4.5 - terrified me against Taylor, was beaten time after time. Points for goal line clearance. 20Elder - 7 - much improved from Burton, looked solid going forward. 7Barkhuizen - 6.5 - few recent runs but end product missing. Looks tired. 16Thompson - 6 - ran around but didn't really do anything. 8Bird - 6.5 - kept the ball moving and that's about it. Didn't really tackle or shoot. A passenger. 4Hourihane - 7 - kept the game ticking over, directed play. A few wayward shots but worth a go. Stood up against their Mitchell numpty at full time. 11Méndez-Laing - 6.5 - nothing really clicked for him. Poor set pieces. Looked to play safe rather than take on player. 17Sibley - 6.5 - ran around, couple of distant shots, didn't do much. 19John-Jules - 5.5 - didn't really do anything and didn't seem to get that involved. 9Collins - 7 - could've and should've scored a couple of headers. Stood up at full time to their Mitchell numpty.

Especially against a lad effectively playing park football just 2 years ago. Like I said, he cost Peterborough £5k, it shows the talent is still out there in non league.

The fast lad up front, Taylor, has an interesting back story. Up until October 2021 he was playing in the deep depths of non league, level 10 from a possible 11, for Wroxham on loan from King's Lynn. He scored a load of goals, Peterborough sign him for £5k in January 2022. He's then a reserve/bench player for them, scores once in about 20 sub appearances but still young and high potential, so gets a big money move to Luton a year later. Goes out on loan this season to League Two Colchester scores 12 goals through to January. Recalled and moved up to League One and Lincoln. As already said, he absolutely rinsed Cashin for pace on multiple occasion. Lucky for us he didn't have his shooting boots on. Another example off the highly successful Peterborough production line of trading up non league talent.

He's just got a bargain patio heater in the B&Q January sales! 😂

And only cost Cheltenham £20k last January window...when we we're faffing about with Springett and White who did barely nothing for us and are no longer at the club.

I'd definitely be interested in Wyke from Wigan, sure he's older and not the long term future. However, he was a massive handful against us in the home match and scored the goals to win it. 18 month contract, sees us through this season and next.

How's that Fapetu boy getting on? Assume he's injured since he didn't play against Notts?

Most likely so, however, as a free transfer and being over 30 high expectations need to be tempered.

The facts are we signed an aging striker on a free from a struggling Championship club. Unless a miracle happened, ala McGoldrick, which you can never rely on, he was always going to be a squad filler as we look to sign a young high potential player. So far this season, he's had 14 league appearances of which 6 starts, averaging 35 minutes per appearance. He's got 3 goals and 2 assists. We have 20 games left, let's say he's fit enough for half of them, scores another couple of goals, maybe another couple assists. He could achieve 9-10 goal contributions in 25ish games. For a squad filler, on a free transfer, that's decent enough business for me. Is it the future? No. Does it do a adequate enough job for us now as a squad/bench player? Yes for me.

He's in the middle of a massive property renovation in Alderley Edge, funding his missus' attempt at a renovation business. From their Instagram posts and stories he's on site quite often. They've reduced it to a shell, building a huge extension and pretty much building a entire new house within. https://www.instagram.com/thepropertyprin?igsh=MmltbGVpc3A2bTYy They seem to live locally to the house in Alderley Edge so thats circa 90-120 minute daily commute to Moor Farm each way. Even if he's being driven in (which I doubt at our level), any lengthy car journey isn't good, especially for professional athletes.

We really need to sort out the defence. 3 goals against in 8 games during the winning run versus 8 goals against in 4 games since Oxford. That's a major concern. We have to get back to clean sheets.

How does the league level compare against the English leagues? Conference/league two? I don't know too much about the Irish system other than we seem to have good youth scouts over there.

The easy example is the much loved gentleman who signed a new contract today, who also took cocaine the night before a game. And one that wasn't his first offence according the Cardiff City local newspaper journalist. This is a player, on our books, who's taken cocaine and been caught out at least twice. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/nathaniel-mendez-laing-cocaine-live-19827762 https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/14032823/mendez-laing-cardiff-cocaine-positive-test-ban/

An absolute gem of a player, pardon the pun. When he was at Lincoln he was by far the best attacking player at the club. He had everything you'd want, pace, skills, determination and that bit of naughtiness. Really reminded me of a young Johnny Russell or Jamie Ward. I met him a few times at some Lincoln sponsor events, really lovely lad - obviously I don't know him personally by any stretch, but from initial impressions he just seemed to be the likable cheeky chappy like a Sibley, Waghorn or as said Russell or Ward. If we could sign him as ex damaged goods like Mendez Laing was, give him a loving home, I'm sure he'd flourish.