Leicester Ram

I don’t understand where this idea of overpaying is coming from
I understand everyone’s very keen to avoid the mistakes of the past but surely what we’re actually trying to avoid is the Nick Blackman signing. A so-so player bought off the back of a purple patch, with years left on his deal and to satisfy a manager who knew him personally (only to be sacked almost immediately after, which won’t be happening to Warne)
He’s a talented player in his prime, at 26 he will have resale value, and only has six months left on his contract so will cost less than what he would do with e.g. three years left on his contract
Surely Blackett-Taylor won’t be overpriced because you’d hypothetically be able to sell him for more money this summer? Once you sign him, he’s immediately worth more than what you paid for him
By all accounts, he’s a player who has championship clubs interested so could be worth much more in the best case scenario where he helps us get promoted and gets a season in the championship with Derby under his belt
We also have one standout winger available in NML and no one fully claiming the other spot. Without factoring money into it, this looks like a sure fire way to improve the starting XI for a team chasing the automatics. It also lessens the catastrophic NML injury scenario that, IMO, is currently our most worrying “what if”
I’m unfortunately getting my hopes up on this one, seems like a doozy if we can pull it off and the sort of smart business we’ve rarely seen this past decade. Now I’ve said that, we’ll probably see him grinning next to a Huddersfield Town shirt this time next week

I don’t understand where this idea of overpaying is coming from
I understand everyone’s very keen to avoid the mistakes of the past but surely what we’re actually trying to avoid is the Nick Blackman signing. A so-so player bought off the back of a purple patch, with years left on his deal and to satisfy a manager who knew him personally (only to be sacked almost immediately after, which won’t be happening to Warne)
He’s a talented player in his prime, at 26 he will have resale value, and only has six months left on his contract so will cost less than what he would do with e.g. three years left on his contract
Surely Blackett-Taylor won’t be overpriced because you’d hypothetically be able to sell him for more money this summer? Once you sign him, he’s immediately worth more than what you paid for him
By all accounts, he’s a player who has championship clubs interested so could be worth much more in the best case scenario where he helps us get promoted and gets a season in the championship with Derby under his belt
We also have one standout winger available in NML and no one fully claiming the other spot. Without factoring money into it, this looks like a sure fire way to improve the starting XI for a team chasing the automatics. It also lessens the catastrophic NML injury scenario that, IMO, is currently our most worrying “what if”
I’m unfortunately getting my hopes up on this one, seems like a doozy if we can pull it off and the sort of smart business we’ve rarely seen this past decade. Now I’ve said that, we’ll probably see him grinning next to a Huddersfield Town shirt this time next week

I don’t understand where this idea of overpaying is coming from
I understand everyone’s very keen to avoid the mistakes of the past but surely what we’re actually trying to avoid is the Nick Blackman signing. A so-so player bought off the back of a purple patch, with years left on his deal and to satisfy a manager who knew him personally (only to be sacked almost immediately after, which won’t be happening to Warne)
He’s a talented player in his prime, at 26 he will have resale value, and only has six months left on his contract so will cost less than what he would do with e.g. three years left on his contract
Surely Blackett-Taylor won’t be overpriced because you’d hypothetically be able to sell him for more money this summer? Once you sign him, he’s immediately worth more than what you paid for him
By all accounts, he’s a player who has championship clubs interested so could be worth much more in the best case scenario where he helps us get promoted and gets a season in the championship with Derby under his belt
We also have one standout winger available in NML and no one fully claiming the other spot. Without factoring money into it, this looks like a sure fire way to improve the starting XI for a team chasing the automatics. It also lessens the catastrophic NML injury scenario that, IMO, is currently our most worrying “what if”
I’m unfortunately getting my hopes up on this one, seems like a doozy if we can pull it off and the sort of smart business we’ve rarely seen this past decade. Now I’ve said that, we’ll probably see him grinning next to a Huddersfield Town shirt this time next week

Is it possible to actually voice a negative, pessimistic or even really any alternative opinion to the (for want of a better word) "pro-Warne" narrative without "contributing to the negative dialogue"?
I agree that there are those who simply don't like him and will jump on any bad moment to use against him. 
But it also really concerns me when reasonable criticisms are just shouted down as "moaning", "wrist slashing" and other such terms.
If we are not given a space to criticise and debate managers/players/owners you can end up with a situation where they are essentially allowed to get away with murder and anyone trying to criticise them just gets shouted down. See: Mel Morris.

Not necessarily, us Martinites would start a campaign to install him as our manager. 😉

f****** hell Roboto, I’m not actually managing them 😂

Get out

Get out

Have you considered dropping acid with your pre-match pie?

I’ve made a start on my humble pie
I’ve only had a few bites so far but I hope I’m going to be hoovering up the crumbs by the end of the season
Would still much prefer to skip the main course of Collins Pie and tuck into the John-Jules ice cream sundae though. Everything tells me that will be tastier.

I’ve made a start on my humble pie
I’ve only had a few bites so far but I hope I’m going to be hoovering up the crumbs by the end of the season
Would still much prefer to skip the main course of Collins Pie and tuck into the John-Jules ice cream sundae though. Everything tells me that will be tastier.

I’ve made a start on my humble pie
I’ve only had a few bites so far but I hope I’m going to be hoovering up the crumbs by the end of the season
Would still much prefer to skip the main course of Collins Pie and tuck into the John-Jules ice cream sundae though. Everything tells me that will be tastier.

Not often I’ll sit down and watch the PL
I’m quite detached from it, it’s basically the same as the NFL or NBA for me at this point - I don’t hate or dislike any of the top teams no more than I hate/dislike the Dallas Cowboys or New York Knicks
And I think the online “banter” culture is embarrassing these days, just a bunch of teenagers and grown men with the brains of teenagers going round in circles, s*** memes about McTominay having more goals than the Chelsea forward line or something boring like that 
But I have to say watching Man United is actually very funny, I’m quite enjoying how bad they are
Garnacho and Hojlund couldn’t finish their dinners 

He joined Rotherham in January 2023 until the end of the championship season….while Paul Warne was managing, erm….Derby County.
It’s a rumour but turning our noses up at a player joining from a premier league club just because he played for Rotherham last year seems strange to me 

The list of left backs seen off by Fozzy is absolutely mental.

TJJ is a talented young player who is rebuilding his career. Yes, he gets bundled over. Yes, he’s had a poor injury record. But so has Waghorn, Washington etc and they’re not going to get any better as players whereas this guy will.
He fashions chances with his touch and awareness. We haven’t seen him start, yet he’s already scored a couple and had other efforts well saved like on Saturday (he looked devastated not to score).
In a squad devoid of good finishers, he is a valuable asset. He’s exactly the type of ‘gamble’ we should take.

Bring him home 

So everyone clapping, lots singing, with a finale of a loud “Derby!” isn’t building the atmosphere just seconds from kick off?
How would listening to music get the crowd engaging en mass anymore than this does?
 
Unless it’s less noise you want while you check your bets online? 😂
 

5 weeks later…
Made me chuckle

5 weeks later…
Made me chuckle

I mentioned a few weeks ago in another topic that we are currently looking after 2 young boys (2 and 3), they moved in with us back in October and currently under assessment for temporary kinship foster parent status.
It's tough. Knowing we have at least 2 foster parents on here, just wanted to unload really.
We stepped in, trying to help out in short notice, I think it was 3 weeks from hearing they need our help to moving in and they have been fantastic. Settled in so well, this side has been an amazing experience.
The other side, not so. 
Meetings in person, remotely, check ups, health visitors, assessments, training courses then on top of that being available for contact with their mum and her mum (their gran) wanting her slice of our time
Where is the time left to, you know, do fun things with the boys like they should be doing? With both of me and Leanne working, just not finding the hours in the day. We're about to go through Family Conference which is an agreement for scheduled contact visits. The boys mum is wanting twice a week!
It's honestly overwhelming and I can understand why there is a shortage of foster parents available in our local area at least. Even the paperwork with weekly diary, accident forms, medication forms. 
Yesterday I was emailed another batch of assessment meetings. 
With those they want to dig into my finances, family tree, personality, education, leisure activities, even interview our ex partners and send us for a medicals.
Pretty much every Tuesday into the new year for 2 months will be taken up by this one particular department.
As I say, then you have social services, health services, an independent reviewer all wanting to take any other free hours you get until we get to the final boss which is the fostering panel that has to approve us.
Doesn't stop then either as this is only temporary whilst social services consider court orders and possible SGO orders.
Don't get me wrong, I get they have to be careful, most kids entering the fostering system have not found themselves there without going through tough times. They need to check that they are placed in a suitable home. Just feels like the whole process could be streamlined with less people ticking the same boxes.
Take DBS checks for example, we had to have them before placement through social services, now Fostering team want to do them again, surely they are there on file that can be shared?
Not much point to this post really than to say life is hard right now, currently writing this whilst in a Microsoft Teams waiting room for this weeks remote meeting. I respect you all that have been through this process.

I think he needs to focus more on reducing minutes for NML, Fozzy and Hourihane. Playing them at this current rate risks injury as the season progresses. The likes of Tommo and Fornah will likely improve if used more, and he needs to keep his injury cover (eg Bradley) sharp. Sure too much rotation is disruptive but last season there was not enough and we know how that finished 

I love how smug this thread has become 👏👏 let’s enjoy it now before going 9 without a win in Feb/March 😂

The goal before half time felt like quite a promotiony goal to score
The third felt very promotiony, very f****** promotiony indeed