Leicester Ram

Over ten years of service, never a problem in the entire time he's been here, seen off every left back we've signed since he arrived, flexible enough to cover multiple positions.
A club legend. No doubt about it. 

Always been a fan of Fozzy a great servant a great guy who deserves goods stuff 
but my does he deserve it, 5/6 weeks out just slots it like he’s not been anywhere, 
Hope we’ll see him see promotion with us he deserves it

I’d be embarrassed about being a Bolton fan coming on here talking about how they battered us: xG was 0.46 to 0.49. 
They were unlucky not to get a draw, but sideways passing between the centre backs, occasionally rotating into midfield and back to the centre backs, isn’t exactly the ‘battering’ you think it might be. 

Are you suggesting their miss-hit corner should count as a valid attempt at goal? 

I'll be honest, this morning I woke up almost deflated, just knew we would lose, after all it's the Derby way, big game and that.
Then we win.
I'm like a dog with 2 huge dicks.
Come on, let's finish the job off now for @B4ev6is

Gayle has had the best career of anyone in our squad and you can see why, the players at this level are a few seconds behind him.
Look at the amount of time he had on the ball for that goal on Tuesday night. Obviously it's a great touch but, compared to the standard he's consistently played at for the majority of his career, he had so much time to take a beat and slot the ball away. 
Collins, for all his qualities, simply doesn't have that in him. He'd likely have either miscontrolled or snatched at that ball, I grew to love him but over the course of a season I reckon he needs twice as many chances as Gayle does.
That's the difference for us now, all season long we've lacked a striker with the composure and technique that Gayle has.

Bristol Rovers vs Derby County
Saturday 9th March KO 3pm
Memorial Stadium (BS7 0BF)
 
Opponents Form: Decent recently with three wins in their last four matches including their last two. They currently sit 11th in the table albeit with no realistic playoff aspirations or relegation concerns. Whilst their home record in L1 this season is a reasonable W7-D5-L5 it should be noted that they have lost four of their most recent six matches on their own patch with wins over Carlisle (2-1) and Oxford (3-1) dampened by defeats to Blackpool (1-2), Exeter (0-1), Fleetwood (0-2) and Burton (1-2).
Opponents Bio: Rovers are managed by Matt Taylor who is in his third managerial role. After an impressive four years at Exeter he was the man chosen by Rotherham to take over the reins after the departure of our own Paul Warne to Pride Park. Taylor's spell there lasted 13 months before he parted company with the Yorkshire club in November 2023 as the Millers were struggling in 22nd place. Within three weeks, however, he found himself in the Bristol Rovers hotseat replacing the ever-delightful Joseph Barton. 
The club have played their home matches at the 11,000 capacity (3,000 seated) Memorial Stadium since 1996 after leaving their previous home in Eastville. They are officially known as the 'Pirates', reflecting Bristol's maritime history. Or because they just arrrr. Or maybe because their form is historically patchy. They are of course also known as the 'Gas', a nickname which was given them by opposition fans originally but was cheerfully adopted by the Rovers' followers who refer to themselves as 'Gasheads'. The name came about apparently due to their former stadium being sited next to a gasworks which produced a distinct aroma which would waft over the ground. Anybody who sits near a few of our more dedicated drinkers at Pride Park will no doubt relate to that.
Opponents Player Watch: Only one place to start here as the Rams go up against our former beau, Christopher Hugh Martin. The Wardrobe has scored 15 goals this season and is joint fifth in the top scorers chart for the division. Second top scorer after CM9 is Anthony Evans with half a dozen goals. Other notable players are ex-Rams youngster Luke Thomas, experienced former Swansea, Celtic and Preston man Scott Sinclair and Chelsea loanee Harvey Vale who I think we were linked with during the summer. I'm not sure if he's their number one or not but they also have a goalkeeper called Jed Ward who you can only sympathise with.
Rams Record vs Opponents: There have been three FA Cup ties between the two clubs but we'll focus on the 27 league matches there have been between Bristol Rovers and Derby County. The first meeting was on 29th August 1953 at Bristol so hats off to any Ram or Rover who remembers that match over 70 years ago. During the early years of the fixture it was Bristol Rovers who held sway with the Pirates winning the first three encounters, four of the first five and six of the first nine overall. Since then though it is the Rams who have had much the better of it. The overall league record for Derby against Saturday's opponents is as follows:
P27: W12-D7-L8
Away at Bristol Rovers our record  is: P13: W3-D4-L6   Whilst that isn't impressive it should be pointed out that we lost on our first five visits and since then we've gone W3-D3-L1 on their turf and are unbeaten in our last four visits.
Since our relegation to L1 for the 2022/23 season the Rams have recorded home wins against Rovers in both fixtures at Pride Park (4-2 and 2-1) whilst last season we conceded a debateable late penalty in a 1-1 draw at their place.
Other Saturday Fixtures Of Note: We will either be second or third going into the match depending on the outcome of Barnsley vs Bolton on Tuesday night. Peterborough are at home to Northampton on the same evening. On Saturday our priority is of course to earn three points in the south-west but we will be hoping for favourable results in at least one of the following games:
Blackpool vs Portsmouth
Exeter vs Bolton
Barnsley vs Lincoln
Burton vs Peterborough
Expected Team: My guess is that Derby will be unchanged from the 3-0 win against a desperately struggling Port Vale. With fit full-back options rarer than a salad in the City Ground boardroom I suspect it'll be a back three plus the two wing-backs who played well yesterday. 
 
Safe journey to those who make the trip and COYR.

It’s about time SKY paid to charter trains and bus travel to compensate away fans for their stupid o’clock ko times.
 

Today showed how a back 3 and wing backs can work very effectively IF you have athletic attack-minded wing backs in the team.

6 home games left, time for the fans to fully get behind the team no matter what is happening on the pitch, the formation or whether you like Warne or not. 

I think many of Warne's critics seek to explain their grievances sensibly. Sadly, this lad or lass ain't one of them.
I'd just move along if you value your sanity. Frankly, I'd view that particular laughing emoji as a badge of honour 🙊
On a slight tangent, I think our support at games has been excellent recently, home and away. It does seem to me that most who go to games are at least trying to lift the players and coaches and I really hope we see that again today, even if things don't immediately click. Big game for the players AND the fans then as while we may not need a '12th man' today, it certainly wouldn't hurt our chances.
#BEMOREB4

I do see what everyone’s saying, that’s my point, there can’t even be a calm objective chat about how we might like to see the side line up before the game tomorrow without people making their thoughts on Warne repeatedly known.
I have long since accepted Warne is the manager, posters who can’t accept that repeatedly and REPEATEDLY shouting about him and his approach across every thread isn’t changing that fact, it just makes the forum pretty much unreadable. There can’t be any dialogue without people jumping in with digs about Warne, it’s pretty much an echo chamber of the same comments on here at the moment regardless of what the thread is supposed to be about. 

Also my earlier post says I want us set up to have a go and win comfortably. I don’t think it’s how Warne will set us up but it’s sometimes just nice trying to discuss the team and the prospects for tomorrow without the negativity. 

Very succinctly written, Kernow
We all have February slump PTSD so I do sympathise with those that are panicking
There’s a good chance I’ll also be sharpening my pitchfork at the end of the season if we don’t go up but for now, I’m not blinded by the “lack of entertainment” when this always has been a results business
How so many posters are convincing themselves that promotion almost isn’t worth it if Warne’s in charge shows how far from reality you can get when you dislike a manager. I remember thinking the same when Rowett was in charge but if we’d been promoted with him then we wouldn’t be here now - I couldn’t have been more wrong
I’ll put the tin hat on and say Warne’s biggest issue is managing the expectations of a bunch of pearl clutchers who can’t sit through the grim reality of League One football at their precious Derby County and boo the team

Very succinctly written, Kernow
We all have February slump PTSD so I do sympathise with those that are panicking
There’s a good chance I’ll also be sharpening my pitchfork at the end of the season if we don’t go up but for now, I’m not blinded by the “lack of entertainment” when this always has been a results business
How so many posters are convincing themselves that promotion almost isn’t worth it if Warne’s in charge shows how far from reality you can get when you dislike a manager. I remember thinking the same when Rowett was in charge but if we’d been promoted with him then we wouldn’t be here now - I couldn’t have been more wrong
I’ll put the tin hat on and say Warne’s biggest issue is managing the expectations of a bunch of pearl clutchers who can’t sit through the grim reality of League One football at their precious Derby County and boo the team

Very succinctly written, Kernow
We all have February slump PTSD so I do sympathise with those that are panicking
There’s a good chance I’ll also be sharpening my pitchfork at the end of the season if we don’t go up but for now, I’m not blinded by the “lack of entertainment” when this always has been a results business
How so many posters are convincing themselves that promotion almost isn’t worth it if Warne’s in charge shows how far from reality you can get when you dislike a manager. I remember thinking the same when Rowett was in charge but if we’d been promoted with him then we wouldn’t be here now - I couldn’t have been more wrong
I’ll put the tin hat on and say Warne’s biggest issue is managing the expectations of a bunch of pearl clutchers who can’t sit through the grim reality of League One football at their precious Derby County and boo the team

Realistically, David Clowes is not going to be sacking Paul Warne before the 27th April.
No matter how poor the football has been, and now recently results too, we are still second. Barnsley & Bolton have games in hand (against each other), but as it stands we’re second because we’ve won more points than all but 1 of the teams in our league this season.
I don’t think Warne is the long term answer, and if we don’t go up this season then that’s the point I would expect the change.
I personally don’t see the benefit of turning against the manager and the team at this stage when all it’s going to do is hinder the team further. It might not be very pretty but we can still get out of this league, and right now I think that’s the most important thing.

Don't worry everyone. I've been on holiday for rhe last 2 games, but I'm back on Saturday. 
All will be well.
 

Okay, I'll be that guy...
Were we terrible tonight?! I don't think so. To my eye we looked the better team and should have won. Not inspiring by any stretch but still the better side with more than enough opportunities to take 3 points.
On Saturday at Barnsley we were equal to them.
I accept we play a fairly pragmatic brand of football under Warne, it's not my idea of entertaining football but not every dropped point has to be used as a stick to beat him with. It's league 1 in the winter, it's going to be ugly at times. 
Some people's expectations feel unrealistic given all the circumstances. We are not going to win every game playing total football. People calling for him to be sacked whilst we're second in the league or because their crystal ball says we'll be crap in the championship is frankly bizarre!
I agree that he has to stop tinkering with 3 at the back and stick with some version of 4-3-3 but I don't see that as the primary reason we lost tonight.
We are still second, it is still all to play for. 
Tin hat on.

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

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

Here’s an insightful tactical appraisal of the first 45 minutes pinched from the Charlton forum! 👍😁

“Their brand of shyte is marginally more creative than our brand of shyte. Utter shyte nonetheless. This league is just, well, utter shyte.”

Waghorn

Waghorn