The Scarlet Pimpernel

9 minutes ago, Boycie said:

Stop it!

Steve Gibson reads this forum you know!!

Yeah, talking of which when have the curly headed ones club held their supporters meetings? What? They haven't? Points deduction and embargo please!!

Attendance only likely to be 16,000-17,000 so that should help. 

I've got a novel idea.... Why don't we wait and see? 

Does it really matter? 

4 minutes ago, chipperram said:

Sorry, I can’t remember it is 32 years since I left there. I doubt I could even answer you then as I didn’t even know what an MD was............I was scared enough of my own foreman as it was with out the complications of real grown ups existing.

Aaah, fair enough. Uncle Roger as he was to us was MD then owner until it was either sold or went bust. Long time ago though. 

53 minutes ago, chipperram said:

Thought Qualcast would be the link. I did an apprenticeship at Qualcast Foundry’s. I will be cancelling sky from September so I have an excuse to go to the pub. I used to watch the game in the Oak before he change moved to Swan, the Swan is a nicer place too. He used to love it when the fans got off the train for a last stop pint before going onto Ipswich. Maybe they need to get off at Needham and aim for the Swan now instead.

Was the MD of Qualcast Roger Lackner by any chance?

1 hour ago, GenBr said:

I don't understand how they are continuing to spend money willy nilly after posting a loss of £90mill. Why is the EFL not all over them rather than sat on our doorstep all the time.

Because they haven't upset a certain curly haired chairman from a rival club. 

6 hours ago, Tyler Durden said:

Roy you've done what you tend to do no offense and extract a very small portion of a post and then focus on that out of context.

I mentioned the style of play was the same in the game against Salford too where we didn't have youngsters, which was a continuation of the final portion of the previous season. 

During interviews post match a few players have mentioned  in one form or another leaning the new style of play this season. 

3 minutes ago, Leeds Ram said:

Mel's tenure has to be judged on where he's left us and if we're being honest we're an absolute basket case of a club right now. He's been completely imprudent during his tenure, had no distinctive identity in his leadership of the club and has increasingly resorted to famous appointments papering over the growing cracks. Fundamentally, he's made so many mistakes he's harmed the club for potentially a very long time and our reputation with both the governing body and the outside world is at a pretty much all time low. 

He's not had bad intentions but he can't be considered an owner who has left us in a good place and the silence from him and the board since reality has bitten around the club hasn't exactly helped matters. He was more than happy to accept the applause and adulation early on in his reign so now he's got to be ready to face the music since things have hit peak awful.  

Who says he isn't? 

12 minutes ago, DCFC1388 said:

Wont this have cost money to do? I thought we had none & are on the brink of administration?! 

This plus a week at an expensive training facility, all points to no money

We have as much money as Mel is willing to spend. No more no less. 

Quite frankly it's all a pane. 

Everythings a bloomin drama. 

Surprised you see yourself as a "floater" Tyler. 

1 hour ago, Carnero said:

How many are you using as total available to sell to Derby fans, 30,000?

Yes, exactly. 

According to my calculations as of now we have sold 14,000 seats plus away fans.

7 minutes ago, archram said:

Thank you, kind sir. Still recovering from a brain haemorrhage and now turned 80 means long journeys to Derby by myself are now off the menu,though my son and my stepson insist they’ll get me to PP again. My partner had hoped that having my brains scrambled might have helped me forget about the Rams - but I pointed out that it actually helped!

Well done archram. Wishing you all the best.

Born in Stanley, Dad Grandad and older brother all rams fans. First match in boys enclosure at bbg aged 8. Moved down south coast as teenager with parents. Down here since then but son and daughter both rams. Go as often as we can. 

Perhaps the club should pay the max of 4.5k per week and Mel should also take them on as a home help at 7k per week. 

2 hours ago, Chester40 said:

So only about £250,000 annual salary. How the hell are they supposed to eat? 

That of course is true Chester but unfortunately we are competing with other teams who will pay a lot more.. 

7 hours ago, Derby blood said:

Yes we can sign players 4 free on 1 year cintracts or 6 month loans, depends if Mel wants to add to the running costs of the club, or is he waiting for the new owners to take us over, so he can save a few more quid. 

But it is alleged they have altered the max wage down to 4.5k per week from 11.5k. Hence no signings. 

Surely rules can't be made up on the hoof. That is just not right. 

21 minutes ago, Bris Vegas said:

I’ll also add that I firmly believe Mel brought in Wayne Rooney in a bid to raise the profile of the club in order to sell it.

Rooney the player was never going to come in to the Championship and single-handedly turn Derby into serious promotion contenders. We didn’t sign him as a player for football reasons, despite being arguably England’s greatest ever player. 

Mel then doubled down on him by naming him manager. And he’s still yet to sell the club. It was a bold move which ultimately backfired.

With hindsight, I wonder if Mel wishes he never brought Rooney to the club.

I firmly believe if we had never brought Rooney in and stuck with Cocu, signing a few of his targets such as Dursun, Panzo, Dykes, Moore and Dickie, we’d be in a far healthier place now, on and off the pitch.

Cocu was our Nigel Clough. Maybe he would have never have gotten us promoted, but he was exactly what we needed while clearing the decks.

I agree but I also remember how the fans treated him. 

So, with only 9 days to go to the start of the season here we are still struggling with the EFL. They seem happy for us to be uncompetitive. I guess their attitude is there is more than one way to skin a cat. Disgusting! 

5 minutes ago, Ambitious said:

I've had a go at predicting the league table for this season in a competition: 

1. Fulham
2. Sheff Utd
3. Bournemouth
4. West Brom
5. Middlesborough
6. QPR

7. Stoke City
8. Notts Forest
9. Millwall
10. Cardiff City
11. Blackburn Rovers
12. Birmingham City
13. Swansea City
14. Luton Town
15. Barnsley
16. Bristol City
17. Coventry City
18. Reading
19. Preston
20. Hull City
21. Peterborough

22. Derby County
23. Huddersfield Town
24. Blackpool

When I considered everything, although I think we will ultimately get relegated, I do think we will end up putting up more than a fight than I originally expected. Of course, this is on the basis that we can sign at least 4 of our free agents on trial. It's also on the basis that we DON'T get a point deduction. If either of them happen then we will finish 24th at a canter. 

I think the top four are a cut above everything else in the division, comfortably, but the final 2 places in the play-offs could be hard fought this season.

Which games are we going to lose? Just asking so I can do something else that day. Ta muchly!

9 minutes ago, JoetheRam said:

We're in for a long season, but we knew that already.

Betis played in second gear, little more than a training match for them. We were in fourth, going up hill.

The highlights of the game were Darren Moore being there, greeted with a tired "did you bring your boots Daz?" by the comedian in the stands. Also the pitch looked better than anything that was on it.

I don't know whether the mid afternoon home made brownies wore off at half time, but I had a major realisation whilst watching the subs warm up, that it was nearly 10 years since watching Will Hughes do the same at Peterborough. The difference could not have been more stark. Back then we were assembling something, building towards a future.  Sure it was slow progress until Mac came in and I don't think I appreciated this at the time, but at least there were some bright sparks. Right now it's a struggle to see any on the horizon. A 53 year old Phil Jagielka and assorted journeymen dross on trial is hard to get excited by. We're back to 2008. Only with even less money.

The crowd were rather enthusiastic for a pre-season friendly, perhaps naive, or just more generous of heart, half ambled jogs down the touch line by substitutes were greeted with warm applause, the 40 odd Betis fans waved scarves. It was only when I spotted them that it occurred to me that we'd been robbed of a more aesthetically pleasing game by Betis' decision to abandon their classy green and white stripes in favour of a dull blue away kit. I hope they get relegated this season as punishment. 

If there's one thing that's good about Pride Park though, it's the view from the concourse of the Toyota Upper on a summer evening. Even the £5 Pedi tasted alright as the sun faded over the Gas Works and car showrooms at half time. Beautiful in a way.

I don't think I'll be at many games this year, a few London away games around friends birthdays and the odd early cup match perhaps. Given where we are as a club, I don't think I'll miss many special moments.

Up the Rams.

 

 

Bet you're fun at parties.