stejawh

He scored 3 goals in the equivalent of one match in the playoffs.  The one against Leeds under that pressure was fantastic as was the one at Norwich away.  Scored three in three against premier league sides as well.  Grossly underused and confidence damaged by a manager who had favourites and blamed him for not having the same goal output when it was clear he stopped scoring when Mount was out for about 2 months and he had no service.  Then he didn't fit Cocu's system and was constantly going wide to collect the ball to facilitate a lumbering weeble on 90k a week..  We mismanaged a quality finisher.

Both Kid and Ology have been out for a few weeks, I think it's Having and Yuon who are the doubts 😁

Pull up a chair, this will be a long one.
Me and my wife Leanne have been together 8 years and 5 months, we have been trying for a baby for around 6/7 years. Nothing happened. Leanne has been desperate for our own little baby and seeing friends around us start families has been hard for her.
It’s been hard for myself as I later found out it was probably my fault following a sperm test.
Just before Covid we went to explore IVF options where I was given a sperm test, the results were basically I have swimmers, just not enough to put me in the “normal” range. Not impossible I could get Leanne pregnant, just harder than it would be for others.
Covid landed, lockdown, all non essential treatment and hospital appointments were cancelled, so our doctors asked us to come back once life returned to normal.
Fast forward to August 2023, we returned to the doctors knowing the clock was ticking, Leanne turns 40 this year and would already be classified as a “geriatric”, whilst myself a slightly younger Des O’Connor.
Anyway, they started testing Leanne, she was all clear, I was given another tube to fill and arrange an appointment with the hospital. Contacting them I was told there is such a backlog, we would be waiting until the new year, side note, we’re almost April and I’m still yet to receive a call back.
As I have mentioned elsewhere, October 27th our great nephews moved in with us under an emergency kinship fostering placement, since then we have been undergoing various assessments and training.
We go to the fostering panel to be confirmed foster parents on April 11th.
We was also willing to go down the SGO (Special guardianship order) route which would see them stay with us until they were 18.
Now, this is an important bit. We live in a small 2 bedroom house, me and Leanne looked at it and said maybe this is our calling, maybe we just weren’t meant to have our own and threw ourselves into the boys creating a special bond.
Monday 12th February, 2024, Leanne woke me up in tears saying we need to talk. My eyes had barely adjusted to the daylight before a positive pregnancy test was thrust into my face.
What. The. f***.
We quickly went to Morrison’s to buy another one, just to double check, this time a digital one. Both ClearBlue so super accurate.
The pregnancy was confirmed, 2-3 weeks it said.
We hadn’t bothered to be “careful” as we figured it was never going to happen naturally, but it had so now we was left with a huge dilemma. The boys were meant to be our future now. But it’s a 2 bedroom house.
It completely took the shine off what should have been the happiest time of our lives, Leanne’s family were also not fully invested into the joy with concern over what would happen to the boys.
After a few emotional discussions into the early mornings, exploring all possibilities, we ultimately decided to let social services know that we cannot be considered as long term placement if needed.
At this point and to this day, their mum is still waiting on her assessment to see if they can ever be returned.
We could not abort, we could not move as we have a small amount of debt that would prevent us getting a new mortgage for a much larger house.
March 9th, we visited the midwife who dated the pregnancy from Leanne’s last recorded period December 18th. A 12 week scan was booked for 21st March however she was told that she would be 13 weeks by then.
Sickness, tender breasts, the lot, this was all very real.
The wait for the 21st March seemed like forever.
The weekend prior, Leanne had very very light spotting and discharge which freaked us both out, quick call to the midwife and told not to worry, just come in if it’s heavy bleeding and she’s in pain.
On the 20th, I had a tattoo appointment, super excited and determined to bring some positivity to a stressed out wife, I get “Daddy” inked on my neck, at the neckline of a t shirt.  I was uncontrollably excited by this point.
Next morning we go in, soon called into the Ultrasound room, I bounce in rubbing my hands joking just the one please.
Monitor boots up, Leanne laid back with the biggest smile on her face unable to see the monitor.
I look up and the gestation sac is empty.
All life inside me just melted.
The midwife asked when we last took a pregnancy test, to which Leanne responded and was then asked if she would be happy to have an internal scan.
Whilst the midwife left the room I was in a daze, taking pictures of the screens.
Internal scan complete, we was simply told to get ourselves ready and we will be shown to the counselling room.
Both in tears, we was led away and left to sit in this room for half hour or so before another midwife appeared giving us 3 options.
Let it come out naturally.
Take medication to force it out which can be super painful.
Or surgery, which is a vacuum basically which sucks it out.
Period of silence followed and we was shown out the side door, absolutely devastated.
We sat in the car park at a complete loss. I had the announcement board ready to go, bought the little lamb rattle, we had it all planned and it was over.
After an hour we went home, packed our bags and basically ran away for the weekend leaving the boys with their Nan. We couldn’t face being “parents” surrounded by toys at this time.
Work were great, signed us both off with paid leave.
The weekend was spent crying, drinking, walking, crying.
We returned Monday, still an emotional mess but able to function at least.
The hospital rang asking if we had made a decision, on Tuesday Leanne booked the surgery for the Wednesday. That Tuesday night went to visit a friend who was questioning the dates, could they be wrong, is it earlier than we think, ask for a second scan to confirm.
On looking at the scan, the gestation sac was 1D 25mm, 2D 29mm and 3D 29mm. I’m googling sac sizes at 1am and see that is 8 weeks. 5 weeks earlier than what we was told.
Leanne’s now questioning if she forgot to record a period I said look, we’ll ask for a confirmation scan to be sure.
That morning, we go into SDEC (Same day emergency care), nurse calls us in, Leanne breaks down so I take over asking for a confirmation scan. They were great and said of course, booking us in for April 2nd.
I would have declined the 1st for obvious reasons.
We’re sat here now 99% believing we’ve lost the baby, however we need that 1% of doubt clearing away with this confirmation scan on Tuesday. Even a scan at an earlier date should have shown more than just the gestation sac and yolk sac.
I’m back to work on Monday, needing some normality back in my life, although Tuesday after the scan won’t be much fun.
This week that’s just gone, Wednesday 27th, the Boys mum had her assessment heard at panel, we’re now just waiting to hear from the social services to see how that went and would they be returned or not.
We have some difficult decisions ahead if she doesn’t, as now Leanne’s “oven has been warmed”, we’re desperate more than ever for our own little baby, yet fully aware Leanne turns 40 in a couple of months and I’m 42 myself.
It really needs to happen now, or not at all. Seeing Cameron Diaz having her second at 51 years old the other week, not sure how I feel as the old you get the more our bodies begin to tire and develop issues where running after children becomes more difficult.
All family options for the boys have been exhausted, so it’s either us, their mum or adoption. Being 2 and 3 they are the prime age to be adopted yet we would never see them again and that would f’in hurt, especially if me and Leanne are not successful in having our own.
I'm sharing this as men don't like to talk and when 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage, many men will have been in similar situations and struggle in silence. Whilst the woman will ultimately bare the most pain and need the most support, it still f'in hurts....a lot.
So yeah, coming on here reading how Paul Warne is a terrible football manager, being 2nd is pure luck and all the rest of the negative hyperbole just hasn’t been at the top of the list to absorb. 
More to life than football has never been more true.
You know the old saying though, behind every successful forum owner, behind him is a team of amazing moderators. Big thanks to them for carrying the load whilst I spend time supporting the wife.

Prison Break 
Auf Weidersen 
Z Cars 
Roots 
Our friends in the north
Quantum Leap 
Rich Man Poor Man 
Dallas 
Fawlty Towers 
Steptoe & Son 

The issue isn’t that we want the prettiest football in the history of the game, it isn’t that we want to make Manchester City look like a bunch of crude lumpers. It is that we know that if our players were allowed to play to their strengths they could storm this league. The weaknesses and deficiencies are plain and obvious and are holding us back. So instead of cementing our position in the automatic places, we are preparing ourselves to be glad we scraped into the play-offs.
Credit us due that we are up there despite having controlled virtually none of our matches, but ignore the possibility that we are only still up near the top because League One is so weak.
Then we start slagging our midfield off for being powder-puff and easy for the opposition to go marauding through at will when Warne admits to setting midfield up to be powder-puff and easy to maraud through. And all the opposition have to do is play the tallest central defenders they’ve got and double up down the flanks and we are stuffed.
The issues are addressable but ignored so we continue to stutter when we should be motoring forwards.
But despite all this I will be there and I will be noisy, helping the South Standers make our support heard. And shouting at the ref!
COME ON YOU RAMS.

I was wondering the same, thinking along the lines of a loss in the first 9 months as things were straightened out. There were then the sales of Knight and Bielik in the summer, sponsorship deals this year which we didn’t have previously, matchday revenue, season tickets etc etc….but the outgoings could also have gone up too.
I like the idea of the club being ran sustainably at the moment, sensible transfer investment within the club’s means like the rumoured fee for Blackett-Taylor, continuing focus on the academy, shrewder recruitment with a longer term view.
I fully embrace the idea the days of us spending big money on the back of the owner’s whims are a thing of the past. I know others might not feel the same. 

I stand to be corrected, but I believe it was similar at Millwall... Initially, their mob were just known as "Yobs".
It wasn't until that PO semi against us... and with acknowledgement to Graham Richards... that they became "officially" known as "The Brainless Maniacs".
👀
 
 

For all Nige’s faults, I don’t think he would ever team up with his pals and a fraudster to try and take over the club. That’s probably the biggest difference of them all. 

Clough's struggles? The struggle of consistently finishing mid-table? It's laughable that you'd even try to make the comparison. I appreciate they walked into very different situations at Derby, but all I've heard about Rooney since he usurped Cocu is excuses. You can't criticise him because we were bottom of the league when he took over. You can't criticise him because the players aren't being paid on time. You can't criticise him because of the points deduction. So now he's had a chance to prove what he can do at a club without all those issues, and he proved to be even worse than he was here. And the excuse now, he's not been afforded the ability to waste loads of money. Will Rooney's shockingly poor managerial record ever be his fault?

Ego, Narcissism call it what you like, He spunked millions on high profile people one a proven manager two who wanted to give it a go, Lampard came with Uncle Harrys blessing and it nearly paid off...then pretty boy fecked off to good old London Town leaving us in a mess, Cocu picked up the pieces but unfortunately trying to make a team out of bits n bobs proved hopeless, Rooney pushed his way in with the help of Stretford his manager, Houdini, Paul Daniels and Tommy Cooper couldn't help us by then, MM saw the writing all over PPs walls, Covid killed him, Nowt coming in and millions going out.
He prayed that he could sell to any Rag Tag and Bobtail that would stick around long enough to show they had millions in an offshore bank account, Courting wanna be buyers...any buyers as DCFC became a busted flush, Finally he bailed, He walked out of the Casino with hunched shoulders and empty pockets...picked up a free sandwich on his way out and home to Sandy Banks on the South Coast.
I guess he gave us a little hope, But there's posters who have come and gone on here that know the story better than me, Just an old boy that's seen the glory days...but just glad there's still a Derby County ☺️
 
    

Remarkably, Nigel Clough will pass Brian for number of games managed in early New Year.
A bit behind him in trophies won mind you!
They will be close to 3,000 games between them. Makes Warnock a mere pup in comparison!

Hi all, Peter's granddaughter and Scott's cousin here. It looks like @Brailsford Ram has discontinued his account, but I wanted to say thank you so much for the book, what a lovely gesture, which was very much appreciated in our time of grief. ❤️
Interesting to read about the different spin on him being fined and suspended for a week - this fits so much more with his shy and socially anxious nature, he would have jumped at the chance to go home for the week, and his mam & dad would have paid the £10 without a grumble! He spoke very fondly of Clough. He was a home bird and just didn't enjoy being away from his family, which is such a shame as his school friends tell how they would dread Peter and his brother coming on as opposition at local friendlies as they were very speedy and skilled players!! He could have done so well in a football career, but then again, Scott and I wouldn't be here if he did!! 
Thanks again all who have contributed to this thread, much appreciated 👍

I am delighted he left as well, to be honest. 

I like Steele as he often will call out players for not doing what they are supposed to do. And he very much sounds like he knows what he talking about due to long experience working on the coaching staff at clubs.
This means, he doesn't just continually blame the manager all the time, but puts responsibilty on the players.
Maybe other pundits, or posters, could take note.

I do wonder how much Graham Richards has coloured our opinions of how good local radio presenters actually are.  I grew up with Richards as effectively the voice of Derby County, and obviously no commentator since has really measured up.  But I think that’s a sign of how genuinely oddball and great he was, rather than a judgement on everyone else.  Local radio guys are local radio guys, and at best they’re learning their craft before they get promoted to national BBC or wherever and that’s fine.  Ed, and Dom, and Chris, and Owen, and Ross and whoever else we’ve had are all basically fine, they maybe weren’t the best commentators while they were at Radio Derby but they certainly weren’t the worst, and I have no doubt that they were all decent people who were doing their best, and they certainly don’t deserve some of the crap that gets sent their way.  The majority of them that have left seem to have gone on to bigger and better things, and I think that’s a sign that Radio Derby are getting something right somewhere, so best of luck to the next lot.

I’d heard of this beer - it’s apparently a bit of a legend. It’s won America’s best beer a number of times and it’s brewed in Santa Rosa, near where we’re staying. They had it in the restaurant we were in last night and it’s a banger. It’s an 8% double IPA, very tasty and carries its strength well but very bitter. Really nice, a little on the bitter side for my taste but it’s a great beer.

From top of Snowdon yesterday.
Massively lucked out on the weather..

Robert Duvall wasn't at the Scarborough Cricket Festival so didn't get chance to ask him.
TBH Kes isn't my favourite film though it's excellent. The football scene is however, my favourite film scene   

FWIW, I think we won’t see the best of our defenders until we get a settled midfield in front. Warne has his players in now and needs to figure out what his best eleven is in the international break. I don’t think we have enough partnerships that have been formed in our backline either where players know their jobs. When you have 2-5 new players playing together it naturally takes time for them to grasp their roles.
Again, Davies struggled when he came under Rowett in the first couple of months. Some players come in and everything clicks, some it takes a little time. I think after the international break we will see a much different Sonny Bradley.

Sure he came on as a sweeper at Leeds away? think Rob Hulse might have got a hat-trick against us.  Grim day

Hello guys, Rotherham fan in peace here. I used to live and work in Derby until recently so have always taken an interest in the Rams.
I can tell you that Vickers is an excellent keeper. He'll definitely give Wildsmith some stiff competition for the number one spot. When Johansson got injured towards the end of the season, he came in for us and did an amazing job. I think it's a great move for the lad, especially if he can force his way into the first team. The fact Warne has signed him and has worked with him before tells you everything you need to know. He won't let you down.
Anyway, since then, Leeds are now sniffing round our number one keeper. You really couldn't make it up 🙈

Curtis rightly took all the plaudits and emotion when we learned the curtain has finally came down on a brilliant Rams career.
So much so, Richard Stearman's (and James Chester) exit almost went by unnoticed.  
The Steargoat, as he got christened by someone, always gave it us all when representing us, he never complained about not being in the team or squad, plus was a excellent role model for the younger lads.  I'll never forgot when he was interviewed live on TV and stated just "how proud he was to represent this great football club and how much he loved pulling on the shirt".   He almost had the unsung Mark Lillis like cult hero status about him, for those who can remember Ooooh Mark Lillis. 
Wish him the best in whatever his career brings next.  
Good luck to the Steargoat !
Cheers, GDFTT

If you haven't already booked Alcatraz. Try and book the outgoing boat 2.5 hours before sunset. Then you get to see the Island and San Fran in the daylight and at night as well as an Alcatraz sunset.