Comrade 86

The match thread tomorrow...

It's clearly a clunge, Eddie!

I get that now but I wasn't sure why you quoted my post with your question 😂

Saturday 27th buddy. 12.30 kickoff.

Not got t'internet where thee lives?

Not sure if any of yous lot have been following the women's 6N but the Grand Slam decider is tomorrow with the Red Roses strong favourites to secure a win. I've watched all their games in this year's tournament and they've gone up another gear or two and are playing some wonderful running rugby under new Kiwi coach, John Mitchell. Match details are as below for anyone who fancies watching the game (live on the Beeb), but full game replays will be on BBC iPlayer, as apparently there's a game of football this weekend too! 👀 Venue: Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux Date: Saturday, 27 April Kick-off: 16:45 BST

Ahem! 👀

Oh do f*** off 🤣

Their FFP hearing was yesterday apparently, so the outcome must be imminent. Will they sanction the cheating Gumpies, or does the prospect of coming home to a real fire not appeal?

For the love of God, how can it only be Thursday?!? Anyway, here's Warney chatting about preparations and mindset for our final game. For those of you sensitive souls who break out in hives just hearing his voice, he says the mood is upbeat and we'll be setting up to win the game, not looking for a draw. He warns against complacency and made it clear that Carlisle won't be taken lightly, but says he and the players will be ready and up for the challenge. Conspicuously absent were any questions about player fitness, so no updates on that score at all, so Fozzy, Bird and Gayle will all clearly be starting. https://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/2024/04/carlisle-united-h-preview-paul-warne-202324-season

An interesting few weeks ahead to say the least. For the first time in a long while we will be able compete without the shackles of an EFL business plan and it'll be interesting to see who we are looking at. Presumably there will still be two lists, one for L1 and one not. My hunch is that we'll see the profile begin to change and perhaps some younger players with potential, rather than older players with proven pedigree. I do agree with some of the posts on here pointing out that there's some very good young players in L1 and perhaps we might see fit to five a few a go at a higher level, assuming all goes well on Saturday. Some who have caught my eye in recent weeks include Chris Forino at Wycombe, Paris Maghoma at Bolton, the aforementioned Harrison Burrows at Posh and Karamoko Dembélé at Blackpool, though I'd love to see us spreading the net and brining in two or three from foreign leagues, where I'm sure there must be some good value for money to be had.

No point in going to bed then really!

Turns out selling your club and racking up a £300 million debt to an (alleged) homicidal, global, drug trafficker, with a penchant for home fires, hasn't quite led to the sunlit uplands of European football and worldwide adulation they'd hoped for. They are trending, mind! 😂

TC vs Madrimov @ light middleweight. A tilt at a belt at a fourth different weightclass for the P4P champ. August 3rd and interestingly.... It is the kingdom's first boxing event outside of Saudi. Alalshikh has become boxing's financial powerhouse, with the ability to put on history-making fights. Anthony Joshua's last two bouts have taken place in Saudi and the undisputed title fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will also be held in capital Riyadh on 18 May. "A lot of fans have said these big fights are always in Saudi Arabia now and don't forget the UK and US," Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn, who is working alongside the Saudi organisers, said. "There are also talks of a major event in Wembley Stadium for Riyadh Season." https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/articles/cd1vx9k9mrgo

Would this burn off a Snickers 4-pack? Asking for a friend...

From the BBC: Taming the Crazy Gang, a blank contract & David Currie - the legend of Clough Goalkeeper Mark Crossley spent most of his career at Nottingham Forest after making his debut in 1989 - and that meant he got a front row seat in the world of Brian Clough. The double European Cup-winning manager, one of the great characters in the history of the English game, was Crossley's boss for the first four seasons of his career. He recounted some of his favourite tales from those years on the Sacked in the Morning podcast. Full article here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/clm3g30dyk5o Full podcast here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0hsl2f8

I must be easily pleased, as I'll be celebrating like a mad thing if we clinch promotion on Saturday and right now I couldn't care less about Premier League football.

Love the man. Properly down to earth and humble, but there's a steely determination that's palpable and you can tell what was in part, an act of mercy, has now now morphed into a grander vision. Far from feeling the pressure and weight of fan expectation, the man seems positively enthused. Seems to me he's loving it really and I did worry about that a little. That said, he is a fan himself, so he's every right to feel chuffed! As for the vision, well it seems that these days more than ever, sustainability is absolutely key to a successful football operation, so to hear him echo that ethos is also really reassuring. It's not sexy, but for me, above and beyond all other considerations, are the checks and balances that ensure we never make the same mistakes again. And talking of mistakes, I really hope I'm not wrong again, as Clowes does seem to me at least to be the perfect custodian for this grand old club of ours. Please can I not be wrong again! In all seriousness, I do have enormous faith in the man. Listening to him talk, I think it's safe to assume that there won't be the overnight change that some seem to expect, but rather incremental growth, built on solid foundations. I get that some folk want to see us challenging in the Championship straight away*, why wouldn't they, but slow and steady is all music to my ears, as I believe that a more measured and strategic plan is far more likely to yield longer term success, than the bang or bust approach adopted by so many clubs these days. And if Clowes, whose first year losses amounted to £7 million, is prepared to be patient enough to build this club back up the right way, as well as footing the bill, surely the fan base should be too? It's food for thought. *Irrespective, we do still have a game to negotiate on Saturday and hopefully all the players and coaching staff are fully focussed on that right now, as this is potentially a huge step back towards whence we came and if any supporters are due a party, it's us lot 😋 COYBR

Really? Nah! I mean, come on! No Rams supporter is betting against Derby being promoted and actually wanting their bet to land. I think folk are literally trying to curse Bolton with their cash. I know I am! 🤷‍♂️

Couple of docos watched recently the first being The Real Line of Duty. It deals with a particularly notorious era within the Met where a 'firm within a firm' royally took the piss, which in turn led to the modernisation of police on police evidence gathering. Sadly, it's not a terribly well put together 3 parter, but for all that the filming is run of the mill, the story told is quite incredible. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27125496/ Free to view with Prime The Secret Army is a documentary about a lost film showing real life IRA commanders at work. It's another eye opener for sure, but I'll say no more to avoid spoilers, other than it's another fascinating account and well worth a look. BBC iPlayer

Easy. B4 this year, David Clowes next.

I feckin hate Peterborough

I think it can be argued that the midfield is better without Hourihane, but I'm not sure how you can say as much about Bird's absence. He's our best CM by some way and with Ebou to run the hard yards alongside him, I'd wager Max will prosper. I guess his ability aside, another thing would be that he's come through the academy and we've watched him grow as a player, so there's some loyalty and affection for the lad from many fans and this is probably heightened by this being his last game. Most fans will have noted that he also stuck by us though the worst of the recent troubles, at a time when he was our most saleable asset and could easily have found better paid employment at a higher level elsewhere. Just an alternative opinion, but if Max is looking OK in training, I'd definitely start him as a swap for Corey Smith, with the latter taking over around the 60 minute mark. Be nice to see Max leave the field for the last time, to rapturous applause from the Rams faithful, having just watched him boss Carlisle. As it is, I'm remarkably calm about it all anyway. I think we'll win well whether Bird starts, or not. COYR