David

More Puma horror shows.

Too late now, but probably wise not to advertise the fact there is a number of away fans in the home end with a week to go before the game.

Doesn't take much for the opposition club to catch wind and look into the ticket sales, one person reporting it, most clubs offer a no refund policy as well if you buy in the wrong end so they have nothing to lose by cancelling your ticket.

11 minutes ago, Seaside Ram said:

Strikes again with another ludicrous last kick penalty at Bristol City.

When will this box ticking madness end ?? 😩

Trying to figure out why her gender is relevant here, that is the box you are referring as being ticked?

You are aware that all other referees are male and have been making bad decisions week in week out since the dawn of the game, yet their gender is never relevant in the aftermath. 

It's those poor decisions which has led to the introduction of VAR, which again has made some terrible decisions even with all this technology by a bunch of men sat in a room together.

I haven't seen what happened yesterday, assuming you are correct and it was a ludicrous decision, it won't be her first nor her last, likewise with every referee in the game.

If your first thought however is to come here and moan about a woman making one bad decision out of how many correct decisions over a 90 minute game of football, does come across as a bit Joey Barton like. 

 

4 hours ago, Millenniumram said:

That lineup is a sackable offence.

You’re going to get pelters for this, ignore the haters.

Be yourself, never change.

You are carrying this team to promotion, same again Saturday please.

If I could vote you for the Jackie Stamps trophy, I would. 🐏

Great memories of the team playing in Puma kits.

However the quality of those shirts were awful, more pulls and ladders than a lady of the nights stockings.

I hated the black collar which turned grey after a couple of washes and said D rb  ou ty on the back as the writing fell off.

I also hated the yellow accent colour, how it was installed as the seat colour on the top and bottom rows at Pride Park.

I also hated the scarf under the Ram and it being trapped in the diamond.

I hated the fuzzy feel that attracted all kinds of fluff on the badge and puma sponsor which made it look dirty.

Most of all I hated and still hate that maroon kit which so many appear to love, every time I see it makes me ill in the eyes.

Saying that, some of the modern funky training gear they’ve done for Arsenal in particular and Man City has been alright. 

Great memories though like I say, although I’ll be sad to see Umbro go, they have created some of the best designed kits around for us. 

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.

11 minutes ago, angieram said:

beauty is in the eye of the beholder

That’s what I tell myself every morning when I look in the mirror

22 hours ago, Srg said:

Forsyth, Loach, Hourihane, Waghorn, Collins, Smith, Barkhuizen, Gayle, Wildsmith, Sibley, Robinson (I think) and Thompson all out of contract.

Wildsmith, Sibley, Gayle, Collins, Thompson, Barkhuizen, Robinson .

Renew those in that priority order for me.

It’s ok, you can boo, Warne said you can and it’s the end of my post now.

9 hours ago, MaltRam said:

Beans do not belong on a breakfast. 

On your plate or in a separate pot?

🎵"They docked us just the 4 points, but we don't give a F, cos we are Notts Forest and we can barely count ole ole oleee, ole ole ole" 🎵

All those Reading fans with Wembley tickets now......

I'm not here to challenge anyones opinions, they are what they are, let them be.

Personally I'm delighted with the job that Warne is doing, I think Dwight Gayles recent interview and the scenes at full time in front of a sell out crowd on Saturday show the togetherness of this team is a credit to the management team. 

His style may seem a little unorthodox to some and it won't suit every player, yet it's working with what was assembled whilst scraping barrels under EFL's restrictions makes it even more of an achievement.

When you look at the likes of Sunderland, Leeds, Forest who came down here, to think we can be in and out in 2 seasons is truly remarkable given the state of the club.

Important to point out, the season isn't done, we still have 7 huge games to play before we can start to think about the Championship, although no matter what happens between now and May, I have seen significant improvement to be fully behind Warne next season regardless of what division we are in.

36 minutes ago, Srg said:

Are you trying to tell me Scottie’s tissues were an accident?

Yeah. Google image search tissues, then transparent as I couldn’t be bothered to lasso them. It’s the first decent box of tissues that came up.

39 minutes ago, angieram said:

You'll have to explain why sage is Mr. D'Arcy.

But great game, I got more right than @admira's! 

I'll let @Boycie explain that one

5 hours ago, David said:

*Might contain small edits.

The Answers

1. @Curtains - Red Curtains

2. @Boycie - Boycie

3. @Bris Vegas - Sombrero 

4. @Rev - Reverent collar 

5. @Carl Sagan - My Billionaire Stud Elon Musk 

6. @NottsRam77 - Bitcoin

7. @DarkFruitsRam7 - Hillsborough/Tissues

8. @Ghost of Clough - Clough Ghost

9. @RoyMac5 - Roy McFarland

10. @sage - Mr Darcy 

11. @B4ev6is - Kung Fu Panda

12. @May Contain Nuts - Sticker on Panda’s foot.

13. @Inverurie Ram - YouTube Music logo on Panda’s bum

14. AmericanRam - American Flag

15. @David - Half fan heading South

20 minutes ago, Ram-Alf said:

Not as amazing as that Stirling free kick 😁

Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

That Chelsea own goal was amazing.

37 minutes ago, Ghost of Clough said:

@Carl Sagan and AmericanRam?

5 more, come on, you can do this

12 minutes ago, angieram said:

I tend not to go in the Jim Smith room, but there's a guy in there who's bitcoin king. Is it Notts Ram? 

Well done, 7 to go. 

8 to go now, sorry Angie 😂

9 to go.

Sombero is not Mucker I'm afraid.

8 minutes ago, angieram said:

@RoyMac5, @Boycie, @Ghost of Clough and @B4ev6is.

Have I missed anyone? Oh, Paul Warne! 

11 more to go

Trubisky was released

Rudolph went to the Titans

Left us with just Pickett

Signed Wilson

Pickett saw his arse about it, went to Eagles to back Hurts up 

Back to just 1 QB and traded for Fields.

Probably bring another in still as Tomlin likes 3 that can start.

Just now, Foreveram said:

Vladimir Putin.

I don't think you are taking this serious topic seriously.