Fla Ram

Mel should have known what was going on, so no excuses for him

@LeedsCityRam many, many thanks for this fantastic thread and the brilliant updates. It's the highlight of my week.
I was hoping @Owen87ITK would secure highlights from as many games as possible and post a video diary along similar lines but I guess there's so little film from those days. Maybe a 'special' program on RamsTV at some stage.
Anyhow, a big thank you again.

Matchday 6 - Tuesday 31st August 1971 & a visit to Portman Road, ipswich.
Ipswich ended the decade as one of the best club sides in England but this side was distinctly mid-table (finishing 13th). That said, the Rams could only manage a 0-0 draw here in front of 18,695. Worth mentioning Derby at this point had played 6 league games in the first 17 days of the season, quite a schedule. Alan Durban also made his first league start of the season here, replacing John O'Hare
 

Programme of the day at Ipswich a fairly quaint affair;
 

 
This draw did however push Derby back up into 3rd - Sheffield Utd still setting the pace at the top. Eagle eyed viewers will also notice the presence of Don Revie's Leeds Utd moving into the top 6...

 

Matchday 5 – Saturday 28th August 1971 & Derby welcomed Southampton to the BBG in front of the TV cameras. For the benefit of younger viewers, Colin Todd was not sent off for that great save second half..
 
The 2-2 draw left Derby 4th, two points behind leaders Sheffield Utd;

Is that supposed to make anyone feel better? I am old school. Pay your debts as they fall due. So many posters are getting worked up about P&S calculations and amortisation. Bugger all that. Morris has run up debts in the name of Derby County - HMRC, Cocu, Keogh, now some transfer fees. Pay people what they are owed.

All these supporters paying for match day tickets and now putting copious amounts of money into the club for season tickets.
And our owner doesn't have the common decency to submit the accounts on time or to pay other clubs what they are owed and to even offer communication to the fans.
Where are these minutes from the meeting? After they were submitted back to the club we haven't heard a single thing.
It's an absolute shambles.
I've seen people respond to this charge be saying the EFL have it in for us.
Well they might do, they might not.
But if they give us a deadline to submit our accounts and we don't do it and then we decide we aren't going to pay a transfer fee installment that is due. Then the blame lies solely at one man's door.
Anyone sticking up for him is deluded.
No ticket office, no mascots, no roadrider, more charges, no communication.
I love this club. But right now I hate everything that it has become.

Yeah agreed. Like most people I wasn't his biggest fan at the end of last season but he's worked tirelessly to make the best of the situation he is in.

The lad's going to be a top player. It's always astounded me that some folk can't, or wont see it. We've actually got an entire group of really exciting young players at the club right now and it's a delight to watch them maturing into senior football, despite all the distractions and chaos around them.
I'm particularly proud to see the fight and passion they seem to exhibit. Huge shout out also to all of our academy coaches who are doing a wonderful job and have been for a fair old while now. Lots of work still to be done, but some green shoots definitely in evidence.
Here's to a brighter future.
COYR

Build this side around Sibley, all that Rooney needs to realise. Incredible talent

Win or lose from here, I'm quite content with the team and performance this evening. 
Think back to the progress made since the youngsters got pushed around 3-0 by forest.... 
Good effort all round ?

Just what he and we needed. Brilliant … now I want Joz to get one so both of them are full to the brim on Saturday 

Don’t care if we lose. Derby playing hungrily. Nice football. Bite. Hunger. Skill. Courage. Haven’t seen this for a while. Great to watch. And this is the reserves. 

This will be a massive boost to Sibleys confidence. 

Get the fork in Sibley. Coming! Derserved. #brave. 

Matchday 4 – Tuesday 24th August 1971 & another short visit, this time to Highfield Road, Coventry
First game of the season for Roy McFarland here but the Rams did well to get out of Cov with a point, going behind twice (first Coventry goal shown in photo). Goals from John O’Hare & Frank Wignall on 86 mins secured a draw.



 
Programme of the day a generous effort from Coventry – features John Robson on the front cover & flags an article inside giving views on ‘Star studded Derby County’

 
Table after the midweek results saw Derby slip to 3rd, a couple of points behind leaders Sheffield Utd

Reporter from BBC Radio 5 at the game said that Rooney had told him that he's confident the transfer embargo will be lifted on Tuesday...

Great thread @LeedsCityRam 

As we're all aware, this season marks the 50th anniversary of our first League title. Had an idea for a while to mark it by doing a walk through the season as it happened 50 years ago (rather than just next May) - sort of a variation on the 'Derby on this day thread'
Whilst its stating the obvious to suggest a first title changed a club, this season in particular acted as a benchmark for Derby. It was the first season we had the Ram that we still see on our shirts today, it set the platform for our European Cup exploits the following season (and Brian Clough's obsession with landing the trophy after the Juventus semi-final) & our later title in 1974-75. It is also the breakthrough season which still affords Derby a lot of respect nationally from fans of a certain age & one often remembered for the nail-biting ending.
I wasn't around 50 years ago so my efforts will be confined to finding Youtube footage (if it exists), match reports, memorabilia & updated league tables as the season gets going. Where it probably needs fleshing out is with contributions from those who were there at the particular matches - what do you remember about particular games, what were the away fans like (good & lets face it, bad in a lot of instances) & any other memories/match rituals of the time
Anyroad, enough wittering from me. Exactly 50 years ago today we kicked off 1971-72 against Manchester Utd at the Baseball Ground. Youtube highlights below but we were actually 0-2 down in our opener against the Man Utd side of Law, Best & Charlton...
 

Louie Sibley agrees with you! 
 

Come on, you can’t tar a whole away end with the same brush.

Same side. They deserve it ?
Sibley, Morrison and Jozwiak behind Baldock - the fluid, fast attack we've been craving.