Rambling

Pride Park Stadium
KO - 12.30
Ticket Update: Forgeddaboutit
Match is  also live on Sky Sports
What it is to be a Derby fan. After Northampton, even yours truly was feeling a tad deflated. With Blackpool, Pompey and Wycombe next up, my mood was more pensive and hopeful, than upbeat, as many others seemed to feel that we'd blown another golden opportunity. In fairness, that was understandable, if only to a point. Happily though, it appears that Warne and the chaps did not get the memo informing them of their impending capitulation and decided to go on an 5 game unbeaten run instead. That effort not only cemented us in the top 2, as others buckled under pressure, but now sees us teetering right on the edge of promotion glory; agonisingly poised, we have one foot in the sunlit uplands of the Championship (*shudder), the other remaining firmly planted in the nightmarish possibility of yet more play-off induced football terrors. But need we really be worried? 
After recent history and the near demise of our great club, I think it's understandable that some Derby fans might adopt a mildly cautious outlook and demeanour. In recent years, whatever may go wrong, typically has done and in so much, it's fair to say that a robust constitution is a mandatory requirement for a group of fans who've had more than their fair share share of emotional kickings over the last decade. Most Rams will confess that in some ways, it's hard not to expect the worst, based on recent history, but then isn't the dream what it's all about? After all, if you strip away the hopes and dreams, what do you really have left? It's been a season to test our nerves, that much is clear, but despite a lot of infighting, we've hung it all together in the end and here we are, fate firmly in our own hands. Remember too, that for some of our young 'uns, Saturday is a potentially momentous day. Automatic promotions don't come around every year and many won't have experienced one in their lives to date and for our elder statesmen and women, this could be an emotional roller coaster too. 
Outside the club itself, expectations are sky high. The bookmakers have all but closed the book on our promotion chances and after all, a single point is all we require against a Carlisle side who remain 10 points adrift at the very foot of the table and with seemingly nothing other than professional pride at stake. The oddsmakers are undoubtedly right from a statistical standpoint, but playing devil's advocate for a moment, Carlisle will view this as a free hit and will play without pressure (think Wycombe) and for some, the game provides an ideal opportunity to showcase their talents in a high-profile game with the Sky cameras watching on. Summer moves may beckon, for any player who shines.
Worthy favourites then, IMHO, but doubtless a good few will still be anxiously awaiting Saturday's outcome.
Not me mind. I’ll be drunk from @noon on Wednesday.
The Permutations:
Quite simple now, on paper at least; a win or a draw and we say, 'hasta la visa, baby' and kiss this league goodbye, hopefully forever. A loss, by a single goal would leave Bolton needing to beat Posh 3-0 in order to break the hearts of the Rams faithful, snatching 2nd place by virtue of having scored more goals. Not quite the proverbial slam-dunk then, but we're strong favourites, all the same and rightly so IMO.
Elsewhere, we, along with Bolton, will be hoping Posh slip up midweek; Posh will be hoping they don't and Barnsley and Lincoln will be nervously looking over their shoulders with both Oxford and Blackpool snapping at their heels. I'd dearly love to see Blackpool snatch the last playoff slot! 
 


The key fixtures for the final rounds, with promotion hopefuls underlined, are as below:
Tuesday 23/04-2024
Cheltenham vs Peterborough - 19.45
Saturday 27/04/2024
Barnsley vs Northampton - 12.30
Exeter vs Oxford - 12.30
Lincoln Vs Portsmouth - 12.30
Peterborough vs Bolton - 12.30
Reading Vs Blackpool - 12.30
My guesses are Posh to beat Cheltenham and draw with Bolton. Barnsley to beat Northampton, Oxford to turn over Exeter, Lincoln and Pompey to draw and Blackpool to beat Reading. Make of that what you will! 
Our Opponents – A Brief History:
Founded in 1896 as Shaddongate United, Carlisle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cumbria, who have played their home games at Brunton Park since 1909. The club's traditional kit is blue with white and red detail, whilst the badge takes elements from the city's coat of arms by including two Wyverns. They are nicknamed the "Blues", due to their kit, as well as the "Cumbrians". The club is the northernmost English professional football club seated close to the Anglo-Scottish border. Crowned Lancashire Combination, Division Two champions in 1906–07, they entered the North Eastern League in 1910 and went on to win the league title in 1921–22, before being elected into the Football League in 1928. 
Head to Head:
Sadly, Carlisle have a pretty decent record against our beloved Rams. Twenty-three competitive fixtures have seen Derby win 9, draw 6 and lose 8. Our first fixture, in the old Division 3 North back in 1955, saw Derby win 3-0. More recently, the two teams have met three time in the last decade with Derby bookending the decade with 2-0 wins, with a 1-1 between them.
Games Played: 23
Games Won:9
Games Drawn:6
Games Lost:8
Our last Meeting:
The corresponding fixture at Brunton Park was way back in September with a James Collins brace giving the game a rather more comforting veneer than was perhaps warranted. Carlisle looked tidy and Gibson and Moxon in particular, gave Derby plenty to think about. On that performance, you might have been forgiven for thinking Carlisle would do ok this season, but it’s fair to say that things have not gone well for the Cumbrian outfit and their relegation was a formality from some way out.
Carlisle United - Recent Form:
Carlisle's recent form has been distinctly patchy, with their last 5 games comprising a 3-1 home loss to that awful club near Henley, another home loss by the odd goal to Blackpool, a hard-earned away win at Cheltenham, before consecutive losses to Northampton and Lincoln. 
Saturday 20th April
Carlisle United 1 Wycombe Wanderers 3
Saturday 13th April
Carlisle United 0 Blackpool 1
Tuesday 9th April
Cheltenham Town 0 Carlisle United 1
Saturday 6th April
Northampton Town 2 Carlisle United 0
Monday 1st April
Carlisle United 1 Lincoln City 3
Carlisle United - Key Players:
Quite a relief that we won’t be facing Owen Moxon, snapped up by Pompey in the January window. Most of what was good about Carlisle seemed to start with him, but in Jordan Gibson, they still retain some meaningful threat. He's tricky with ball at feet, looks to attack and has a shot on him. He tops the scorer’s chart with 7 goals and 3 assists whilst Sam Lavelle with 4 assists is a goal provider to note. Mellish with 5 goals and Butterworth and Garner with 4 a piece, round out the principal Carlisle goal threats. it would be remiss not to mention also that their current manager, is none other than the much respected, Paul Simpson. Nudge, nudge, wink wink, Paul! The other ex-Rams fun fact would be that Luke Plange had a brief and unremarkable spell with the Cumbrians this season, before seeking warmer weather with HJK Helsinki.
Rams Team News:
Some will be itching for change after a stuttering performance at Cambridge. My own thoughts on that game are that Cambridge fought ridiculously hard and we had to try and match that extreme intensity before we could even think about playing our game. The pitch looked both short and narrow to me had clearly been subject to a hosepipe ban and I think all of these factors led to a feisty and extremely combative game, from which we did well to emerge with maximum points. Back on home soil, a larger pitch and a (marginally) better surface, I’d expect us to look rather more fluid.
Sadly, this will be the last time we get to watch young Max Bird play for the club. There’s been some really silly stuff written about our most technically gifted footballer and I have to confess that seeing him leave for Brizzle will be like a kick to the gut. That said, the fee garnered enabled some key signings and it could be argued that in hindsight, this was smart business. Nah, I'm not convinced either, but needs must? Quite possibly. Irrespective, I’d love to see him among the starting 11 for his swansong. I’m sure the Derby faithful will give him the send-off he deserves, in what may be a somewhat bittersweet celebration, for both us as fans and Max himself, lest we forget.
With that in mind, here’s my team selection, which will of course in no way resemble the gaffer’s:
 

 

The defence really needs to remain unchanged. A more determined and obdurate back 3 you’d struggle to find. Wildsmith retains the #1 jersey, despite some idiosyncratic ball distribution. To my way of thinking, he makes saves that matter and that outweighs his wayward passing.
I’ve drafted in Bird to replace Korey Smith, who would perhaps be hard done by should Warne follow suit. Max would partner the irrepressible Ebou Adams, a pairing that ought to give us a solid foundation in midfield. Working hard on the flanks, I’d have Wilson and Sibley, two players I absolutely love. The latter especially, has really matured over the course of the season, proving yours truly and others wrong in the process and he has oodles of ability if this progress and work ethic can be maintained.
Thommo is also retained and will hopefully sit a little higher and rat like his life depends on it. He and Collo put in Herculean shifts against Cambridge, doing the work that seldom attracts the plaudits, but is often key to our success. He can also interchange with a front two of Collo and Nate, who should give Carlisle plenty to think about. Barks, Gayle and Smith appear the obvious change-ups, with Hourihane, Vickers and Elder in reserve, but much will depend on who is truly healthy on the day.
And that, ladies and gentlemen is me done for the season. I’m fancying us for a decent performance, with a little style on show after an early goal to settle the nerves. 3-0 is the call with Collo, Nate and Sibs my fancies as the scorers. After some 55 games across the season, this one has definitely felt like something of a marathon, but in spite of the divided fan base, I’ve enjoyed seeing us tough it out. The football has been mildly bipolar, great one week, not so much the next, but I think all sides at this lowly level are inconsistent, only us and Pompey slightly less so than the others. Should we progress, of course we will face different challenges, but we will also have a very different playing roster. Doubts about the style of football will persist, but personally, I don't think Clowes will even contemplate letting Warne go and as such, Warne will retain my support until such time as he doesn't! 
Here’s hoping then,  for a resounding win, a respectful but joyous celebration of an important and healing day for all connected with the club and one that the majority can safely enjoy. Also, calm and stress-free journeys for any fans travelling significant distances and a bright and shiny, new future for Derby County Football club.
COYR
BE MORE B4
 

It was an end of season tradition at the old BBG, sometimes even before the final whistle.🙄

I have the radio on, so I can shout at it. Then if we are losing badly the black dog descends and the radio is turned off. Then all the mental gymnastics kick in. If I leave it switched off the boys will surprise me, or alternatively I have to keep listening cos they need me, or If I keep listening I’ll jinx them. So I go and cut grass .. but then slip back to BBc sport on an iPad just to check of its “safe to come out” Away games for half fans is torture ! 

Well done on your win and putting things back in your own hands.  I thought we were fortunate at times today, for some reason our early goal seemed to send us in to our shell; Bolton have some decent footballers, who exploited that for the rest of the first half and we were lucky not to go in behind.  Second half a bit more even.
All the best for the run in - as I've said elsewhere I'm hoping we'll both end up in the automatic slots now; but I do think you're probably at the stage where you can't afford any slip ups in the last couple of games.
I've just poured a large glass of red. Enjoy your evenings, Rams.

Yes plenty of positives.
After we lost to Stevenage and Shrewsbury in October, if someone said with 6 games to go you'll be 4 points clear of 3rd. Every one of us would have taken it.
Infact every single one of us would have probably taken Bolton's position after those games.
Yes yesterday was poor, but if we'd taken those huge chances we win that game comfortably and we go away happy. 
We have more than enough to beat Blackpool at home. Bolton have a tricky game at Stevenage. Who knows we could be 7 points clear by next Friday night. 
Wycombe away is 2 and a half weeks away. We could have Gayle, Barkhuizen back for then.

Bristol Rovers vs Derby County
Saturday 9th March KO 3pm
Memorial Stadium (BS7 0BF)
 
Opponents Form: Decent recently with three wins in their last four matches including their last two. They currently sit 11th in the table albeit with no realistic playoff aspirations or relegation concerns. Whilst their home record in L1 this season is a reasonable W7-D5-L5 it should be noted that they have lost four of their most recent six matches on their own patch with wins over Carlisle (2-1) and Oxford (3-1) dampened by defeats to Blackpool (1-2), Exeter (0-1), Fleetwood (0-2) and Burton (1-2).
Opponents Bio: Rovers are managed by Matt Taylor who is in his third managerial role. After an impressive four years at Exeter he was the man chosen by Rotherham to take over the reins after the departure of our own Paul Warne to Pride Park. Taylor's spell there lasted 13 months before he parted company with the Yorkshire club in November 2023 as the Millers were struggling in 22nd place. Within three weeks, however, he found himself in the Bristol Rovers hotseat replacing the ever-delightful Joseph Barton. 
The club have played their home matches at the 11,000 capacity (3,000 seated) Memorial Stadium since 1996 after leaving their previous home in Eastville. They are officially known as the 'Pirates', reflecting Bristol's maritime history. Or because they just arrrr. Or maybe because their form is historically patchy. They are of course also known as the 'Gas', a nickname which was given them by opposition fans originally but was cheerfully adopted by the Rovers' followers who refer to themselves as 'Gasheads'. The name came about apparently due to their former stadium being sited next to a gasworks which produced a distinct aroma which would waft over the ground. Anybody who sits near a few of our more dedicated drinkers at Pride Park will no doubt relate to that.
Opponents Player Watch: Only one place to start here as the Rams go up against our former beau, Christopher Hugh Martin. The Wardrobe has scored 15 goals this season and is joint fifth in the top scorers chart for the division. Second top scorer after CM9 is Anthony Evans with half a dozen goals. Other notable players are ex-Rams youngster Luke Thomas, experienced former Swansea, Celtic and Preston man Scott Sinclair and Chelsea loanee Harvey Vale who I think we were linked with during the summer. I'm not sure if he's their number one or not but they also have a goalkeeper called Jed Ward who you can only sympathise with.
Rams Record vs Opponents: There have been three FA Cup ties between the two clubs but we'll focus on the 27 league matches there have been between Bristol Rovers and Derby County. The first meeting was on 29th August 1953 at Bristol so hats off to any Ram or Rover who remembers that match over 70 years ago. During the early years of the fixture it was Bristol Rovers who held sway with the Pirates winning the first three encounters, four of the first five and six of the first nine overall. Since then though it is the Rams who have had much the better of it. The overall league record for Derby against Saturday's opponents is as follows:
P27: W12-D7-L8
Away at Bristol Rovers our record  is: P13: W3-D4-L6   Whilst that isn't impressive it should be pointed out that we lost on our first five visits and since then we've gone W3-D3-L1 on their turf and are unbeaten in our last four visits.
Since our relegation to L1 for the 2022/23 season the Rams have recorded home wins against Rovers in both fixtures at Pride Park (4-2 and 2-1) whilst last season we conceded a debateable late penalty in a 1-1 draw at their place.
Other Saturday Fixtures Of Note: We will either be second or third going into the match depending on the outcome of Barnsley vs Bolton on Tuesday night. Peterborough are at home to Northampton on the same evening. On Saturday our priority is of course to earn three points in the south-west but we will be hoping for favourable results in at least one of the following games:
Blackpool vs Portsmouth
Exeter vs Bolton
Barnsley vs Lincoln
Burton vs Peterborough
Expected Team: My guess is that Derby will be unchanged from the 3-0 win against a desperately struggling Port Vale. With fit full-back options rarer than a salad in the City Ground boardroom I suspect it'll be a back three plus the two wing-backs who played well yesterday. 
 
Safe journey to those who make the trip and COYR.

Seems to be some craic in the Guthrie upper last couple of games. Don’t know what’s started it but it’s helping. 

And had Warne done his job properly and stuck with the centre back pairing of Nelson and Cashin in a back 4 that brought all the 'success', then Bradley wouldn't have been in the team....

I'm pretty confident that PW thought this was his Stella signing(waits for beer puns 😁) there was a reason he was let go even for a Luton side who rely on heading the ball back whence it came and the pace of forwards in the EPL would have sent Bradley crackers...he's a favourite of PWs and trying to shoehorne him in a place where EC was pretty dominant...If we fail to go up this season...Cashin will be sold and Bradley will be made captain and be a year slower...let that sink in for a while 😬  

ATG
1Wildsmith 4…..absolutely horrendous display of kicking. PW said he felt ill pre match, so hope it’s a blip
35Nelson 6.5….pretty sound as usual. A few holes appeared near his station in one spell in the first half
5Bradley 7….another good game. Hope the goal boosts confidence further 
6Cashin 6.5….OK….a bit hesitant on a couple of occasions 
2Wilson 6…..much better when pushed further forward. Got plenty of balls into the box 2nd half….tbh couldn’t see if they were any good!
4Hourihane 5.5…quality was good. Fed up of watching him in a 2 (to my mind Bird was part of a front 3) where he’s out-run but we need his quality 
7Barkhuizen 6….good initial impact, went quiet and then good last 10-15. 
32Adams 5.5…good destroyer against a team that wanted to use midfield. Not great on the ball today.
12Smith 6….much better on the ball than Adam’s. Tried to make things happen
20Elder 5….OK defensively but offered nothing going forward. 
24Nyambe 6.5….played well. Didn’t have much defending to do…..actually impressed me with some attacking grunt 
8Bird 🐦 5.5…..funnily enough, not that impressive as part of a front 3. Could/should have scored after about 10 seconds. Much better in last 20.
17Sibley 6….did OK individually in a non-functioning forward 3
25Gayle 6….didn’t do much but the whole team structure and pattern of play improved when he and Barks came on. Should have started in my opinion- better to have a team set up well from the outset 
11Méndez-Laing 5….score of 5 not his fault. Not a CF. Same as last week….i’d rather see him on a wing putting something into a makeshift CF rather than him being the makeshift CF and receiving nothing.
Frustrating. 
For all the talk about ‘3 at the back’ it looked like 5-2-3 for first half and crying out for a change even when we were winning/drawing.
Looked like a flat back 7 at times at start of second half but thought we actually played OK after going behind and deserved a point.
Can’t fault anyone’s effort or commitment.

Sorry mate I would disagree here.
Forsyth was our only left back on the books in the summer. He signed a one year deal and most agreed he would have been a good squad player to have. We then signed Elder, who pretty much we all agreed on that it was a really good signing. 28 years old, won league one previously, had 10 assists from left back. Unfortunately for him he was injured in pre season and missed most of it. Missing pre season is massive for any player as they are playing catch up.
How do we know that he wouldn't get infront of Forsyth of he'd been fit and firing all season? We don't. He's clearly plenty good enough.
His other signings.
Wilson - Has potential to be really good. 
Bradley - Everyone was absolutely buzzing when we signed him. Didn't start great. Made a couple of mistakes (which is all you need to do in our fans cases before we write someone off) and he's unfortunate that Cashin and Nelson have been so good. We probably signed him expecting Cashin to go.
Fornah - Definitely has potential. Still young. Hardly any experience. But there's definitely a player in there. Sometimes to laid back but he'll learn.
Washington - A player Warne trusts. Just starting to see glimpses (the go against Northampton) of what he could do at this level, getting up to speed. Then he's injured on international duty.
Ward - Obviously with 352 in mind. But now he just looks like he's surplus to requirements. I might be wrong. But I just don't see him getting a game or even on the bench soon.
Waghorn - Steady played. No world beater. Cheap, convenient and will still contribute when he's back fit.
Nyambe - Brilliant signing. Really good defender. 
Vickers - A keeper. Not really don't anything wrong.
TJJ - Massive risk we felt we could take. Obviously looked at his ability and thought we couldn't get much better if we can get him fit. It's not worked out. 
Embleton - Can barely judge this. He did his thigh taking a corner in training.
Some signings don't work out as you hope. It's the way it goes. 
But we don't seem to give anyone a chance before we want them gone or say they are s****. I've seen some having a go at CBT already after playing 80 minutes of football for us.
I've just seen Brighton are letting Dahoud go. A midfielder they signed from Dortmund in the summer. Clearly not worked out it happens.
We're a league one club, with hardly any money, working to restrictions. We can only do what we can do. 

Have we played an unusual amount of teams with new managers this season? Just kind of seems like we've had a few but I could be wrong on that.

Honestly some of our fans are genuinely awful. The sense of entitlement some of them have is absolutely staggering.
Yesterday was all about winning. The performance didn't matter. We're absolutely littered with injuries. Booking them off at half time? Who's that helping?
Cheering the captain when he's subbed off? 
It's absolutely ridiculous it really is.
Now I'm seeing "Blackett-Taylor hadn't really shown anything yet" he's been here 5 minutes, trained with us twice. I despair I really do.
All I hear is "we aren't good enough, Peterborough are better than us, Bolton are better than us" 
Says who? Of course Peterborough were brilliant when they came here. But that was the same Peterborough side we put 4 past on their own ground? Bolton also just scraped past Cheltenham, Bolton lost at Leyton Orient. 
Oxford fans watching us that second half at their ground would have thought we were the best team in the league, we were outstanding.
You cannot play well every week. 
 

As Warne said we need to make changes for this game. Think I’d go with 
Wildsmith - As always 
Nyambe - Our best fullback defensively 
Nelson - Rock Solid every game 
Cashin - Best CB in the league 
Elder - Fozzy looked tired in the second half, think elder will come good given a chance
Fornah - Always works hard and definitely good enough to be a high end league one player 
Bird - So good at dictating the play from deep 
Wilson - Think when fit he has to play now, such an annoyance for defenders
NML - Our best attacking player
Ward - Think Barkhuizen is better off the bench and Ward will give us better work defensively. Also Barks finishing is awful 
John Jules - Him and NML work well together so up top in a two would be a nightmare for any back line. May aswell start JJ once before he goes back to Arsenal. Also think Collins could need a rest as he’s played a ridiculous amount of minutes lately

that team has lots of pace and creativity aswell as Flare. 

Honestly, almost from the first minute, it never felt like a game we could lose, despite the wasted chances and a scoreline that suggests a close match-up. The fact is, we absolutely battered this lot. For nigh on 70 minutes, they were chasing ghosts and some of our football was as slick as I've seen since Mac1. Our work off the ball was excellent too, by far the best I've seen under Warne, with a bristling Conor Hourihane at the heart of it. I think we've got the old man fit at last and we're a better side for it. Some consistency now please skipper! As much as anything, that off the ball work the lads were putting in today is what gets the coaches purring. That and clean sheets.
So where do we stand? On this kind of form, where we're beating teams quite comfortably, even in games where we are not playing at our best, I reckon we are a prime candidate for the autos. Our defence seems impregnable, bar occasional brainfarts (we are in L1 after all*) and we remain a tad goal-shy on occasions*, but we are now starting to exercise real control in games. Critically, I think there's still gears left in this side and in fitness terms, the value of a full pre-season this year is clear to see. Some kudos to Warne on that score, at very least. Some are only just now finding their legs (see Hourihane), whilst NML can now run flat out for 70 to 80 minutes, when last season he was gassing out before halftime. We may not have the searing pace of youth that some sides boast, but we'll run harder for longer than most in this division and I genuinely believe think we'll finish as strongly as we have done in a very long time. Like butcher's dogs, this lot.
A last thought would be around the transfer window. My mindset has changed on this in recent weeks, mainly because the lads are stepping up and filling what I'd considered to be gaps. I no longer think of this window as 'critical', though I obviously agree that a couple of decent signings might further strengthen our chances, hopefully without disrupting what appears to be a well settled squad. Wanting a statement win against Oxford to take us into that window might perhaps be greed on my part, but I can see us doing, it at which point Derby County become the fox in the henhouse with everyone else just hens. Honestly, that's how I see it right now. Few will want to play us, that's for sure and that will present some new challenges, I concede, but taking a pragmatic view, that's quite a luxurious 'problem' to have. I can't say I've watched a lot of the other teams in and around the top, but on what I have actually seen, there's no side we should fear. Quite the opposite.
A swift closing doff of the cap to Curtis Nelson. It seems a case of, Curtis is dead, long live Curtis, as we've lost one warrior to father time, but found another in his stead. He and Ryan Nyambe are our best signings in feckin years and just look at how they've got Eiran playing. £3 million? Brighton can feck right off! Somehow, old man Fozzy keeps running through the pain and that back 4 is a collective monster right now. Frankly, if anyone gets us promoted, it'll be those lads.
COYR
 
 
 

Thought Bird did okay, it's becoming more apparent for him with each passing game when others simply aren't on his wavelength- thought that was the case Saturday. 
Fornah adds energy, and I think that's most apparent when contrasted against Hourihane's style of play. He's also got excellent close control. He's a typical #4 to me, box to box. It seemed for Reading that he often played the furthest back of a 3 and I'd like to see him tried there over Hourihane at some point, but that's tricky because of the captaincy situation. 
The midfield balance still isn't quite right. Hourihane will go from running a game (Barnsley) to looking like a total passenger in the middle of the park, but that position/role needs consistency. Think 13/14 once Eustace came in how much more solid we looked as a team... it feels like that type of player is what the midfield's currently lacking. 

Thanks, Ellafella. 

You can keep your (bobble) hat on

Yep, a much better performance than any other at home but no luck in front of a packed goalmouth. The new guys in midfield and right back have added some defensive steel, but as we all know we lack something up front.
Yes I was frustrated by the end, but that is football when you can’t get it in the net.
 
A big part of the problem is that a crowd of top Championship/Premiership size and expectations is having to watch budget players of Div 1 standard and the frustration at lack of quality is obvious. But that is where we are at and as with Sunderland, Ipswich etc before us found it may be sometime yet till we find the right balance and escape!
As I recall back in the 80’s when we were down there it was a lucky pen which got us out. For much of the time crowds were half what we get at present and not full of people fed a constant diet of Premiership football to judge the team against. We have to be patient.

He lost his Knight weeks ago.

I think it will. His midfield is currently offering zero protection, which is why I think Cash is struggling so much too. He also doesn't look comfortable in a back 3 at all, which is made even worse by the fact that he's isolated due to our wide CBs being instructed to stay wide and get forward whenever we've in possession. It's leaving him very exposed. I'm happy to eat my words on this if I'm proven wrong but I'm not quite ready to throw the towel in on Bradley yet. I think playing him in a back 4 with a functioning midfield will make him look like a totally different player.

If he wants to go says a lot that he's gone from being willing to run through walls for this club to that. 

Why not sell him? Where Warne is playing him is doing him no good. Wouldn't be surprised if his head had turned - he's got his career to think of! FFS what next?

Good job we didn't spend 6 months waiting for a head of recruitment to start, only for him to recommend ex Rotherham players and the league one team of the season 2019