Carl Sagan

Sponsorship deal renewed for the Academy with Dutch brewery Bavaria:

https://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/2021/08/bavaria-continue-Derby-county-relationship-for-202122-season

Line up looks good but harsh on Stretton. When goals are such an issue for us he deserved to keep the shirt having scored at the weekend. I do think it's the wrong message, and especially when Baldock never looked like scoring all preseason. Even when he was one-on-one with the keeper he turned round and tried (and failed) to pass.

But the balance looks better overall. I hope this is the start of a long run for Sibbo in the team, and the ref doesn't victimize him as two have already this season.  Both Byrne and Joz owe us strong performances. Let's see what they're made of.

Huddlestone on the bench for them.

Come on you Rams!

For those in the know, is there the slightest prospect of Bobby Duncan playing for the U23s? We're rumoured to be paying him a decent wage. It was also rumoured he'd gone AWOL at some point. Derby would seem an amazing opportunity at the moment for any young striker to break through, and it seems a shame someone who came through all the various England youth ranks isn't figuring at all. 

35 minutes ago, FindernRam said:

What surprised me was just how often it does open. I'm not good on Thames river traffic so assumed it was only very occasionally but apparently it averages over twice a day (when working!).

And it's free for any vessel tall enough to not be able to go under. Just give 24 hours notice and they have to open up on your arrival, even if you can only continue on down the Thames another 300 yards or so until you're stopped by London Bridge. A little odd for one of the main routes into London, but the traffic just has to lump it.

On 10/08/2021 at 13:12, FindernRam said:

PS Tower bridge stuck open yesterday. Shares in WD40 rocketed as a result.

Love bridges, often for the perfection of their mathematical curves, but I'm lucky to live next to Tower Bridge which is one of the architectural wonders of the world. When I heard it was broken the other day I popped out and snapped a selfie from the middle of the road...

It's the second time the bridge has stuck recently, and this one took a long time to fix. I fear there's going to have to be a major refurb sometime soon. 

What a palaver! It's normally us saying "there'll be no further comment" while previous EFL pronouncements have been extremely unprofessional. Who knows what this means? Clutching at straws I'd like to think the tight-lipped EFL response grudgingly accepts the accounts will be within limits so long as the auditors sign them off or something like that. 

(yet) another week before we might be closer to signing more players. This is kicking it ever closer until after the window closes. 

The squad finally looks to have some depth, despite the injuries to Bielik, Knight and Kazim-Richards. Davies and Stearman have done well, but I think Jagielka is a better player. I hope Baldock is backup for Stretton in the first instance, rather than here to take his place. Is there a price to be paid by Jozwiak and Byrne for the two late goals conceded at Peterborough, or is that counter-productive? Is Buchanan fit again? 

I think Rooney will opt to go 5-3-2 with this lineup:

Roos

Stearman       Jagielka       Davies

Ebosele                                                          Buchanan

Bird      Morrison      Shinnie

Stretton     Lawrence

Subs: Allsopp  Byrne   Forsyth   Sibley   Watson   Baldock   Jozwiak  

Yet again it will be heartbreaking to see Louie Sibley wasted on the bench.

What a day this was in 1996. August 17 saw our first Premier League match, and one with quite a finish. You didn't want to leave early to beat the traffic! 

Hull appealed against George Moncur's sending off but that was rejected so he's suspended for this match against us. I only saw the extended highlights rather than the whole Peterborough game so don't have too much to go on in terms of suggesting the team. Of course I think it's an absolute must that Sibley plays to feed and link with Stretton, but sadly Rooney won't see things that way. I reckon we will have Jagielka through the door tomorrow who might sign in time to play.

1 hour ago, Owen87ITK said:

Been pinged. 

38 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

Both Clarke and Plange, or just Plange?

7 minutes ago, Owen87ITK said:

Both. Think they live together. 

I'd suggest it's unprofessional for any Derby players to be using the Covid app and risk being pinged at the moment. Surely all the players are tested regularly for actual Covid? Why voluntarily put yourself in a position where you may have to take 10 days off when, if you were infected, you'd show on a test anyway.

The app is outdated and no longer useful. Official guidance has already changed so that you no longer have to isolate if pinged if you're double-jabbed. All the players will surely shortly have had their second jabs if not already. Continuing to use the app at this point is pointless.

Has signed for Buxton in the Northern Premier: https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/Derby-county-forest-jamie-ward-5792993

A very good player for us, who blotted his copybook by single-handedly keeping the Gumps in the Championship when they might have dropped on the last day a few years back.

4 hours ago, oomarkwright said:

Just found out tonight's game is at Pride Park but too late to get a ticket. Oh well. That's another 3 quid for a drink they've missed out on. 

On 12/08/2021 at 17:07, Carl Sagan said:

Monday's U23 game against Brighton (7pm) is free entry at Pride Park but you need to register for a ticket before midnight on Sunday:

 

Try to keep up! Seriously, I'm sorry you can't get there @oomarkwrightand it seems madness the club has created this cutoff for the game. It often feels as if they're trying to stop people watching at the moment.

1 hour ago, angieram said:

Okay, I have just been right through the Jacob Butterfield transfer thread. 59 pages. One poster @Carl Sagan called it out as a bad signing. Just one.

Two or three more thought the price was high but that he was a good player.

Rest were all saying he is class, we could sign who we wanted, we have the money, Rush/Morris are gods, that sort of stuff.

Someone said we should be signing better as Butterfield might not cut it in the Premier League when we got promoted at the end of the season! 

Many fans on the forum may have been changing their minds a few games into his Derby career, but it's just not true that they were doing it as he was signed. 

Ha! Perhaps more people will listen in future? Then again...

You have briefly cheered me up while in a slough of despond. It's all pretty hopeless. Mel gambled a lot of money on getting us into the Prem, with what will have seemed to him to have been quite good odds, but he lost and now we're all suffering. In terms of the value of the club which this thread's about, we're sadly worthless given our debts. I think Mel would sell for £1 to someone who would take some of the debts on. Sadly, we've tried that desperate tack before when the CoOp bank gave us to the Three Amigos for the same amount, who ended in jail for their leeching off the club and fanbase. Evidence of the suitors Mel has been prepared to talk to suggests he is at the stage when he will effectively give the club to anyone, not necessarily a good custodian, if they will take on some of the debts. Which brings all the chancers out wanting to take advantage.

Where do we go from here?

10 hours ago, DarkFruitsRam7 said:

What if you've never seen Terminator and just see him as a bodybuilder who was in a few old films?

Then you haven't lived.

Monday's U23 game against Brighton (7pm) is free entry at Pride Park but you need to register for a ticket before midnight on Sunday:

On 11/08/2021 at 12:55, Bob The Badger said:

Plot twists and Tim Robins = Jacob's Ladder

This clip almost feels/looks/sounds like a parody to begin with, but it's not.

Angel Heart was good too considering Mickey Rourke was in it.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who loved Jacob's Ladder. A group of us who'd watched it adjourned to the pub after and sat there in silence we were so shell-shocked. Angel Heart great too.

Mrs Sagan always goes on about how she'd love to see Alien at the cinema after a memory wipe, so not knowing what happens. 

I'll turn it around and say some films improve on multiple showings when you're aware of the overall story but looking for the pointers that you might have missed first time around. I think Inception and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind make more sense on second-plus viewing.

Even in the sea they put that dye in the water so if you take a wee, the whole world will know. Don't say you haven't been warned!

Oh, and in other news, TV detector vans are in your area... 

53 minutes ago, Topram said:

any away pubs?

Retweeted by the Supporter's Club:

My team would be:

Roos

Byrne       Stearman      Davies      Forsyth

Shinnie

Morrison      Sibley

Jozwiak      Kazim-Richards      Lawrence

Subs: Allsopp Ebosele Buchanan Bird Watson Stretton Hutchinson

Brown and Williams to miss out after Tuesday's heroics, but if Buchanan isn't fit enough for the bench one of them will come in. I think Rooney will do the same except with either Bird or Watson instead of Sibley and with a more defensive set-up. 

Nothing to lose. Sheff Utd will expect to have all eyes on promotion and will potentially change most of their team. Play without fear and see what happens. 

Away at the Blunts!

6 minutes ago, Rammy03 said:

We're number 7

Lucky 7 indeed!

1 hour ago, DarkFruitsRam7 said:

I'm strictly talking on the pitch here.

I just feel, with the margins being so small and the top teams being so reliant on pressing as a unit, changing your style to accommodate a 34 year old probably isn't the way to go. I haven't watched a single minute of Juve since Ronaldo has been there, but they didn't seem to do too well this season either (obviously there are lots of other factors that play a part in this). 

Prime Messi who was constantly harrying defenders would be an absolute dream in any team and worth breaking the bank for. 34-year-old Messi who doesn't do much work off the ball to conserve his energy? I don't think he's worth moving heaven and earth for when you've got Mbappe and Neymar anyway. 

And this is in no way a criticism of Messi. He's my favourite player of all time.

Agree we were right to pass on him this time around. And how do you shoehorn him into a side with Ravel Morrison anyway? He might have looked good in the shirt, but wouldn't cope with our high pressing game.

It's shocking that the EFL are deliberately hampering the progress of young players such as Cashin and Thompson. If they had to impose an embargo and limit players "of professional standing" it should have been done based on the position at the end of last season to allow Academy graduates to come through, rather than maintain it on an ongoing basis to specifically prevent Academy players getting a game.

21 minutes ago, Patrick Rams said:

Well said! Ridiculous comment to suggest your best penalty takers go last...If you score your first 3 penalties and your goalie does his job the last 2 penalties wouldn't even need to be taken.!

Not picking on you, Patrick - just saw this post as one of many making the point, while I was scrolling through. For instance here's an analysis https://sci-hub.mksa.top/10.1080/02640410050074331 that specifically examines if it's better to put your best people first for this reason, or to do what the paper concludes which is that the optimal strategy is to put the worst of your 5 designated takes first, then the second-worst, and so on until you have your best taker last. 

Football's about opinions and people will have different ones, but I'd also say all professional sport is about fine margins and it's important to use every little thing to your advantage.