Carl Sagan

2 minutes ago, G STAR RAM said:

Don't even know if Metro Bank has any branches does it?

Plenty near me in London town but might well not go beyond. When I find a card I always take it straight into the branch, but I'm lucky where I am they're all in walking distance. Well done for trying to do a good thing, but if it's not easily identifiable from the name, I'd probably shred it.

Watched the full 90 on RamsTV, pen and paper in hand. Several under par performances.

Wildsmith 5.5 Two passes straight to opponents, didn't command his box and the rest of his distribution was poor. Worst game for us.

Knight 8.5 First half was the Knight and Sibley show. Felt he was quieter in the second half but then the equalizer was everything.

Cashin 7.5 Struggled in the first half but stuck to it and helped drive us forward in the second.

Stearman 6.5 Solid. Sold horribly by Bird's hospital pass and took one for the team.

Roberts 5 Didn't affect the game.

Bird ? 5.5 Occasional good touches but too deep, especially against 10 men, and a horrid pass that could have seen Stearman off.

Hourihane 7 Came into the game more second half but doesn't do enough.

Dobbin 6 Saved by his assist at the end but was rarely in the game.

Sibley 8.5 Constantly found pockets of space, great pressing and always looking to create or take an opportunity. Very unlucky not to score. Put one on a plate for Barks.

Barkhuizen 7.5 Often dangerous. Did well on both wings.

Collins 5.5 Looked tired and demoralized by the end. Led the line OK in the first half.

Subs:

Forsyth 6.5 Played high up forcing their full back deep. Not always the quality we expect in his first-time crosses, but impacted the game.

McGoldrick 7.5 Scored and made a difference. Better hold up play than Collins.

Smith 7 Played further forward than Bird and always looked for a forward, dangerous pass until we tool the lead. Then he slowed things down well. Best game for us.

So, do we waste a @Ghost of Cloughmatch thread on this or is this the de facto thread?

From @Shuff264's fantastic investigation of the rules I'd suggest he's missed Fozzy and we should pick our 4 as:

Fozzy (to skipper the side)

Dobbin (to try to get a goal)

Collins (to try to get a goal)

Smith (for fitness)

Loach

Oduroh    Rooney     Forsyth (c)     Grewal-Pollard

Smith     Thompson

Dobbin    Aghatise     Nunn

Collins

If Collins needs a rest then Dobbin up top and Bird in as the fourth man.

15 minutes ago, richgee1976 said:

Left on 85. Had to get to work. Didn't realise we'd won (never mind equalised) until I got home...???

I wonder if this is an "I'm Spartacus" moment trying to win brownie points on the forum. Or is it really true? 

18 minutes ago, Archied said:

Not just that but vast swathe’s of the population are still not back at work , sitting round in they’re pants all day telling us how much more productive they are now and demanding it’s they’re right to do so forever on 

100% this. Nothing is getting done because no one can be arsed to actually go to the office and make it happen.

8 hours ago, TexasRam said:

Some of us did warn this was coming when we ridiculously shut down the economy for 2 years 

This. You can't close the economy down for two years, pay people not to work, and not have consequences. And understandably people got used to not working and being given money, and rather enjoyed it. We have a cost of lockdown crisis that has translated into a cost of living crisis, yet people have been conditioned to think the solution is simply to hand out more free money. No wonder inflation is going through the roof. We've entered a situation where, if it's raining in Manchester, the media and all commentators are bemoaning why the government isn't buying everyone umbrellas. Just stop it. 

We had to lockdown when Covid happened. But once we had the vaccines and we'd offered them to the vulnerable population (those over 65 and those with serious health conditions) that needed to be the end of it. It should have been about personal evaluation of risk from then on, and going back to work, not closing the schools and so on. We built all these Nightingale hospitals and never used them. Those with Covid should have been moved there for specialist treatment while the regular hospitals were kept open for the ongoing treatment of more important illnesses and diseases. Now we have to start to learn to think for ourselves all over again and make our own decisions, rather than acting like sheep and expecting to be fed. 

Football is so very much about momentum. Scoring two goals at the death to turn a losing position into a win makes a massive difference. It gives everyone at the club belief. Nothing is impossible. We are always capable of winning. 

Well done  lads today for not giving up. And for scoring two goals!

I've been listening to the Radio Derby commo through RamsTV. This is new for me but I realize I have to take what they say with a pinch of salt.

Their take is it's been an even game but Derby with the better chances. They say Dobbin's not been involved and needs to get into the match. "He needs to move the wingback". And that Wildsmith's distribution has been very poor. But a good game so far.

Decent opportunities for Sibley, Barkhuizen and Hourihane not converted. Collins desperately needs a goal. 

This subscription means you can watch the full 90 soon after so it will be good to compare. 

Peterborough's Thompson sent off for a foul on Barkhizem who according to Charlie Palmer has been one of the two key players so far along with Sibley.

3 minutes ago, Ellafella said:

Feel we should have some sort of history thread for clips such as that. Steve Bloomer's watching! Come on you Rams

Mostly they're happy. And a mention of Kaide Gordon playing against his old team. Just one Scouse scally writes "Good prep for our two league meetings with them next season."

https://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=352947.0

2 hours ago, RamDotFi said:

This would be my (not so) educated guess based on what we've seen this season so far. But no matter the XI I think we will win comfortably today as it will be an open game, both teams trying to win and that suits us well!

Fantastic! I do believe that's close to what will be the WhoScored average positioning at the end of the game.

5 hours ago, BramcoteRam84 said:

Fancy us for this one. We’re at home, good record at home, Peterborough play the same way year in year out whatever division they are in, we’ve beaten them at home already this year confident we will again. Should be entertaining. Marriott will score. 
 

                         Wildsmith

Knight        Stearman     Cashin     Roberts 

                     Bird         Hourihane    
 
      Dobbin          Sibley        Barkhuizen    

                           Collins 

I think this will be the team. No insider knowledge, but given the family issues with NML he'll likely not have trained much, so I figure it will be a place on the bench for him at best. Then, Rosenior has repeatedly stated he wants McGoldrick fit for the season so is managing his game time extremely carefully, which makes me think that's the decision Liam will take to allow Sibley to play in his best position.

It's a good team, especially if Hourihane has the energy to link defence with attack. As the game moves on he'll probably tire if he's doing that role, so we'd likely look at bringing Oduroh on to allow Knight into midfield. Or, if we're in a position to want to keep it tight, Smith could replace him to shore things up. And having McGoldrick available off the bench is a great option as he builds his fitness up.

6 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

Short term loan move for Harry Evans…

…but where to?

Good spot. Apparently playing in the FA Vase this Saturday. I looked and there are 147 ties that day, so 294 teams involved. One of them clearly needed a goalkeeper at short notice, but it doesn't narrow it down much!

16 hours ago, i-Ram said:

Happy Birthday Pedro, whenever it falls. I sent the wife off to Wembley with a friend to watch them; she loved it. If they would play songs from their first 2 albums at a small venue in Brighton or London I would kill you for a Coldplay ticket.

Years ago I remember a front cover of Shortlist Magazine headlined "The Rise of the Beta Male". Among their examples were Chis Martin and Mark Zuckerberg, two guys at the top of their industries with zero charisma or vision. I think the lead singer of Keane was there too, unless that was "The New Beige" (which was another cover featuring Adele and Chris Martin again. Probably Ed Sheeran too). The ironic thing about the show the X-Factor was it was only interested in people who could sing and were pliable enough to be packaged - none of the winners ever had the X-Factor - and that seems so much of the music business now, very much including dullard Chris.

But @i-Ramis right there were decent songs on the first two albums. I did see them play Glastonbury in 2002 and it was an OK gig, but not bothered with them since: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/coldplay/2002/worthy-farm-pilton-england-73d65ebd.html 

But although they're not for me, I hope @richinspainhas an absolutely fantastic birthday time. 

7 hours ago, Crewton said:

I'm happy with one DM in this game, as long as it IS a defensive midfielder and not Max. With NML missing, a 4-4-1-1 diamond might work best, but the FBs would have to get forward. 

If Max can't play the role of lone central defensive midfielder in the third division then he's nowhere near as good a player as he sometimes looks. What else does he offer? Where else does he play? I can't see him anywhere else in the team as he doesn't hurt the opposition enough when further forward. He should be the quarterback. He needs to be our new George Thorne (yes I know he needs to be Max Bird and no one else but you'll get the point that Thorne is the type of player I think our ? should be modelling himself on).

Meanwhile, Dobbin doing the pre-match interview strongly suggests he's in the starting 11.

Lots of promise but his shooting surprises me (in how poor it's been so far). He keeps hitting the defender in front of him. But he does affect the game so must be pushing for a start. Who would he play instead of? Barkhuizen doesn't impact the game as much but is a much better finisher. Mendez-Laing also affects the match, but like Dobbin often lacks end product. Maybe it's a choice between Mendez-Laing's strength or Dobbin's pace?

Because Dobbin is doing the official social media today I presume he will be in the starting lineup against Peterborough.

At the moment there seems a good spirit in the squad. I don't think we should bring more bodies in for the sake of it. If we lose good people the need for signings becomes much clearer. Knight may yet go, especially if we want to keep him at right back. Sibley may feel he has to move on if Rosenior isn't going to give him league starts. Would be a massive shame to lose either, and replacements for both would be near impossible given our financial constraints.

If everyone stays, right back is key and the question is if they think Oduroh will be ready soon. If not we should bring in someone demonstrably better and move Knight into the middle alongside Bird so Jason can apply his energy to getting up and down and dominating the centre of the field.

Do we need another striker? I'm not sure. Anyone we play will struggle with the paucity of chances we create unless we change things to create better opportunities (ie by playing Sibley behind them). Again, given our constraints, how can we bring someone in who will clearly improve what we have unless a Premier League team is prepared to waive financial gain for giving one of their youngsters an education, complete with great training facilities, a passing style and big crowds? But if they're willing to do that, the price will be guaranteed start which is a dangerous thing for us to agree to unless they're clearly far too good for League One. I do feel once Collins gets going he won't look back and will prove a great acquisition.

21 minutes ago, simmoram1995 said:

I’d like a different approach to tactics tomorrow 

wildsmith

stearman cashin roberts 

knight hourihane bird barkhuizen

sibley dobin 

mcgolderick

Interesting given Rosenior said he'd considered playing a back three against West Brom so it's obviously in his mind. I like the idea of not being too predictable and sometimes wrong-footing the opposition. Not sure about this specific selection.

2 hours ago, Millenniumram said:

I think that would be suicide I’m afraid mate, especially against a team with the attacking threat of Peterborough. In Rosenior’s favoured 4-2-3-1, we already have 4 players upfront 

Hilatious. It's precisely the problem we "only" have 4 outfield players up front. So few is why we almost never score any goals! 

If you're reading this Liam, then ditch the mad idea of 2 CDMs (and always start Sibbo!). 

16 minutes ago, Millenniumram said:

You’re gonna have to be more specific - we call everyone duck round here!

Knight is too attack minded to play in a midfield two. Though I do agree we need to get him away from right back, and back into a position where he can influence the game more. Wouldn’t be against Oduroh starting after his stronger performance against West Brom, would give us a natural full back out there.

I don't think Derby can afford the luxury of two central defensive midfielders. It's far too cautious and safety first. If we put Knight alongside Bird in the centre at the back of the midfield it seems the perfect option because Knight's energy will see him upfield and attacking frequently, but back and defending when we need him to. No copper top but he's our very own Duracell battery and I can see it makes sense to make use of his fantastic midfield engine.

It's all the way to Liverpool midweek to watch Derby against the Liverpool U21s, so I'd expect there will be plenty of tickets to go around. It's not a bad draw because it should give DC a decent payday which will help towards the running expenses of the club, and because of the likely Liverpool team (proximity to the World Cup) we will stand a decent chance of making the next round.

I'm surprised by some of the comments in the thread. People forget that now is the best time in all of human history to be alive. Everywhere was a dump in the 1970s. Liverpool, Derby, London. They're all way better now and this will likely be a great evening out for everyone who goes (result-dependent of course).

2 hours ago, Kokosnuss said:

I'm not sure he's bothered or and/or has that much class about him tbh, if the way he acted when playing for Man City's U23s against us is anything to go by.

Oh I'd forgotten about that, which suggests you and @Crewtonare right about him. He was an embarrassment to himself, his dad and Man City. I'd hope he's learnt from it but it was very, very poor at the time.

2 hours ago, Crewton said:

I didn't realise, until I read the news about Michael O'Neill being sacked this morning, that Junior Delap had joined Stoke on loan. And so finally, 3 years after thinking he was too good to play in the Championship with Derby, he ends up in a relegation battle in the Championship.

#Karma

If you're a kid playing football and you believe in yourself, and the best team in the world come in for you, of course you'd want to go there. It's the dream. I don't think it has to be about being too good to play in the Championship with Derby.

But, likewise, I hadn't realized he was on loan at Stoke. Big shame he's not on loan with us. Scoring the goals to earn us promotion would have been a lovely thank you for bringing him up through the Rams Academy.

3 hours ago, Caerphilly Ram said:

While I agree that Sibley has done well and should start this seems like an odd stance to take before a ball has been kicked. What if he doesn’t pick Sibley and the side he picks goes on the win 5-0, will you still call for him to go? What if he starts Sibley on the bench and brings him on when their defence is tiring and he grabs himself a couple of goals, isn’t that potentially good tactical awareness from Rosenior? What if he starts Sibley and Sibley has a shocker, scores a hat trick of own goals and gets sent off? Is that on Rosenior?

I want to see Derby succeed after a rubbish few years off the pitch, Rosenior is currently the person paid to make that happen, it’s his responsibility to pick the team based on what he sees in training, what his staff have analysed about the game, what he knows the strengths of his squad to be etc, and he’s made a solid enough start to life as the manager. Calling for him to be sacked for his potential selection decision surrounding one player seems extreme to me. ??‍♂️ 

I expect Rosenior to start Sibley. He'd be mad not to. We are the lowest scorers in the Third Division (OK, I accept Shrewsbury and Morecambe have one goal fewer, but you get the point). When we have managed to put the ball in the net, our top scorer so far this season is OG. But what I'm saying is it isn't only stupid not to start your most dangerous attacking player, it's unfair on him and that's what I can't abide. I hate it in all walks of life when managers show favouritism and don't give other workers the chance they clearly deserve. In football you will only have my respect if you give players the shirt on merit.

Against the baggies no one else came close to the same threat level - you'd have to say Sibley was five times more likely to score than any other Derby player in that his several attempts were simply far superior. Rosenior has been trying to justify his decision so far by saying Sibley is more effective off the bench. But we're not scoring any goals and when he started on Tuesday he scored after 15 minutes. How much easier did that make the game for us? Yes it's conceivable he doesn't pick Sibley and we win 5-0, but given we've only scored three league goals all season and they've all been scored when Sibley is on the pitch (two in the one half when he did start him), Rosenior would have to be the luckiest manager in history for that to happen.

Sibley has to be the first name on the team sheet. And even though we often play him out of position, I don't mean in goal. Against the Baggies he had far and away our three best attempts. No one else comes close to bringing his level of goal threat and, as a club, we are starved of goals. It's not as if he doesn't also fully contribute to the team. And the whole team plays better when he's on the pitch as he gives us such better options and attacking intent than the other midfielders. Fairness is so important to me. Rosenior has done plenty of good things but he's been taking the easy option in some of his team selections, not picking the side on merit but instead going by reputation. For instance, if both are fit competing for the same spot, it's much easier to pick Hourihane and leave Sibley on the bench. But enough is enough. Louie has kept his head down, worked hard and consistently been out best player over the season to date. If he's fit and Rosenior doesn't pick him on Saturday, I'm calling for Rosenior to go. The manager has to be brave and do the right thing. That way is the path to promotion. I'm thinking Rosenior will finally acknowledge this and go:

Wildsmith

Knight     Stearman     Cashin     Roberts

Bird     Hourihane

Mendez-Laing     Sibley     Barkhuizen

Collins

Subs: Loach Oduroh Forsyth Rooney Smith McGoldrick Dobbin

McGoldrick will continue to be eased in gently. If Mendez-Laing still has family stuff to sort out, Dobbin will come in (he's close to demanding a start anyway) and either Thompson or Agathise for the bench.