Chopper

Contract renewals I'm relaxed about (my man crush Cashin has signed so who cares!). As we dont know if its L1 or Championship building for that season is difficult, it's not like we can really play the odds yet either paying contracts on assumptions. Players may feel this too, some may be happy that they can get X if we go up or settle for Y if we dont. Some may think they are Championship players and can get a gig in there if we dont. Some may realise that a realistic Derby future is only possible if they stay in L1, and if they go up then they are playing not for a Derby contract but one elsewhere. Assets secured the rest may be used to give wriggle room in a rebuild. After a good look at the Academy some of those fringe players may be replaced by those? Money then spent on a few Premium players. I like the idea of investors waiting in the wings for promotion, economically viable (now), top 20 attendances, promotion bounce could be attractive. If that happens I'd like to see Clowes remain in whatever role he wishes, that is if he wishes it. He has earned that much.

That's a point. I may be a little wooley headed, but I seem to recall us better chasing the leaders than holding on. Under Davies, under SMc, several others, even under TBE in 95-96 roared to the top and then dropped off. Perhaps if Warne can motivate the team that first is still on we can continue to chase, lessening that risk of complacency or watching over our shoulders.

Best case now is that the 6 points deduction which has been reduced to 4 because of the cooperation of Notts, is appealed by their owner. The appeal fails, taking with it the mitigation of cooperation increasing the punishment up to the full 6 for a frivolous appeal. They go down by 1 point as a result of their own appeal. That'd do it and send a message to other teams. Yeah they should do that.

Even after being gutted the Academy is still producing that is amazing, and fills me with so much hope for the future. I must confess though I read "Nell MacAndrew" in that above.

Dunno, Wycombe could be up for it. If they sell out their carpark again, threaten the EFL with some litigation and spend the week training hard at their natural strengths like kicking puppies and stealing toys from orphans they may be a tough challenge.

Have a feeling about Lincoln now, and it could easily be that 3 of the current top 5 stay down as Lincoln look like "that team" that makes a late run and make it via the play offs, much to the heartbreak of fans of teams competing for the autos all season. Think Portsmouth will tick along and stay top now. But 2nd? Oh 2nd you temptress. I dare not dream, but maybe, just maybe...

Hope so, I have no great love of Reading but no antipathy either. Pray they get it done and that these buyers aren't Kirchner 2.0. We can all appreciate how emotional and helpless we can feel at times like this. Reading fans deserve to have a club, and one that is run well, for them, and that lose to Derby every time we play them. It would be great if Moonpig, or Couhig, or whatever tries to get the ground, fails, makes the whole football world see what a leach and vulture he is. I know he won't care but people like that need ostracising from the game.

Back in the day I'd wander down to Alfreton, I dont do it quite so much now. Given how expensive things are I struggle to justify the expense for one mistress (Derby) without adding another when I get a week 'off'. I know there are other parks football to watch, but I tend to struggle if there was no team to particularly support (or hate).

No thanks, the last 'double entry' I saw Kieran Lee involved in looked eye watering.

I think the pgmol or whatever they're called should review the footage to see if lessons can be learned, and if there is anything there, that can be retrospectively done then they should do it. That means Red card for Yates. To which it would have been a free kick effectively making it Liverpools ball, so alls well that ends well, Forest got away with one there not the other way around. But still if I was a PL ref before a Forest game I'd make sure the insurances I have on any of my business are tip top, especially if I owned bakeries. No reason, no accusations, just good practice. As an aside I hope the dogs dont intimidate the Refs and get future beneficial treatment because of their owner and that bloke they've hired off Gladiators.

With 3 in the middle, and Sibley dropping deeper (his natural inclination) we should be competitive in midfield. Nate may find himself exposed (shush) and we may not do too much in their final third for the first hour. It could be made for a last 30m from Gayle and Barkhuisen and then knick one.

He reminds me of the sort of friends I once had. Outside of work, quite a laugh, I'd imagine being friends with him for long enough you'd have your own "inside language" with numerous in-jokes etc. that others would think you're speaking gibberish half the time, but its be a giggle for those in the know. Yes I'd love to have a drink and a chat with folks like that, including PW. At work, that style, quite a deliberate persona works well to form a team ethic and have staff enjoy working for him ... providing competence is demonstrated, take that away and its quickly seen as clownish and failing to 'see the gravity of the situation'.

@admira Should Tom Huddlestone be included? But yes some names there, and quite a few more in recent years although that may have been driven by necessity and not the highest quality youth products.

I'm pleased to see ED back, and wish him good fortune in anything he takes on. When listening to his thoughts on commentary I cant say I agreed with all of them, but hey that's people. Yeah he'd move from elation to morbidity in 3 minutes, but welcome to life as a Derby fan. As long as I could get an impression of who has the ball, and when; along with an impression of how the game is going, then that'll do. Nearly losing Derby hurt him too, we could tell that on the radio surely? He's one of "us". I enjoy DDs commentary too and for my thoughts has give no reason to be supplanted as the lead commentator , so we'll just have to see. But GR was a legend, I seem to remember the Play Offs against Millwall words to the effect of: "Those pea brained morons, wrecked me van".

And if we get promoted then from them lot saying they'll never play us again to us going 'mind the gap'in 12 months would be sweet. Alas I'm still convinced they'll benefit from a retrospective change in the law that is designed to save the Premier League from dealing with 115 charges against City. Everton wont and they'll go down instead.

Quite like Southgate. His loyalty to players, which has drawn criticism is I feel a key element on the togetherness of the team, which in turn has helped us get further more consistently in tournaments than anytime in my football watching life (first real memory was Euro 88). We have good players, but the golden generation (rolls eyes) didnt do much. He is predictable, I dont doubt his midfield three will be Rice, Henderson, Bellingham with Foden, Saka and Kane up top. Maguire will play. Trent Alexander Arnold on the bench, Tomori in Italy. This tournament should maybe be his last, a good run and I agree that giving the players the chance for a known "one last shot" could help. After Southgate, I reckon the next manager though should still be low key, and not 'the story'. Pep, Klopp? They'll be the story, likewise if Jose is available. They may not want it, Pep bless him will get very frustrated when he realises in international football you can't just go off and sign players to fill a gap, being stuck with a single pool of players doesn't seem like either of their ways. Too much risk to their "greatest of all time" reputations.

1-0 Exeter win

1-1 no rams goalscorer (og, late on)

Think this, could have been an ok idea but with the issue with refereeing now I feel it would be reckless to implement it now and as a result it'll soon get dismissed as unworkable. Why try something new when we are still getting VAR wrong? As an earlier post suggested how does it relate to the other cards? Can you really see the level of dissent being evenly applied? Man City v Luton. Player from Man City effs and jeffs and suggests the referee is the product of the union betwixt Steve Gibson and a Springer Spaniel and he'll get nothing. Luton player forgets his Ps and Qs and that's 10 minutes. Mic up the refs, with VAR (seen and heard by all) and then have a punishment for it.

Warnes pre game interview on the Derby channel says he had the doctor to it, there's a bit of swelling (cue Kenneth Williams gif) but should be training on grass soon. I read from that, that Shrewsbury may come too soon.

I think Portsmouth will still be there about at the end, they've had a dip, but have got some signings and could rally over the rest of the season. Bolton I think we'll know after Feb, they have a lot of games this month. Those two will be our biggest challengers for the top 2 slots. They have a good squad for L1 and games in hand, but a bruising run of games could aid burn out in some of their players. What about us? Still quite optimistic, think 2nd place. More often flirting with 3rd than 1st, but getting over the line.

I suppose we could look at a false nine type role? Barkhuisen, NML, CBT, Wilson playing as a front four rather than a 3 + 1? Perhaps NML and Barkhuisen in the middle. I think our first choice youngster is only available around the same time Washington and Wagstaff come back, that said wasn't Izale Mcloud bought in from the U18s as the other youngsters were unavailable and he then got himself into the team on merit? Worth a punt for a couple of games to have one on the bench? Could see what Bobby Duncan is up to? However I think if Collins breaks down, we'll probably be praying for a Paul Warhurst / Chris Sutton type hail Mary and see Bradley get co-opted and then become the next 20 goal striker.

Tee strange way it's been done may also have something to do with the 3 year deal? Entirely conjecture, but if CBT wanted 3 years, his agent was all "grass isnt always greener" and starting to flog his wares to other clubs and if we are still, until the summer, restricted to 2 year deals this could be a way around that? Either way so pleased it's done, and hopefully relieve some pressure on Nate. Anything to mitigate the risk of burnout in the squad is great news.

I dunno Ithink the site could be quite creditable based on a pre existing rumour that Charlton want 500k and it would be the most Derby thing ever to then offer 600k. Seriously though, if (and it's a giant, kipling sized if) we are in negotiations for him I'd imagine we'd stay below 500k and hope to hit that asking price with incentives, namely through promotion.

Think the Bird Hourihane positional swap may have taken place because of Hourihanes legs, seen a few times attacking players taking on this deep lying playmaker role when they no longer have the pace to pose a threat up front. I agree that typically I'd want Bird deeper. I'm conflicted about this rumour, I saw our side get overrun in midfield, with our first string in, but I stand by my iteration in an earlier thread that I'd like to see players coming in to mitigate the risk of repeating last years burnout especially up front. With Sibley, Thompson, Smith, Fornah, Bird, Hourihane plus potential U23s can we get through to summer in L1 and then go for a larger rebuild knowing our league. Would he start? That's the big question. If he improves the side then yeah sure, elsewise I dont think we need squad depth there.