ramsbottom

Let's cast our minds back to when everyone thought John Eustace was crap and didn't offer anything to the side. Then Mac 1 comes in and he's the most important cog in the machine. Nobody is asking Ebou to be Zidane, but for what he's being asked do he's very good at. Ever since Warne came in we've struggled in midfield to pick up scrappy 2nd balls and break up the opposition's play, he's tried Bird, Hourihane, Thompson, Fornah & Smith, and none of them have done it anywhere near as good as Adams. It's also very hard to coach into a player.

Considering he's talking to me, that's not the case at all. Long story short, me, my lad, and a few of his mates waited for the players after the Bolton game for pics, and I waited a bit longer than most for a pic with the gaffer, but I guess he was either still basking in the post victory glow at the bar, or he'd popped off early. Fast forward to Saturday and my lad's mates were again waiting outside and one of them told him I was a Derby fan of 40 years & I was gutted I'd missed him a couple of weeks ago. Warney politely asked him for his phone, asked what my name was, and hit Record. Top bloke...

His first few games I thought we'd signed an absolute dud, but his form after Christmas improved significantly and coincided with a good run of results. Northampton was a blip for a lot of players so wasn't overly concerned with him coming back in on Saturday. Having him there ensures Cashin & Nelson can carry the ball out and sit wide to help the wingbacks. However if we were to go up, I think we'll need an upgrade on him.

The club shop need to lower their prices in the supposed "massive" Umbro sale then. Still asking £30 for the home shirt, and £35 for the away & 3rd.

If that's the case I feel extremely lucky I found a mint one in a Swadlincote charity shop for £8... It's a toss up between this and the first season at Pride Park, just amazing kits, but even more amazing memorises.

Picture the scene. We've secured 2nd by winning our next 3 games and Bolton choking against Pompey. Without anyone knowing the team run out against Carlise wearing an update of this Can you imagine...

I'll be more concerned if they win...

Even though I'm an avid follower of Wrexham nowadays I had no idea he'd signed for them until I was walking out their club shop yesterday and came face to face with him, so I'm assuming he hasn't done much since he signed...

Bear with me in this one. My memory isn’t what it used to be, so I may just be a massive brain fart, but… Didn’t we play a Spanish side in a (I want to say 89/90) preseason friendly, who held a record for either having not lost or conceding a goal in ages, and we beat them (I think) 2-0??? It’s been doing my head in for ages, so can anyone put me out my misery???

As my Mrs was working weekends at the time, and I was on babysitting duties, I would've been sat in my folks' living room laughing hysterically as the action unfolded...

As it was printed in The S*n I will consider it to be total and utter bull mud until told otherwise. The only national sports reporter I trust is Pearcy…

Conclusive proof Sean McVay smokes crack

if that is to occur we need a GIF of it to be pinned to the front page of the forum, so certain members' piss can be boiled every time they log in. Admin, make it happen 👍

Jude who??? We've got Sibley remember...

I forgot about Nyambe. I'm still on the fence slightly about Elder, would be a good back up I guess. As for Adams, I don't want to fall for an on loan defensive midfielder again after what happened with Gorgeous George. That one still stings 😢

I would say NML & Nelson, bar injuries, have at least a couple more seasons left in them, especially Nelson at CBs do a lot less running. Wilson with more experience and playing in a settled position will be a very good player.

You're right. But now he'll more than likely use that as an excuse to bash Warne's recruitment 🙄

You almost feel sorry for the fans, enduring such a poo show, then I remember their chants and think

I was going to reply to that but I lost the will to live, thinking I'd get another round of nonsense. But seeing as you've asked it, i'd say - Wildsmith, Wilson, Ward, Cashin, Nelson, Thompson, Sibley (at LWB) & NML would be consistent. Elder maybe, and at a push Hourihanne if the opposition aren't particularly athletic in the middle of the park. I'm about as far from religious as you could possibly get but, amen...

I was going to ask the exact same thing 🤣

Can you remind me how to do that please?

A more advanced level of football that, for example, Bolton play?? To paraphrase Woody Harrelson in White Men Can’t Jump, would you rather look good & lose, than look bad and win?? This isn’t figure skating, you don’t get extra points for style. I’ve just been reading through Don Dietrich’s tweets from the fans forum and Warne has said that if we were to go up, the playing staff will have to change considerably. That tells me he knows what’s required for this team to improve. And maybe play a better brand of football.

The tactics changed before half time. At half time, he changed personnel, but the tactics/formation remained the same. Hypothetically, if we overtook Pompey and finished top, would you still say he held the team back?? Throughout his relatively short tenure he’s constantly strived altered his tactics approach to ensure he wins games. His preferred 3-5-2 didn’t work at the start of the season, so he switched back to 4-3-3/4-2-3-1. Over recent weeks, having had time to work with players on the training ground, he’s tweaked his ideal formation into a 3-4-3. It was clear from the first game at Barnsley, that Nigel Pearson’s style was never going to work, yet he pigheadedly kept to the same blueprint. I’d much rather have a coach who’s open to try different things instead of sticking to an idea that doesn’t work.

TBF Ward is very much like Beckham was. Get a yard then ping it in, and their left sided players didn't give him much space in the 1st half. Therefore Warne made the change and Wilson being more of a dribbler was able to get at them a lot more effectively. His goal came from a corner he himself won by going at their left back. My point is our head coach identified a problem, and solved it. I'd love for us to be like the Mac 1 era and blow teams out the water with free flowing, passing football, but let's remember that even Mac 2 failed to recreate that, and had no Plan B. Here we have a coach who's had Plans A through to H, and some fans still think he's just a PE teacher who just shouts "Hoof it" at every game. Is he perfect? No. Has he made mistakes? Yes. Overall is he doing a good job of getting us into a position whereby we could escape this league? Yes. Therefore he's well on target to reach the targets his employer set him...

Catchy, easy to remember, short. Get it sung...