ramsbottom

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...

The players changed, the tactics did not... He admitted in the Radio Derby interview that he got his initial set up wrong, as he wanted to impose the game we'd been playing since the Charlton defeat on them, but that didn't work, so he changed it. I can imagine that he would've done exactly the same at half time, but Gayle being forced off gave him the opportunity to do it sooner. And as soon as he did, we were the better side for the rest of the half. At 0-0 Bolton it was evens, Bolton had the better first 15 of either half but, funnily enough after both their 2 (and only) big chances we were more than a match for them. We know you don't like Warne as a man, he's not to everyone's tastes, but give him some credit for the job he's done since Shrewsbury. Or would you rather we lost every game til the end of the season, just to prove your point??

It worked fine on my old Virgin contract no probs at all, but since I've been forced to switch to O2, it's terrible...

Wildsmith - 9 Nelson - 8 Cashin - 8.5 Forsyth - 8.5 Ward - 5 Hourihanne - 5 Adams - 8.5 Sibley - 7 Barks - 6 Gayle - 5 NML - 7.5 Subs - Smith - 7 Thompson - 7.5 Waghorn - 7 Wilson - 8 Elder - 7.5

Especially as my O2 coverage means that as soon as my gets within a mile of Pride Park, between the hours of 2pm & 6pm on a Saturday it becomes nothing more than a really expensive block of plastic... With the chasing pack having games against each other I reckon if we win our home games, and grab a draw or two on the road we should about scrape it. But it's us, it's Derby, so we're bound to do it the hard way...

For me, you don't change a winning team, so bar injuries we stick to the same formation. As for personnel, if Gayle is going to be out then it's Waggy up top in his stead. Depending now Northampton play in the middle of the park, I'd replace Hourihanne with Smith or Thompson because he looked devoid of ideas, and the legs weren't there either. As for Barks & Ward, if their injuries are still not worth risking, I'd put Wilson in for Ward, and go with Blackett-Taylor for Barks, sink or swim time for him...

Crowd-wise that was the only thing that got on my tits. It was obvious from the first time we did it that we were set up that way, yet everyone kept moaning to press him. Pretty sure we do the same in another game earlier on the season, can’t remember who though…

Their fans really are a bunch of salty bar-stewards aren't they... Edged the possession, but other than the first 15, and stoppage time, it was evens. We scored, they didn't now piss off back to hovels!!! To be fair though, if/when we go up, Sheehan would be an ideal replacement of Hourihanne

Oh it’s on. On like Donkey Kong!!!

I re-watch Band of Brothers regularly. It's perhaps the best limited series ever made. Plus every time you watch it you notice another star you'd completely forgot, or didn't realise were in it...

It's this situation, right now, that Clowes brought him in for. Rosinior or AN Other may well have got us into the exact same position with 8 to go, but Warne's experience of multiple run ins should give us an edge. I don't give a crap if his interviews are a little disjointed and waffly for some taste (I for one like 'em), but you know for a fact he knows exactly what to say to the players.

I've not been surprised at how well he's settled in, regardless of your age, you don't lose class. But one thing that has stood out is his link up play. He looks a lot more comfortable taking the ball with his back to goal than I thought he would, he doesn't look that small either & wins his fair share of headers. Unlike a lot of fans I have a tonne of time for Collins, but Gayle's movement has taken our game to the next level. NML & Barks clearly love playing with him.

Had a prior engagement so only got to listen to the last 20 or so, and have had to rely on the highlights, but their keeper definitely clatters Gayle before his hand touches the ball. Penalty all day long for me. As for both bookings, very harsh, especially for the handball, which was fired at him at practically point blank range. Like others have said, it may have been a culmination of his general behaviour. Typically Radio Derby made it sound like the Alamo. Got to say the crowd sounded good in the background though.

Turns out I didn't need to worry. Easy win all round...

I hate to be pessimistic but I have bad feeling about tonight. Everybody is building up the Bolton game as the be all and end all, and seem to have forgotten how Reading schooled us at their place. Of course I hope I'm 110% wrong and we smash 'em, but it'll be typical Derby if we slip up tonight, if only to put more pressure on the lads come Saturday...

I read a few pre-season 2 interviews with the writer, after I'd watched it, and in a couple of them he says Bren wasn't going to be as big a part of season 2 at that point, so he seems he likes the story going off in unexpected directions to what he originally planned. So I have a feeling she'll reappear in season 3. Really great show, did anybody else scream at the telly to stop Frank at the end of the last episode???

I can't see it ever happening. Even if they tried to do it on purpose, there's no way a manager could assemble such a ill-suited and downright crap squad for a Premier League campaign as King Bill-eh did. Look at Luton, even they've been able to chuck a decent chunk of money at it. For an experienced old head who's been around the division they turned to Ross Barkley, we signed Andy Todd...

Bolton have a stinker of a run in. Not a good time for their form to dip. On paper you have to say ours is looks the easiest on paper. I reckon if we come out of the next 3 games with 7 points, it's definitely on.

Our record for lowest ever points tally will never be broken. However I take comfort in the fact that the tree dwellers up the road are technically the worst ever premier league team for finishing dead last 3 times. As for United, they appear to be completely devoid of humour. You'd think they're well past the point of taking the rest of the season seriously, but they have this opinion that they should be doing better than they are. I think that idea expired for us around September of that season...

Exactly this. Warne and the players got pelters in the reverse fixture for not being able to cope with their style. So on Saturday he sets us up to counteract it. Going way back, everyone was up in arms with McClaren for having no plan B and only having one formation, now we have a boss who can set up in many ways, with whatever players he has at his disposal, and is still able to win games, yet still gets abuse from some quarters. The bloke can't win...

I have no idea why people don't rate/like him. If we'd brought back Chris Martin in the summer, and had the exact same output fans would be creaming all over themselves, saying how good he's been. I reckon it's just a case of his face not fitting. I for one love the lad, he's everything you want in a League 1 striker.

What you're suggesting could work but Warne seems reluctant to play an actual midfielder in the No 10 bar Bird earlier in the season, he's much preferred NML or John-Jules (!!??!?!) in behind Collins. Personally I'd like to see us with a proper 3 in the middle, Bird holding then Hourihane with Thompson/Fornah pushing on but I think that in turn will isolate Collins even more. We've looked at our best when he has someone in behind him. Whatever the formation I just want the midfielders to be in midfield, so many times we build up play and both of them are tucked in between the full back & winger and yards from each other, which doesn't help with picking up 2nd balls cause they're nowhere near their positions when the ball breaks into that area. Cheltenham were picking up our clearances from their long balls so easily and if they had more creative players, they'd have done some real damage...

I'm gonna say 4th, and lose in the PO final. It's The Derby Way...