ColonelBlimp

0-1

The opportunity to win promotion at Pride Park, in front of a sell out crowd, after what the club has essentially gone through the last four years, is something that could create memories that will last a lifetime.
If, and hopefully when it happens, I'll definitely spare a thought for B4 and others who marched through the city to help keep the club alive but sadly won't be here to see this significant step in our rebuilding process. 

Pride Park Stadium
KO - 12.30
Ticket Update: Forgeddaboutit
Match is  also live on Sky Sports
What it is to be a Derby fan. After Northampton, even yours truly was feeling a tad deflated. With Blackpool, Pompey and Wycombe next up, my mood was more pensive and hopeful, than upbeat, as many others seemed to feel that we'd blown another golden opportunity. In fairness, that was understandable, if only to a point. Happily though, it appears that Warne and the chaps did not get the memo informing them of their impending capitulation and decided to go on an 5 game unbeaten run instead. That effort not only cemented us in the top 2, as others buckled under pressure, but now sees us teetering right on the edge of promotion glory; agonisingly poised, we have one foot in the sunlit uplands of the Championship (*shudder), the other remaining firmly planted in the nightmarish possibility of yet more play-off induced football terrors. But need we really be worried? 
After recent history and the near demise of our great club, I think it's understandable that some Derby fans might adopt a mildly cautious outlook and demeanour. In recent years, whatever may go wrong, typically has done and in so much, it's fair to say that a robust constitution is a mandatory requirement for a group of fans who've had more than their fair share share of emotional kickings over the last decade. Most Rams will confess that in some ways, it's hard not to expect the worst, based on recent history, but then isn't the dream what it's all about? After all, if you strip away the hopes and dreams, what do you really have left? It's been a season to test our nerves, that much is clear, but despite a lot of infighting, we've hung it all together in the end and here we are, fate firmly in our own hands. Remember too, that for some of our young 'uns, Saturday is a potentially momentous day. Automatic promotions don't come around every year and many won't have experienced one in their lives to date and for our elder statesmen and women, this could be an emotional roller coaster too. 
Outside the club itself, expectations are sky high. The bookmakers have all but closed the book on our promotion chances and after all, a single point is all we require against a Carlisle side who remain 10 points adrift at the very foot of the table and with seemingly nothing other than professional pride at stake. The oddsmakers are undoubtedly right from a statistical standpoint, but playing devil's advocate for a moment, Carlisle will view this as a free hit and will play without pressure (think Wycombe) and for some, the game provides an ideal opportunity to showcase their talents in a high-profile game with the Sky cameras watching on. Summer moves may beckon, for any player who shines.
Worthy favourites then, IMHO, but doubtless a good few will still be anxiously awaiting Saturday's outcome.
Not me mind. I’ll be drunk from @noon on Wednesday.
The Permutations:
Quite simple now, on paper at least; a win or a draw and we say, 'hasta la visa, baby' and kiss this league goodbye, hopefully forever. A loss, by a single goal would leave Bolton needing to beat Posh 3-0 in order to break the hearts of the Rams faithful, snatching 2nd place by virtue of having scored more goals. Not quite the proverbial slam-dunk then, but we're strong favourites, all the same and rightly so IMO.
Elsewhere, we, along with Bolton, will be hoping Posh slip up midweek; Posh will be hoping they don't and Barnsley and Lincoln will be nervously looking over their shoulders with both Oxford and Blackpool snapping at their heels. I'd dearly love to see Blackpool snatch the last playoff slot! 
 


The key fixtures for the final rounds, with promotion hopefuls underlined, are as below:
Tuesday 23/04-2024
Cheltenham vs Peterborough - 19.45
Saturday 27/04/2024
Barnsley vs Northampton - 12.30
Exeter vs Oxford - 12.30
Lincoln Vs Portsmouth - 12.30
Peterborough vs Bolton - 12.30
Reading Vs Blackpool - 12.30
My guesses are Posh to beat Cheltenham and draw with Bolton. Barnsley to beat Northampton, Oxford to turn over Exeter, Lincoln and Pompey to draw and Blackpool to beat Reading. Make of that what you will! 
Our Opponents – A Brief History:
Founded in 1896 as Shaddongate United, Carlisle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cumbria, who have played their home games at Brunton Park since 1909. The club's traditional kit is blue with white and red detail, whilst the badge takes elements from the city's coat of arms by including two Wyverns. They are nicknamed the "Blues", due to their kit, as well as the "Cumbrians". The club is the northernmost English professional football club seated close to the Anglo-Scottish border. Crowned Lancashire Combination, Division Two champions in 1906–07, they entered the North Eastern League in 1910 and went on to win the league title in 1921–22, before being elected into the Football League in 1928. 
Head to Head:
Sadly, Carlisle have a pretty decent record against our beloved Rams. Twenty-three competitive fixtures have seen Derby win 9, draw 6 and lose 8. Our first fixture, in the old Division 3 North back in 1955, saw Derby win 3-0. More recently, the two teams have met three time in the last decade with Derby bookending the decade with 2-0 wins, with a 1-1 between them.
Games Played: 23
Games Won:9
Games Drawn:6
Games Lost:8
Our last Meeting:
The corresponding fixture at Brunton Park was way back in September with a James Collins brace giving the game a rather more comforting veneer than was perhaps warranted. Carlisle looked tidy and Gibson and Moxon in particular, gave Derby plenty to think about. On that performance, you might have been forgiven for thinking Carlisle would do ok this season, but it’s fair to say that things have not gone well for the Cumbrian outfit and their relegation was a formality from some way out.
Carlisle United - Recent Form:
Carlisle's recent form has been distinctly patchy, with their last 5 games comprising a 3-1 home loss to that awful club near Henley, another home loss by the odd goal to Blackpool, a hard-earned away win at Cheltenham, before consecutive losses to Northampton and Lincoln. 
Saturday 20th April
Carlisle United 1 Wycombe Wanderers 3
Saturday 13th April
Carlisle United 0 Blackpool 1
Tuesday 9th April
Cheltenham Town 0 Carlisle United 1
Saturday 6th April
Northampton Town 2 Carlisle United 0
Monday 1st April
Carlisle United 1 Lincoln City 3
Carlisle United - Key Players:
Quite a relief that we won’t be facing Owen Moxon, snapped up by Pompey in the January window. Most of what was good about Carlisle seemed to start with him, but in Jordan Gibson, they still retain some meaningful threat. He's tricky with ball at feet, looks to attack and has a shot on him. He tops the scorer’s chart with 7 goals and 3 assists whilst Sam Lavelle with 4 assists is a goal provider to note. Mellish with 5 goals and Butterworth and Garner with 4 a piece, round out the principal Carlisle goal threats. it would be remiss not to mention also that their current manager, is none other than the much respected, Paul Simpson. Nudge, nudge, wink wink, Paul! The other ex-Rams fun fact would be that Luke Plange had a brief and unremarkable spell with the Cumbrians this season, before seeking warmer weather with HJK Helsinki.
Rams Team News:
Some will be itching for change after a stuttering performance at Cambridge. My own thoughts on that game are that Cambridge fought ridiculously hard and we had to try and match that extreme intensity before we could even think about playing our game. The pitch looked both short and narrow to me had clearly been subject to a hosepipe ban and I think all of these factors led to a feisty and extremely combative game, from which we did well to emerge with maximum points. Back on home soil, a larger pitch and a (marginally) better surface, I’d expect us to look rather more fluid.
Sadly, this will be the last time we get to watch young Max Bird play for the club. There’s been some really silly stuff written about our most technically gifted footballer and I have to confess that seeing him leave for Brizzle will be like a kick to the gut. That said, the fee garnered enabled some key signings and it could be argued that in hindsight, this was smart business. Nah, I'm not convinced either, but needs must? Quite possibly. Irrespective, I’d love to see him among the starting 11 for his swansong. I’m sure the Derby faithful will give him the send-off he deserves, in what may be a somewhat bittersweet celebration, for both us as fans and Max himself, lest we forget.
With that in mind, here’s my team selection, which will of course in no way resemble the gaffer’s:
 

 

The defence really needs to remain unchanged. A more determined and obdurate back 3 you’d struggle to find. Wildsmith retains the #1 jersey, despite some idiosyncratic ball distribution. To my way of thinking, he makes saves that matter and that outweighs his wayward passing.
I’ve drafted in Bird to replace Korey Smith, who would perhaps be hard done by should Warne follow suit. Max would partner the irrepressible Ebou Adams, a pairing that ought to give us a solid foundation in midfield. Working hard on the flanks, I’d have Wilson and Sibley, two players I absolutely love. The latter especially, has really matured over the course of the season, proving yours truly and others wrong in the process and he has oodles of ability if this progress and work ethic can be maintained.
Thommo is also retained and will hopefully sit a little higher and rat like his life depends on it. He and Collo put in Herculean shifts against Cambridge, doing the work that seldom attracts the plaudits, but is often key to our success. He can also interchange with a front two of Collo and Nate, who should give Carlisle plenty to think about. Barks, Gayle and Smith appear the obvious change-ups, with Hourihane, Vickers and Elder in reserve, but much will depend on who is truly healthy on the day.
And that, ladies and gentlemen is me done for the season. I’m fancying us for a decent performance, with a little style on show after an early goal to settle the nerves. 3-0 is the call with Collo, Nate and Sibs my fancies as the scorers. After some 55 games across the season, this one has definitely felt like something of a marathon, but in spite of the divided fan base, I’ve enjoyed seeing us tough it out. The football has been mildly bipolar, great one week, not so much the next, but I think all sides at this lowly level are inconsistent, only us and Pompey slightly less so than the others. Should we progress, of course we will face different challenges, but we will also have a very different playing roster. Doubts about the style of football will persist, but personally, I don't think Clowes will even contemplate letting Warne go and as such, Warne will retain my support until such time as he doesn't! 
Here’s hoping then,  for a resounding win, a respectful but joyous celebration of an important and healing day for all connected with the club and one that the majority can safely enjoy. Also, calm and stress-free journeys for any fans travelling significant distances and a bright and shiny, new future for Derby County Football club.
COYR
BE MORE B4
 

https://www.newyork.co.uk/best-bars-to-watch-football-in-new-york/
 
not sure anywhere will be open for breakfast though?

Based on nothing other than the experience of being a Derby fan my whole life, I can just see us dropping points on Saturday, struggling but winning against Exeter, either 4 or 3 points from those two games and everyone (myself included) going into meltdown even though it's not that bad before convincingly thrashing Stevenidge and finding oursevels in 2nd because the teams around us also drop points that they don't think they should
0-0 Saturday is my gut feeling, like I say, based on nothing other than that's what happens we're in this position! 

Indoors?

Uk and Europe trip just about booked, leave Brisbane 28 April, end up in Inverness then a 6 day hike leaving from Fort William. A few days floating around Scotland then a week in Dubrovnik and Split, flying back into Manchester. Staying in Belper for 12 days in King st above the fish bar then down to London for 4 days before flying back to Brisbane via Perth. 6 weeks all up.

Bill Clinton asked Monica Lewinsky if she'd like to see the Presidential clock. She of course replied yes. He unzipped and pulled it out and she said, "but that's not a clock". He said, "it will be when you put two hands and a face on it."

Just booked a few days in Rome in September, staying at Rome Times hotel.
Never been but always wanted to, plenty of time to compile that sightseeing list.

Another proper underwhelming window. We're told we need to get a few in in January, but yet we're again about to start panic buying for the likes of Lee flipping Gregory. This is an all time low as a Derby Fan for me at 35. I appreciate our situation the last couple years but MY GOD. 
Trying to get the cast off rejects from bottom of the table Wednesday and even that's not guaranteed. What a fall from Grace.
I would honestly rather have Chris Martin back. Atleast we'd have the feelings of nostalgia with it, aswel as the slight chance of him rekindling his link up play for us.
Lee Flipping Gregory.
 
🙃🙃

Parking at Flitwick is dead cheap btw - The rellies live there.

Today. 🥳🐏
 

For saying we’re two divisions below them and would dearly love to be in their position with the roles reversed, Forest are actually giving me quite a lot of entertainment this season.
The constant whinging about officials, about MOTD coverage overlooking  them, and the FFP conspiracy against them.
A fan base believing their club should lauded as one of the best in the land, amongst the elite because of the 2 stars on their shirt from when god was a lad. They actually think they’re relevant, and they’re desperate to be relevant and that makes for great comedy value as they keep fighting to stay out of those relegation places.
They will always be disappointed because they think they are entitled to more (at least a proportion of them, there are some red dogs that know what’s what and where they are in the pyramid). They should be a top 25 club (as should we), a worthy addition to the premier league but no more. They punched above their weight under Clough for a period and that success will never happen again, they should be proud of that but consign it to history and hope they can establish themselves as a mid table/bottom half club for a few seasons. Seen them compare themselves to the likes of Villa and Everton - they are not even close to the size of those clubs.
Their chairman is a lunatic and while he should be applauded for backing them his scattergun approach and his believing they should be better than they actually are will be their undoing. 
As for the Toney complaint to the PGMOL, anyone else notice the red dog wall stood over the line and not 10 yards?! Gamesmanship on both sides, they should pipe down. But they won’t. 
 
And who the f*** self proclaims their ground as World Famous?! 🤣🤣🤣

I'm going to be a bit of a Debbie Downer about tonight. They're a pretty young, athletic team. That, as we've seen with Peterborough, is the thing we struggle with the most. Definitely is a cause for concern for me.

Completely disagree with this. Having started listening to his podcast when all of out troubles were starting to arise, he was someone who explained what was happening and what it meant. He's someone who is well respected in his area of work and works with facts. IMO his podcast is very informative and sheds light on club's finances when something is not quite right.
With hindsight a lot of what he has said has come to be true, including about other clubs as well. From my perspective the division that has been created by him involves 2 sides. One side are the people who have taken on board what he has said and can understand the issues now when they see the numbers involved. The other side are the people who feel attacked by him and believe that he has targeted the club. 
I don't believe that Maguire wanted to to destroy Derby at all. By listening to his show you can tell that he doesn't like the owners of clubs who put their clubs in danger. Bury, Reading, Southend, Sheffield Wednesday and Wigan Athletic are just some of the clubs whose owners he has called out and look at what has happen to them. Quite simply Mel Morris was the one who is most at fault for causing Derby to come so close to going out of business. All Maguire did was explain what Morris was doing and answering peoples questions about it.
The real enemies of our club should be Quantuma, who nearly sold the club to a fraud and treated the club like an endless pit of money when it came to their expenses. Gibson and Couhig from Middlesborough and Wycombe respectively for preying on a club in danger. And front and centre should be Morris, despite all the good with his investment in the academy and Rams TV for example, whose decisions put the club in jeopardy financially.

What on Earth are you on about? 
 
hes a university professor who specialises in sports finance and we were an incredibly ‘interesting’ case in that respect in terms of the amortisation policy and the overspending. 
 
honestly were not that important enough for someone like him to hate us. 

Just on our financial situation - I don't think we're gambling but our gradual increase to the budget each season is financed by our newish rich owners. It isn't lobbing money that doesn't exist at it, rather an increase to playing budget that is far greater than we have seen under previous ownerships as they have the ability to provide it. Wages are up, but we aren't in a position to go and throw many substantial fees around. We have historically needed a chunky sale or two every season to help with the budget but the new ownership has meant this is less imperative but every club at this level is a selling club if a sizeable offer comes in.
Current owners completed their takeover in September 2022, having been part of the board and minority shareholders prior to that. They're in a different ballpark of ownership to anything we've ever experienced which is why someone like Cam Brannagan is on the highest wage packet in the club's history as part of his new deal signed when Blackpool had triggered his previous release clause prior to the 22/23 season. They are also funding the new stadium project with planning application due in imminently.
In this window so far, we've seen 4 season long loans ended early due to recall and injury, as well as a player move on permanently. 2 half season loans have come in, so budget wise we've still got room to manoeuvre in this window. I don't believe there is any increase expected unless a player suddenly becomes available that the manager and board want to push the boat out for.
Elsewhere in the league, Charlton's new owners seem to be keen to spend some money with the JCH and Ladapo interest as well as the fees spent on Conor Coventry and Macaulay Gillesphey. Bolton seem to be able to strengthen as required, not sure on their financial situation any more whilst Peterborough always seem to work on selling a player a season to fund additions from lower down the period. 

Rules are rules and if we’re in breach of them, that’s on us. That’s a failure in ownership, and let’s be honest, an hugely inconsistent approach to signings. 
I’ll argue until I’m blue in the face that we needed to make huge amounts of transfers to try and stay up, but some of them were just indefensible. Players who’ve barely played or otherwise wasn’t adequately vetted before signing them. 
Expecting them to chuck the book at us. I would argue it feels incredibly unfair given they’ll no doubt look the other way for the likes of Man City and Chelsea, but comparing our cases won’t help. On us to argue our case yet try to stay up whatever the outcome. 

 

Personally I like Steve Bloomer's Watching. I agree with many of the problems you've highlighted with the song, but I like that we have our own song about club legend rather than recycling other clubs' chants or crap pop songs. The idea that a f****** U2 guitar riff of all things would inspire or intimidate anyone is unbelievably quaint.

Give Wayne a break !... at least he's learning 😁

Merry Xmas sheep shaggers. Hope you all have a fabulous time with your families x 🎅🏻 

Halfway through the season. Fingers crossed for another 3-0 to Derby result 🐏 

Kev presents his plan for promotion in our time:

Boro fan here, donning hard hat and coming in peace. 
Been an occasional stalker on this board (ever since all the unpleasantness!) but felt compelled to register today after seeing this sad news.
B4 was a poster I saw popping up on almost every thread that appeared on here and his passion for his football team was so clear with every word he typed. Fans with this level of devotion are few and far between and should be treasured by clubs and other fans alike. I'm sure he will leave a huge hole behind for everyone who knew him. Sending condolences to all friends, family and fellow DCFC supporters for your loss. 
All the best, Steve (not that one!) 

Until the last week it has been a long time since I had been at a Derby Match. My Dad has said I’ve probably seen some of the best football so far this season. So, this thread is starting with genuine positivity from me, as my brother Daniel (B4) would also have done. This match means so much more to the Beavis family than any result. We want everyone to wave their scraves and flanges (not literally, ladies 🙈) and raise the roof for both DCFC and Daniel. Please share the details of the applause far and wide. 
I’m reliably told I need to predict a 3-0 win to Derby. 
My dad, Andy and I, will be in the east stand, stairway 35. We’ll be having a drink before the match and at halftime. Please do come and say hello. 
 
#COYR   #GetReadyToRoar  #BeMoreB4