Tombo

Keep seeing people mention that buying a football club is a complicated transaction, which is fair.

However, it isn't that complicated. I mean it's been pretty clear for a while what it will take and how deep their pockets will have to be. Right now, it's clear none of our potential bidders are happy with that cost.

It will take a significant amount of time even when the PB is announced. We're not going to have new ownership properly in place until the second half of 2022, if at all

1 minute ago, Patrick Rams said:

And that's the one thing I have got against Rooney...he's been asked about it in interviews and basically said we carry on playing that way.Why god only knows....I think we've scored about one goal playing from the back...and conceded about 15...plus countless other times when we have just got away with it.Madness!

That's not particularly true. Playing out from the back draws them into a tight press, which we have wide runners ready to receive to beat the press in our own half.

A lot of you would have us believe that there's two types of football. There's "hoofball", and "tippy-tappy from the back". If that's how you simplify things, I can't explain how naive you are being

We've done extremely poorly to throw this away but let's not pretend at half time we'd have been happy for us to make defensive subs and try and sit on one goal. Not only would it not have worked, it wouldn't have been popular

Be critical when we deserve it but be fair and be consistent ffs

Just now, Edtheram said:

Drag Knight and Eboweli off get Kaz on win or bust now - 30 mins to save our season. Rooneys done well but his inability to pick a good team away from home baffles me 

Sorry, couldn't disagree more. The team selection was excellent, it worked and we had a fantastic first half. We thought we'd won it and lost our focus and desire. We forgot what we knew 45 minutes prior, that this was going to take every bit of energy we have to get 3 points. Foot came off the gas

I do not believe this. The very antithesis of everything we've been about this season.

Its "we'll fight to the end", not "we'll get a goal, cruise for a bit, allow pressure and stand still in the box and challenge for nothing".

Nothing like us this. I know it feels like "typical Derby" but this is nothing like us

Such a poor one to concede. Not tracking the movement

Don't be upset because Lawrence didn't score, be happy that we have played so well

Definitely should be two up though. Think it could be a dangerous second half, we will need to look for that second goal and not try to soak up

35 minutes ago, Alty_Ram said:

Have we even paid for Jozwiak yet ? I doubt it.

Doesn't really matter. 1m saved or 1m in the bank makes no difference at this point

Our financial situation is a million quid+ lighter, that's all that matters

11 games, probably need to win at least half of those if not more. Even 5 wins and 6 draws would mean 41 points. Reading would have to take about 1 point per game for the final 11 to make it happen. It's more like 6 or 7 wins we need

Unfortunately I think we can only guess. But the best guess I've heard is that Mel "bought" the stadium from the club for £80m but the club already owed him significantly more in his loans over the years. So actually, we still owe him some money (which he has agreed to waive) but he has a stadium to soften the blow. Basically we offset the £80m against what we already owed him, so there was no extra cash flow for the club, just a debt written off in exchange for the stadium.

Unfortunately for him, he actually took out a loan guaranteed against the stadium which he is yet to pay back. He will pay this back once someone buys the stadium off him.

This is why he won't accept any less than the asking price from potential buyers.

...I think...

I might be wrong but I wouldn't stay up for any news. They'd do it in the morning and face the press all day rather than announce 10pm tonight.

Get your heads down, long day tomorrow

14 minutes ago, Eddie said:

If we were a sheepdog, we are half-blind, incontinent and the farmer would be considering taking us behind the barn to give us both barrels.

And you're only saying that because you're so fond of us

1 hour ago, Ken Tram said:

The problem is that this form will look like top-two form

Possibly in isolation, but if you counted our 2 wins in our last 8 it wouldn't look so remarkable.

The funny thing about form is that sometimes you get to pick and choose the parameters. If you lose back-to-back games as we have it looks pretty poor. Look back at the 3 games prior and it was 2 wins and a loss, which is 2 points per game. Top 2 form!

I know you're talking about a longer stretch than that but my point remains.

Last 12 games, if you said 5 wins, 4 draws, 3 losses, that's 40 points total, which could possibly do it, or is not far off. 19 points from 12 games is not unfeasible really.

Even accounting for our poor form at the moment on a longer span, we're averaging 1.23 PPG. At that rate we're on for 37 points at the end of the season. Bearing in mind that we're below where we have been and we know we need to improve, it's not much improvement from our form over 34 games that we need. Win one that we should have lost and you're at that 40 number. Win another and its 43.

3 points are HUGE at the end of the league we're at. And we're capable of getting more of them. We've had some huge 3 points this season and we'll have more. It's not quite over yet

20 minutes ago, Wistaston Ram said:

Someone had the temerity to let off one of those smoke bombs at the last match and people were standing and making a right din, nearly knocked my flask over. I shall be writing to my local MP.

That was extremely close to me, I don't know if the stewards found the guy in the end

SW Upper is the best, good view, good laugh, sit down if you need to, stand up if you want to. Just wish they'd open more kiosks at half time

57 minutes ago, Wistaston Ram said:

If Derby stay up

I'm on the pitch   (might take me a while mind, as I'll be sat in the SW upper)

SW Upper is the place to be. All the joy of South Stand noise and with the snobbery of being a West Standite

5 minutes ago, hales300k said:

Andi Peters on the right there gripping you up Alf ! He`s having a wry smile at your pleas of mitigation ? Realistically , we`re all on the pitch after the Cardiff game , whatever the outcome,  but we need to stay off till then cos we ain`t got the money to pay the fines , fans have been awesome this season , just like Rooney and the players , proud to be a Ram , we`ll fight to the end , COYRs

Think you've struck upon an important caveat. End of the season, after the whistle, fans can and should flood onto the pitch in numbers.

I've always been a fan of an end-of-season pitch invasion. Usually it is to remind the people in the boardroom who really owns the club. In this case I think that point will be 20x more poignant.

During the season, no. During games, definitely no.

14 hours ago, Mckram said:

I do wonder if the game will be on Wednesday after this weather and how willing we will be to even get the game on.

If it’s postponed then we go to Luton and Cardiff, then play Barnsley at home before Lawrence is back.

I bet we’d rather play Barnsley at home without Lawrence and get him back to play Millwall down the line.

I'd rather back to back home games. The atmosphere was electric Saturday, keep that going

Can't believe I'm stooping to this level but how are we crucifying Lawrence as the biggest hothead we have when we're hero worshipping Sibley? And we're managed by Long Studs himself?

Humans do human things. It was stupid. Move on. People make mistakes. Do we really want to pile onto a player at this crucial stage of the season, after a massive three points today?

Our unity is our strength, be critical but be reasonable. Be critical in good faith, not because you want your pound of flesh for his error.

It was stupid. I was annoyed. I have already forgiven him. To err is human...

We'd never hear the end of it from that lot down the road. We mocked their pitch invasion for staying up a few years back. I know this would be a bigger achievement but still

Tough one really. I think he's being exploited for his lack of experience. I have absolutely no doubts about his quality. And no doubts about his ability to turn around his form. The strength of character he showed when he came in after his debut and calmness he had is very admirable. It'll see him well and back on song sooner or later.

Just don't know what's best here, stick with him knowing he has quality and he gets more experience with every game? Will that just expose him and set his progress back? Do we drop him out of the team for a bit? I expect its been a whirlwind few months for him, maybe he just needs to step back a little and drink it all in before coming back into the side? But then no player wants to be dropped, so does that kill his confidence?

One of the many reasons I'm not a manager, just don't know what's best for him. More importantly, what's best for the team? No matter what you say that comes first.

2 minutes ago, curb said:

As much as I love beer in all its glory, isn’t there somewhere else where you can discuss it, and leave this thread for the endless Takeover speculation?

Takeover? Is that a Japanese ale? Never had it, sounds blonde and hoppy

On this topic, what has happened to draft Guinness in this country? I used to love the stuff and it's been absolutely vile for about 2 or 3 years now.

Is it my taste changing or did they do something to it? Or a water supply thing?

14 minutes ago, Coconut's Beard said:

See you're sort of in line with my view here and sort of not.

On the one hand you've coming out with outdated nonsense about camra card holding drinkers and tired old 'comedy' beer names (90s comedians want their poo material back)

On the other hand you're slagging off doom bar for being massed produced and nothing like the original version of it which shows more understanding than you're perhaps letting on!

The thread is in danger of flying off topic but duck it we're going for a record here so might as well wade into this.

I prefer a good ale, much more drinkable, much more flavour. In lots of micropubs and ale pubs a lot more unique. That said, if your response to a hot summers day barbecue is a room temperature bottle of ale over a crisp cold San Miguel you've gone wrong somewhere

9 minutes ago, RadioactiveWaste said:

Occurs to me that the use of the word "accord" is interesting - I'm pretty sure that translates as "it's not resolved but we've agreed on how we're going to fight it out"

However it does diffuse tensions ahead of tomorrow which I think we can all be thankful for.

My speculation is if Gibson can feel he bested Morris he'll leave DCFC alone.

 

 

Also remember that it says "Gibson and Morris", not "MFC and Morris".

Whatever conversation they've had, Gibson wasn't there to discuss Middlesbrough Football Club's claim. He was there as Steve Gibson, just as Morris was there as himself.

Given this was clearly personal for Gibson, it may not be so crazy to think Mel has convinced him to stop the claim totally. I don't think either of them need the money, and it's MFCs money anyway if there is a claim, not Gibson's

Anyway, hate to do this but what about Wycombe?