Tombo

This may not be popular but I think the drum needs to go. I don't think it adds anything and more often than not the rhythm is completely off

Especially if the South Stand doesn't want it. The people in the South Stand may well want atmosphere but they draw the line at having a drum down their earholes for 90+ minutes.

Look at it the reverse way Nick, if South Standers generally don't want it, that's democracy. There's more to the stand than a bloke with a drum. Find another way to bolster the atmosphere

1 hour ago, GrumpyGit said:

Oxford fan coming in peace.

This thread has been quite some read and you are rightly concerned that you’ve lost to lowly Oxford. But, let me try and calm your concerns and correct some comments.

Yes, we finished 2 points clear of relegation and as one of your contributors said we’d only won 3 games in 7 months. But to put that into perspective, we had Karl Robinson as our “manager” last season until he was sacked. After 5 seasons we eventually got rid of  him. He had some good games, we got to the playoff final and lost to Wycombe, perhaps the least deserving team to get promoted, their brand of footy was truly awful. The following season we lost in the playoff semifinal to Blackpool, we got thumped at home, game over. We then followed that with 8th.

He got the sack after picking up 1 point in 24, the board should’ve acted sooner because he had his mind on other things. His marriage had collapsed, but if you shag the women’s team captain what do you expect. His signings, were a disaster. He gave contract extensions to injured players. Signed players with known mental health issues, signed more crocks and brought in square pegs for round holes. He also signed big Sam’s grandson, not on merit.  His post match comments were those of a scouce smack-head who’d just found a bottle of LSD.  We’d watched United get annihilated and he’d be talking about Brazil, the rainforest and samba bands.

In came Liam Manning and Chris Hogg… who?  Manning got MK into the L1 playoffs which they lost and got the push from MK after a bad run.

He came in and picked up 11 points to keep us up, instilling some grit and professionalism.

During the close season, he’s brought in 8 new players, some of whom we have been shocked we’d signed. Ruben Rodrigues from Notts Country, Mark Harris from Cardiff, on loan Stan Mills from Everton and James Beadle from Brighton. 
We had PSF against Swansea 2-2 then beat QPR 5-0.

First game of the season was a 2-0 away defeat to Cambridge and our forum was similar to this thread. However a 1-0 win against Carlisle and last night has completely changed the outlook. As many people say, give it 10 games, then start judging. New players in, old ones out, injured players back etc.

I can understand your pain, but I think we’ll be top 10 this year, we are playing free flowing footy. You are hamstrung by past crimes and until you can spend you’ll be stuck in this league, but once sanctions are lifted, 25,000 customers is going to give you plenty of buying power. 

Good luck for the season, especially against, Wigan, Reading and Bolton.

I don't want you going away thinking that we are embarrassed by a poor result vs Oxford. This is the league we are in and there are tough teams. We are not underestimating anyone

You were very good last night and I think you'll be in the top 6.

Even so, we are also expecting to challenge at that end of the table with the squad we have. And we were nowhere near your level and it should have been a closer contest if we have promotion ambitions.

Spending is not so much the issue. We are free of embargo and have a bit of spending power to play with. Problem is we don't seem to have any ideas where to spend the money. We are chasing Championship quality players and missing out because we have a healthy League One budget, but not a Championship one. We seem to be clueless on recruitment despite our new Head of Recruitment joining nearly a year ago

We also have no discernable football philosophy, identity or style of play, and no cohesion between players.

We were nowhere near you last night, and you will have much tougher games ahead than Derby away if that's what we've got to offer

Well done and good luck for the season

1 hour ago, RoyMac5 said:

So negative, because he was here last season and it's like that failure doesn't count? Like we can't extrapolate from how he was then? 

It's not going to change unless he get's rid of all our football players and replaces them with 'athletes'. Remember he wouldn't have signed Didzy, he wouldn't even have signed 'Billy Big Bollox' Waggy until after he'd met him at Fozzy's testimonial. FFS what management skills doe he have?!

This is a concern as well. He talked about having the right characters in the building, but he doesn't seem to be a very good judge of character. He got Waghorn wrong as you said. He didn't think Fozzy was "his kind of player".

How do we know the "good men" he's brought in are of good character? I mean I have no reason to doubt that they are and I must say I don't think we do have any real Big Time Charlies but when his whole philosophy is about characters and personalities his poor judge of character is a worry

Also, if we wanted "characters" we'd have kept Davies and Stearman. It clearly isn't just about having good guys around the place.

Roy Keane's famous rant about "good to have around the place - what does he do card tricks? Does he sing a song??" comes to mind

48 minutes ago, Leeds Ram said:

that collapse was largely the result of an injury crisis that battered our squad tbf

We have an injury crisis now just FYI. We should be at peak fitness but we had a preseason where the coaching staff were bragging about how hard they worked them. And we have Sibley, Barkhuizen, Bird, Wilson, Ward and arguably Washington all injured or not fully fit

This is another black mark next to this coaching setups name, results aside

On 08/08/2023 at 20:57, Tombo said:

I haven't had a great deal of faith in Paul Warne for a little while now. Towards the end of last year I didn't feel he had a good grip on things.

I'm torn though, because we've built "his squad" now, in his formation. We need to give it a bit longer.

I was critical when we had Rosenior have a whole window and blank slate to bring in players, and then let him go. I'd be hypocritical to call for anything different with Warne.

Need to give it at least 10, if not 15, league games

Sorry, changed my mind. Think he has to go.

There's no semblance of what he's trying to do unfortunately. I don't think there's a single player currently who "gets it". As in "gets" what Warne wants. Not even close.

I feel really sad for the whole team and the coaches tonight. You can see when it isn't working. Our best performance was opening day vs Wigan and we've performed worse each game ever since.

Burton was OK, the scoreline flattered us. But even 11 points Derby managed to win once.

I know it seems kneejerk but it's how I genuinely feel. Got to go

Coming in here to have a go at people who have doubts when we get 1 win is honestly just as bad and reactionary as the people who start expressing their concerns when we get 1 loss

Warne himself has always talked about "not getting too high on wins, and not getting too down on losses".

Just now, Abu Derby said:

Warne will still be here for at least the next 3 years. His objectives provided by DC at the start of his 4 and a half year contract remain. It isn’t mandated that promotion must be attained in his second season (if it happens, then great); it’s about long term rebuilding of the club from what amounted to a large pile of ash. 

I think you need to listen to his interview on Radio Derby where he is asked what the plan is if we don't go up this year and he says "that's a question for the next manager as I doubt it will still be me"

The upturn in form when Rooney was named manager was largely because he was no longer on the pitch. He was shambolic in his last few games for us.

On another note, I like Ryan Conway and will be interested to read his book. He however was close to a few players who will be his main sources, and perhaps didn’t have that relationship with others.

Be prepared for it to be the Duane Holmes & Chums Story is all I'm saying. When you read "Rooney had X attitude towards the players", just think about who "the players" really means and if that's the undiluted truth or not.

I think he's toast. You don't start saying that sort of stuff if you haven't long lost the dressing room.

Like it or not that's just not the way to do things

I haven't had a great deal of faith in Paul Warne for a little while now. Towards the end of last year I didn't feel he had a good grip on things.

I'm torn though, because we've built "his squad" now, in his formation. We need to give it a bit longer.

I was critical when we had Rosenior have a whole window and blank slate to bring in players, and then let him go. I'd be hypocritical to call for anything different with Warne.

Need to give it at least 10, if not 15, league games

31 minutes ago, Rambam said:

They should have an official time keeper. The ref has enough to do. Or, adopt the 30 or 35 minute half, and the time keeper stops the clock each time the ball goes dead. The game would still last approximately 90 minutes.

The thing that really bugged me was the time taken to take a goal kick , if their team was winning. The other one, not retreating 10 yards for a free kick, should be a yellow card every time. Allow ten seconds max. 
Additionally,  ten yards at a free kick should BE ten yards, not eight! Find a way to measure it, OR calibrate each referee so that a tall ref’s ten strides would do the trick, or a short ref, twelve strides. You get the picture.

There was a very odd Wigan free kick at one point where the ref took 10 of the most inconsistent strides you've ever seen and then sprayed his line way out to the left of goal. Obviously that's nowhere near where we want our wall as we're going to be more central to block a shot on goal.

So our players just formed a wall basically where they felt like it, the strides and the spray was totally pointless.

I think collectively we all just watched such an abysmal measuring attempt we all just elected to ignore it and moved on with having a random guess

Both sides seemed happy with it, so it must have been roughly right

The big main screen in the North West still doesn't show the added time. I'm up in the Southwest so can't see if the south stand scoreboard had it or not

1 hour ago, angieram said:

Very impressive, Phil. You and Andy have done a great job on this.

I met the young woman who submitted this quote, she was so excited to see her name up there opposite the players' changing rooms. 

Everyone I chatted to loved it.

Slight side note, but I know it's a bit fashionable amongst some Derby fans to lay into Pride Park, but it really shouldn't be.

I hear lots of comments about it being soulless and bland. I know many fans fondly remember the BBG as the greater stadium, but things like this quote should remind us what we have.

In the year 2023, Pride Park is starting to capture and conjure its own memories and is synonymous with a lot of club history both good and bad. The stadium is only as soulless and bland as you perceive it. Maybe it isn't unique looking and bears resemblance to a lot of modern stadiums, but it's about the club that plays in it and the fans that fill it every week, not the shape of the architecture, that gives it an identity.

We would do well to "take Pride" in Pride Park stadium. Let's not forget how we all felt when we thought we might have lost it, and remember that it is a big part of the reason the club was rescued (by a property development firm who's interest was in the stadium first and foremost, and the club later down the line!!)

I do not believe anyone is taking that post seriously??? Have you all gone insane, it's obviously a joke

1 hour ago, MACKWORTHRAM said:

Only difference here is we didn't want Alfie May....

Something tells me that poster in particular that you replied to is going to choose to believe you

1 hour ago, Dimmu said:

IMO our academy made a mistake with him.

He should've been molded as an attacking midfielder with his undoubted strengths of low gravity, quickness in turn, exceptional close control, and eagerness to win the ball back. There's one half-decent Argentinian who had 3/4 of those skills and he's done okay. Just think of Liam dancing around the thuggish center backs inside the opposite box... 

Now we have a way too small a defensive-minded midfielder who'll never get to the top level because of his size limitation.

Such a terrible waste and I for one am happy that our academy has seen some changes because of this obvious mistake alone.

And yes, he is good enough to play in this division. Maybe not in Warne's team, but some others.

I agree in some regards, but you say it like it's too late. If Thompson had those attributes in his locker to beat a man and dance through defences, we'd have seen more goals from him.

If that's in his game, it's not too late to see it. I don't think that is in his game personally but if it is then he's  not ruined is he? It'll come out of him if it's there.

I think he's developing as a fine holding midfielder. His size is not an issue.

Similarly though, I think we're beating a dead horse trying to force Max Bird up the pitch when he quite clearly just need to work on his defensive timing.

1 hour ago, Srg said:

Scott Loach

Ah of course, thanks

Am I being daft, who is that in the Motley Crue T-shirt?

59 minutes ago, Ramarena said:

Good morning bed wetters!

We’ve got another one 

 

 

Interesting choice of GIF given our signings so far have been out of contract players - good morning jobseekers!

Don't forget French International Jean-Paul Center-Parcs

10 hours ago, i-Ram said:

I think at some stage there were two big bad bob’s - slightly different usernames perhaps? @Boycieperhaps was responsible for DEL’s dodgy wiring?

@TrueLouwas another good contributor (minx). @Tombowas all over her like a rash I recall. Did you ever get lucky Tombo?

You're going back a great many years there.

Far happier and luckier with my wife and daughter in the present day, I'll say that much. I hope she is doing well too

Thought this might happen, and I thought I'd made peace with it and was ready.

I was not ready. Actually pretty emotional thinking as it happens.

Cashin is 6 foot. Same height as Jake Buxton. Only 2 inches shorter than Curtis Davies. And as has been mentioned, he statistically wins more aerial duels than anyone in this league.

He's great, he's just still learning. I think he's being targeted a lot more now, and I think his teammates protect him a little less than they used to. Whether they are making him stand on his own two feet or whether there are other concerns on the pitch I don't know but he is a fantastic defender currently in bad form

3 minutes ago, alram said:

how old are you mate? genuine question

 

when you get into your 30s recovery, training and keeping fit become much more difficult especially as a pro athlete.

 

there is a reason why most clubs avoid stacking their squad full of pensioners

Good job Wildsmith, Cashin, White, Bird, Knight, Dobbin, Barkhuizen, Sibley, Rooney, Springett, Roberts are all nowhere near 30 isn't it then?

Fun fact, you could play all of these and rest all the "pensioners" for a week. Surely they don't need any more than that, otherwise they wouldn't still be playing the game? I mean, Forsyth isn't doing a bad job each week? Nor is McGoldrick. Nor is Hourihane or Mendez Laing a lot of the time

Tiredness is a lazy excuse. You're a professional athlete with world class facilities and staff at your disposal. Cut out the midweek drinking if you can't hack it

Just don't buy tiredness as an excuse.

Firstly, start of the season we were talking about how a lot of the lads hadn't had a full preseason and were getting up to speed in the first few opening games. By that logic, surely we would peak later in the season and fade later also? Peterborough and all other clubs have had a longer season than some of our free agents who were out of contract and had a longer break than others?

Secondly, if your players are knackered on a matchday, that's a training issue. You can absolutely manage a players fitness to fill out a season. Recovery sessions, reduced workloads etc. Shouldn't take much for a professional footballer to rest and recover and be back ready to go

Thirdly, I know we have a thin squad but it's not like we don't have ample cover in every position. We could rest players if we needed to