Tombo

Truthfully though, it's hard to say "boxing fans want to see the best vs the best" because clearly if that was true, the money wouldn't be in fights like Haye vs Bellew. You'd have more unifying title matches, if that's what people really want to see, because that would be money. 
Clearly fight fans prefer a good story to "best vs best" because that's what gets the most bums in seats and PPV buys. Fighters going for the money means that fans get what they want.
...in theory anyway.

I realise I might be crucified for this comparison, but David Haye has undergone what the professional wrestling business calls a 'heel turn'. Anthony Joshua is the biggest babyface around right now and it's building to that. 
Not comparing the 'sports', just making a point about fight promotion. It works just the same. To draw money in a big fight, you need a guy people like, and you need a guy that everyone wants to see with his face caved in. 

After watching the pad work yesterday, the difference in power and speed is huge. Maybe Bellew was holding back, but he hasn't got a chance imo. If he isn't knocked out by round two, Haye will go to the body. Make sure Bellew is losing recovery time etc so the middle rounds are easier for himself. 
Haye is just ******* everyone around with the yachts and the injuries. Hes got Shane in on it, so im assuming the money available for fighting Joshua is huge. Haye is making sure hes the opposite of Joshua. People are going to want "boring" Joshua to be trash talked, wound up and given a fight. Haye is making himself the one the public will want to fight Joshua. The bad blood with Hearn helps too. Very cleverly done imo. He's not stupid, though - you can tell from his interviews.

I can only apologise for the atrocious boxing cliche but it's one of those recurring tropes - if Bellew survives the first few rounds, the ball is in his court.
That said, Haye could surprise us and have a go at the conservative approach, make Bellew rethink his plans to just hold back the storm and actually surprise him late on instead. It's not his style, granted, but it depends how he rates Bellew truthfully. He says Bellew's a nobody and he'll knock him out early doors, and I'm inclined to agree that he's not as good as he thinks he is, but who knows if Haye really believes in the threat of Bellew or not.
I don't think Haye will be in as poor shape as people think. I wouldn't believe the photos of him in Miami, the guy is a dedicated athlete and he's only 36 so he's not exactly over the hill. What he's lost in speed he'll make up for in power. I don't think he needs to knock him out early on, I reckon he'll be prepared for the distance if it comes to it. He does need to hurt him early on if he's going for that approach but I don't think he's going to be gassed 4 rounds in. He just needs to use the time he has early on wisely because as I said, it's Bellew's fight later on and Haye needs to have made enough of an impact before that.

Some very interesting spiritual teachings with them. Sometimes listen to this when I'm at my worst. Shamelessly, it's because I heard it sampled in a song, but the full clip is very useful so it doesn't matter where you find it.
 

Some very interesting spiritual teachings with them. Sometimes listen to this when I'm at my worst. Shamelessly, it's because I heard it sampled in a song, but the full clip is very useful so it doesn't matter where you find it.
 

Related note, I've started to find some help in cryptic crossword books. I know, I'm too young to be that boring but it's a good way to exercise your brain. TV and internet will leave you hollow, and just like when you've neglected your physical body, you've got to even things out with a gruelling run on the treadmill, you have to give your brain a run every now and again. Sometimes you realise you're just going through the motions and not thinking at all. Or sometimes you think but you get stuck on worrying or stressing about something. We've all had those nights where your brain just thinks up horrendous scenarios when you're trying to sleep, in which the missus leaves you and takes the kids and dog or whatever. You know it won't happen really, but the more you obsess the more you convince yourself. Practice 'mindfulness' as they call it. Don't stress about the past, don't worry about the future, focus on the very now. Cryptic crosswords and quiz books will do your head in but you realise how much you relish the challenge once you start. Something to get your teeth into.
Also, dust off the cobwebs on your brain and always find new ways to relax. Some of you might be like me and you get stuck in 'relaxing' routines. Watch the same TV, play the same video games etc... You tell yourself you're unwinding but you know you're not. If you get like that, think of something you haven't done in ages and do it. Even something as simple as just this very morning, I was on the bus with my headphones on and there was a newspaper sat on the seat next to me. I can't remember the last time I killed a bus journey with a newspaper. I did this morning and somehow things felt different. There was a bit more colour in between the lines. Variety is the spice of life.
There, those are free for yous. On the house.

Internet what? Never heard of it mate...

Actually that's not fair - i'd delete that if i could. Mental health can be hugely complex of course - i wouldn't trivialise it at all.
My earlier post was just suggesting that from a biochemists point of view, and trying to treat the person as a whole rather than a specific ailment - then a dietry change might help some people.

What the **** is wrong with the world that we live in that it does this to so many of us? Are any of us truly happy? Christ sakes...
I know it's brain chemistry, I know it's not as simple as life is ****, but what are we all doing wrong fundamentally that puts us like this? I just can't accept that this mental health crisis is just the way things are. There must be something we can change.
Is it our diets? Lack of sunlight? Technology? Aliens with a depression ray?
There's more of us than you think, and it's bittersweet to think that. On one hand, we're not alone. On the other hand, how and why is it this way?
P.S. Politely, don't ask me to share my story, because I haven't got one. I'm just miserable as **** and everything is useless and pointless, same as the rest of you. I'm just looking to see if anyone knows what the **** is happening? Seriously? Why are we all ****** up?

Yeah, that's a fairly feasible theory. But then if it has always been this prevalent, we've on the whole been living a miserable existence as a species for centuries. Like I say, I don't think I can just accept that life is just the way it is and we are the way we are because we always have been, only awareness has increased. Surely we would not have survived as a species if we had this kind of emotional flaw in us.
I'm inclined to say it's just a modern thing and that our lifestyles are just unhealthy. It's like the obesity crisis for the brain.

What the **** is wrong with the world that we live in that it does this to so many of us? Are any of us truly happy? Christ sakes...
I know it's brain chemistry, I know it's not as simple as life is ****, but what are we all doing wrong fundamentally that puts us like this? I just can't accept that this mental health crisis is just the way things are. There must be something we can change.
Is it our diets? Lack of sunlight? Technology? Aliens with a depression ray?
There's more of us than you think, and it's bittersweet to think that. On one hand, we're not alone. On the other hand, how and why is it this way?
P.S. Politely, don't ask me to share my story, because I haven't got one. I'm just miserable as **** and everything is useless and pointless, same as the rest of you. I'm just looking to see if anyone knows what the **** is happening? Seriously? Why are we all ****** up?

What the **** is wrong with the world that we live in that it does this to so many of us? Are any of us truly happy? Christ sakes...
I know it's brain chemistry, I know it's not as simple as life is ****, but what are we all doing wrong fundamentally that puts us like this? I just can't accept that this mental health crisis is just the way things are. There must be something we can change.
Is it our diets? Lack of sunlight? Technology? Aliens with a depression ray?
There's more of us than you think, and it's bittersweet to think that. On one hand, we're not alone. On the other hand, how and why is it this way?
P.S. Politely, don't ask me to share my story, because I haven't got one. I'm just miserable as **** and everything is useless and pointless, same as the rest of you. I'm just looking to see if anyone knows what the **** is happening? Seriously? Why are we all ****** up?

What the **** is wrong with the world that we live in that it does this to so many of us? Are any of us truly happy? Christ sakes...
I know it's brain chemistry, I know it's not as simple as life is ****, but what are we all doing wrong fundamentally that puts us like this? I just can't accept that this mental health crisis is just the way things are. There must be something we can change.
Is it our diets? Lack of sunlight? Technology? Aliens with a depression ray?
There's more of us than you think, and it's bittersweet to think that. On one hand, we're not alone. On the other hand, how and why is it this way?
P.S. Politely, don't ask me to share my story, because I haven't got one. I'm just miserable as **** and everything is useless and pointless, same as the rest of you. I'm just looking to see if anyone knows what the **** is happening? Seriously? Why are we all ****** up?

Are you suite on him? 

Top marks for using pouffe a lot less offensively than I was going to. I'd have ended up before the bench.

Just realised I was missing most of this thread because I had curtains on ignore  I now have so much more context
It's all well and good ignoring someone when they irk you but it ruins threads and it just seems silly long after the argument.

Lowest scorers in the season at this point. Also conceded the least. Just points to boring football. It means that Derby County fans have seen less goals after 5 games than any other fans of any other Championship clubs. Very very different from what came before. Is that what it takes? Maybe... Doesn't change the fact that I'm bored.

Just realised I was missing most of this thread because I had curtains on ignore  I now have so much more context
It's all well and good ignoring someone when they irk you but it ruins threads and it just seems silly long after the argument.

Just realised I was missing most of this thread because I had curtains on ignore  I now have so much more context
It's all well and good ignoring someone when they irk you but it ruins threads and it just seems silly long after the argument.

Yeah. We might. Not ruled it out.
But even if we beat Newcastle 15-0. Anybody who said what we've done so far has been crap would still be spot on. 

Y'know, it's never really been mentioned on here before but it really is a shame that Ipswich away was Eustace's last game in professional football.

Right, just to warn you now that this will probably be the longest opening post you've ever read (or wisely chose to ignore) and is a mixture of fact and opinion. It is an attempt to tell a story that starts in the 60th minute at Wembley as QPR go down to 10 men and ends at the Pirelli Stadium and it's immediate aftermath. It will look at transfers, selections, managers, the chairman and key games. 
Most of the story will be in normal type. Opinion pieces will be in italics. I will write about later key games in bold.
Imagine some slightly haunting music and this page misting over before the vision in front of you becomes clear and you are sat at Wembley on 24th May 2014. Derby have been playing great football under Steve Mcclaren, moving Derby on from the NC era and are on top, Johnny Russell is running through on goal, is hacked down and yes, it's a red card, QPR down to ten men, nothing can stop us now...   
But we were stopped. Missed chances, some bad luck and some individual mistakes. Could Steve Mac we have done anything differently with a game there for the taking? As QPR began to defend their penalty box with massed ranks, I would agree with Dawkins coming on for Russell, but taking Hughes off instead of Hendrick simply didn't make sense with the task in hand and when we were pumping cross after cross into their box, why wasn't Bamford brought on until injury time?
In the close season, Wisdom and Bamford's loan spell ended, but after a saga Thorne's loan was made permanent as was that of Zak Whitbread. We also brought in Cyrus Christie permanently and also Ibe, Shotton, Mascarell and Best on loan.
So what of these signings and loans? Thorne was been a class player, but injuries have meant he has missed 2/3 of our games since, and there are doubts as to whether he will ever realise the potential we all saw in him. Whitbread was only ever a cover player and as such did his job. Christie started off like a runaway train attacking with gusto but like runaway trains he doesn't have a destination or know his station. He now over complicates matters going forward meaning his attacking play doesn't overcome his lack of positional sense and defensive instincts. Shotton never really looked like a Premier League player and became like Whitbread, a cover CB.
The next 3 loans all became more key to our season in different ways. Mascarell helped plug the gap till Thorne was fit, but didn't have Eustace's defensive nous, but we were to miss him after his injury, more of that later. Best was mean to be cover for Martin but was abject. In the early games that he played or came on as sub left fans with little confidence that he could replace Martin in the event of injury, a lack of confidence which was to come back to haunt us later that season. Ibe gave us a lift and real pace, something we have tried to replicate in recent months to little effect. His recall by Liverpool was one of 3 negative turning points in the 2014/15 season.  
Ibe was recalled 2 days before we played Forest at home. We were top of the league with Bournemouth and playing great football but were also missing Eustace who had been sent off at Ipswich in injury time the game before to secure a 1-0 win. Bent had come in on loan but had yet to make an appearance. Forest had only won 2 games in 20 and despite losing Ibe and Eustace who had also picked up an injury, we had signed Albentosa from Eibar, we were a hive of activity,,surely nothing could stop us now...
One nil up at half time, playing pretty well. After Hendrick comes on for Hughes we don't play so well in the second half but Forest only just had their first attempt on target when in the 73rd minute and Mascarell gives away an unnecessary foul 35 yards out and gets booked. Forest score from the free kick and Steve Mac brings on Bent to go 442. Derby press but don't look like scoring and the game goes into injury time looking like a draw.  Grant kicks the ball long towards Bent and it is headed clear, Christie has run recklessly 20 yards past his man and Forest are breaking Mascarell has a 50/50 ball to win on the halfway line, a foul would mean a red card and he does the opposite to Eustace at Ipswich and tries to nick the ball unsuccessfully, Forest have a 3 on 2, Keogh backs off trying to buy time and it's 2-1.   The seeds of doubt are sown.
Derby recover to win their next 2 games and Ince and Lingard come in on loan, we go on to beat an awful Bolton 4-1 with new boy Ince scoring 2. We are equal top with Bournemouth again and that is our next game, away on the south coast.
Derby had an awful start to the game, conceding in the 12th minute, with Hughes and Mascarell failing to track Ritchie, then Martin went off injured in the 15th minute, to be replaced by Bent. Ince equalises after linking with Bent and Bent equalises later after good work by Dawkins. Bournemouth end up hanging on in the game, bringing on full backs to play as wingers, Derby look the better team.
So why was this period a negative turning point? Eustace was out for while and Thorne was some way from returning. Mascarell was showing signs of defensive frailty and Martin, the fulcrum of our attacking play for 18 months was out. Surely we needed a DCM and a target man in on loan or to buy. Instead we loaned in 2 wingers. The senior of which Ince whilst a constant goal threat, wasn't suited to our quick tempo, passing game. Bent scored goals, but couldn't hold the ball up. Derby fans were looking to the physio room for good news on Thorne and Martin. What we didn't know at the time was Grant was also injured with a torn calf muscle that inhibited his coming out for crosses.
We drew the next game at Rotherham 3-3 with Grant and Mascarell both being at fault for goals. Though we won our next 2, the team look disjointed and and only won 2 of the next 12 games, drawing our last away games 4-4 and 3-3 away at Huddersfield and Millwall respectively. In the middle of this run, was a draw that felt like a defeat. Meanwhile, Newcastle were tracking Steve Mac who offered a limited disinterest. 
Derby had Birmingham at home, Bent was out injured and Russell was playing up front with Ince and Ward either side of him, Albentosa was in for Buxton. Derby go 2 nil up through Ward and Ince and the 90 minutes are up with Derby having a free kick in their own box. Christie passes to Ince who is immediately under pressure on the touchline 30 yards from his own goal. Christie and Hendrick both make runs beyond Ince instead of offering him a pass. Ince is robbed of the ball and chases his man into the area. The ref gives a dodgy penalty and it's game on. They get a corner, there's an almighty scramble and it's 2-2. Two points thrown away due to lack of defensive nous and the nerves are shredded.
However due to our early season form we entered the last game against Reading at home needing to draw to secure a play off place.
Hughes and Albentosa contrive to give a goal away in the first minutes and we are playing dreadfully. Somehow we get a penalty in the last minute of the first half. Bent misses, We concede 2 more in the second half and from a seemingly unassailable position we finish 8th.       
So where did it go wrong? Injuries and misguided recruitment or the spectre of Newcastle?.
Losing Thorne in pre season was a blow but Eustace and to some extent Mascarell were keeping us in the top two. but as soon as Eustace was injured, we had to get a DCM in. We didn't. As so as Martin was injured, we had to get a target man in. We didn't.
We ended up with Ince, Bent and Lingard. Ince and Bent scored goals, but you defend from the front and both players are only really interested in the final or penultimate ball in a move. When you could get the ball to them near their box they were good, but you were trying to do that with 9 men.  
If Eustace and Martin hadn't got injured I believe we would have gone up in the top 2. If Mascarell and Buxton hadn't got injured we'd have finished in the play offs. However you expect to pick up injuries over the season and our failure was to provide cover for Martin and a replacement for Eustace.
Now what about the Newcastle rumours? How much of a part did they play in our demise? I think only Steve Mac and maybe the players could answer that. We are just guessing it did, maybe Mel was guessing too.
Volume 2: O My Darling Clement will come when my fingers and eyes recover.  
 
  
 
 
       
 

"110%"

Morning chaps,
Just to let you all know I'm doing a lot better.  Had a good chat with the Mrs, had a little cry, had a couple of days off and celebrated my lad's birthday as a family.  Certainly made me appreciate the little things a lot more, and I'm feeling stronger for it.
Thanks for advice and letting me know I'm not alone in feeling like this from time to time.  You're a good bunch...