Asanovic70

Yes, I agree, which explains Rooney's sense of urgency about the situation. I do think this squad needs more experience, however, the right sort of experience, and sometimes the sort of unheralded player who has been there & done it, i.e. Richie Smallwood (Rotherham, Hull). Sean Flynn under Jim Smith. Their tenure may be brief but they make a telling contribution, helping to get the side over the line. 
The platform is there, a ball-playing side with an identity can get out of the division (Swansea). Forest appointed Calderwood, whose career since has been checkered, but he molded a side built on Academy players & shrewd acquisitions. I'd like to think Rooney - should he stay - is smart enough to know League 1 & we were linked to Charles pre-season. We'll probably have to play the loan market well, too.
I agree with your point about Ashley . I think the Council's offer/overtures to buy the ground & lease it back to the club could be key. It may be the decisive factor helping to facilitate any takeover.
 

Liquidation is about a 5% chance now, CK if he has the finances should complete the takeover and hes putting an offer forward to avoid points deductions. If it falls through, Ashley will buy us but we’ll probably be -15 no Rooney no squad, that’s the worse case scenario. Yes takeover is still far from done but I’m not worried about liquidation, tbh I haven’t been for a while now.
Onto next season, assuming the takeover goes through and Rooney stays then I think we will be in an excellent position to bounce straight back. We have an identity, a plan, and I have confidence he will make the right signings to fit that plan. It’s not a given and we should remain humble throughout and not be big time about it. But assuming CK takeover happens and Rooney stays there isn’t any reason not to be confident we can at least mount a top 6 challenge and put ourselves in the frame for promotion. If Rooney goes and it all drags on and we get any further points deductions then it could be difficult and we could get stuck there for years. The next couple of months are absolutely critical.
If I look at teams that have got stuck, Forest - relegated after manager changes playing dire football with overpaid old pros and old school pragmatism under Megson, club was toxic, likewise Ipswich under Lambert who had gone down with just over 20 points, Sunderland were in a toxic situation absolute chaos massive wages.
 
If the takeover is done quickly we have a management team with a plan with serious momentum if we can keep 75% of this squad together and add to it. If we made a change, went with an old school experienced manager and signed a load of the wrong type of senior pros and ignored the academy then we would get stuck or drop lower. It’s important we don’t make the same mistakes as those clubs I’ve mentioned.
 
 

First, commiserations to our team & management staff for a fight bravely fought. We were always up against it after our owner put us into admin (12pts), the second deduction a real blow, the win at Stoke offered a real glimmer of hope at the end of 2021 but I think the January transfer window sealed our fate (three key blows/factors).
It's taken us two seasons to get out of the third tier each time we've ended up there. There's a healthy dose of realism on this thread, but then it's been a chastening few seasons. Browsing the points totals for the three relegated sides, they are all in the high 70s/one 80+, so assuming the worst happens (-15), another potential massive downer, but perhaps not the obstacle it has been in a very competitive division where we couldn't sign players (January) & lost key personnel & would start from the beginning of the season, rather than mid Sep (as said on BBC Derby, I think). Obviously, I hope that doesn't happen. Until a takeover is official, nothing can be assumed.
Next season, I expect us to be strong at home as we have been this season. League 1 is filled with fallen giants/underachievers (Ipswich, Portsmouth etc) as well as overachieving, well-run smaller clubs. The latter will treat going to Pride Park like a cup final & raise their game, however, few of their players will be used to playing in front of such a large crowd, 20-25k+ (the noise). Rooney has often pointed out how our young players have had to cope with this pressure.
I'm worried that there may be a bit of a hangover from such an emotionally draining season though we hardly have any players left (contracted) to feel drained (I expect Lawrence to depart). As in 1984-85, we may finish strongly with an eye on a promotion challenge the season after (85-86)
Football has evolved, and ball-playing sides can thrive in the lower leagues, however, we need to bring in a few seasoned professionals (26+ in age) & dare I say it, one or two physically aggressive players, who will make up for attitude what they lack in technique/ability. I think we have to win the physical battle first in League 1. Our away record has been poor in 2022 due to the loss of experienced players & overdependence on younger players. The radio commentary on Blackburn away suggested they bullied us second half.
Sides like Wolves & Leicester went up at the first time of asking. I don't expect that, but I think they had pragmatic managers (Pearson's first permanent job) whose sides combined the physical with ability. We need to prepare ourselves that we will have to compete in the same way Rooney adopted a siege-mentality this season with our squad.
Consolidation, hopefully avoiding another deduction & some canny moves in the transfer market, & maybe we can aim to emulate Sheff W for instance. We need to put a platform in place first & build upon it. If we have to stay down for a second season, we may be in a position to make cash signings (if allowed), specifically promising/experienced players (cherry-picking the better ones from the smaller clubs in the division, vis Bolton signing Charles from Accrington).
 

Inspiring post, makes a change to hear about the mid eighties period instead of all the Uncle Alberts going on about the early 70’s.

You’re going to be gutted this morning, and rightly so.
But it ain’t all bad.
When we dropped out of the old 2nd division into the 3rd in 1984 things were in many ways, worse.
We didn’t (quite) have the financial issues, but we had a horrible team and the entire season was utterly depressing and devoid of hope in a way this season hasn’t been.
My personal highlight of an utterly depressing season was meeting Dave Watson in a Little Chef on the A1 after we spanked Cambridge away 3-0 in the FA Cup. That was pretty much it for ducks sake.
AND we had not just relegation, but the ignominy of losing to Plymouth in the FA Cup quarter-final to contend with after we had dragged them back to the BBG.
We all thought that we’d bounce right back when we did get relegated and the arrival of Arthur Cox just emboldened that belief.
An opening day away loss to Bournemouth, when Bournemouth then were more like the equivalent of Exeter now, didn’t dissuade us.
Of course, we didn’t bounce back and ended up outside the top 6.
But we had some BRILLIANT away days that season, Hull, Lincoln, and the last game of the season at Newport spring to mind.
It was a whole lot more fun than the previous season because we were, for the most part, competing and you could see what Arthur was trying to do.
There’s something fun about going to smaller clubs and taking the place over. Those of you who travel to away games know that the camaraderie is special.
In fact, the adversity that we have faced this season has developed that camaraderie, only it’s done it at home.
I work online and use social media a lot and the admiration for Derby’s support, especially those of you who travel away is a delight to read. I’ve even read genuine Forest and Leeds fans say they’re impressed.
And what’s not to be impressed about?
Forget the trolls who are loving this, the REAL football supporters appreciate and understand what Rooney has dragged the club through and the guy is universally respected, exponentially more so than when he was merely an excellent player.
He’s now an excellent ex-player and an excellent human being. Time will tell if he can become an excellent manager, but the signs are promising.
The second year under Arthur we did come up and that season was even better for road trips..
I’ve seen Derby beat Benfica, Real Madrid, every top English club multiple times and Forest many times. But if I were to list the best 5 games I’ve ever attended, Derby at home to Rotherham in the old 3rd Division on a Friday night would be up there.
That game with that penalty that took us back up to what would now be the Championship was a raucous, intense and then delirious atmosphere ending in an effing celebration comparable with any I have witnessed - although to be fair, my memory is a tad blurry because we did hit the pub hard.
I doubt there was a Liverpool fan that got anything like the joy from beating Man City in the cup semi or will get more if they win the thing, than we Derby fans got from squeaking past Rotherham that night.
The fact is, winning is just fun, no matter what division you are in. And beating adversity is fun too. So much more satisfying and enjoyable than just delivering on what’s expected.
Somebody posted that they hope we're not that team that thinks they will bounce back up.
I don't really care if fans think that. It's totally irrelevant.
What is relevant is what WR thinks and what he allows his staff and players to think.
And I have no doubt whatsoever that he'll not allow that entitled type of mindset to creep in.
The good news is we have renewed hope for a stable club, a very promising manager in place, an Academy that is flourishing even if it is being pillaged and some wins to look forward to.
We are where we are, so we may as well embrace it and have fun. And you will have some fun, I promise.

First, commiserations to our team & management staff for a fight bravely fought. We were always up against it after our owner put us into admin (12pts), the second deduction a real blow, the win at Stoke offered a real glimmer of hope at the end of 2021 but I think the January transfer window sealed our fate (three key blows/factors).
It's taken us two seasons to get out of the third tier each time we've ended up there. There's a healthy dose of realism on this thread, but then it's been a chastening few seasons. Browsing the points totals for the three relegated sides, they are all in the high 70s/one 80+, so assuming the worst happens (-15), another potential massive downer, but perhaps not the obstacle it has been in a very competitive division where we couldn't sign players (January) & lost key personnel & would start from the beginning of the season, rather than mid Sep (as said on BBC Derby, I think). Obviously, I hope that doesn't happen. Until a takeover is official, nothing can be assumed.
Next season, I expect us to be strong at home as we have been this season. League 1 is filled with fallen giants/underachievers (Ipswich, Portsmouth etc) as well as overachieving, well-run smaller clubs. The latter will treat going to Pride Park like a cup final & raise their game, however, few of their players will be used to playing in front of such a large crowd, 20-25k+ (the noise). Rooney has often pointed out how our young players have had to cope with this pressure.
I'm worried that there may be a bit of a hangover from such an emotionally draining season though we hardly have any players left (contracted) to feel drained (I expect Lawrence to depart). As in 1984-85, we may finish strongly with an eye on a promotion challenge the season after (85-86)
Football has evolved, and ball-playing sides can thrive in the lower leagues, however, we need to bring in a few seasoned professionals (26+ in age) & dare I say it, one or two physically aggressive players, who will make up for attitude what they lack in technique/ability. I think we have to win the physical battle first in League 1. Our away record has been poor in 2022 due to the loss of experienced players & overdependence on younger players. The radio commentary on Blackburn away suggested they bullied us second half.
Sides like Wolves & Leicester went up at the first time of asking. I don't expect that, but I think they had pragmatic managers (Pearson's first permanent job) whose sides combined the physical with ability. We need to prepare ourselves that we will have to compete in the same way Rooney adopted a siege-mentality this season with our squad.
Consolidation, hopefully avoiding another deduction & some canny moves in the transfer market, & maybe we can aim to emulate Sheff W for instance. We need to put a platform in place first & build upon it. If we have to stay down for a second season, we may be in a position to make cash signings (if allowed), specifically promising/experienced players (cherry-picking the better ones from the smaller clubs in the division, vis Bolton signing Charles from Accrington).
 

I am a great believer in the last laugh never actually being the last laugh!
There's always another laugh just around the corner.  Someone else doing the laughing.  Someone else being laughed at!
 
Our time to point and laugh will come again.
 
... which is nice!  ?

Do you mean ruins 

Promotion next season? Let’s not be arrogant.
I think we have to give League One the respect it deserves and adjust our expectations accordingly.
How many clubs have gone down expecting a quick return and felt the full force of reality?
Sunderland, that’s one. Forest, that’s two. Leeds, that’s three. There are several more, which should serve as a warning that we’ll have to remain grounded.
Clubs have gone down with more stability and clarity than ours and struggled, so why do we think we’ll be a special case?
Yes, we have players who are capable of playing above League 1 level. But will they stay? Will they be motivated? Will they perform under greater pressure and scrutiny? I don’t think it’s so straightforward.
Truth is we’ll have an inexperienced owner, an inexperienced manager and coaching staff, a largely inexperienced group of players, and given that it is 36 years since we were last in the third tier, an inexperienced fanbase too.
We’ll be one of the big fish, but what comes with that is we’ll also be the one everyone wants to fry.
As fantastic as it would be to get promoted at the first attempt, I don’t think that’s realistic and the desperation to achieve that could lead to us overextending ourselves yet again.
Personally I would be looking at putting some proper groundwork down and taking the first year in League 1 as a year to reset. We need to put down the right foundations and get the right people in place, so we can move forward as a club in a positive and sustainable manner.

There has been a healthy amount of realism in the fanbase this year which has meant, in the main, there hasn’t been the toxic atmosphere you would normally expect for a team facing relegation.
Whatever happens with the points situation, next season is obviously going to be a massive rebuilding exercise. You would hope that most fans would still take account of the context and make no assumptions about going straight back up. I certainly won’t be, but I’m not so sure the less patient amongst us will think the same.
I bet that once CK has taken over (assuming he does) there’ll be a ‘no more excuses’ philosophy amongst some of our resident idiots and the gloves will come off. Let’s face it, there must be some who are absolutely gagging to let fly now, but know they won’t be supported by the majority.
It would be lovely if the surprisingly more joyous atmosphere of this season were to continue, but I’m not convinced it will (unless we win every game obvs!) 

Feels like we have come full circle since that fateful day at Wembley in 2014 where cheating QPR beat us undeservedly and went up to the Premier League at our expense.
I was so proud of our young team that day, despite the loss. Morris took over ownership, surely it was just a matter of time before we were promoted ourselves. 
Eight long years later and we all know how that turned out. The EFL gave QPR a gentle slap on the wrist for their misconduct when they inevitably came back down, whilst pursuing and torturing Derby for lesser offences over several seasons. Morris wasted millions,  upset a lot of people and then dumped us in the mire. 
So here we are again needing a win against QPR, this time the stakes feel even higher. 
We have a poor record recently at Loftus Road (Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium) and I have never seen us win there. I am rightly staying well away, don't want to jinx the team! 
But if anything, I am even prouder of our team this season than I was in 2014. The fight, resilience, team spirit, leadership, support and sheer guts has been a revelation.  So whatever happens today, I applaud each and every person involved with our club. 
DCFC, the team for me. COYR! ?
 

Long gone will be those glamorous  Tuesday night's at home to the likes of Luton, Millwall, Reading & Hull.

We're on the cusp of relegation but the manager, coaching staff and every single player come out of this season with enormous credit.
I am proud to be a Derby County supporter.
It has been a privilege to witness the effort of all those at the club this season.
The staff and the supporters do not deserve what we've been through - and football has to restructure itself so this does not keep happening.
But what we've seen on the pitch - against all the odds has been staggering.
Rooney, Ram ? 
Rosenior, Ram ? 
The whole squad, Rams ? 
Those behind the scenes, Rams ? 
Thank you to all of you. COYR ?

@Ambitious Great post, you sum up what probably quite a few of us are thinking. Kirchner is an unknown quantity, Mel Morris' tenure, 'money to overcompensate for poor knowledge'. You're very complimentary. What knowledge? The return of GSE, or its new manifestation, GSW, felt underwhelming, but during their ownership, financial restrictions meant that necessity became the mother of invention (the Academy rebooted). I like Andy Appleby, but did not want Rush back in any capacity. As others have just mentioned, if Mr Kirchner surrounds himself with the right people, and listens to them, then that is a positive. 
I was pleased when Ashley's interested was announced before the end of last year. I know business is unsentimental, that he is hard-nosed but he was in a position to declare an interest and outbid all the others if he had chosen to. I was going to post an article from BBC Newcastle following his sale of the club, apparently when he took them over, they had a £70m debt. He could have conceivably taken us over in our current position - complicated finances. I wasn't put off by his reputation at Newcastle. I'd take two relegations from the PL if they meant two promotions back. However, the fact that he stood by whilst we sold youngsters to the elite, to keep ourselves afloat until the end of this season, makes me wonder how serious he was regarding purchasing us.
Kirchner is a gamble, he has moderated his social media postings (current) after his initial over-enthusiasm. The Preston fans are not enamoured of him, but then I don't think Preston were in as desperate position to sell as we are. He was angry when he dropped out of buying us first time round but, in fairness to him, he made criticisms of the situation which perhaps have been proved correct over time (Mel's position over Pride Park, I assume), and I remember, if correct, others on this site wondering if that was the last we'd see of CK as he might return again if the sale remained protracted (I think Simon Jordan also said this on TalkSport at the time as well). For instance, I assume the £5m asked by Quantuma has now been waived, as they went on to raise this amount anyway through player sales etc.
I think all we ask, if Mr Kirchner is successful in buying the club, is that some stability is established, the club stops haemorrhaging players at all age levels, and if we do lose key players, they are sold for their market value (Knight), others probably released due to wages (Lawrence) and any monies (from sales or freed up elsewhere) reinvested in the club/team/squad. We should look to Sheff W as offering us hope for next season if a sale can go through. They have played the transfer market well, bringing in frees from the Championship as well as loans.

@Ambitious Great post, you sum up what probably quite a few of us are thinking. Kirchner is an unknown quantity, Mel Morris' tenure, 'money to overcompensate for poor knowledge'. You're very complimentary. What knowledge? The return of GSE, or its new manifestation, GSW, felt underwhelming, but during their ownership, financial restrictions meant that necessity became the mother of invention (the Academy rebooted). I like Andy Appleby, but did not want Rush back in any capacity. As others have just mentioned, if Mr Kirchner surrounds himself with the right people, and listens to them, then that is a positive. 
I was pleased when Ashley's interested was announced before the end of last year. I know business is unsentimental, that he is hard-nosed but he was in a position to declare an interest and outbid all the others if he had chosen to. I was going to post an article from BBC Newcastle following his sale of the club, apparently when he took them over, they had a £70m debt. He could have conceivably taken us over in our current position - complicated finances. I wasn't put off by his reputation at Newcastle. I'd take two relegations from the PL if they meant two promotions back. However, the fact that he stood by whilst we sold youngsters to the elite, to keep ourselves afloat until the end of this season, makes me wonder how serious he was regarding purchasing us.
Kirchner is a gamble, he has moderated his social media postings (current) after his initial over-enthusiasm. The Preston fans are not enamoured of him, but then I don't think Preston were in as desperate position to sell as we are. He was angry when he dropped out of buying us first time round but, in fairness to him, he made criticisms of the situation which perhaps have been proved correct over time (Mel's position over Pride Park, I assume), and I remember, if correct, others on this site wondering if that was the last we'd see of CK as he might return again if the sale remained protracted (I think Simon Jordan also said this on TalkSport at the time as well). For instance, I assume the £5m asked by Quantuma has now been waived, as they went on to raise this amount anyway through player sales etc.
I think all we ask, if Mr Kirchner is successful in buying the club, is that some stability is established, the club stops haemorrhaging players at all age levels, and if we do lose key players, they are sold for their market value (Knight), others probably released due to wages (Lawrence) and any monies (from sales or freed up elsewhere) reinvested in the club/team/squad. We should look to Sheff W as offering us hope for next season if a sale can go through. They have played the transfer market well, bringing in frees from the Championship as well as loans.

@Ambitious Great post, you sum up what probably quite a few of us are thinking. Kirchner is an unknown quantity, Mel Morris' tenure, 'money to overcompensate for poor knowledge'. You're very complimentary. What knowledge? The return of GSE, or its new manifestation, GSW, felt underwhelming, but during their ownership, financial restrictions meant that necessity became the mother of invention (the Academy rebooted). I like Andy Appleby, but did not want Rush back in any capacity. As others have just mentioned, if Mr Kirchner surrounds himself with the right people, and listens to them, then that is a positive. 
I was pleased when Ashley's interested was announced before the end of last year. I know business is unsentimental, that he is hard-nosed but he was in a position to declare an interest and outbid all the others if he had chosen to. I was going to post an article from BBC Newcastle following his sale of the club, apparently when he took them over, they had a £70m debt. He could have conceivably taken us over in our current position - complicated finances. I wasn't put off by his reputation at Newcastle. I'd take two relegations from the PL if they meant two promotions back. However, the fact that he stood by whilst we sold youngsters to the elite, to keep ourselves afloat until the end of this season, makes me wonder how serious he was regarding purchasing us.
Kirchner is a gamble, he has moderated his social media postings (current) after his initial over-enthusiasm. The Preston fans are not enamoured of him, but then I don't think Preston were in as desperate position to sell as we are. He was angry when he dropped out of buying us first time round but, in fairness to him, he made criticisms of the situation which perhaps have been proved correct over time (Mel's position over Pride Park, I assume), and I remember, if correct, others on this site wondering if that was the last we'd see of CK as he might return again if the sale remained protracted (I think Simon Jordan also said this on TalkSport at the time as well). For instance, I assume the £5m asked by Quantuma has now been waived, as they went on to raise this amount anyway through player sales etc.
I think all we ask, if Mr Kirchner is successful in buying the club, is that some stability is established, the club stops haemorrhaging players at all age levels, and if we do lose key players, they are sold for their market value (Knight), others probably released due to wages (Lawrence) and any monies (from sales or freed up elsewhere) reinvested in the club/team/squad. We should look to Sheff W as offering us hope for next season if a sale can go through. They have played the transfer market well, bringing in frees from the Championship as well as loans.

@Ambitious Great post, you sum up what probably quite a few of us are thinking. Kirchner is an unknown quantity, Mel Morris' tenure, 'money to overcompensate for poor knowledge'. You're very complimentary. What knowledge? The return of GSE, or its new manifestation, GSW, felt underwhelming, but during their ownership, financial restrictions meant that necessity became the mother of invention (the Academy rebooted). I like Andy Appleby, but did not want Rush back in any capacity. As others have just mentioned, if Mr Kirchner surrounds himself with the right people, and listens to them, then that is a positive. 
I was pleased when Ashley's interested was announced before the end of last year. I know business is unsentimental, that he is hard-nosed but he was in a position to declare an interest and outbid all the others if he had chosen to. I was going to post an article from BBC Newcastle following his sale of the club, apparently when he took them over, they had a £70m debt. He could have conceivably taken us over in our current position - complicated finances. I wasn't put off by his reputation at Newcastle. I'd take two relegations from the PL if they meant two promotions back. However, the fact that he stood by whilst we sold youngsters to the elite, to keep ourselves afloat until the end of this season, makes me wonder how serious he was regarding purchasing us.
Kirchner is a gamble, he has moderated his social media postings (current) after his initial over-enthusiasm. The Preston fans are not enamoured of him, but then I don't think Preston were in as desperate position to sell as we are. He was angry when he dropped out of buying us first time round but, in fairness to him, he made criticisms of the situation which perhaps have been proved correct over time (Mel's position over Pride Park, I assume), and I remember, if correct, others on this site wondering if that was the last we'd see of CK as he might return again if the sale remained protracted (I think Simon Jordan also said this on TalkSport at the time as well). For instance, I assume the £5m asked by Quantuma has now been waived, as they went on to raise this amount anyway through player sales etc.
I think all we ask, if Mr Kirchner is successful in buying the club, is that some stability is established, the club stops haemorrhaging players at all age levels, and if we do lose key players, they are sold for their market value (Knight), others probably released due to wages (Lawrence) and any monies (from sales or freed up elsewhere) reinvested in the club/team/squad. We should look to Sheff W as offering us hope for next season if a sale can go through. They have played the transfer market well, bringing in frees from the Championship as well as loans.

@Ambitious Great post, you sum up what probably quite a few of us are thinking. Kirchner is an unknown quantity, Mel Morris' tenure, 'money to overcompensate for poor knowledge'. You're very complimentary. What knowledge? The return of GSE, or its new manifestation, GSW, felt underwhelming, but during their ownership, financial restrictions meant that necessity became the mother of invention (the Academy rebooted). I like Andy Appleby, but did not want Rush back in any capacity. As others have just mentioned, if Mr Kirchner surrounds himself with the right people, and listens to them, then that is a positive. 
I was pleased when Ashley's interested was announced before the end of last year. I know business is unsentimental, that he is hard-nosed but he was in a position to declare an interest and outbid all the others if he had chosen to. I was going to post an article from BBC Newcastle following his sale of the club, apparently when he took them over, they had a £70m debt. He could have conceivably taken us over in our current position - complicated finances. I wasn't put off by his reputation at Newcastle. I'd take two relegations from the PL if they meant two promotions back. However, the fact that he stood by whilst we sold youngsters to the elite, to keep ourselves afloat until the end of this season, makes me wonder how serious he was regarding purchasing us.
Kirchner is a gamble, he has moderated his social media postings (current) after his initial over-enthusiasm. The Preston fans are not enamoured of him, but then I don't think Preston were in as desperate position to sell as we are. He was angry when he dropped out of buying us first time round but, in fairness to him, he made criticisms of the situation which perhaps have been proved correct over time (Mel's position over Pride Park, I assume), and I remember, if correct, others on this site wondering if that was the last we'd see of CK as he might return again if the sale remained protracted (I think Simon Jordan also said this on TalkSport at the time as well). For instance, I assume the £5m asked by Quantuma has now been waived, as they went on to raise this amount anyway through player sales etc.
I think all we ask, if Mr Kirchner is successful in buying the club, is that some stability is established, the club stops haemorrhaging players at all age levels, and if we do lose key players, they are sold for their market value (Knight), others probably released due to wages (Lawrence) and any monies (from sales or freed up elsewhere) reinvested in the club/team/squad. We should look to Sheff W as offering us hope for next season if a sale can go through. They have played the transfer market well, bringing in frees from the Championship as well as loans.

@Ambitious Great post, you sum up what probably quite a few of us are thinking. Kirchner is an unknown quantity, Mel Morris' tenure, 'money to overcompensate for poor knowledge'. You're very complimentary. What knowledge? The return of GSE, or its new manifestation, GSW, felt underwhelming, but during their ownership, financial restrictions meant that necessity became the mother of invention (the Academy rebooted). I like Andy Appleby, but did not want Rush back in any capacity. As others have just mentioned, if Mr Kirchner surrounds himself with the right people, and listens to them, then that is a positive. 
I was pleased when Ashley's interested was announced before the end of last year. I know business is unsentimental, that he is hard-nosed but he was in a position to declare an interest and outbid all the others if he had chosen to. I was going to post an article from BBC Newcastle following his sale of the club, apparently when he took them over, they had a £70m debt. He could have conceivably taken us over in our current position - complicated finances. I wasn't put off by his reputation at Newcastle. I'd take two relegations from the PL if they meant two promotions back. However, the fact that he stood by whilst we sold youngsters to the elite, to keep ourselves afloat until the end of this season, makes me wonder how serious he was regarding purchasing us.
Kirchner is a gamble, he has moderated his social media postings (current) after his initial over-enthusiasm. The Preston fans are not enamoured of him, but then I don't think Preston were in as desperate position to sell as we are. He was angry when he dropped out of buying us first time round but, in fairness to him, he made criticisms of the situation which perhaps have been proved correct over time (Mel's position over Pride Park, I assume), and I remember, if correct, others on this site wondering if that was the last we'd see of CK as he might return again if the sale remained protracted (I think Simon Jordan also said this on TalkSport at the time as well). For instance, I assume the £5m asked by Quantuma has now been waived, as they went on to raise this amount anyway through player sales etc.
I think all we ask, if Mr Kirchner is successful in buying the club, is that some stability is established, the club stops haemorrhaging players at all age levels, and if we do lose key players, they are sold for their market value (Knight), others probably released due to wages (Lawrence) and any monies (from sales or freed up elsewhere) reinvested in the club/team/squad. We should look to Sheff W as offering us hope for next season if a sale can go through. They have played the transfer market well, bringing in frees from the Championship as well as loans.

Time to change the lyrics, and make it more topical and relevant to our situation.
I won't try and circumvent the swear filter, but I'm sure you'll get the drift if you see this topic before it disappears!
 
Mel Morris is a banker,
He wears a bankers hat, 
He said he loved our Derby,
But he's a ducking twit.
 
He said that he would sell us, 
And wanted just a pound, 
But he's a lying bar steward, 
And took away our ground.

@Ambitious Great post, you sum up what probably quite a few of us are thinking. Kirchner is an unknown quantity, Mel Morris' tenure, 'money to overcompensate for poor knowledge'. You're very complimentary. What knowledge? The return of GSE, or its new manifestation, GSW, felt underwhelming, but during their ownership, financial restrictions meant that necessity became the mother of invention (the Academy rebooted). I like Andy Appleby, but did not want Rush back in any capacity. As others have just mentioned, if Mr Kirchner surrounds himself with the right people, and listens to them, then that is a positive. 
I was pleased when Ashley's interested was announced before the end of last year. I know business is unsentimental, that he is hard-nosed but he was in a position to declare an interest and outbid all the others if he had chosen to. I was going to post an article from BBC Newcastle following his sale of the club, apparently when he took them over, they had a £70m debt. He could have conceivably taken us over in our current position - complicated finances. I wasn't put off by his reputation at Newcastle. I'd take two relegations from the PL if they meant two promotions back. However, the fact that he stood by whilst we sold youngsters to the elite, to keep ourselves afloat until the end of this season, makes me wonder how serious he was regarding purchasing us.
Kirchner is a gamble, he has moderated his social media postings (current) after his initial over-enthusiasm. The Preston fans are not enamoured of him, but then I don't think Preston were in as desperate position to sell as we are. He was angry when he dropped out of buying us first time round but, in fairness to him, he made criticisms of the situation which perhaps have been proved correct over time (Mel's position over Pride Park, I assume), and I remember, if correct, others on this site wondering if that was the last we'd see of CK as he might return again if the sale remained protracted (I think Simon Jordan also said this on TalkSport at the time as well). For instance, I assume the £5m asked by Quantuma has now been waived, as they went on to raise this amount anyway through player sales etc.
I think all we ask, if Mr Kirchner is successful in buying the club, is that some stability is established, the club stops haemorrhaging players at all age levels, and if we do lose key players, they are sold for their market value (Knight), others probably released due to wages (Lawrence) and any monies (from sales or freed up elsewhere) reinvested in the club/team/squad. We should look to Sheff W as offering us hope for next season if a sale can go through. They have played the transfer market well, bringing in frees from the Championship as well as loans.

@Ambitious Great post, you sum up what probably quite a few of us are thinking. Kirchner is an unknown quantity, Mel Morris' tenure, 'money to overcompensate for poor knowledge'. You're very complimentary. What knowledge? The return of GSE, or its new manifestation, GSW, felt underwhelming, but during their ownership, financial restrictions meant that necessity became the mother of invention (the Academy rebooted). I like Andy Appleby, but did not want Rush back in any capacity. As others have just mentioned, if Mr Kirchner surrounds himself with the right people, and listens to them, then that is a positive. 
I was pleased when Ashley's interested was announced before the end of last year. I know business is unsentimental, that he is hard-nosed but he was in a position to declare an interest and outbid all the others if he had chosen to. I was going to post an article from BBC Newcastle following his sale of the club, apparently when he took them over, they had a £70m debt. He could have conceivably taken us over in our current position - complicated finances. I wasn't put off by his reputation at Newcastle. I'd take two relegations from the PL if they meant two promotions back. However, the fact that he stood by whilst we sold youngsters to the elite, to keep ourselves afloat until the end of this season, makes me wonder how serious he was regarding purchasing us.
Kirchner is a gamble, he has moderated his social media postings (current) after his initial over-enthusiasm. The Preston fans are not enamoured of him, but then I don't think Preston were in as desperate position to sell as we are. He was angry when he dropped out of buying us first time round but, in fairness to him, he made criticisms of the situation which perhaps have been proved correct over time (Mel's position over Pride Park, I assume), and I remember, if correct, others on this site wondering if that was the last we'd see of CK as he might return again if the sale remained protracted (I think Simon Jordan also said this on TalkSport at the time as well). For instance, I assume the £5m asked by Quantuma has now been waived, as they went on to raise this amount anyway through player sales etc.
I think all we ask, if Mr Kirchner is successful in buying the club, is that some stability is established, the club stops haemorrhaging players at all age levels, and if we do lose key players, they are sold for their market value (Knight), others probably released due to wages (Lawrence) and any monies (from sales or freed up elsewhere) reinvested in the club/team/squad. We should look to Sheff W as offering us hope for next season if a sale can go through. They have played the transfer market well, bringing in frees from the Championship as well as loans.

Kirchner is a risk in that, at least to my untrained eye, he doesn't seem to have the cash flow to bail him out of a bad decisions. Mel, at least to our knowledge at the time, used money to overcompensate for poor knowledge. The signings he made, at least invested heavily on, were proven and experienced players at this level - nearly every single one of them went backwards in their career and Derby nearly went bust because of it. 
Kirchner, I doubt, will have such luxuries of making anywhere near the same level of investments as Mel did. Not that it's a bad thing, of course, but definitely an emphasis on him being a lot smarter in different situations than Mel. Although, Mel should've been a lot smarter in just about every capacity of his ownership here - especially when it came recruitment. It's incredible that nearly every single one of the players he bought for the club left significantly worse than when they came to it. Even a broken clock is right twice a day - he couldn't even organise something as efficient as that! 
Kirchner isn't the new owner yet, of course, but I like the idea of actually having an owner with a mindset of having to work smarter than others. Football isn't a difficult business to be successful in, truly, providing you hire good staff and they're willing to put in the hours off the pitch. My preferred option was Mike Ashley due to his accumulated wealth, he's someone who can make bad decisions and not leave the club in a poor state. I'm happy with either and can see the pros and cons for both. 
Ultimately, it's not always the richest owners that enjoy the success. I would say smart over rich every day of the week, but the caveat is that we don't know how smart Kirchner is. 

It might be a risk, but it's an absolute no-brainer.
No takeover, no club.

I'll put it this way, no one sane wanted to buy us before administration.
After administration, what you're buying isn't better, but possibly cheaper.
cK, Ashley, Appleby, Binnies all were intersted as a low ball bargain club, which has been difficult as the debts are so high.
I think cK actually wants to buy us. Appleby and the binnies had clearly fixed ideas about what we were worth buying at, and it's that or not.
Ashley, disaster capitalist that he is, i don't think really wants to buy us, i think he just got a tingling for screwing over creditors which is really what gets him off. Ashley undoubtedly has the money to make a success of DCFC but he'd only put his money up after everything has fallen apart and it's basically whater he offers or immediate liquidation, which may well be less the cK is offering, even if Ashley is putting about that he'd give more than cK at the moment, because at the moment, Ashley isn't putting his offer down. Mike Ashley is skilled and ruthless in dealing with aquiring insolvent business - it'd be painfull in the extream before anything got better for us as fans, and i'd dread to think if I were an employee as MA took over.
So I'm guardedly hopefull about cK, resigned to starting on -15 next season and relegation this season. But we will go on. There's going to be some hard grind ahead, but we'll get through it.
A Mel Morris is a *redacted*