Asanovic70

Sam Rush was the highest paid CEO in the championship, and Mel trusted him and his knowledge and experience in football to run the club, sadley he let him down, buying 8 or 10( could be more) sub standard players on 4 or 5 year contracts on £20,000 a week wages make no mistake Mel made a total mess of the club however Rush was not far behind.
Rush players what have they gone on to achieve since leaving Derby?

So if I am understanding this correctly then someone has offered £1 million pounds more to take hold of the club 
also the administrators are saying any claims from Middlesbrough and Wycombe are not football creditors but the the EFL are suggesting they are ? 
it’s no wonder a deal can’t get sorted. 
the behaviour of Middlesbrough and Wycombe is incredulous and Middlesbrough are placing themselves at the top of my do not like list replacing dirty leeds whilst irrelevant Wycombe need to give themselves a slap. 

I remember saying to Mel in person many times, ‘Oi Mellard! You better not be over spending now because I wouldn’t want to considered complicit when an owner of a   club who got relegated the season before, decides to sue us because we couldn’t submit our accounts with the EFL that season’
Then we’d laugh a little bit and Mel would dryly respond ‘It’s more likely you’d see Derby County be nearly liquidated than THAT scenario’
 
Good times 

I was going to post the obvious & say why couldn't one or two of the interested parties maybe work alongside each other. Read on newsnow that Gadsby & Appleby are considering this. The financial state of the club is complex & maybe each consortia can address a particular situation.
As for Mr Kirchner, I thought his initial statements OTT, but he has been more restrained. I feel a little sorry for him, he comes across as enthusiastic, almost like a child, wanting his own football team but instead he's being asked to buy a basket-case instead.
One last point which may not be relevant to our present situation. We are £68m in debt, the figure quoted, and then you flick through the BBC gossip column, to find that one of the elite are bidding that amount for a player. You could argue the same amounts Mel Morris wasted could keep many a fellow Championship/lower league side in existence for decades.
I hope we learn from this situation that it isn't worth mortgaging the club in an attempt to join - quite probably -  the most ridiculous and irresponsible league in the world.

I was going to post the obvious & say why couldn't one or two of the interested parties maybe work alongside each other. Read on newsnow that Gadsby & Appleby are considering this. The financial state of the club is complex & maybe each consortia can address a particular situation.
As for Mr Kirchner, I thought his initial statements OTT, but he has been more restrained. I feel a little sorry for him, he comes across as enthusiastic, almost like a child, wanting his own football team but instead he's being asked to buy a basket-case instead.
One last point which may not be relevant to our present situation. We are £68m in debt, the figure quoted, and then you flick through the BBC gossip column, to find that one of the elite are bidding that amount for a player. You could argue the same amounts Mel Morris wasted could keep many a fellow Championship/lower league side in existence for decades.
I hope we learn from this situation that it isn't worth mortgaging the club in an attempt to join - quite probably -  the most ridiculous and irresponsible league in the world.

I was going to post the obvious & say why couldn't one or two of the interested parties maybe work alongside each other. Read on newsnow that Gadsby & Appleby are considering this. The financial state of the club is complex & maybe each consortia can address a particular situation.
As for Mr Kirchner, I thought his initial statements OTT, but he has been more restrained. I feel a little sorry for him, he comes across as enthusiastic, almost like a child, wanting his own football team but instead he's being asked to buy a basket-case instead.
One last point which may not be relevant to our present situation. We are £68m in debt, the figure quoted, and then you flick through the BBC gossip column, to find that one of the elite are bidding that amount for a player. You could argue the same amounts Mel Morris wasted could keep many a fellow Championship/lower league side in existence for decades.
I hope we learn from this situation that it isn't worth mortgaging the club in an attempt to join - quite probably -  the most ridiculous and irresponsible league in the world.

With his reverse Midas touch he'd probably employ Andre Wisdom as his main driver. 

Actually think a Gadsby/Appleby type stewardship could be more successful now than 10/15 years ago. Whilst parachute payments will continue to give unfair advantages, the onset of FFP since 2014 gives clubs like Derby with higher turnover an advantage over most that Gadsby & GSE wouldn't have had during their spells in charge.
I do believe there is a cheaper route to success at this level & Blackburn/QPR are showing us the way. They promote via their youth sides & they sell players at their peak (Armstrong & Eze) to reinvest in the squad. Whilst we are now embracing the Academy model by necessity, we haven't historically cashed in on players at their peak...only Ince & Vydra left for bigger money. Hughes, Bryson & Keogh all stayed despite Prem interest but of course most of our buys were written down to zero eventually. Luke Plange is a example of what we should be doing more of...hoover up released Prem starlets, get them in the Academy & exposure to the first team as soon as practical. We have the infrastructure to continue to deliver this
Norwich are another example of a club that have been run without massive backing from owners. What they have though & what we have been lacking is a clear strategy, a combination of youth step ups & great scouting, a Sporting Director to oversee the entire football operation (rather than owners making calls) & a consistent style of play.
I would actually prefer an Appleby and/or Gadsby consortium over Kirchner because they a) will have experience of the club & how it ticks, b) we know they will run the club responsibly & c) they know that their decision making needs to be sharp in the absence of big funds.

The Gadsby/Appleby duo does raise a few eyebrows. I don't believe they have the enormous funds at hand, but we know that both have overseen the club's best positions post-Pickering. 
The one thing that I'm fairly sure of is that they're coming in to settle the situation and then make a sale of a club in a better position than it currently is, whilst making some money for themselves in the process. They protect the club in the short-term and make a smart investment long-term. I doubt they're going to be the ownership to re-establish a Premier League charge, but the club could survive with them at the helm. 
I think Appleby, whilst never splashing the cash, made some shrewd appointments for the club overall. I really like Glick and when you look at the trajectory of his career since his time here then you must give Appleby credit for being a smart sport-biased business man. I really think we could do a lot worse than that. 
I don't think I will be head-over-heels with whoever wins out the takeover, but anything to get the club back to a stable footing again will be appreciated for sure. 

If only Mel was a taxi driver and didn’t masquerade as a business man.

Inflatables aren't allowed to vote. ?? 

The vision, Mel. The direction, Wassal. The execution, the coaches.

What we do have, is a proven academy and probably the best outside the Premiership. Any young talent that is looking to make in football would look at Derby County if their parents had any sense.  Those who went to an Academy side in the Premiership were always up against more competition and its been proven with Luke Plange being released by Arsenal and Louie Watson at West Ham, then improving at Moor Farm.
We have created a top class youth academy that will continue to attract young talent for years to come. The man to take the credit is Darren Wassall.  The manager that brought him to Derby from Burton was Nigel Clough, so he must also take some credit, Nigel was sacked in September 2013 but had stated in the March of 2013 "The Academy should almost be ring fenced and whoever comes in next, I hope they have the sense to leave it alone and let it continue working".  I'm not going to list the players that have made it from academy status to either Premiership, Championship or lower proffesional leagues. The list is quite big, but I will mention one player who I thought could have made it with the Rams, Timi Max Elsnik who made only the 1st team in the Carabao cup but went on loan to a few clubs before being released and is mow playing for Olimpija Lujbljana in the top flight of Slovenia and recently made his debut for Slovenia in Octoberthis year.

The point being those players should have been there as emergency backup in their positions. Sort of like the roles Wes Brown, O'Shea, etc had at Man Utd. Capable of filling in, but not good enoigh as a regular starter - as evidenced when they eventually moved on.
In 15/16, we had Pearce, Shotton and Buxton as 4th, 5th and 6th choice CBs, playing for a total of 261 minutes in the league. Rawson could easily have stepped in as 4th choice instead, and showed he was capable enough based on his loan out to Rotherham. Hanson didn't look out of place in the team yet hardly featured again in following seasons.
16/17, Blackman, Camara and Weimann 4th, 5th and 6th choice wingers played for less than a combined 1000 minutes. Those should have been given to Bennett (who only played for 23). Lowe was exceptional when he came into the side in 16/17, including a memorable man of the match display vs Wolves. But, he had Forsyth and Olsson on senior player wages so shived down the pecking order.
17/18, Shackell 0 minutes, Butterfield 157, Palmer 426 and Anya 302. Are you telling me Rawson, Hanson and Elsnik couldn't have played those roles and not been just as good? We owned Vydra, Martin, Jerome, Nugent and Bent plus Winnall on loan. We only needed 2 of them, with Jacobsen as backup.

Another example of the confusing management (mismanagement) of this club in recent years. Right strategy with the academy but completely undone by the chaotic way he’s run the first team, burning millions signing rubbish instead of intelligent buying to supplement academy players. Then as the academy is starting to deliver he walks away, pulls all funding and we now risk losing all our academy products for a song. If we don’t get the ownership sorted and we need to sell players to finish the season then we would do well to get £5m for Buchanan Bird Knight combined. Managed correctly with a sales negotiating team like Notts Forest  have that would be £15-20m. Furthermore we could lose all our other promising kids for zilch given we can’t offer them contracts. Therefore what is the point.
Hope we can get things sorted and keep as many of this group as possible as if we can, still think there is an exciting future that can come out of this.

Plange was signed after a successful trial period following his exit from Arsenal. I suppose we've lost players from our Academy (Kaide Gordon)/had them poached & in turn we pick up players released from elsewhere if they are deemed good enough. Arsenal thought Plange didn't have a long-term future with them but still had a bright future in the game. So I suppose the credit here ought to be given to the coaching staff/Academy who recognized he had enough talent to do well for us & was worth being givem another chance. Credit may also go to the manager who pushed the EFL to allow him to play.
You can give Morris credit for investing in the Academy but criticize for not utilizing it enough or as part of some joined up thinking/strategy. It still doesn't excuse the money wasted on Anya etc/elsewhere which is where the real damage lies. 
I always think an Academy is worth investing in, we may have to scale things back if further cuts are made & that will be a blow. An Academy can pay for itself. We've had to depend on it out of necessity this season.

Plange was signed after a successful trial period following his exit from Arsenal. I suppose we've lost players from our Academy (Kaide Gordon)/had them poached & in turn we pick up players released from elsewhere if they are deemed good enough. Arsenal thought Plange didn't have a long-term future with them but still had a bright future in the game. So I suppose the credit here ought to be given to the coaching staff/Academy who recognized he had enough talent to do well for us & was worth being givem another chance. Credit may also go to the manager who pushed the EFL to allow him to play.
You can give Morris credit for investing in the Academy but criticize for not utilizing it enough or as part of some joined up thinking/strategy. It still doesn't excuse the money wasted on Anya etc/elsewhere which is where the real damage lies. 
I always think an Academy is worth investing in, we may have to scale things back if further cuts are made & that will be a blow. An Academy can pay for itself. We've had to depend on it out of necessity this season.

The irony of course being he didn't appoint a manager to specifically bring young players through until he'd decided to sell the club & we were already well on our way to implosion (Cocu post 2019 playoff final). Unusually for his reign the right strategy but poor timing & execution. 
I'd prefer to give credit to Darren Wassall, Pat Lyons & everyone at the Academy. None of the young players have looked out their depth when they've stepped up & thats testament to hard work done behind the scenes.

After 8 weeks of silence, DET are today reporting that Mel Morris can be heard on Desert Island Discs this coming Sunday on BBC Radio 4
https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/mel-morris-Derby-county-desert-island-discs-6322992
In a revealing insight, Mel talks about himself loads, his favourite book (Accounting for Dummies) and what he considers gives him most pleasure (having his ego massaged). Interspersed during an hour of denial, Mel also shares his favourite music, an eclectic mix of sounds from his past, totally oblivious at all times to the irony of his choices:
1) Money, Money, Money - Abba
2) The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
3) Money too tight to mention - Simply Red
4) Sorry seems to be the hardest word - Elton John
5) Taxman - Beatles
6) Liquidator - Harry J All Stars
7) It wasn't me - Shaggy
8) Don't look back in anger - Oasis

I can't help thinking Mel Morris should have employed this man to represent him, Simon Czoka QC. 
Joey Barton cleared of assaulting Daniel Stendel in stadium tunnel - BBC News
I shall have to be careful how I phrase things, but anyone who can persuade a court that Mr Stendel headbutted a metal structure voluntarily must be very good.
He probably would have been able to persuade the EFL that Mel pressed the wrong option when he compiled our accounting procedures, only fully understanding the procedure after the fourth occasion.
I also don't know what is more disconcerting. The verdict or the fact that Joey Barton is beginning to look like George Harrison. God help us if he releases an album.

IIRC though, it was a few seasons back he was calling for a salary cap in the Championship but never set an example for others to follow at DCFC. Odd. 

I agree,  I do think parachute payments can be overemphasized. Kieran Maguire described them as 'an inelegant solution' to the real problem which is the financial gap between the second tier (EFL). & PL
With regards to the parachute payments, plenty of clubs have not utilized them well (Middlesbrough anyone?) or they've been used to cushion the huge increase in wages acquired in the PL, which is why they were brought in (I remember the likes of Swindon crashing down the divisons in the mid 90s). Hull got relegated, Huddersfield have finished bottom half. Admittedly, all three relegated sides are in the top top 10, two in the top three & two got promoted last season, a third finishing in the play-offs.
All this talk about independent regulation from Mel just comes across as excuses. Clubs & their owners can or should regulate themselves. The problem in football lies in wages (Simon Jordan) . Clubs don't have to be held to ransom by players, agents or their clubs asking exorbitant fees. Take the signing of Nick Blackman. Six months later he would have been available on a free.
Clubs can develop their own strategies in the absence of a parachute payment. We actually came close to promotion in 2014 by building a team over time (painstaking) made up of home-grown talent, shrewd purchases (Bryson) & smart loans (Thorne).
Mel did not regulate himself when he reportedly went into the dressing room after the draw against Reading. I defended him with regards to some of the ill-luck that seemed to bedevil his tenure, the injuries to Thorne & Hughes &  Covid impacting the club's revenue streams, but there were already problems as shown by Cocu's brief to cut costs & promote youth. He did not have to try & be clever to circumvent the EFL's accounting procedures.
 
 

Thanks for that. You've given me hope that I could still reach my peak.

Or if they do move on, at least make sure they've got a sell on clause..

As long as we stick with our centrebacks, I'm fine with selling some other prospect.
I think Davies and Jags are really going places, they both seem to have tons of potential. I'd just love it if they could fulfill it and reach their prime with us.