WharfedaleRam

Can't quite beat that, but I did work live updates from Newcastle v Derby (0-2, Roger Davies *2) into my wedding day speech. One of my mates was listening to Radio Derby on his transistor radio and feeding me relevant snippets. That was the week that Big Roger couldn't stop scoring - the following Saturday, he bagged 5 against Luton.

wycombe losing 2-0

Long way to go yet...

Derby into the playoffs
Wycombe out of the playoffs this season
 
If Carlsberg made Saturday afternoons 🙂

I like Burton. They're a well run club that has done extremely well in recent times to get into and stay at a high league level relative to their history. Plenty there we could learn about sustainability and sensible business growth.
No delusions of grandeur or entitlement among their fans (unlike us), as a club you could argue they are punching above their weight (unlike us) and on the pitch they always give us a good game. They're a small, but decent club. Oh, and while we're at it if you're going to slag off Burton have you been into the s'hole that is Derby recently? And that's from someone who lives in Derby.
Given our recent record against them and their respective performances against top 6 sides recently, we'd do well to win this one. 

We used to have a striker called Chris Martin. He wasn’t quick or big but he had a great brain and a lovely pair of feet. We played the ball into said feet and he would reverse it, or dink it or hold it, or flick it for runners to score. It all looked so simple. Too simple. James Collins doesn’t do any of that. Nor does he score. 

Looks a good side to start away.
Sibley and Barkhuuzen on the bench for when they tire.
Davies and Rooney available if we are defending a lead late on.
Collins there too just in case anyone needs their car washing during the game.
 

No commentators, no presenter, no pundits? Marcel Marceau in charge tomorrow night?

What's this 'Match of the Day' programme. Thought it finished in 2008?

What's this 'Match of the Day' programme. Thought it finished in 2008?

What's this 'Match of the Day' programme. Thought it finished in 2008?

If that's a sausage sandwich, you've been robbed my friend!

If that's a sausage sandwich, you've been robbed my friend!

If that's a sausage sandwich, you've been robbed my friend!

If that's a sausage sandwich, you've been robbed my friend!

I think you only missed out on my joke about rear entrance arrangements.
I have had a few prostate examinations myself. I was once called back by the Uroligist which was a concern, but he quickly put me at ease as he as he only wanted to get his wristwatch back.

Many moons ago, played a Sunday league game with a female ref. She came to the dressing rooms before the game to say she wouldn't tolerate foul language and if she heard any, a warning would be issued followed by dismissal. Fortunately for us, the opposition ignored it and finished with 9 men on the pitch and we won 10-0. Can't wait for Tuesday!

Many moons ago, played a Sunday league game with a female ref. She came to the dressing rooms before the game to say she wouldn't tolerate foul language and if she heard any, a warning would be issued followed by dismissal. Fortunately for us, the opposition ignored it and finished with 9 men on the pitch and we won 10-0. Can't wait for Tuesday!

Many moons ago, played a Sunday league game with a female ref. She came to the dressing rooms before the game to say she wouldn't tolerate foul language and if she heard any, a warning would be issued followed by dismissal. Fortunately for us, the opposition ignored it and finished with 9 men on the pitch and we won 10-0. Can't wait for Tuesday!

Finally back home ,had my tea and got beers on the go, so here we go:
Injustice and capitulation are bitter pills to take.  We were looking forward to a great day out, but the dark clouds floated in while queuing for a pie and a pint inside the ground. Only there wasn't a queue, just a mass of bodies all trying to push everybody out of their way. I challenged one guy who kept on pushing his shoulder in front of mine, because he started a good 5 minutes after I had already got there. To which he said he was with a guy in front of us. Not when my and my son and daughter arrived, but I backed off and said I wasn't going to get into a fight over it. He then tried to play the race card, saying I had challenged him because he was black! I've been there, and it doesn't work. So my daughter played the health card - she has an over-active pancreas and was heading for a hypo. He still stood his ground. so I played the health card with a guy in front of us who had spent the last 15 minutes taking selfies of the crowd behind us, while belting my daughter in her face with his elbow. He graciously let us through, so I said "thanks for nothing" to the wannabe racist who still hadn't been served. Hah!!!
And to the match: I said to my son after about 5 minutes that Barnsley were looking very physical, so we'll get nothing out of this ref". How on earth would I know something like that? We were a bit shaky at the start, handing Barnsley a coupe of easy openings all by ourselves, but we gradually began to get ourselves into the match, with a couple of good chances. Then the first goal. Oh dear. Our defending was poor,  but the scorer was surely offside. The lino kept his flag down because they only seem to make a decision when the ref, from 20 - 30 yards away tell them what they were supposed to have seen. WE surrounded him, and the ref came over, followed by the lino signalling offside, to great cheers from the Rams fans, only for Barnsley players to start yelling at him, and then he flagged for a goal. How can he change his mind 3 times? And how can the ref over-rule him from 20 yards behind the play? Apparently it all hinged on whether or not the Barnsley player touched the ball on its way in. "No, I never touched it ref, honest". "No, really honest, ref" said the striker. So the ref said it must have been ok, only for the offside guy to be credited with the goal. So it was offside.
That rattled us, and our passing started to fall away, with the second goal only being a matter of time, But in between the goals were some murderous fouls by Barnsely, coupled with some less blatant shoves and pushes, with all of them going totally unpunished. One breakaway Knight was battered such that he was thrown about 3 or 4 feet up in the air. The t***, oh er sorry, the ref motioned the advantage, but the attack fizzled out, but not before Knight was clattered a second time. Nothing given, neither was play brought back because the advantage didn't work out, neither were either of the assaults given yellow cards. And so it went on. Sadly we let these events go to our heads. Maybe it was because for the second time in three matches there was an offside goal against us. 
And we let the match official's performance get to us. No surprise that they were awful, but we should be used to it by now, as its been going on for 4 years now. So when two Barnsley players took Wildsmith out after a corner, the ref gave them a throw, with nothing done about the goalkeeper getting mugged. Absolutely shameful. There were tons more examples, with many already mentioned in this thread.
What did make a difference was the way Barnsley challenged for everything, and pressed us constantly. They can play a bit, so why do they need to be so dirty? In the end our downfall was letting the thugging get to us, and the licence to do so being given them by the ref. We have toughened up considerably this season, but we were well short of what was required. 
Some of it was the pressing by Barnsley, but much of it was the fact that we kept playing a long ball game. We played them off the park at home only a few weeks ago, so why didn't we get the ball down and play it again? Warne was critical about our decision making, and that we weren't quick enough in our play, but it looked very much like Warne's preference of "get it out wide, or play it into the channels". And until Dobbin and Skillet came on, it was all we did. I thought we had learned our lesson about playing teams at their own game against Wycombe because we aren't Wycombe. Well My Warne, we aren't Barnsley either. We are Derby, so we ought to be playing like Derby, not Barnsley or Wycombe.
It's only one match, and we are till in touch with the top two, just about, but we have had three "only one match" events now, and that is quite enough. WE have thrown away a chance to close the gap on 2nd place, but we are no further away from it than we were at the start of play. Realistically we are going for the play-offs, which could quite conceivably be against Wycombe or Barnsley. If so, I hope a ref turns up, otherwise we are definitely screwed.
Come on Derby - we can do this!

Scarf and black and white beanie hat already packed and ready to travel south!

Dove Inn, Doncaster Road, just 10-15 mins walk to Oakwell. Good beer, home and away fans and very accommodating staff unless you step out of line of course.

Dove Inn, Doncaster Road, just 10-15 mins walk to Oakwell. Good beer, home and away fans and very accommodating staff unless you step out of line of course.

Let's deal with the pathetic Collymore song first. 

I wish mine was as big as his...instead of this bloody great thing.