Bigfella

#Bringbackblacksocks

We all know that the Queen is a Rams fan due to her insistence on opening Pride Park so it makes perfect sense to coincide the takeover with the start of the Jubilee Bank Holiday.
All is ok folks, the pimms and lemonade is on ice and the contracts are  ready to exchange. It's just a tactical delay. 

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.

I’d much rather a public apology from the EFL for their venal, self interested failure to run a fair competition. In addition For their complete and utter lack of  understanding of sportsmanship, ethics , even handed neutrality, integrity and common decency. 

With respect, @Big Travhas never given me the impression he knows the difference between his socks and his underpants. I would relax if I were you.
Indeed everyone, FFS, chill out. So much mis-information on this thread in the last few days. Just wait for Q to make their next report. There isnt anything you can do, and no amount of posting misinformation and supposition is going to help (particular those who seem on the edge regarding the current situation).

mask mandate - cases fall. relaxation of mask mandate - cases rise mask mandate - cases fall relaxation of mask mandate - cases rise I don't know about you, but I'm absolutely baffled why cases should be rising. Must be witchcraft or ley lines or something.

It's so utterly depressing - when you consider that the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons treaty was signed in 1968 and has been in force since 1970, the fact that the so-called superpowers have continued to stockpile and develop new nuclear weapons, despite having signed a treaty that was supposed to lead to complete disarmament. The Arms industry has won, and always will
The only true purpose of the treaty seems to have been to ensure that the US, UK, France, China and Russia get to have nuclear weapons and no other country is allowed to. Has that kept world peace? Maybe...until now
But I'd love someone from outside the Arms industry to explain to me why these 5 countries have (and more the point, need) something like 15,000 nuclear warheads between them. 50 years after they signed a disarmament treaty
Damn them all to hell!

 

Little bit funny. 

Arnie to the rescue!
 

I wrote an email for my list today that I thought some of you people may enjoy
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I’ve just read a quite remarkable and scary book called Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker a Professor of Neuroscience at UC Berkeley.

Everybody knows sleep is good for you and not enough can hinder all forms of mental and physical health, but I had no clue how crippling a lack of sleep can be.

Walker doesn’t stray into hearsay and on the occasions where there’s a correlation between poor sleep and poor health rather than causation he goes to great lengths to explain that.

Here are some of the urban myths and scientifically proven facts from the book that may make you sit up and take notice, especially if you have kids and want to safeguard their long-term health.

Myth # 1 - We need less sleep as we get older

Nope, it just seems that way because sleep function declines as we age.

Consequently, we presume struggling to get to sleep, or waking up earlier than we used to means we don’t need it.

We do.

We all need 7 to 8 hours.

Myth # 2 - Some people just don’t need much sleep

Ok, so this is somewhat of a volte-face from the last myth because there are some people who can get away with 6-hours and not see a negative impact on their mental and physical health.

How many?

About the same amount as those who get struck by lightning every year.

Myth # 3 -  Our metabolism slows down in middle age

It doesn’t.

There is no discernible drop off in the rate of metabolism before you get into your 60s’ and even then it's not a certainty.

However, things we normally associate with ageing and a slowing metabolism like weight gain, reduced memory function and higher blood pressure, can be directly attributed to a lack of quality sleep.

Myth # 4 - If I miss a couple of hours I may as well miss the entire night

A lack of sleep impacts us exponentially, not incrementally.

This means that only getting 5 hours of sleep isn’t a bit worse than 6 hours, it’s a lot worse.

And only getting 4 hours a ducking lot worse.

This is why the Guinness Book of World Records removed sleep deprivation records because they can cause long-lasting physical and psychological harm.

It’s also why very few countries (although the US is one) still use sleep deprivation tactics on prisoners.

Myth # 5 - You can catch up on sleep at the weekend.

It’s no good getting up after 6 hours of sleep all week and then bingeing at the weekend.

Your body cannot catch up on lost sleep and the negative effects are cumulative.

Myth # 6 - Sleeping tablets will help you sleep

Since they’re called sleeping tablets, they really should, right?

Alas, sleeping tablets don’t help you sleep.

They just sedate you in the same way as a lot of alcohol does with the same deleterious impact.

Speaking of which....

Myth # 7 - A few glasses of wine will help me sleep

Alcohol offers some benefits in terms of relaxing you for a very short period of time.

But it's all downhill after that.

Alcohol disrupts sleep because your body is working hard beating off what it sees as an invader (alcohol is a poison) at a time when it has more important things to do.

Alcohol raises your core temperature which promotes wakefulness as does the accompanying dehydration and needing to go to the bathroom.

It obliterates REM sleep (this is the reason why we remember so little after heavy drinking as that is when memories are formed) and sedates us rather than helps us sleep.

That's why nobody bounces out of bed after a skinful feeling fresh and rested.

Truth #1 - A lack of sleep can be worse than alcohol for driving

Ten times more people die in accidents attributable to tired drivers than through alcohol and drug-related deaths combined.

Going 16-hours without sleep and then driving is as dangerous as being legally drunk.

But, most accidents aren’t caused by people falling asleep at the wheel in the traditional sense.

They are caused by people being slower to react than normal and making poorer decisions because of fatigue.

Plus, there is something called microsleeps that may only last two seconds or less, are commonplace and indiscernible to the person having them.

A two-second microsleep doesn’t seem like a lot, but at 30 mph it can take you across four lanes of traffic before you snap out of it....or die.

Truth # 2 - Forget losing weight if you’re short on sleep

When you’re body is short of sleep it prefers to burn muscle and preserve fat because it’s dealing with an existential threat.

Also, a shortage of sleep suppresses the production of the hormone leptin, which tells you when you have eaten enough.

And for the trifecta of weight-losing crapiness, the prefrontal cortex (responsible for good decision making) is overridden by the hypothalamus which is insisting on two burgers, fries and a big duck off shake because it’s in survival mode.

Truth # 3 -  Kids shouldn’t be allowed to fall asleep watching TV

You shouldn’t put a child to bed after he or she has fallen asleep, but as they are doing so.

Otherwise, you can reduce their ability to self-nurture causing sleep difficulties later in life.

Truth # 4 -  Kids shouldn’t be made to get up too early

Kids have an advanced circadian rhythm of about 3 hours, meaning that they’re owls, not larks.

Put another way, asking a kid to get up at 7 am for school is like asking an adult to get up and go to work at 4 am every day.

And it’s not just a question of pushing through it, their ability to learn is SEVERELY hampered for the first half of the day.

Experiments by schools in the US showed huge jumps in grade point averages when they pushed the school start day back.

Even so, kids are still made to get up too early because it fits with parents' and bus company schedules and it’s just the way we have always done things.

Truth # 5 - Pulling an all-night to learn is counterproductive

After as little as 15 hours awake the brain's ability to learn falls off a very steep cliff and the ability to absorb information degrades rapidly.

Also, a good night's sleep before learning is wasted if you then have poor sleep the following nights because it takes the brain at least 3 nights of sleep to move that learning into long term memory.

Truth # 6  - Don’t get a flu vaccine if you’ve had a bad night's sleep

Having a flu vaccine (and I presume this is the case with Covid, but the book came out in 2018, so I'm guessing) when you are sleep deprived can reduce its efficacy by as much as 50%.

Insufficient sleep suppresses the immune cell response.

Truth # 7 A warm bath before bedtime really does help you sleep

Not just because it relaxes you, but also because blood rushes to the surface of your body causing your core body temperature to drop (the opposite of the aforementioned alcohol).

Which is exactly what’s needed to sleep well.

This is the reason why if you are too hot in bed at night you may well stick your feet out from under the duvet.

This causes your feet to cool so your body reacts by sending lovely warm blood there and dropping your core temperature.

Option D - Get in the ground early. Have a few drinks and a bite to eat. Get to your seat early and support the team.

Is that why the Administrator has gone underground?

Is that why the Administrator has gone underground?

Is that why the Administrator has gone underground?

Is that why the Administrator has gone underground?

Is that why the Administrator has gone underground?

Is that why the Administrator has gone underground?

Is that why the Administrator has gone underground?

He gets a lot of bad press but on the whole he wasn't the worst signing we've ever made by a long way. Yes he had games were whatever he tried just didn't come off but he never hid in games. He always showed the grit and determination that we need in our current predicament. 
I admire that quality in him to always put his head above the parapet. Quietly did a lot of work for local charity too apparently. Will always be welcome back at Pride Park for me. 

Is anyone else actively encouraged by the lack of noise, statements and chatter?

Presumably if the two clubs don’t take up MMs offer then he could indemnify the bidders against any costs resulting from the claims thereby removing the perceived risk to the new owners.

Presumably if the two clubs don’t take up MMs offer then he could indemnify the bidders against any costs resulting from the claims thereby removing the perceived risk to the new owners.

Well written Mel, who seemingly has three objectives about which we can only guess, of course.
The first is to expose authoritatively and in detail what he sees as the incompetence of the EFL in recent years, about which many Forum members have written and commentators complained. The context for the current dispute is too easily overlooked by outsiders. He has brought it to everyone's attention.
His second objective is to flush out the motives of MFC, WW and the EFL. If between them, they find ways to reject his offer - as some suspect is likely - they will bring the wrath of MPs etc down on themselves. Andrew Bridgen's rapid and positive response to Mel's offer is a breath of fresh air which indicates the tornado which will blow against these three parties if they stick to their pea-shooters.
HIs third objective will be (I hope, for his sake and DCFC's) to free the logjam which will remain if the EFL dismisses his offer. If he then reassures any potential bidders for DCFC that they can ignore any cost of litigation against DCFC, Q can then rapidly name a PB and finalise arrangements with all other creditors. If Mel had gone straight to his third objective by making this offer now - as some have suggested - he would have missed the opportunity to achieve his second objective.
We all make mistakes, and Mel has made some which are very expensive for himself and DCFC. But his intentions cannot be questioned. They are in marked contrast to those we suspect of the three parties, and I hope much of the venom against him is now withdrawn. More importantly, I hope that if he indemnifies the potential bidders, Q will now move quickly because they no longer have any rationale to keep schtum, leave us in the dark and allow the continued and damaging exit of our playing staff.
We sure do live in interesting times!
 

Genuine question here, in what way does he seem 'very close to the administrators' and in what way are the administrators 'pandering to Morris's wishes'?