Tamworthram

Market value of 6 million euros, even if remotely accurate, is way beyond our likely budget.

It’s a tough call. Is it better to keep Pompey in the fight (but at the same time strengthen Posh’s chances) thus making it a 5 horse race for two places or, would it be preferable to let Pompey go and make it 3 (or 4) for the remaining place? Luckily, it’s not as if it’s a decision we need to make or if we can influence results elsewhere. Whilst tomorrow’s results are important they won’t be decisive. Nobody will be either nailed on for promotion or ruled out regardless of how it looks at 5pm tomorrow.

Wow. There are a few contradictions and changes of mind in that short post. 😀

Interesting subject. Are you able to share any examples and are the environmental benefits of these projects anywhere near the environmental costs of Bitcoin? Do these projects only happen because of the existence of Bitcoin or could they, should someone have the inclination, be delivered without Bitcoin? Genuine questions.

I'll drink to that. 😀 I know, the spelling isn't the same so the joke doesn't quite work but it's the best I can do.

I think the theory is that it doesn't have to be deliberate. If a defender crosses behind the attacker close enough that you accidentally clip his foot and causes him to trip over then it’s a foul.

I get that they will be confident, as should we be but, I reckon it sounds like an element of bravado if they're VERY confident. They will no doubt be feeling good after Tuesday but are they forgetting that they've only won one out of their last 6 away games? Hopefully you'll be able to go into work on Monday with a big smug smile on your face.

Unfortunately, I expect Bolton are feeling exactly the same (except for the COYR’ bit of course 😀). I suspect it will be calm and focused (as neither team will want to lose) but I’m not sure there will be many opportunities to be clinical for either side. Assuming there are no silly decisions by the officials (I wish), I think it will be a very tight game ending in either a draw or a win by a goal difference of only 1 to either side. Hopefully I’m wrong and we’ll see a repeat of the Barnsley at home score line all those months ago.

Actually, if you watch the highlights, I think you’ll find you are wrong. After the foul is awarded, he runs towards the ref as if he’s going to give a him a mouthful but very quickly checks himself and goes over to Hourihane. I think he realises that he needs to control himself in order to avoid a second booking. All the protests are by other players, he stays out of it.

Yes. I saw that suggestion earlier and gave it a like.

In theory yes but, in reality not necessarily so. You can’t just rule goals out or add goals in at the end of the game and thus alter the result. Nobody knows how the game would have panned out had Gayle’s goal not been given last night. Maybe we wouldn’t have let our concentration drop and concede. Maybe we’d kept the pressure up and scored by another means.

Stevenage win all day long please. Even if they win this and their other game in hand they'd still be 8 points behind us.

So, I was at the game and have now watched the highlights. A thoroughly entertaining game that I struggle to see how any Rams fans can’t have enjoyed. I’m not suggesting it’s a new dawn but I do wonder where some of the PW critics are this morning. We got lucky but, based on every measure (quality of football, chances created, shots, shots on target, possession, saves the respective goalkeepers had to make etc.) it’s difficult to understand how anyone could argue it wasn’t a fair result. Regarding the sending off, the first yellow seemed very harsh (I don’t think it was deliberate and there wasn’t much he could about it) and the second was absolutely a dive by Hourihane. Having said that, it’s debatable as to whether they should have had a player sent off for bringing down Gayle when he was through on goal. Perhaps it was only a yellow because Gayle still had a lot to do and there was another defender not too far away (but not between Gayle and the goal). Our first goal might have been ruled out if we had VAR and so may the penalty. Gayle definitely hand balled it. You could argue that the contact from the keeper came first (and may have caused the hand ball) but I’m not convinced. Having said all of that, there is no need to feel too sheepish (no pun intended) as I’m sure all of the other contenders have had their fair share of lucky breaks throughout the season. I don’t think NML had his best game, Adams was immense (yet again) and Barks had IMO one of his best games even though he didn’t score or provide an assist. Overall a good performance by everyone. Bradly could have prevented their goal but, that apart, he had another good game. Onto Saturday. It’s not quite a season defining game (and therefore not quite a must win game) but defeat would be quite damaging. COYR.

Absolutely. It may not quite even out (or at least we don’t think it does 😉) but we’re quite capable of performing the dark arts at times. The only thing I would say is that I suspect Hourihane went down easily in order to win a free kick in a dangerous area, not necessarily to get a player sent off. He may not have realised who the player was or remembered that he was already on a yellow card.

Your comment “but I can’t see how we could afford to sack a manager……..it would totally destroy our business plan” confused me. I thought you were implying we should have sacked him but our business plan wouldn’t allow it.

We don't need to have sacked him if you agree.

I'm not so sure. I reckon PW got it right when he said both teams will be trying to win but the most important thing is not to lose. I reckon Bolton will view it the same.

I only wish they could but how could they do it? They can't assume the keeper is faking it and they can't make them go off for treatment.

I agree but I imagine Posh thought they had it in the bag last year in the play offs, not long ago we only needed a draw in the last game at home against lowly Reading to reach the play offs but we managed to lose the game and didn't Forest mess it up from a winning position fairly recently? It doesn't matter what the bookies say, only a fool would celebrate until it's certain and only a bigger fool would brag.

“We don’t know the destination” doesn’t mean it’s all down to fate. It means we don’t know, at this moment in time, where we’re going to finish simply because none of us do. “Down to fate” means it’s out of your control. Has he said that? ”We’re going to fail together” doesn’t mean he is abdicating responsibility and isn’t prepared to carry the can. It means it’s a joint responsibility which it would be. Same as you wouldn’t expect him to take sole credit if we did get promoted.

Your first sentence is of course stating the obvious as is the statement that the period since administration becomes irrelevant once the personnel is settled. But, given we’ve been restricted in whom we can sign and some of the current squad aren’t PW’s signings (I’m not blaming LR by the way. I think he did an excellent job building a team with limited resources and within an even more limited time period), I’m not sure you can really say the “personnel is settled”. Unless of course you are only referring to the management team in which case, the period since administration (and any subsequent restrictive business plan) is very relevant. Regarding your final paragraph, I’m not sure anyone is suggesting DC’s four year plan is the reason we didn’t get promoted this season (assuming we don’t). Just some of us may be suggesting his being a realist. Regarding this year, well nothing is guaranteed yet but I would suggest we are probably looking reasonably good for a top 4 finish. Assuming we achieve that, I guess you wouldn’t be calling for PW’s head then given he would have achieved within the range of your expectations?

Because, as you say, Man United are one of the biggest names in world football (and have had a bit of a change in ownership) and Derby are the only other team of any consequence that has had a change in ownership recently.😀

Didn't work in some cases though did it? 😀 Seriously though, of course we all want to get out of this division as soon as possible but maybe DC is a pragmatist and realises that promotion last season would have been outstanding, promotion in season two is a realistic hope (although we're still under the restrictions of the business plan we had to get agreed etc.), promotion by the end of season three (at the latest) is the expectation. That's where my thinking is. The only things that may have brought forward a possible parting of the ways (sacking or "by mutual consent") IMO is if we'd been way off the pace and not close to being contenders in years 1 or 2.

They can but it would mean them winning all of their remaining games including v Wigan. Which would mean Wigan can't overtake us. So, it's as you were. 😀 The reality is that, taking into account the fact that teams have to play each other and therefore you can't just do the maths to see which teams could still catch us in order to work out our lowest possible position, it's far too complicated. I haven't got the time, energy or brain power to work out all of the possible scenarios but I'd guess we can't finish below something like 11th - possibly even higher.