Old Spalding Ram

I wanted to start this thread to formally apologise to Wayne Rooney. I have been one of those who has criticised Rooney heavily and wanted him gone before all this mess came out, mainly during the horrible winless run last season. I now hold my hands up and admit I was wrong and badly so. Over the past few months, and particularly so during the last week, I am increadibly proud to have this man as manager of DCFC, even more so after today's press conference and that the dire state of the club is now revealed to us all. I now honestly think there is no better man to lead us through these dire times brought on by the IDIOT Mel. 
Once again, my apologies to Wayne, and thank you for staying on during this mess. Thanks for your honesty towards the fans. Thanks for your commitment. You made me proud to be a DCFC fan today. 
 
If you were a Rooney "out-er" and now wish to atone for your sins, let it all out!
 
COYR!
 

Eddie Thomas, Gordon Hughes , Reg Mathews, Everton league cup, Clough, Taylor, 5-0 win over Tottenham, Watney Cup final v Man Utd with Law Best and Charlton, 12-0 Finn Harps, Juventus, Hector Hinton O’Hare, McFarland Todd Mackay, Champions of England, Eusebio, Benfica, Rioch George Lee, Real Madrid, champions again and the old Baseball Ground.
Why do you love Derby County?
 
memories mate……………..it’s all about the memories!

Just listened to the interview - thanks @RoyMac5 for the link. 
Have to say it got me a bit emotional which surprised me. Rooney's comments, attitude, support, empathy and God knows how many other superlatives was nothing short of outstanding. 
100% cleared up questions around communication with Mel confirming Mel's ignored him since early August - utterly shameful behaviour. 100% cleared up questions about Mel's total lack of care, simply repeating his cold, insincere radio speech to staff and players whose livelihoods he's put at real risk  100% cleared up the questions of whether he's personally funded some things - he has, so the players and staff have what they need to progress. 100% cleared up questions around what he thought of Mel - and as direct as he still was, he was clearly being diplomatic. 100% cleared up his commitment to this club, the players, the staff and us fans.  We've had other threads opining views on Rooney but in my honest opinion, this bloke is already a legend just for sticking by us and for doing what he's done with the team despite everything going on.  He seriously could afford to walk away, but for the council estate lad who fought for everything he has, he simply won't unlike our esteemed previous owner.  Credit too the players who could so easily capitulate.  And credit tot to LR & Co who resolutely stand by Rooney. 
What I do get out of this, and the Administrator's press conference, is that there is a huge belief in this club, regardless of whether we remain in the Championship, or, more likely L1 and that mid to long term we will come again better, fitter and stronger.  
I have honestly been doom and gloom this past few days, but today, there's a ray of light for me, that those in the wings might, just might genuinely want to see us good, and not simply cash in and see us fade ingloriously away.  

Eddie Thomas, Gordon Hughes , Reg Mathews, Everton league cup, Clough, Taylor, 5-0 win over Tottenham, Watney Cup final v Man Utd with Law Best and Charlton, 12-0 Finn Harps, Juventus, Hector Hinton O’Hare, McFarland Todd Mackay, Champions of England, Eusebio, Benfica, Rioch George Lee, Real Madrid, champions again and the old Baseball Ground.
Why do you love Derby County?
 
memories mate……………..it’s all about the memories!

Eddie Thomas, Gordon Hughes , Reg Mathews, Everton league cup, Clough, Taylor, 5-0 win over Tottenham, Watney Cup final v Man Utd with Law Best and Charlton, 12-0 Finn Harps, Juventus, Hector Hinton O’Hare, McFarland Todd Mackay, Champions of England, Eusebio, Benfica, Rioch George Lee, Real Madrid, champions again and the old Baseball Ground.
Why do you love Derby County?
 
memories mate……………..it’s all about the memories!

5 tickets bought for me and Kinder Jnr  and my brother and his 2 kids. Can’t bloody wait.
Wonder if I can park in Mel’s spot.

Are they selling tickets for the directors box?

It was yesterday,  costs a quid.

An interview with me will be on Radio Derby between 6 and 7 this evening. I'm not going to go into the gift a ticket idea, just going to encourage people to go and bring others 

Reading site has tickets for sale from 10am this morning at £24 for adults.
The club is at its lowest ebb I’ve known, and that’s from 1964, but, I’ll be there on the 29th!?

Reading site has tickets for sale from 10am this morning at £24 for adults.
The club is at its lowest ebb I’ve known, and that’s from 1964, but, I’ll be there on the 29th!?

Im there 
taking my 6 yo daughter to her first Derby game.
she doesnt like football and will probably get bored after 5 mins walking from chad but i told her daddy and grandads team are in big trouble and we need to go and cheer them on to make them play better 
shes a bit of monkey and said am i allowed to be naughty and shout.. and when i said as loud as u possibly can her face lit up and said can we go now daddy 
iv never been so proud of my little girl ?

Highest EFL attendance this season is Sunderlands opening day gate of 31,549 against Wigan.
 
Wednesday night, Reading, 700 away fans, 31,550 required…………………..no problem!?

Reading site has tickets for sale from 10am this morning at £24 for adults.
The club is at its lowest ebb I’ve known, and that’s from 1964, but, I’ll be there on the 29th!?

On the KM podcast he (KM) mentions he’s spoken to people who are in the process of selling businesses to Mel Morris!!!
This isn’t can’t pay anymore, this is won’t pay anymore and he’s prepared to put the club at risk because he won’t stand behind HIS gambles. 
 
I’ve reflected more on that interview and in my initial comments i went easy on him. He had the audacity to say this course of action is the best most positive way forward for the club to get a buyer and move forward. It’s unbelievable he said that!! 
 
The more I think about it I realise what a dire position HE has put us in BY CHOICE and the angrier and angrier I feel.

Sent an email to Radio Derby for tonight's talk in about generating more interest for the Reading game and asking whether RD and the Telegraph can put it out there. Hope it is read out but with my luck it won't! Still I tried! UTR

I can’t come over,  but will be getting  my son and his mate a ticket and would also like putting on the list to buy a ticket for someone please @sage
(when do they come out, I checked this morning and they aren’t for sale yet?) 
I am coming over for the WBA and Stoke games at Christmas…if we still have a club by then 

One of the great nights at the Baseball Ground……………in Division 3
 
“It’s a penalty, I do not believe it,  the referees given a penalty”
GOAL,GOAL,GOAL
 
 
 

Reading site has tickets for sale from 10am this morning at £24 for adults.
The club is at its lowest ebb I’ve known, and that’s from 1964, but, I’ll be there on the 29th!?

He has zero to do with the issues we now find ourselves in, but he has acted with utter class.
He's had no money and is playing a number of players he knows aren't good enough (at least at the moment) without a word of complaint publicly.
He's just got on with his job and tried to get this team playing decent football with one hand tied behind his back, wearing lead boots and being made to wear a balaclava the wrong way around.
And then he hears about going into administration on TV like the rest of us and rather than whining or walking out he gets on with his job.
I really like what I'm seeing, especially when you consider he's in his first year of management and the second youngest boss in the entire football league.
He should have control of this team if/when he has money to spend, or at the very least until the end of this season.
If he does walk or get pushed, I for one will be bitterly disappointed.

I started going to watch Derby properly in 1984 when we had just been relegated to the old Division 3 (League One in modern parlance)
In the light of current events,  I wanted to start a thread to offer some positivity around the very high likelihood of our relegation this season
I'm sure there is a high percentage of posters who weren't even born back then and have no idea what it was like to playing in tier 3, but I'm here to tell you that it was a fantastic experience
Derby fans came together like never before and relished the status of being a big fish in a small pond, the fallen giants - every other  team's cup final, the one they wanted to beat
Atmosphere on the Popside was better than ever, away games were brilliant adventures to new places 
Players grew in confidence week after week as the team started to coalesce, with the realisation that we had the beating of anyone in the division if we stuck together
Because at the end of the day - it doesn't actually matter what league you are in, you're watching a football game, and in that moment - the passion is just the same
So come on old timers - share your memories of those years 84-86 in Division 3 for the nippers
 

One of my best memories being a fan.

This is the most important thing we can do. Create some income to limit redundancies and player sales, make us attractive to purchasers and support the team.
If you haven't got a season ticket, buy a match ticket. 
If you have a got a season ticket , encourage a mate to come or if you can afford it, gift a ticket to a mate. 
Encourage friends and family to come. 
If you can afford it and know someone who can't afford to go, gift them a ticket for this game.
If you live too far away and can afford it, gift a mate or family member from home,
If you are thinking of coming and have kids, bring them along.
Do whatever we can to fill the ground v Reading.
We've been let down but now it's our time, our time to stand up and save our club.
   

Yep. Completely miss the big story, then take it out on Rooney because the people you should be holding to account won't talk to you. Journalists are so scared of having their 'access' revoked that they end up failing to do any actual journalism. But what 'access' do they really have? They just get a free ticket to the match and all these meaningless press conferences. I wish someone had been actually holding the club to account over the last few months rather than cravenly going along with the 'nothing to see here' line.