eccles the ram

For what its worth my take on this is that Mel was always going to leave submitting the accounts until 18th. It could be because initially he wanted to ensure we were still going to play in the Championship this season.I suspect though there is something in the accounts that both parties aren't willing to back down on!  I expect that if the EFL cannot find anything wrong when they are re-submitted (I am sceptical about this) then they are not going to make a decision until after the transfer window closes, thus hoping we will have to go with the players we have and then possibly relegation. Mel & Pearce unfortunately are losing many DCFC fans by the lack of communication. This week is possibly one of the most pivitol weeks in DCFC's recent history. I hope for the best (and I am a positive chap) but I feel we will not be increasing our squad until January next year (as long as Mel can supply the EFL with evidence he can continue running the club financially until the end of the season).
 
 
 
 

For what its worth my take on this is that Mel was always going to leave submitting the accounts until 18th. It could be because initially he wanted to ensure we were still going to play in the Championship this season.I suspect though there is something in the accounts that both parties aren't willing to back down on!  I expect that if the EFL cannot find anything wrong when they are re-submitted (I am sceptical about this) then they are not going to make a decision until after the transfer window closes, thus hoping we will have to go with the players we have and then possibly relegation. Mel & Pearce unfortunately are losing many DCFC fans by the lack of communication. This week is possibly one of the most pivitol weeks in DCFC's recent history. I hope for the best (and I am a positive chap) but I feel we will not be increasing our squad until January next year (as long as Mel can supply the EFL with evidence he can continue running the club financially until the end of the season).
 
 
 
 

For what its worth my take on this is that Mel was always going to leave submitting the accounts until 18th. It could be because initially he wanted to ensure we were still going to play in the Championship this season.I suspect though there is something in the accounts that both parties aren't willing to back down on!  I expect that if the EFL cannot find anything wrong when they are re-submitted (I am sceptical about this) then they are not going to make a decision until after the transfer window closes, thus hoping we will have to go with the players we have and then possibly relegation. Mel & Pearce unfortunately are losing many DCFC fans by the lack of communication. This week is possibly one of the most pivitol weeks in DCFC's recent history. I hope for the best (and I am a positive chap) but I feel we will not be increasing our squad until January next year (as long as Mel can supply the EFL with evidence he can continue running the club financially until the end of the season).
 
 
 
 

Hi, First time poster but long time reader. Lived in Tamworth & surrounding villages all my life & used to get taken to Villa Park by my grandad. Then a school friends older brother took us to the Baseball Ground in the late 70's for a midweek game under lights & it was no contest. Was a Popsider & now East Lower from that day forward.

Good stuff @therams69. We appreciate the work your good self and others have done to get the atmosphere going. It was palpable the impact it had on the players versus Salford; the young players who have less experience of the crowd all mentioned post-match how brilliant the support was - and it doesn’t have to be a bi g crowd either. Keep going! Keep doing the big flag! We all see it and it does inspire us and though you may not get thanks overtly every week. “Football is nothing without the fans” - COVID has underlined that. The Team need us to really get behind them throughput the season and there will be times when this will be hard but South Stand have set the bar high now so let’s keep it going! Thanks and COYR! 

Born in Lichfield and couldn't stand Villa like everyone else in Lichfield. My dad took me to Derby to get me to a family friendly club away from swearing brummie yobs!
Now living down in Borehamwood so if any other Rams fans are down here, let me know.

I cant wait for peterboro game first away game of the season I am going rest up tomorrow try get my pain under control for a bit yes i will help my mum around the house for a bit but rest of the afternoon i am going to watch a film and just chill out.

I think I've found my new "All time favourite thread"!
What an absolutely cracking read this has been.  Truly fascinating in part, and most certainly humbling.
A few smiles, the odd guffaw, and even the odd threat of a tear, and a lump to my throat!
It brings it all home, at just how fantastically fanatical some of you have been, still are, and no doubt will always remain. 
It is oh so very easy to take things for granted when, like me, you:
A/  Were born in Derby.
B/  Have never lived any further than 3 or 4 miles from the home of DCFC (BBG or PPS).
C/  Have no family ties that could possibly have steered you away from The Rams.
D/  Attended your Junior school days with you local team at the top of the pile.
E/  Entered your teens as once again, your local team became Numero Uno for the second time.
F/  Made your match-going debut on the very day the sun came out, and your local team were handed the shiniest, biggest, most beautiful trophy these 58 year old eyes have ever seen!
With an upbringing and timing like that, I couldn't be anything other than a Ram!  In fact, it would be embarrassing had I taken my football allegiances anywhere else! 
It was all right here, on my doorstep.  A thrupenny bit bus ride away then, a 30 min stroll away nowadays.  So easy, so unremarkable.  So taken for granted.
 
But I take my hat off to each and every one of you who has filled my most recent hour or so with entertainment, enjoyment, and most of all, with awe!  Full fans, in the truest sense!
Thankyou.  And a massive UTR to you all.
?
 

Greetings from "Across the pond" in Detroit. It took me while to gather my thoughts on this topic and commit to posting them.  
My Derby fandom arrived much later in life, at 45 years of age.   I grew up in Detroit and have always supported Detroit sports teams, as well as Michigan State and Notre Dame University.  I grew up playing soccer, as did my father, who emigrated from Croatia, as well as two of my three boys.  My middle son and I started following the club in the 2013-14 season. We were interested in finding an English team to follow and knowing Andy Appleby as a fellow metro-Detroiter we started to follow Derby, originally only through the team's twitter feed and the occasional broadcast on BEIN network.  We watched them through the playoff victory against Brighton, then the calamity against QPR.  
An additional Detroit-Derby link is through Roger Faulkner, a Derby supporter who was one of the co-owners of Detroit's 1970s NASL team, the Express.  
As we are acclimated to unfortunate twists of fate with our Detroit-area teams,(ie the Detroit Lions NFL team)  the playoff final defeat cemented our support of Derby County.  In the years since, we are charter subscribers of RamsTV  and are now able to follow a number of games on ESPN Plus.  I also follow this forum on a daily basis and do admire the folks who frequent this Board, such as B4 and David.  Your deep, heartfelt support of the club, usually with a healthy dose of humor, is a joy to peruse through these cyber-pages.   
Other random observations from the Motor City:
 - Whether my son and I ever get to Pride Park remains to be seen, it is definitely on our bucket list.  If any forum goers are in the neighborhood, I would be delighted to treat you a Detroit City FC soccer game.  They are our local team and have a game atmosphere that supporters such as yourselves can appreciate. 
- While Mel Morris has his detractors these days, in my view he was spot-on with regard to EFL television rights. They are tremendously undervalued.  The Championship is the most entertaining overseas league to watch, in my view.  The Premier League top clubs are usually the in the same group of 4-6.  The Bundesliga, La Liga, League 1 and Serie A are all dominated by super clubs, with the remaining teams just trying to stay up. What fun is that? The Championship season is a rock-fight every year. Evenly matched teams with historic rivalries.  A crabs-in-the-bucket attempted escape through either the untold fortunes of promotion or the richest game in football.  Conversely,  the trap door of relegation immerses a club in financial quicksand, without parachute payments to assist out of the morass.  
-  In a way, the reduced expectations of this year may make for a more enjoyable season than chasing promotion.  If the club average one point a game, they will be in a position to stay up at the end, which is the goal of this year.  In any other recent season a home draw to Huddersfield would be met with concern from Derby supporters. This year, it feels like a win. 
- Thank you for your contributions to the forum, which I have enjoyed reading through the years. I hope to meet up with some of your some day either at Pride Park or the next time Derby launch a summer tour of the US. 
- COYR
 
 

We’ve all seen @David’s apology, in my humble opinion do not take it on your shoulders. I have put my own thoughts in that topic but just wanted to show the appreciation for him by dedicating a topic to him. 

Top bloke who I believe always acts in the best interest of the forum  keep your chest pushed out and your head held high. With no David there would be no forum and for that alone I am grateful.
This should probably be in another thread but I’m guessing this is the most popular and where it will get the most views. 
 
Thanks for all you have done and continue to do. ??
Olly

Hahaha hahahahahahahahaha don't stop me hahahahahahahahaha please do not stop me hahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahaha.  Best bit of news all weekend.

Hahaha hahahahahahahahaha don't stop me hahahahahahahahaha please do not stop me hahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahaha.  Best bit of news all weekend.

Summer always sees lower crowds - its peak holiday time and many will be away especially those like us ahead of both sets of exam results unusually next week, some will be committed to playing cricket for a couple of weeks yet (how dare half fans do something with their time) and surely this year the pingdemic/covid cases/caution will affect numbers a little or a lot. Also unfortunately some will just have got into the habit of doing something else they enjoy more on a Saturday.  Many also cant afford it each week especially if wanting to attend with kids. It is a very expensive day.
However, some of you please stop the superiority if you are lucky enough to be able to go each week. And yes I mean lucky. Many cant do that ever or at certain times of their lives. Doesnt mean "these plastic half fans" dont refresh their phone every 2 seconds waiting for news, get butterflies leading up to the game, feel jittery for every second of every game and be depressed/grumpy when we lose.  season tickets wont work for us this year but we will be there whenever we can home and away and we are not less fans because of it

Great post …. There’s going to be a reasonable crowd for the first time in a long while. We need to make the RIGHT type of noise .. forget the protests, forget the in fighting. We are all in this, every cheer counts.
We talk casually about “academy lads” .. Some of them have been playing 1st team football for a year now - in a echoing mausoleum - Meanwhile they have got stronger, growing, learning, they know what a fight is. Now; the first for many of them … they are going to have 20,000 fans on their side. Lets show them what we sound like and what it feels to have a stadium urging them Forward …. Let’s lift them to the ceiling, Let’s do this ! ????????????

Has Messi signed yet?

at last some good and positive news

I remember when Jim Smith took over Derby, the fans were not positive then either.
Maybe this season will be a reset. Wage bill down and if the fans stick with us we may find that this time next season we will be on a more sound financial footing.
Who knows, along the way we may even enjoy watching some of our own youngsters progress through the ranks.
By a club of this stature, do you mean one that has been in The Championship for the last 13 years and, as it stands, is still in The Championship and on the same amount of points as every other team in the division?
I remember in the infamous 11 point season how our fans won admiration for being the 12th man, maybe it is time that we stepped up to the plate again rather than sitting here crying like spoilt little babies who cant get what we want.
After 17 months without being a match, I cannot wait to be back in Pride Park on Saturday getting behind whichever players pull on a Rams shirt. Unfortunately, I think there are plenty who have missed an opportunity to vent their anger who are equally excited.

Quick update: I have just left the meeting which is still ongoing otherwise I would miss the last train.
A decision was made not to release minutes for this meeting in the end, but I am free to get a write up out to you all as soon as I can. 
I do not have a laptop with me and would prefer to wait until tomorrow once I’m home and can go through all the notes.
I will aim to have it ready to post on the forum tomorrow.
Please do not bombard me with questions across the forum by mentioning me, PM, DM or text if you have my number.
I don’t want to be putting bits and pieces out there all over the place.

We really are in a perilous state and I’ll be very interested in @David’s write up. Many thanks for going, David, and you don’t deserve any of the abuse you’re apparently getting.
I love this club. I loved it before Mel and I’ll love it once he’s gone. Same with Rooney. As long as there’s still a club to support, I’ll support it. I think the same applies to all reasonable Rams fans. 

Born and bred in Perth Western Australia (1959), and have lived there all my life apart from a 3 year stint in Sydney during the mid 80's.
Started following Derby during the glory years of Brian Clough and was a huge fan of Charlie George and Frannie Lee. Have remained a fan ever since.
Only ever attended one game with my wife and that was against QPR away on a wet cold night with Shaun Barker scoring our equalizer.
We both still speak very fondly of the total football experience of going to and from the game on the train and chatting with so many people on the way to the ground and then to the same people on the way home.
COYR

I was born in Hull in 1970 and lived in Cottingham, just outside Hull and cried on my 13th birthday when the family moved to Aberdeen because of my dad's new job in 1983.
I was brought up watching Hull City at Boothferry Park and watching Hull Kingston Rovers at Craven Park. My dad still cheers on for the Tigers and the Robins and the rest of the family all have a soft spot for both teams. Watching Hull City as a very young boy actually prepared me for being a Derby County fan, because incredibly they were worse than us in the late 70's, and 80's etc when supporting Derby made us stronger for the current times.
I picked Derby County out of the paper with my eyes closed, when my older brother persuaded me not to support Liverpool who I'd just got into, I remember my Grandad Chick had given me a black and white photo of the Liverpool team, and I enjoyed watching them play, when I stayed up late on a Saturday night watching Match of The Day and awaiting my parents to come home from The National pub in Hull, usually with food from the Chinese Take Away for everyone's supper, so yeah I was encouraged by my big brother to avoid supporting the so called big teams being supported by others, at school at the time, mainly Man Utd, Liverpool and a lot of Leeds Utd, around Hull at the time, so around 1976, I blindfolded picked out Derby County, and I've followed probably more downs than ups ever since, unfortunately with the blind fold off!
My older brother is a Chelsea fan and my younger brother is a Wolves fan and we all love our football.
A few Aberdeenshire Rams, well mainly 1 in @2tupspost on here, I think @Ramadonna9 reads now and again, as does @Rampianand @campavanram and @Elgin_Ram is in the Clan, and @CWC1983probably remembers me from the Westhill Inn, when I grew up in Westhill, Abedeenshire. Their are Rams fans up here in Stonehaven, nearby in Montrose, in Fraserborogh, in Elgin etc and we have many others up here in Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh etc.
I now stay out in Inverurie and I take my two boys to watch Derby County when I can, well the eldest one has been inside Pride Park, the youngest one only outside Pride Park, but both who at the moment have opted to support Liverpool, and the eldest went to Wembley with me to the Aston Villa game, well I still have plenty of time on my hands, hopefully, for my two boys to see sence!
I hate to read on here when Derby fans are falling out with one another and calling one another names, and I hate to read on here when Derby fans are calling their own players, managers, coaches, staff etc all sorts of names also. Get behind them, not against them.
Hope Not Hate.
D.C.F.C. Love, Life & Unity.
The Day I Die.......I'm still D.C.F.C......forever and beyond.
 
 

Whatever happens before Saturday, signings or no signings, the fans have a big part to play to create a good atmosphere before, during and after the game. 
 
No boooooooooing, get behind whatever team starts and finishes. 
 
Please, please, please just support the team. 

Born in Scunthorpe but lived in Derby for 10 years in the 80/90's, went to my first game on my own at 13 just to see what it was like and was hooked ever since.

Moved back to North Lincolnshire in mid 90's and live between there and Los Angeles, where I work. My brother still lives in Allestree & pre-covid I used to get to about 8-10 home games a year.

Sorry to hear you’ve been unwell ma’am. ?

Hi I’m new first time I’ve been on here I live in the Portsmouth area and have been supporting the rams for about 50 years don’t get to many live games but never miss a live TV game or if they are in the area there ars quite a few ram fans around the area and people who I know always take an interest in the ram . One of my customers knows mason mount and they got me a signed shirt from him .