r4derby

Have your barber and BigTrav ever been seen in the same room?! Club are hinting at a new contract for Nat on Twitter 
 

That’s my barber! He’s mates with Thompson and a couple of other players, so could be something in it!

That’s my barber! He’s mates with Thompson and a couple of other players, so could be something in it!

Let's win the damn thing. Hopefully last chance we ever get.

I’m just not sure anyone can say that yet though, we’ve not seen enough. I agree he was bought in due to his athleticism. This was fully displayed in his late game heroics when he set up NML a few matches ago. He's unlikely to play the CDM role alone, whereas in the current 442/4231 he would be an athletic upgrade as one of the 2 in the middle.
I'm not saying he is amazing, I’m saying I don’t know what he is. I don’t think any of us do

I’m just not sure anyone can say that yet though, we’ve not seen enough. I agree he was bought in due to his athleticism. This was fully displayed in his late game heroics when he set up NML a few matches ago. He's unlikely to play the CDM role alone, whereas in the current 442/4231 he would be an athletic upgrade as one of the 2 in the middle.
I'm not saying he is amazing, I’m saying I don’t know what he is. I don’t think any of us do

I’m just not sure anyone can say that yet though, we’ve not seen enough. I agree he was bought in due to his athleticism. This was fully displayed in his late game heroics when he set up NML a few matches ago. He's unlikely to play the CDM role alone, whereas in the current 442/4231 he would be an athletic upgrade as one of the 2 in the middle.
I'm not saying he is amazing, I’m saying I don’t know what he is. I don’t think any of us do

I’m just not sure anyone can say that yet though, we’ve not seen enough. I agree he was bought in due to his athleticism. This was fully displayed in his late game heroics when he set up NML a few matches ago. He's unlikely to play the CDM role alone, whereas in the current 442/4231 he would be an athletic upgrade as one of the 2 in the middle.
I'm not saying he is amazing, I’m saying I don’t know what he is. I don’t think any of us do

Fornah could well be the athletic midfielder we need, but I don’t think he’s been given enough time to settle into the side. It’s either a cameo off the bench or not in the 18 at all. He needs to be given a run of consecutive starts to really see how he adapts and develops.

I’m just not sure anyone can say that yet though, we’ve not seen enough. I agree he was bought in due to his athleticism. This was fully displayed in his late game heroics when he set up NML a few matches ago. He's unlikely to play the CDM role alone, whereas in the current 442/4231 he would be an athletic upgrade as one of the 2 in the middle.
I'm not saying he is amazing, I’m saying I don’t know what he is. I don’t think any of us do

Fornah could well be the athletic midfielder we need, but I don’t think he’s been given enough time to settle into the side. It’s either a cameo off the bench or not in the 18 at all. He needs to be given a run of consecutive starts to really see how he adapts and develops.

Fornah could well be the athletic midfielder we need, but I don’t think he’s been given enough time to settle into the side. It’s either a cameo off the bench or not in the 18 at all. He needs to be given a run of consecutive starts to really see how he adapts and develops.

I’m just not sure anyone can say that yet though, we’ve not seen enough. I agree he was bought in due to his athleticism. This was fully displayed in his late game heroics when he set up NML a few matches ago. He's unlikely to play the CDM role alone, whereas in the current 442/4231 he would be an athletic upgrade as one of the 2 in the middle.
I'm not saying he is amazing, I’m saying I don’t know what he is. I don’t think any of us do

I’m just not sure anyone can say that yet though, we’ve not seen enough. I agree he was bought in due to his athleticism. This was fully displayed in his late game heroics when he set up NML a few matches ago. He's unlikely to play the CDM role alone, whereas in the current 442/4231 he would be an athletic upgrade as one of the 2 in the middle.
I'm not saying he is amazing, I’m saying I don’t know what he is. I don’t think any of us do

Fornah could well be the athletic midfielder we need, but I don’t think he’s been given enough time to settle into the side. It’s either a cameo off the bench or not in the 18 at all. He needs to be given a run of consecutive starts to really see how he adapts and develops.

@GboroRam to be honest, loving and treating a little baby as your own for an amount of time is one of the biggest pleasures. That little boy will always be with me, same as the little one with us now.
@David you’re already doing enough, based on the way you’ve communicated. Taking those 2 on and treating them as a father figure is so essential. Not everyone can do that. Well done for all you and your partner have done and will continue to do. There may well be grief at the end of the placement, whenever that is and however it happens. Do I regret doing it though? Not one bit

Yeah, had that a few days ago when in a foster carer had their 50th placement. Well done them, but it’s no more important than the carer who’s had 1 placement for a longer period of time.

@GboroRam to be honest, loving and treating a little baby as your own for an amount of time is one of the biggest pleasures. That little boy will always be with me, same as the little one with us now.
@David you’re already doing enough, based on the way you’ve communicated. Taking those 2 on and treating them as a father figure is so essential. Not everyone can do that. Well done for all you and your partner have done and will continue to do. There may well be grief at the end of the placement, whenever that is and however it happens. Do I regret doing it though? Not one bit

We fostered two sisters. Oldest came to us aged about 6 months, and her sister was born a little after 6 months later. She came to us aged about 7 hours. 
Seeing them leave to their adoptive family broke my wife, and it was emotionally bad for me too. 
Babies are great, but I won't do it again. It was so painful. Those who can do it are a special breed, and I give you my full respect. 

Couldn’t imagine it. You go into it knowing they are not yours, yet you treat them like your own as that’s the least they deserve, 2 months in they already feel like ours with the bond we’ve made with them.
To hear the eldest say he doesn’t want me to go to work, recognising where I work, where they live, calling it home, my Jax is no their Jax.
And to think this could be either till they are 18 or temporary, it’s just something I’m trying not to think a great deal about and will face that day whatever comes our way.
To take a baby on, see them grow to taking their first steps then leave. Brutal. Feel for you guys.

I'm not sure about taking on an additional child, unless they are siblings of course.
All children come to you with trauma, subconscious trauma for younger ones. It's very easy for one child to take on the trauma of another..
Not aimed at you @GboroRamI always get cross when I see a foster carer celebrated for having 400 foster children, as if that's a great thing. I understand that some temporary care is essential, but celebrating the quantity of children coming in and out of a home is perverse to me. It should be the quality of care, the scale of the impact on people's lives. 

@David such a fascinating read. Thanks for sharing your thoughts (especially the frustrations)
My wife and I (and our 2 birth children) have fostered since the first lockdown. Some highs and some lows.
One from birth to 18 months. He was amazing, but then he was ours for a year and a half. The ending was best for him, as he’s now in his ‘forever home’. However, if I’m being honest, it was also one of the hardest situations I’ve been in. The grief is real. I grieved the son I had lost, even though he wasn’t technically mine. It’s lovely seeing pics of him now, happy and healthy.
We have another baby now. They’re doing equally well, but I can already feel myself attaching. It’s so tough, as you treat them like they’re yours. The meetings, forms and logs are all done by my wife (she’s the main carer, I’m a teacher) contact 3 times a week too! Right ball ache some weeks, especially the travel.
It’s tough, fostering. Some very stressful times. As @sage says, the adults are the trickiest part. But my heart has got a couple more names in it. I am father to 2 children, but really it’s more than that.

@David such a fascinating read. Thanks for sharing your thoughts (especially the frustrations)
My wife and I (and our 2 birth children) have fostered since the first lockdown. Some highs and some lows.
One from birth to 18 months. He was amazing, but then he was ours for a year and a half. The ending was best for him, as he’s now in his ‘forever home’. However, if I’m being honest, it was also one of the hardest situations I’ve been in. The grief is real. I grieved the son I had lost, even though he wasn’t technically mine. It’s lovely seeing pics of him now, happy and healthy.
We have another baby now. They’re doing equally well, but I can already feel myself attaching. It’s so tough, as you treat them like they’re yours. The meetings, forms and logs are all done by my wife (she’s the main carer, I’m a teacher) contact 3 times a week too! Right ball ache some weeks, especially the travel.
It’s tough, fostering. Some very stressful times. As @sage says, the adults are the trickiest part. But my heart has got a couple more names in it. I am father to 2 children, but really it’s more than that.

I mentioned a few weeks ago in another topic that we are currently looking after 2 young boys (2 and 3), they moved in with us back in October and currently under assessment for temporary kinship foster parent status.
It's tough. Knowing we have at least 2 foster parents on here, just wanted to unload really.
We stepped in, trying to help out in short notice, I think it was 3 weeks from hearing they need our help to moving in and they have been fantastic. Settled in so well, this side has been an amazing experience.
The other side, not so. 
Meetings in person, remotely, check ups, health visitors, assessments, training courses then on top of that being available for contact with their mum and her mum (their gran) wanting her slice of our time
Where is the time left to, you know, do fun things with the boys like they should be doing? With both of me and Leanne working, just not finding the hours in the day. We're about to go through Family Conference which is an agreement for scheduled contact visits. The boys mum is wanting twice a week!
It's honestly overwhelming and I can understand why there is a shortage of foster parents available in our local area at least. Even the paperwork with weekly diary, accident forms, medication forms. 
Yesterday I was emailed another batch of assessment meetings. 
With those they want to dig into my finances, family tree, personality, education, leisure activities, even interview our ex partners and send us for a medicals.
Pretty much every Tuesday into the new year for 2 months will be taken up by this one particular department.
As I say, then you have social services, health services, an independent reviewer all wanting to take any other free hours you get until we get to the final boss which is the fostering panel that has to approve us.
Doesn't stop then either as this is only temporary whilst social services consider court orders and possible SGO orders.
Don't get me wrong, I get they have to be careful, most kids entering the fostering system have not found themselves there without going through tough times. They need to check that they are placed in a suitable home. Just feels like the whole process could be streamlined with less people ticking the same boxes.
Take DBS checks for example, we had to have them before placement through social services, now Fostering team want to do them again, surely they are there on file that can be shared?
Not much point to this post really than to say life is hard right now, currently writing this whilst in a Microsoft Teams waiting room for this weeks remote meeting. I respect you all that have been through this process.

Derby have certainly gone on runs of good form in the late Autumn/early Winter in the past. It’s been noted by some managers successful of promotion in the past that a side need at least 2 good runs of form in a season to give themselves the best chance at going up. One is around the time we do it, the other run should be March onwards as the season starts to wrap up. That’s where our issues have been recently.
I’d like to think our good run currently can carry on into the new year, but it will be important that this team pick up form again in the Spring