ImARam2

I’ll be taking the last of the ewes who we managed to adopt orphan lambs onto, back up onto the tops….then just sitting up there looking at the view, thinking thank duck 2024s lambing’ is over, whilst trying to get a signal for updates from the matchday thread.

#physicallybatteredmenatallyshatteredbutunbroken
Flipping need some sleep….perhaps I’ll count the sheep.
Support UK farmers, and care were your food comes from, you to @Mostyn6
COYRs

I was in a bar on Majorca for that.  Bumped into a family of Rams from Spondon.  We rocked it!  🐏🍻🍾
Although my tears at full time were somewhat bitter sweet, as I looked on with pride, envy, and glorious sunshine on my back!

I was in Sri Lanka, on business, for the play-off final against West Bromwich Albion. I just couldn't get home and I went to virtually every hotel in Colombo to see if they were broadcasting the game and all they could show was either cricket or tennis!!
Both my daughters were at Wembley and they were texting me every 15 minutes which had me texting and telephoning them back which cost me a fortune.
My consolidation that day was it was one of the coldest and wettest May day in London and I was alongside a bar terrace overlooking the Indian Ocean.
Wherever we are all in the world today lets cheer on the Rams from afar as the team gets us over the line to the Championship.
COYR's

I was in Sri Lanka, on business, for the play-off final against West Bromwich Albion. I just couldn't get home and I went to virtually every hotel in Colombo to see if they were broadcasting the game and all they could show was either cricket or tennis!!
Both my daughters were at Wembley and they were texting me every 15 minutes which had me texting and telephoning them back which cost me a fortune.
My consolidation that day was it was one of the coldest and wettest May day in London and I was alongside a bar terrace overlooking the Indian Ocean.
Wherever we are all in the world today lets cheer on the Rams from afar as the team gets us over the line to the Championship.
COYR's

Post of the week...
Have a massive Thumbs up...
 

 
 
 
 
 

This is another example of why my love for the game becomes a little more tarnished.
I’m proud of the fact that I have become an old-fashioned bitter football fan and I have no idea of what is happening in the first division, nor do I have any idea on who is still in Europe.  I don’t even know what the format of the European competitions are nowadays, and I really don’t care.  It’s all predicated on greed for the biggest clubs and every rule appears to be geared towards maintaining an “elite”.
I looked at the England squad not so long ago, and it had a number of players who I had never heard of.
I love Derby County and not much more, to be honest.
I love the fact that in the lower divisions, there are probably 16 or so teams at the start of the season who think that, if things go well, this could be their year.  However, that gap is becoming wider and wider each year due to the top echelons being governed by greed.
The fact that so many teams are going so close to the wire and getting points deductions is down to fear of slipping off the gravy train therefore eye watering amounts of money creates eye watering amounts of greed.
For me, a top level footballer should earn a maximum of what a CEO or a doctor would earn.  Why should they be earning that sort of money a week?  And why shouldn’t they get another job after they have retired?
Anyway, the FA Cup used to be a flagship event that everyone used to watch.  Everyone who is around my age will have seen Coventry Vs Tottenham and can probably list a good number of players from each side that day - they were very special occasions.  Now, the competition is dying a death of a thousand cuts, where it’s now just an irritant to the big teams, who will inevitably win it.  I don’t even know who is the current holder, but I think it is monopolised by of a tiny handful of teams.
Anyway, apologies for my rant.

I was in Sri Lanka, on business, for the play-off final against West Bromwich Albion. I just couldn't get home and I went to virtually every hotel in Colombo to see if they were broadcasting the game and all they could show was either cricket or tennis!!
Both my daughters were at Wembley and they were texting me every 15 minutes which had me texting and telephoning them back which cost me a fortune.
My consolidation that day was it was one of the coldest and wettest May day in London and I was alongside a bar terrace overlooking the Indian Ocean.
Wherever we are all in the world today lets cheer on the Rams from afar as the team gets us over the line to the Championship.
COYR's

…are you for the last 2 games? I’ve been home & away for most of the season but had to reluctantly relinquish my tickets for Cambridge & Carlisle for the sunnier clime of Sri Lanka from where I’ll be watching tonight. Pre-match today I’m taking plenty of fluid on board and doing some light pool work just to keep myself loose. It’s my birthday tomorrow so hopefully the Rams will present me with 3 points just to make tomorrow sweeter. 
Where are you watching from if you’re not at the game? 🐏

I've already renewed my ST because no matter what division they may play in, and yes, I moan and have a go at the players from time-to-time, I've always supported my club - Derby County F.C.
Yes, I can afford to have a ST and I understand others cannot pay out such a sum, especially with other commitments and cost of living issues, however, it doesn't matter if you only go and watch 5 or 10 matches a season, you are still a Rams fan as far as I'm concerned and whatever support you give the club, it matters.
Championship or League 1 again, always support your club.
 

Bob the Badger - Do you really think I'm having a go at the likes of yourself, then you are mistaken.
I'm now in my 70's, having first stepped inside the Baseball Ground in 1962, as well as retaining my season ticket when I worked in the Middle East for 20+ years!! Oh yes, that was difficult getting back to Derby and I missed many games.
You know as well as I do, there are so called "fans" who try to convince you that they've "never missed a game", but be unable to name a player; manager or any outstanding games which we could all recall instantly.
Look at the scramble and arguments which arose when we last played at Wembley and "fans" were trying to get tickets for the play-off game. You mark my words, if we end up in the Wembley play-off final again, then it'll be exactly the same arguments.

If "fans" wanted a ticket for the last match of the season, why didn't they buy them 4 weeks ago when there were a sufficient number still  available? 
Are these "fans" touts or just "sunshine supporters"?
To all the fans now wanting tickets, here's a message, either buy a season ticket and you'll never miss a game, or a Wembley ticket, or you choose your game well in advance and purchase a ticket when they come online.

We also won a Division 1 title with one of the lowest ever points total (2 points for win), and did you moan that season that the league was dreadful?

We also won a Division 1 title with one of the lowest ever points total (2 points for win), and did you moan that season that the league was dreadful?

If "fans" wanted a ticket for the last match of the season, why didn't they buy them 4 weeks ago when there were a sufficient number still  available? 
Are these "fans" touts or just "sunshine supporters"?
To all the fans now wanting tickets, here's a message, either buy a season ticket and you'll never miss a game, or a Wembley ticket, or you choose your game well in advance and purchase a ticket when they come online.

We also won a Division 1 title with one of the lowest ever points total (2 points for win), and did you moan that season that the league was dreadful?

Mental innit?. A few more kicks might decide whether we're playing Everton next season, or Mansfield friggin' Town 😭

That is a great point and something the more tedious Warne critics often seem to forget: there is another team playing too!
I suppose if you go into the season thinking "we are the famous Derby County, we'll just brush these insignificant little minnows away" then you are probably going to disappointed when you don't win every game 6-0 looking like Brazil in the 70s.
At the same time though, teams have often come to Pride Park and looked to keep it very tight. They did the same once we became good under Steve Mac 1, which is why we never looked quite as amazing under him as when he first joined. As teams set up to frustrate us, our passing style suffered and we really could have done with options to get it wide and crossed into the box in the air.
We became a better team this season away from home, where our style was more suited to teams coming onto us more. We've rarely ever/never been so good away from home, but less people see these games live. We've struggled a bit more away recently, as even the home teams have set up to frustrate us too. The Stevenage nadir was probably because it was Stevenage, maybe the worst team for us to play away to for the way we setup.
Even on Saturday, we raced into a 2 goal lead, never looked in any trouble at all, yet people are genuinely concerned we didn't score from open play! Should we have thrown men recklessly forward, risking a counter attack, but hoping one of those extra players could have converted at least on of the many crosses flashed across the goal? I guess Saturday doesn't really count though, as it was "only" Leighton Orient, "the sort of team we should be beating". Even though they have taken points off our promotion rivals when we've beaten them twice.
As other posters have said, it's a shame that some posters seem to have taken so little joy from what could be our first promotion in nearly 20 years. I don't know where this purity in football took hold. After what we've been thru, you'd think people would be even more thankful for potential success.
I don't remember any of it when we went up with Billy. It's like West Ham fans who want Moyes gone...these are glory years for West Ham. They won a European Trophy last year and have barely got close to winning anything in decades.
Anyway, big thanks to Warne and his team for getting us this close.
 

Incredible really, here we are on the cusp of bagging promotion with club record points and still there are "Fans" who are more interested in agitating for a change in manager. I think Lionel had the right idea some years ago telling such people what they could do. Take a trip down the A52 if I recall. Top chap Lionel and we all owe a debt to him. I remember when he appointed Jim Smith and many also moaned.
Fingers crossed for crossing the line and I'm hoping Warne will do a good job developing the squad and establishing us as a middle third upwardly looking championship team next season, which is what he has been given the target to do by the board.
I'm very thankful we have an astute owner, who is putting the club on a stable footing, and not sacking managers all the time.

Hello again,
I had a great afternoon yesterday at Pride Park, obviously helped by the outcome. Absolutely brilliant support, underlined by the fact that a Premier League fixture down the road had a lower attendance, even with the decent following that the West Midlands sent over. Decent noise throughout the game too, Pride Park seems to work well with the crowd sound and atmosphere - some of the new stadiums get this wrong. I don't think anybody has managed to emulate atmosphere from the old stadiums that were touched by the hand of Archibald Leitch but Pride Park certainly has most of it and, of course, the people component. 
As for the game, it seemed to me that there looked to be a division between the two sides. I felt that the club, city and fan base seemed to be out of place at L1 level. 
Back soon.

Interesting comments from Richie Wellens
 

I've already renewed my ST because no matter what division they may play in, and yes, I moan and have a go at the players from time-to-time, I've always supported my club - Derby County F.C.
Yes, I can afford to have a ST and I understand others cannot pay out such a sum, especially with other commitments and cost of living issues, however, it doesn't matter if you only go and watch 5 or 10 matches a season, you are still a Rams fan as far as I'm concerned and whatever support you give the club, it matters.
Championship or League 1 again, always support your club.
 

I've already renewed my ST because no matter what division they may play in, and yes, I moan and have a go at the players from time-to-time, I've always supported my club - Derby County F.C.
Yes, I can afford to have a ST and I understand others cannot pay out such a sum, especially with other commitments and cost of living issues, however, it doesn't matter if you only go and watch 5 or 10 matches a season, you are still a Rams fan as far as I'm concerned and whatever support you give the club, it matters.
Championship or League 1 again, always support your club.
 

I've already renewed my ST because no matter what division they may play in, and yes, I moan and have a go at the players from time-to-time, I've always supported my club - Derby County F.C.
Yes, I can afford to have a ST and I understand others cannot pay out such a sum, especially with other commitments and cost of living issues, however, it doesn't matter if you only go and watch 5 or 10 matches a season, you are still a Rams fan as far as I'm concerned and whatever support you give the club, it matters.
Championship or League 1 again, always support your club.
 

I've already renewed my ST because no matter what division they may play in, and yes, I moan and have a go at the players from time-to-time, I've always supported my club - Derby County F.C.
Yes, I can afford to have a ST and I understand others cannot pay out such a sum, especially with other commitments and cost of living issues, however, it doesn't matter if you only go and watch 5 or 10 matches a season, you are still a Rams fan as far as I'm concerned and whatever support you give the club, it matters.
Championship or League 1 again, always support your club.
 

I've already renewed my ST because no matter what division they may play in, and yes, I moan and have a go at the players from time-to-time, I've always supported my club - Derby County F.C.
Yes, I can afford to have a ST and I understand others cannot pay out such a sum, especially with other commitments and cost of living issues, however, it doesn't matter if you only go and watch 5 or 10 matches a season, you are still a Rams fan as far as I'm concerned and whatever support you give the club, it matters.
Championship or League 1 again, always support your club.