DCFC1388

Very underwhelming but I’d rather have someone in than no-one. 

https://www.thestar.co.uk//sport/football/sheffield-wednesday/derby-county-register-interest-in-second-sheffield-wednesday-striker-clubs-in-talks-4498600
 

Lee Gregory would be fine if there is nothing else we can get in. He's experienced, will be a handful and I'd fancy him to chip in with a few goals.
What annoys me is I am reading some fans on twitter using this as a stick to beat Warne with. "I'm worried about Warne and our transfer policy if this is what we're doing"
Do you think if we sat Paul Warne in a room he'd say that Lee Gregory was his number one target and one he has always wanted?
No he wouldn't. Ideally he'd want a 24-27 year old proven league one striker who's ready to go and good enough to step up to the championship but if there are any available then 1. They aren't going to be sold and 2. If they were, we can't afford them. At all.
It's like our fans have seen that we have next to nothing, had to dip into a loan pot for CBT and are just ignoring that. 
If Gregory comes in he'll get my support, he's a stop gap for the season. Gives us an option. Is he what I want? No. He's not. But he might be the best we can get given our budget.
I've seen people say they'll be livid if we sign Gregory and we should have kept Brown. Livid? If be more livid if we didn't bring someone in.
Brown is nowhere near ready yet. Thrusting a young player in early can ruin them. 
I remember when we got linked with Jordan Rhodes and people were kicking off then. He's second top goalscorer now.
But alas, it's all Warnes fault. Warnes fault we've got no money, Warnes fault our midfield is poor when half of them are out injured. 

https://www.thestar.co.uk//sport/football/sheffield-wednesday/derby-county-register-interest-in-second-sheffield-wednesday-striker-clubs-in-talks-4498600
 

What do you mean “if DCFC are restricted differently”?
We are still subject to an approved business plan following admin aren’t we? Did I imagine all of that? I don’t get why people are expecting us to trade in the same way as other sides when the permanent signings we made in the summer were all reported either as free agent signings (Bradley, Ward, Elder, Vickers, Nelson, Nyambe, Waghorn - with the associated signing on fees and wages), or buy now pay later under various terms (Wilson, Fornah, Washington). Even the one “fee” we have spent on Jan, the first fee we’ve spent since 2020 or something like that, is a £300k loan on the promise of some future transfer in the summer.
We are restricted differently to other clubs at present. Someone please confirm I’ve not lost my marbles 

Bolton & Charlton are working within standard FFP/P&S structures like everyone else in the league whereas we are still working with the EFL under a business plan until the summer. This post says it all really...
 

Tom Ince available on loan, would 100% bring him back if we let Ward leave. Ince would be quality at this level imo

We dont have the money to buy anyone so why would we be looking there? Until the summer we are still under restrictions so just need to bide our time in the market.

Bolton & Charlton are working within standard FFP/P&S structures like everyone else in the league whereas we are still working with the EFL under a business plan until the summer. This post says it all really...
 

Bolton & Charlton are working within standard FFP/P&S structures like everyone else in the league whereas we are still working with the EFL under a business plan until the summer. This post says it all really...
 

https://www.thestar.co.uk//sport/football/sheffield-wednesday/derby-county-register-interest-in-second-sheffield-wednesday-striker-clubs-in-talks-4498600
 

https://www.thestar.co.uk//sport/football/sheffield-wednesday/derby-county-register-interest-in-second-sheffield-wednesday-striker-clubs-in-talks-4498600
 

https://www.thestar.co.uk//sport/football/sheffield-wednesday/derby-county-register-interest-in-second-sheffield-wednesday-striker-clubs-in-talks-4498600
 

I suspect it’s probably got something to do with them not having recently come out of administration and being subject to an EFL approved business plan for a two year period….
You can be sick of hearing about it, but that doesn’t change the reality of our situation. Regardless of our size and revenues, we did go into administration with large debts, we came out of administration and had to settle some debts, and we were required to submit a business plan to the EFL for approval which we then have to adhere to.
I’m all for the conversations about misuse of what funds we do have given the hit and miss success so far of our summer recruitment, we seemingly could and should have gone for other free agents as an example, perhaps those with a better age profile and more resale value. Though I still standby the fact the age profile isn’t as a bad as some make it out to be it’s a realistic argument to say we could have tried signing Knibbs or Smith (went to Reading) instead of Waghorn and Washington for example.
BUT regardless of the conversation around how we’ve used the restricted funding available to the club, I have accepted that those funds do remain restricted due to recent events that simply cannot be denied. 

It would be a loan so i guess we would only offer what we could afford.
As for a Warne type player, I think Ince got tarnished as a lazy player but he wasnt. His body language isnt always the best but you could also say that about NML

Tom Ince available on loan, would 100% bring him back if we let Ward leave. Ince would be quality at this level imo

Tom Ince available on loan, would 100% bring him back if we let Ward leave. Ince would be quality at this level imo

Tom Ince available on loan, would 100% bring him back if we let Ward leave. Ince would be quality at this level imo

We cant buy anyone without a sale

This thread and forum in general is literally unreadable at the moment.

We could play well and still miss out on automatic promotion. We could play well and still come unstuck in the play offs.
In reality, in the next 17 games, there will be some good performances, some bad performances, and some ugly performances. It’s the nature of a League 1 team with almost exclusively League 1 quality players.
We are at a point in the season where results and results alone are decisive. We all know performances can be improved but this is not artistic gymnastics or figure skating, you don’t win prizes for style.
Look back at last season and a similar time of the season, how many games did we play well for 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes or more but still couldn’t get the desired result? Too many games to list!

Personally I am thrilled. That was a much needed win and we showed character to claw ourselves back into the game. In years gone by, we would have lost that game in a typical Derby fashion.
Of course the performance police will be gutted, but we have had games where we have played well and not got the desired result. Sometimes you have to take what you can get.
Given the injuries are mounting up, the squad is looking stretched and we have little flexibility and movement in the transfer window, all that matters at the moment is getting results and keeping ourselves in the hunt.
People forget that once you are into January and beyond, every game carries jeopardy and sometimes it’s more about showing guts, determination and grit and getting something out of the game than having a picture perfect performance.
People would be complaining about a lack of character if we were playing well and not getting results. Warne and the players, as frustrating as they can be, cannot really win at the moment.
It sounds like Cheltenham made it very difficult for us and deserve credit, which many people suggested they would by highlighting their turnaround under Clarke, so I can’t understand the outrage.
We got a good result from a very awkward fixture and if nothing else, it consolidates our place in the top six and keeps us in striking distance of the top two.
Maybe it’s just me but I’ll be enjoying my Saturday evening.

We’d be stupid to let Fornah go, changed the midfield around today and suddenly we looked alright. Hourihane is the problem 

Pretty much 6 attacking players on there with Wilson & Sibley full backs.
Not much from the bench really in terms of attacking options, not sure why Weston isnt on the bench over Fapetu/Robinson, why do we need 3 centre mids on the bench.

Pretty much 6 attacking players on there with Wilson & Sibley full backs.
Not much from the bench really in terms of attacking options, not sure why Weston isnt on the bench over Fapetu/Robinson, why do we need 3 centre mids on the bench.