MackworthRamIsGod

So according to Alonso, he is trying to make out that he was involved with the American takeover somehow and that they are pressing on without him.

Funny, I'm sure he said numerous times it was just him and his money buying the club.

2 hours ago, cheron85 said:

Have you read the piece? I actually think it was interesting and maybe gives a little more insight into what happened - Think this bit gives me a bit more clarity than I had:

“There were three conversations with the EFL,” he says. “The first one was for proof of funds and to justify the movement between the banks. It had to be €75 million over a three-month period,” Alonso claims. “We would have meetings every Thursday. Initially, the EFL said it was OK, but they wanted to know the source of the funds. I said no problem, I provided all the information about the businesses and sent it to the organisation.

I'm a cynic - So in the absence of any real proof I choose to assume everyone is talking some level of nonsense

However - It seems to be the case that he was able to prove he had the money to buy the club (reading this and between the lines from the EFL) - And account with an amount of money in - The questions from the EFL seem to have been about where that money came from and whether it was a sustainable source of income - Then we get down to the EFL not buying into his sources of income and Alonso saying they're legit - At which point it's difficult to know who to believe without seeing the evidence myself

Seems the EFL have been overly cautious here - Which is interesting considering the current and previous owners of the chaps down the road - And decided that they didn't believe in the source of Alonso's income 

That was how I took the Birch interview from a couple of weeks back, not that anyone agreed on here.

It sounded as though having the funds wasnt the issue, just that the EFL werent satisfied with where the funds come from.

17 minutes ago, 86 Hair Islands said:

Were we not told the current negotiations were subject to NDA and that no details would be released as a consequence? I mean it's been like 20 days since the American deal was mooted. How quickly are you expecting the due diligence we've all screamed for after the Alonso fiasco to take, not to mention the small matter of contracts being drafted, proof of funds, set up of escrow, EFL approval and other similar 'small matters'.

And Nixon has released an update since his initial Tweet, by the way, which clearly stated that Cook is currently working though the required processes.

Well let's see how it pans out, forgive me for not having much faith, 2 failed takeovers and then Henry Gabay kinda fills me with very little confidence.

6 minutes ago, islandram said:

some people just need to get real.

I think expectations are pretty low.

Since Derby released the response to the letter there has been no rumblings of anything from the club, the only thing said was Alan Nixon releasing the name of Gary Cook.

For all we know negotiations have gone for a Burton and we are heading for financial ruin as we speak.

37 minutes ago, Ghost of Clough said:

Pushing forward... as CB

Some players are able to play multiple positions, Hulse at centre back for example......

Clarke can tackle, can pass, has pace, can beat a man. Exactly why couldn't he play in a holding role?

4 hours ago, Ghost of Clough said:

Yep

Erm, he's certainly comfortable on the ball for a CB, but not in a more advanced position.

To be honest I would say your assessment is a little off too.https://youtu.be/no98FXKU6QI

The guy is quality further up.

I think Clarke is a quality player and wouldnt look out of place in a premier league team.

Thing is, he is up there as being one of our best players with the ball at his feet.

I thought last season, if we had options at the back I'd like to see Clarke as a replacement for Bielik as a holding midfielder.

2 hours ago, TheSlate said:

I heard Billy Davies was leading a consortium, but he changed his mind because he DISNEY want to come back down South. 

Best one yet ?

Everybody elses puns are Buzz lightyears away from yours, infact yours gave me woody.

3 minutes ago, Leeds Ram said:

No-one is saying completely gut the academy and do it completely brentford's way though are they... but asking about the realistic output of the academy into the first team in the long run as opposed to do something different. Personally, I just want Derby county to be successful and for us to consistently use our resources in the likeliest way to make it happen. It's great if we can do that via the academy but if that can't be done then changes need to be made. Personally, i think we've overestimated just how good a lot of our recent graduates are from the academy. 

Brentford have gone from a small time 3rd division team to leapfrogging us into the premier league and consistently earning big returns on players they've recruited. The last thing I'd be doing is scoffing at them but trying to see what elements of their model can be integrated into our own. 

A portion of our fans have scoffed at Brentford for a long time when others have said we should be doing everything we can to replicate what they were doing.

In the time Mel took over and ploughed 100 million, 200 million or a gazillion pounds (depending on day of the week) into the club, Brentford went from the brink of financial ruin and being a non-league team to being a well run premier league club.

39 minutes ago, i-Ram said:

Close it down - Moor Farm, the lot.

The players can train on Pride Park pitch - a few star jumps and the like - and then we can get some caravans in on to the training pitches. £1000 per week for a berth, and daily use of palatial gym and catering facilities. Mel Morris to paint kids faces, and Owen Bradley to organise evening entertainment (inc. Gibbo playing the mouth organ, and McClaren doing long monologues mostly about himself). Much more sustainable business at this time.

The club is a circus as it is.

1 hour ago, Jram said:

The thing is though, promoting the academy lads is the only option we’ve got and I think people are saying “imagine how horrific it would be if we didn’t even have the academy”... I completely agree it isnt ideal to promote 4 or 5 at the same time (although I do think they will become really good players soon) but we’d be completely done if we didn’t have that option (if we’re not already completely done)

Totally agree with that, it is a necessity. I suppose it's a case of how do we measure success? I'm going off the past few seasons before this where we were either challenging for or competing in the playoffs.

I suppose that is the wrong way of looking at it now, as we are in such a mess the academy is doing the only thing it can do, which IS to plug all the gaps.

So, not a failing of the academy, but a failing of the club itself, or those allegedly running the club.

1 hour ago, angieram said:

And the answer is, it appears to be the one aspect of the club that is working. ?

How can it be the future of the club if it isn't working? You can't rip it up cos we're broke and reinstate it in a couple of years.

It's the future of the club because at present it isnt paying dividends.

As the point made, very well I may add, introducing so many young players in at the same time isnt working, or we wouldn't have been so bad last season.

The original poster wasnt calling into question the academy, he was questioning the model, the business plan of having 5 or 6 academy players in at the same time.

It is no coincidence that the 2 most valuable players we have produced, Will Hughes and Hendrick, were introduced in a competitive, quality football team, rather the one we have at the minute. 

One or 2 young players to complement a good team is the way forward, not 5 or 6 to plug the gaps made by injuries and lack of recruitment.

2 minutes ago, angieram said:

I am finding this thread a bit depressing, tbh. 

One of the brightest, no the brightest, parts of our club under Mel's tenure has been the sustained development of our academy and younger players. I think credit goes to the entire team from Mel's investment through Darren Wassall's excellent stewardship and all the coaching and education teams behind our young players. They are almost without exception such rounded young sportsmen who know how to play the game in the right spirit.

I actually take a certain amount of pride in our academy concept and am pleased we have decided to nurture future talent rather than just leaving it to the "big" clubs.

At the very best not having an academy would have given us the money to buy one more Waghorn type player a year, who wouldn't be allowable against FFP, and would give no more guarantee of a return against investment than our current set up. 

But success is everything, so let's rip up all that investment in the future of the game, make several dozen staff redundant and use the money to employ analysts who will buy in a random assortment of strangers that aren’t allowable against FFP and who have no association with our club. What makes you think that would work better? 

Ah, yes, Brentford. Anyone would think they'd just got promoted ( at last.)

Just a final thought. Moor Farm provides some of the very best training facilities in the whole country, which benefits all our teams. We wouldn't be able to afford to keep that going for the first team squad only. No academy, no Moor Farm. 

 

Depressing?

I'm finding it a really good read to be honest.

The questions being raised are very good and fair, given that we escaped relegation at the 11th hour, are a team in decline and are in a financial mess.

The academy is clearly the future of the club, but the question is fair, given the state of the club, is the current academy model working? 

1 hour ago, TheSlate said:

...and he has since kicked the bucket. 

The curse of the Rams is strong.

48 minutes ago, Carnero said:

Roy Disney was linked with a takeover bid when Adam Pearson was in charge.

That's the fella.

16 minutes ago, Foreveram said:

For soccer aid according to sky sport

Even soccer aid have realised he isnt management material ?

10 minutes ago, 86 Hair Islands said:

Walt himself? He died 55 years ago ?

Roughly the time Mel made it known he wished to sell the club ?

6 minutes ago, Gee SCREAMER !! said:

Who knows.  His family are from Norton Disney in the East Midlands originally. This is The Derby County show.  Weirder craps happened.

Is that true about Norton Disney? We got married not far from there and I always wondered how Norton Disney got its name.

Every day is a school day.

Genuine question, I've seen one or two people mention the word Disney with regards the takeover, is there a link to Disney and who is buying Derby, or is it just a reference to the last American takeover we had when it was falsley reported we were being purchased by Walt himself?

40 minutes ago, angieram said:

It's going over old ground a bit, but Trevor Birch made some interesting comments about the lack of proof of funds with Alonso on Talksport yesterday.

Article from Telegraph, with the relevant bits. When you read it like that, it is sort of reassuring that the EFL will prevent someone with no money taking us over.

 

I may have read it wrong, but it sounded like Erik did have money it was just the EFL werent too happy with where the money comes from.

58 minutes ago, Dimmu said:

Actually, I could and quite easily so. Better service from the wing and playing Sibley in a free role as a second striker and I'm pretty confident they'd both hit double figures even though they are hardly optimal pairing. 

Of course, Sibley won't be played anywhere close where he should be and support from the wings will continue to be non-existent if we don't replace Lawrence and Waggy properly. But I can daydream, can't I?

Good point, play Sibley in his natural position and watch him go, if only though hey.

As for CKR, you can definitely see a man that if he is enjoying his game he will score goals, he is a good player with it too. 

5 minutes ago, Dimmu said:

CKR and Sibley?

I like CKR and I like Sibley, but 30 goals Vydra and Nugent scored between them in 1 season...30!!! ?

Could you imagine CKR and Sibley getting 20 between them?

What I'd give for a Nugent and Vydra combination now.

For what its worth, I had a dream last night we signed David Nugent for a second time.

2 minutes ago, Charlie George said:

A well known ITK posting earlier that we've been given a fine but no points deduction.

Was that on Twitter or on here?