Carnero

Only 10 players this time... I actually think I'd rather Rooney stays in charge than leave it to you Jimbo ?

Just over 30 years ago an event occurred that I think all of you would consider to be of greater import than the current struggles of our beloved football club.  In July 1988 the captain of USS Vincennes panicked and let loose 2 surface to air missiles. He brought down an Iranian passenger plane.  290 souls were killed including babes in arms and it is believed, with some justification, that some were conscious as they fell 10,000 feet into the Gulf. Imagine.
Robert Fisk was a proper journalist working for a proper newspaper, The London Times.  He didn’t buy the American versions of events (they changed as evidence changed) and he investigated the story as a good journalist does, using his many contacts in the area.  He wrote a story that destroyed many of the American lies. When it was published all the points contradicting the American versions of events were missing, taken out by Fisk’s editor. What was left was largely anodyne drivel. Fisk left for the Independent. Their gain.
Our match today is, for various reasons, a big story, played in a febrile off field atmosphere and always was going to be - two big clubs with big traditions fallen on hard times; our manager; a takeover; the financial consequences; and the football ones too.  And yet many appear to be surprised by the drivel that is being written about us; and, worse, appear to be believing it; and, worse still, appear to be repeating it, giving it a life of its own.  There are negative comments about the tabloids and the Daily Mail and yet, apparently we’re more than prepared to take as gospel what Craig Hope and others are feeding us.
What do we actually know about the takeover and Erik Alonso’s finances?   Diddly squat is what.  We know Mel has agreed a deal and with whom; we know that’s with the EFL for the owner’s test. That is pretty much it.  And that is all anyone actually knows apart from the 3 parties involved (plus their advisors).  
All the rest is guesswork and rumour, pure and simple. But there are plenty who might want to disrupt us in this week of all weeks.  Mr Chansiri for one.  Might he be Craig Hope’s source? Not beyond the bounds of possibility. 
If a paper like The Times can distort the truth about the death of 290 people why do we accept the word of hacks whose sole aims are to get clicks on an article, names on the stories and followers on twitter?  That’s now a job apparently. We don’t have to help them.
There are times too when not only am I glad that I have no social media presence but I’m also happy not to be a moderator of this board; when I feel so out of sync with my fellow fans that I question my sanity.  This is one of them.  Imagine having to read all the codswallop that’s being spouted in the name of ‘it’s my opinion therefore I’m entitled to express it’. There are very few, I suspect, that would say much of what they have written on these pages to the faces of the players, the manager, coaching staff, recruitment team or our current owner.  There are more than a few contributors to these boards who allegedly espouse treating people with respect, who say they believe that mental health is important (and we have at least two players who have publicly described their own mental health challenges) but who have joined in the general pile on with apparent alacrity. Apparently it’s even worse elsewhere. An opinion is not necessarily correct just because you’re willing to die for it (Oscar Wilde). ‘Chancer’ is the latest adjective being liberally bandied around about a bloke none of us have met and none of us know.  What if he isn’t? Why can’t we give him a chance, if he is, eventually, to take us over? 
We have no say in who runs the club we support.  It is not in ‘our’ gift to choose our next owner whether we like it or not. Never has been. Whether that’s right or wrong is a legitimate point of discussion.  In the meantime we have a team to support and a match to win and a future that will take care of itself, win, lose or draw. And I hope it’s the first of those.

I can't help but think back to the 'worst fans in the world' thread...
Turning up on a Saturday morning in the p**sing rain to cheer on their team after the season we've had? On this evidence we have (some of) the best fans in the world! Hopefully it can give the players the lift that they need. COYR! ?

No but iam stll gorgeous 

Hi George, found a new club yet?

Didn’t the club say right at the outset that there would be no further comment until the matter was concluded (or words to that effect) which probably covers options 1,2,3 and 4.
Perhaps there is another option if they wanted to be really rude:
”FFS, we said they’re be no further comment. Which part of that don’t you understand?”?

Woke up at 5 and can think of nothing else. Not living in Derby all friends are non-rams and if I get another stupid message saying "big day today" or similar as if its a cheery little thing happening I will smash my phone. Really? just crawl back under the stone you came from all of you. Is the weather as bad in Derby as in Cambridge? At least can be nervous wreck at home as son's cricket cancelled. So holding up well - not

Only 10 players this time... I actually think I'd rather Rooney stays in charge than leave it to you Jimbo ?

Hi George, found a new club yet?

Yep, spot on.

Only 10 players this time... I actually think I'd rather Rooney stays in charge than leave it to you Jimbo ?

Getting my waterproofs on and coming down for this I've decided! All I'm doing is sitting around waiting for 12.30 anyway so I may as well try and help lift the players ?
COYR ?

Weather's not good maybe if we each take a umbrella we could escort the players from their cars into the ground to show them how much we care.

Only 10 players this time... I actually think I'd rather Rooney stays in charge than leave it to you Jimbo ?

And in both those finals we had no right to win because of what the other teams had at their disposal and the money they spent to get there. Even the Villa game whatever money we had spent in the years leading up to the final, it pales into insignificance with what Villa threw at it. 
 
This season given Bournemouth’s form right  now there is a strong possibility the teams that came down will all go up. Next season there is a very good chance it will be the same and so on. The premier league will become a closed shop due to the disparity between the finances unless clubs are prepared to face ruin or break FFP just to compete!

Hi George, found a new club yet?

That's what I'm learning towards today. Hopefully allows for one of our midfield (probably Knight) to kick the **** out of bannan (fairly of course) and stop him influencing the game. Should be able to get players up in support of CKR as well.
Roos vs Marshall is the only thing I question but to be honest I'm not sure what my preference is considering recent performances of both

Love this! 
 

You’ve put too many spaces in so will look like that on everyone’s mobile. 

Hi George, found a new club yet?

Hi George, found a new club yet?

Hi George, found a new club yet?

You telling me that Coventry Birmingham Preston Luton Barnsley (massively overachieving) Millwall have better squads than ours in terms of ability? We’re scrapping with Rotherham and we’re 3 points above Wycombe - they’ve done great - but they’re pub teams by comparison.
 
Lawrence Waghorn Byrne Clarke Shinnie Roberts Marshall are all more than capable championship players, with exception of Waggy and Marshall I’d say the others could all play in a top 6 team. With the right players around them Knight Bird Buchanan and Sibley could also play in a top 6 team. Then there’s Jozwiak - a first team polish international going to the Euros! 
A large chunk of this team was here last season and we finished 10th. We should not be anywhere near this. Top 6 - no chance, but mid-table definitely.
They should be doing better with this team. However they are not, and even if we do stay up, if the off field stuff isn’t sorted and Rooney remains in charge then players out of contract and loans will leave, we will be struggling to bring players in and IMO we would be odds on for relegation next season.