cosmic

Really like what I'm reading. The club has been toxic for so long, and it look like DC is trying to bring back some integrity and instil a better culture.

Welcome. You’ll fit right in. 

Really like what I'm reading. The club has been toxic for so long, and it look like DC is trying to bring back some integrity and instil a better culture.

Welcome. You’ll fit right in. 

Hear! Hear! 

Really like what I'm reading. The club has been toxic for so long, and it look like DC is trying to bring back some integrity and instil a better culture.

Really like what I'm reading. The club has been toxic for so long, and it look like DC is trying to bring back some integrity and instil a better culture.

Really like what I'm reading. The club has been toxic for so long, and it look like DC is trying to bring back some integrity and instil a better culture.

Morning all..
In the absence of a DCFC fans representative at the meetings I thought it would be helpful to upload the minutes to here. My personal thoughts are below.
Many of you know my issue with Stephen Pearce. I have been very vocal on that for various reasons. However, Charlton away we had a catch up and with Dave. A line has been drawn between us which Dave very much initiated. He is as much responsible as Dave for saving our club and I think we need to recognise that. 
Last night Stephen came across a very different man. Confident. Comfortable. Relaxed. Clear to see the shackles of Mel have been removed and he can be his own person. Mixed in with the ethos and culture that Dave has I fully trust SP to take us forward. He knows that he has points to prove and is up for that challenge. He has my backing.
A few other points i would like to add. Safe Standing, you know I have been campaigning for 15 odd years!!! Looking like some kind of movement with this and going forward expect there to be some news over the next few months.
South Stand - raised about bar wait times and requested that the bottle bars return particularly for half time. This is lost revenue. Left with SP to sort. I have also raised, as i have done for years, that we should be aiming to replicate a Bristol City / Lincoln kind of area. This was always the idea with the Fan Park but somewhat slipped to the side. Would be great to have a culture where fans can turn up early, have a few drinks and enjoy it. Same after the game as well, get the Yard and South Stand concourse open for an hour. 
Really positive meeting and refreshing that we are discussing issues and points that the charter group was setup for! Big thanks to the guys at BAWT for drafting up the minutes.
Minutes of SCG Meeting 22nd September, 2022

Present: DCFC - David Clowes, Stephen Pearce, Punjabi Rams, DCFC Disabled Supporters Club, RamsTrust, DCFC Supporters Club, Black and White Together, Derby County Collection, Nick Webster, RamsActive

The club has been reviewing and assessing the managerial position since DC took over and Liam Rosenior has been fantastic. They have a great relationship. The club has a duty of care towards Liam's career as someone taking his first steps in managing and what might happen to Liam if it didnt work out played a part in the decision.

Paul Warne brings experience and now is his time for a big job at a big club. Other clubs were after him, both those with and those without a manager currently. 

DC liked how he treats players, journalists, encouraging everyone to get the best out of themselves.

There is nothing to read into the title of Head Coach – there is no plan for Technical Director/Director of Football – it is just commensurate with Head of Recruitment, Head of Academy, which they will move their focus to now. They see these three roles working as a team. 

Paul Warne spoke to the players on Wednesday evening and will do press next Tuesday.

With regards to the players we signed and his style, Paul is adaptable, but he was after some of our players in summer. His teams are running teams and he is happy with players he has. 

DC will speak to Liam and other coaching staff on Monday when they return from a short break, but they were aware of the situation before DCFC approached Rotherham to speak to Paul Warne.

The club is well within the business plan agreed with the EFL, so there is a buffer. They sent the EFL the recruitment strategy, by player and position, and all was signed off, no problem. It is a two-year plan, with a review after 12 months, but we can’t currently spend transfer fees or loan fees.

The plan was done on a worst case scenario., so season ticket sales coming in over the figure in the business plan really helped. 

The club is now debt free.

Two sell-on clauses were sold for short term cash during administration,  but others remain.

The first accounting year will end on 30th June, 2023, so filed by March 2024.

The club will look into a non-Away member Season Ticket holder category after away members and before general sale for away tickets.

They will look at Roadriders again, but once the cost of hiring a bus, putting a steward on them and some covid restrictions still are factored in, it is likely to still be prohibitive.

They will also look at the possibility of beambacks for sold out away games.

The club now has a very good relationship with the EFL and other clubs, including Wycombe, Middlesbrough, and Rotherham.

The Yard is now open again on matchdays. They are looking at projects for the Back Yard in the close season.

Stephen Pearce has a point to prove. If everything he was accused of was true, the administrators or the due diligence of bidders would have found something. He wants to take club forwards.

The board will expand in the next 12-18 months, but a new chair will be appointed soon.

David Clowes said he is categorically not looking to flip the club. 

The club is researching a Shadow Board. They have spoken to Joe Blott, of Spirit of Shankly, the only one in place currently. The club eill circulate details, but the idea is the responsibility of the club to a Shadow Board would be written into the Articles of Association.

There is a change in culture in the club, and DC wants to be open and transparent within the limits of running a business.
It was commented the club is losing money due to lack of staff at concessions. The club has longer term plans, but acknowledges short term improvements can be made. The Bristol City model was mentioned as an example.

Re safe standing- the club met with the safety advisory group and the Sports Ground Safety Authority. The rake is a concern, but are pricing up potential phased equivalent of safe standing. Not railed seating but barriers. The top 9-10 rows in south stand and away area are the difficult areas, but the club wants to be an early adopter.

The club wants the sponsorship to match the new culture, keen not to have betting or crypto on the front of shirts. If not, they could have had it done weeks ago. But they also don't want to devalue the shirt for next or future seasons, so better to go no sponsor, if so. But the club has decided to go with a national charity to protect the value of the brand. However, it could be that the club asks for funds raised to be used locally.
They are also discussing the logistics of having the option to buy a sponsorship logo for replica shirts, like a number or players name, with possibility of part going to the charity. 

With regards to the stadium, there is a long CapEx list, which the club will be working through in order of  priority over next 18 months.
DCCT and DCFC Women separate board of Trustees, but the club is trying to bring them closer. DCFC Women have been training on Tuesday and Thursday nights at Moor Farm, but changing rooms are difficult. But now th3 club is making a dedicated women's hub for sole use, branded etc. Good for board meeting, analysis and with dedicated changing facility too. It will be finished in a couple of weeks. They will continue to play at Mickleover.
 
 

Not sure if already posted but some explanation behind it, plus more, was given to supporters groups last night. These are the Punjabi Rams notes

Welcome. You’ll fit right in. 

Welcome. You’ll fit right in. 

Welcome. You’ll fit right in. 

Welcome. You’ll fit right in. 

Welcome. You’ll fit right in. 

At the end of the day, we've done our time being a proving ground for new managers. 
Three out of our last four managers had never had a job before being appointed by us. The other had never managed in this country.
I wish Liam all the best but he was only appointed interim manager for a reason. I thought he was doing a decent job but the style of football was way too ambitious for this league - Cocuball reborn.
This seems like the most sensible appointment we've made in years. I have a good feeling about Warne.

Thinking pragmatically, which players do people think this will benefit? 
I know a lot of people have aired the idea that this would work against Max Bird, but I actually think the opposite. Warne used Barlaser as their defensive central midfielder and essentially made him a key component in their team. I also think Knight and Cashin are likely to benefit. I'd imagine Dobbin will likely move to a striker position, alongside Collins/McGoldrick. Osula fits the type of striker that Rotherham have been very successful at implementing and the rumour was that Warne wanted him at Rotherham this season. 
Based on how he's had Rotherham line up in games (home and away) in both the latter part of last season, and this. I would imagine we will be playing something like - ignoring Wildsmith in goal: 
Davies
Chester                                           Cashin
The back three usually has one deep lying centre back, in their case Richard Wood - in ours most likely Curtis Davies. The other two centre backs play quite wide and quite a distance in front of Davies. This was true in all the ones I've seen from last season and this. I think Stearman, Roberts, Rooney and perhaps even Forsyth are likely to play and cover here behind the three above. 
Bird
Barkhuizen        Knight          Hourihane      Mendez-Laing
The central midfield three pivot around a central point, in their case Barlaser - in our case most likely Bird. Barlaser usually touches the ball more than any other Rotherham player. The other two central midfielders usually touch the ball between the 6-11th placed players in the team. I believe these are essentially used to reduce space and create opportunities. They're likely to gamble more than most. Knight for his energy will almost certainly be a permanent fixture in the team. Smith will probably sit behind him to cover. The lack of a number 10 probably means Sibley will be vying with Hourihane for game time. The wide two positions usually have a one more attacking than the other, therefore you could potentially see Barkhuizen/Mendez-Laing on one side with Roberts/Forsyth on the other - this will no doubt alternate based on a number of factors. 
Collins         McGoldrick
The front two are probably the easiest to call, with Collins and McGoldrick the likely first choice at this point. Dobbin will get a lot of opportunities in this position, possibly even Sibley too. Paul Warne wanted Osula at Rotherham too, reportedly, so perhaps look out for him. He usually likes the physical aspect in strikers, i.e. Ladapo, Kieffer Moore...etc. Not usually the most technically gifted footballers but disruptive. I don't think he walks straight into the team but definitely see some opportunities for him. 
All in all, I'm confident the team we put together in the summer actually complements the system that Warne has implemented at Rotherham. I believe the biggest shift will be in the likes of Bird, who will need to improve but can actually take huge strides in his career mirroring Barlaser who most would've said was an inferior player. I also think the system opens the door to Rooney, who I believe will eventually win a place in the team and based on what I've seen will hold it down.
The only other thing I noted, to no surprise, was how compact his teams play together. You can definitely see a well drilled team purely by looking at the data and aggregate player positions over the course of the game. 

BTW, millions of football fans agree we need an independent football regulator...but then again Truss is no football fan. 

Glad to see it is officially confirmed. Now looking forward to seeing how B4 spells Warne.

I wonder if he'll ask again.
 

I wonder if he'll ask again.
 

Expect Warne’s first teamtalk will be something like this :
“You lot that were here may have survived on the last day of the season under Rooney, But as far as I’m concerned, the first thing you can do for me is chuck all your staying up medals and and all your pots and all your pans into the biggest f****** dustbin you can find. Because you’ve never won any of them fairly. You’ve done it all by cheating.”

Is he staying or not?

I wonder if he'll ask again.
 

I wonder if he'll ask again.