jono

Allowing for Wards absence I like the look of this team. Lots of positive intent .. Sibs, Wilson and 2 up front. Eckhh ! Who knows. ! am just hoping with Adams in there and Collins back we aren’t going to get bullied and there’s enough flair there to create something… COYR

I must look for that ! One of my all time favourite modern actors. Died too young. I’ll never forget “Christmas is cancelled” he would have been a great Rams fan 🤣

Ossieram wearing his grinch outfit today I see 🤪

This team have played their hearts out. Sometimes we stuttered, sometimes we looked “off it”, then confused then “on it” and buzzing. We turn up and it’s hard to know how we are going to do. Unpredictable I suppose, but as a group they have done what I like and that’s play for each other as a real team, giving all of what they have to give. For me … I want a Cashin header to seal it. That lad really does leave everything on the pitch including the mint sauce.

I think it is a reflection of the league and how very even it is across the competing teams. Apart from Pompey I doubt any team has felt comfortable across a series of games.

I’m all over the place, but when I stop having my doubting Thomas moments and calm down, we just have to equal whatever Bolton do. Bolton on the other hand have to exceed our “points possible total”. It really is in our hands ….(for now 😬)

They found some shoe inserts behind the bin an the changing room

I take your point; 👍 though from a motivational point of view I’d really hope the players all have enough now to carry themselves through considering the battles they’ve fought and the aroma of tangible success that might now be coming from the kitchen such that they can almost sense it if not touch it.

At this point the manager has little influence. This is about the spirit he has already built in the team over the last 12 months. Bar some in game tweaks, it’s the11 on the pitch, their personal strengths and perseverance that will get us over the line. It’s guts, effort and self belief (and 30k at PPS when they are wobbling )

You’re right of course, but Bolton and the others have to accumulate more. The others have to exceed us. We have to equal them.

Damned by faint praise

You need to understand that Bris in his long and active career in the upper echelons of journalism and football (including a minor ( declared to the EFL) shareholding in Melchester Rovers when they were in the Champions league) qualifies him to run a football club with his unique insight in to tactics, management, finance, transfers and business management. Follow his lead and suggestions and we’ll be in Europe within 4 years. He doesn’t have opinions like the rest of us. He is a sage, a font of all wisdom, Fergy, Wenger Jose, hung on every word

I want to call you a wum, but rather than something that ends up as a trade in insults ….in what sporting statistical or scientific language does the second team in a league, playing away at the top team in the league get a draw and you say the manager of the away team has had a “stinker” ? You need a dictionary and some life experience. But perhaps you don’t have opposable thumbs and can’t turn the pages ? Apologies if this is the case

And breath

This is killing me and probably 100k other folk local to these parts, plus those in Spain, Scotland, Guatemala ( quite a few of those lately) and all points south of Watford gap. … happily this post has taken 1.17 minutes to compose and edit which means slightly more material on my nail beds COYR

I’d like to say at this juncture that “only” seems a tad inappropriate 🤪

So happy to hear that. He got so much flack from so many places. .. think of the names he was called and the gibes that were circulating. None of his supporters said he was a genius but his detractors didn’t see the footballer he is and the sheer graft he brings along with his positional sense and instinct. Sure Gayle is a better striker but Collo is right now a 100% RAM

If you win then the Championship is your oyster. We will have a nerve wracking seasons end If we win Bolton have it all to do and we will be in touching distance. Draw is probably good for all of us. We are short of fire power but football is a funny game. I have no prediction, no feeling how this will pan out but doubt there will be many goals Wishing you luck excluding tonight

I hadn’t thought about that. Ouch ! So….. We have to perform against Portsmouth to make sure they have to perform against Bolton. Psychologists and mind game devotees write your answers here.

Not sure it is ? Depends on the score and GD. They’d have to equal our points tally and achieve a better GD over the remaining games ? Unless I have missed something ? Even if we lose, Bolton still need to exceed what we do over what’s left ( I think🤣) it’s destined to be 0-0 v Carlisle with 9 minutes injury time and needing a win to do it. Or the same for Bolton at 4-0 up but needing 1 more to do it on GD Football bloody hell

I vaguely remember Roy Keane saying what Clough said to him as a young player. “your job is to win the ball and then give it to our Nigel.”

I agree. Washington has way more in his locker when he’s got a foil

Odd when you think of the red hot chilli peppers and that was 18 years ago ! I am an old goat so don’t know much but is there a Derby / East Mids school league ? Wouldn’t it be amazing if you were a kid and the schools final was at pride park. A stadium should be a flagship for the community, somewhere you dream of going I agree, though a fantastic location there must be potential to make it earn more money for the club but I suppose like everything there is competition.. so many stadia ? On a more prosaic note, I ate at the yard once before a youth match, really enjoyed it but what’s it like on match days .. is it a scrum and how long do you have to book in advance ?

I find your ripostes equally amusing. My “one eyed” comments that weigh his good and bad traits sit well with your monocular refusal to accept anything other than drooling praise or criticism of management concerning his deployment on the field of play. The boy is clearly a genius. Do tell me how we resisted all those PL callers last transfer window ? . It must be a miracle.

It’s an interesting debate isn’t it. ? I can’t decide. There are times, when we are on song, playing pretty good mixed football. Sure some long stuff but some decent on the ground intricacy with it. Then you get Warne saying in post match interviews that he wants them to take more risks and how he loves it when Wilson takes on his man. So far so good, BUT we then lapse in to a gloomy safety first 3 touches when one will do and all the instinctivness and flair just disappears as if it was never there. We look ponderous and slow. No one touch, no urgency. It’s odd.