Derby4Me

I was a manager with some success during most of my working life
I learned early that the way to the objective was team work, any or all part of that team was heralded at some point, each person playing their part, large or small, but all of it orchestrated by the manager.
The eventual goal being reached by the group, was the indicator of a good manager, so I will say we have a good manager. 
We have much further to go to reach the promised land of milk and honey, and I would expect that most would give a grudging acceptance that Mr Warne should have the opportunity to take us to the next level.
He may choose not to accept the challenges ahead and decide to step down.
He may feel the challenge too much, and decide that he can maintain his kudos at a lower level and should that be the case, I would heartily thank him for his hard work in getting us out of the millpond of Division 1. 
I personally think he will have much still to offer in a higher setting, and should he decide that the timing is right and wishes to uptake the stark challenges ahead, I for one would whole heartedly support that initiative.
I like his whole club mentality and generally as a person he comes over as genuine,  and that will always be a key issue for this old fan, he cares.
So to close, Mr Warne because of you leadership and moral code, I will accept your decision either way, but if you stay you will definitely have the support of this old RAM.
🦍

This Rams Daily podcast was really interesting, especially the 2nd half in which they discussed finances;
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0hv0gmg
To summarise this season Derby had a wage bill of around £17m.  The Championship average wage will is around £30m - so £13m more than we're currently paying.  Next season our income will increase by approx £7-8m compared to what we have been getting in Lg1.  So already thats a shortfall of £5m not including include any transfer fees etc.
Given that a wage budget is typically a good indicator of league position and Derby under DC will be run sustainably, any outside investment is going to be crucial if we hope to cement our position in the Championship nevermind push on towards the play-off positions.
We've got a lot of work to do this summer, with little room for error.

Hot off the press : Chris Kirchner’s money just arrived into a Derbyshire BS account in Matlock …..

I've heard Niall Horan . . .
. . . . and my ears are still sore!

I like Barks as a player and a person. Very honest lad. Earnt himself an extension imo.
Going up we need to retain leaders so Collo and Sonny are a priority. Its not all about the 11 that go out on the pitch.

500K is right on the limit of what I'd be prepared to pay. 28, one year left on his deal, and still an unknown quantity in the Championship.
If we can split the difference and go 350K + some add-ons, that would be great business.

You’re correct, with my patient optimism I have always been right! And some people have also always been correct in their concerns. But mainly I was right 😉 
I think the door has swung both ways with the more vocal minority on either side of the argument quick to goad, dismiss, mock, label all season long. Looking at it objectively the following concerns have been raised, some of them are valid and some were clearly short sighted and spiteful, the evidence is there if you go looking from all sides. These are summarised/paraphrased points to try and capture all sides ;
- “Warne doesn’t have any pull” (disagree here as we’ve signed some effective players this season… and gambled with some injury prone ones)
- which brings me to point two, “he’s been operating with restrictions so we should be patient.” I always felt there was some logic to this and also agree with the points made that we still could have recruited better when you look at some of the other free agents signed up by our rivals. Overall the group we had were effective and got the job done, hindsight being the wonderful thing that it is I can’t help but wonder if we’d have won the league with a couple of different options.

- “he only signs old players/cloggers/former Rotherham players” biggest short sighted load of nonsense out of all the criticism for me and one point I’ve been at pains to counter for the last 2 seasons. It’s a generalised and ill informed view that ignores the restrictions at play and also the likes of Nyambe, Adams, Nelson, Wilson, Elder, Ward, TJJ, none of whom are ancient or cloggers or former Warne players.
- “players don’t want to play for him/he’s a glorified PE teacher/fitness coach” always felt this was unfair and it’s clear by the end of the season that this squad did want to play for him and he’s got a little more about him than some would credit. His man management seems to be a big strength and one people have been quick to dismiss, surely he deserves credit for getting the team over the line even if they are “the best players in the league” and he’s “just done what’s expected of him” 😉 
- “he’s tactically limited” this is one of the big ones and hard to fully pick apart without a good dialogue from all sides. Part of me agrees and sees it from the football purists point of view that we don’t typically control the ball and control games so see why folks have issues there. But also he has adapted all season, used different shapes, different combinations and still got the job done. It seems to be a case of pragmatism over style which then comes down to preference as many have expressed, it’s not for them that’s fair enough, and others (like myself) are happy seeing us score goals and win regardless of style (which is also fair enough). Though my biggest and remaining complaint with him will seemingly always be his timing of subs, a couple of times this season he’s nailed it (can’t remember specific games) but there have been others when a change was desperately needed and he’s done nowt….come on Paul, save my blood pressure next season please. It’ll be interesting to see how he adapts in the championship with Derby, but I think he’s earned that right.
- “the football is dire”, another difficult one to reconcile personally for me as I’ve enjoyed it but I get that people want more control in midfield, more passing etc so again it’s a complicated point to discuss with more nuance. Personally I’ve enjoyed winning lots, scoring plenty, improving away and ultimately going up automatically but it could have been smoother sailing for sure.
- “he doesn’t trust young players”, another of the biggies that so far seems to be evident and is more a wait and see thing for me. He definitely could/should have used the pizza cup to blood a few more youngsters this season then perhaps they’d have been ready to plug gaps when injury struck. However I also see Warne’s point about not throwing them in and “ruining them”, he’s essentially done the job this season but given the investment in the academy and his key it in theory will be to the clubs future this is one he must do better on.
- “his interviews are *insert positive/derogatory comment*” this is all down to personal preference, some like his interview style and some don’t, if that’s how you feel it doesn’t make you factually wrong it’s just an opinion. 
 
- “give him time”, seems so far to have been the right shout, earlier in the season understandably more and more people had concerns, I even had my own mini wobble, but essentially the patience appears to have paid off (for this season at least….what happens next we have to wait and see).
There may be other points but I’ve got to do the school run so feel free to pile on and tell me what I missed and where I’m wrong. My point here is that there are valid concerns all round, and plenty to discuss respectfully, we all want what’s best for the club. 

Warne was given a 4 season deal, of which he's got two left.
Warne's brief was to deliver an established Championship club. He's achieved the first step.
The conduct of Mr Clowes' tenure so far is pretty strong evidence that Warne will get every chance to deliver.
Unless and until we have a catastrophic spell where the team have clearly thrown in the towel and we're cut adrift in the relegation zone, Warne will stay. 
If we could agree on that premise, surely it'd be best for club that we refrain from indulging ourselves with the topic for a few months at least?

It was more than a small number. Thinking a manager’s time is up isn’t always expressed with “get this clown out the club now”. Sometimes it’s “it’s just not working and Clowes should make the call”.
Thank god we were wrong.

David Clowes took Paul Warne and his coaching staff on to get us up. PW’s record of achieving promotion from L1 is unreal.
PW set the squad a target of 92 points to get us up this season. 
we achieved exactly that and in the dying embers of the season held our (experienced) nerve and fought off the challengers who now have to go through play-off purgatory.
Paul Warne has got the job done. 
he will get a long unfettered transfer window and a fair crack at Championship management. He deserves that.
I think Rotherham were in 7th or 8th position in Championship when DC came knocking. 

I’m looking forward to seeing his Derby side and how they fair next term. I’m hoping for an Ipswich rather than a Plymouth season.
Massive respect to him his coaches, DC and all the players. Enjoyed that ta 🥈🐏⚽️👏

It was Craig Fleming that left: https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/derby-county-craig-fleming-wolfsburg-9177376

I've let mine go.
Health reasons meant that I only got to just about half of the games this season, so I will pick and choose my games from now on. By and large, I've liked this season as much as any since the poison dwarf promotion - probably more so. Sexy football is fine, but give me a couple of centre-backs with a 'do or die' attitude any day. It's a Jake Buxton thing.

Just when I thought I’d got past the crying stage.
he’ll always think about his old seat and the people he sat with.
at the risk of sounding like an emotional wreck, Saturday was definitely a time of thinking of those no longer with us. Friends, family, ex players and managers. 
 
it’s more than a game of football, that’s for sure 
Ps. When do the pre season start! 

Ended flitting between pubs after the game on Saturday but just wanted to say how brilliant it was to be apart of the atmosphere. Five Lamps rammed, the dualling chants between Silk Mill and the Dolphin, The Exeter probably being the best in Derby and The Smithfield’s quite excellent beer range. All pubs full of happy Derby fans. Just wanted to make it to Bustler and Brunswick before the train but think it would have tipped me over the edge, but it sounded like Bustler had a fantastic night. You can say what you want about Derby, but not many cities have the amount of decent pubs in walking distance that we do. Also helped spread everyone out rather than having thousands in one spot.
All the credit to the staff in all establishments I went to who got everyone served and kept their bar queues down too, not easy but should be appreciated. 

Pray for Thompson's liver.
 

Great photo of the academy lads put on Twitter by Sibley…

To quote Phoenix Nights.
 
“ Jerry can you smell smoke”
 

Anyone calling it tinpot is clueless to what this club has actually been through in the last couple of years. Push their club to the brink of extinction, stick them in L1 for two seasons and see how they react when they get out of it.

It was amazing!!! Anyone calling the pitch invasion 'tinpot' can in my view get in the bin. I've never known an atmosphere like it at Pride Park as all 4 stands really got involved and revelled in the moment. Our flag game was very strong and it was quite a spectacle. I just hope we continue to keep up this level of support next season. COYR

Right, admit it, which one of you was this?

Thoughts on the match, pinched from the Carlisle forum.
I was the safe standing bit, I can’t stand the whole game my legs go numb but the railings were really good and can lean on them.  Wasn’t in great favour of safe standing but changed my mind.
“Bstand jnr was losing a bit of interest in all honesty over the last few games, which is totally understandable at 14 considering the s**** on show.
He's absolutely loved his trip today, came home bouncing and can't wait for next season to hopefully replace the "scenes" today.”
“the sound was deafening at times”
Probably one of the best atmospheres for a game of football that I've ever been at, the Derby fans when they did that 'jumping up and down' thing were phenomenal.
On a more positive note, I've been chatting to a few Derby fans tonight who were all very complimentary about the Blue Army. They were impressed with the numbers who came down and of the noise we made. I've no problem with Derby County. A proper football city and proper supporters. Good luck to them next year.
………..seemed like a real decent bunch who deserve a lot better, good luck to em.👍🏁

I knew for certain at about 0745 on Saturday morning that we were going up. The lift at Birmingham Airport to the monorail to get to the railway station told me so. A voice said "doors opening" and they opened. The voice then said "doors closing" and they closed. That same voice then said "going up". It was written in the stars with such a prophecy. The club would, absolutely guaranteed, be "in the lift" 😉
True story.

Just to say a massive well done to Warney and all the players involved this season. Not only have they achieved a hard fought promotion back to the Ch'ship, but they've restored pride in the club. Amazing!

The Carlisle fans summed it all up for me, 
I met some on the train yesterday who were brilliant. About 30 of us Derby fans got on at Utch station to a chorus of, "your just a bus stop in Stoke" from them. 🤣 A couple of us were offered cans of beer from them and the banter was great,
Walked up to the ground with some blokes who were sound and very respectful about Derby as we were with them. Proper fans of a proper club, they've had very little to cheer over the years but the miles they put in following their club is unbelievable.
Good luck to Carlisle, hope they have a swift return to League 1 and to all the other clubs who have fans who choose to follow their local team rather than be plastic supporters of Man Utd or Liverpool.