Ken Tram

There are appropriate ways for us to increase income streams ...
... but I wish we would get rid of the premium rate phone number for the ticket office!

Funny how we talk of ‘investors’ … when nearly all, if not all, are effectively giving the Club money and receive no financial return on it at all- in fact it’s lost.
I wonder how many fans - assuming they were multi millionaires would ‘invest’ in the Club in this manner…
We can slag MM off as much as we do but the fact is he gave the Club millions …yes, it turned out a disaster but he still lost a bundle of cash…

Very little,  according to Pearce at the fans' forum. But he did say that the Club has budgeted for a similar loss over the next two/three seasons and Clowes will cover this.

How much of our loss for last season was due to extraordinary costs, not the regular flow of business?
 

Anyway, isn't it "Telly"?. Tele is putting my teeth on edge.
 
 
As you were......

"Mounting a tele"
Ooo that's a hard one 

What size is your screwdriver. Is it a left or right handed one?

I feel there's some vital information missing from this post.

Beans do not belong on a breakfast. 
Beans belong on toast.
Tinned tomatoes with a fry up. Acidity complements the pork fat beautifully.
No need to thank me.

On the plate. Anything else is an abomination.

If Derby finish the season where I currently find myself, I'll be a very happy Ram! 

My 3 favourite things are eating my family and not using commas. 

I think you have us mixed up with someone else mate.
We are marginally better than most teams in an awful division, but I'd not go any further than that.
But I don't care if we go up. I can worry about next season, next season.

Very disappointing (if predictable) results today with all three chasers winning. Lose at Portsmouth and automatic promotion is out of our hands. Sadly, with us scraping wins while Bolton bagged 5 each against Oxford and Reading, our goal difference can no longer be relied upon if the final points tally ends up being tied.
What does that mean for this game? Obviously we all want to win, but I expect we will set up as a "must not lose" game and be quite cautious. So one of the strikers (NML/CBT/Wash) drops our for a midfielder (who will probably be Hourihane). I expect it will be CBT who makes way. Warne would take a draw now, and I think so would I. Then we remain masters of our destiny with just 4 games to go.

Clearly it's a slow day for me 😂 After a quick count and including Wembley, I think I've seen Derby play at 120 grounds and bearing in mind I've seen them at 104 club grounds, 105 with Wembley, that's only 15 times I've seen us play away at the new ground of another club which I don't think is that many so I'm sure that there's someone out there who has done more (Mick Derby for definite) and congratulations to them, well done.
Maybe that's the type of away ground I should start to target next as on top of the 5 I've not been to, I think there's 14 clubs that now play at grounds I've not seen us play at. 🤔

Someday I'd love to be able to say that I've seen Derby play at all of the current 92 but assuming we go up this season I think it's unlikely being as it'll be reliant on pre season away friendlies, away cup draws or some team having a meteoric rise (Wrexham maybe?). The other option is being relegated to League 2 for financial irregularities but even though I selfishly joke about it to my mates, I'd rather that not happen.
I know I could just go to my remaining 5 to watch a non Derby County match but that doesn't interest me as I want to have seen Derby at them all - that's just me and my ambition though and if others want to do all 92 irrespective of who's playing, that's fine by me and I'll congratulate them if they do it as that'll be one of their ambitions achieved.

Have we got any forum members who have done, or are close to doing, the current 92 grounds ?
I'm up to 86 now having added Stevenage & Leyton Orient to my list this season.
All but one have been watching Derby
My remaining 6 are Wrexham, Harrogate, Barrow, Colchester, Crawley & Sutton
Obviously several of my list have been at former grounds but they still count

I've seen Derby play at 87 of the current 92 - the 5 I've not been to are Barrow, Crawley, Harrogate, Sutton and Wrexham. I've also seen us play at 17 grounds outside of the top four divisions.
Ideally, I'm hoping that Sutton go down and that the two teams that get promoted from the National League are places I've already been to so then I'd end the season on 88 🤞
 

Your bit about the 1 in 4 statistic reinforces that it is a statistical thing.
We had three.
It is hard to keep trying if you fear that things will go wrong, but you sound determined ...

Pull up a chair, this will be a long one.
Me and my wife Leanne have been together 8 years and 5 months, we have been trying for a baby for around 6/7 years. Nothing happened. Leanne has been desperate for our own little baby and seeing friends around us start families has been hard for her.
It’s been hard for myself as I later found out it was probably my fault following a sperm test.
Just before Covid we went to explore IVF options where I was given a sperm test, the results were basically I have swimmers, just not enough to put me in the “normal” range. Not impossible I could get Leanne pregnant, just harder than it would be for others.
Covid landed, lockdown, all non essential treatment and hospital appointments were cancelled, so our doctors asked us to come back once life returned to normal.
Fast forward to August 2023, we returned to the doctors knowing the clock was ticking, Leanne turns 40 this year and would already be classified as a “geriatric”, whilst myself a slightly younger Des O’Connor.
Anyway, they started testing Leanne, she was all clear, I was given another tube to fill and arrange an appointment with the hospital. Contacting them I was told there is such a backlog, we would be waiting until the new year, side note, we’re almost April and I’m still yet to receive a call back.
As I have mentioned elsewhere, October 27th our great nephews moved in with us under an emergency kinship fostering placement, since then we have been undergoing various assessments and training.
We go to the fostering panel to be confirmed foster parents on April 11th.
We was also willing to go down the SGO (Special guardianship order) route which would see them stay with us until they were 18.
Now, this is an important bit. We live in a small 2 bedroom house, me and Leanne looked at it and said maybe this is our calling, maybe we just weren’t meant to have our own and threw ourselves into the boys creating a special bond.
Monday 12th February, 2024, Leanne woke me up in tears saying we need to talk. My eyes had barely adjusted to the daylight before a positive pregnancy test was thrust into my face.
What. The. f***.
We quickly went to Morrison’s to buy another one, just to double check, this time a digital one. Both ClearBlue so super accurate.
The pregnancy was confirmed, 2-3 weeks it said.
We hadn’t bothered to be “careful” as we figured it was never going to happen naturally, but it had so now we was left with a huge dilemma. The boys were meant to be our future now. But it’s a 2 bedroom house.
It completely took the shine off what should have been the happiest time of our lives, Leanne’s family were also not fully invested into the joy with concern over what would happen to the boys.
After a few emotional discussions into the early mornings, exploring all possibilities, we ultimately decided to let social services know that we cannot be considered as long term placement if needed.
At this point and to this day, their mum is still waiting on her assessment to see if they can ever be returned.
We could not abort, we could not move as we have a small amount of debt that would prevent us getting a new mortgage for a much larger house.
March 9th, we visited the midwife who dated the pregnancy from Leanne’s last recorded period December 18th. A 12 week scan was booked for 21st March however she was told that she would be 13 weeks by then.
Sickness, tender breasts, the lot, this was all very real.
The wait for the 21st March seemed like forever.
The weekend prior, Leanne had very very light spotting and discharge which freaked us both out, quick call to the midwife and told not to worry, just come in if it’s heavy bleeding and she’s in pain.
On the 20th, I had a tattoo appointment, super excited and determined to bring some positivity to a stressed out wife, I get “Daddy” inked on my neck, at the neckline of a t shirt.  I was uncontrollably excited by this point.
Next morning we go in, soon called into the Ultrasound room, I bounce in rubbing my hands joking just the one please.
Monitor boots up, Leanne laid back with the biggest smile on her face unable to see the monitor.
I look up and the gestation sac is empty.
All life inside me just melted.
The midwife asked when we last took a pregnancy test, to which Leanne responded and was then asked if she would be happy to have an internal scan.
Whilst the midwife left the room I was in a daze, taking pictures of the screens.
Internal scan complete, we was simply told to get ourselves ready and we will be shown to the counselling room.
Both in tears, we was led away and left to sit in this room for half hour or so before another midwife appeared giving us 3 options.
Let it come out naturally.
Take medication to force it out which can be super painful.
Or surgery, which is a vacuum basically which sucks it out.
Period of silence followed and we was shown out the side door, absolutely devastated.
We sat in the car park at a complete loss. I had the announcement board ready to go, bought the little lamb rattle, we had it all planned and it was over.
After an hour we went home, packed our bags and basically ran away for the weekend leaving the boys with their Nan. We couldn’t face being “parents” surrounded by toys at this time.
Work were great, signed us both off with paid leave.
The weekend was spent crying, drinking, walking, crying.
We returned Monday, still an emotional mess but able to function at least.
The hospital rang asking if we had made a decision, on Tuesday Leanne booked the surgery for the Wednesday. That Tuesday night went to visit a friend who was questioning the dates, could they be wrong, is it earlier than we think, ask for a second scan to confirm.
On looking at the scan, the gestation sac was 1D 25mm, 2D 29mm and 3D 29mm. I’m googling sac sizes at 1am and see that is 8 weeks. 5 weeks earlier than what we was told.
Leanne’s now questioning if she forgot to record a period I said look, we’ll ask for a confirmation scan to be sure.
That morning, we go into SDEC (Same day emergency care), nurse calls us in, Leanne breaks down so I take over asking for a confirmation scan. They were great and said of course, booking us in for April 2nd.
I would have declined the 1st for obvious reasons.
We’re sat here now 99% believing we’ve lost the baby, however we need that 1% of doubt clearing away with this confirmation scan on Tuesday. Even a scan at an earlier date should have shown more than just the gestation sac and yolk sac.
I’m back to work on Monday, needing some normality back in my life, although Tuesday after the scan won’t be much fun.
This week that’s just gone, Wednesday 27th, the Boys mum had her assessment heard at panel, we’re now just waiting to hear from the social services to see how that went and would they be returned or not.
We have some difficult decisions ahead if she doesn’t, as now Leanne’s “oven has been warmed”, we’re desperate more than ever for our own little baby, yet fully aware Leanne turns 40 in a couple of months and I’m 42 myself.
It really needs to happen now, or not at all. Seeing Cameron Diaz having her second at 51 years old the other week, not sure how I feel as the old you get the more our bodies begin to tire and develop issues where running after children becomes more difficult.
All family options for the boys have been exhausted, so it’s either us, their mum or adoption. Being 2 and 3 they are the prime age to be adopted yet we would never see them again and that would f’in hurt, especially if me and Leanne are not successful in having our own.
I'm sharing this as men don't like to talk and when 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage, many men will have been in similar situations and struggle in silence. Whilst the woman will ultimately bare the most pain and need the most support, it still f'in hurts....a lot.
So yeah, coming on here reading how Paul Warne is a terrible football manager, being 2nd is pure luck and all the rest of the negative hyperbole just hasn’t been at the top of the list to absorb. 
More to life than football has never been more true.
You know the old saying though, behind every successful forum owner, behind him is a team of amazing moderators. Big thanks to them for carrying the load whilst I spend time supporting the wife.

Credit to the Derbyshire motorcycle police - that's a slick operation
 

This picture
Wolstenholme said:
And here comes Hurst! He's got...
(Wolstenholme is distracted by some of the crowd spilling onto the pitch)
Some people are on the pitch! They think it's all over!
(Geoff Hurst scores to put England two goals ahead)
It is now, it's four!
 
 
"They think its all over"  I will be glad when it is and we are back in the Championship 

Reader warning @Crewton - I'm not ranting at you with what is below, just in general.
Oh I'd agree with that point - if anyone needs convincing watch 'Once Upon A Time In Iraq' to see how it works to impose your views on others. But I'm not sure it's quite as simple as suggesting that the last colonial overlord is the one who is then tasked to lead on fixing the problem. It feels more first world / third world to me and situations like this, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen sadly just show that there is no compunction on anyone to redress the inequalities that have formed. I don't think anyone suggests we want to live in a world where everyone is equal to one another, but the level of inequality - and the total disregard to help those who are unable to provide in return - shames us as a species. And the suggestion that because we (first world) haven't always found the formula means there is no option is not really one we should consider - long term investment, education, support and a little bit of care and empathy. Has it ever worked? Well I'd suggest large parts of Latin America, parts of South East Asia and many parts of Europe (benefitting from EU funding, Ireland for example) have seen economic development from external support.
But hey, let's not worry, slob out on the sofa and in a couple of weeks there will be some 80s pop star in the ad break asking you to give what you can (sadly, without tax refunded). Every little bit helps and all that.
Oh, and we are helping some countries who need help. Place like Ukraine, Aghanistan, Nigeria so we can do it when we want to.

That's just reminded me of a nice little titbit connecting these two clubs...
Pompey win FA Cup in '39... then retain it for the longest uninterrupted period (7 years), due to the war years, before handing it over in '46... to us!  🏆
 
 

Come to Matlock Bath it’s a bit like Blackpool without the sea. You’ll have the added bonus if the weathers good of sitting in traffic for a few hours and no where to park.