hales300k

He's not been a regular starter for a while now since he came back from injury. Did really well for us when were down to the bare bones a couple of months ago but had to play with - check this out - a broken vertebrae. I s*** you not - we were desperate. Anyway he was rested when George T returned from suspension and has mainly been used as a sub since.
Sheehan and George Thomason are the string pullers, with Sheehan playing just in front of the back 3. More recently, Maghoma has been playing too. All 3 can make killer passes. Some of our better players are out for the season - a couple will be returning soon hopefully.
As regards our wage structure, it's changed a lot over the last 2 years. A lot of our players were bought on the cheap e.g. our captain Santos from Barnet and Eoin Toal from Derry City who was £75k - although this rose by another £75k when he was capped for NI - however  I can't imagine he's on much. But in January we splashed out on Collins (est £750k) as we had no strikers under the age of 30 still fit, and he'll be on a load. Generally though we've stuck to a firm wage cap. That tight-fisted approach cost us as we walked away from two excellent players whose personal demands scuppered the deals despite the clubs agreeing a sale. And the team cost around £2.5 million in transfers including signings for the B team. Wages a lot less than yours but more than half I'd have thought.

It will be important that the South stand sets the tone, united and loud then the rest will follow. No need to get into negative tit for tat stuff with Bolton just positive support for the team whatever is going on on the pitch. 

There's only one of those that we can affect.
BRING THE NOISE! 🐏

Enjoyed Rampant's bio especially the artistic licence re the laxatives. Being a Wanderers fan is a life sentence so we need a laugh every now and then. After our recent performances one thing we don't need is laxatives though.
I think it's fair to say that a draw would favour you and prior to our Oxford game I'd have snatched your hand off for it. Saturday will be our 22nd game in 75 days and the punishing schedule had taken it's toll with injuries to key players throughout, a couple of suspensions and the constant disruption of the starting eleven. Our form went through the floor and in the 10 games before Oxford we'd slipped to 16th in the form table, blown our games in hand and picked up even more injuries in the process. So going into the Oxford game I was bricking it. Perhaps out of desperation as much as having his hand forced, Evatt made changes to the way we've played for a couple of seasons now. Way I see it, he actually dropped some of the instructions/processes instead of adding to them - and backed the players to do what comes naturally to them rather than having to conform to a rigid - and therefore predictable - system. The term "letting them off the leash" was bandied about. Teams had been setting up to nullify us and let us have possession in pointless areas beforehand, but on Tuesday we confused the s*** out of Oxford and messed up their game plan in the first five minutes. And nobody was more surprised than us Wanderers fans as Evatt has a reputation for being dogmatic about our playing style.
What we can expect is high-risk attacking and entertaining football. OK we'll leave gaps to exploit, but if the lads can replicate the pace, effort, quality, discipline and creativity they showed on Tuesday it will be close game. Slightly concerned they're too knackered but it's the last game in our congested fixture schedule so I hope they give their all.
For the first time, I actually welcome the international break and hope the lads who go on international duty don't get picked to play so they can have a long overdue break - plus we should start to get injured players back by the time it's over, notably our goalie and strikers. So from our perspective, it's one last effort before they can take time to recover and reset.
Absolutely no idea how it will go on Saturday - two different styles - and we'll be playing with a back 3 (occasionally a back 1) against your excellent strikers so big Rico is going to have his work cut out, especially on the counter.
Looking forward to it and hope that we're blessed with a decent ref for once. That said, it wouldn't surprise me if we got a card-happy loony and a bad-tempered game given what's at stake. Hope not.

Paul Warne
You Can Leave Your Hat On 
🖤 🤍 🐏
Love David Clowes
Love Paul Warne
Love Derby County 🖤 🤍 🐏

Shared a journalist’s tweet about this in the away tickets thread earlier but figure it’s worth sharing here too, especially with this coming direct from the man himself. NML has asked to be stood down from the upcoming internationals so he can focus on Derby and the run in, top man 👏 
 

Hi all,
Please see the below from the family of Angie who sadly passed away last month. I knew Angie personally through Derby and was ever present at home and away games. Whether we took 200 on Tuesday nights under Clough, she was always there. Her commitment and support to our club was second to none. She will be deeply missed by all those that know her and this lady deserves the round of the applause on the 69th minute. Hopefully she will be looking down on us and giving us that support we need.
Our much loved Mum, Wife and massive Derby Fan Angie Vallance passed away recently. Angie travelled home and away to follow the mighty Rams for 25+years. She was well know to many and we would like to pay tribute to her.
To coincide with Black and White day and with such a massive, important game on Saturday 16th March V Bolton we would like to try and get our amazing fans to pay tribute to Angie in the stadium with a minutes applause on 69th Minute, the age she passed.
Please could you help us publicise this so we can give her a lovely tribute in the week of her funeral.
Again thanks to all of the football family you have all been amazing, your love and support has been such a comfort at this incredibly difficult time.
Thanks in advance

Added some great passing to his game last night , get him signed , makes me want to sing Special  Brew by Bad Manners  , "I love you , you`re Ebou , we should spend all our money on you" Oh , hang on , we haven`t got any money ! Who cares, bring on the Trotters 

I drink in the Railway in Belper when the Town are at home 😁
The last home game there were 4 people sitting behind us, 2 English(male/female and the same with the other 2 but Americans all 4 I guess were mid to late 50s, The Americans have an accent that stands out a mile.
USA male was talking about Pearl Harbour...it got my attention and the horror the Japanese caused, He then went on and produced to say how the USA won WW2...if truth beknown without their manpower and equipment he wasn't far wrong, I really wanted to say summat but thought better of it.
A couple or 3 pints later USA man said they have never lost a War, We were putting our coats on and I had to say...excuse me...but you have, Oh he replied which one and when.
1861/1865 American Civil War...the South lost...my mates 🤣
I'll give that series a miss...thanks for the info 👍

We are missing it so much.
Pleased with my t-shirt though.
 

It's not so much the players we play being defensive or attacking, the mentality of cling on once we have a nose in front is what is frustraiting.
Lets hope for a front foot forward performance whoever is in the side and a convincing win to let everyone know we are now in the Month of march and we can all start to sing "Springtime for Paul Warne, winter for bolton and tykes"

Just parked the car up, going to The merlin for a couple of pints and a bite to eat, come on, Rams fans lets stay behind the team today massive game they will need us to roar them onto victory, I have a good feeling today. Once A Ram Always A Ram. 

Come on Derby let’s win this we love you 

Who knowz what ze fermation or Gnomes on the back of the shirtz will be - perhaps this wok we will find ze spirit of Booby Davison and Fill Gee , 1986  , your thyme iz now....

12 to go , lets get the ground rocking tonight , COYRs 

12 to go , lets get the ground rocking tonight , COYRs 

MASSIVE respect to you both. 👍
Muckerette has done a bloody sterling job of bringing up two boys “belonging to someone else” (me!) from the same age (both now just either side of 40!) but Lord knows how difficult that is when neither are the true/biological parent, regardless of how close that wider family network is. 

I can’t stress enough how much respect I have for you both for doing this, and I wish the four of you the very best of luck and happiness as you develop as a family unit!
Bloody Bravo!  

 
edit:
this really shouldn’t be tucked away in here, and is most worthy of its own appropriately titled thread!  
 

Thanks and yeah we’re getting there with social services and fostering, edging closer to completion.
The Mrs has her personal assessment next, just done mine where they build your autobiography. Couple more after together.
3 more Solihull parental course sessions and we’re off to panel.
All pointing towards being approved as foster parents as the backup plan, with the SGO order being plan A.
The boys are great, settled right in and now pushing the boundaries to see what they can get away with 😂
Been a real into the deep end with a 2 and 3 year old with no parental experience. We’re doing alright though, they are happy, healthy and heading in the right direction.

Finished Love / Hate. It's odd that I recall watching the first series, but never went back to it, but thanks to all for the heads up as it's a belter. Initially, I didn't buy Tom Vaughn-Lawlor's character at all, but it's a stellar piece of casting as he'd not be the first actor that'd spring to mind for the role, yet it's ultimately as memorable a performance as I can recall. He's like a Machiavelli for the 21st century and the way the noose inexorably tightens from episode to episode and series to series, as his greed and narcissism run riot, is almost Shakespearean. It all seems inevitable and yet utterly compelling at the same time and that's a very nuanced and clever trick. I liked Kin, but for me, this was in a different stratosphere.
 

Never mind a striker, he should be top of any summer signing list, if at all possible. He just makes us massively more solid and breaks play so well. 
 
Nobody is running through our midfield anymore, like you say just a really likeable lad and he’s giving Bird much more freedom.

Really like this lad. Humble, eloquent, appreciative, super hard-working and an absolute beast on the pitch. We need to make him feel as welcome as we can, which in fairness, I think we are are. 

You do realise that a lot of 'peak' train fares are priced to actively discourage us great unwashed to use them?
I also take issue with the term 'politically motivated strikes'. I'd say not having a pay rise in 3 or 4 years with inflation at 10%+ (and more for food) has f*** all to do with politics. The TOC's (under the guise of the Ministry of Transport, but say it quietly) is also trying to change the drivers T&C's such that they can change their shift start/end time by +/- SIX hours at short notice (I believe its current +/- three hours).
For balance, I've no connection whatsoever to the rail industry, any union or a political party, I'd just like to see a more even society, where the boss doesn't earn the bog cleaners entire wage by lunchtime on 2nd January.

I've a pretty strong character and I firmly believe in the vote(democracy)what would I have done back then...an honest opinion I can not give, I hated The Thatcher Government, I liked Scargill...I've read his books on how he was victimised as a young miner, So for your Dad to work and Your Brother-in Law to strike I applaud them both, Both must have gone through a decision that had emotive consequences.
My Dad was a Tory voter and my Mum was a labour voter, I took after my Mum back then, Strong social beliefs, Fight for your own and don't bow down to authority...bad times were the 80s...for some 😔  

Give Adams a hug from me ,and a pen to sign permanently , Come on you "how are we even up there ?" Rams !!

If things aren’t going well  tommorow , can we stay with the team ? Not for first 15 minutes till the beer wears off , and not on the concourse after 30 minutes . But for 90 + minutes. COYR