therams69

1 minute ago, kingsy1884 said:

It this based on anything other than just senior officer at Derby not wanting a chat?

Far from that. I would love for you to tell me one person, whether a Journo, club official etc that can tell us this football club is going to be okay, they can't because it wont be.

Just now, Wolfie said:

Rants tend to be off the cuff where as facts are different! LOL

Hi everyone,

I have posted this on my personal facebook but want to let everyone else know as well hence why I have started a new thread. As fans we need to be collectively acting now on the back of the group Club 84 raising various issues over the past week or so. Do no bury your heads in the sand any longer. I am concerned.

Spent this last week focusing on something that means a hell of alot to me, Derby County.

This past year has been tough on me, sure you all know that and my primarily focus has been on my business and family. A new addition in Phoebe, a house move that now risks having houses built at the back of us replacing the green belt land that reside on the land and then working most nights delivering Uber to bring some income in, not to mention home schooling. So I haven't had the time to think about Derby County but it has now come to a tipping point where I am very concerned about our club.

Regardless of the result on Saturday, this club in my opinion is in serious danger and when I say that I mean it in the strongest of terms. Should this takeover not happen then I worry that we will have no club to return to.

Over the past few weeks many supporters group and the local press have requested that either Mel Morris or Stephen Pearce just come out and gives us fans some 'reassurance' that our club will be secure in the event of the takeover collapsing. This has been refused many times.

I have been involved with the club for around 15 years now and have attended many meetings including the supporters committee that meet every couple of months and improving the atmosphere etc etc... Always had a very good relationship and a mutual respect with both Mel & Stephen. There was plans for a protest after the game on Saturday (now been called off due to safety concerns with the Arena Vaccines) and originally this could have simply been avoided by either of them coming out to give us fans reassurance. I asked the question a couple of days ago and they have refused to come out and say 'anything'.

It does not need a genius to work out that this is an absolute disgrace of respect for us fans. The same people who asked fans to donate their Season Ticket money to the club in the middle of a pandemic to help it be run as opposed to having a refund. The absolute pure cheek of it is astounding.

When things go silent and when people in authority refuse to speak to the biggest stakeholders of this football club, which if you didn't know, is us fans, then questions and concerns need to be raised and answered and unfortunately certain people are hiding - draw your own conclusions on that.

The focus without doubt needs to be on the game on Saturday but irrespective of the outcome, Derby County are in serious danger and as fans we need to act. Do not say to me that it will all be okay if we stay up, it won't be. Do not be naïve to think that. We are in a huge mess. There is a reason why accounts get published and that is so fans can understand the situation of our club. This is way overdue, why?.

Mel Morris has invested alot of money in this football club but whilst doing so has made us an absolute embarrassment in the football world and has failed. Selling the stadium to himself was done because he overspent and screwed up. So many thought it was clever, it really wasn't - it was hiding his mistakes as custodian to this football club which resulted in the football club no longer owning the biggest asset which in turn will make any takeover complicated. Let's not even go there with the Arab failed takeover, due diligence of any interested party failed big time there and weeks were wasted with it.

Under his command we have seen absolute appalling recruitment. This has never been addressed despite being raised time and time again. In fact, we may as well appoint him as manager as I always thought it should be the football club manager that targets & buys players. I dont need to name names with this one but there is a player at this club who has never played second time around and is getting paid very well, wonder why...

Clearly our season has been nothing short of a shambles. You cannot blame the kids and you cannot blame the players to a degree, it isn't there fault they are not good enough. The captain of the ship is responsible for this. Important we back the lads tomorrow and hope and pray they get us over the line to keep our Championship status.

This post is not a rant. Its reality that our football club and the fab Derby people that work within it are in serious danger of being no more. Please do not say to me that this derails tomorrow, I am sorry but the situation is far worse than the potential relegation we face tomorrow. Feel free to bury your heads in the sands but things need to change at Derby County and quick before it really is to late.

I would say to Mel & Stephen, feel free to respond and give us reassurances, but they have already refused to do so. That my friends is all you need to know about who we currently have running our beloved Derby County.

Stephen Pearce needs to resign. Any CEO of any business does not hide like what you have.

Mel Morris needs to depart this football club and take all the debt with him. The stadium should be given back to the football club and included in any sale. He should swallow his pride and sell this great football club to the 'best' candidate and not just who he prefers. We both know there are offers on the table and you know who they are from.

After all, you are Derby through and through - said no one ever but you.

Nick

5 minutes ago, nottingram said:

I do not believe a single word that that weird little man Matt Hughes writes

Chief Sports Writer for a national paper and genuinely about half his stories are about Derby. Really odd.

Guess if you have a good source at a particular club and all that.....

Lovely stuff Ryan and well done. Your Dad must be very proud of you.

Will hopefully pick a copy up at some point...

All the best,

Nick

Millwall away - 20 June 2020

2 minutes ago, reverendo de duivel said:

Must be hard mate, if you are struggling you could always expel one or two?*

 

*Copyright Jason Manford.

They have already been suspended and expelled!

Coping as best as I can, I always think there are worse off people than me though and that is what keeps me focused...

Personally I am home schooling 3 kids with number 4 due in June (planned outside the normal footballing window!)

Work wise is where its been hard. Those that dont know, I run my own travel business so self employed. Been a really tough couple of months with all the immediate issues and changes, think there were 220 updates around the world. Kind of managed to sort them out but from a mental health point of view its never easy to deal with considering I am working for free now, have to pay back a fair bit of money I had already earnt and been paid for holidays that were imminent departures and then see all my hard work over the last 9 months pretty much all dwindle down to nothing. Hard gig running a travel business and being self employed but alive and well so..............

Hope everyone is well.....

Oh and I have no idea where the big flag is! Last seen on the team coach heading to Millwall ... Sure it will be somewhere with Ellisons! 

2 hours ago, Inverurie Ram said:

@therams69 Great to see the Jim Smith flag at the Derby County 0-3 Man Utd FA Cup 5th Round March 5th 2020 and a certain flagman in the crowd.

Haha! I need to go and get that hole sewed up (hence someone put a flag through it lol)

Bristol City away Feb 2020

Swansea away Feb 2020

1 hour ago, Inverurie Ram said:

Horrible club Middlesbrough.

Let's not forget the horrible Middlesbrough fans that spat all over our Derby flag, poured cola over it and gave it a good tug.

 

They tried and they failed .... Thankfully the girls at Moor Farm had it washed that very same day on it's return as it was absolutely covered in coke and god knows what else....

Palace away in FA Cup 3rd round 2020.

10 hours ago, Inverurie Ram said:

Ahhh Boro away! The only time ever, that home fans have tried to tear down the flag. That was along with all the bottles of coke and spit that was thrown on it as well...

Bit of a strange one at Hull...

Always call ahead to check flag is allowed etc and the Hull safety officer confirmed no problem as normal here. Planned to do a surf as no spare seats but we would confirm that on the day.

Anyways .. After speaking to the supervisor on the day we agreed to surf and I got flag out down front ready at 1450 to be surfed at 1455.

At 1455 he then gets a call to say it's not allowed. I was like wtf?!?! I said we had it all agreed etc .. supervisor explained a different safety officer on today and he wasnt happy for us to do it. Quickly got emails out and said we had it agreed etc etc .. Apparently it was a different safety officer but after checking emails he was copied in on the plans anyway haha!

Low and behold the original safety officer I had spoken to was down in away end and apologised and said wasnt his call today and was overruled by same equivalent working on the day. Thought, great this is what we need at 3pm! So original safety officer advised we could then put over seats as block that was originally kept back hadn't been sold in the end so all good to go there .. So at 3pm dragged it across front of away end and put out in an empty block... Strange one that but hey!

Then at full time ended up copping some abuse off the Hull lot who offered me a lighter to burn the flag. Offered for them to throw it down so I could do it but they bottled it .. Naturally the flag is fire retardant so would have been good to see there faces!!

Crikey ... 10 years ago in Marbella for a mid season friendly under Cloughie.

Love one of them games where you can just stroll around. For some reason I asked the players for a photo on the flag.

Brighton Pier. Made the local rag over there as well!

Scunthorpe away in League Cup.

Second visit with the previous being around 2008 if i recall.

2 hours ago, angieram said:

What a depressing read. I am sure the drum would have given our chants a bit of focus and helped keep us together instead of all the different songs breaking out and competing so that was particularly bad news.

I can't fathom the logic about the flag but good on the club for stepping in and creating another - it looked good but as you say does not have the tradition and history.

What happens to it now? Put away until our next Wembley final?

 

Yeah just a little Angie eh! The drum would have been crucial as to get a constant rhythm going, hard enough in a big enough stadium but a little constant noise would then have spread.

Absolutely fair play to the club, but like I say (Keogh style) it shouldn't have come to that in reality. 

No idea, maybe it will get surfed at home games, far too big for away games though. Struggle at times to get the Super Rams flag everywhere although most championship clubs are welcoming of it and it should be doing 18 or so aways next year ...

Always happy to explain guys. ?

14 hours ago, Steve How Hard? said:

Sorry if I missed it @therams69 but what was the outcome with the flag at Wembley? You sounded very despondent beforehand. 

Wasn't good if I am being honest. Didn't post an update as I didn't want to create anything negative before the day and nothing I could do to change it.

So basically with Wembley you have to go via the club to request permission for large flags and drums etc. The drum was permitted and travelled on club transport which was sorted by them, it didnt get in though, so not happy with that outcome. Adam went to alot of effort to get it reskinned and ready. Last thing i wanted to be doing on the day was having to try and sort it considering we had it all arranged. It never got in though, so....

Okay back to the flag... So it was allowed in 5 years ago v QPR ... This time around Wembley insisted it was too small! All large flags that wish to be surfed had to be 12m x 12m or more. Now lets be honest, whats fan/s have a flag that big, practically no one. Why would you as well considering you wouldn't be able to take it around the country to league games, would be pointless. Club at this point decided to produce a club flag that was surfed at the game.

My take on it was that the flag has alot of history as well all know, 10 years with me, and previous to that a few years with John and Ramstrust. Very disappointing that the flag that we take home and away would not be allowed. I managed to speak to Wembley officials and was basically told same as before, not safe for such a small flag etc etc ... Dynamics of Wembley different blah blah ... Some of the stadiums i have setup and surfed flag in has been tough. Forest Green for one, or Birmingham when I was on the back row and had no space to sort but I did. So quite capable of surfing it and making sure it was held up, what I have done for the last 10 years for christ sake! Got no where with him and felt that the game was all about commercial and not the fans. Biggest game of season and they say no, just sums up football nowadays for me I am afraid, losing the love of it in honesty, far to much politics and stupid regulations.

Oh and it would have been a £500 fee to pay as well for a team from Wembley to assist. Like I would have needed. As fans we sort it. I dont need some contractors to tell us how to do it, fans know the score as we do it week in week out. Patronising against us fans it felt like.

Hope that explains it anyway folks! In a nutshell, the game has gone in many aspects.

21 hours ago, Inverurie Ram said:

@therams69 playing it cool.

I actually genuinely don't remember seeing the banner haha! Looks class though...

4 hours ago, JoetheRam said:

Quality away day that - Pompey fans were class that day as well (believe it was the day they were confirmed relagated).

Absolutely it was ...

Also the order of 1000 black and white balloons that i ordered for the game had appeared on my timehop last week lol

Portsmouth away 21/04/12

Birmingham yesterday. 19/04/19