StantonRam

IMO in recent years by far the best aspect of being a Rams fan has been the way that 'the kids' have emerged and done sterling work for us.  Had more faith been shown in them earlier under previous managers then we wouldn't have spent silly money that we didn't really have on expensive but average bench sitters, bankrupting ourselves in the process.  Now we find ourselves in precisely the situation we have been dreading all these years, heading for League 1 with a team mostly consisting of young &/or local &/or untried talent.
And you know what?  It might actually be the best thing that's ever happened to us.  OK we might lose a couple of the best young players (Knight won't want to play in League 1 as he is already an international) but there always seem to be more coming through.  And this current crop will run through walls for Wazza because he gave them a chance.
So we should give thanks to those who made this possible, get behind the kids at every opportunity and let them know that we believe in them 100%.  We are fortunate to be able to watch such a talented and hard working bunch.  This is how football should be, primarily a means for local talent to find an outlet and connect with and contribute to their home town team.
And once the new ownership is in place their first act should be to commit to continuing to invest in the Academy.  In the long run it will save us millions. 

IMO in recent years by far the best aspect of being a Rams fan has been the way that 'the kids' have emerged and done sterling work for us.  Had more faith been shown in them earlier under previous managers then we wouldn't have spent silly money that we didn't really have on expensive but average bench sitters, bankrupting ourselves in the process.  Now we find ourselves in precisely the situation we have been dreading all these years, heading for League 1 with a team mostly consisting of young &/or local &/or untried talent.
And you know what?  It might actually be the best thing that's ever happened to us.  OK we might lose a couple of the best young players (Knight won't want to play in League 1 as he is already an international) but there always seem to be more coming through.  And this current crop will run through walls for Wazza because he gave them a chance.
So we should give thanks to those who made this possible, get behind the kids at every opportunity and let them know that we believe in them 100%.  We are fortunate to be able to watch such a talented and hard working bunch.  This is how football should be, primarily a means for local talent to find an outlet and connect with and contribute to their home town team.
And once the new ownership is in place their first act should be to commit to continuing to invest in the Academy.  In the long run it will save us millions. 

IMO in recent years by far the best aspect of being a Rams fan has been the way that 'the kids' have emerged and done sterling work for us.  Had more faith been shown in them earlier under previous managers then we wouldn't have spent silly money that we didn't really have on expensive but average bench sitters, bankrupting ourselves in the process.  Now we find ourselves in precisely the situation we have been dreading all these years, heading for League 1 with a team mostly consisting of young &/or local &/or untried talent.
And you know what?  It might actually be the best thing that's ever happened to us.  OK we might lose a couple of the best young players (Knight won't want to play in League 1 as he is already an international) but there always seem to be more coming through.  And this current crop will run through walls for Wazza because he gave them a chance.
So we should give thanks to those who made this possible, get behind the kids at every opportunity and let them know that we believe in them 100%.  We are fortunate to be able to watch such a talented and hard working bunch.  This is how football should be, primarily a means for local talent to find an outlet and connect with and contribute to their home town team.
And once the new ownership is in place their first act should be to commit to continuing to invest in the Academy.  In the long run it will save us millions. 

IMO in recent years by far the best aspect of being a Rams fan has been the way that 'the kids' have emerged and done sterling work for us.  Had more faith been shown in them earlier under previous managers then we wouldn't have spent silly money that we didn't really have on expensive but average bench sitters, bankrupting ourselves in the process.  Now we find ourselves in precisely the situation we have been dreading all these years, heading for League 1 with a team mostly consisting of young &/or local &/or untried talent.
And you know what?  It might actually be the best thing that's ever happened to us.  OK we might lose a couple of the best young players (Knight won't want to play in League 1 as he is already an international) but there always seem to be more coming through.  And this current crop will run through walls for Wazza because he gave them a chance.
So we should give thanks to those who made this possible, get behind the kids at every opportunity and let them know that we believe in them 100%.  We are fortunate to be able to watch such a talented and hard working bunch.  This is how football should be, primarily a means for local talent to find an outlet and connect with and contribute to their home town team.
And once the new ownership is in place their first act should be to commit to continuing to invest in the Academy.  In the long run it will save us millions. 

Couldn't agree more.  The strategy last night was the right one IMO because a point solves nothing.  Far better to gamble, go for it and try for the 3 points.  Sometimes, as last night, it won't pay off, but sometimes it will.
Just keep doing that and sooner or later we will string some wins together.  12 wins from 24 games would put us in with a shout, and then it would all be down to the last 2 games, do or die, death or glory, play a 2-3-5 formation like in 1921 etc LOL, and possibly goal difference, goals scored etc.  The last day, in that scenario, will be just as nail bitingly delicious as it was in May.
One thing's for sure, it's going to be a feast of genuine, attack minded footie with NO FEAR for the next 6 months.  The worst has already happened, we are all but down in the minds of most people, and that can work to our advantage, as we saw against Bournemouth.
I for one am looking forward to 26 fearless games played by a squad that's absolutely together and scrapping for each other and the manager and the club.  And in some ways, that's actually more exciting than watching a side that's safely mid table, cruising, and often playing out a game boringly to snatch a point.
And if they DO pull it off, against all the odds, there's a movie in that for sure, in which case where can I buy the film rights? LOL.

That's the attitude, yaaaaaaay!

That's the attitude, yaaaaaaay!

27 games remaining.
Logically all the teams below the top 2 are not as good as the top 2.
Against which we just got 4 points from 2 games.
Therefore, it might be possible to extrapolate that form going forward.
26 games (for ease of arithmetic) @ 4 points every 2 games = 52 points.
It does seem that the bottom 6 are really not very good this season, therefore some of them might not end up with much more than 30-40 points.
Theoretically, against all the odds, it IS doable.
These last two results are massive in their implications and change the picture entirely.
What's needed now is the same attitude when playing the lower teams, and absolute ruthlessness in pursuit of 3 points.
As I wrote previously, nothing to lose, might as well go for it!
COYR!

27 games remaining.
Logically all the teams below the top 2 are not as good as the top 2.
Against which we just got 4 points from 2 games.
Therefore, it might be possible to extrapolate that form going forward.
26 games (for ease of arithmetic) @ 4 points every 2 games = 52 points.
It does seem that the bottom 6 are really not very good this season, therefore some of them might not end up with much more than 30-40 points.
Theoretically, against all the odds, it IS doable.
These last two results are massive in their implications and change the picture entirely.
What's needed now is the same attitude when playing the lower teams, and absolute ruthlessness in pursuit of 3 points.
As I wrote previously, nothing to lose, might as well go for it!
COYR!

27 games remaining.
Logically all the teams below the top 2 are not as good as the top 2.
Against which we just got 4 points from 2 games.
Therefore, it might be possible to extrapolate that form going forward.
26 games (for ease of arithmetic) @ 4 points every 2 games = 52 points.
It does seem that the bottom 6 are really not very good this season, therefore some of them might not end up with much more than 30-40 points.
Theoretically, against all the odds, it IS doable.
These last two results are massive in their implications and change the picture entirely.
What's needed now is the same attitude when playing the lower teams, and absolute ruthlessness in pursuit of 3 points.
As I wrote previously, nothing to lose, might as well go for it!
COYR!

27 games remaining.
Logically all the teams below the top 2 are not as good as the top 2.
Against which we just got 4 points from 2 games.
Therefore, it might be possible to extrapolate that form going forward.
26 games (for ease of arithmetic) @ 4 points every 2 games = 52 points.
It does seem that the bottom 6 are really not very good this season, therefore some of them might not end up with much more than 30-40 points.
Theoretically, against all the odds, it IS doable.
These last two results are massive in their implications and change the picture entirely.
What's needed now is the same attitude when playing the lower teams, and absolute ruthlessness in pursuit of 3 points.
As I wrote previously, nothing to lose, might as well go for it!
COYR!

Just because an organisation stonewalls and gets defensive doesn't mean that those kind of questions should not be asked.  The questions are perfectly fair and the answers speak for themselves, and would lead many fans to conclude that the real answer to both questions is YES and NO respectively.  
What this amounts to is that the EFL took a personal dislike to MM and used all the regulatory tools at their disposal in order to duck him up.  They would have done this whichever club he happened to own.  Not that they will ever admit it of course.
In most workplaces this stuff goes on all the time.  If your boss wants rid of you all they have to do is set you up to fail, subject you to endless 'performance reviews', forensically trawl your expense claims etc etc in order to find something, anything, that can be used as an excuse to then invoke the disciplinary process, and eventually most people will see the writing on the wall and just leave.  This is just a variation on that theme.  It's all about power. 
 

Just because an organisation stonewalls and gets defensive doesn't mean that those kind of questions should not be asked.  The questions are perfectly fair and the answers speak for themselves, and would lead many fans to conclude that the real answer to both questions is YES and NO respectively.  
What this amounts to is that the EFL took a personal dislike to MM and used all the regulatory tools at their disposal in order to duck him up.  They would have done this whichever club he happened to own.  Not that they will ever admit it of course.
In most workplaces this stuff goes on all the time.  If your boss wants rid of you all they have to do is set you up to fail, subject you to endless 'performance reviews', forensically trawl your expense claims etc etc in order to find something, anything, that can be used as an excuse to then invoke the disciplinary process, and eventually most people will see the writing on the wall and just leave.  This is just a variation on that theme.  It's all about power. 
 

Just because an organisation stonewalls and gets defensive doesn't mean that those kind of questions should not be asked.  The questions are perfectly fair and the answers speak for themselves, and would lead many fans to conclude that the real answer to both questions is YES and NO respectively.  
What this amounts to is that the EFL took a personal dislike to MM and used all the regulatory tools at their disposal in order to duck him up.  They would have done this whichever club he happened to own.  Not that they will ever admit it of course.
In most workplaces this stuff goes on all the time.  If your boss wants rid of you all they have to do is set you up to fail, subject you to endless 'performance reviews', forensically trawl your expense claims etc etc in order to find something, anything, that can be used as an excuse to then invoke the disciplinary process, and eventually most people will see the writing on the wall and just leave.  This is just a variation on that theme.  It's all about power. 
 

Yes of course, my actual point was not that 40 points would keep us up but that it would keep us in the dogfight until the end rather than surrendering to negativity too soon.  48 points for safety, 44 for possible safety but not certain, 40 to be in with a shout, anything less than 40 and yes we're down.

hi all
OK, we're doomed...or are we?
At -3 we now need 43 points from 29 games to be in with a chance of at least being part of the relegation dogfight in April/May rather than just rolling over.
In other words, from now on we need 1.5 points per game on average.  Statistically, that means winning half the games and (possibly) losing the ones in between.  Draws as per our current form will simply postpone the inevitable but not prevent it.
12 wins and 7 draws will give us the 43.
This to me would suggest a "death or glory" strategy of attacking football, especially at home.  A point in this context is just "meh", but wins are worth gambling for, and there's literally nothing to lose by gambling because unless we gamble we're down anyway as expected.
Nothing to lose, playing for pride, with the pressure now off they might just surprise us.
It's also worth bearing in mind to what extent the teams just above us are struggling and will probably continue to struggle.
We are like Lewis Hamilton at the back of the grid in F1 - can we fight our way to 21st place on the last day on goal difference?
Could we pull of the greatest ever escape?
I wonder what odds the bookies are offering on our survival?
COYR!!!
 

hi all
OK, we're doomed...or are we?
At -3 we now need 43 points from 29 games to be in with a chance of at least being part of the relegation dogfight in April/May rather than just rolling over.
In other words, from now on we need 1.5 points per game on average.  Statistically, that means winning half the games and (possibly) losing the ones in between.  Draws as per our current form will simply postpone the inevitable but not prevent it.
12 wins and 7 draws will give us the 43.
This to me would suggest a "death or glory" strategy of attacking football, especially at home.  A point in this context is just "meh", but wins are worth gambling for, and there's literally nothing to lose by gambling because unless we gamble we're down anyway as expected.
Nothing to lose, playing for pride, with the pressure now off they might just surprise us.
It's also worth bearing in mind to what extent the teams just above us are struggling and will probably continue to struggle.
We are like Lewis Hamilton at the back of the grid in F1 - can we fight our way to 21st place on the last day on goal difference?
Could we pull of the greatest ever escape?
I wonder what odds the bookies are offering on our survival?
COYR!!!
 

hi all
OK, we're doomed...or are we?
At -3 we now need 43 points from 29 games to be in with a chance of at least being part of the relegation dogfight in April/May rather than just rolling over.
In other words, from now on we need 1.5 points per game on average.  Statistically, that means winning half the games and (possibly) losing the ones in between.  Draws as per our current form will simply postpone the inevitable but not prevent it.
12 wins and 7 draws will give us the 43.
This to me would suggest a "death or glory" strategy of attacking football, especially at home.  A point in this context is just "meh", but wins are worth gambling for, and there's literally nothing to lose by gambling because unless we gamble we're down anyway as expected.
Nothing to lose, playing for pride, with the pressure now off they might just surprise us.
It's also worth bearing in mind to what extent the teams just above us are struggling and will probably continue to struggle.
We are like Lewis Hamilton at the back of the grid in F1 - can we fight our way to 21st place on the last day on goal difference?
Could we pull of the greatest ever escape?
I wonder what odds the bookies are offering on our survival?
COYR!!!
 

hi all
OK, we're doomed...or are we?
At -3 we now need 43 points from 29 games to be in with a chance of at least being part of the relegation dogfight in April/May rather than just rolling over.
In other words, from now on we need 1.5 points per game on average.  Statistically, that means winning half the games and (possibly) losing the ones in between.  Draws as per our current form will simply postpone the inevitable but not prevent it.
12 wins and 7 draws will give us the 43.
This to me would suggest a "death or glory" strategy of attacking football, especially at home.  A point in this context is just "meh", but wins are worth gambling for, and there's literally nothing to lose by gambling because unless we gamble we're down anyway as expected.
Nothing to lose, playing for pride, with the pressure now off they might just surprise us.
It's also worth bearing in mind to what extent the teams just above us are struggling and will probably continue to struggle.
We are like Lewis Hamilton at the back of the grid in F1 - can we fight our way to 21st place on the last day on goal difference?
Could we pull of the greatest ever escape?
I wonder what odds the bookies are offering on our survival?
COYR!!!
 

hi all
OK, we're doomed...or are we?
At -3 we now need 43 points from 29 games to be in with a chance of at least being part of the relegation dogfight in April/May rather than just rolling over.
In other words, from now on we need 1.5 points per game on average.  Statistically, that means winning half the games and (possibly) losing the ones in between.  Draws as per our current form will simply postpone the inevitable but not prevent it.
12 wins and 7 draws will give us the 43.
This to me would suggest a "death or glory" strategy of attacking football, especially at home.  A point in this context is just "meh", but wins are worth gambling for, and there's literally nothing to lose by gambling because unless we gamble we're down anyway as expected.
Nothing to lose, playing for pride, with the pressure now off they might just surprise us.
It's also worth bearing in mind to what extent the teams just above us are struggling and will probably continue to struggle.
We are like Lewis Hamilton at the back of the grid in F1 - can we fight our way to 21st place on the last day on goal difference?
Could we pull of the greatest ever escape?
I wonder what odds the bookies are offering on our survival?
COYR!!!
 

hi all
OK, we're doomed...or are we?
At -3 we now need 43 points from 29 games to be in with a chance of at least being part of the relegation dogfight in April/May rather than just rolling over.
In other words, from now on we need 1.5 points per game on average.  Statistically, that means winning half the games and (possibly) losing the ones in between.  Draws as per our current form will simply postpone the inevitable but not prevent it.
12 wins and 7 draws will give us the 43.
This to me would suggest a "death or glory" strategy of attacking football, especially at home.  A point in this context is just "meh", but wins are worth gambling for, and there's literally nothing to lose by gambling because unless we gamble we're down anyway as expected.
Nothing to lose, playing for pride, with the pressure now off they might just surprise us.
It's also worth bearing in mind to what extent the teams just above us are struggling and will probably continue to struggle.
We are like Lewis Hamilton at the back of the grid in F1 - can we fight our way to 21st place on the last day on goal difference?
Could we pull of the greatest ever escape?
I wonder what odds the bookies are offering on our survival?
COYR!!!
 

Yep, am up for this in Jan.

Ashley now at 50% on here.
I think I know why.
He has other local investments a.k.a. the Sports Direct sweatshop.
He is English.
He withstood fan criticism for a long time, kept Newcastle solvent, and didn't bail out until new ownership was secured.
He kept within FFP rules and never had to go into Administration.
In other words, he is the devil we know, which for many people is better than the devil you don't.
From his point of view, a Championship club will tie up fewer of his resources than a PL one, and we represent a safe home for his dosh due to the loyal fanbase.
We are desperate TBH and we won't have a pop at him too much if he does the deal, not for a while anyway.
Our model of investing in local & Academy talent is similar to Newcastle's already.
From his point of view, it will make a change to be actually welcome somewhere rather than being the subject of constant abuse from the ungrateful hordes LOL.
The main issue that always crops up at Newcastle, namely "we have 50,000 fans, why aren't we top of the PL and winning stuff?" etc, won't be a problem here for some time to come, thus he obtains a breathing space from all the flak.
In conclusion, we don't have to like the person taking over, or approve of his business methods, but he has done nothing illegal (as far as I know), he isn't just a front for a deeply oppressive dictatorial regime in a foreign country, and he isn't an American with no real knowledge of how English football works.  He is the devil we know and he has money.  We could do far worse.
IMO Ashley, right here right now, is the LEAST WORST option of those available, and that's why I voted for him on here.

I think some people missed my deliberate and capitalised use of the words LEAST WORST.
In theory MM was the dream owner - deep pockets, local, lifelong fan, in other words maybe too driven by emotion when making business decisions, with the results we now see.  Mike Ashley on the other hand comes across as a rude, uncultured slob who just happens to have a head for business.
Say what you like about Ashley, and many people have, but Newcastle are not in Administration, we are. So at this point in time, maybe the question to ask is this.  Which person on that list of 5 at the top of this thread has owned an English PL club for 14 years, overseen 2 promotions to the PL, and forked out to employ one of Europe's top managers?  Only one.

Ashley now at 50% on here.
I think I know why.
He has other local investments a.k.a. the Sports Direct sweatshop.
He is English.
He withstood fan criticism for a long time, kept Newcastle solvent, and didn't bail out until new ownership was secured.
He kept within FFP rules and never had to go into Administration.
In other words, he is the devil we know, which for many people is better than the devil you don't.
From his point of view, a Championship club will tie up fewer of his resources than a PL one, and we represent a safe home for his dosh due to the loyal fanbase.
We are desperate TBH and we won't have a pop at him too much if he does the deal, not for a while anyway.
Our model of investing in local & Academy talent is similar to Newcastle's already.
From his point of view, it will make a change to be actually welcome somewhere rather than being the subject of constant abuse from the ungrateful hordes LOL.
The main issue that always crops up at Newcastle, namely "we have 50,000 fans, why aren't we top of the PL and winning stuff?" etc, won't be a problem here for some time to come, thus he obtains a breathing space from all the flak.
In conclusion, we don't have to like the person taking over, or approve of his business methods, but he has done nothing illegal (as far as I know), he isn't just a front for a deeply oppressive dictatorial regime in a foreign country, and he isn't an American with no real knowledge of how English football works.  He is the devil we know and he has money.  We could do far worse.
IMO Ashley, right here right now, is the LEAST WORST option of those available, and that's why I voted for him on here.