RamuelLJackson

Without the points deduction last season we would have stayed up. Wigan (19/20) and Portsmouth (11/12) are the only other sides in the history of the Championship/2nd division to have been relegated whilst earning more points than three other teams in the league. Both of those sides had to more or less start from scratch in L1. You could therefore argue, last season we had one of the best (if not the best) squads to get relegated. We have lost quite a few players, so have they been replaced?
Allsop         vs      TBA
Roos           vs      Wildsmith
Marshall     vs      Loach
Byrne         vs      TBA
Jagielka     vs      Chester
Buchanan  vs      Roberts
Shinnie       vs      TBA (McDonald)
Ravel          vs      Hourihane
Jozwiak     vs      Barkhuizen
Festy          vs     Mendez-Laing
Ebiowei      vs     TBA
Lawrence   vs     TBA
Plange        vs     Collins
Kazim         vs     McGoldrick
Baldock      vs     Stretton
Aside from not yet replacing Allsop, Byrne, Ebiowei and Lawrence, we're more or less on a similar footing to the start of last season. Maybe slightly weaker in a couple of positions, but undoubtedly better up front.
As you rightly point out, it's not just about ability but how well they gel together. A big part of the recruitment has been about signing those who have played with someone else in the squad. McGoldrick has played with Stearman and Hourihane. Hourihane also played with Chester. Chester with Davies (both with Rosenior). Rosenior coached Roberts. Pearcey knows Wildsmith very well.
The others (Loach, Barkuizen, Mendez-Laing and Collins) have a lot of experience in the lower leagues and will adapt to L1 football quickly

They seemed to take every player we had on trial and give them a contract, except the best one.  Shame he didn't get to stay.  If he had we'd still be in the championship. 4.5 k a week is a tremendous wage in everyday life but nowt for the championship nowadays.  I still suspect we sold Shinnie to facilitate Jagielkas wage till the end of the season and then got shafted at the last minute, losing two players and retaining none.

Indeed, the manager is the most important person in terms of the clubs future success, there’s no doubt about that. We’ve got to get it right and not rush just to appoint anyone. Let’s hope Liam starts well, and gives us no choice but to give him the job full time.

You're really only arguing over semantics there, though.  I just reused your terms, when maybe emotional and rational are better ones. The emotional thing to do is to fire him because he used to work for Morris, the rational thing to do is evaluate Pearce on his merits (which looking in from the outside, with incomplete information to work from, we aren't in a position to do). 
Rationally, maybe Clowes look at Pearce and decides he made bad mistakes, and fires him after the transition to new owners is sorted.  Maybe he decides he worked competently within the confines he was given, and keeps him on.  Maybe they both part ways amicably or something.  But honestly, I'd be more worried if he was fired due to past associations, because that's the kind of thing Morris was guilty of.

No. 2 weeks ago I'd have taken top 20. Now I'll take top 10

He wants to be careful, using a Microsoft Office product to outline his evil plans…
?

That does seem to be how things are more often that not. Again, not anything strictly by definition though.

You’re right, we probably have got the most experienced squad but we’ll have to see if that’s the best policy. I’m happy with a top half finish and some entertaining football.

No, top 6 is ok.
it's ging to be tough. tougher than you all think.

Absolutely. That ^. 48 hours is a long time in football. It’s tremendous that we’ve attracted 12 signings given where we were 2 weeks ago. If it wasn’t for DC, we’d still be in Admin, and the scrap merchants would be parking their vans in MM’s space outside the front entrance and kicking the Dave McKay statue to assess its scrap value. Seriously. 
Suddenly expectations are ramping up - & there’s the danger. What we need to do is ask what has seen us suddenly attract new life blood and realise it’s the collective unity & positivity and when we’re 0-2 down to OUFC at half-time, re-surface that collective spirit that made the football world think “wow - why the positivity in the midst of melt-down?!”. 
 
The answer is unconditional support. Let’s keep that lesson alive. Remember the calls for invading the pitch? Trashing Middlesbrough? Setting fire to EFL HQ in Preston? Utterly futile and negative. Collective positive support will build belief. Not high expectations followed by disapproval if we don’t achieve it in 10 games. 

There was a point when i thought will we see the Rams at PP again? 
We will and that is plenty for me, Football fans have got very short memories but we shouldn't forget how bleak it was off the field those past few months. Let's enjoy the season and see where it takes us

This time last year I thought Ipswich put together a decent side and they struggled for the first half of the season

If there is a difference maybe it's one of intent - caretakers will step down, interims are hoped to become permanent?

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/derby-county-wayne-rooney-shuttleworth-7323733
 
Can't seem to see anything about this posted? 
 
If he was behind all the signings lately which most seem to approve of, then this is dissapointing 

Doubt he would join Notts Forest or Leeds ?

Reads to me as the jobs his as long as the team don't completely crumble over the start of the season. I imagine behind the scenes he's been told "don't worry, we're not looking for anyone, squad loves you, everyone has confidence, the top brass just want to see the team perform in the league and we'll finalize things"
Doesn't read to me as "he's in post until we entice Neil Warnock out of the clutches of his retirement with a trail of worthers originals and a greasy chip butty"

Because if you have an interim manager you’d normally be out looking for a permanent. Think this says: we’re not looking for anyone just now, Liam has earned the right to show whether he deserves the manager badge.
 
seems very sensible. 
 

Because everybody is constantly asking about this. 

More like a "we don't want to rush into making a decision. We'll give him a few games to show he's capable of stepping up first."

It was an extraordinary season. It was surreal at several points but to hear Jacob Rees-Mogg saying “Derby County …” in the House of Commons was probably the moment when it all seemed like a Viz cartoon. The moment of the year for me, apart from of course reading David Clowes’s statement with tears rolling down my cheeks, was away at Huddersfield, down to 10 men after 1 minute, 0-1 down 2nd half, and the away end jam-packed with Rams belting out the Allez Allez for 15 minutes non-stop, was mesmerising and moving. It will stay with me forever. Some people used to say “why do people get so worked up about 22 men kicking a ball?”… There’s a whole Phd thesis in the answer to such a simple question. 
We started last season being called cheats but the remarkable behaviour shown by Derby County fans - loyalty, unity, support at the time of crisis, dignity, defiance, humour, changed the narrative and put the pride back into our remarkable football club. 

He was probably impressed by Steve Bloomer's recent scoring exploits.

Well the news of him weaseling out of his contract came from the DET journo. So I would say a reputable source.
And the fact he didn't play against Bradford and hasn't trained with us speaks volumes.
So I'd be very, very surprised if he ever plays for us again, nor do I want him to.

It looks like Oduroh.
I think we can read into the fact that he's being given the whole 'teaser' treatment.
Suggests he's for the first team as Nunn didn't get that.

Harsh on Max.