DavesaRam

I should have said "per month" instead of "week" - my bad. But re the 50 - 60 hours a week - I did it for over 20 years, and couldn't get near a footballer's wages, even in League 1, even when my hourly rate went above minimum wage, which it should have done for an HGV driver. Re Paul Warne - I am very comfortable with my criticisms of him, and will stand by them, because until the turning point this season he doggedly stuck to a system which our performances proved didn't work. Our good run last season only happened when he was forced to change his system because of injury, and ended when he was able to switch back again. Re the number of crosses: they have never been statistically high, with other clubs playing many more than we did. MY beef was with (a) the poor quality of crosses, which were consistently too high, and often too long, with virtually no-one being in the box to receive them, especially Collins who was usually to be found out on the wing during that period. And (b) his insistence on by-passing the midfield. He openly admitted to encouraging the ball out wide at the earliest opportunity, and even with Collins being in the box when the crosses came in, he isn't exactly a towering colossus, and was therefore easy to defend against given the gorillas who often inhabit opposition defences. Since the great hoo-hah about playing styles, there has been a greater use of midfield, even though we do play plenty of long balls as well. So today there were a lot of superb through balls, some of which reaching the player who had run through, some of them not quite, almost as if George Thorne had be training them in the art of the through ball, an aspect which we saw virtually none of during the dark ages of only a few weeks ago. And we are beginning to see, for example, Max Bird's class beginning to shine through. It would seem that we have worked on our crossing as well, commensurate with our switch to incorporating more football on the ground, with there now being crosses along the ground, or at waist/chest height instead of burning holes in the ozone layer. Hopefully my observations and criticisms are now a thing of the past, because I am loving the way we are now playing. It is nowhere near what we could be playing like, although that may well come, but it is such an improvement over what we were seeing up to the Crewe and Colchester debacles. Let's enjoy today's win, let's enjoy the run we are on, and let's enjoy the hope this run has given us.

Early on when Oxford merely messed with us there was a feeling that we were miles off where we should be to challenge at the top. Frustration was increased by glimpses of what the team was capable of before crashing back to the dreadful stuff that typified the first part of the season, and the “Warne-outers” hit maximum volume after Crewe and Stevenage - quite rightly, because we were terrible. We were watching players getting more in a week fir under achieving than many fans earn in an entire year for working hard for 40 - 60 hours a week, and who, if they under achieved like our beloved footballers would be out of work in no time. The vocal criticism if Warne and his tactics surfaced, but a week or so layer we started on this terrific run. And the difference? Some point to Smith being unavailable, which might have a bearing because our pace and tempo is much higher. But mainly we have started to play football on the floor, and we are involving our midfield. Which us all the disgruntles fans were asking for. There is still more needed, but today we reaped the benefits of playing football instead if embarking on an aerial bombardment without any missiles. To my eyes, and to his credit, it seems that Paul Warne has listened to the criticism and changed how were are doing things. So in an even first half we could have been two down, but could just easily ended up 3-2 ahead. The red card helped us, but without hitting any peaks we ended up comfortable winners, even allowing fir the numerical advantage. Well done you Rams!

Better football? ………….. I’ll get me coat!

Not a bad day at the office!

That’ll do nicely!

Looks like we are trying to put that right - we’ve dropped right off in the last few minutes and Leyton are coming back into it.

No

My sentiments already, by the way the ref responded to Hourihane after Wildsmith had been walloped.

Their man stuck his back into Collins, more obstruction than anything else. That’s the ref paying back for doing nothing about the elbow on Wildsmith.

Judging by the way the ref interacted with Hourihane, our captain needs to be careful - he’s already on a yellow. He is right to protest though, their man led with an elbow to the face.

On the bench next match it is then!

YYYEEESSS!!! Our mate Sibbo!

The difference between the teams at the moment is that when Leyton intercept a ball they get it to one of their own players, whereas we just head it or kick it somewhere. Otherwise its fairly even.

Did you see me getting off the plane at the Amsterdam stop?

@Carl Sagan?

The edge of contention - now there’s a great movie title!

Yes. Most opposition teams park their bus just outside their penalty area.

Correct. We weren’t done for breaking FFP by signing players, the accusation was over the amortisation method we had used to depreciate players’ values. The method broke no accountancy rules and was widely used in the real world, and the EFL only specified in their rules which method should be used some 3 years later. The EFL themselves were guilty of breaking their own, already existing rules when they directed Steve Gibson and Middlesbrough to sue us when it isn’t allowed. Why we haven’t pursued this and a number of other rule breaches I don’t know, because it cost us a fortune.

It would be classed as cheating if the rules actually existed when the alleged breaking of them occurred.

o that's £260,005 plus shared gate receipts, then.

We ought to be delighted with a 3 - 0 win, but “ho hum probably sums it up better. It is a great result, and we were considerably the better team. We should have been out of sight by half time, but despite RD blathering on about us only being one goal ahead, Fleetwood didn’t really threaten, even including Marriott’s miss. However, especially second half we took our foot off the gas, with hardly anyone being bothered to get forward and into the box when we attacked, so pretty much nothing happened for much of the second half. Collins got MOM because that’s how it works, although I would have rather it went to Wilson because he was superb tonight, slightly ahead of Bird. He just about got the better of his full back, but got in loads of tackles, interceptions and broke up loads of Fleetwood’s play, and covered virtually the entire pitch. Well done that lad! He is probably our best ball player, although what JJ might have is yet to be seen. Ward is quite an asset as well, and NMH had quite an impact as well. The noticeable improvement in recent matches has coincided with us playing more football on the grass, which might be because of certain players becoming available after injury, or because Paul Warne sussed why the fans were angry a few matches ago. It is probably a bit of both, but long may the improvement continue. My main concern is that we manage to keep hold of John Jules, who looks like type if the striker we haven’t had for years. If we do, we are on for something good.

Not so much “could have, more “Should have”.

Apart from the fact that this match has actually taken place, it is a total non-event.

Wilson and Bird are on a different level!

Building up a head of steam. Cue the “stifle the pressure” injury.