DavesaRam

I am still pretty sure we can sue the EFL for the whole scandal, including for restriction of practice”. Fir the looooonnnggg delays in the early stages, allowing, no actually encouraging two clubs to sue us when it is against their own rules, which in turn led to us coming out of administration being delayed, which meant two key players couldn’t renew their contract and had to leave the club without replacement.  and pursuing us for breaking a rule that didn’t exist until February 2021. There are more reasons for legal action, but I think the point is made!

It's got to the point now where I'd hope the club are in dialogue with the FA about the sheer level of incompetence present in the officials they provide. That's 2 apologies issued before the game has even finished in the last month- that's simply unacceptable. Apologies from officials are uncommon as it is, to say sorry DURING the game implies it's a ridiculously blatant mistake... That should be 1 a season, not bi-monthly ffs. 
Ultimately the ineptitude of the officials is now repeatedly impacting the integrity of our games, that needs addressing. Couldn't care less whether it's a conspiracy or just incompetence, the outcome remains the same.

I suspect that Collins wrestles his opponents while they are running out if rhe tunnel and onto the pitch!

Ahhh but - the refereeing rules already exist, whereas the amortisation rule was judged on 3 1/2 years before it existed.

Bit worrying when the ref asked the lino and he said no try..

This is spot on imo, The Ref against Port Vale earlier in the season was taking pics from the pitch, Altho we lost he was the worst Ref I'd seen in many a year, Since been overshadowed by others.
It's their opportunity for a power trip, When they get the call from those higher up to say they are officiating DCFC at PP...you know there's a fist pump 😉 and the planning is set for their day
PWs after match interview exposed his angst at the cost of losing points or maybe having an opportunity to get back in the game, Referees what are they good for...absolutely nothing 😁

As this is happening on a now almost match by match basis at this key stage of the season, I'll do a copy and paste job below of a comment I made last month.
After several seasons of feeling that key decisions go against us, and this affects our overall position in the league and it doesn't 'even itself out at the end of the season', that in 20/21 I kept a very nerdy spreadsheet of controversial decisions in our games, both for and against. We came out with -8 or -9 points due to these.
It's all very well taking each game one at a time and saying well, ok, that decision went against us and cost us the draw or win, but we didn't deserve the points so it doesn't matter. Football results aren't decided on performance or merit, but the scores on the doors at the end of the match. At present it feels like we need to create ourselves a goal buffer to allow for poor decisions.
Again, as football is a game of fine margins, if our 'goal' today against Ipswich had been allowed to stand the outcome of the game and appearance of the league table tonight might very well be different, and even more so given similar issues with decisions v Plymouth and Peterborough.
I'm not frothing at the mouth insisting that there is an EFL conspiracy behind closed doors that decides on the result of games before they are played, but as with many things in life, many factors come into play. An example is match officials taking selfies at their big day out at the stadium and what this indicates about their approach to the game.
I believe we are all entitled to our own opinions and my view is that we are hard done by with regard to decisions against us and this does materially affect our position in the league table. I would be very interested if anyone has any any evidence that over the course of a season this is not the case.

Yes.  Drives me mad.  Make life a misery for him.  Scream in his face enough to warrant a yellow.  You'll be amazed how you get freekicks and 50/50 penalties afterwards.

Going to be a hell of a score line when these decisions all even themselves out. 

I suspect that Collins wrestles his opponents while they are running out if rhe tunnel and onto the pitch!

.... who also had hold of the defender. A case of 6 and 2 threes that I wouldn't give when reffing.

Please post more often

Although I rarely contribute to this site, reading some of the post during the last week or so, I was compelled to:
I would like to think I am as passionate a supporter as anyone on this forum, but hopefully are a little more realistic and balanced in my thoughts.
Firstly, thank goodness we still have a Club to support! Only a last minute intervention from David Clowes saved us. He deserves our support and backing for evermore.
From having hardly any players at all, we rapidly accumulated a set of out of contract players, mostly very experienced but ageing on the whole. Well Liam during this time. We started the season with a team which couldn’t have been match fit and started ok but not as we would have hoped, soon falling back on the division leaders points wise with too many draws.
Our saviour decided to make a change by replacing out Temporary Manager with a serial Division One winner in Paul Warne and his team. Probably surprised us all, but we were not blessed with knowing the inside details of the club.
This brought about a change in style, some say “long ball”, I don’t agree. Players certainly got fitter, as demanded to play in the new manager’s style. Who can not support that?
An early Away win followed - rare indeed. Gradually results improved and a tremendous unbeaten run followed where most fans were happy with the style of football, which at times was exhilarating and everyone thinking at least Playoffs were guaranteed.
A few warning signs were there, injuries to Chesters and Davies, players playing unfamiliar roles, Knight/Smith/Sibley etc. McGoldrick a little injury prone but scoring bucket loads at home. Our squad was basically very small, either very young and inexperienced or ageing with great experienced. We were scoring goals and keeping clean sheets, rising up the league but still not really making headway on the leaders.  We started to play some of the leading teams and were all a little shocked at losing at Barnsley having trounced the in the cup. We’ve been in the doldrums since.
Reasons:
Defensively - we have been making mistakes and conceding some soft goals, penalties etc
Midfield - we haven’t got a tackler in there, even Smith, put in there occasionally to add steel, is pretty lightweight. We are getting outfought in there. Despite some silky skills messrs Bird, Hourihan & White are not aggressive or quick enough - circa Ipswich.
Forwards - apart from Dobbin, this is our most ageing part of the team and shows signs of tiredness. We lack pace up front to frighten defences.
Our squad size allows little scope for genuine quality changes.
The January transfer window was disappointing, in not getting at least one more striker (apparently broken promise).
The Manager has tried to remain upbeat in my opinion despite the players performing so well in part of games but slipping away in the remainder. 
The future - we still have a very good chance of making the playoffs - our next few games are all winnable, which will increase our currently low confidence. We also need a bit of luck which has currently deserted us (Ref decisions etc etc). 

Bearing in mind where we started from - potentially no club, 5 players etc - we all ought to count our blessings as to where we are - albeit a little disappointed not to have done better. Are we currently ready to get promoted - probably not. 
I am not expecting the EFL to move their stance on our financial situation thus allowing payment for transfers etc. Our punishment was for 2 years and don’t forget all those creditors who lost money.
I am looking forward to seeing what Paul Warne will do during the summer. He will surely add height, aggression, pace all over the pitch to be able to play the way he wishes. He said Ipswich were the blue print for getting out of Division One - despite a few dark arts - they were good - and if we can play like that I wouldn’t moan.
Summary - regardless of how we finish the season (hopefully well) , let’s all try to be realistic in our views and assessments. Paul Warne deserves the right to produce his own team over a year or so - and even if you can’t support him personally, the support David Clowes decision. He deserves it.

 
 
 
 
 

I’ll carry on making this point until I’m blue in the face because I just don’t get it, Louie Sibley is the last player to score a goal for us, won the game with a brace at Oxford, should’ve had a run of games in the 10 after that to help him put some form together. Yet here we are 3 games later and he’s back on scrap minutes as though it’s last season, coming on with 12 to go at 2 down and expecting him to change the game is a joke.
The last two games we’ve played well in patches with lots of possession without ever really creating anything, it’s been crying out for someone to take the game by the scruff of the neck and start running at people and having shots from outside the box, Sibley has the ability to do that yet he’s sat twiddling his thumbs on the bench, he came on at bloody wing back last week and still created one of our best chances of the game. That midfield yesterday was severely lacking goals and creativity, at least Sibley will take risks and try things.

So you are happy that your team, despite being probably the best footballing team in this league, base their game on cheating and foul play? Shame on you.
For the first 20 minutes from kick-off Woodhead did nothing than go around fouling the opposition with no action from the ref, which told the team you would get away with almost anything, which you did. Most of the cards shown to your players were for time-wasting. It made the ref look tough, yet he was actually as tough as cow poo because he let the time wasting continue. Falling to the floor like they had been hit by an Exocet missile, again knowing that getting the free-kick was virtually nailed on, rolling back on to the pitch after feigning injury, and refusing to go off when ordered to by the ref because he hadn’t got the balls to enforce it, and so the list goes on.
Best footballing side or not I cannot wish all the best because you should be promotion contenders because of tour football, not your cheating. 😡

So you are happy that your team, despite being probably the best footballing team in this league, base their game on cheating and foul play? Shame on you.
For the first 20 minutes from kick-off Woodhead did nothing than go around fouling the opposition with no action from the ref, which told the team you would get away with almost anything, which you did. Most of the cards shown to your players were for time-wasting. It made the ref look tough, yet he was actually as tough as cow poo because he let the time wasting continue. Falling to the floor like they had been hit by an Exocet missile, again knowing that getting the free-kick was virtually nailed on, rolling back on to the pitch after feigning injury, and refusing to go off when ordered to by the ref because he hadn’t got the balls to enforce it, and so the list goes on.
Best footballing side or not I cannot wish all the best because you should be promotion contenders because of tour football, not your cheating. 😡

Well said! For the first 15 - 20 minutes there was only one team on the pitch. But why you have to resort to the dark arts baffles me. You are one of, if not the best team in the division. Your number 33 (Woodhead?) in that 1st 20 minutes didn't make a challenge for the ball without it being a foul. Your number 10 dived for a penalty, which the ref rightly gave the free kick to us, but it was a card-able offence, but no card given. And no, the ref wasn't inconsistent with his cards. All he was capable of doing was booking your players for time wasting, but then doing nothing about the continued time wasting. Clarke should also have one or two more yellow cards for persistent fouling, and for throwing the ball away right in front of the ref. Yet he couldn't wait to give free-kicks for perfectly good tackles, and then wave a card at Derby players. He was exceptionally consistent, as well as not giving free kicks or cards for similar offences by Ipswich players.
The "Cashin goal" was actually scored by McGoldrick, and disallowed for a foul on the goalkeeper. By whom, no-one actually knows because there was no-one near him. The only foul was Collins being held in a headlock in the middle of the area. But no penalty given, of course. As happened when knight was upended going into the area in the first half. There's a ton of other stuff the ref goofed up with, but there is neither the time nor space to bother with it. Incidentally the lino apologised for that decision. But its a bit rich when we keep getting done over by poor decisions match after match, often with subsequent apologies. But you don't get in the play-offs with apologies.  We would rather have the 6 - 10 points these decisions have cost us.
Because of how you started and finished the match, maybe you were worth the points, and I would like to wish you well, but am not happy doing so for a team that relies so heavily on the dark arts, especially when you are such a good footballing side.

Well I have no complaints of the players after today. They gave everything they had, and for long periods matched and were the better side in all departments except the final third. My main complaint is with the match officials. Yes, here he goes again - blame the ref, blame the EFL. Well today I am just being like virtually everyone else - I could fill several pages with all the bad decisions the man in yellow got wrong today. I suggested in previous seasons that referees were trying to outdo each other to win the "Worst ref of the season trophy". If that were the case, this season's trophy was sorted today.
Today we saw the players perform better than most recent matches, but what we are seeing is a club with a squad of only 15 players, with the only one in the prime age group being the goalkeeper. That is not enough to rotate the players in order to keep them fresh, and is also limiting because we also lack the capacity to change the match from the bench. Any club playing to these restrictions would have run out of steam by now, but then you have to dial in Warne's "flat out till you gas out" regime and it surprising that we have lasted so long. So to turn up and play like we did was remarkable. 
Like most I would like more than simply look for the long ball at the earliest opportunity, especially given the players we have. Having said that, the ball-to-feet style would not have been too effective against Ipswich because they pressed and harried really well, and also did plenty of "roughing us up" which tends to nullify actual football.
Mendez-Lang had his fullback on toast, but was less effective because he was playing wing-back instead of winger, and Collins had a better match today - largely because it wasn't as bad as other games! Plus he won two headers, including one on target, which can' be bad.
Finally: Come on Rick - THIS HAS GOT TO STOP! A penalty given against us with virtually no contact at all, a penalty denied after comparative GBH, a reasonable penalty shout today on Knight, and today's goal ruled out for a foul on the goalkeeper, who literally had no-one anywhere near him. WE have had two apologies from the match officials, but apologies do not get a team into the play-offs.
At least the EFL have changed their view, because last season, it was "Derby: you're going down". Whereas this season it is "Derby - you are not going up".
Well come on Derby - let's show them!!! COME ON YOU RAMS!

Well said! For the first 15 - 20 minutes there was only one team on the pitch. But why you have to resort to the dark arts baffles me. You are one of, if not the best team in the division. Your number 33 (Woodhead?) in that 1st 20 minutes didn't make a challenge for the ball without it being a foul. Your number 10 dived for a penalty, which the ref rightly gave the free kick to us, but it was a card-able offence, but no card given. And no, the ref wasn't inconsistent with his cards. All he was capable of doing was booking your players for time wasting, but then doing nothing about the continued time wasting. Clarke should also have one or two more yellow cards for persistent fouling, and for throwing the ball away right in front of the ref. Yet he couldn't wait to give free-kicks for perfectly good tackles, and then wave a card at Derby players. He was exceptionally consistent, as well as not giving free kicks or cards for similar offences by Ipswich players.
The "Cashin goal" was actually scored by McGoldrick, and disallowed for a foul on the goalkeeper. By whom, no-one actually knows because there was no-one near him. The only foul was Collins being held in a headlock in the middle of the area. But no penalty given, of course. As happened when knight was upended going into the area in the first half. There's a ton of other stuff the ref goofed up with, but there is neither the time nor space to bother with it. Incidentally the lino apologised for that decision. But its a bit rich when we keep getting done over by poor decisions match after match, often with subsequent apologies. But you don't get in the play-offs with apologies.  We would rather have the 6 - 10 points these decisions have cost us.
Because of how you started and finished the match, maybe you were worth the points, and I would like to wish you well, but am not happy doing so for a team that relies so heavily on the dark arts, especially when you are such a good footballing side.

Outplayed for 10 minutes. Got into it for 3. They counter and score. Why did Smith seem to totally ignore Chaplin? Why did he choose to go towards a ball he was never ging to get and leave Chaplin in a dream position? After 30 minutes we got into it and played well for the rest of the half.

2nd half we played well. Looked dangerous without really being so, until Cashin nodded home only for the assistant ref to tell the ref he'd seen a foul.... he hadn't and later admitted he was wrong. That goal stands and you've got a totally different game on your hands. A draw or a win may well have been on the cards. They get another counter goal. Why was Smith ambling back rather than sprinting? When he eventually did decide he maybe should have been running rather than dawdling it was too late. 0-2. Played OK the rest of the game but to no avail.

Ipswich are good and are now on 7 wins on the bounce with 0 goals against. No disgrace losing to them but it was so unnecessary. Goals on the counter seem to becoming a habit. We need to rearrange to stop conceding them.

Hate to sound like a broken record but the ref wasn't at all good again and this time it was one of his assistants who pointed out the ghost foul that saw our goal disallowed. Having said that, another ref may have red carded Cash instead of a yellow. The penalty shout when Knight went down was rightly turned down. When Chaplin went down in our box and claimed a penalty should have seen him yellowed for diving. Didzy's yellow was correct as was White's, less sure about Smith's which was, IMO, debatable as a foul. They had 2 booked for time wasting, too little, too late. Clarke might have had a 2nd as well but was let off by the ref and then subbed off to avoid a second. He was off the pitch when he saw he was to be subbed off and should have stayed off and walked round the pitch back to the dugout. Instead he he wandered back onto the pitch at the North end and then took his sweet time walking almost up to halfway, turning right and heading, nice and slowly, to the dugout....

Playoffs are still a possibility but not a great one as we appear to have the hardest of the run-ins. Average League position of our opponents being higher than those of our rivals. If we make the playoffs great. Idem ditto if we win them. IMO we are in profit on the season. My forecast was midtable and anything better would be a welcome bonus. It's bonus time.

I saw what you did there!
Nice one.  😉👍

So you are happy that your team, despite being probably the best footballing team in this league, base their game on cheating and foul play? Shame on you.
For the first 20 minutes from kick-off Woodhead did nothing than go around fouling the opposition with no action from the ref, which told the team you would get away with almost anything, which you did. Most of the cards shown to your players were for time-wasting. It made the ref look tough, yet he was actually as tough as cow poo because he let the time wasting continue. Falling to the floor like they had been hit by an Exocet missile, again knowing that getting the free-kick was virtually nailed on, rolling back on to the pitch after feigning injury, and refusing to go off when ordered to by the ref because he hadn’t got the balls to enforce it, and so the list goes on.
Best footballing side or not I cannot wish all the best because you should be promotion contenders because of tour football, not your cheating. 😡

So you are happy that your team, despite being probably the best footballing team in this league, base their game on cheating and foul play? Shame on you.
For the first 20 minutes from kick-off Woodhead did nothing than go around fouling the opposition with no action from the ref, which told the team you would get away with almost anything, which you did. Most of the cards shown to your players were for time-wasting. It made the ref look tough, yet he was actually as tough as cow poo because he let the time wasting continue. Falling to the floor like they had been hit by an Exocet missile, again knowing that getting the free-kick was virtually nailed on, rolling back on to the pitch after feigning injury, and refusing to go off when ordered to by the ref because he hadn’t got the balls to enforce it, and so the list goes on.
Best footballing side or not I cannot wish all the best because you should be promotion contenders because of tour football, not your cheating. 😡

So you are happy that your team, despite being probably the best footballing team in this league, base their game on cheating and foul play? Shame on you.
For the first 20 minutes from kick-off Woodhead did nothing than go around fouling the opposition with no action from the ref, which told the team you would get away with almost anything, which you did. Most of the cards shown to your players were for time-wasting. It made the ref look tough, yet he was actually as tough as cow poo because he let the time wasting continue. Falling to the floor like they had been hit by an Exocet missile, again knowing that getting the free-kick was virtually nailed on, rolling back on to the pitch after feigning injury, and refusing to go off when ordered to by the ref because he hadn’t got the balls to enforce it, and so the list goes on.
Best footballing side or not I cannot wish all the best because you should be promotion contenders because of tour football, not your cheating. 😡

Well I have no complaints of the players after today. They gave everything they had, and for long periods matched and were the better side in all departments except the final third. My main complaint is with the match officials. Yes, here he goes again - blame the ref, blame the EFL. Well today I am just being like virtually everyone else - I could fill several pages with all the bad decisions the man in yellow got wrong today. I suggested in previous seasons that referees were trying to outdo each other to win the "Worst ref of the season trophy". If that were the case, this season's trophy was sorted today.
Today we saw the players perform better than most recent matches, but what we are seeing is a club with a squad of only 15 players, with the only one in the prime age group being the goalkeeper. That is not enough to rotate the players in order to keep them fresh, and is also limiting because we also lack the capacity to change the match from the bench. Any club playing to these restrictions would have run out of steam by now, but then you have to dial in Warne's "flat out till you gas out" regime and it surprising that we have lasted so long. So to turn up and play like we did was remarkable. 
Like most I would like more than simply look for the long ball at the earliest opportunity, especially given the players we have. Having said that, the ball-to-feet style would not have been too effective against Ipswich because they pressed and harried really well, and also did plenty of "roughing us up" which tends to nullify actual football.
Mendez-Lang had his fullback on toast, but was less effective because he was playing wing-back instead of winger, and Collins had a better match today - largely because it wasn't as bad as other games! Plus he won two headers, including one on target, which can' be bad.
Finally: Come on Rick - THIS HAS GOT TO STOP! A penalty given against us with virtually no contact at all, a penalty denied after comparative GBH, a reasonable penalty shout today on Knight, and today's goal ruled out for a foul on the goalkeeper, who literally had no-one anywhere near him. WE have had two apologies from the match officials, but apologies do not get a team into the play-offs.
At least the EFL have changed their view, because last season, it was "Derby: you're going down". Whereas this season it is "Derby - you are not going up".
Well come on Derby - let's show them!!! COME ON YOU RAMS!