1967Ram

Like how people said they’d easily beat Accrington? It seems fairly clear to me that this league isn’t as straightforward as some pretend it is, the so called “lesser” teams are capable of taking points off the “better” sides so making such predictions/statements as if they’re already proven fact seems premature.
Before tonight’s results it looked probable we would be competing with Peterborough for one play off place, after that result it’s still possible for us to secure 5th or 6th. Bolton losing improves our chances. 

It's got to be the same team and same shape. The balance seems to be there since the change to this formation.
Hourihane is in the best form of his season at the moment so it doesn't make sense to put Smith in there instead.

We are not in the play offs yet as we need an obvious win on Saturday which will be like the Burton game probably so let’s get there first and play anyone. I would always fancy us against anyone in the play offs.

Interpretation. That's why the Prem has VAR to get rid of such incidents. 😄

Should have used his third leg.

Brilliant read back through the comments about his inability to score.
Not that anybody was wrong per see, just glad we got this guy because without him I'd be planning a May Bank Holiday weekend BBQ.

I really hope this is the last time we play them for a long long time.
No hatred for the weird little club, it’s just that, well it’s weird. Their fanbase is basically the Derby fans doing anything to avoid shopping and DIY when Derby are away.
They even sign ex Derby players in the hope we have some chants to bring across, make some kind of atmosphere in a ground that doesn’t have the capacity to host the Staffordshire tiddlywinks competition.
The 50 legitimate Burton fans try to create some kind of rivalry on social media, Leicester on a much smaller insignificant scale basically.
BBC have no real interest in covering them, we’ve drawn the short sympathy straw in giving them 5 minutes coverage here and there.
Let’s not pretend either here that the whole town doesn’t smell, and that’s saying something whilst sat here in Grimsby..
Stinks more than those pub team kits they get each season and that’s saying something.
The kit manufacturers look like the made up companies Forest have started to create to bypass P&S through rogue sponsorships.
We could probably have a whip round on here and afford to sponsor the front of their shirts next season, although I would rather we had a whip round for a more worthy cause than funding a club who’s fans travel to away in a shopping trolly.
Anyhow, I think we’ll win 3-1. 

1,645 tickets left for home fans, Burton have sold 1,730, which means they will be bringing all of their fans.

Exeter 0 Rams 4
FRGS McGoldrick

It is really disappointing IMO, no matter who the manager is, when you just try to hold on to a lead and offer nothing/little going forward.

Terrible result today, but with that domination on any normal day, we'd have won easily. 28 attempts 7 on target which is 2 more than peterborough and Wycombe put together. 10 off target, including one that hit the post and 11 blocked, of which any could have deflected in. That's not including a number of poor decisions made when in good positions. If we could repeat those stats in the remaining 5 games, surely the luck will turn. 
We played some decent football for the first time in weeks, hopefully we can build on that.

From where I was watching, we were good. It’s only the finishing that let us down. If we get a second we go on and win comfortably, maybe. 
 
I still think we have enough to get into the play offs. Will go right to the end but Peterborough still got to play Ipswich and Barnsley. They also have a local Derby on Saturday against Cambridge. 

It’s gamesmanship.
I’m with you, sick of watching players roll back on to the pitch to be treated, until referees make a stand against it, be from orders at the top it will continue to be a pandemic in the game, which poor officiating is another pandemic that needs to be fixed.
Absolutely no reason why every single referee in the English football pyramid cannot be a well paid full time position.
With so much money on the line, clubs will do anything to gain an advantage, be it on the pitch, in the accounts or dodgy sponsorships.
If Craig Forsyth went down 3 times in the play off final, rolling back on to the pitch to see the game out, I highly doubt that will be talked about on here if we went up.
End of the day, we had 28 shots on goal to put the game to bed, with a bit more quality that game could have been over inside half hour leaving MK nothing to waste time over. 
Just like a boxer, you leave it in the judges hands, you only have yourself to blame for not getting the KO during the fight.

Better performance today, so frustrating not to win. 
We should have won Comfortably. 
I thought Hourihane was having possibly his best game for us, so far, so was surprised to see him taken off. 

It wasn’t though was it? It’s infuriating not to have won, because we dominated the game but it wasn’t total s***. You’re right about the lack of finishing and also the lack of guile, the players are too honest at times.

According to the bbc stats we had 63% possession, 10 corners, 27(!) shots but only 6 on target. The game I watched saw us play a direct, attacking style of football with the ball on the floor and a high intensity press. Today was the right way for us to play with one key element missing, if we can keep replicating that in the remaining matches and find our shooting boots and a bit of guile there’s still a chance of the play offs, I do share the sentiment of others that even if we do make the play offs it may be too soon for this squad. 
My only criticism of Warne today is leaving the subs late again, he has to change that! 

Covent Garden was a giant hoot though. Where else can you stand next to a Rams Fan/Porn Star whose tadger is insured for $1m whilst watching another Rams fan stand on the top of a phone box and strip naked to reveal a tadger that wasn’t insured at all 🤷‍♂️. All that did happen. 

Could be tight 

I think we'll do it. We're only 7th on goal difference and we've been inside the playoffs for most of the season. I believe we're a better side than Peterborough and we will show it in the run in. Time to step up and get back on track. 

Current form would put Peterboro in the driving seat to claim a play-off place, but it does'nt always work out like that. Peterboro have won 4 and drawn 1 of their last 5 matches. Their previous batch of 5 matches saw 1 win, 1 draw and 3 defeats. Overall, in their last 15 matches they have lost 5 of them and only drawn 2 (which they don't seem to do often).                                                                                            Bolton, who have the game in hand to play and that is a home match. But they have only won once in the last 5 matches (not including the Papa Johns Final), their previous 10 games though produced 8 wins and just 2 defeats.
Derby have the worse form in the last 5 matches, having lost 3 and their previous 10 games also shows 3 defeats. Having stated that the 6 defeats in the last 15 games have all come against teams in the top 7 barring the Fleetwood game. Bolton have no team left to play in the top 7 places and the highest placed team left to play is Shrewsbury at home in 10th spot. Peterboro have still 2 games to play against sides in the top 7 places, they also have 2 teams to play who are fighting to stay up (both away, Cambridge & Accrington).
It's all down to finding form from Easter Monday and beyond. I believe Bolton will remain in the top 6 due to having that extra game and their remaining fixtures. So it's down to Peterboro and the Rams, are we due a good run of results again, are the Posh due another poor run (lets hope so). The play-offs will favour the team finishing 6th coming up against the losing team in the automatics, whether it be Ipswich, Plymouth or Sheff Weds. And the final at Wembley, you just throw the form book away, as it's been proven on so many occasions.
COME ON DERBY, IT'S NOT OVER YET AND IF WE PULL IT OFF, IT WOULD BE FANTASTIC AFTER THE LAST 12 MONTHS PLUS.

I'd take the promotion.  A clown with size 15 shoes tied together could stay in that division.  Any level of competency sees you ok and the financial difference is considerable.

The point is we don’t know. It can go either way. I want us to make the play offs but I’ll be sanguine if we don’t. As fans over the next 6 games we need to transmit positivity to the players & believe in them. We are as good as anyone in the division on our day so let’s be up for it. If we don’t go up, I’m very confident for next season. I’ve been to loads of games this year - probably more away games this year since the 1980s and I’ve been very proud of the Club and the fans who have been terrific all season. C’mon once more unto the breach dear friends…

FGR 0 Rams 8
FRGS McGoldrick

If we go up I have no doubts we stay up then build from there.  People seemed terrified to go up to the premier league as we'd get beat all the time .  Now we need another season in this league as the championship is the place we'll get beat all the time .  I can't cope.  I don't want to spend anymore time in a league we are only in due to a points deduction.  It's s****. 

spoke to my friend who's a Charlton STH and when i said promotion maybe too much too early for us he said, once you stay down in League1 for more than a season it seems to engulf you and then you're a league 1 club and very difficult to get out of....makes sense looking at other big teams who've gone down and spent  seasons there, so for me , I don't care how we get there but lets just get to the play offs first, then 3 big games and lets get the f out of this league!!
...I think we can do it ....still 

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.