CROSSWORD

Spot on, ram59!
Yes, it's a sad fact that more than half of all UK acquisitions destroy shareholder value in both the acquiring company and the acquired company. This is usually due to incompetence in the Board of the acquring company, be it the wrong strategy in selecting the acquisition and/or bad decisions in the administration of the takeover. Only our Brian could walk on water (sometimes), which the ego of many acquiring leaders prevents them from realising.
Less publicised than the corporate damage, is the personal damage done to the blameless individuals caught up in the wreckage. Your story is a good example, sadly. But the damage to DCFC and its fans, is one of the more publicised examples.
The success of our fans in helping the phoenix rise from the ashes with a long-lasting emotional and political campaign, is an inspiring role model which will not often be repeated. This is not least because Mr Clowes has shown a complete lack of arrogance. He behaves not like an avaricious owner but like the caring custodian of an essential institution. We must wish him well in finding like-minded backers!
It will make a great film when DCFC wins promotion. Whether that would helpfully be to the financially bonkers Premier League, will be an interesting question one day!

There are many 'successful' business people like MM, but are they successful or have they just been lucky in 1 venture. I feared that this was the case with CK and I'm glad that we dodged that potential bullet.
I have been personally caught up in such a position, a guy makes a mint by selling his company, buys out my aging parents leaving me to stay in the business with my small shareholding. He also buys several other small businesses, with the intention to join them together and grow into a massive company. All very well, but from day 1 of the take over, I knew that he didn't have a clue on how to run our company and I suspect the others too. Things quickly went downhill and I brought up solutions at group meetings, which were ignored. I was 'rewarded' for this with instant dismissal without any reason, without any notice, without any pay, without any holiday pay and 3 children and a mortgage. By the time I won my unfair dismissal case, the group of companies had gone bust and with it so had my shareholding and any payments awarded to me.
Did the guy intend this to happen, no, but success in 1 venture lead him to believe that he was a good businessman and that he would be successful come what may.
Without a lot of bad luck along the way, MM could well have been successful at Derby, but he wasn't clever enough to realise when to pull back and stop chasing the dream, much like a gambler keeps betting money he hasn't got in order to recover his loses and make his fortune.
I don't believe MM had any malice just ambition, bad luck, arrogance, desperation and finally self preservation, in that order.

The last two/three years were malicious, he absolutely knew what he was doing by not filing the accounts and using the HMRC as a credit facility.
Also, putting the club into administration but not the ground was calculated. 
No doubt he was out for himself in the end, otherwise he wouldn’t have left the club in such a state of health to protect his own assets. 
He goes down as one of the worst owners in English football league history, definitely our worst ever owner which includes the likes 3 Amigos and Robert Maxwell. Some doing, but neither of those brought us to the brink of death like Mel - albeit for not want of trying. 

The man is an absolute ??
My wife was a waitress in a pub local to him and he was frequently one of the most arrogant, rude, condescending and demanding customers she has ever encountered.
A proper "Do you know who I am?" attitude and I simply do not think he'd be a good fit in terms of managerial ability or cultural fit.

We have to offer Rosenior first refusal, he might not be the right long term option, however given the timing of all this we are left with little choice.
There will be a list of targets which he will have been involved with the discussion, likewise renewals with those that are expiring, a plan going forward and we have to stick to that as much as we can.
We don’t have the time to create a new owner vision for the future and conduct a thorough interview process.
Bring players in, give us a squad to compete and use this season to get appointments behind the scenes right and review the first team management next summer.
Oh and please, please please no Nigel Clough, it’s been a rough year as it is, a return of Nigel would destroy the remaining bits of my soul right now. Thankfully he hasn’t spoken that fondly of his time at Derby, I hope that grudge he has is as strong as ever. 

DC is the man who has stepped up to save Derby County, providing a short term loan to the club and taking the ground from MM's hands. Let's forget about MA now, he had his chance...
 

I don’t know what you’ve posted... I’m complaining about MM who has ruined the club and made it unsellable. 

Some saying that DCFC, a League 1 club, is not worth £50m. All I will say is that owning that badge is priceless.

I wonder if the EFL ever question if their punishment of a Club and its supporters for the financial mismanagement of a previous owner is actually reasonable, particularly as it is possibly so severe as to actually kill the Club but the transgressor is in no way affected.

So Kevin Hector will always be my favourite ever Derby County player - favourite ever footballer.
I've written on other threads how I won a school essay competition in 1970 "Who I would most like to meet" and wrote about Zak and why. My prize was to go to the BBG to watch a training session, get a tour of the ground, meet the players and even Cloughie in his office. Cherished memories.
So it makes me very sad that he chose not to participate in the 1972 celebrations. Yet from the reports of today and other days, he looked well, was happy to meet fans and talk about the old days. The club is - or will be soon - under new ownership. So why is there still this breakdown in relationship between the great man and the club? Or is it actually with former team mates?
As for being shy, not liking the limelight, surely walking onto the pitch with 10-15 others would not be so bad for someone who played in front of crowds of tens of thousands in the past. He could do that without having to make speeches or being in an individual spotlight.
I just wish he still felt part of it.

And get the caterers to serve Marston’s Pedigree that actually tastes like Marston’s Pedigree.

If I remember correctly the COVID Loan that was available was £8.3m. The debt to MSD when he threw his keys on the table was £20m, and to HMRC some £25m plus, plus other debt of some £25m to football clubs, solicitors, charities, shopkeepers, and forum owners.
Mel Morris completely mismanaged our club, and it’s finances, and has never once put his had up and admitted his mistakes. He bought the club with a stadium, and it’s sale should go through with the stadium back in the club’s ownership. He should do the right thing, but after 8 years of failing miserably I won’t hold my breath.

It's felt like a slow, drawn-out death for the past couple of years.
Ashley could 'save' us but it would only lead to an extension of that feeling. We'd be 'secure' but kept under lock and chain, miserable, depleted, feeding off scraps, begging for him to sell up to someone who'll treat us better.
All extraneous spending cut, Academy status down to Category 3, no Rams TV, stadium falling to bits, training facilities down to the most basic of standards...
It'd just be replacing one hell with another.

Success for Mike Ashley is inflating his bank account even more. He won’t care a jot what happens to the football club, make no mistake.

Was just thinking about this. What a season.
Bielik’s goal was special - the emotion of the day, the tosspots in the away end, the lateness of the goal. What a celebration that was.
Lawrence’s goals against Sheff Utd on another difficult day - sheer class.
The atmosphere at the Fulham game. Defiance, belief.
Sibley’s late winner against P’Boro.
Fozzy wiping the ball on the towel was class.
I have enjoyed this season more than any in a very long time. The fans, players and management have been superb. A proper bond that will be difficult to maintain or replicate but hopefully we will. I love this football club.

11 days to go until they bounce and we get liquidated

A lot won't know who he is, and some may not know who Tim Ward is, but I think it deserves a mention. Sadly, Andrew passed away recently after a battle against cancer and dementia. He had already won a previous battle against cancer.
 
Tim Ward was one of Derby's greatest players. Signing for the Rams just before the outbreak of war, and missing the Cup Final because of national duty. His time in Germany saw him miss all but one game of Derby's 1946 FA Cup campaign. He played 238 times for us, and also gained two England caps as a right-half. He later left to play for Barnsley. His managerial career started oddly, having been appointed manager at Exeter. However, Barnsley had not released him and appointed him their manager eight days later. He won promotion for them from the Third Division and was there for eight seasons. He then managed Grimsby and got them out of the Third Division. For five years he was Derby's manager, signed Kevin Hector, and a lot of the team that went on to gain promotion under Clough: Durban, Webster, Boulton and Daniel. After a short stint as Carlisle manager he is to thank for the Ex-Rams charity matches, and the formation of the Derby County Former Player's Association in 1991.
 
Where does Andrew fit into this. Well he was an accomplished author, and he co-authored The Derby County Story with Anton Rippon in 1983. It was hugely successful and following soon was the Derby County Complete Record and the success of Breedon Books, whose importance to the world of football publishing cannot be ignored.
 
 
 
 

Feels like we have come full circle since that fateful day at Wembley in 2014 where cheating QPR beat us undeservedly and went up to the Premier League at our expense.
I was so proud of our young team that day, despite the loss. Morris took over ownership, surely it was just a matter of time before we were promoted ourselves. 
Eight long years later and we all know how that turned out. The EFL gave QPR a gentle slap on the wrist for their misconduct when they inevitably came back down, whilst pursuing and torturing Derby for lesser offences over several seasons. Morris wasted millions,  upset a lot of people and then dumped us in the mire. 
So here we are again needing a win against QPR, this time the stakes feel even higher. 
We have a poor record recently at Loftus Road (Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium) and I have never seen us win there. I am rightly staying well away, don't want to jinx the team! 
But if anything, I am even prouder of our team this season than I was in 2014. The fight, resilience, team spirit, leadership, support and sheer guts has been a revelation.  So whatever happens today, I applaud each and every person involved with our club. 
DCFC, the team for me. COYR! ?
 

Good luck him getting anyone from Derby attending that venue in the future to cover the cost of the roof. 

Not a quote about BC, but not longer after he arrived in Derby he played in a charity game at RR recreation ground. I live about 200 yards from there so popped down. Anyway, it was a typical charity game, no one trying to hard, until BC's team got a corner. The right winger (as he would be called then) wacked over a really hard,high ball, the other players just stood and watched. Not BC. He had started running as the corner was hit and I have never seen anyone jump that high to head a ball. It hit the crossbar and shot about 30 feet in the air before dropping behind the goal. The main thing though was the sound as he headed it. It was a loud crack, like a well hit cricket ball. There were other ex players on the pitch but only one was trying to win.

Is it possible to opt to liquidate Mel Morris?
Bottle him up and sell him in some hipster bar as a guest ale called old 4 eyed tw@, or somet like that.
 

In the fans’ park. Sunshine & beer. Some degree of normality. Derby County still lives and breathes; heads up everybody. We fight till the end. ?. 

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/derby-county-contracts-rams-transfers-6764882
9 derby players to potentially leave in the summer.
So huge rebuild, the longer Derby leave going out to players to assess for signing, the harder it becomes to have a team ready to play next season regardless of the league derby are playing football in.
Discussions on signing free agents are pointless and less the club can actually compete on salaries paid to get such players to join and in any case if Derby is in league one, then the best free agents will not come to Derby.
To rebuild quality and depth in the squad is going to take capital.
When it comes to any new owner its not a matter of just taking on a massive debt, they would most likely want to see a return, and they cant do that the longer Derby stays in league one, if thats where the club plays football next season.
Even assuming Derby survive for next season, what will be left of the club, will not be in a position to really look at the top 6 in the championship without a number of players being signed.