CROSSWORD

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.
 

Or that nobody has and that they've all moved on and away.

It’s being built as we speak.

Once again Wayne Rooney standing head and shoulders above the Admins, EFL, Mel, local MPs, etc.
A clear and concise update, in fact best one I’ve heard from anyone for a few days.
Just going to focus on Sundays game now, looking forward to attending along with my youngest son.
COYR.

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/Derby-county-press-conference-live-6565522
Rooney:
"I've just come off the phone with them (administrators) five mins ago. Where we are at, there is no big update I can give you.
There will be no players leaving.
They have reassured me Tom Lawrence will not be going and that is pleasing because he is a player I want to keep.
Everton approached my agent and asked me to interview for the vacant job which I turned down. I have a job here I am doing, which is an important job to me and that means me getting the team ready for Sunday."
 

I've bit my lip long enough.....
I'm not Interested in MM one bit. He is 100% to blame for all this and clearly doesn't care much for the people of Derby, especially with us being dragged through the mire.
If it were me I would hold up my hands admit I've screwed up and do what I can to put things right before sailing off in to the sunset. If he had no links with Derbyshire you could make excuse for him. The fact he's from Derby makes it downright shameful.
If I had the money I would bail the club out as I know what the club means to the people of Derby. It absolutely breaks me that I could have taken my Grandson to PP for the last time and it is all down to MM

Not sure, it's difficult to put yourself in the mindset of a petulant 10 year old...

The EFL want it settled by arbitration, probably by their own arbitration panel. They won't allow a preferred bidder until that takes place - and no bidder in his right mind would put his money on the line while such a condition is in place. Meanwhile, the clock continues to run down, putting more and more pressure on the administrators to cave in and go for a fire sale just to keep the club running until the end of the season - at which point, there will still be no preferred bidder because the same conditions will apply then as now.
I live in hope that somebody somewhere bangs a few heads together, but that hope is fading day by day, hour by hour.

I don't think he's the anti-christ, he's simply beneath contempt for the totally cowardly way he's ran away from the mess he's created and shafted club employees and small businesses and potentially jeopardised the total existence of the football club.
We all make mistakes in life but non of us exist in a vacuum and would have a million times more respect for Morris if he admitted he did makes mistakes but then strive with every nerve and sinew to make them good before passing control of our club to someone else instead of abdicating any form of responsibility for the mess he's left the club in.

Well l am a Rams Fan, and there were 4 recorded breaches of EFL rules on their website before Quantuma took over. Then there was the Administration process. Oh and P&S overspends in 3 of the 4 last trading years. Morris was wading in his own poo for the last 2 years of his tenure.

Cheated out of the European Cup final in 1973, cheated out of the 1975/6 EC as above, and cheated out of the EUFA Cup in 1974/75 by a dodgy handball decision in Mostar. 
We've always suffered from bent/crap refs!