Macintosh

Think you are being very harsh on Thommo, he’s more than just a keen runner

I didn’t particularly rate him when he first came. He provided balance and was immense as a screen but gave the ball away more than he actually won it.
But as soon as Smith came back in it changed.
Smith was the one sitting a little deeper, picking passes from deep and keeping things tidy.
This allowed Adams to start rampaging forward. He was still the steel of the midfield but he was using his energy to get forward as well as just putting his foot in.
Just something I noticed.

Really? Out of contract and 132 international caps between those three and 50 goals. I'd consider each of those to be credible targets now we are back in the Championship and worth a text.

Really? Out of contract and 132 international caps between those three and 50 goals. I'd consider each of those to be credible targets now we are back in the Championship and worth a text.

Really? Out of contract and 132 international caps between those three and 50 goals. I'd consider each of those to be credible targets now we are back in the Championship and worth a text.

Really? Out of contract and 132 international caps between those three and 50 goals. I'd consider each of those to be credible targets now we are back in the Championship and worth a text.

Really? Out of contract and 132 international caps between those three and 50 goals. I'd consider each of those to be credible targets now we are back in the Championship and worth a text.

Really? Out of contract and 132 international caps between those three and 50 goals. I'd consider each of those to be credible targets now we are back in the Championship and worth a text.

I remember this thread going crazy about Kamil Jóźwiak. He'd be on TV playing for Poland and Mel was being advised by many here to snap him up at any cost. And many are bigging up this guy  just the same after five seasons in the lower divisions playing for Walsall, Tranmere and Charlton, that it is his fitness holding him back. SpecSavers have several branches locally.

Thinking we won't be in a position to pay fees or have to, and we plan for one season at a time, no more than two-year deals. Strikers: Danny Welbeck, Jay Rodriguiz, Chris Wood or Oli McBurnie could be possibilities. Matt Ritchie, Seamus Coleman, Jack Cork, Ryan Fredericks, Ben Mee, Aaron Cresswell all of these are out of contract from PL teams and may be within our reach at a pinch. Obviously Will Hughes but he will be snapped up. Next division strikers: Kelechi Iheanacho, Aaron Connolly, Sam Gallagher, Jamie Vardy, Scott Hogan, Tyrese Campbell, Lukas Jutkiewicz, then Alex Mowatt, Jaydon Bogle, Stuart Armstrong, Axel Tuanzebe, Adama Traoré, Chris Willock, George Saville, Bradley Dack, Sam Morsy, Josh Windass. Not forgetting Ben Gibson, that would be funny. Players that impressed: Harrison Burrows, Jonson Clarke-Harris, Devante Cole, Liam Moore, James Husband, Shaun Rooney, Femi Azeez. Some from abroad. Some top loans. Spoilt for choice. 
And will David Clowes be actively looking to sell the club? Would Mike Ashley be wanting to come back in? Is there a deal to be had with naming rights for the stadium, and can we get a big deal for shirt sponsorship? 
 
 

11 January
Paul Warne says there are players within his Derby County squad who will trigger an extension to their contract if they pass a certain threshold of games.
The Rams head coach says a "few" are on course to extend their current deals ahead of next season with the club currently chasing promotion back to the Championship. 
Warne said: "A few of the lads have extensions anyway if they play so many games and some are on course for that. That is not something I need to concern myself with yet. 

Was this the fantastic spectacle of a Barnsley player being assaulted, or are you referring to a different fantastic spectacle?  🤷‍♂️

Invading the pitch would spoil the celebrations of many fans sat above ground level access to the pitch. Why can’t people wait and let the players /staff do their lap of honour so everyone can see, join in and applaud the efforts made during the season. 
 
to my mind it is a selfish act to invade the pitch.

if a player or indeed anyone gets hurt, then we are open to something even more severe. Our history with the EFL shows that would make an example of us. We don't want to throw away promotion if we do win.

The club are not asking... they are telling... don't do it.
The law says... don't do it.
"The best way to gain promotion is by the Play-Offs" is oft-written... do they invade the pitch at Wembley?
Hysterically approaching a player who has yet to make himself safe by dashing down the tunnel, just to "Plant a big fat kiss" could (understandably) be misconstrued as a potential attack/assault.  Remember, there will be confusion, concern, and uncertainty from some quarters.
All it takes... literally... is one jubilant fan being tripped/nudged/held back by a viz'd up official whose sole job/instruction is to attempt to fend off a pitch invasion for the mood to change.  Just one defensive/evasive swing of the arm can be caught on the numerous cameras, and have you stood in the dock before you can say "I wish I'd listened to Uncle Mucker"!
 
#only fools rush on
#keep it classy
#pitch for players, stands for fans
#we'll all be havin' a party, when Derby County rise


 

You don’t have to go you know 🤷‍♂️

Maybe Joe was a bit lucky to escape a yellow but I thought yet again he made 2 top class saves to preserve the point , the resulting free kick and the save from Saydee in the 2nd half , as for the 2nd Pompey goal , no blame attached to Joe for me 

Another top class save from Joe yesterday preserving the 3 pts , hope he signs that contract

Seeing as 50% of prem teams are struggling with ffp. Ditching their #2 or 3 keeper on £30-40k pw and hiring a competent replacement on a free offering £15k could be quite attractive?

You could make the exact same argument about the pro-Warne lot as well.  There are a group of people on here (not saying you are one of them) that will refuse to accept any criticism of Warne at all, will defend even the most dreadful decisions to the hilt, immediately start blaming everyone else when we lose etc.  
It would have been very easy for Barker to basically say that CBT has been unlucky with injuries, has struggled to get his fitness up and they're working on it and leave it there.  But he goes well beyond that, saying CBT has struggled with training intensity, found it a shock, "he's going to have to adapt to us, we can't adapt to him", "if he doesn't adapt he'll fall by the wayside" etc.  None of that is normal stuff.  When you spend money on someone for the first time in 4 years, to have the coaching staff using the phrase "charity minutes" about him playing only 2 months later, it's clear something has gone very, very wrong.  To be clear, I'm not necessarily saying Warne or the coaching staff are at fault, it could be the recruitment staff, the medical staff, whoever negotiated with CBT (it they made promises about starting games or whatever), we don't know from the outside looking in.  But I can't believe we intended spending £400k on the guy just to have him twiddling his thumbs on the bench while he built his fitness up.
I'm not sure many people are really doing that here.  I think more than anything, we're all confused as to why a player that was playing and contributing every week at another League One club, is suddenly barely fit enough to get on the pitch here.

I agree. It also makes it harder to 'enjoy' him being our manager, for some anyway. Whatever was thought of Roseniors football style I think you could be sure he wanted to be here and for the Club to achieve things with him.

So, you believe people have come to their opinions because we lost? I have come to mine after watching last season and this, all the home games and quite a few away. Also by listening to what a broad range of people have had to say about it. From my own assessment of our recruitment over 3 transfer windows which I think Warne is largely, if not completely responsible for. From seeing how he utilises the academy. From listening to him.  

I'm pretty confident that PW thought this was his Stella signing(waits for beer puns 😁) there was a reason he was let go even for a Luton side who rely on heading the ball back whence it came and the pace of forwards in the EPL would have sent Bradley crackers...he's a favourite of PWs and trying to shoehorne him in a place where EC was pretty dominant...If we fail to go up this season...Cashin will be sold and Bradley will be made captain and be a year slower...let that sink in for a while 😬  

I wasn't trying to excuse Wildsmith's stupidity - just pointing out that if Bradley had done his job properly, the situation wouldn't have occurred....

I still think there are strikers to be found with some hard graft and imagination. Gayle, he was released from his contract after the window closed because of the zero chance of him getting a game and he wants to find a club that will play him. He has taken that gamble and given up £7,000+ a week for an opportunity of match time. He has that hunger. Gregory still comes under this category of being no use to his club now. Many others whose contracts are up in the summer too, costing their club wages to see out the next six months for adding nothing. How hard did Liam Rosenior work to get Cardiff to release James Collins? He did not have a recruitment team to help him. Think outside the box, including Europe. Maybe phone up a few agents in the spare time they now have and ask them for inside info, if players could persuade their club to cancel their contract? Not every player is a greedy bar steward like Ikechi Anya.