Pikeyram

I've really enjoyed league one, I love the fact that most of our games have been 3pm Saturdays, that won't be the case next year.
Some proper community clubs with lovely old school stadiums, proper football, but pleased to be out of it!

I don’t mind what league we are in, I just want Derby to be competitive. I’ve enjoyed league one, but then I don’t like or watch premier league football, I’d rather watch non league 

... The day before. Reflections of yesterday with a bangin head!
It wasn't just Pride Park or the Neptune - it was the whole of Derby - some places have it and some don't, it's that simple!
It's easy to support Liverpool, it's easy to follow one of the Manchester clubs.
I don't think there is a greater footballing place in the UK than Derby!
COYR!

I've really enjoyed league one, I love the fact that most of our games have been 3pm Saturdays, that won't be the case next year.
Some proper community clubs with lovely old school stadiums, proper football, but pleased to be out of it!

The Carlisle fans summed it all up for me, 
I met some on the train yesterday who were brilliant. About 30 of us Derby fans got on at Utch station to a chorus of, "your just a bus stop in Stoke" from them. 🤣 A couple of us were offered cans of beer from them and the banter was great,
Walked up to the ground with some blokes who were sound and very respectful about Derby as we were with them. Proper fans of a proper club, they've had very little to cheer over the years but the miles they put in following their club is unbelievable.
Good luck to Carlisle, hope they have a swift return to League 1 and to all the other clubs who have fans who choose to follow their local team rather than be plastic supporters of Man Utd or Liverpool.

For me, it's travelling to away matches seeing grounds full of fans who aren't glory hunters, they passionately support their local club who probably have no chance of glory - and loads of younger fans who could easily just choose one of the normal 'big 6' to follow - fair play to them
Also, most, if not all of the towns have been a joy to visit, Cheltenham, Oxford, Carlisle, Lincoln, Shrewsbury etc - loved them all
Going to places like Birmingham & Sheffield again won't seem the same
As for the quality of football, it was lower but of course it was, it's the 3rd division

Couple of side notes to add -
 
My 1 gripe with Evatt is that he is a bad loser and needs more grace when things don't work. I hate excuses and as I've learnt from reading other forums, every set of fans thinks they're hard done by by the referee every week and sometimes just accepting that we didn't take our chances is a better way to learn, move forward and grow.
The other side note is that I live in Stockport, have various friends who are rams around here and have a soft spot for you, especially as someone who went to Uni in Nottingham and developed a great dislike for Forest, mainly over their arrogance in referring to themselves as "the famous club"

Thanks guys! I personally am fully on board the Evatt train. He took us over when we had unpaid players, a low wage cap and has got us promoted from league 2 and competing to get back to the championship, bringing on younger players, playing nice football. A lot of our morons suggesting we should sack him if we don't go up but I don't see what that achieves personally, we've got better every year he's been in charge and that's despite losing James Trafford and Conor Bradley last summer who both have played regularly in the premier league this season. I'm dreading that it's Barnsley in the semis, they will limit our away allocation to 2000 again I imagine (but at least we're home 2nd leg this time) and we'll have played them 10 times in 3 seasons after these 2 games (won once and lost twice of the 8 so far) so I expect a nervy tight game. Having thumps Oxford 5-0 a couple of months ago I quite fancied them. We will see! I agree that we're probs the better team of the 4 but we all know that means very little in the playoffs so we need to be on it and hopefully our strikers take their chances when they come. Bet you're all so relieved it's done and dusted and can relax and wait for fixture release day now haha

Hi all,
I just wanted to pop on and say congrats on a successful season and well deserved promotion. I know there's been some ill feeling between fans, mostly on the toxic social media platforms (not helped by a large number of idiots of which we at Bolton have f****** loads). I've scanned through your forum and a few others to regularly to check in on the thoughts of some of our promotion rivals over the season and as forums go, this one is generally positive and full of good and honest opinions. We have another fan called Wanderlust who often peruses the various forums and I feel he is a good fan for honest opinions too. I hope we can join you, I'm sure there's plenty of you hoping we stumble and end up stuck in L1 for at least another year, mainly for the fans who've been making stupid excuses for us not winning points this season. Reality is, you and Pompey were the most consistent teams over the season and thoroughly deserve your promotion, so well done and good luck in the championship next year. With your stadium and fanbase and what your fans have been through (trust me, I know what it feels like too), you deserve some good times now!
 
All the best gents (and ladies)

What a weekend. just on Cloud 9 ! Great to see the nod to B4 and thinking about how much joy he'd have had at how things turned out. I never met him in person but feel that through those who did, that I now have some measure of the guy.
It just set me thinking though (and without wishing to put any kind of dampener on things) about all the other now departed Rams fans who never got to see us make the step back up again, including my Mum who we lost before Christmas - she was a season ticket holder of many decades who drove us to away games before I could drive. It's not a sad thought though, she'd have been absolutely buzzing today and would have loved all the scenes at the end. 🙂🐏 COYR

Totally agree.
I have also always been a fan of Warne. An honest, decent man, who I suspect is not quite as ‘limited’ in his abilities as some people suspect may be the case in this parish.
His ability to manage people should not be underestimated either. The team spirit he and his team have built at the club appears to be exceptional. I don’t get this ‘he can’t attract players’ stuff either. I think that after money concerns, playing for a decent human being who values you would be high on a lot of people’s lists, in any walk of life including pro football.
I have an ex-pro footballer in my family (Sunderland 300+ appearances, amongst other clubs, and does some agent work) who told me when Warne was appointed that he is a very good manager. I’m very much minded to accept that.
I also don’t get a lot of the criticism around the football that is played. Man City since Haaland arrived have spent a lot of time getting the ball out wide to then cross it in to Haaland. No one seems to be criticising them for it. I like our pace on the wings, and how we stretch the pitch. I love our defence. Of course there will be things that could be improved- but broadly speaking we’ve been a League 1 club that has had to fish in a certain pond. I’m sure we’ll see an evolution in style and staff. Though it needs to be gradual as not to destroy what has already been built, and I’d trust Warne and co to do this.
Success for me, next season would be a mid table finish. Anything better than 10th would be amazing. As always though, I defer to David Clowes and his judgement as he seems to know  what he’s doing and is a lot closer to it than I am. Hopefully fans will continue to get behind the manager and team, even in the rough times.

He got us automatic promotion 

We all are.

Sadly this will be my last match today. My first was in 1956 as a 13year old, My dad used to take me before that but he stopped going when we went down to the third division north. My mate and I would catch the 12 oclock bus from Melbourne and be the first in the ground. We stood in the Normanton end pigeon loft, I think it was 3 shilling. To this day I remember that team. We were champions in 1957 and I ran onto the pitch after the last match against Southport, Ray Straw scored 37 goals that season, The next ten years saw me start work, get married and have two children, I had moved to Derby, and after my family, the Rams were the most important thing in my life I never missed a home game in those ten years even though we were only an average second division side. And then in 1966 after England won the world cup my mate and I decided to have a season ticket, Little did we know what would happen that season, I was at work one day and a Rams supporting work mate told me we had signed a player from Bradford Park Avenue, his name was Kevin Hector I'd never heard of him but he was without doubt the most wonderful footballer to grace the Baseball Ground I had ever seen, and because of this we wanted to see more players like him which led to Tim Ward getting the sack and BC becoming Manager, what followed was ten years of unbelievable success and enjoyment. And then things started to go wrong off and on the pitch and I stopped being a season ticket holder during Peter Taylors time as manager, i still loved The Rams of course and when I turned 65 and retired my old mate from Melbourne and I bought season tickets again. But sadly covid left my best friend of 80 years with a dementia problem and he know no longer knows me. For the last two seasons I have been going alone to the match but its just not the same for me. Therefore I am calling it a day, as I write this I am welling up as I will do this afternoon. Thank you Derby County for every thing I will love you till I die.     

Like many fans, he’s known nothing but heartbreak. Delighted he can finally celebrate us getting over the line.

I’ve spent this morning looking at all the celebrations of yesterday on the net and have to say am proud of the Rams Family and how you have exuded joy and jubilation. Also the support I’ve been part of at away games this year; it’s been exceptional. Thank you for being great fans. 

Just got back home.
Two pints before the game at DW sport place good atmosphere good beer choice for the location no real ale.
Record fair and Bustler market after the game good atmosphere poor craft beer choice given the location no real ale.
Neptune good atmosphere real ale mediocre.
Standing order good atmosphere good beer real ale.
Dolphin good atmosphere good beer real ale.
Shakespear good atmosphere good beer craft beer but no real ale.
Bess good atmosphere nearly run out of beer, so never had a drink.

Home bad atmosphere wife already gone to bed expect no conversation for several hours in the morning then a lecture about stopping out for so long. 
No beer for several days will have to treat her for a meal before I am allowed any beer again. 😂

Roy Mac doing the bounce. Bet his knees feel like mine this morning! 
 

Congrats and thanks Paul warne , everything I want in a derby manager, class act,
some want football played in a certain way and have no interest in anything other than that ,even if it took us 10 years to get out of this league , that’s they’re choice and it’s ok with me ,
me ? I want seasons like this one , days like yesterday and owners , managers , players I can respect and feel one with in shared good and not so good times , 
I reckon both me and warnie are going to be walking our dogs today with a big smile and spending time with family knowing the value of both yesterday and today ,,,, hats off to Paul warne ,,, a proper football bloke and a proper person 🐏😀👏👏👏👏👏🙏

Pompey fan here -- many congratulations on your promotion! Very will deserved imho, classy club, classy fans. Best of luck next season and look forward to locking horns with you next time round.

Like a renaissance painting :
 
 

Thank you David Clowes!👏
Thank you Paul Warne and all the players!👏
Thank you to B4 and all the amazing supporters who support the Rams home and away.👏
Thank you all for making this such a special day!🐏🐏🐏
P.S. Duck the EFL!

So many thoughts and emotions at the moment.
I went into Derby to watch the huge, noisy, smoky crowd as they wended their way through the town. Flags galore and a positive, good-natured feel to the occasion. I was excited but dreadfully apprehensive about the final score. The energy from the crowd just had to lift the team and carry them over the line... surely? What could possibly go wrong?🤔
I listened to the match on Radio Derby. Once we had scored 2 goals I started to relax and enjoy the game a bit more.
When our lovely Max Bird went off I felt so proud of him, so sad to see him leave us and worried in case he was about to regret his decision to leave.
It wasn't one of our greatest games but it was bound to be a nervy game. Our opposition had nothing to play for and we had everything. Perhaps the players knew that if we won, their holidays in the sun had begun!
So sad that B4 wasn't with us physically to celebrate this wonderful party but I really hope that he is celebrating somewhere. I loved the 'Be More B4' displays round the ground. It reminded us of what a smashing guy he was.
I loved all the scenes of the players after the match, being carried on shoulders, celebrating with families. Their relief was palpable and so well deserved. Well done to them all for achieving this promotion and well done to every single member of staff connected with the club.
I felt proud of Paul Warne for what he has achieved. He is a nice guy and I like him. Whether or not he can take us all the way, I am grateful for what he has done so far, for his passion for the club and for his care of the players. I felt very happy for him today. He has brought a good ethos to our club which I'm sure was part of David Clowes plan.
After everything we have been through over the last 2 years, the sadness, the uncertainty, the anger, we have achieved promotion and tonight Derby fans will go to bed feeling very drunk, ecstatic, full of positivity for next season or may be apprehensive. I think our club is in good hands and I am so grateful for David Clowes for getting us to this place. He loves this club and I am so grateful and reassured that he will not take any risks with this club which he loves as much as we do.
Sleep well tonight, fellow rams. Like I said, it has been a day of so many emotions, but tonight is joyous and a time for some fizzy!! X